If you're taking a toddler to a restaurant, be prepared. Even if you've done it before.

So we went to brunch with the McConnell's and I forgot three things:
1. A book
2. Crayons or pencil and some paper
3. To set up expectations with Carolina about behavior and what will happen before we left

She wasn't very well behaved at all. She wasn't really jealous, in fact she loved seeing the baby, but she was all over the place and whiny and didn't eat much of anything.
Granted, we weren't making her the center of attention, so that's to be expected. But in my usual small diaper bag I forgot to put back a book and something to draw with after I cleaned out the bag last month AND forgot to have "the talk" before we left the apartment.

Really, I should have known better, and I do, but I forgot. It wasn't the end of the world awful but, let's just say that it was really good there were only two other people in the restaurant, sitting far from us, who were tolerant of the occasional crying/screaming by our toddler.

How I get her to eat something normal (instead of only ice cream) while we are at a restaurant or at someone else's house, I'm not sure yet. I'll just keep trying. And maybe eventually it'll stick, but for right now, I just gotta go more prepared.

Silly, mommy.

First snow -- hooray!

Carolina woke up this morning and basically told this to her papa in one breath, after he opened her curtains and she saw it was still snowing,"I'm gonna make snow angels like Uniqua, Pablo, Austin, Tyrone an Tasha. An make tracks in Snowy Day. An put on jacket, an sweater, an boots, an pants, an socks!!"

We've been reading The Secret of Snow and The Snowy Day.

So right after Saturday morning pancakes, we headed outside where a lot of super fast-made snow angels were made on the sidewalk just before the legions of dogs came to pee and poop.

When we came back inside, Carolina was still excited and we helped her get out of wet clothes and I explained you have to put on dry, warm pants and a dry shirt. Sit on the couch and get a blanket. Then I'd get her a snack and juice. After she had on new clothes and the blanket was on she looked at us both and said,"Tank you eveybody. Is much better now." Because after snow fun, warm and dry clothes are good.

I love my papa; Can I hug frosty?

After her nap today, Carolina stood up and said, "Look, mommy. Picture of papa!" and in fact there was in the hallway outside her room. She then looks at me and says, "I love papa" and gave me a huge hug. I'm supposing that was really for him but he's at home and we're still visiting abuela.

Every night she's asked to go home and often during the day for papa.

While watching Frosty for the hundredth time, and it might actually be 100 times by now, she asked if she could hug Frosty. So we'll have to do that when it snows as she's also been asking for her "Carolina snow boots. Big boots." and those are at home, too. Along with any possibility of snow.

A nice thing is that I'm now "allowed" to speak Spanish to her and to others as well as she wants to watch her Mickey DVDs here in Spanish. I guess Spanish isn't so bad after all.