How We Did Valentine's Day

Tonight, I'm sitting in the recliner with a baby curled up on my chest, her cheek pressed up against my skin with one arm spread out on either side of me as if giving me a hug.  Sounds range from the Olympics on TV, the dishwasher washing tonight's meal of smothered pork chops and rice, Beau's guitar playing from our bedroom, and a quiet little baby snore coming from my chest that makes me smile.  It was bath night tonight, and Beau and I sipped Stellas, folded laundry, and enjoyed some adult conversation while Cruz played away in the tub and Mila soaked in the kitchen sink next to us.  Her freshly bathed head is just inches from my nose and the smell, and her snore, make it nearly impossible to put her to bed.  It's been a great night and Beau and I both commented that it seems as though we're finding our groove around here.  That isn't to say tomorrow morning will be a different story, but we pat ourselves on the back tonight and savor the peace that surrounds us.

  

This weekend, we celebrated our Mila girl's very first holiday.  And let me tell you, it's not hard to get into the Valentine's Day spirit with a little girl and all this pink around here.  It's been fun to be home on maternity leave this month and nice to have had more time to do some fun things with Cruz during the day.  We've baked, we've crafted, we've dressed Mila up in silly pink hats, and we've talked about all the things we love in this world we live in.  Last week, Cruz and I were decorating cupcakes while Mila napped and we were talking about Valentine's Day.  I told him that it's a day when we celebrate the people we love and do nice things for them.  Then I asked what he likes to do for the people he loves. 

I like to pway wif them and give them hugs.  

This weekend, we followed Cruz's lead.  We spent Friday night at home as a family of four, making heart-shaped pizzas together, sipping wine, and passing baby Mila back and forth.  Beau surprised me with a Crosley vinyl player and hid a backpack stuffed full of his parents' old records.  Beau got cologne, Cruz got puzzles, and Mila got a handmade doll.  And we gave plenty of hugs, too.
 

How else we celebrated love day this year...

We made chex mix and ate the entire bowl in three days.

  

We had a dance party to the tune of one of Beau's newest Raffi-inspired kids' tunes called, "Funny Guy."  We come up with various verses that all end with the line, "He's Cruz...he's a real funny guy."  Cruz is a fan, but prefers lines about his baby sister the most.

We dressed Mila in lots of pink...and lots of hats.

We enjoyed our first date night since Mila was born.  My parents came and treated Beau and I to a nice night the two of us and really good food.  We went to SingleSpeed for a couple of beers, a couple of martinis at Montage, my absolute favorite shrimp spring rolls and raspberry chipolte pasta, AND a chocolate souffle for dessert.  It was amazing to drag out a meal without worrying about a hungry baby or the attention span of a toddler!   

We spent an afternoon baking chocolate cupcakes and pretending we were bakers...Mila took a three-hour nap and gave Cruz and I this special, uninterrupted time to be together.  With no other distractions, I was relaxed, letting him get a little messy with his sprinkles and laughing at the funny things he says. 

     

Ready to "xoxo" this snow goodbye and welcome green grass and open windows.  I'm officially over winter and ready for fresh air around here.  Soon...