Jennifer Woodbury

Of Divinity and Bellybuttons

Before a pre-bedtime bath this evening, Ella was examining her bellybutton and we were discussing how all bellybuttons are different. For some reason I spontaneously decided to take the conversation one step further and also explain how we get our bellybuttons. (I don't know, is four too young for the bellybutton origin story?)

I told her, "When you were growing in Mommy's tummy, you had a cord that came out from where your bellybutton is now. That was how I fed you. But when you were born, you didn't need the cord anymore so they cut it off."

Never one to let a single detail pass her by, Ella digested this information and then said:

"Who cut it off? JESUS?!"

Things Fall Apart

Don't worry, this is not a post about the Chinua Achebe novel, although I do have fond memories of that book involving a class I took one summer in college with Matt and his sister Ashley. (Yes, I did just use the words "fond memories" in reference to a book about Nigerian tribal life during the time of colonialism.) No, what I am really trying to say is that Matt has been in London on a business trip since last Saturday, and things are starting to fall apart around here without him. I am doing fine handling the girls by myself, that's not the issue. The problem is what happens after they go to bed, a pattern that seems to repeat itself every time Matt goes out of town (which thankfully is not very often):

1. I eat terribly.

Let's talk about the "food" I've been eating this week. Matt and I used to buy this Tostitos Salsa Con Queso dip every once in a while. We'd binge on it, feel sick, and vow never to buy it again, or at least not for one or two months until we'd forgotten our previous stomach aches. A year or two ago, we pretty much swore it off for good and I haven't really thought twice about it since. In general, I have to say we've been really good about not having any "bad" snacks lying around the house. But for some reason, Matt boarded that plane and all of a sudden I couldn't stop thinking about that little orange jar. So I bought one, along with a big bag of tortilla chips, and that's what I've been snacking on almost every night since Matt left. I realized I had reached a low point on Monday when I passed it off as dinner. For real.

2. I watch worthless television (even more so than usual).

Now, except when it comes to certain shows, I don't consider myself a TV snob. I admit to having watched every single season of Big Brother (what else am I supposed to watch during the summer?) and becoming a little too interested in the happenings on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. However, setting my DVR to record the entire season of NYC Prep on Tuesday and then attempting to watch the whole thing before Matt gets home on Friday? Definitely not my proudest television viewing moment.

3. I stay up way too late.

When the chips and dip have been eaten and I've overdosed on obnoxious Upper East Side teenagers, I head upstairs. This usually happens around 11:15 pm. I brush my teeth, wash my face, and crawl into bed at about 11:35. But I don't go to sleep. I spend a good half hour (at least) wasting time on my iPhone. I check e-mail, Facebook, Google Reader, the weather forecast, and do other aimless web browsing. When I find myself reloading the same web pages over and over checking to see if anything has changed within the last two minutes, I realize it's finally time to put the phone down. Then I pick my book up off the nightstand to do a little reading, finally passing out sometime between 12:30 and 1 am. That's about two hours later than my normal lights out time, which means I will lose about 12 hours of sleep this week.

All I can say is, it's a good thing Matt comes home tomorrow.

West Coast Pilgrimage {Part 2}

The second (and final) stop on our West Coast tour was Portland, Oregon. I haven't been back in almost two years, which I do believe is the longest stretch I've ever gone between visits since I left for college and moved away from home 12 years ago. Something about living on the other side of the country and having to travel with two small children just makes having family come to me more appealing. But I'm glad we finally made the trip back. There's nothing like going back to your hometown and reminiscing about places from your youth, like the Taco Bell drive-thru I pointed out to Matt that my friends and I used to frequent at ridiculous hours of the night. You know, the really important stuff you never want to forget.

Our first full day in Oregon just happened to be the 4th of July.

Patriotic girls.

We celebrated with a backyard BBQ followed by fireworks and sparklers for the girls in the driveway. Then my mom kindly stayed home with Ella & Claire while Matt and I slipped out to watch fireworks over the lake, which is where I used to go almost every year as a kid. I made sure to stuff my face with plenty of candy from the snack shack like I was eight years old again, just to make the experience authentic.

(1) Ella & Claire cool off in the pool on Grandma's deck. Who would have thought that the first place we would find some good old-fashioned hot weather this summer would be in Oregon? (2) We celebrated Matt's birthday for the second time in as many days. Here Ella helps him blow out the candles. My mom got this cake from the same bakery she always got cakes for my own childhood birthdays. (3) Claire and my sister. Claire took her sweet time warming up to everybody on this trip, even her doting grandmothers, but Emily managed to win her over right away.

We spent one day at the coast, and let me just say that the Oregon coastline, while beautiful, is not known for its warm weather. Perhaps this is why I always hear it referred to as "the coast" instead of "the beach"? Is the term beach reserved for warmer climates? Something to ponder. Anyway, despite my knowledge of this fact, I still thought temperatures struggling to get out of the 50's and drizzle was a little over the top for July. The roasted garlic &dungeness crab soup at this place did a pretty good job of making up for the weather however.

(1) Ella gets up close and personal with the sea life at the aquarium. (2) My dad and Claire display matching expressions. It must be in the genes. 

For some reason, despite her love for her Grandma Susan, Ella refused to take any pictures with my mom on this trip. And I think she is harboring guilt over it because she still brings it up in conversation, usually when she is in character as her imaginary friend Luke ("Um, Ella's Mom? How come Ella wouldn't take a picture with her grandma?"). Thankfully Claire was a little more cooperative:

On the last day of our trip we headed to Multnomah Falls, enjoying the view of the Columbia Gorge during the drive and hiking up to the bridge and back down once we got to the falls (although the fact that we did so while pushing a stroller and wearing flip flops probably means it doesn't truly qualify for "hike" status).  

I loved being back on the West Coast. I felt an unexpected ache in my heart the second I stepped foot off the plane in California. And like almost everyone I know who grew up there, I will always have an especially fierce love and devotion for Oregon. But I have to admit that at the end of our trip, after landing back at JFK and driving home, some of the first thoughts I had while walking through my front door were that I love our little house, I am happy with where we live, and I can't imagine my life anywhere else right now.

Miracles do happen.

West Coast Pilgrimage {Part 1}

(Photo taken outside the entrance to Disney's California Adventure park.)

I returned from a trip to the West Coast almost two weeks ago, and all the pictures have been sitting on my hard drive taunting me ever since. I've decided I don't do well with large groups of photos. I get overwhelmed sifting through them all, and eventually just get bored. But here at least is Part One of our trip. Part Two will hopefully follow sometime before Christmas.

Our first stop was Southern California, where we spent a week with Matt's family in a house on Newport Beach. There were 22 of us in total: Matt's parents, four out of the five siblings (sadly Matt's sister and her family in Switzerland couldn't make it), their spouses, and 12 out of 15 grandchildren.



A couple of family photos taken on our last night at the beach:



We spent one day during the week at Disneyland. In the past when visiting Disneyland or Disney World, we have always spent at least two or three days at the parks. Since it was a one shot deal this time, we opened up Disneyland at 8am and didn't leave until after 11pm. I sort of feel like we should have toughed it out and stayed until the park closed at midnight just to say we did it, but considering both girls were practically comatose by the time we left and I was hallucinating that Spencer Pratt was an employee (excuse me, "cast member") on our tram ride back to the parking lot (causing Matt and I to giggle immaturely every time the poor guy spoke), I suppose we made the right call by leaving when we did.

We made the most of the time we did have though, tearing through Fantasyland first thing in the morning before the crowds got too bad. Ella was finally tall enough to ride her first roller coaster, the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Matt took her the first time and I was a little nervous about how she would react, but even though she proclaimed the ride "a little bit crazy" she loved it and couldn't wait to go a second time with me. Of course it was necessary to go on Pirates of the Caribbean at least twice. That's a family favorite for sure, and I just have to say the Disneyland version blows the WDW version out of the water (it's just better and longer and...better). We also spent some time at California Adventure, where we watched the Pixar Play Parade (Ella was mesmerized when Lightning McQueen drove by, and she of course loved the Toy Story float the best) and then went on a few of our favorite rides (Midway Mania and Soarin' Over California). We watched the Disneyland fireworks from just outside the entrance to the park and took a couple of turns on the Buzz Lightyear ride before finally calling it a night.


(1) Out of all the rides at Disneyland, I think the classic carousel is Ella's favorite. (2) Matt takes Ella and Tanner for a spin in a pink teacup. (3) Cousins at Disneyland.

Aside from Disneyland, the majority of our time was spent at the beach. The first couple of days were pretty foggy. We clearly caught the end of the June Gloom (it was not going to give up until July 1st, darn it!) and even when the sun came out the wind kept things on the chilly side. Of course, the kids didn't seem to notice or care and had the time of their lives digging in the sand and running into the water.


(1) Just outside our rental house. The beach started just behind the row of houses on the left side of the photo. (2) Claire's favorite place to nap on the beach was wrapped up in a towel in Aunt Melissa's arms. (3) Matt hand delivers an In 'N Out lunch to the beach...and this wasn't even all the food! (4) Matt and Claire look out over the Pacific. (5) Ella never tired of playing on the beach. (6) Despite the freezing water temperature, the kids loved letting the waves crash over them. Thank goodness Todd was willing to stand out there with the little ones while I stayed wrapped up in my towel on the shore. (7) Sunset near Balboa Pier.

On our last full day together we headed over to the Little Corona Tide Pools to check out all the cool sea creatures. There was even an octopus sighting while we were there, although it went back into hiding before we could navigate the rocks to where it was.



We had to be out of the beach house by 10am on the last day, which also happened to be Matt's birthday (July 3rd), but since our flight didn't leave until 5:30 that evening, we said our goodbyes to grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles and headed to Beverly Hills. We surprised an old friend who has a small boutique just off of Rodeo Dr that sells authentic "pre-owned" (just like a car) designer handbags. I really wanted to put one of the $2,000 Louis Vuitton bags on Claire's arm and take a picture of her with it, but for better or worse I kept myself under control. Then we ate lunch and headed to Sprinkles for some birthday cupcakes. A passerby muttered "they're not that good" as she walked by the line to get in, but Matt declared his Black & White the best cupcake he'd ever had (and the Lemon Coconut and Strawberry weren't too shabby either). Sorry New York City cupcake bakeries, we cheated on you, and it was totally worth it!



After Sprinkles, we headed to the airport for our next West Coast destination...

Equitable Distribution of Assets?

Yesterday, as I was preparing to put the girls in the tub, Ella carefully chose the figures that would be joining her and Claire while they bathed. She allocated five figures each:

Ella's figures (on the left): Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bo Peep, and Rex

Claire's figures (on the right): Bullseye, Cinderella, two ugly Smurfs, and one of the little green alien dudes from Toy Story

I'll let you be the judge of this one.

He's Human After All

I love the little moments when beneath the exterior of the confident Ivy League business school graduate working in a midtown Manhattan high rise I see a glimpse of the college kid I fell in love with who always wore Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts, Dirty Buc shoes, and his signature backwards University of Virginia hat, and who took so long to ask me out that I actually had to make the first move.

One of those moments occurred last week as we lay in bed listening to the rain pound against our window A/C unit, which is inconveniently located right above Matt's head.

"I hate how loud the rain is on that thing when it isn't running," he said. "It's like Morris code being tapped directly onto my...."

I couldn't help but let out a little giggle. "What did you call it?" I asked, trying to sound innocent and failing miserably.

"Morris code?" he said cautiously. He knew where this was going. We've been down this road before. (Can anyone say "The ghost is clear?")

I laughed. I cried (from laughing so hard). I stroked his bruised ego and listened to him marvel at the fact that he had gone his entire almost 34 years on this earth without knowing that it was called Morse code. Then I told him I loved him, rolled over and fell asleep.

I probably get too much pleasure out of these incidents when they occur, but I figure it can't hurt to humble him the few times I actually get the chance. And at least he can take comfort in knowing he's not alone.

Be Still My Heart

I don't think anybody who knows Claire will argue with the fact that she has always been something of a mama's girl. But lately, her eyes light up when he walks in the door at the end of the day. Her arms reach out to be held. And then there's this display...

Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

Thank You Kathleen

Ella's 2009 school portrait

Ella plays Duck, Duck, Goose on the beach with some of her preschool classmates at the end of year picnic.

Today is the last day of Ella's first year of preschool.

Her last day greeting hello to Ms. Sarah and Ms. Kalie. Her last day playing out on the school playground with her 11 favorite buddies. Her last day performing her assigned job (maybe she will get to be the line leader - the ultimate prize among the preschool set). And it is my last day to have two hours of blissful quiet during the afternoon while Claire naps and Ella is at school. 

Now, I know that three-year-olds don't necessarily need preschool. I am sure Ella would have been just fine without it, but I couldn't have asked for a better school experience for her this year. She has looked forward to going to school each day and has formed a special bond with every one of her 11 classmates. I'm pretty sure each one has been declared her best friend at some point in time during the year. Ella's teachers have told me that Ella is the quiet one in class (yet another example of how much she reminds me of myself as a child), but I have seen her gain so much confidence in social settings this year. She will initiate introducing herself to other children that she happens to meet at the park or library and makes new friends easily. Oh yeah, and she learned all about how insects have six legs. You can't beat that.

One of my favorite things to witness this year was the way that all of the children in Ella's class took special care to look out for each other. They stood at the top of the stairs before the classroom doors opened each afternoon and excitedly announced as their friends entered the building ("Wells is here! Abigail is here!") Each day after school, Ella would give me the full report of any children who were missing from class that day ("Selby was not there today, she is on vacation. Henry was sick today..."), and she always reported back with great excitement when her absent friends returned. Last week as I was preparing mini bagels and cream cheese to bring in on our assigned snack day, Ella made sure to let me know that William did not like cream cheese, and she hovered around me to make sure nothing happened to the plain bagel I had set aside for him. If only they could stay preschoolers forever. I know that in just a few short years these same children will start breaking off into different groups and playground teasing will begin, and it all makes me a little sad that preschool ever has to end.

But if I'm being completely honest here, it is quite possible that this school year has done more for me than it has for Ella. For the first time since moving here two years ago (and really, probably since college), I have found true friends in several of the other moms from Ella's class. Sure, I have gotten friendly with my neighbors, people from church, and other moms that I've run into around town at Ella's music and gym classes. But now I am going out to dinner and enjoying hours of girl talk, I'm planning couples game nights, I'm hosting and going to regular playdates that are probably more for the benefit of the moms than the kids, and I don't think I realized how much I had been missing this interaction.

Over the past few days, Ella's teachers have been sending home various items that have accumulated in the classroom throughout the year. Last Friday it was the purple shag bath mat that she picked out at Target last fall to use as a rest mat. Yesterday, nudged between the laminated memory book of photos that her teachers prepared for her and a clothespin and paper towel butterfly that Ella created, there were two seemingly inconsequential items in her school bag. First, a piece of paper with Ella's name written in black marker along the bottom and a 4x6 picture taped to the middle. This had hung in Ella's cubby to let her know where to hang her tote bag and coat. As I pulled the paper out of her bag I noticed that on the other side of the paper there was another name written in black ink: Kathleen. The second item was the name tag that was set out each day to mark Ella's place at the table for snack. When the name tag was flipped inside out, there was that name again: Kathleen.

Ah yes, Kathleen.

Kathleen was the little girl who was supposed to be in Ella's class this year instead of Ella. To sum up a long story, Ella was originally signed up to go to a different preschool. And then due to various reasons I decided to switch schools and enroll Ella at her current preschool, but in a different class because the one I really wanted (Kathleen's class) was full. Trust me, this was all very traumatic at the time. But what matters is that Kathleen dropped out of the class, Ella got in, and the rest is history.

I don't know why Kathleen dropped out of the class. Maybe she moved. Maybe her parents decided to send her to a different school. Maybe she just switched classes. If she had stayed, I'm sure Ella would have had a perfectly fine year in the other class, but I don't know if it would have been anything special. So I just have to say thank you to Kathleen for giving Ella the chance to have such an amazing first year of school, and for allowing me to find the friends I didn't even know I was missing all this time.

Now, who's going to help me keep two kids entertained all summer long?

Claire Turns One (aka Frosting is Scary, Part 2)

Some of you may remember the way Ella reacted to the cake at her first birthday party. Well, we had a little party to celebrate Claire turning one on Sunday afternoon and the reaction was much the same. Is this a genetic trait? I am thinking that I may be destined never to experience my own child's joyful first birthday cake smashing.

First, Claire wondered what in the world was going on, and started plotting her escape. I'm not completely sure, but I think this was when we started singing to her.

I love this one. You can still sense a little of the concern on Claire's face even though it's blurred in the background.

Nope, she's definitely not feeling it. I think her birthday wish was to just make it all go away.

Ella didn't know what the problem was. This cupcake was pretty much the highlight of her year so far.

At one point, Claire stopped crying and actually started eating her cupcake. A hush fell over the room. It was like watching an animal in the wild, with everybody trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb the creature in her natural habitat. She still doesn't appear all that excited about the excessive amount of sugar right in front of her face.

Her main birthday present was this adorable Wheely Bug, and it was a much bigger hit than the birthday song singing/candle blowing/cupcake eating portion of the party. Claire thought the antennae were fun to play with, and I'm sure she'll enjoy the rest of it even more once her big sister stops racing it around the house for more than 1.5 seconds. Sometimes being one is hard.

Claire's party guests were the same ones who showed up for Ella's first birthday - cousins Ryan, Lauren, Abby, and Alex. Thank goodness these guys decided to follow us from California to the East Coast!

Happy birthday Claire! I'm sorry we traumatized you with chocolate cupcakes. It won't happen again, I promise.

I'm Back

We're all healthy (finally).

It's the first day of spring (hooray).

And oh yeah, somebody is turning one today...