Gen X Mama

The first day all by myself with two kids went generally well, except I now have Isabella in underwear since she is toilet trained. Well, she had a major temper tantrum and, as a result, pee'd & poo'd all over her underwear and pants! Bleah!!! I think I mopped bleach on that spot on the floor like 5 times! :p And of course in the middle of all this, Sebastian woke up and started crying so I was running around up and down stairs between the 2 screaming kids, trying to wash one up, console the other, clean up the a huge mess on the floor, change a diaper, nurse, all the while trying to hurry so we could still make a playdate with one of Isabella's school friends! Ah, the joys of parenthood...

I never fully imagined what life with kids would be like and the extent of how it would change. So on my birthday instead of a fancy french dinner with seared foie gras, duck confit and an old bottle of Bordeaux, I actively chose for all of us to go somewhere that in my pre-baby life I wouldn't be caught dead in (yes, I admit that I am a total snob) - a kitschy "adventure" chain called Elephant Bar Restaurant, located in Emeryville's big box suburban mall. We sat right next to a giant elephant statue, which Isabella enjoyed talking to when not bouncing up & down in the booth. Meanwhile Sebastian got antsy in the stroller and spent the rest of the meal in my left arm smiling at his crazy sister while I scarfed my meal with my right. Isabella then discovered these "elephant glasses" and amused herself the rest of the evening wearing them, making elephant noises, and generally cracking us up. She decided she was an elephant who needed to eat a lot, and went from refusing to taste any of her chicken to eating all of it. Rich surprised me with a dessert, and Isabella sang happy birthday to me on my birthday for the first time and helped me blow out the candle. Then she jumped onto my lap and scarfed two-thirds of the dessert while I rushed to fish out all the sprinkled peanuts so she wouldn't accidentally eat it and get hives or worse go into anaphylaxis (of all times to leave the epi-pen in the car - oy!). But she didn't, and she had the biggest smile ever having eaten all of that chocolate cake and ice cream.

It was a far different birthday dinner than one at a Jardiniere. And it was probably the best birthday ever.

I still can't believe we're a 4 some now!