belly does not equal baby

so motoneta (formerly known as coco) and i were at the park the other morning, when a very long stroller came through the gate and caught our four eyes. triplets! i explained to my little motoneta that those three babies had all been inside their mom's belly together and came out into this world one right after the other. it blows my mind, but she seemed unfazed.

anyway, she continued playing in the sand and i continued looking at her playing in the sand, when she asked me, "how many babies does that señora have in her belly?". i followed her gaze and found a very large woman walking towards us. she did not look pregnant, but obese, and i had a feeling she spoke spanish. i quickly responded, "um, i don't think she has any babies in her belly". but, of course, this answer was not enough for the extremely inquisitive motoneta, who further investigated by asking, right when the woman had taken a seat on the bench in front of us, "then why is her belly so fat?".

in that moment i looked down at the sand, wishing i could dig our way out of the pickle we were in just like fantastic mr. fox (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq2I7xs0Dtc).

motoneta

coco has stopped being coco for a while now. ever since we went to barcelona in may, she's insisted on being called motoneta, which refers to a small motorcycle or moped. she was amazed by these little vehicles zooming past us on passeig de gràcia or parked in clumps everywhere. i think she saw funny faces on each one, kind of like jack black's motorcycle on that new friends yo gabba gabba episode (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE3JRjcbcX8&feature=related).

so, it was really no surprise that when i asked her this morning about her upcoming birthday party theme, she quickly replied "¡motonetas!". i'm just glad her answer to the halloween costume question was "¡un cocodrilo!".

adiós, chupi

the other night right before bedtime, i mentioned to coco that her pacifier, which she calls chupi, was getting kind of gross and that we would have to throw it out soon. the next morning, she continued the conversation by asking, "we are going to buy a new one, right?", to which i had no answer. panzón got me off the hook by diverting her attention and later that day, after some thought, i told her that we would not be getting a new one.

i told her the truth, that she's too old to be using a pacifier and that it could be harmful for her mouth in the long run. she yelled out, "¡mama no!", and went running to her crib. i imagined a toddler protest scene: coco with the pacifier in her mouth, stomping her foot and holding on to her crib with all of her might. but she actually took the chupi out, kissed it several times and said goodbye. she then, to my utter amazement, threw it in the trash can. i almost cried.

something's fishy

meet fafa, coco's first pet. we got him and his bowl (panzón and i took a minimalist approach to the interior design) on saturday at a local mom and pop aquarium shop. i think the rainbow fish by swiss writer/illustrator marcus pfister was influential in her decision to get a blue betta instead of a goldfish, like elmo's dorothy and pinocchio's cleo. also, they're overrated.

when we asked her what she wanted to name him, she said "coco". i told her to choose another name, since that's her occasional nickname (and official blog name). she couldn't think of anything else, so we named him fafa in honor of a little stuffed octopus we lost months ago at blockbuster. she still remembers him and i always tell her that he's happy watching movies like finding nemo (http://tr.im/MCdM) and the life aquatic with steve zissou (http://tr.im/MCe2) while eating tubs of popcorn.

meanwhile, the real fafa gets his entertainment from watching us while eating his daily dose of three tiny pellets.

three toddler toys

so, christmas is near, and i just wanted to share these three awesome toys that coco loves. who knows? maybe santa reads this blog!

1. sirch sibis max (http://www.sirch.de) ride-on vehicle: german engineering for toddlers. coco got this as a gift from our friends/co-workers from the architecture studio where panzón and i worked in barcelona (http://www.tonetsunyer.com) when she was born. we put it inside of a suitcase and stuffed it with clothes when we moved here three months later. it's been parked in our living room, making a great decoration piece, for two years and coco's finally playing with it, giving ofe the frog a well-deserved rest and taking her for an occasional ride in the bottom compartment, of course.

2. plan toys balancing cactus (http://www.plantoys.com): this colorful and non-prickly cactus reminds us of mexico, which is why we affectionately call it "el nopal". it helps coco develop different skills, while being eco-friendly and looking beautiful in its many configurations. it also sits proudly on a shelf in our living room.

3. bilibo (http://www.bilibo.com): "what is it?", everyone asked at coco's birthday party, as she unwrapped it. actually, the only downfall to this toy is wrapping it, which i did clumsily with paper and an oversized bow. anyway, no one really knows what it is, except probably for its swiss designer, but kids know what it's for - anything, really. like stacking, spinning, storing, siting, sliding... oh, and it looks sculptural, too!

trencadís

every week i add a new recipe to my limited repertoire, as an attempt to expose coco to new flavors and ingredients, especially vegetables other than peas, tomatoes, corn, and the occasional carrot. last week, i made this zucchini lasagna (http://tr.im/BQ3O), which, of course, coco didn't even touch. can't blame me for trying.

when i make lasagna of any sort, i usually miscalculate the noodles, even though i use the super easy non-boil kind. foodies, say what you will, but cooking anything more elaborate than a quesadilla around a toddler is a feat. i just say, good thing these lasagnas aren't buildings.

in this occasion, i had to use my creativity to make up for missing sheets by summoning the pasta-shattering powers of antoni gaudí. with my yucatecan salt and pepper shakers looking on, i put together this masterpiece, that was later covered up by a sticky ricotta and cream cheese mixture and, by absorbing moisture from other ingredients, expanded in my toaster-oven, hiding its cracks forever.

by the way, coco didn't touch it because it had zucchini and because she didn't believe the white stuff was cheese, but it really did turn out delicious.

on & off

the weekend came and left, as did my sister and adorable baby nephew, and coco's cold. i was not quite sure how coco was going to react to their visit, even though there was definitely some mental preparation going on before their arrival, which included a framed photograph of said nephew in coco's room, right next to the paddington bear chata brought her from london. it's challenging to explain that tía chata is my sister, and therefore her aunt, when coco herself has no siblings to speak of.

the reason i worry about these things is mostly because on previous visits with family and friends, since she was an infant, coco would scream when she was held, and sometimes even touched, by someone other than myself, panzón or my parents. this would me to stress out because, for one, her screaming would pierce my brain via both of my ears, and because even though adults understand that babies are fickle, i just know that it made tiny cracks in the hearts of family members.

now that toddlerhood has given coco more independence and confidence in herself, and that she doesn't have to be held at all, she gives us one loud, juicy kiss on each cheek and a big hug, which, to my amazement, was the greeting tía chata received when she walked through the door. coco melted when she saw her baby cousin and immediately gave him his long-anticipated nickname, ov, which is pronounced OFF.

during their visit, she would gently pat his head, sweetly kiss his chubby cheeks, and lightly touch his nose with the tip of her finger. she wanted him to sit close to her, so that they could enjoy a book together. the cold situation had me a bit uneasy, but the tenderness that oozed from coco and ov being together was just irresistible.

incidentally, coco has started referring to herself by her real name, which she pronounces ON.

mixing the colors

coco and i started going to this crazy mommy and me class that is a hodgepodge of cultures, where at least six languages are spoken. the teacher tries desperately to get everyone's attention by shouting in english, while moms chat away in hindi or spanish, or encourage their children in russian or japanese, or scold their kids in farsi or hebrew. it is total chaos, yet coco loved it from the start.

there is a table set up for craft-making, which is always a messy affair. aesthetics are not a top priority for toddlers, who prefer to use every color within reach, usually resulting in a mishmash of hues. coco invariably ends up with paint on her shirt, although today it found its way to her socks and even her shoelaces. her artwork is proudly displayed on our refrigerator, right next to andy warhol and, ironically, the famous less is more statement by mies van der rohe.

circle time takes the form of an amoeba, specked with pom poms, hand puppets and bubbles. ridiculous dance moves are made, chubby fingers are accidentally stepped on, songs are exaggeratedly sung with accompanying hand gestures, and translations are simultaneously whispered, as coco exclusively understands spanish at the moment.

during snack time the moms tend to regroup, a picnic table per ethnic background, it seems. we're the exception, choosing to sit at a remote table with our friends, who got us into this mess in the first place, for which we are ever so grateful.

potty time!

the other afternoon, my parents, coco and i were sitting in the living room having cookies and coffee with/or milk, when coco suddenly announced "¡pipi, caca!" and tugged at her diaper. my mom, whom i had asked previously for guidance during the daunting period of potty training, asked coco if she wanted her to take her to the bathroom. coco, who calls my mom tita, sternly said "tita no". so, my dad, also known as tata, certain that she would give him a negative, offered. to his great surprise, she answered "tata sí". we all looked at each other in shock. coco had never wanted to go to the bathroom, not even with me. tata panicked and tried desperately to get tita or me to take her, but he was the chosen one, so now he had to go.

before coco, my dad had never changed a baby's diaper, ever. much like myself, he didn't know the first thing about potty training, since my mom did all of the dirty work with my sister and i. nonetheless, he took coco into the bathroom by the hand, lowered her pants, removed her diaper and had her sit on her potty. he encouraged her to go and waited a couple of minutes. even though it turned out to be fruitless, or pipi/caca-less, i was so proud of her for trying and grateful that my dad followed through and showed me how it's done!

in the bathroom

privacy practically ceases to exist in motherhood, especially during toddlerhood. i have learned to live with this and don't think twice about using the toilet in front of coco, which is extremely potty-educational, or bathing with the door wide open.

the real challenge is keeping her entertained and out of mischief for the duration of a shower. sometimes her natural curiosity is enough, though being scrutinized makes me feel somewhat awkward, but most of the time i have to be resourceful. i do a lot of disco-bathing lately, letting her practice with the light switch, while standing on a step stool placed against the wall. filling her potty (http://tr.im/z0f4) with bath toys (http://tr.im/z0eu & http://tr.im/z0eh) is also a great source of amusement and keeps her busy long enough to actually wash my hair! at least she's using her potty constructively, right?

mouse ears

i don't know the exact number of times i've been to disneyland in my life (too many to count with fingers and possibly even toes), but i'll write about the last four.

on the fourth to last time, i went with almovi and his wife, muntsa, who was pregnant with their first child. we each got a mouseketeer hat: almovi's said mies (as in mies van der rohe, german master of modern architecture), muntsa's said zyanya (their baby's name), and mine said panzón (my boyfriend at the time, my childhood friend/crush, my future husband). we got our picture taken with mickey mouse: eight mouse ears and one big belly. this memorable photograph would later haunt me, as a friend of almovi's commented, with childlike cruelty, that i didn't need a mouseketeer hat because i could have just painted my own ears, that stick out a little, black. grrrrrr.

anyway, on my third to last visit to disneyland, panzón and i got engaged. i'll leave this story for later, but i'll just say that it happened in the darkest moment of pirates of the carribbean, right before the first drop.

the second to last time i went to the happiest place on earth was last year. it was coco's first time, two months away from her first birthday, and it was not very happy at all. panzón, coco and i met with almovi and mutsa (pregnant with their third child) and their two beautiful daughters. coincidentally, the first ride we went on was pirates of the carribbean. i guess i had forgotten about the darkness, the drops, the bony pirates and the loud BOOM!s, but as soon as we got on the boat, i knew it was a mistake. coco cried during the entire ride. and on every ride after that. i feared a lifelong disneyland-trauma.

my last visit to disneyland was on tuesday. this time, panzón, coco and i went with loquillo. for coco's second time, two months away from her second birthday, we decided to avoid pirates all together and went directly to it's small world. to my relief, she absolutely loved it! she kept saying todos, referring to all of the children of the world singing together. we got her her own mickey ears, which she wore happily during the parade. the photos we took would later remind my mother of my own toddlerhood, when i would wear my mouseketeer hat as an everyday accessory in guadalajara, and panzón's mother and grandmother would call me ratoncita, meaning "little mouse".

new frog on the block

coco rediscovered one of last year's christmas gifts, a melissa & doug frog pull toy (http://tr.im/xoVu) she likes to call ofe (short for ofelia). yesterday, i walked into our bathroom and found ofe sitting on coco's step stool wearing sunglasses. this afternoon, we took her for a walk around the block because she needed exercise. she would have taken a nice bath afterward, had i not intervened with soapy hands. how do you explain to a toddler that her favorite amphibian can't take a little dip?