A productive day so far.

Our day started with P figuring out our huge stroller fits in the handicapped space in the tram. Yesterday we walked from the parking garage. It was not a fun walk.

Two more pins and I didn't want to ruin a second outfit ruined, so SS's hat came in handy. Yesterday and today's outfits, shoes included are part of the Abus' gift.

These guys were walking by and saw SS's birthday pin. They invited her to be their first picture.

A dainty little girl moment, not many of those.

Our first ride was the Monsters Inc. per SS's request.

Next we headed to Turtle Talk with Crush who must have gone through quite a bit of Humboldt's finest before the show. Dude was in totally tubular mode cha.

SS was first in line to say hi to Sully. 

 

SS enjoyed the maximum allotted time in Olaf's Snow Fest. A nice reprieve from the heat.

Gifts and good night.

We really tired SS yesterday. We returned to the hotel after Fantasmic to open Her birthday presents. P and I have tried to limit what we gift SS since she came home. And every time we are left with just good intentions. SS is a lovely child but as for all practical purposes raised so far as an only child, she can be rather entitled.

We are proud that for the first time we kept it simple. OK we don't count the two days at the park. SS loves her gifts, especially Grandpa's, who gives the best gifts. Sula can't wait to get home to assemble her Bionicle set.

Usually SS would open her toys immediately, but she must have been more tired than we thought.  She got ready for bed and was out right away.

Batman PJs and fleece blanket, Avenger pillow and Dog, and off to dreamland SS went. Tomorrow she will visit California Adventure for the first time.

We do have a Disney guilty pleasure.

Fantasmic, even after a twenty-three year run redeems this over priced, over rated park. JJ was in elementary school when we first saw Fantasmic.

P and I last saw it ten years ago, during the park's 50th anniversary celebration. That is when we bought SS her first mouse ears, with her name embroided. Our baby was born two years after that purchase. The ears color is gold and she still has them. At the time we could not wait to bring SS home and introduce her to Fantasmic.

We even bought a CD of the soundtrack along with the soundtrack for the now defunct Main Street Electrical Parade. It took us a while but we made it. On our own dime and at our own pace.

It was truly magical watching SS take it all in, a smile on her face and completely oblivious to the world around her. It was one of those silly parent moments that fill our hearts with joy. Gee, it's not like we created the damn show.

I have done Disney with a six week old and now with an eight year old. The latter is more enjoyable. SS will remember today for years to come. She can get on almost every ride if she is interested. SS walked by the long line to take a picture with Mickey and kept on walking. But she did enjoy It's a Small World and Fantasmic. Disney you redeemed yourself at least for today.

SS received a nice dinner souvenir.

She's a big girl but still needs her Dog.

How cute is our girl? Love how she keeps him on her neck.

SS's dinner included the Pope.

We dined at Buca di Beppo, where the $5 children's menu Fettuccine Alfredo is enough to feed a hungry adult. The ad on our placemats recommended The Pope Room to celebrate first communion, while ingesting massive amounts of pasta. Just like any good Roman Catholic would do.

I really thought it was a joke and I was wrong. OMG the room is real, and well, mere words do not do it justice. The bust in the middle of the lazy Susan was the perfect touch that elevated the room to first class. SS was incredibly relieved that she will never receive communion. Who knew being heathens would raise our stock with our daughter?

P corrected my previous claim of $800 for two days. They recently raised the prices, so our two days would have set us back $1000. How is that feasible for the average family of four? We can only hope SS moves on to another obsession by her next birthday. Until then she better make good use of her pass.

But now she's all about super heroes.

Darn Disney for buying the rights to Star Wars and Marvel. It's why we broke down and decided this year we had to bring her to the most expensive and crowded place on earth.

We just are not Disney people and the admission price is just outrageous. A two day stay (hotel and meals not included) would set us back $800. All that for the pleasure of standing in line for hours and get on a few rides a day.

P decided it was best to get season passes and spread our visits over the year. That, and he can't deny SS's love of pirates, Star Wars and Marvel. So far all four of us are underwhelmed by the park. Maybe we are too old.

We spent about an hour at the hotel, we are going to dinner and back to the park.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

This ride brought back memories of a toddler SS obsessed with Buzz.

Happy Birthday SS!

Eight years ago you were born a world away from us. A few days after a decision was made on your behalf that forever changed yours and our lives.

It has been an amazing experience watching you grow into a super hero, Star Wars, pirate loving girl. Your quirkiness makes us laugh, and your resilience makes us proud to be your parents. We hope you enjoy your two day birthday stay at the happiest place on earth.

Now

P does get me the best briefcases for work. New position required a new briefcase; and no I don't get to decide, because it is what P does. And as much as people think I get my way, P has a self proclaimed gift to choose what I need. I

Then

Just past midnight snack.

P arranged a night away for us for Valentine's Day. We had a late dinner, and just got back from the Improv where Cristela Alonzo ( yes the Cristela from the ABC sitcom) performed. Now we are having our late night/early morning snack, while watching the first SNL show. I don't think we will be up bright and early.

Bubbles

OK, final real goodbye while waiting for valet parking.

Goodbye!

Apple cider brunch.

Bright eyed and bushy ( iPad) tailed.

That was fast.

Sleep well sweet angel, there's one more fun surprise before we head home tomorrow.

SS's swan song to a long, fun filled day.

P made up his mind a year ago and kept his word. He strived to give SS a weekend of memories that will hopefully make her smile for years to come. Or she could look back and hate the whole thing. I kid, I kid.

A soak in the hot tub to wash all her cares away.

Winding down for the night.

Bella SS at Bella Trattoria.

Old fashioned phone call.

SS had no idea that artifact was once used like a cell phone.

Gingerbread house decorating and eating at the inn.

SS's cool eye patches arrived.

SS cool eye patches arrived yesterday, and I arrived home from work to find a very happy and coordinated SS.  Penguins is one of the three designs she selected, and SS had the footie pajamas to match.  How cute is our one eyed wonder?

The downside to the eye patch is that the adhesive is really good, so it hurt when I had to pull the patch off. SS was not amused and was close to shed tears. SS now gets today off, and we resume patching Saturday. By patching on Saturday and Sunday we don't have to worry about waking SS up so early.

Even with an eye patch our girl is just so freaking cute.

It's pirate time twice a day for the next three months.

SS had her vision exam last Saturday and there were two unexpected issues. Although SS has worn her glasses full time as prescribed, her eyesight decreased on both eyes. Dr. B was surprised about this and it brought back the concerns she had last year.

For the next three months we are going to try to get SS's left lazy eye to do some work. For one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening we are going to patch Rightie. It's time for Leftie to engage in team work.

This could have been awful but thankfully SS loves pirates and has a pirate costume. Who knew that such a seemingly silly indulgence would come in so handy. Not only do we have to patch Rightie but SS has to make Leftie work hard. No plopping her in front of the TV.

This is not a problem in the evenings but SS is not a morning person. Like her father she opens her eyes just enough to orient herself until she's ready to leave the house. We were not and are not looking forward to a battle first thing in the morning. But that other indulgence, namely the magic of Legos is a big help. A lot of help because we have to wake up SS earlier now.

 
Pirate hat, sword, patch and Legos at 6:00 a.m. P ordered cute adhesive eye patches with three designs SS selected. They should arrive tomorrow.

The second concern might be a result of SS's birth circumstances. Since we have very little birth history, we do not know the most important piece of information Dr. B needs for treatment. So we are trying a strategy, and in three months Dr. B will reassess progress, if any. Other than this there is not much going on around here.

A booster seat for our big girl.

SS is very happy with her Britax Frontier 90 booster seat, AKA validation that she is a big girl. P told me that the booster is for kids up to 120 lbs. a weight SS will never achieve, not even in adulthood or during pregnancy. This one should be good for another five years. We chose this booster based on safety, SS thinks it's the best option because it has cup holders.

SS had a good Halloween.

Abuela texted inquiring if we are OK due to the lack of Halloween pictures.  We are still alive and well, just a little busy and that means less time to blog. SS woke up at 6:15 a.m. yesterday on her own, with a smile on her face, and wished us a Happy Halloween. The magic of costumes and candies.

Here is our red Power Ranger Megaforce proudly holding the really cool saber Baba had shipped in two days to complete her outfit. I learned how important the Megaforce part is, because the Power Rangers have gone through several reincarnations. To SS the Megaforce gang is IT, and repeated this fact only a few hundred times throughout the day.

With Principal R and ready for Flag Day and the very anticipated parade.

Flag Day is every freaking Friday. Why couldn't they skip on Halloween and allow the kids to enjoy showing off their costumes and sharing with each other? Instead an hour was consumed with... Dude, I have no idea what took an hour. I remember wear some sort of light, never go trick or treat on your own, never eat your candy before Mom and Dad inspect it (ouch if you have a single parent), and DO NOT bring candy Monday or it will be thrown away.

SS is always making super hero poses, but what a thrill for her when she can do it wearing a costume. Just witnessing her unadulterated joy filled my emotional tank for weeks. Even if I had to endure that silly Flag Day nonsense. Also, it annoys me when the kids are instructed to place their hands over their hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance. In my case, for religious reasons that is a no no, and I'm sure there are others there. DO NOT insist my child does something without consulting me first. JJ didn't and neither will SS. They are as American as the other kids, and no less patriotic (as if the kids have a clue what that means), they just have one parent raised with a different set of beliefs. Last time I checked I have the right and freedom to pass those on to my children, until they are old enough to understand and decide on their own. And my adult son tells me it is the right call because it allowed him to understand not just follow blindly. BTW, I have never seen P do the hand over the heart thing in twenty years, and no one accusses him of being unpatriotic.

This is why the no mask edict doesn't work. Without a mask, this kid's costume would be a black cape, big yawn. And good to see it because while P felt no qualms about the mask, I kinda felt guilty.

Exhibit 2, a one piece costume. That is one cool costume.

And finally the kids had their parade, which consisted of walking around the building. YAWN.  But SS does not know any better and seemed to enjoy herself, and having me walk around taking her picture.

SS with her classmate T, a blue Power Ranger Super Megaforce.  Friday was T's last day as he and his mother moved to the Midwest to be near family.  Happy for them to have relatives worth moving for to have that comfort.

After school SS was busy carving her pumpkin. Once Baba came home it was time to do the Mall trick or treat. SS was fascinated with the pink version of her costume. She followed the girl for a while stating how amazing the red PRM is over the pink one. The girl was smart and got away from SS as soon as she had the opportunity.

As I mentioned the Power Rangers have had several reincarnations. SS knows them all and would say hi to the other kids dressed in PR costumes. This picture is a hoot because the boy is much older than SS, but still stopped to talk when SS recognized his "vintage" character, Red Mighty Morphine Power Ranger. Then his mother insisted we take a picture because he does a great pose.

SS once again saying hi to one of her peeps.

I have only worn a costume once, in first grade, an astronaut. Take in consideration my age, girls were not thought of as astronauts then. My classmates were rather nasty about why it was silly for a girl to be wearing a boy's costume. I am glad that SS gets kudos, even from boys about her super hero choices. And for the first time since first grade I wore something for Halloween, as a shout out to my baby girl and Mami. They are the two strongest, smarter, influential women in my life. SS was shocked and elated, while P was stunned that I would even go there. I obviously do not have a problem making a fool out of myself, I just don't do costumes. It made my SS happy and thus made me happy.

LOVE this pose, SS has a thing for posing on benches.

SS is so proud of her saber and would show it to every candy giver. Except that having a kid shove a toy weapon on your face unexpectedly can be startling. We thankfully made it out of the Mall without having SS detained.

And that was it for our evening. P and I had planned an outing that evening but were too tired to go. Aging really sucks big time. SS had a long day, wiped out at around 9:00 p.m. and slept until 10:00 this morning. She had a long but good day, mission accomplished.

SS wanted me to take a video of her moves to send to P. Then she ended up with these kids around her. It's funny because there were so many Power Rangers around, but kids were drawn to her. Maybe because she is a girl wearing the not pink costume? Odd.

SS showing off her saber and moves.