Nothing Like It!

After countless attempts at getting Paprika to go to sleep yesterday, she finally crashed hard on our bed. We were never true co-sleepers...and yet I have so enjoyed the few times I've gotten to lay next to her while she's asleep. Yesterday's nap reminded me of when Paprika was a tiny little itty bitty thing, and she used to sprawl out on our bed while I'd check email and watch dvds on my laptop.

When she fell asleep yesterday, I couldn't leave her on the bed by herself: she's a thrasher and a roller, and our bed is quite high. So, I crawled in bed, propped myself up with pillows, and watched my sweet baby girl snooze. I ate up every second of it!

Wish me luck today on my doctor's appointment. They never really get easier, and I approach each one with a tiny amount of dread. I hope and pray that everything is fine with our baby...but our last doctor's appointment with the twins left a deep scar in my soul, and I don't think going to a prenatal appointment will ever be the same. I always think to myself: is this the last appointment, too? Am I going to get some devastating news today? I try not to think that way...but the thoughts do creep in.

If all goes well, I'll be at the DWTS wrap party tonight. I found a dress that doesn't look half bad. Now, for shoes, I'm a lost cause. I tried on every pair in my closet, and they are all currently at least 2 sizes too small. I'm gonna have to wear flip flops! It kinda reminds me of this party, when I ended up wearing some men's leather flip flops from Target! I think I might just have to find the box where those shoes are hidden, dust them off, and wear them out dancing tonight!

Mind Of Her Own!

After Paprika's self-induced afternoon nap yesterday, I had such high hopes. She woke up refreshed after an hour and a half, and we got ready to go have some more "adventures" (as she calls them).

We played outside, we painted (she painted herself and on paper), she had a bath, we went out to dinner, then we went to the park for two hours. Her day was so fun and messy, it involved multiple wardrobe changes! It was a packed afternoon!



We came home and I started trying to get her to bed at 7:30pm (since she had gotten up at 6am that morning)...but it was still light out, so she didn't want to go to bed. I tried again at 8pm. Then began the long, tedious process of me putting her in bed, closing the door, and her walking downstairs 30 seconds later.

This pattern went on, oh about every 5 minutes until after midnight. I walked up and down our stairs probably 50 times. I was stern...loving but firm. Nothing worked.



Finally, a little after midnight, I turned on the computer and started to check email. I said to Paprika, "Fine. Stay up as late as you want. I'm over it." Within three minutes, she was upstairs in bed. Because, you know she wanted to do it...it had to be her choice.



Mr. Mustard got home from work a little after 1am, and then was back at work by 7:30 this morning. Paprika, as if on cue, woke up at 7:45am! She is cranky and tired...but she doesn't want to sleep, so by golly, she's not going to!

I am exhausted!



We have lots on our agenda for this week. Today we're having friends over for a playdate...in about an hour!

Tomorrow is a big day: I have my doc appointment and then I'm going over to DWTS to watch the taping and go to the wrap party. Party! Still have NO idea what I'm going to wear. I should just wrap a sheet around my midsection and call it a dress.

We have something planned for pretty much every day this week...one thing Paprika's schedule is allowing us to do is to socialize with people who wake up before noon...turns out that is most of the rest of the world!

I am hopeful that Mr. Mustard's mom is going to come down again for a few days...it is so wonderful having her here! We can take shifts with this little energizer bunny!

Growing Up So Fast!

Yesterday, Paprika turned 2 Years, 9 Months old. I cannot believe how much she has changed and grown in the past month. She is growing up before our eyes, and each day she asserts her independence a little more.

Of course, the biggest change has been her bedtime routine. She doesn't want us to sing to her anymore (we have sung "rockabye baby" to her since birth), and she doesn't want us to put her to bed. She's still in the crib, with the bar lowered and a big ottoman beside the crib so she can step out safely and comfortably. She crawls into bed, puts the covers over herself and says goodnight. Then, in the morning, she wakes up, gets out of bed, and comes and wakes us up!

Up until recently, she had always been a very late riser. But now she goes to bed around 10pm and wakes up at 6am or 6:30am! Today she woke up at 6am, and by noon she was exhausted.

I asked her if she wanted a nap (she always refuses), so I let it go. She went upstairs, and a few minutes later I went to check on her, and she had gone into her bedroom, closed the door, crawled in her crib, pulled the covers over herself, put her paci in her mouth, and was fast asleep!





She has a great sense of humor. She is always laughing, smiling, joking...being sarcastic! I have no idea where she got that from...I'm guessing Mr. Mustard! She wakes up each day with the hugest smile on her face, and she keeps me laughing.



Paprika is so fiercely independent. Now when we go to Disneyland, she doesn't want us to ride the rides with her. She wants to ride by herself! She loves her baby dolls and wants to play mommy to them all. She puts them to sleep, pushes them in the stroller, and makes sure they are well-fed, and nice and warm.

She also loves dinosaurs, and anything with sharp teeth! Sharks are a big favorite in our house! She also has a thing for butterflies, ladybugs, spiders, and other insects. She loves playing dress-up and pretending. And, of course, she loves her "pretty dresses!"





I can't help but be a little sad for how fast she's growing up. I think it's good thing, of course. It's just hard to let go! I am so excited to see how she responds to us having a baby in the house...in just a few more weeks!

March of Dimes Walk

Today, Paprika and I woke up bright and early (5:30am) and made the long trek to Simi Valley to support our friends, Devon and Rob, in their March of Dimes Walk for Babies. They were walking on behalf of their daughter, Riley, who was born at 29 weeks and is now a thriving 2 1/2 year old (she was born 7 days before Paprika), and on behalf of their twin sons, Blake and Ethan, who were born at 23 weeks last March and lived for just a few days.



I did not walk, of course! I had a hard time getting from the car to the picinic area! But I wanted to go and show my support, so we went to cheer everyone on.

Paprika had a great time until the very end...when she had the biggest meltdown on Planet Earth. I think everyone in the crowd was looking at me thinking, "At least I'm not that mom!" So, we had to make a quick exit. As soon as I got Paprika in the car, she fell fast asleep and when she woke up it was as if nothing had happened!

It was wonderful to be part of such an important event, and to be surrounded by Devon's friends and family. I hope that we get invited back next year!

10 Years of California Dreamin'

Me and Mr. Mustard, outside my West Hollywood apartment, Fall 2000:



This month marks 10 years since I packed my car and moved to California in search of adventure. I never thought that 10 years later, I'd still be here! What began as a weekend roadtrip from Bloomington, Indiana has turned into a life.

When I left Indiana, I had $100 in my bank account and one credit card with a $600 limit. I had a friend of a friend who said I could stay at her place for a few weeks. I found a job, I applied to the Master's program at USC Film School...and the rest is history!

I started in San Francisco and got a job as a graphic designer for The Gap. Less than a year later, the house I was living in on curvy Lombard street burned down to the ground (mostly while I was asleep inside). I had already been accepted to Film School at USC, so I packed my bags during the hot summer of 2000 and headed south to Los Angeles.

Me and Ann, Spring 2001, Santa Monica Beach:



Mr. Mustard's graduation from USC Film, May 2001:



Me and Ann, Fall 2001, outside my apartment in West Hollywood:



Visiting San Diego for my birthday with my dad, September 2001:



The first week at USC, I met Mr. Mustard. By November, we were a couple. I lived in a little apartment in West Hollywood in the best location with dirt-cheap rent. I really lucked out with that place! Mr. Mustard lived in Pasadena and spent a lot on gas coming to visit me. I lived in West Hollywood til after graduation in 2002, and then headed to Berkeley for law school. Mr. Mustard and I got married in August 2003, and then I moved into his apartment in Hollywood while making the long drive up to school at Berkeley every week. In the meantime, Mr. Mustard won his first Emmy (and I got to go!), we bought a house in Pasadena, and the years kept ticking by.

Graduating from USC Film, Ron Howard presenting me with my diploma, May 2002:



Leo Carillo Beach, Malibu, Summer 2002:



On Vacation, Summer, 2003:



Governor's Ball at the Emmy's, the first year...Sept. 2005:



2006 brought law school graduation, Paprika, passing the Bar, and Mr. Mustard's second Emmy. That was a pretty incredible year...even if I didn't get to go to the Emmy's that year because I had given birth 48 hours prior.

In Labor with Paprika, August 16, 2006:



It's amazing to see how far I've come in these past 10 years, and how that fateful decision to roadtrip to California ten years ago transformed my life. I never imagined that my life would turn out this way. It has been incredibly rich, and exciting...full of the highest highs and some very deep lows. But I couldn't and wouldn't change the past ten years for anything. It's been one great adventure, which after all, is just what I was seeking.