Elocution

So what will this blog normally look like? Hoepfully, future entries will be shorter than the past ones; I just had a lot to catch up on. I'm hoping to find every few days little moments that are worth sharing in 50 words or less. For example:

Tonight Daddy cooked dinner, his famous Macaroni & Cheese and Tuna Fish. Whiel the pasta was boiling Siena was perfectly happy to sampe the tuna. But once that tuna shared a plate with Mac & Cheese, there was no competition. She inhaled her first helping, and wouldn't even let any tuna get near her fork. And when she finished, she looked at Daddy and said "Deeze!" We all know that means Macaroni and Cheese, but I decided I was going to be Henry Higgins. "You mean, 'Macaroni and Cheese,'" I said. She looked right back at me and repeated: "Deeze." Like she's correcting me!

Not exactly a Kodak moment, but at least it's a short story. I'll get better at this, I promise.

My Daughter, the Trojan

Siena started at USC Day Care June 1. We'd visited for a few days before we started dropping her off, to ease the adjustment. But the adjustment wasn't easy. It doens't help that Siena' sentering the Terrible Twos, and her tantrums are becoming more self-consciously thatrical anyway. But she did pitch a fit when she picked up that Mama or Daddy wasn't staying at Day Care. Fortunately she's getting better, and today had to break away from her playing on the slide ("Die!!!") to kiss Mam goodbye at Day Care. Our little girl is growing up...

And what does she do all day at Day Care? Die!!! That's "Drive." They have those plastic cars that you push around like Fred Flinstone, and every day when Daddy picks her up Siena's in one of the cars. Oh, they make collages and sing songs, but Siena's already immersed in the SoCal car culture.

So what's Siena's day?
6:30 a.m.: Wake up. Scream 'til Mama or Daddy come get her.
7:00 a.m.: Breakfast
7:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m. Keep Daddy entertained while Mama gets ready for school.
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Day Care. Die!!!
4:30 p.m-6:30 p.m.: Unstrutured play time with Daddy, cheifly blowing bubbles and watching Baby Beethoven ("Bay-toh!!!"). Also another snack time, typically yogurt ("O-gurk!!!")
6:30p.m.-7:00 p.m.: Dinner. For example, tonight Siena shoveled a pound of Mac & Cheese down her gullet, and picked at the tuna fish. Yes, Daddy cooked; Mama had a late class.
7:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.: Bath time. Siena has outgrown the baby bathtub, but is small enough to do laps in a real bathtub.
7:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: Story Time and Bedtime. Daddy can put her down without a peep. Mama, however, never gets away without a fight. As I write that, suddenly I'm not so proud...

Straight Into Compton

May 22 we arrived in Los Angeles. The new place, a rented ground floor of a duplex, couldn't be nicer. The 'hood, however, leaves a lot to be desired. We've tried taking Siena for a walk around the neighborhood, but there's no parks in walking distance, and pushing Baby in thte stroller up and down the sidewalk got old quick.

Our landladies couldn't be a better welcoming committee, though. They adore Siena (who doesn't) and have gone out of their way to make our adjustment to L.A. as easy as possible. Most notable for Siena, though, are the landladies' two dogs, Hannah and Chloe. SIena calls them Anna and Doee, and is obsessed with them--until they're in sight. Then she's as terrified as you would be if a golden lab taller than you came bounding over (that's Hannah. Chloe's a smaller, and more active, terrier). But every day she gets more comfortable with them, so we're optimistic.

Moving in and unpacking with a toddler was like fighting with one arm tied behind our collective back, but now the house look slike a home and we're settling into our routine. Speaking of which...

Thelma & Louise & Siena

Three thousand miles in 51 hours of driving over ten days. Not as bad as it sounds, actually.

Siena loves to drive, or as she calls it, "DIe!" Also the same word she uses for the slide at the playground, which reassures Mama and Daddy to no end. So every pit stop for 3000 miles, Siena had to get in the driver's seat, adjust it until only she could fit in it, punch up the hazards and pretend to head out on the highway.

Actually, Siena was better behaved than we ever could've hoped, especially considering that she spent 51 hours over ten days strapped into a car seat. But we couldn't have made it without one of those portable DVD players. Mine even can surf the web and perform minor word processing tasks.

Life on the road did take some adjustment. Siena's first morning waking up in a PortaCrib, she thought she was where she usually is when she wakes up in a PortaCrib, and started calling "Mimi!" Fortunately for all of us, GranMary will be visiting soon.

Worst day was Friday May 20. Houston to El Paso, 700 miles in twelve hours of driving. Lunch in San Antonio was nice, though Siena was disappointed to learn that the historic fort is not, in fact, called "The Elmo."

And if you're ever looking for a place to dine in Fort Stockton, Texas, I do not recommend the Pizza Hut.

Our Story So Far

We've been in the City of Angels a little over three weeks now. Actually, yesterday was a month to the day we started the drive to L.A. via Atlanta and Houma, Louisiana. Of course, Siena's done a ton of achingly cute things in that time. But by this point, I only remember the really cute ones. Which works out well for those of you who don't have all night to spend reading about Our Little Girl's every action. So next will come the highlights so far, in convenient bite-size blogs.

And to answer the question posted in response to the last blog: Siena over the next quarter will be shorting Berkshire Hathaway and, based on her reaction to dinner at El Cholo, investing heavily in disposable diapers.