Sunday, August 08, 2010

To Samaire, on her second birhday



Oh, my girl! I'm not sure what to say. It seems like no time at all I was sending your dad off to work insisting I wasn't getting to meet you that day and then, mere hours later, calling him to come back. And we did meet you that day - oh, wonderfully, fantastically. Perfectly.



But it seems a lifetime, too. You've grown so much. I still call you my baby - but you aren't, not anymore. You're your own person now - with opinions and preferences. More wonderfully, with stories and jokes and hilarious ways of seeing things. I am amazed every single day at who you're becoming. One of my greatest blessings in life has been and will be being able to witness you figuring out who you are and finding your place in this world. You're already doing it, and if there's anything I know for sure - you're going to make this world a better place. You've already made me a better person in countless ways.


Even our neighborhood is brighter with you in it. You have so many people here that love you. We can't walk 20 feet without being stopped so you can give high-fives or be coo'ed over. Every one exclaims how quickly you're growing - and though I always think they don't know the half of it - they do, they really do. From Jose (our old maintenance man), the the crosswalk lady, to the crazy leglass guy to the brothers at the bodega - they all love you in their own way, they've invested themselves into your smile, your new words, into you. I feel very lucky you have such a wonderful community of people around that cares about you so very much.

I have a feeling it's going to be like that no matter where you go in life. You seem to bring out a light in people, Maire, a happiness. Even when you were just days old that was true, and it seems to only be growing over time. 

I guess every mom thinks their daughter or son is the greatest ever. But, darling, you should know I don't think you could be anymore magical or amazing than you are. 


You're very excited for this birthday, and that makes me excited too. I had all kins of plans to make it special, and while I've gotten some of them done, the ones I really wanted slipped through the cracks. I feel awful, and while I know you probably won't notice and your daddy will make you feel like the whole world is yours - I wish I could've done more. Mostly so you woudl know how very very very much I love you. How this day celebrates everything I love most in this world. You are my shining light, little one, and every dream I had dared not begun to hope for. You've made a love and life I thought was perfect with your daddy even better - and you made into a family. A family. We're a team, the three of us and I can't wait to see what life brings us. Thanks for choosing us. Thanks for letting me be your mama.

I love you, Bugaboo.


Friday, July 30, 2010

Daredevil Extraordinaire

Perched precariously about a foot off the ground, shimmied between the bench and the fence, she sings and dances to "All The Single Babies (Ladies)" - quite proud of herself.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

dadad's day



I'm late, horribly so. But I have been writing and rewriting this entry now a thousand times a day in my head.

I don't know what words to use, how to express to you...

my extreme gratitude.

She is you. She smirks like you. She loves to make people laugh like you. She cracks herself up endlessly, just like you.

She has your adventurous streak, which may someday kill me.

She has your smarts, your smile.

Your eyes when she's tired.

She is so much you. And yet, so much this small new creature in my midst. Brave and daring. Loving and kind.

I think all the time how grateful I am for her.

I think all the time how grateful I am for you. For her. For me. For us. Our family.

Thank you for  all the mornings you woke her up singing, got her dressed and walked her to school.

All the nights she couldn't' sleep you spent dancing with her 'round our living room carpet.

All the times you carried her when her little legs were tired.

All the pushes on the swings, all the cheers on the slides, all fortresses built with blocks.

Thank you for never tiring of reading "just one mo' book" or eating one "mo' berry."

Thank you for teaching her compassion and patience. For teaching her to try one more time. For encouraging her craziness, her silliness, her self.

Thank you for being the best dadad ever. And I mean it, THE BEST. History of time, all that. When I look at you and her together, when we talk about our hopes for her, when we plan our trips, our evenings, our days, our weekends....

When you promise that yes, some day if she wants she can go to art school, or culinary school or conservatory - if she wants. When you sit watching game after game in silence, despite the great drama on the screen so she doesn't get upset by your being upset. Every thing you do with her, every time you speak of her ... the love is so big, so real it feels palpable in the air.

I don't know how to tell you how big this is. How good you are at this. How wonderfully you just leapt forward from that very first moment she joined us.

All I know is that I love you now even more, and I never thought that was possible.

All I know is she loves you "heaps and heaps."

All I know is you deserve every day to be Fathers' Day. Because every day you are wonderfully, fantastically, amazingly a father. A daddy.

The best.

Love you, Dadad Sam

Saturday, May 08, 2010

To my baby mama

Dear baby mama,

Thank you for being the best mother ever. Thank you for the silliness you bring into her life, for the pure joy that radiates from her like a euphoric Chernobyl.

Could she BE happier?!?! Nope. She's got you.

Thank you for the nine months you put in, and for the 8 oz of castor oil you put in and dealing with all it brought back up.

Love at first sight.

Thanks for saying "It's ok if she lays down with me," on day 4 and for all the tossing and lack of sleep that's brought you since.

Sweet dreams.

Thanks for the great healthy food you feed her. I've never known a baby to eat better.

You can even make rice cereal good!

Thanks for teaching her every day, everything from her ABCs to the best way to spoof someone.

Yes, she doesn't get ALL her jackassery from me.

Thanks for the stylish clothes and amazing hair cuts and hair dos.

Yeah, this was a good one.

Thanks for giving her the genetics needed to be so beautiful.

My beautiful girls.

Thanks for making her tough in this cruel , cruel world. ha.

FEAR THE STIERS GIRLS!

Thanks for making her the happiest baby I've ever seen. She's lucky to have you and so am I.

If all mom's loved their kids this much the world would be a much better place.

Happy Mother's Day babe. We love you.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Best. Seats. Ever.

Thursday night our good friend John gave us tickets to go see our first Mets game of the year. So, we got all Mets'd up and headed off to the 7 train!

Yeah, my girls look good in blue and orange.

We got to the stadium and headed into the Jackie Robinson rotunda and as we were standing there preparing to go up the escalator a woman approached us and asked if we knew where we were sitting. I said yes and she asked where. "Upper deck, behind home plate." She asked if it was just the three of us and after I said yes, she said Maire was so cute in her Mets gear, clutching Mr. Met that she was going to upgrade us... and boy did she.

We followed her through a special door and right past the visitor's clubhouse, past a club where she told us we would have nice private bathrooms, free food and drinks till the 5th inning and nice seats and tables to watch the game on plasmas if it got too cold... um, ok, wonder where our seats are we thought. Then she took us to an usher to led us past the first row of seats people can buy (which go for $460/seat) and right to the wall behind home plate.

Can't get any closer than that.

Misty kept threatening to touch the Soriano's butt. She didn't, but she could have.

The Stiers fam and Mr. Met, enjoying the sweet seats.

Caution Soto... Maire just might take you out!

Mr. Met came out on the field (you can just make him out on the far left) and Maire went ballistic. She LOVES Mr. Met. When he left the field she spent the whole rest of the 1/2 inning whimpering for him to return.

Misty and Maire carrying the breastfeeding torch on SNY tv as we could be seen many times during the broadcast. By far the coolest place they've done this.

Man, that Johan Santana can really pitch! Yeah, on top of it all, we got to see Johan pitch. Last time Maire saw him pitch was her first game ever, at Shea Stadium in 2008, that's when our buddy Mangan got us in the luxury suite. Maybe we should only go to Johan games. Also, notice the bat boy over Maire's shoulder. Cub's batboy (30 maybe 40 some year old guy), super nice and he and Maire hit it off and that resulted in...

Her first foul ball!!!!!

K-Rod was in to save the game and he was pitching to Mike Fontenot. Foul ball dribbler came to our side and the ballboy ran out, got it and as everyone was screaming for him to toss it to them, he points to Maire, walks over to the edge of the foul netting and tosses it to her. It's her new favorite thing. She clutched it the whole rest of the game, the walk to the subway, held it as she passed out and on the walk home. I took it away from her to put on pjs when we got home, she woke up and cried "baaal. baaal." Gave it back to her and she slept with it all night.

Amazing night. Maire sat the whole game in our seat, save one trip to the free food/drink lounge between an inning, and was metsmorized. She loved the planes flying overhead, Mr. Met, watching the pitcher pitch, the batboy, her foul ball, my taco combo platter (best ballpark food EVER) and Misty's Shake Shack burger and shake. Needless to say, we have a Mets fan for life.

Mets win 5-2. Best night at a ballgame ever. Thanks Mets, a night we'll never forget.

Quick catch up, photo style.

Ok, so it's been a while since we posted a real post. So tonight I'm doing two. First one here is just a catch up of the last month or so. It includes our trip to Mets preseason workout, Yasmin and Derik's wedding, a trip to Mystic, CT and Mikki's sweet birthday. Enjoy!

Yeah, she's growing up way fast. Stylish little thing isn't she.

Off to the Mets preseason workout. Just the beginning of her Mets cuteness for the year.

Easter Egg time!

Yes, the pagan baby loves coloring eggs and she's quite good at it too!

Yasmin and Derik's wedding was great. Misty's face in this picture, priceless.

Maire spent 20 minutes or so hanging with the lobsters at the Mystic Aquarium. It's awesome, I mean Curious George and Elmo BOTH have books/videos about it.

The Mystic Seaport was great too, and Maire took us for a spin in the harbor.

Maire had a BLAST at Aunt Mik-me's birthday party. And continued her love of food as she devoured every ounce of Korean BBQ that came her way.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Sunday, March 28, 2010

My sweet pea, finally sleeping.

In the midst of a torturist weekend she finally has collapsed. I plan a day of rest, peace & quiet - just the two of us - so she can finally feel better tomorrow.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Sad game, but good times

Tho my city-baby slept thru it all on her daddy's shoulder...

Monday, March 22, 2010

Friday, March 19, 2010

Friday, March 12, 2010