A Night Away...

Tom & I are going to have our first night "away" since Cyanne was born...
I have never spent a night apart from her since she was born - that means we have spent 693 nights together in a row.
And, well, even more if you count the 9 months she was growing before she was born =)

We are doing this for several reasons:

1) For fun.
2) Because we know it will be a long time before we're able to do it again after Blabey Baby Girl #2 arrives this fall.
3) Because I didn't want our first night away from Cyanne - my first night away, I should say - to be the night I was in the hospital delivering her sister.
4) Because I'm very tired and the thought of sleeping without a baby monitor and not having to wake up when Cyanne does in the morning is frankly, highly enticing.
(Of course, because we are who we are and I am who I am, I will wake up at 7 AM anyway... just as I would were I home with her. At least I know this and therefore, won't be surprised when it happens tomorrow morning =) I just won't have to jump out of bed and start the day that early.)
5) We wanted to have a little time to spend together and gather ourselves and our thoughts before the craziness that will be the next 3 months begins:
Tom traveling, third trimester of pregnancy, total remodel of the attic into bedrooms, organizing all things baby, getting ready for the baby, a volunteer Junior League project done by me started and finished this fall, reading a new legal book by Judge Aldisert on Opinion Writing, interviewing him, and writing up an article for the local bar magazine, oh, and work and all that comes with that. I'm sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind. All, hopefully, to be done before November 15th.

So, a few reasons for us to 'escape' for the evening.

Here is where we'll be:
The Montecito Inn in Montecito.
To come: a fantastic dinner at Lucky's, walk along Coast Village Road, and a walk along Butterfly Beach (one of the very first places I ever took Tom on his first visit to Santa Barbara back in the Spring of 1999 - a little over 10 years ago...)

And here is where I plan to spend a few hours (at least):


I shall substitute my margarita for my diet coke and water... and shall enjoy every moment of relaxation -
While, of course, thinking about, wondering about, missing, and likely worrying about Cyanne the vast majority of the time. =) I'll try and keep the worrying to a minimum, I promise.

"No"

Ah, we have entered the world of "No."

Mommy: "Would you like to get out of bed?"
Cyanne: "No."
Mommy: "Would you like to stay in bed?"
Cyanne: "No."
Mommy: "Well, what would you like then?"
Cyanne: Silence - Jumping up and down in said crib with puppy & blanket, all smiles and giggles.

However, I don't mind it because it is frankly adorable the way she says it. This little voice with great enunciation and a little circle formed by her lips: "No." Very deliberate.

It is helpful at times such as when I'm getting her dinner ready and I ask her whether she'd like something - blueberries, meatballs, pasta, tomatoes. She'll either make a "yummmm" sound and smile and do the sign for 'hungry' or say simply, "No."
Last night it was clear she was not interested in blueberries (perhaps she'd had one too many at daycare?) but was all about the cheese.
But then, really, who isn't?
She is my child, after all... =)

So, off we go into the world of "No."

She does nod her head for Yes - now we just need to get her to say it so she finds a friend for her "No" word.
The "Yes" might come in handy, say, when we're offering ice cream...

She usually gets what she wants though because she smiles adorably and says "peease" for please - and does the sign for it.
It's been well noted in our household: it's almost impossible to say no to an adorable little girl saying "peease" and smiling at you, waiting for whatever it is you're holding or whatever she's wanting to do.