Potatoes in the Mist

Z was playing with these tags for a while.

I learned that you can survive taking 2 small children to Disney World during February vacation. It won't kill you, and it will definitely make you stronger. I have now changed diapers at 10,000 feet, changed a poopy diaper while waiting in line for It's a Small World, breastfed in all kinds of situations, etc. I am now fairly confident in my ability to do anything. Advice: the Magic Kingdom is kind of frenetic (during February vacation, at least), Epcot is kind of boring (unless you have a scientific bent), and Animal Kingdom, to my mind, is the most interesting of the three. It was split into different sections, including Africa, Asia and Dinoland (a kitschy dinosaur theme park with dinosaurs quipping, "That really extincts."). I've never been to Africa, but it felt fairly authentic to me. I also enjoyed the Kilimanjaro Safari, which featured live animals and a driver who kept making corny jokes (part of Disney's style). Polynesian Resort (pictured above) re...

So we arrived in Disney World after a fairly uneventful flight. Z didn't fuss much. I was able to get her to sleep in the Ergo. Unfortunately, there was some turbulence and they felt compelled to make a super-loud announcement about it (as if we hadn't noticed). The announcement was actually more annoying than the (mild) turbulence, and woke Z up. Still, she was okay. We got to our hotel, which was not as pretty as I remembered from when we came in 2000, and then we went to the Magic Kingdom, which was a ZOO FROM HELL. I remembered it as a quaint, charming place. This time it's full of thumping techno music, performers leaping in the air, and CROWDS. This place is more crowded than Manhattan. I'm not exaggerating. I wish I were. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better (or at least another) day.

So my memory is really crumbling. I remember when I was pregnant with Z, I forgot to tip my hairdresser. So I went back to the salon and tipped her. Then I realized I had left a bag of groceries there. So I went back and got them. Yesterday I remembered that two of my nephews were born in February, though I don't remember the exact days. So I bought them cards and signed them, and had E print his name at the bottom. I thought they would enjoy that; they both really enjoy spending time with him. The problem is, I was concentrating on having E sign the cards, and then I sent them without putting birthday checks inside. I just realized my mistake this morning. I felt bad about it for a while. Then I forgot that I did it. (At Christmas, I gave them checks, but forgot to bring them on the day itself.) Maybe it is time for gingko biloba? On the plus side, my memory deterioration will probably help with grudges. I've always been a bit of a grudge holder, but now I can't remember w...

It's a cliche, but I can't believe how fast this is going. Z is now wearing 3-6 month clothes, about to start wearing size 2 diapers, and she's 95th percentile for height (67th for weight and 43rd for head circumference; small head). The height probably came from my side of the family; the head size did not. In 10 days, she will have her first plane trip. On February 29th, she can start eating solids - rice cereal and pureed fruit and vegetables. They have a new gimmick that didn't exist when E was that age (or if it did, I wasn't aware of it) - puree in a tube. Ella's Kitchen Organics makes it. I'm very excited; it's a vast improvement on glass jars :)

So I finished The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I liked the concept - how in Victorian England every flower had a meaning - but the book itself was a little too gritty for me. Now I am reading The Odds by Stewart O'Nan. I think he really hit his stride with Emily Alone, the book before this one. I'm also reading The Flight of Gemma Hardy , which is loosely based on Jane Eyre, but transported to the 1950s, in Iceland and Scotland. I like it better than I initially thought I would. The writing is graceful and appealing, though the book is - yikes - 629 pages long!

So I've been writing a book with a friend. We're about 4 chapters in. We are having fun with it, and I'm learning a lot. A few things: My natural impulse is to race to the finish line; but if you do that, you've used up your plot in a few chapters. Enter: subplots. I took a writing class years ago where I submitted a piece about a magic cardigan, and the teacher thought it was too light. He wanted us all to write deep emotional stories. So I experimented in that style, and it just didn't feel right. I like light stories (with some substance of course) much better.