Jiana takes her first steps
Mood:  happy
My baby girl is walking... I'm told by veteran moms that the real trouble beings now. Jiana took her first steps last Saturday at a gathering in memory of my friend Lisa Klett and has been doing just great standing on her own. She seems to get a really kick out of taking her first couple of steps and then falling into me. Such tremendous joy on her face.

Now that she's a bit faster on her knees and can leverage a stand, she is really going head on with Team Orange. Yesterday, she reached over to Jupiter and yanked on his whiskers, which he really didn't seem to appreciate. The boyz generally tolerate her advances, but everyone has their limits. Although, Jupiter seems to like her crib and has taken to sleeping in it, when she's not there. Sunkissed prefers the bed on the other side of the room.

Today I finally got around to hostessing Jiana's first birthday party. We had 14 adults and 4 little ones. It was an all day open house and as can be expected I bought way too much food. We had a lot of fun.

Having been home for just over 3 months and having yet to receive an inappropriate comment from a stranger, I was beginning to think that everyone naturally thought Jiana was homegrown.

So there we were in the supermarket last week, just minding our own business singing, dancing and generally making fools of ourselves in the checkout line, and when I least expect it I am approached by a 10-something toe-haired blond. This little girl just walks up to me and says, "how come her hair is black and yours is light." I stop, calmly look at her, smile and say, "I don't know... it just worked out that way." She looks at me, thinks a second and retorts back. "You look 19!" I say, "WOW... that's great! I'm actually 41." "Do you really think I look too young to be a mom." And then, she shakes her head yes and walks back to play with her sister. The cashier and everyone else in earshot was just cracking up.

So much for dealing with the dreaded question, and how a little busy buddy made my night.

Next Tuesday, I will be leaving for LA for Jiana's conversion to Judaism. It should be interesting... I'm a bit nervous about the trip down. Decided to risk it as flying down and transporting a car seat seemed to be a huge hassel. Tomorrow will be my first official mother's day... I think Jiana plans to let me sleep in late and then treat me to lunch and a massage. Hey, a girl has got a right to dream.

Cheers to Jiana.
Genice