Life with Lotus Maria and Lucian Stone

So in about a month we will have a two year old and Lotus has embraced the age with gusto. The other night Nate walked in from work and I had my purse in hand and was running for the front door. An entire day of "no" and "I don't like it" all in a very appealing whining voice was enough to make me nerves fray.

She has also gotten the art of manipulation down. We made the mistake of allowing her to watch Lady and the Tramp. Up to this point Lotus had not shown much interest in watching any television. On our flight back from London we desperately wanted her to be entranced by the DVD player to hopefully give us an hour or so of entertainment, but no such luck. Now though she would sit and watch Lady and the Tramp, aka More Doggies all day long, if we'd let her. At times it has been tempting, and easy way to get through the day, but I just can't do it. So I only let her watch it once a week or so. Last week she was screaming "More doggies, more doggies, more doggies." I held strong and finally wooed her with reading books. After two books she looked up with me with her big brown eyes, and batted her eyelashes the length of the Golden Gate Bridge and in her nicest, sweetest voice said,"More Doggies, Mommy?". It just about killed me, but she still didn't get her wish.

Our latest visitor has been my dear college roommate Miles. Miles and his partner Joe moved to Belgium three years ago. They love it so much there that this has been one of Miles first stateside visits. Miles has created a great life for himself in Europe and though sometimes I turn green with envy at their travels and their life I am really happy for him. Lotus and Miles bonded immediately and he even got to a witness a world class tantrum and then the immediate recovery that seems to come at regular intervals these days.

Since my dearest friends keep on insisting on fleeing to other countries Lotus' better love traveling as much as I do. I think she certainly loves Uncle Miles enough to make trip to visit in the not so distant future.

We made it home from Rockport relatively unscathed. Traveling with an almost two year old isn't the most relaxing experience, but we have done it enough that it doesn't seem as daunting. The flight home had some crabby people on it, and I know I have said this before, but why on earth don't airlines put people with kids next to one another. We met the sweetest mother and daughter from Dubai. Lotus and the daughter were having the best time playing, but there is no room on the plane for them to be with out driving someone crazy. So we had to separate them and put them in there individual seats. Then crying ensued. And the same lady who was mad that they were bumping her seat when they were playing gave us the look of death that they were crying. Look, I know how it is, I used to travel all the time sans kid and would love peace and quiet on a flight, but I didn't ask to sit next to you any more than you asked to sit next to us, so let's just chill out okay.

In any case we returned and a few days later. Lotus' baby arrived; no I didn't adopt another kid. Andrea, Logan and Andrea's sis Brittany came to stay with us. Logan is amazing just a few months later and I just loved having them here. I was so sad that they are not closer. I have made some awesome new friends with kids, but there is nothing like your closest girlfriend around and her beautiful son. I tried to steal their passports and then I tried guilt with "You are breaking Lotus' heart, taking here baby away", but apparently they all missed Glen and needed to go home. It's a good thing I adore him otherwise I'd be pissed.

Lotus had a grand time in Massachusetts, but I do believe her favorite thing was that she got to see Uncle Matt everyday. In fact she really started talking while we were there and he first sentence was "Where you going, Matt?". Matt has a pretty stoic reputation in his home town and so most people where aghast at his behavior around his little niece. She drags him everywhere and he goes willingly. It makes her momma's heart melt to see the two of them together.

When Matt is around all other people are superfluous to Ms. Lotus. At home Matt is dragged into my closet and handed stuffed animals and books until Lotus is satisfied that there are enough supplies to last awhile. When Nate comes into to rescue Matt from the clutches of our daughter he gets a hand from Lotus and "Walk away, Daddy." Yes, that is what she says. Though is all fairness Matt does not seem to mind and returns his niece's love tenfold.

Rockport’s 4th of July festivities are like nothing I have ever been too. And I have been to some weird things, including a church made of human bones the Czech Republic and a Santaria ceremony in Cuba, but I digress. The main event is the town parade with a lawn chair brigade, the high school band in weird haphazard costumes and the trucks from the entire fire department. Every time I sit through this parade I think this would be a bad time for a house fire. Nate’s parents have had the same front row spot for years. There was some drama this year when someone started saving viewing spots for the parade two days before the actual event. Before things got out of hand the officials or townies or whatevers had to step in and declare that spot saving could only happen on parade day. So Ron got up at 4am and secured our ring side seats for the action. The best seats in the house are on top of the old cemetary, which is so old that being a Californian I was pretty impressed at the dates on the tombstomes while being bugged out to be seated atop all the dead people and watching a parade. They have all been dead for a long time, so who am I to argue.

Lotus loved every minute of it. She sat on her Poppa Stanton’s lap the entire time (which for my girl is no easy feat) and didn’t even notice when it started raining.

Once the parade is over there is a short break, time for dinner or for the youth to get more liquored up and then the town cruises down to the beach for a huge bonfire, or as Nate calls it, the book burning. Here are some great photos of Lotus and Bea at the bonfire playing Star Wars.

Lotus also got to meet Nate’s very good friend Lara, her husband Stevens, and her girls Willa and Bea. These girls are so ridiculously adorable. Lara is a rocking mom and great artist and I wish they lived closer. I had a great time grousing about the dilemma to be your own independent person while being a mom. Lara reassured me that this time where all of my brain power is being usurped by Lotus and every moment is taken up trying to stop Lotus from killing herself all while trying to make sure she is not illiterate will wain soon enough. Somehow she seems to do it, while having two delectable and amazing girls.

Lotus Maria has made her first trek to Nate’s idyllic hometown. We took a red eye the Saturday before 4th of July and touched down in Logan airport to the open arms of Lotus’ “Papa Stanton”. I was worried about taking a red eye and how Lotus would do, and for the most part it went off with out a hitch. Traveling around a holiday always creates an added sense of anxiety and larger crushes of crowds. On top of that the morning before we took off a burning jeep was pushed into the Glasgow airport. These attacks do not make me fear for my safety or fearful of traveling, but they do make me afraid of longer security lines, new poorly explained rules that will create chaos at security check points and a total Lotus meltdown. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised, this latest attack didn’t not spur any panic and for once our SFO security experience was relatively boring.

Rockport is a quaint town that goes all out for 4th of July. It used to freak me out, but I think I have started to embrace it's charm. Most of Nate's highschool friends and family congregate in Rockport for 4th of July. Nate was thrilled to show off Lotus. Nate's cousins James and Michelle made the trip with their daughter Sophie, who is Lotus' age. All this meant was they pretty much didn’t interact, since Lotus only acknowledges older kids. But I got to spend time with them, which was nice since our only other contact was at our wedding, which does not bode well for quality bonding time. After our visit I decided that they were going to have to travel everywhere with us, since a) they were very nice, and b) Michelle is a pediatrician and was able to cure an awful diaper rash that Lotus had.




Rockport’s big draw is boats and the Stanton’s like to be on boats. For days before we go all Nate can talk about is getting on his dad’s boat. I don’t mind the boat, but if I didn't go on a boat I think I'd be okay. I was highly concerned about Lotus being on a boat. Ron’s boat is a pretty good size, (I think since I don’t know anything about boats) but the space is finite so you can’t just run since around and well Lotus likes to run around. She also is a brave bold girl who thinks she can swim, so I pictured her taking a header off the side. I also thought she’d pull a Houdini and wiggle out of the life jacket in record time. Alas I was wrong on every count. After an initial struggle with her life jacket, she got it on and liked it. Thanks to her cool cousin Audrey who put one on as well to make Lo feel better. She sat in the captain’s chair and just watched the world go by and eventually fell asleep and slept for almost two hours. Now she LOVES boats and points them out at every opportunity. I for one am thrilled because she and Nate can go on over night sailing adventures because being confined to 35 feet for more than 2 hours sounds like water boarding to me.



On our boat trip was also our dear friend Megan, who though Lotus hadn't seen her since our trip to Portland in April she remembered her and gave her the nickname MayMay. Megan was kind enough to make a pit stop in Rockport on her whirlwind east coast trip. I know she was there to see all of the Stanton clan, but I pretty much hogged her for her entire visit. I'd like to say I am sorry, but I so rarely get to see her and I don't share well.

Most of our days in Rockport were spent at the beach or in the back yard of our little cabin. Overall it was great introduction of the East Coast to Mi Flor.