Hope your birthday was special and fun, celebrating you was awesome. Because you’re just about the best there is. Because despite my perfection I know sometimes I can be a lot and Asha too. Because although we know you are lucky to have us we also know the reverse is true: We are so lucky to have you. You’re an excellent human. Happy birthday, Dylan! We love you!
Asha had a playdate with a girl she loves from preschool and it was basically too darling for words. The playdate marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship and Lennox is currently Asha’s very favourite person.
Happy birthday to one of my favourite kid sisters and one of the world’s best persons. Souda, you’re about as fantastic as a human can get. Thank you for being just all around great. The first time Asha ever smiled, I think she smiled at you. That’s how wonderful you are. I salute you and I love you, even though I’m still mad you didn’t fly across the entire country to celebrate your birthday with me lol.
Shoutout to Asha, my beautiful girl, thanks for making me your mom. There’s nothing I would rather do than to keep loving and taking care of you. Happy Mother’s Day to me and to all mothers. Keep up the good work. Dylan was on the road yesterday so Mother’s Day for me is today. It’s my first day off since forever and I’m thrilled. I don’t know where to start, I almost don’t even know what to do. Let the games begin. One, two, three, fun! All my love to everyone.
I always loved dogs but I thought I hated kids. Now I know that the best things in life are dogs and kids. Especially if the kid is Asha, especially if the dog is Daisy. With a very special shoutout to Feather, who does more than her share of adding to the measure of why dogs are terrific, despite not being pictured.
Asha got so many presents on her birthday that she didn’t even finish opening them all at her party or read all the cards. Asha got so many amazing gifts it was overwhelming and I was as excited as she was. Of all the gifts, the Townley Girl Barbie Beauty Vanity Set With Light-Up Mirror was the big winner. It put her in a trance. She gazed at it like it was the Ark of the Covenant, got up as if hypnotized and with a slow grandeur walked off into the night. I was all like girl where are you going with that. Once she remembered where she was, Asha and her friends gathered around and all did each other’s makeup. They came up with some pretty great looks. That makeup set was such a mike drop. To this day Asha is obsessed. She’s always off over at her Frozen Vanity quietly carefully crafting her look. I think we have a little makeup artist in the making. Val Garland would totally give her a ding dong.
All hope abandon, ye who are not microbladed. She done finally done had herses. And just like that, eyebrows. This is the first time I’ve had eyebrows in 27 years. Girl, if I had known microblading was an option, I would’ve done this ages ago, I mean, do I not look good. Yet another demonstration of why it’s sad and tragic I didn’t have a mom or an older sister or like a drag mother, some kind of guiding light, to help me ably bravely face the rigours of style, beauty, makeup and art. (Actually, scratch the drag mother part, since a drag queen would’ve encouraged the eyebrow shaving lol). More seriously though, I really did have to learn everything the hard way. Yet another demonstration of why Asha is so fortunate to have me, to care for her, to care about her, to help her and to guide her, the whole way, and I will do so doggedly, continuously, happily, with intention and skill. I’ll always care and I always will. It’s sad and tragic I never got to have that, but, in being for Asha what I missed out on having for myself, I kind of get to be so fortunate too, because being is as good as having, and giving is as good as getting, maybe it’s better.
So, Asha has intermittent exotropia, also called wandering eye, which is a type of strabismus (eye misalignment) in which the eyes drift out from time to time. Asha‘s case is a little unique in that she hasn’t had this problem since birth, or, at least, we didn’t notice it until recently, also, it’s not just in one eye, but both eyes. She’s been twice to see an eye specialist and the only way to fix it is through surgery. The doctor will help us decide in two months whether surgery is advised. Thankfully, here in Canada, the surgery is covered. The doctor said surgery is typically a good idea, especially at Asha’s age, because there are a lot of benefits and corrections when young tend to stick. Here is Asha doing a quick photoshoot in the bathroom after one of her appointments with the ophthalmologist. Wandering eyes or no, I still think she’s perfect and sweet and gorgeous.
Can’t believe our angel cupcake turns 4 soon, I blinked and the years disappeared. Asha is terribly excited about her birthday. For the cake and overall theme, she can’t decide between Skye, Elsa, Wednesday, mermaids, rainbows or unicorns. I made Asha an Amazon Wish List so have a look if you want to get her a gift. Asha loves birthdays and shopping and presents, to the point of delirium. In these regards, I have no idea who she resembles.
Recently Asha got her first haircut. Dylan was hoping to go full Samson on her, such that all Asha’s strength and beauty would come from her hair, and her locks would ne’er be shorn, but Asha really wanted a haircut, so I inquired at a salon and the lady said she could do it then and there. It was so sudden, I wasn’t prepared, but we went ahead and Asha was a huge hit, she was preternaturally sweet and calm and still. Asha loves the haircut, everybody loves it, for she doth looketh cute as yonder button.
Happy many days after Valentine’s Day to my favourite Player 2. I’m outlandishly preposterously late but what else is new. Still thankful and so glad I get to play the game with you. You are the shit, too legit to quit and I am here for it. Thanks for all you are, thank you for all you do. I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day!
I used to think getting married and having kids was lame, but now I know there’s nothing more important than family and there’s nothing more majestic than love. Happy Family Day!
Asha drew our portraits at school the other day, she was very eager to show off her work and you can see why. I mean but she really turned us out. Dylan’s moustache is particularly impactful and impressive. The likeness is breathtaking.
Asha’s last day of school was on Wednesday and the following morning we had a Winter Concert Potluck. Dylan sadly couldn’t be there but auntie Ngoc and auntie Natasha and uncle Jan all came through. Asha calls Jan uncle daddy and she talks about him a lot. The kids performed some special songs with varying degrees of success. All of it was precious.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is very funny, Eric Appel and “Weird Al” did a great job. Daniel Radcliffe is fine as Alfred “Weird Al” Yankovic. Evan Rachel Wood is so good as Madonna I didn’t even know it was her. Rainn Wilson is lovable as Dr. Demento. Toby Huss almost steals the whole show as Nick Yankovic, Al’s enraged accordion-hating factory worker father. Julianne Nicholson is charming as Mary Yankovic, Al’s estranged mother. Thomas Lennon is fun as the accordion salesman and Arturo Castro is adorable as Pablo Escobar. It was nice to see Quinta Brunson even though her Oprah Winfrey lacked spark. “Weird Al” Yankovic was enjoyable as Tony Scotti and Jack Black was gorgeous as Wolfman Jack. I think Jack Black is one of the funniest people in the world. He just has to show up and you’re already laughing. An amusing, cheeky, ridiculous movie. We loved it.
Potty training is not going well. I thought Asha would start using the toilet effortlessly by age 2. Now she’s almost 4 and she’s still in diapers. What the hell. The girl doesn’t want to go potty. She keeps saying tomorrow. I think she’s resisting because she knows I want her to use it so she doesn’t want to use it. She’s quite oppositional defiant. She doesn’t like being told what to do. I wonder who she got that from. Good thing she’s gorgeous and I love her. I’ve got to figure something out though I don’t wanna be changing her diapers until she’s 30. Here I thought for sure I’d be absolutely raising a genius. Guess that’s what I get for hubris.