melted smoosh

last week, Greta and Cece went to Disney World for the first time with Nick's mom and sister! I have never been to any of the Disney locations (except for a Disney cruise as an adult, which was actually really fun!). Nick had been to Disney with his family as a kid but not since. after hearing about school friends' trips, our girls periodically have lamented the fact that they've Never! Been! To! Florida! to which we turn unsympathetic ears, considering that they've traveled to several European countries when we were living in Rome. so we knew they'd be super excited to go to Disney and knock both Disney World and Florida off of their bucket lists in one go! just before Valentine's Day, Sabrina came out to visit and brought the girls their Valentine's gifts. Greta and Cece both got Disney themed t-shirts and balloons. you could tell they were a bit underwhelmed, but they politely said thank you. then Sabrina asked if they could think of why they might need a

1) a revamped running playlist to propel me through my workouts. I was all motivated to begin a regular running routine again in March (eight months postpartum) and then got walloped by Victoria's ear infection, my own stomach bug, Victoria's sleep regression, and (TMI!) two short cycles with more time spent in luteal phase than not (or at least it felt like it -- ugh). all of these combined to leave me just able to muddle through the day without the mental or physical energy to exercise more vigorously. finally in the last few weeks, I've been running more regularly, just a few miles each time but it feels so good! I know enough about my own body to expect that I will probably gain a few pounds as I build muscle, but also will fit better in my clothes. more importantly, I feel so much more calm and balanced when I am running regularly.  anyway, music is so important to my running routine as it helps keep me motivated. the beat keeps my stride steady while my mind is free t

life has thrown us a few happy curveballs in the past few months! most important is an update on Cecilia's teeth. Cece brushes her teeth faithfully, but our dentist has explained to us that her enamel is weak so she will always be more prone to cavities. she needed fillings in both lower pre-molars at age five, poor baby. fortunately she's been cavity-free since then, but when her six-year-old molars erupted, they came in hypocalcified; there's a noticeable difference from her other teeth as they are softer and almost crumbly (which sounds horrifying but fortunately they don't cause her pain). the dentist said it likely had something to do with the tooth formation either in utero or as a baby that may have been affected by illness or fever. she's had exactly the same exposure to fluoride as Greta, and Nick and I both have "good" teeth.  anyway, in January she developed an infection in one of the pre-molars that had been filled previously. the pain and swel