We had a great weekend, albeit very tiring.
On Saturday, Lola went down for an epic 2.5 hour nap after lunch - completely unheard of around these parts! She must find her new bed more comfortable than her crib, or she is going through some kind of developmental phase, because she has been sleeping for longer stretches. I went in there to check on her after hour 2 (I was worried!) and she was sprawled horizontally across her bed, with her head abutting one edge and her feet haphazardly splayed and partially up on the wall, still soundly and reassuringly asleep.
On Saturday afternoon Michael and I went shopping for Lola, mainly at Toys R Us, which was really fun. Then Michael went to try out his first "man spa" experience at the Mandarin barber shop, enjoying a professional haircut and wash and then a beard trim.
The interior looked lovely.
Michael has some crazy cowlicks so this was his first and last attempt at seeing if a professional could manage it. Well, we are very happy with how it turned out and it goes to show that not all hairdressers are created equal. I think he will be back! They even managed to sell him on some product!
We also went to the club together for dinner, where Lola generally ran around while periodically reluctantly stuffing bits of fries/chicken nuggets/broccoli into her mouth. She clamored to see the night scene from 49th floor of the town club, and overall just enjoyed not being tied down in a high chair (we always sit on couches in their more casual lounge area). At one point during dinner she walked away from us, waving, saying "bye bye! I go to Macau now."
On Sunday, it was Lola's birthday! She awoke early (6:20 am) in a grumpy mood but which lightened over time. She went to the park (she requested Morrison Hill Park - she knows the different parks by name) where she joined in morning calisthenic exercises with an elderly lady, and then went to play. She also did a pizza making course in the morning, and returned to the apartment radiant and bursting with pride at her mini pizza, replete with green peppers, cheese, onions and pepperoni. Later at night when she bit into her creation (as a pre-bed snack), she declared emphatically that she loved pepperoni.
We knew there would be a lot of excitement over her presents later, so Michael and I staggered the gift giving by letting her open a few presents first, before lunch time. We got her a set of little animals and mini play sets (a swing, a train set, a bunch of dollhouse furniture and playground equipment) that she really likes. Now she has a whole amusement playground for them, which we dub "Ocean Park". She was incredibly sweet after we opened them and assembled them, saying "thank you for my presents mommy and daddy." Aw!
We woke Lola up from her nap at 2, then it was time to head to the party, loaded down with a homemade strawberry cake and chocolate frosted cupcakes! Jovie made Lola's strawberry cake from scratch and it was amazing and delicious and beautiful. I loved the fresh strawberry fruit layer. The chocolate frosted cupcakes were a huge hit also. These things sorely tested my discipline. I indulged in a little slice of cake (mostly sponge and strawberry - I left the icing alone) and eyed the chocolate cupcakes longingly but stayed away.
I think Lola knew and understood that we were heading to her birthday party, but when we got to the venue she slowed down considerably out of hesitation and reluctance.
Suddenly she didn't want to go into her party room and wanted only to play outside. It's just so typical of Lola - she can never be counted on to do what you expect or hope her to do! Only eventually after much cajoling, and after kids and babies and friends started to show up, could she slowly be persuaded to join her own party.
Maggie and Rose did an amazing job for the party - they had a whole art station with stickers and glitter paint and coloring, and a separate room full of ride on transportation toys and an instructor-led song and dance activity party.
I can't be sure, but I'm going to go ahead and surmise that Lola's favorite part was the cake...
On Saturday, Lola went down for an epic 2.5 hour nap after lunch - completely unheard of around these parts! She must find her new bed more comfortable than her crib, or she is going through some kind of developmental phase, because she has been sleeping for longer stretches. I went in there to check on her after hour 2 (I was worried!) and she was sprawled horizontally across her bed, with her head abutting one edge and her feet haphazardly splayed and partially up on the wall, still soundly and reassuringly asleep.
On Saturday afternoon Michael and I went shopping for Lola, mainly at Toys R Us, which was really fun. Then Michael went to try out his first "man spa" experience at the Mandarin barber shop, enjoying a professional haircut and wash and then a beard trim.
I think he really enjoyed the experience. He said that it was very
luxurious and comfortable and they treated him very well. His barber
was named Ken Lee and did his entire haircut by scissors, by hand, with
nary a buzzing razor or electric trimmer in sight. Talk about skill!
 |
| Relaxing post-cut with a drink. |
On Sunday, it was Lola's birthday! She awoke early (6:20 am) in a grumpy mood but which lightened over time. She went to the park (she requested Morrison Hill Park - she knows the different parks by name) where she joined in morning calisthenic exercises with an elderly lady, and then went to play. She also did a pizza making course in the morning, and returned to the apartment radiant and bursting with pride at her mini pizza, replete with green peppers, cheese, onions and pepperoni. Later at night when she bit into her creation (as a pre-bed snack), she declared emphatically that she loved pepperoni.
We woke Lola up from her nap at 2, then it was time to head to the party, loaded down with a homemade strawberry cake and chocolate frosted cupcakes! Jovie made Lola's strawberry cake from scratch and it was amazing and delicious and beautiful. I loved the fresh strawberry fruit layer. The chocolate frosted cupcakes were a huge hit also. These things sorely tested my discipline. I indulged in a little slice of cake (mostly sponge and strawberry - I left the icing alone) and eyed the chocolate cupcakes longingly but stayed away.
Maggie and Rose did an amazing job for the party - they had a whole art station with stickers and glitter paint and coloring, and a separate room full of ride on transportation toys and an instructor-led song and dance activity party.
We also did a group toast, clinking our wine/juice/sparkling water glasses enthusiastically.
I really wanted Lola to have an enjoyable and fun party, seeing as she understands the concept of her birthday now, and she's been looking forward to this day for so long. She knew with such specificity that she wanted strawberry cake, and balloooooons, and "no presents" (even though she got a lot)! When she came home she sighed in contentment and said, "I had fun at my birthday party!" which was really all Michael and I wanted to hear.
Despite our better judgment, we let Lola open a few presents. The excitement, coupled with all of the sugar, had her on a super high. Michael rolled out her hot pink mini micro scooter with a balloon tied to the handle, and she was super excited about it. She hopped on and off. Then we gave her a trunki suitcase, which she immediately proceeded to climb on top of to ride around. I got the idea for this when she asked me for a suitcase one night before bed. I think she was very seriously contemplating her next trip to New York at the time!
After riding around on both, Lola observed, "So many presents!!"
Indeed, Lola. Giving you presents is so much fun.
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