Update, in pieces

OK, it's been a while since I've written, so this is going to be really random and disjointed, and you're just going to have to deal with it.

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Tony called me at work the other day, asking me to e-mail him and give him a link or something to the "Mahna, Mahna" song. When I asked him why, he said he had sat down at the computer to check e-mail, and Ari had climbed on his lap, singing, "Mahna, mahna" and saying, "Ready! Ready!"

And on Friday, in the car, completely unprompted, she started singing, "Doo doo, mahna mahna."

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Because we needed to leave early in the morning for my cousin's wedding on Saturday, Ari spent the night at Pastor and Dawn's house. I brought her there around bedtime, gave her a quick bath, and laid her down in her Pack-n-Play after singing her a song. When I came out of the room, they asked, "Is she asleep already?"

"No, but she will be soon."

"And she'll sleep through the night?"

"Yeh."

They acted pleasantly surprised by this. I don't know why, but that made me proud for some reason. Not like I really had a lot to do with how well she sleeps, unless you claim that good sleeping habits can be inherited. Maybe my kid doesn't eat, but she is a champion sleeper.

(And for the record, yes, she did sleep through the night, woke at 7, but went back to sleep with minimal coaxing from Dawn, and woke up for good around 8.)

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My cousin's wedding was lovely. When the bride came down the aisle, my eyes welled with tears. There are not many things in this world more beautiful than a vibrant young bride, walking down the aisle toward her future husband. And in that same moment, it hit me--it has been nearly 10 years since I was in those shoes. For some reason, this 10-year milestone is just blowing my mind lately.

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At the reception, the DJ opened himself up for requests, and Tony requested "Truly, Madly, Deeply." He is too sweet. We didn't get the slow dance I was hoping for (we left before they really started playing the slow-dance-type music), but that song request made up for it.

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I am so totally in love with Wonder Bread's new Whole Grain Honey Wheat bread. It is so many kinds of delicious. Along those same lines, I have also been obsessed with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches lately, which taste even better on this magical new bread.

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Yesterday, I finally got around to reading Persepolis, which my mom gave to me months (years?) ago. I loved it. I was an "easy" read, in the sense that I could read it quickly, but not easy because it dealt with some pretty serious subject matter. I highly, highly recommend it. I am already one-quarter of the way through Persepolis 2.

Book description, if you're interested...

Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.

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I was getting Ari ready for church this morning, and as I changed her diaper, she reached out to grab my dress.

Ari: Pretty, pretty.

Me: Yes, Mommy's dress is pretty.

Ari: Pretty Mommy.

Me: *melts*