Communication is amazing, missing MY Mardi Gras, not so much.

Communication is AMAZING!!  Audrey has really got the whole head nod up and down for yes and "no" for no.  Now the whole "no" thing isn't something I wanted her to learn but something she hears us say to the puppies.  I tell Audrey "don't touch" and give a brief explanation why like "hurt baby" or "hot, hurt baby" or "you can touch later" (referring to helping unravel the toilet paper, a new FAVORITE past time of Audrey's)  Anyway, well you know we are our babies models so Carlo and I modeled no to the puppies and she caught on.  At first she chased the puppies saying "no no no" with a slight French accent. (how appropriate since I understand some French and we are in Cajun country where French is still spoken)  Then, when we phased out telling the puppies no, it's such a negative word anyway, then she stopped saying it all the time.  Now, she knows when to use it.  It's great!!  NO really it's AMAZING!!  Like today Carlo saw Audrey holding her pants doing a sort of potty dance and asked her "do you have to go pee pee?" she nodded her head up and down and then he went and put her on the potty and sure enough she went pee pee. They clapped and that was that.  For naps and nighttime we now ask Audrey if she is ready for "night night" when we see her rubbing her eyes or yawning. She always nods her head up and down and then we head into the bedroom. Sometimes she reaches for a book other times she pats my chest, meaning chow time.  I bring her in or Carlo does and we ask her again if she is ready for "night night" and then let her babble her energy out of her after she of course tells us yes she is ready.  When she is ready she will put her head down on our chest continue babbling and well talk herself to sleep.  For any of you who know me that should not surprise you that my daughter talks herself to sleep!! I talk A LOT, if you haven't noticed!

Here in Louisiana we are in the midst of Mardi Gras. Well, Carlo calls it Mardi Gras here in Lafayette, I call it rinki dink.  Sorry all you cajuns out there, but I am a New Orleanian. Well, kind of, I mean born in Slidell but ALWAYS in New Orleans and Mardi Gras was NO exception.  At my house growing up we went to every parade possible.  That meant starting Friday before Mardi Gras we were in the city pretty much every day AND night. We would always finish up the night by having dinner at different local restaurants like R&O's on the lakefront or Mandina's.  Oh yes, we would catch 3 parades a day sometimes more.  I miss it terribly and wish we had a place of our own in what I call "my city".   We would have gone down to Slidell had it not been but Carlo and Audrey feeling horrible, and sounding horrible, on Friday and Saturday.  Anyway, Mardi Gras is special to me and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!! I have MANY memories of eating cold Popeye's chicken on the grass on Veterans Ave. in Metairie while taking a break from floats on Mardi Gras day in Metairie.  Also, many memories of being on my daddy's shoulders and screaming and yelling and having him walk up to floats so I could beg for beads and stuffed animals!!  I now make a king cake since going GF. But oh what I would give to have a Randazzo's king cake.  I would give an arm, maybe both, maybe both arms and a foot...the point is THEY ARE AMAZING!!!    For all of you Mardi Gras goers, I am jealous, oh and have fun and be careful. :-)
Here's a list of MY personal favorite parades! and a link to some cool history and neat photo's from the turn on the century.

Krewe of Caesar
Krewe of Muses
Krewe of Endymion
Krewe of Mid City (Okeanos, Mid City, and Thoth run back to back so just stay in the same spot)
Krewe of Bacchus (I have never been, yup that's right....I want to go BAD)
Krewe of Tucks
Krewe of Orpheus

For Mardi Gras day I grew up doing the Metairie Mardi Gras, it's more family oriented. I went to downtown Mardi Gras with Rex and Zulu and thought it was, in my opinion, a lot of pomp and circumstance but still very cool to see.

Check out these links
http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html  (click each parade to see a little history and if there is a celebrity king/queen)

http://nutrias.org/exhibits/mg2000/rexphoto.htm (photos of Rex from 1901, really cool!!)

http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/mardigras/mardigrashistory/  (GREAT stuff here!!!)



Laissez les bon temps Roulez, Let the Good Times Roll,  and Happy Mardi Gras y'all!!!