Category Archives: Regional

Art Every Day Month – Day 2

My effort today is less art and more craft. (Not that knitting isn’t art, but a simple dishcloth is pushing the concept; now a lace shawl or something akin — that is art.) However, this is what I created today. Recently Husband purchased a knife sharpening kit and sharpened all our very dull blades. This has made cooking much easier and more fun; however, we learned the hard way that we cannot wash the knives with my hand-knitted dishcloths. One of them was shred to bits, and so this one replaces it.

art every day month 08 - day 2 - pink dishcloth

I spent a lovely afternoon visiting with a relative — a second cousin on my father’s side of the family. She was a fascinating person to talk to and before I realized it, I’d been there nearly four hours. I learned a couple years ago that I had relatives in the Bay Area, but without a premise for contact I didn’t pursue it, and I was busy, so the time wasn’t right. My parents recent visit catalyzed the connection.

Bean had a rough day today. I felt her gums, and she has an upper left molar coming through, plus the rest of her gums are very puffy. She has new words, though: all done, bird, cracker, excuse me (coo-mee), gate mouse (mess), pear. She mimicks what she hears really well.

It Was Fun

Bean’s still a little young to understand Halloween, hence the lack of a fancy costume this year. Among the many animals she likes is the owl, so she was happy to wear this outfit. We went to Westgate Mall where the majority of stores participated in trick-or-treating. The place was hopping! Next year we may go out into the neighborhood, but since it’s raining here today, this seemed like the best plan. She doesn’t have much interest in sweets generally, though we did give her little bits of gummy bear, and she ate them. Her favorite prize was the large brown leaf she found on the floor, which she clutched in her right hand as we made our rounds.

halloween 08

I Have Been Remiss

This has been a busy week, in part because we welcomed a new little person into the world. Our friends, M&K, gave birth to a beautiful daughter on Tuesday, October 28. (M&K are Bean’s godparents/emergency backup parents.) Because I don’t know how public they want this information to be, I withhold particulars at this time. But she is healthy and beautiful, and in about a year she and Bean will be active playmates.

And to all: Happy Halloween!

massive carved pumpkin

Massive pumpkin at Uesugi Farms

A Busy Brain

Bean understands more every day and demonstrates it in many ways. Here are some examples.

  • The other day we were getting ready to leave, and I was searching for her sippy cup. As I looked around I said, “Where’s your cup? We need it to go bye-bye.” I continued to scan the living room muttering that I had just seen it somewhere. Then I turned around, and Bean was toddling back from the kitchen with the cup in her hands, and she walked over to the diaper bag and laid it on the top.
  • When I ask her if she needs a dry or clean diaper, sometimes she nods yes. When I tell her we need to go change her diaper, she walks over to the stairs and waits for me to open the gate.
  • Bean will stand at her bookcase and pull books off the shelves one after another as she searches for the book she wants read to her. Sometimes I’ve suggested a book (Let’s read Trucks!) and she finds a book about trucks and hands it to me.
  • I started asking her to say “please” when she wants a book re-read to her. A couple of times she did say it, but then she decided to resist. She’ll shake her head, say “No,” and emphatically make the sign for more. If I persist in telling her to say please, she gets mad and upset. I’ve decided that when it comes to saying please, I’ll start with modeling the behavior for her. I also don’t want to get into a fight with her about saying please at this age, especially over reading books. And while I think she understands the concept of “no” to some degree, I also think she gets confused. There are times she says no when she clearly means yes.
  • When she hears a plane (or helicopter), she declares Pane! Pane! When she hears the rumble of a loud truck engine, she says Ca! Ca! (her word for truck). Also, when she sees a plane in the sky, even when it’s very small because it’s far away, she becomes excited and shouts her word for it and babbles. Sometimes she mistakes a bird in flight for a plane as well, but she’s starting to make the distinction. The other day she pointed to a black bird and said crow (though the “r” sounds like “w” still).

She’s also added new words: bag, bear, bow-wow, bubbles, bus, crow, foot, neigh, ooo-ooo (monkey), pop, poop, quack, sneeze, tummy, tunnel.

i want this one

I want this one!

The Arrival

The much-anticipated visit is happening! My parents arrived late last night from the east coast to meet Bean. Right now they are still sleeping to recover from a very long trip, but very shortly there will be the first encounter. I plan to take lots of pictures and videos this next week.

Our Weekend

Saturday we went to a friend’s first birthday party. There, Bean discovered that she does like cake and frosting. She just wasn’t interested two weeks ago, on her birthday.

frosting face

And today we went to the Oakland Zoo. She was thrilled to see giraffes, elephants (her favorite animal as far as we can tell), snakes (a close second), zebras, birds, lions, tigers, monkeys, and otters, among other animals.

fascination up close

I didn’t take a lot of photos because I wanted to actually experience the outing and see the animals, but I did love the vivid colors of this Blue-and-Gold Macaw.

maccaw

We are tuckered out and going to bed!

Lean and Tall

Today was Bean’s 12-month doctor visit. At her 9-month visit she weighed 16 pounds, 5 ounces and was 27 inches tall. Today she weighs 17 pounds, 10 ounces, and is 29.5 inches tall. My little bean sprout. Everything else is normal. The poor child received four vaccinations today (two in each arm). She has the remnants of her cold and I think her gums hurt. Considering all this, she’s been in a cheerful mood today.

I do remember what this day is. My body remembers; I’ve been tense, agitated, irritated, tired, and I suddenly realized at mid-day why this is the case. But I’m going to focus on the good in the day as a way of honoring what was lost in 2001.

Special Guests

They came bearing gifts. They arrived at the doldrums of 103-degree afternoon. Bean chatted up a storm with them and generally delighted us all. Georgia entertained us with her talents (amazing eyebrows!) and was so sweet with Bean. It was very special to meet Karen and Georgia, as both of them are close to my heart and have helped me in many ways. Since I seem to be increasingly economical with words (forgive my laziness), I’ll let a photo speak for me. We would love to see them again, and I’m certain we will.

special visitors

It’s Like a Giant Bathtub, Only Deeper!

Bean's first dip

Bean had her first encounter with a swimming pool today. I know, I’m a bad mommy for not having taken a dip sooner. Truth is, I couldn’t find my bathing suit and I wasn’t feeling up to shopping. But I did come across it, and we went to a friend’s home to play. She loved the experience. Considering it’s close to 100 degrees, we might do this again over the next few days.

Ten Things Tuesday

I’ve never participated in this meme before, but Gerry does so I thought I’d do a quick brain dump. Reader beware: the quality of what comes next might be less than intelligent. I should also mention that the meme focuses on 10 things one is thankful for; I wrote it more generally, though it could be said that everything on this list is something for which I’m grateful.

  1. Gas Prices: they are lower here. The cheapest I’ve seen is $4.11 per gallon. I was certain they’d keep climbing, so it’s a relief to see them drop a bit.
  2. Nature: I was out this evening searching fruitlessly for something and ended up at Target. When I emerged from my car I happened to look up and saw an enormous double rainbow! It was a complete arc; one of them was vivid and bright, and the other was muted and soft. I leaned against my car and stared for several minutes. I didn’t find what I wanted to buy but got something better for free!
  3. Oreos: I don’t often do it, but I bought a package of double-stuff Oreos tonight. As I drove home I passed a drugstore and the thought occurred to me: They sell Oreos too, and they are the exact same quality as what I bought elsewhere. Just think about this. You can find the same comforting, fattening, sugar-laden cookie at any retail outlet that sells food, and you can be sure it will be the same all over the U.S. Perhaps individuality is sacrificed, but there is something to be said for consistency. Am I weird, or what?
  4. Music: on this gorgeous 70-degree day I drove home from Bean’s music class and hit the classic rock station. I happened to tune in just as Peter Frampton’s classic “Do You Feel Like We Do?” was on. OMG, I was transported back into the 1970s to when I was about 13. I had a huge crush on Frampton. That song was seven minutes long, and I was in a reverie. I didn’t know until I searched on Google, but that song was recorded live at SUNY Plattsburgh in 1975. (This is relevant to me because I attended a SUNY college, grew up in New York State, and my father is from Plattsburgh.)
  5. More Music: Bean’s got rhythm! At class she loves to stand and rock back and forth to the music. She does this holding on to my hands, and we dance together.
  6. Reading: I’m currently reading a novel that barely holds my attention. It’s supposedly set in the 1780s, but I’m finding the style affected and over-wrought, and I’m skimming much of the book now. Why don’t I quit? Because I want to find out what happens to the heroine, though all along I’ve been able to predict this. Please recommend some good novels to me.
  7. Reading Again: (Is this cheating, using the same topic over?) Bean and I finished the summer reading program at our local library. Bean’s book reward was How Do Dinosaurs Learn Their Colors?, and the family-oriented book I chose was I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature. It seems like a good companion to the book Last Child In the Woods, which I started a few months ago. The activity book is slim and the ideas are simple and obvious, but it was free and is bound to provide a jumping off point for exploration in the future.
  8. Intuition: late this afternoon, Bean sneezed frequently. By the end of the day, she was more tired than usual and clingy and verged on cranky, despite the fact she got the usual solid sleep she gets. Perhaps a cold is coming? I feel it might be. We’ll see if my mother’s intuition is correctly tuned.
  9. Social Networks: I recently joined Facebook because a friend is on it, and that’s where she puts up photos of her child. I’m not sure that being on yet another network is of much, if any, use. But I’m there, and if you’re a member too, find me and be my friend.
  10. Sleep: the magic number of hours for me to feel actually rested and vital is… eleven. Yes, 11 hours of sleep daily seems to be what I need. It isn’t what I always get, in part because I spend about 12 hours a day mothering Bean and would be totally depressed if all I ever did outside of that is sleep. However, speaking of sleep, I should go get some.

Brain Food And Entertainment

In between shopping for a new car seat, providing the usual care for Bean, doing laundry, buying groceries, vacuuming and mopping, watering outdoor plants, and making lemon buttermilk pies for a potluck, I’ve been squeezing in another book. The library books are momentarily set aside so I can complete a book I started months ago, Oil! by Upton Sinclair. I am now fascinated by the story (as relevant today as it was at first publication in 1927) and the history lesson embedded in the plot. The reason I had put it aside was that Sinclair uses two devices I found intrusive to my attention — the second person point of view and a liberal application of exclamation points. The story finally drew me in enough that I was able to let go of the distractions.

Tide Change

My energy seems to have returned, which makes me feel cheerier and optimistic. This shift occurred over the weekend when I got some time to myself.

A Guatemalan friend recommended some authors to me, so on Thursday I dove into Antigua and My Life Before, by Marcela Serrano. I finished yesterday completely satisfied with the encounter. I have not read much in recent months. In part this is because in recent years I turned to non-fiction more often, and I find I can’t sustain my attention on it now. Slipping into another reality via a good story is what I need. The next book is The Bejeweled Boy by Miguel Angel Asturias. My friend also encouraged me to try Gabriel Garcia Marquez again; I had tried to read One Hundred Years of Solitude several times but it did not engage me. She has suggested I try Love in the Time of Cholera, so this is on my list to borrow from my beautiful local library.

In addition to reading, I was able to go out shopping to use a gift card I’d won at a social event. It was at Lakeshore Learning, so it was still oriented toward my child, but I love to look at educational games and teaching supplies, and I had fun there. And I took a relaxing soak yesterday evening. These moments rejuvenated me.

I have another reason to feel happy as well. My parents have booked a plane flight to visit us in October! We are thrilled and excited they are making the long journey from Syracuse, especially because they are in their mid-70s and travel is not so easy for them (and many others) any more. They will get to meet their granddaughter in person! We have a busy season coming up; visitors are coming in August, September, and October, and then holiday season begins. Every day I pay attention — as often as I can — because so much happens, and Bean is changing so fast. I try to embrace and yet not cling.

Nasty Drivers and Spoiled Fish

For reasons I don’t want to go into (mostly because they’re boring), the past couple days have been rough for me. I am raw and short on energy and patience. At a stoplight, I had my right turn blinker on. It’s an option to turn right on red (unless there’s sign prohibiting it). I was about to turn when the driver behind me honked. So I didn’t. That’s the kind of mood I’m in — something mean within digs in its heels. She honked again, and I saw her gesticulating in the mirror. I waited until the light turned green and went, and waved at her as she roared past me all the distance of one block to turn left; she flipped me the middle finger through her sun roof. I know it’s not mature or honorable behavior. I don’t like it in myself. This all happened within a mile of my home as I returned home from a nice outing at the park with a friend. I know, I should have walked instead — except here there’s a risk we’d be run over by the same driver. Such is life in an overpopulated area. Grrrrr.

I got home to cook the salmon I bought yesterday to find it had turned bad. It smelled fishy, which is a sign of very old fish. The whole fridge smells funky now.

Bean is starting to arch her back and thrash and scream when something happens she doesn’t want, or when something she wants doesn’t happen. Toddlerhood tantrums already?

I got NO time to myself this past weekend (except for one nap, but I’d like some awake alone time), since we had family errands and housecleaning and some social commitments. I also have very little say over my schedule as far as when things happen (nothing is much in my control), even on weekends.

Something I started to knit I had to frog (“rip it” out) because I made a mistake and couldn’t figure out how to fix it.

What’s so very bothersome to me is the way incidents such as those in the first paragraph stay with me, and how a sour hatred toward humanity rises up in my throat when I’m feeling this raw.

Cranky, cranky, cranky. Will someone show me some love in the comments? If you need incentive, here’s one:

loves the fan

Staying Still

The humidity is cloying right now, and already it’s 74 degrees. I am hunkered down, mentally geared for another 100+ degree day cooped up in this non-air conditioned house with the windows and drapes closed to retain last night’s cool air. It reminds me of the northern winters I grew up in.

Oh, we will go out to the park in the morning, briefly, and a friend invited us to enjoy her air-conditioning yesterday. We have a repeat invitation for that today. Of course, this requires driving on an ozone action day, which contributes to more pollution — ozone, smog, carbon dioxide, and smoke from fires.

And sweet Bean is more active than ever! Though her naps have been less deep the last few days, probably due to heat. So she gets fretful as well.

So, I’m not much in the mood to write. If you’ve written me an email recently (within the last couple weeks), I haven’t replied because I had company, and now I have little time when Bean is awake, and it’s just damn hot and I’m tired. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. 🙂

Wherever you are, Reader, I hope you are comfortable.

Two Things That Bring Me Joy

After a couple of months doing the “all done” sign with Bean, she recently started making the sign when I initiated — for example, after a meal, when I’d ask “All done?” and make the sign, she’d confirm it. But yesterday, she initiated the sign! When she was full, she raised her small hands and made the sign her way, smiling at me. She also made the sign when she was in the exer-saucer and wanted to get out. Wow. I can see her brain growing.

The other thing that brings me joy is the fact that it is possible to travel 3,000 miles across country within half a day. Think of this astonishing fact. It’s almost like time travel. My sister arrives in about 2.5 hours; her journey started in central New York this morning. We’re so excited about her visit!

Outside Inside

Outside the air quality suffers. The haze is thick, the scent is acrid. Smoke is visible at about a half-mile. It’s very odd, as the sun shines through, the sky is gray-white, and the horizon is obliterated. There are about 800 wildfires burning in Northern California (last I heard). So we aren’t going on many walks or park dates at this time.

Inside, Bean continues to charm, amuse, and endear herself to us. When I read her Sandra Boynton’s A to Z book and get to the “K, Kangaroo Kissing,” she makes the kiss noise. She crawls around holding onto a small toy or sock with one hand. Sometimes she tries holding something in both while crawling and pulling up and finds this challenging. She is pulling up on everything and terrorizing the cat. I think the fourth upper tooth is finally breaking through. She chews clothes, toys, fingers. Bean feeds herself Cheerios now with good dexterity. She is all-around wonderful!

Her aunt LR arrives on Sunday for a week. We’re looking forward to lots of bonding.