Summer

Well, I had intended to update the blog more frequently. This has been an unusually stressful summer. We moved out of our home into a rental to start our big construction project -- unfortunately our construction still hasn't started. Also Ryan's company was acquired by a much bigger company -- it turned out fine but he had to interview for his job .. lots of instability.

Other than that, the kids are getting bigger .. older. Jack is very verbal now. He is very expressive.. although he went through a tough phase where he melted down almost constantly over small things. I think its part of the process of individuation (or whatever child development people call it). It's important but not so fun for others. We have eliminated videos from our life because he could never accept that video time was over. Life has improved since. Sonia is starting to walk. She is very active and into everything .. Jack was a much mellower baby. We have to child-proof our house now.

We enjoyed the warm, sunny summer days (when we had them)

We visited our friends' cabin in the san juan islands with my college friends.. here's jack with one friend's kids:



We hit some of our favorite water spots with friends:









We visited the Olympic peninsula with the grandparents. Here's sonia enjoying a picnic at the beach:







We camped on the kitsap peninsula (well we went to the camp for the day as Ryan had to leave town for work and I could not get the camping stuff together). Jack had a blast in the inflatable boat of one of our friends ( I can never get him to pose):







I went to Virginia for 5 days with my bro and sis to meet my dad's family and visit the place he grew up -- including his child hood home. It's amazing how many of his family members remain in this very rural area. Everyone knew and loved my dad -- It was fun to hear the stories -- A favorite was the time he flew one of his airplanes over the river that winds through the town and over the family home.


Here is the "river" It's much smaller now:


the homestead (built by my dad's dad and his brothers)





From the left, my cousin's husband, my cousin (the youngest looking 59 year old I have ever seen), my aunt (who is 79!) and my bro and sis


Family photo on moving day -- also my birthday:






The company that acquired Ryan's paid for the employees and spouses to go to Hawaii for three days. My mom and stepfather watched the kids (only way we could have gone). We had an amazing room on waikiki -- and had a great time surfing (body boarding, longboarding, stand-up paddle board - the perfect place for such activities) and just hanging out.

Ryan at Makapu beach:



Me at Hanauma Bay


View from our room


Always great to come home

Hiatus

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post. I didn't mean for that to happen. In the last two months, Sonia has started pulling herself up and she now crawls very quickly. She is into everything and everything goes into her mouth if it fits.. she'll try for a while even if it doesn't fit. She's eating a wide variety of foods -- I have stopped breastfeeding too. Jack is now using the potty. It's so awesome! We talked about it for a few weeks and tried underwear every now and then but he did not seem to get it or be interested at all. Then one day he was interested and we haven't had any need for diapers since. Jack got into a preschool near our house (his current school was only for one year) and he'll start going 3 days a week in September. It will be a big shift but I am hoping it will make his transition to fulltime school easier once I start graduate school next summer. There is no transition plan for Sonia. I rarely leave her with anyone (unlike Jack when he was her age) and she gets very upset if I leave the room when people come over to visit. I have a year to work that out.

We are still doing all the same things: lots of time at home while Sonia sleeps. Jack seems to like her more now. When she wakes up from her afternoon nap, he runs into her room and jumps into her crib with her. She thinks he is very funny. Jack is more and more talkative. He sings a lot. He prefers to watch a variety of videos on youtube (on my phone) instead of the Dora videos he used to watch on the portable dvd player. He got bored with Dora I guess. Now he loves Madeline and the Eiffel Tower. I liked those books too but as an adult, I find them a little dark.

We started a new ritual -- once a week the three of us take the bus to the neighborhood library. We get some books then get back on the bus. This is really a thrill for Jack. Every time we take the bus Jack says 'hello bus driver!' and starts to tell him or her where we are going. The bus drivers are always so happy to see Jack -- it's very sweet. How many people are that enthusiastic to ride the bus?

Jack and I have also started taking solo excursions to the Seattle Center. We ride the bus to the monorail. Then we go on some rides, ooh and ahh at the space needle, and visit the science center. Jack loves the dinosaurs and the mercury capsule. We watch the space shuttle on youtube a lot. I hear the museum of flight is trying to acquire one of the space shuttles to put on display. If that happens, we'll be at the MOF all the time.

We are out and about in the neighborhood a lot -- hanging out and watching all of the construction. Our neighbors are building a retaining wall which is now quite a spectacle too.

Time is just flying by.

On our way to the trampoline


At the zoo with friends


With dad


After nap


Making cookies of J's favorite things during Sonia's nap

What we've been up to

These days, we spend a lot of time at home. It feels even harder to get out of the house because Sonia is now eating "solid" food and meal time has now doubled in length. Then after everyone has eaten and diapers are chaged, Sonia is ready for her next nap. We put together puzzles, make forts, draw pictures on the chalkboard, read books and do a lot of cooking -- muffins, cookies .. here we are making smoothies.



What Sonia does while we cook:


We did get to the tulip festival. Jack was far more interested in the puddles and not at all interested in posing for pictures in front of flowers.




hair cut

Sonia eating movie

Freedom

Fun in the Sun

Ryan had Friday off so we headed off to the Olympic Peninsula. Went to our favorite beach in Pt. Townsend then to a lovely and very tasty cafe for lunch. We had a sweet moment at the cafe when the waitress was checking in on us. She asked Jack if he liked his lunch and he said yes, then he said "thank you for our food." We enjoyed the beautiful sunny weekend.

Kickin Chicken

Big in Japan

Today we went to the museum of flight. There was a large group of Japanese tourists there and many of them wanted to have their picture taken with Jack -- because of his hair.


I didn't take a picture of the photo shoot. Instead, I got a pic of the dreamlifter taking off from boeing field. A big hit with J.



We have been at the park a lot lately with friends because the weather has been so awesome.



Sonia is always good company

Deep Breath

It seems that telling stories of tragedy that befalls other people is a popular pasttime in our culture. I never consciously noticed it until I had kids. Now, I notice. For some reason, I pay attention to every story that involves children. For example, a friend of my mom's told a story of a little boy (jack's age naturally) who walked out of the house one night after everyone fell asleep and froze to death. These stories are everywhere and my first reaction was to fret.. then think how I am different than those people... I would never leave doors unlocked right?

But that didn't work well.

Then I remembered something one of my midwives said when I was pregnant with Jack. A friend had lost her baby at the end of her pregnancy when I was 20 weeks pregnant and it sent me into a panic. When I told the midwife she said she would never be able to reassure me that things were going to be ok. You can't google your child and find the answer she said. But, she said, the course of life for most people here is that they are born, they grow up, they get old and they die.

I probably repeat this to myself once a day. Whenever I hear a terrible story or almost miss something that could have hurt my kids, I think, the normal course of life for most people here is that they are born, the grow up, they get old, and they die.

And I know she's right because social security will be insolvent soon because we have so many older citizens.




Can you picture them old? I try.

4.5 months

Sonia had her 4 month well-child appt this week. She weighs 14 lbs and is 25.5 inches long. The nurse tried to tell me that she's in the 80-something percentile for height so she'd probably be tall. I told her that I had no faith in her charts as predictions. Jack is now in the 3rd percentile for height but I am fairly certain he will be taller than 4'11. Likewise, Sonia is not going to be 5'11. Those charts are annoying. They feel like grades.

Sonia is starting to have a schedule. She still wakes up twice a night to eat. This is a reminder that Jack and Sonia are different people -- I fight the urge to compare them. Jack was sleeping 11 hours a night at this point. It's good to fix this fact in our minds now. We're working on it.

Lately, it's been hard to get a good picture of the wiggle-worm. She is rolling over, prefers to be on her tummy always.

9's and 1's

A while ago a friend told me about an article on salon.com about raising children. The author said his life had gone from a daily rating of about a 7 to daily ratings of 9 and 1.. that was the difference between his pre and post children life.

I would agree with this right now. Having an infant and a 3 year old is a challenge every day. I am very grateful for the time I have with both of them. I enjoy being with them and knowing everything about their daily and nightly routines. I have never felt like my work was more important. At the very same time, it is hard. Jack is having more tantrums that seem like they are unprovoked. I never know when they are coming. Sonia's sleeping schedule is a little more fixed which keeps us at home more than we used to be. Jack and I both like to be outside and lately, we've been stuck inside.

One of the cool things that has happened is one of our neighbors bought a trampoline. Jack loves it. It's only 2 doors down so we go in the hour or so window we have between sonia's naps. We even go when it rains. This works until Jack is soaking wet. Here you can see he has lost some steam.



There are two houses under construction across the street. There's lots of major excavation going on. Jack and our neighbor Adam love to watch the "digger." Adam and Jack get together more now that we are home all the time.





We are doing lots of book reading and pretend play. Here is Jack as a ghost:

Sister Sonia

Sonia is already developing her little personality. To quote an old movie - nobody puts baby in a corner.. she does not like it. I can't put her in her swing and walk away. I can't hold her and talk on the phone. She wants undivided attention and she doesn't like to be alone. She is also very chatty.. and at the rate she is growing she'll be bigger than Jack by the time she is 9 months old.

Happy New Year

We have spent the last 2 weeks in Arizona. As usual, the weather is great. Jack has had a lovely time with his grandparents. I got to go to the gym.. big excitement. AND, Ryan and I went out twice -once to sushi (a minor miracle as the sushi restaurant is actually in the small town where I grew up) with my bro and sis then AGAIN to a cool, modern restaurant in central phoenix (another miracle) It seems arizona may be slowly progressing into the 21st century. Although the citizens of arizona recently made it legal to carry a gun into a bar .. so maybe they are just enjoying the contrast between the 19th and 21st centuries.

We missed my dad a lot. So sad not to have him around. When Jack asks about him I say grandpa charlie is on an airplane. I don't know how to explain death to a three year old. Jack understands airplanes and I think we'd all like to believe my dad is spending eternity in an F16.

We spent lots of time at home so here are some action shots of our time together. Sonia is not pictured as she was generally sleeping (in 45 minute increments)

Picking oranges in grandma's backyard:


Playing near the pool (too cold to get in)



Jack really enjoyed watering the plants..


and the empty fountain..


Playing with lipstick


When Ryan arrived, Jack got to venture out more. Here they are at the pool



A few Christmas days shots

The Slanket or snuggie.. what have I done all my life without it? They even make them kid-sized!


Jack and grandma


Aunt Katie and Sonia

Once upon a time

Lately, we have been telling stories in addition to reading books at bedtime. My dad always told us stories so I was inspired. As a teenager, I realized my dad's stories had very little plot and no ending.. I learned this when I tried to tell one of his stories about Chuck the Kodiac bear to a little boy I was babysitting. When I later asked my dad how the story ended he said that it didn't. I usually just fell asleep so he never had to end the story. So I knew my stories did not need to be complex for Jack to enjoy them.

The story always starts the same way: 'once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack and Jack loved...' Then I ask Jack 'what did Jack love?' and so far he has given me the following answers:

airplanes, balloons, air balloons, space needles, grandpa bert, grandpa bert's computer, grandma, jack's computer in seattle, Dora, and Gen and Lily.

Then I make up a story and tell it in the past tense about some adventure Jack had with the person/thing he loves. The most common story is about going on an air balloon ride.

Happy Thanksgiving

We spent thanksgiving as we do every year -- with our dear friends Paul and Laurie. The food is always amazing but the change this year was the addition of 2 children -- sonia and daniel. I thought the day would be really chaotic but it was mellow .. considering how many kids were there. We were joined by the mother of one of laurie's students and his girlfriend. The student has been in the hospital for quite a while and his mom has been in seattle to be with him. She is understandably extremely worried about her son. It reminded me that the only thing that really matters is having your health and I am so grateful for the health of all of my loved ones. This holiday season (and maybe every one from this point forward) has been sad without my dad. We miss him. He should be here.

Today (the day after t day) is beautiful -- the sun is shining and at this moment, I have two sleeping children (a minor miracle). We went to the seattle center this morning to listen to a children's symphony group play music and to see a very cool miniature village (decorated for the holiday) with an awesome set of trains running through the town.

Big Three

Jack is three today. It's surreal. How can he be so old? After being away from him for 5 days, I notice he seems like a little boy -- his vocabulary is rapidly expanding, he plays by himself for longer and longer periods of time. He enjoys drawing and playing with any one of the various transportation toys we have. He has an amazing memory. He smiles a lot... especially when he is watching or reading Dora the Explorer. He really digs the Dora stories..



Happy Birthday Jack!

Red Sonia and Curly Jack

Sonia has red hair. I have no idea where she got that. One of my sister's friends met Sonia and immediately starting calling her Red Sonia .. if the name sounds familiar it's because Red Sonja was a Conan the barbarian movie .. and you are old enough to remember that.

Jack seems to be getting used to Sonia. I was in arizona for a few days over the weekend and when I talked to him on the phone he asked me where Sonia was (she came with me, Jack stayed home). He throws fewer tantrums (unless he is hungry, then watch out) and he also likes to give Sonia kisses on her head. Every time he kisses her he says "ohhh!" Which is what other people say after they see Jack kiss her. It's very cute. Jack has also adjusted well to his preschool. He goes three half days a week to a little place nearby that has 7 other kids. Since there is another Jack at the school, they call Jack 'curly jack.' Now when asked his name, he'll say 'curly jack.' If he's ever a pirate, he'll have a good name.

It seems both of my children are notable for their hair.

I am at home with them all the time now -- no work for the next year or so. I am surprised to find that I like being with them all the time. It is a tremendous amount of work but it's nice that they are my only job.