6 Weeks: Twitterpated in the Sunshine

My parents came for a visit. Three nights. They’ve never been allowed to stay three nights in a row before (I have a two night policy for guests, and a two night policy for my own visiting. It’s best to leave feeling like “I wish I should have stayed longer,” rather than “I wish to never see these people again.”), but they recently bought a motorhome and the extra private space provided a nice respite from them staying in our house. Potamus loved going out to the motorhome to play games with them at night, and when my dad needed to take his real estate calls, he didn’t have to do it in my living room with a 4 year old saying “grampy, grampy,” an infant crying, and my mom sighing. It was a lovely visit.

And the sun was out.

Seattle has been unseasonably warm and glorious in the past two weeks, and I was able to get a few lovely shots of Lil G in our backyard. I’m surprised everyday at how much I love this child. It is such a sweet feeling to have again. And a sweet feeling to know that this is the moment, one to never be repeated again. There’s something about it, like the flowers in the background, opening to beautiful blossoms and then dropping off to the ground after their moment of glory. ❤

Easter…in Pictures…

I think the bunny went THAT way mom!

Penguins have names like Fiona and Tyrone and Louis

Apparently the rest of the country is buried under snow, but here in Seattle we are having GORGOUS weather (complete with sunshine AND warmth!), so we had to get out of the house to do something more exciting than grocery shopping at Costco. So we headed on up to the Woodland Park Zoo to renew our yearly membership and see some animals! Potamus has been obsessed with making animal noises (his particular favorite is the chimpanzee, which I have NO idea where he learned that from…haha).

I realized when we parked, that I had brought a 2 year old to the zoo without a stroller as tired-leg-backup. What’s fun about going places with kids is that it’s new every time. He squealed and pointed and even drew the attention of passerbys who even said “wow, he’s really excited.” I don’t like to stifle his excitement, because FUCK YEAH PENGUINS ARE COOL BABY! I guess I didn’t notice all the ‘well behaved’ (aka quiet) kids at the zoo who ooh and ahh with tiny exasperated adult voices…because my kid has enthusiasm just like his mom.

 

On our way out we stopped back at the penguin exhibit and watched them get fed. I was struck by the zookeeper who was calling out their names as he threw them a fish. Hey Tyrone, here you go! Fiona, you need your vitamins too! Louis, eat the fish, don’t drop it that seagull will get it! I was fascinated, because of course penguins have personalities and you would know them, but I found the names funny. I think a children’s book called “A Penguin Named Tyrone” would be cute. Anyone want to write that?

Snow Boot Determination

 

It’s been unseasonably sunny here in Seattle, and we’ve been taking full advantage of it by going for walks around our neighborhood. And by walks, I mean, I’m walking and Potamus is stomping and running and squeeling ahead of me in a typical 2 year-old fashion. He’s obsessed with the Value Village snow boots that are at least one size too big, but doesn’t let the clomping deter him as he speeds ahead of me down the road. Thankfully our neighborhood is mostly quiet so the fear of cars is minimal and his opportunity to express his freedom is high. Like how I kept walking even though he turned down a dead end, and his little impish wave ‘bye bye’ as he blew me a kiss and pretended to get too far away from me to be caught. Of course he knew it was all a game and came speeding back to me in no time, laughing all the while.

I’m really enjoying this stage.

He isn’t quite talking yet, though he does say two-three word stunted sentences mixed with lots of grunting and pointing. He has his own caveman language, and often calls me “da” though he also knows me as ‘maa maa,’ so I’m not sure what’s up with that. His favorite phrase is “le go!” which is “let’s go!” and modeled after hours of watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates…of which, is taking over our life. Last night he went to bed clutching the second hand purchase of the pirate ship featured in the show. And his Jake and Cubby and Izzy figurines go with him everywhere. Clearly it was the best $7 purchase of the whole Christmas vacation.

in case you didn’t believe me that this pirate ship goes EVERYWHERE with him…poopy diaper time!

Anything cute or annoying that your kiddo is up to lately?

Will the sun come out tomorrow?

I have no idea. But the sun is out today and my mood is that contentedly happy sun-napping-cat feeling. You know the one. And just like I know that my nervous-breakdown crazy feelings are complicated by the time of year/horribly raining weather/darkness/crazy schedule, it’s moments like today where I realize all the little things that make me super happy.

Like the fact that Potamus slept through the night last night. Why yes, the first time in almost 22 months, and I couldn’t be more proud. The fact that he did it IN HIS OWN BED, even better! I’m also ignoring that sleeping through the night meant waking up at 5 (because we were then able to get him to snuggle in bed with us until…wait for it….NINE A.M.!). Yeah, that’s right, adding it up (taking into account his 5-5:45 am crying in our bed jag), I got 11 hours of sleep. Sleep feels amazing. In that book I mentioned yesterday, she said that research shows that parents are about 5 months behind in sleep by year 2 of their child’s life. That’s about how it feels. So getting 8 uninterrupted hours PLUS 3 snuggled up…feels freaking awesome.

Family time. I’ve seen Boof so little the last few weeks that it’s nice to just get to do stuff together. Boring family stuff, like daycare open house, and dog-training. And eating Chipotle. That was yummy too. And stealing kisses in the kitchen while Potamus is eating his blueberries. It’s just being around my husband that calms me, makes me feel like I’m not alone in the world of insanity. We don’t even have to have any deep conversations, just existing in the same breathing space.

And the weather. Hot dang I love fall. I mean, the leaves are turning, if you stand really still the sun warms you (but you still need a sweater), and it feels crisp and new and exciting. Normally fall is like this until November, but then it’s Thanksgiving and looking forward to Christmas so that I can get through the dreary rainy season. So the record rainfall has seriously cramped my style lately. It feels good to sit in my big comfy chair with the sunshine beaming through the window.

 

Pool Hack…getting through record breaking temperatures!

summer in the city? It’s only May!

Yesterday Seattle beat it’s former heat record by 7 degrees, leaving the city both loving and loathing the 86 degree sunshine. If this isn’t a sign of global warming, I’m not sure what is…AND, I’m nervous for the notorious summer week of above 90 degree days in houses with no air conditioning. One year it was so miserable that we went and stayed with Boof’s parents (who do have air-conditioning), because I was threatening (slightly) divorce.

I didn’t have time on my way home from work to stop by a store and get one of those obnoxiously overpriced and cumberson wading pools that every drugstore is selling (though, after yesterday, they’re probably sold out), so, instead, I used a pool-hack that we used camping as kids: a plastic bin with a garden hose and an assortment of measuring cups and lids as flotation objects.

He was basically in heaven. He was only grumpy when I wasn’t helping him get in the tub fast enough! After thirty minutes of fun he was too cold (little shivers), so we went inside, warmed up (took about thirty seconds) ate some dinner and then he was back at it!

There was just something so purely childlike and magical about his exploration of the garden hose and using the measuring cups to sprinkle water on himself and trying to pour from one bucket to the other.

And, in typical fickle Seattle fashion, the weather this morning is cold, cloudy and slightly misty. Maybe my fears of a hot, dry, miserable summer are unfounded. So at least we grabbed the sunny day by the horns and made the most of it!

Sunshine Saturday

After anger freakout 2013, I had a really nice week, which ended with a secret day off (Thursday) and a coffee date with a friend and her 11 week old baby. I love hanging out with her because she has such similar experiences of post-partum depression and sometimes an inability to cope with her 3 year old’s tantrums, and she cusses like a sailor and isn’t afraid to drink a mimosa while nursing. We had so much fun on Thursday that we headed over to the Nordstrom Cafe on Friday for a lunch, and Potamus was well-behaved, and enjoyed his fun balloon! It’s nice to be around other moms who understand and I don’t have to feel like I need to have it all together.

The sun has been shining this week and it has been GLORIOUS! Boof and I just finished a 2.5 walk in the evening sunshine, re-connecting after a stressful week for both of us.

This week my boss asked me if I would work over the summer, teaching 2 days a week and being in the office 2 days a week, just like now. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “I would be happy to teach 1 class, 2 days a week, but I am not coming in to the office.” Not sure where my cajones came from, but I think my family time is VERY important and I am on a 10 month contract, with summers off. The best part HE WAS TOTALLY FINE WITH IT! And I am freaking excited…what it seems like is an answer to my decision to not pursue that faculty counseling position because of my desire to teach more and BAM three days later I was asked to teach this summer. Booyah! Two days a week, for a total of about 6 hours in class teaching (and a few hours grading papers), which will allow Potamus to be out of the house at daycare, keeping a rhythm going!) and I will get to wear big-girl-pants and shower and have a reason to wake up before noon everyday. Perfect! And, with the other FIVE days spent as a stay-at-home mama, I think it’ll be a good match!

Potamus is now standing independently on his own…and he’s obsessed with bear crawling into the middle of the room, standing up, and then raising his hands in a victory/touchdown stance. I love how proud he is of himself. Though, at 14 months, he is starting to look silly without any teeth!

Uncle Silly came to town yesterday because of a miscommunication. He’s babysitting next Friday for us so that we can go to a wedding, but he thought it was last night. No love lost, though, we hung out, I bought him some yummy dinner at our favorite brew-pub, and Potamus was in high heaven. Seriously. That kid isn’t going to even notice that we’re gone next Friday, as he was obsessed with playing ball and clapping and showing Uncle Silly all of his toys. Love it. Uncles are the best. And heart to hearts with my brother are awesome, too. I love that we’re both parents and have this way of relating that is just so much more natural than when we were kids.

It was a good week.

But, the highlight of my week was, by far, the two hour nap I blissfully took yesterday. It was my second nap since maternity leave (my first nap was last weekend after the 5k). It was that blissful time when I was lost in dreamland and woke up in sleepy hazy sunshiney goodness and was so soulfully restored that Potamus crying later that night didn’t even bother me. There’s just something amazing about getting a little extra sleep!

Our Little Adventurer

The Seattle weather has been sunny lately, and Potamus has been in an adventurous spirit. The other day, while Scrummy was in the backyard peeing & barking at imaginary intruders, Potamus stealthily went to the back door, slid it open a little bit more, and he was off…tentative at first, and soon he was crawling his little barefooted heiney toward the yard. I had to put the kabosh on all things outdoorsy because it was cold, he was barefoot and not wearing a coat, and had started to whine because of it. But this new adventure is exciting, it means he’s going to want to get outside and PLAY soon and hopefully spring is coming and maybe he’ll be walking and we can go to the park and explore our backyard and all sorts of fun things!

I’m glad he has his cell-phone, in case he needs to call me while he’s out.

 

It’s getting HOT in here

It’s hot in Seattle.
Really hot.
Like, sweaty while blogging in underoos hot.

While the rest of the country has been willing all summer under terrible heat waves, while the PacNW has sailed through unscathed. Not this week, though. This week Seattleites have gotten their come-uppance. We are melting. Mostly melting because only 6 places have air conditioning in the whole county. And one of those places is the mall.

Heat and babies doesn’t necessarily go well together. Potamus has been cranky, waking up approximately 46 times last night and crying like he was being chased by the boogie man. Not cool at all.

But, its days like these that I being thinking about how a mere 6 years ago I was returning from life in India. Returning from a place where air conditioning was a luxury I didn’t have. Granted, I did have a moody reed swamp cooler, and floors built out of stone to keep the heat down, and rickety ceiling fans, so in some ways the technology beat what I’m working with here in Seattle. But not everyone was so lucky.

It’s so easy to forget and acclimate to the goings on around me. 6 years ago 90 degree heat wouldn’t phase me. I’d get my wool socks wet and sleep with a fan blowing on my feet. I’d get my dupatta wet and pull it up on my nearly-nude body like a soaking shroud. How quickly I forget.

Even in high school, in Eastern WA, I had an affinity toward the heat. My car had no AC and I would sometimes drive with the windows rolled up simply because it was college than having 100 degree heat blowing in on me. Band camp and sports practices outside, and putting pants on when it got below 80.

But I also remember back to my young life, in the North Seattle house, where I wore slips to bed and had a big box fan in the doorway to cool it off. Where my mom got our hair wet and put cool washcloths on our heads to soothe the best-headache.

I know there will be a day, probably in November, where I will be missing the warm sunny days. So I am trying to keep cool and not complain. But with a hot, fussy baby, its hard!

Sliding