July 26, 2007
Relief from the heat
We finally got a break today - a temporary downpour. Mimi enjoyed it so much that I had to post some pictures. She has her tongue out to catch the rain. She has finally got walking down, and it just delights her to no end. She has discovered carrying things as she walks, which is such a joy. She also loves to give you a kiss and then turn and walk away. Adorable.
I have to post some of Luca too -- enjoying the trip up to Copper Mtn last weekend. My dad and Bill were biking the Courage Classic, and I just couldn't get it together to bring a tag-along for Luca and Burly for Mimi so that we could all ride. Next year....So, we took in the events - bungee jumping (kid style of course), bumper boats (you can see him with my mom spraying water out the front), ski lift rides, mini golf and more.
I am feeling a bit tense about how the move will be for the kids. I had a good talk with Jen about it this morning, and she was encouraging me to think about Luca's temperament. Somehow, I am drawing a blank on that one. He doesn't get particularly attached to things, so I am not too worried about the house really. He may really struggle with the routine of playing out front, as Mimi might too. She grabs my finger, pulls me outside and walks me to Angie's house almost everyday. She really loves Angie. Well, I know that we will be through the worst of it in a month, so I am ready to batten down the hatches and just sit with the questions. When Luca struggles with things, I get LOTS of questions. I hope I am able to really just be with whatever shows up, no expectations. I have decided to give Luca a basket to gather whatever items from outside that he wants to take with us to the new house. Let's hope he forgets the snails that he gathered up today and put into a yogurt container with flowers and grass....
July 26, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 14, 2007
Summer update from Colorado
Hold onto your pants -- I actually decided that I love myself enough to get a high speed internet connection. Shocking that I waited so long. Shocking.
So, I can send a quick update without spending 20 minutes on the computer. Again, shocking.
We are moving to Boulder! It is official, inspections have passed and we are on our way on July 30th. Our new neighborhood is beautiful, peaceful, serene. When I am there, I feel peaceful in my body. We are 0.3 miles from one trailhead and 0.5 miles from another. We are 0.5 miles from a rec center with pool, (our complex has a pool too), 0.5 miles from a great public school, and 1.0 miles from a great public Montessori school. So, I will soon deal with a debate in my head about driving 3 miles to the great public arts integration/ Waldorf school. But for now, I can just enjoy taking the bus to the farmer's market on Wednesday nights and not fighting traffic on the highway, meeting Helen on a moment's notice for yoga or church or happy hour, driving up to Cary's house without using the highway, exploring a new neighborhood, meeting new people, going to birthlodges and Band on the Bricks...all those things I have been dreaming about.
I have some fear about the transition for Luca. He has a posse of women in the culdesac that we play with almost everyday. He grabs his bike and spins around with three older women (7,7, and 8 yrs old) and then hops off to play on the slip'n'slide with his buds Kennedy and Eva. He will miss this terribly, and I struggle with my impulse to fill up our time so that he forgets...or will that work anyway? I have to learn to sit with the difficult moments, and be with his struggles.
Mimi Lu is toddling around, becoming a true walker. Is there anything more delightful??
July 14, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (1)
May 31, 2007
Happy springing into summer
Man oh man, what a wet spring provides...things are blooming that have never bloomed (in the nine years that we have lived here), and my Shastas didn't get pummeled by late May snow for the first time in 4 years! The yard is showing off, and it feels like it is trying to seduce us into staying.
Mimi is sporting some of the latest Italian fashions. Check out the sleeves on that shirt...she could battle Carrie Bradshaw for the stylish-yet-so-impractical category. These type of clothes are worn for the five minutes that it takes to get a good picture for the Italian family. Luca is giving Carson a big hug. He has suddenly decided that the babies/toddlers really aren't so bad after all.
The kids have learned how to clean lately. I swear that I didn't stage this picture. I turned around, and they were both scrubbing the floor. Exciting on one hand and depressing on the other. I am cleaning so much that my 14 month old has already learned??? And for those of you who think that we can blur the lines of gender at young ages, check out Mimi with underwear on her head. She loves clothes. Anything she can find, she puts around her neck or over her head. She was managing to crawl around the house ... and they were clean, by the way.
May 31, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (2)
May 23, 2007
Because I said so
Bill and Luca took a trip to Chicago last weekend. Mimi and I had the whole house to ourselves, not even any pets to make noise or mess or have needs. It was truly amazing. I don't think I have had that much quiet in about 8 years. It was really lovely. I just let the doors swing wide open for fresh air. I need to find ways to create that peacefulness once in a while. Thank goodness i have found a preschool for Luca in Boulder. Next -- a babysitter.
So, I got some movies for the weekend that I thought Bill wouldn't watch -- such as Dreamgirls. I also picked up a movie called "Because I said so." As I watched it, I wondered why I picked it up. It was pretty awful. It is not good when one of the main characters gets laryngitis, and you think, "Thank the Lord Almighty." So, I think that I picked up the movie because of the latest dialogue between me and Luca.
So, I pride myself in being one of those mothers who doesn't make silly requests of my children that have no meaning. In other words, I don't ask Luca to do something, or not do something, unless I have a good reason. I swear that I have never uttered that phrase - because I said so. The evil woman who shows up in the morning before the caffeine hits might have. Must have. Read on...and note that you can substitute anything for the hot pan. We have this dialogue at least once a day. Add in background Mimi noise too.
"Luca, don't touch that pan!"
"Why not?"
"Because it is hot, and it will burn you!"
"But why can't I touch it?"
"Please don't! It is hot..."
"But how come?"
Silence. Deep breath. And then he says:
"Is it because you said so?
May 23, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (2)
May 07, 2007
Feelin' old
So, this may not seem like a parenting post, but it is in some way.
A neighbor, Abby, saw me running the other day and asked if we could run together sometime. She said that she usually does 5-6 mile runs. So, I said if she was willing to do ten-minute miles, I was up for it.
We start running... she is kicking my butt. I am panting, trying to keep up as we run uphill. She is also pushing her dog harder and faster, and I am thinking, "I knew she was a soccer player. What was I thinking?" Then I find out that she is 25. I let it sink in...she is TEN years younger than me. Yikes. Not only that, she has that 25-year-old energy and enthusiasm. It makes me realize the sad and tired conversation that I have been having with my other sleep-deprived mom friends.
The happy end to the story is that she slowed down, definitely to my pace. She did, however, talk me into 5 miles. And I am re-inspired to generate that enthusiasm. She is hip and excited to host a neighborhood BBQ next Saturday. She says, "We can go on our run at 3:00 and have the BBQ at 4:00 !!!! " So 25.
I decided that I am putting aside all the 30-year old gossip and judgement that I have gleaned from my other neighbors, and I am going to show up with a smile, ready for fun. And I swear that I won't have one conversation about how much sleep I got last night ...
May 7, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (1)
May 03, 2007
What's a mom worth?
This is the silly title of the following short article I saw on msn.com:
"What's a mom worth?
According to one new report, $138,095 a year.
That's the figure in a report by Salary.com, which calculates the wages that would have been paid a stay-at-home mom in 2007 if she were compensated for all the elements of her "job." That total is up 3% from 2006's salary of $134,121.
The job descriptions that Salary.com used to determine a mom's salary includes 10 jobs that moms do on an average day: housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, CEO and psychologist.
In calculating a mom's wages, Salary.com looked at the "overtime" that both working and stay-at-home moms put in each week. "Mom works multiple jobs and rarely gets a break from the action, working an average of 52 hours of overtime," said Bill Coleman, senior vice president at Salary.com, in a statement."
OK - so they paid these people to make these calculations. And who is it that wants to compensate us for our hard work? I guess that they felt that this research was vaild since it would make us all feel yummy inside to know that we are "worth" so much.
My favorite is "laundry machine operator". Who actually has that job title?
May 3, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (1)
April 30, 2007
Dedicated nurser
I ran across this term in an essay book that Jen sent me. It struck me -- so that is what Mimi is. A dedicated nurser. Maybe it will lead to a career as a clarinet player? a professional wine taster? a champion straw-sucker?
I am trying to figure out if I should support this dedication. I sat in the park with moms from Luca's preschool the other day, and they shared that they stopped nighttime nursing because they "needed their sleep". It is funny to me how people say that, like it sets them apart from the rest of us human beings. So, I of course went down that road of questioning myself. She is back in bed with me, as there is no great bed for her down here at my mom's. I am up all night long.
And the daytime...she is on all day. Anytime she gets out of balance, however slightly, she needs a little nipple time. When I check in with myself, it actually doesn't bother me. I like the closeness and cuddling. Luca adapts to it very well and understands that he needs to wait sometimes. What does bother me, for some reason, is that she has little to no interest in food. She stopped eating for two days recently because of a bug, and her poop changed back into that yellow breastfood poop. I didn't expect her to eat; Luca and I didn't want to either. But now that she is well, I am even more aware of how disinterested she is in food. I do think that she will eat someday...so I am not sure what the worry is. I guess I am figuring that I would get more sleep if she had more calories during the day. I have heard that it isn't true, but I wonder.
Dedicated nurser. Well, it is cool that she is dedicated. I love that about a person, no matter what they choose.
April 30, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 25, 2007
Blind spots
I have discovered what I call the blind spots in parenting -- those things that you either wanted as a child/adult and got from your parents or didn't get, and you assume that your children want those same things. Here is mine.
I have what I like to call a "manic mind" -- it needs constant entertainment. As a child, I used to hassle my mom if she took the same route home everyday. I wanted her to take new routes, choose different streets. I really drove her crazy-- "Not Uintah again, Mom! Let's go down Cascade today!" Sitting still and gazing out the window of the car is pure hell for me, even as an adult.
So, whether or not Luca has this same innate trait or whether I have conditioned him for it is up for debate. Mimi, however, is still new enough for me to see that she doesn't need that same entertainment. I get in the car, pretty much everytime, and provide the kids with toys and choice of music. I just thought everyone did this -- hence the blind spot. Mimi routinely throws the toy/object/food on the floor within seconds, and then gazes out the window. I feel panicky when she does this, like I need to find her something new to play with. Sitting at a stoplight the other day, I realized that she was perfectly content. I didn't need to entertain her. Huh. Interesting. Then, I noticed to my horror that this pattern is not confined to car rides. I am trying to entertain my children all day long, and maybe they don't need it. And maybe I have now conditioned them to need it, because I needed (or at least wanted) that as a child. Playing by myself, or sitting quietly, just didn't happen. My poor mother.
What are your blind spots?
April 25, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (1)
April 03, 2007
Favorites
I am on the fourth attempt to send this post -- have lost much of what I wrote...have re-written and lost it again...should be celebrating all the new things that I have learned about Typepad in the process...but wondering why the computer gods do not like this post. Let's hope that the fifth time is the charm.
I always love writing this post because it has me celebrate what is working...
Jen, we love the rice bin too. We dyed the rice different colors, and Luca's favorite thing is to get inside the bin to play. In fact, both kids were in there recently playing "snowstorm" with various kitchen utensils. We also love Putamayo -- especially the Italian Cafe (our cooking music) and World Playground 2.
OK -- our favorite things to do...
- Go swimming. Undoubtedly our favorite activity. We were in Phoenix last weekend, and Luca got in the pool unheated (yes -- 64 degrees). That seemed to convince the in-laws to heat the pool, and he spent three hours in there the next day, taking flying cannonball leaps from the ledge above the hot tub. Mimi also LOVES the pool, climbing up and down the stairs and splashing. Oh, I feel so blessed to have children that have no fear of the water. I am clear that I had nothing to do with it, since I have terrible fear of open water.
- Riding the tricycle. I now schedule an extra five minutes before we leave the house, because a short tricycle ride is mandatory. We have spent hour exploring the neighborhood on the trike, but also Mimi and I also love just sitting in the front lawn watching Luca zoom around the culdesac. If we are lucky, Angie, Kennedy and Carson come out with their bike, trike, motorized car and motorcycle. Then, I can be sure that no dinner is being made because we will be out for hours!
- The stairs. Mimi would crawl up and down the stairs all day long if I let her. I love how she backs down at an angle so she ends up sandwiched against the wall and has to figure out what to do next.
- Cooking...endless possibilities...whether Luca is making new and interesting teas and soups of his own in the mixer (please don't ask Mom to taste them...), or we are making breakfast or dinner together, or we are inventing new cracker recipes, or we are making birthday cupcakes for friends...it is the best. I am making Luca a cookbook with his favorite recipes written "toddler style" - big print and pictures so that he can direct our cooking for a change!
- Lastly, I will share one that doesn't include me. Science Experiments with Dad. This nightly ritual began around the time that I got pregnant with Mimi. It started with a bin of cars and two wooden boards as ramps (the experiment being "which car is the fastest and why?"). They have expanded their set-ups with Darda Race Track and train tracks and fun loops and jumps. Sometimes I am invited to see the latest creation, but I often have to listen to the joyful play from my bedroom as Mimi and I read books. Just has to be a favorite -- listening to my son having oodles of fun with his dad.
Please send. Don't come back to me.
April 3, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 18, 2007
More pics
Here are some more pictures that I wanted to include -- I am at my folks with DSL! The boys loved the adventure at the pond, especially yelling at each other through the tunnel!
March 18, 2007 in Becca | Permalink | Comments (0)
