Alaska: Nature

The scenery on our cruise was stunning, particuarly since we had sunny skies every day. We saw a couple of glaciers. As for wildlife, Denis spotted lots of eagles, a mink, and a humpback whale while kayaking. The only wildlife Sam and I saw were a couple of bald eagles, including this one.

We visited an amazing raptor center in Juneau, where they rehabilitate birds of prey to return to the wild. Some are so injured they must remain in captivity. I was mesmerized by the close-up view I had of this owl.

I was also very impressed with the bird enclosures, such as this one, for being so integrated with the natural rain forest landscape.

We treated ourselves to a guided rainforest nature hike to learn about the local flora. It was just like when we first got to know each other...except for the 3-foot-tall person running and chattering around our feet. There was no note-taking on this hike, but I loved the delicacy of these ferns.

I see more Alaskan hikes in our future for sure.

someone likes posing

We've entered a new stage of picture taking, and I don't know if the video camera, Skype, or our beautiful flowers deserve the credit. Sam will now stand still and look at the camera for a picture! Not always of course, but it is less of a monumental struggle than it used to be. Which allows us to behold a beautiful boy standing at a lovely spot in our yard, side by side with a purple bearded iris and a dark pink rhododendron (or azalea, not sure). In his hand is a tiny watering can that he uses to help water the strawberries and raspberries we recently planted. Then sometimes he waters the patio. So along the way we talk about drought, responsible water usage, and the properties of straw mulch.

happy birthday sofia!!

My sweet niece Sofia, Sam's cousin, is turning ONE today! Over the weekend Sam excitedly packed up some of his old toys and drew a card for his much-loved "Too-paia" (Sofia). Then he wanted to send his "burpday" wishes in song:


We need to do this for all the family birthdays that we can't celebrate in person, though I'm not sure how Sam is going to feel about these videos when he's a teenager. To the parents, two of my favorite people, from me: I am so happy for you guys! Excited to see you soon!

dirty fingernails

Once upon a time I had perpetual dirty fingernails and hardly ever used a computer or talked to kids. Right now I am happily typing into the blogosphere, pausing every couple of minutes to wind up my toddler's train (and just had to calm tears when I distractedly let the train go before he said "ready set go!"), and noticing my lovely dirt-filled fingernails.

Earlier today we were outside, enjoying the fresh humid air and soaked soil after days of rain, and pulling weeds. Actually I pulled weeds while Sam played a game of "get me." This involves Sam removing himself to a distance about 12 feet from my weeding position, yelling "Mommy do 'get me'!", which prompts me to yell back "you can't get me!", and then he runs full-force towards me while laughing and screeching, and thrusts a big sloppy kiss on my face. Then we do it again about 20 times, while I somehow manage to get the whole sidewalk and more weeded, and every time he rushes towards me, his eyes and smile are the very picture of glee.

More good things:
*carrots, peas, cilantro, and 3 beets sprouting in our first garden bed of the season (see photo above, and yes, they need thinning)
*artichokes, homemade aioli, and veggie chili from the freezer for dinner
*bouquet of yellow roses on my windowsill and burgundy roses on my dining room table, both hand-picked from our yard
*fresh baked whole-wheat-molasses bread from our new thrift store bread machine (once upon a time I baked my own bread sans machine, but I really appreciate this convenient fresh-baked goodness now)
*Sam 'discovering' his crayons and easily spending a half hour drawing in his sketchbook
*ten-day vacation in Alaska and Seattle coming up!

now blooming

Right now we have a potato vine in full flower; yellow, pink, white, and gorgeous burgundy roses; my favorite type of tiny-bloomed dark purple lavender; alyssum; and two flowers, a white one and a pink one, that I don't know the name of yet. California poppies are still abundant and bright; pink and red camellias are still hanging on; and the low-growing ceanothus is just going by. On their way very soon are a couple of purple irises and a dark pink azalea. I'm still picking the blooms off our strawberries to encourage vegetative growth. I can't wait for the hydrangea!

easter

We celebrated a secular Easter this year, with some egg dyeing...



backyard egg hunt...



and strawberry planting.

rainboot afternoon

On rainy days, I love how my child is more interested in going outside, putting on his own rainboots, wearing a hood, and exploring the yard by himself. I love that our newly planted raspberries and vegetable seeds will get a nice long drink from the sky. I love the light when the afternoon sun peeks back out, and makes our humble yard feel like a wonderland.

patchwork

I finally finished this patchwork duvet cover for Sam's crib. I purchased a crib-sized washable comforter from Ikea, and then pieced squares of cotton flannel for the duvet cover. The flannel is mostly blues and greens and includes some animal prints. This was my first patchwork attempt, and the squares don't line up perfectly everywhere, but even with flaws it managed to come together fairly easily. The back is a bright green super-soft lofty polyester knit, I think they call it minky fabric, which was not fun to sew but feels very soft and comfortable. As a closure on the bottom I put in 3 snaps (since I didn't want to attempt making buttonholes). The comforter fits like a glove!

Sam has been waiting for this blanket for a couple of months now. Just in time for summer! *cringe* He worked alongside me as I cut out the squares and did some of the sewing, but anytime I hit a challenge, I had to put the project away for another time by myself. It was nice that he could anticipate getting it, because this morning when I showed it to him, all complete, he was quite excited. He's sleeping soundly under it right now.

sew a little something

In my free time, I've gotten back into sewing and other crafts. I have a 50's era Singer sewing machine that I bought for $25 about 10 years ago, as well as a very small stash of fabric from around that time. Until last spring I hadn't done much sewing since then. Now it is my favorite non-parenting activity, and I think about my projects all the time. I've been lucky to have a husband who supports my habit by doing a lot of Sam-care on the weekends. I don't have as much time as I would like for my crafty pursuits, but I still manage to make something every month or two. My most recent completed project was a curtain for our kitchen window. I spent quite awhile looking for the perfect sunny yellow fabric and never did find it, but I settled for this, and still managed to get the look I was going for with that cute crocheted trim on the bottom (click on photo). Making the curtain would have been much simpler and easier without that trim, as I had to hand-sew it, taking several days, but it was well worth it I think.

Works in progress: A patchwork duvet cover for Sam, a way-overdue birthday gift, and some embroidered flour-sack dishtowels

library time

Our local library branch has a nice storytime on Wednesdays for the 18-36month set with songs, rhymes, stuffed animals, and stories. For some reason it really chokes me up to see Sam get so excited as each song begins. I become that grinning mom with tears in her eyes trying desperately not to explode with sputtering pride and quite unable to get out the words "If You're Happy and You Know It" with the rest of the group.

Last week Sam brought his stuffed bunny with him and ventured a step or two from my lap to participate in the hand motions of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (more teary eyes and overwhelming happiness in my shoes). A cute girl about his age sat down beside him and he became interested. They exchanged looks a few times and then Sam inched his stuffed bunny towards her knee. She looked at it but didn't respond at all. A few seconds later he inched it closer so that it was actually touching her leg. The girl looked at the bunny, looked at Sam, looked back at her grandmother, then forward at the story being read. Sam pushed the bunny closer so that it was slightly squished against her leg. Again the girl didn't touch it, just looked at the bunny, at Sam, back at her grandmother, then forward again. Sam tried again and pushed the bunny closer. Again the girl looked down at the bunny, at Sam, her grandmother, then back to the story ahead. I could barely contain myself with feelings of pride at his affection and generosity combined with a painful empathy that she was not receiving his advances. I leaned over and whispered to him that perhaps she didn't want the bunny. He tried again though, and soon after that the girl's grandmother suggested that they move to another open spot away from us. I was crushed, but Sam took it in stride. When the group had a period of free play, Sam kept picking up stuffed animals and offering them to other kids. My little sweetheart!

Sam is also quite enamored with the 'wadey' who leads the songs, rhymes, and stories. She is young and has pretty tatoos and bookish eyeglasses, and I think she projects a really nice balance of sweetness and fun without being cheesy. When she smiles and says "Yay!" after the kids sing each song I can see precisely why Sam likes her so much. Once a month they do a craft instead of songs and stories, so this morning we walked in and the Wadey gave us a paper cup to decorate with markers, fill with soil, plant with grass seeds, and water with a little watering can. We went through the motions, but I could tell that Sam wasn't exactly satisfied with this change in routine. To compensate, as we were leaving, I stopped to say something to the lady (must learn her name next time). Using a voice that Sam could hear, and barely able to get the words out with choking up again, I told her, "Sam was excited to see you today." She smiled, bent down, and addressed Sam's shyly bowed head, "Would you like to bring these watering cans back outside?" He grabbed the cans and practically ran to bring them outside as she had asked. I think the smiling lady was saying something like "Good helper!" but I had to turn my own gigantic smile away or else I was going to lose it in a fit of proud giggles.

This library is dangerous. It slays me every time.

milestone update

Sam's language is progressing quickly with some fun updates the last couple of weeks.

Sam is no longer Pam-- he pronounces his name with a perfect "S" sound now, and is transitioning from referring to himself as "Baby" or "You" to "Sam" or "Me."

He recognizably sings several songs now, either with us or on his own. It has become a custom lately to have a little family sing-along at the table after dinner. Along with Row Row Row Your Boat, which he's been singing for awhile, he now also sings Itsy Bitsy Spider, Baa Baa Black Sheep, ABC's, and You Are My Sunshine. My favorite line to hear him singing to himself very accurately is "now I know my abc's, next time won't you sing with me." And I get choked up to the point of not being able to sing anymore when he pipes in with parts of You Are My Sunshine.

Sentences are more complex, containing more of the little words like the, my, to, his, etc.

Colors have really clicked. For awhile everything was gaween, but now he is pointing out red cars, wewoe flowers, bue pants, white trucks, puhple markers, tan houses, and gaween shirts.

Interest is peaking about letters. He can id the capital "wetter A."

He can count 1-2-3 and identify when there are two of something (as well as one of something). He knows some other numbers by name as well and will "count" when prompted.

He still loves to read, and will recognizably "read" (from memory) his books (he's been doing this for awhile). When we read books together before nap and bedtime, he gets to pick 3 books. With each one, Denis or I read it first, and then Sam reads it by himself ("read it telf" or "Sam read it").

Phrase of the month: "That's siwwy!"

feeding the soil

I started this blog last year with the intention of integrating some of my old self, soil, with my new self, mama. We had started a community garden plot after two seasons not gardening (pregnant, moving, baby). With a 1-year old I felt life beyond baby opening up a little. We had a sweet little season last year, and we're still eating the pickles, relish, pesto, and tomatoes that we grew. Although I ended up feeling disenchanted with the community garden model, it was pretty cool watching Sam run around the compost pile and pop sungold tomatoes into his mouth.

This year, I have a dream come true: our own land. It's tiny, it's suburban, it's a front yard on a cul-de-sac. But it's ours! This past weekend, we broke ground. It was a family effort: examining the space with its existing plantings and mulch (a "street tree," no-maintenance shrubs and perennials, self-sowing Cal poppy, a few bulbs, weedcloth, and gravel), determining the best spot for our first bed, stringing out a 4'x8' bed oriented north-south, removing 3 or so inches of gravel and weeds (woohoo), peeling up the weed barrier (no longer functioning), and prepping the bed.




Denis borrowed a truck from work to pick up a load of county compost. Eleven years ago I was regularly hauling loads of Berkeley city compost in the back of a rusty yellow Toyota pickup. I'd stand on that giant pile of converted city yardwaste and shovel it all in, and then shovel it all out again back at the farm, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow. Well, I did have help usually, but I made it a point to do more than my share. I'd even compete against myself by trying to beat my own time loading the truck. I listened to a lot of Ani Difranco that year, what can I say.

For the next 4 years and a different job I kept shovelling and hauling that compost in pickups and trailers, until I finally reached compost-self-sufficiency and no longer needed it. The truck rides didn't end though; I still pitched and hauled horse manure from a mile away.




All this is to say that I've carried a lot of compost in my day. So when Denis and I disagreed about whether or not to tarp the truck, I came from the position of "I've driven on the highway with loads of dirt dozens of times and I've never needed to tarp it." Call me an ornery farmer if you will (I wish I were), but I underestimated myself. Dozens, yes, but actually over a hundred times. Did he listen? No, he tarped the truck, just like the good citizen he is.

As I watched him shovel our compost onto the driveway with Sam (I was digging the bed at the time), I thought of all the people I've shovelled compost with over the years. So many wonderful folks. There's nothing like getting to know people while moving (literally) a ton of dirt using the strengths of your backs together, and then doing it again and again. Now, here I am, a lot slower and soft-skinned than I used to be, but with the two most wonderful people I have ever known, hauling compost in our very own garden for the very first time. Bliss.

bon appetit recession

About 6 months ago, when the tanking economy and rising food prices still caused some surprise, I found myself on the playground with a bunch of other moms discussing our weekly grocery bills. I couldn't help thinking that I had hit the big time of suburban motherhood. Who knew how fascinating this topic could be!

At that point each of us estimated spending about $125/week on groceries for 2 parents and 1 or 2 little ones. It was surprising to me that we all came up with the same number, especially since some of us were spending this amount at discount stores, some at Costco, some at Safeway, and then me at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I can only attribute this phenomenon to a difference in products purchased. Although I probably spend more for produce, dairy, and pantry staples, I do not buy meat, nor a lot of processed foods which tend to cost more than scratch ingredients.

Since that time things have changed. Sam is eating more and more (often as much as an adult! I don't know where it all goes, and we'd better start saving for his teenage diet now). We have also taken a huge personal hit due to the general economy and particularly the California budget crisis. Just when our grocery bill started to creep up, we needed to cut it way back.

Since I don't get performance reviews and I certainly don't get raises, I'm just going to toot my own horn here for any of you still reading this scintillating report. For the past three weeks and counting, I have managed to get our grocery bill well under $100/week. I still buy quality food and a large proportion organic and local. I've done it by cutting out some of our few processed items (and if this causes my favorite fresh salsa company to go out of business I will be very sad because I am dreaming of eating it again when times get better), buying a little less cheese and a little more beans and grains, picking produce carefully based on price, delaying each food shop as long as possible, and (most importantly) diligently menu-planning. The funny thing is that in some ways we are eating even better than before. Maybe being more conscious about our food choices makes me cook better. Or maybe food is the sole semi-discretionary spending we have left in our budget, so it's the only thing left to enjoy.

spring smiles

In the absence of cute photos here lately, I am pleased to share a link with you. Sam and I make an appearance over on Carrie's blog, in a post about a fun (and hot) day we shared with Amy, Miles, Carrie and Sadie recently. Check it out.

flower day

This blog may be on its deathbed, but the stories keep coming in our real world. I would like to remember today as the first day Sam picked flowers as a contribution to our dining room table bouquet. We've been having some great floral surprises in our new yard this spring, including my discovery of (gasp!) purple lilacs emerging from an unspectacular bush in the back corner of the yard. Back east lilacs don't bloom until May, and can be found everywhere, making their sweet-scented way into daily conversation and regionally famous lilac celebrations. Here in the promised land, lilacs show up much earlier, in March, but they are uncommon and not nearly as appreciated by the locals. It was certainly in the plan to plant a lilac bush at our new house; how fortunate that one is already here.

So today I picked some lilacs to replace the wilting bouquet of narcissus (another yard suprise and also beautifully scented) for our dining room table. I came back inside, found a vase, placed it on the table, and continued making dinner while Sam played outside. A little while later I hear him open the screen door and walk into the dining room. He's busy with something at the side of the table, and I peek over his shoulder to see what's going on. There on the tablecloth is a pile of red flower petals from our camellia bush. Sam looks at me and announces, "red flowers," as he dashes back to his wagon on the porch to get more handfuls. Some of them are brown and rotting, since he "picked" these flowers from the ground beneath the bush, and I definitely see an ant walking away from the pile (I relocate it outside), but I couldn't be happier. Lilacs and Sam's petals in one day! That's a lot of flower goodness.

good things to do with a 2-year-old on a Saturday

---walk in the rain and splash in puddles while giggling
---watch a leaf float downstream
---practice sticking out tongues to catch raindrops
---eat snack on the deck wearing rain boots while Mommy watches and washes dishes
---discover a purple lilac bush in bloom in our own yard
---arrange socks with their matching pairs
---sort buttons by hue as Mommy sews patchwork squares
---look through old magazines (National Geographic and New Yorker)
---read "new" books from the storage shed
---wait for Daddy at the window
---three-way family hug
---help Daddy make pizza
---eat yummy broccoli-onion pizza
---sing songs after dinner while "playing piano" on the edge of the table
---super silly soapy saturday bath
---moose bamas (moose pajamas)
---night-night kisses

the raunchy, the sweet, and the song

In toddler-speak, words may be known but mispronounced. Language acquisition is like that; vocabulary develops before pronunciation, totally normal. Occasionally there are some unfortunate (or fortunately hilarious) versions of common words.

Sam has a couple raunchy ones:

Talking about tunnels (one of his Favorite Things) sounds like: P*rno! P*rno!

Giving kisses, which he does often: Piss! Piss Mommy!

And some very sweet phrases:

Happy tee you! Happy tee you Mommy! Happy happy tee you Daddy!

Tank you bay much!

And a song:

Row row boat peet may may by beam (often while running circles around the couch).

I'm being watched

As Sam's verbal skills get better and better, I am treated to a running commentary on my every move. Tonight's dinner conversation is a perfect example of what we talk about 50 times a day:

I pop my last bite of garlic bread into my mouth, which Sam has been following with his eyes (his own piece is still on his plate). He immediately says: Mommy, garlic bread more?

Me: No, I think I've had enough.

Sam: Mommy, garlic bread more?

Me: Nope, no more garlic bread for me.

Sam: Mommy, garlic bread more?

Me: (sigh) No, I'm all done with garlic bread.

Sam (completely unfazed, mind you): Mommy, garlic bread more?

Me: Mommy's all done.

Sam: Mommy, garlic bread more?

Me: Why don't you eat your garlic bread, Sam.

images

Someone around here really knows how to savor the present moment. A sampling of our moments from the past couple of weeks:

new word: sick

Thankfully, it was short-lived, occurred during normal adult awake times, involved only certain typical symptoms and not others, and (so far) only got subsequently passed to one parent. Ah yes, the first vomit milestone. Finally, the reason to possess 3 sets of crib sheets is revealed.

The above photo was taken the next day, when a recovering Sam requested an early nap in mommy's bed. No blackout curtains, no white noise, no lullaby. Just a pacifier, a pillow, and the blue dustcloth that he recently adopted as a lovey (totally his idea). He still says, "Tick" (sick), or "tick mouf" (sick mouth) in memory of his experience.

By Sunday, we were all well enough for a long walk around a lake at a local park. The past three days have been record-breakingly warm, and we have been spending as much time outdoors as possible. After being ill myself, I am finding the nice weather to be particularly uplifting. Something about blogging from the back porch, wearing a t-shirt, hearing birdsong in the distance, reading gardening books, and watching as my little guy happily plays in his new yard... I like it.

bam!

Sam knows who he is: Baby. Throughout the day we hear about all the things that Baby wants: "Baby eat," "Baby more?" "Baby close it," "Baby do it," and, when he is not getting what he wants within a sufficient timeframe, we hear simply, "Baby! Baby! Baby!" as lips turn down and quiver, face turns a deep red, arms stiffen with fists raised, and tears well up. You may remember my prior attempts at getting Sam to say his own name. He obviously knows his name and responds to it all the time; he just doesn't use it to refer to himself.

Today we took a rather long car-ride to meet some friends at a children's museum, and Sam was doing quite well remembering his friends' names and talking about them during our drive. I decided to work with him on his own name, asking him, What's your name? and then telling him to say, "Sam." After repeating it only a couple of times, I asked, What's your name? again, keeping my eyes on the road ahead, and from the backseat I heard a little voice reply, "Bam." That's right, Bam! He did it! The very first time he said his name. Then we worked on another question, and he got that right away. We've been doing it all day long, including on the phone with Daddy. So proud!

staycation

I'm just loving these 4-day holiday weekends. Every week should have this balance of work-time and family-time. We celebrated New Year's Day with some yard clean-up, including leaf-raking, pond-draining, and the beginning of the purge of the less charming yard installations left behind by the previous owners (plastic frogs anyone?). I spend a lot of time these days staring at the various spaces inside and outside our house, dreaming how to make them our own (while spending no money).


On Friday, Sam's new wagon (thanks, Grandma!) made its first journey around the neighborhood. Denis and Sam have been visiting the nearby creek (of course), which Sam has named, "beek park," (creek park). Isn't Sam's hat just the cutest? A friend of mine knitted it for him when he was born, and I've been trying to extend its use this winter (his third, amazingly), even though it's too small and pops off Sam's head every few minutes. I am sad that he is outgrowing it...though I wouldn't trade all the cute hats in the world for the joy of watching my little boy becoming who he is.

speaking of home...

For several weeks now, whenever Sam and I leave the house by car, he makes sure to say, "Byebye house! Byebye home!" Last week I noticed, as we approached the third-to-last turn on our way home, Sam announced, "Home!" which he used to do at our old house but hadn't yet done here. I started asking him, "So which way do we go to get home?" and at each turn he would point in the correct direction. Until the other day, that is, when he started cracking himself up by purposely pointing in the opposite direction and saying, "that way!" and watching my pseudo-appalled reaction with glee.

Sam really seems to enjoy having guests visit our house. His energy while they are here can border on ecstatic, and then afterwards he seems to remember the visit fondly and often, by saying the person's name and "home," as in, "Grampie home," or "Mim home." This week he's remembering the two little friends who came here for a playdate on Monday.




In the backyard (see top photo), he is in near-constant motion. I think he likes his new room too. Here's another peek inside our new house:

happy holidays!

We have had a wonderful holiday week seeing family, nesting, lighting Hanukkah candles, making homemade gifts, admiring our "bit-a wights" (Christmas lights), eating latkes, baking Christmas cookies, unpacking more boxes, and spending lots of time as a threesome. I was inspired to take these photos by two good friends with great taste, Trina and Carrie, who blogged their own beautiful holiday homes here and here. And then of course all the requests I've gotten for pictures of our new house. Here's a little peek!

a little girly

The other night I went out to see some live music, something I have done exactly twice in the past two years since lullabies and baby cries have become our soundtrack. This time I saw Girlyman, one of my very favorite bands, who describe themselves as "leading edge three-part-harmony folk-pop." Their harmonies take me to another place, their lyrics are smart, and their energy is both thoughtful and positive. I love everything they've done, but I am especially loving this song these days, and their live performance of it the other night had me practically falling off my seat with excitement. Sam and I like to dance to it in our living room too.

In other girly news, we are really excited about getting this kitchen for Sam for Christmas/Hanukkah. Whenever we go to one of our local playspaces, Sam gravitates towards their play kitchens, and loves opening the cabinets, turning the stove dials, putting play food in pots on the stove, and even feeding baby dolls in their little highchairs. I am not at all excessive about toys in our house (books, maybe); we really have very few compared to other kids. Like with so many other things, I focus on quality over quantity, and I think a play kitchen can have tremendous play value for children who are interested in kitchen activities (honestly it feels like we spend over half our time prepping and eating food together, so it makes sense!). Lately Sam has been carrying a little plastic easter egg over to the (real) stove and "cracking" it on the edge of the frying pan. This would be much safer if he had his own kitchen!

So I've been looking at play kitchens for months now. There are some gorgeous ones that are solid wood and made in USA, but they are quite pricey. Many are plastic and obnoxiously decorated, or worse: battery-operated, and I refuse to buy those despite their lower price. When it came down to finally picking one for the holidays, I enlisted Denis' help to balance all the factors of aesthetic, price, building material, size, manufacture location, and...girliness. Yeah, the girly factor. This one we picked is white (girly), has hearts (girly), and obviously it's a kitchen (duh, girly). Then it was delivered, and we realized that it even has some pink accent coloring (whoa, SO girly).

But so what, right? I have always, ALWAYS, said that I would not put my child in a gender box. Thankfully, my husband's values align with mine. As parents and as individuals, he and I will pursue our own interests and share those with Sam. When it comes to Sam's interests, we'll let him take the lead. For now, as he is getting really serious about imaginative play, we think he's going to love his wooden heart kitchen. I can't wait to see what he cooks up for the babydoll he's getting under the tree too.

appreciation

Some things I am appreciating right now:
*the forced air heater in our new house
*the way Sam says "lion," which sounds like "yion"
*a dinner full of laughter with some other playgroup moms last night
*sleeping well since day 1 in our new home
*our kitchen counters have on top of them: a toaster oven, coffee maker, stand mixer, 2 weeks worth of mail, 2 fruit baskets, my bag, a clock, a dishrack of drying dishes, 3 small plants, a camera, Felco pruners, and a bottle of wine...and I STILL have plenty of room to prep a meal
*various Christmas-related projects are partially completed and covering the dining room table, but I don't have to move any of it
*Christmas decorations, old and new, all around the house
*the way my sewing machine looks in its new space (and using it too)
*my decision not to rush with Christmas stuff even though I am way behind this year
*Sam's excitement seeing Christmas lights, or as he says, "bit-mith wighth!"
*actually, my hair looks good today (this is rare, ever since pregnancy altered 2 of my best physical features: straight streaky blonde hair and never-been-on-a-diet skinniness)...(or maybe the light was just dim)
*spontaneous kisses from my little guy

ObamaObama

This is what I often see in the living room these days: Sam on the couch, reading New Yorker magazine. I'll be in the kitchen using my spatial, organizational, and muscular skills to pack boxes, and Sam will be getting caught up on his east coast liberal print media.

He apparently enjoyed one passage from our most recent issue as much as I did. It was written by Hendrik Hertzberg as part of his Talk of the Town piece celebrating the unlikely presidential election of someone with the name Barack Hussein Obama (sorry I don't know how to indent in html for such a long quote):

"...last week, sixty-five million Americans turned a liability---a moniker so politically inflammatory that the full recitation of it was considered foul play---into a global diplomatic asset, a symbol of the resurgence of Americas'a ability to astonish and inspire....Ten weeks from now, the President of the United States will be a person whose first name is a Swahili word derived from the Arabic (it means 'blessing'), whose middle name is that not only of a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad but also of the original target of an ongoing American war, and whose last name rhymes nicely with 'Osama.' That's not a name, it's a catastrophe, at least in American politics. Or ought to have been."

Well, of course. I can tell you of another little citizen for whom our new President's name is definitely not a catastrophe. "Obama" is the perfect name for a neophyte English speaker of the toddler variety. It contains only those very basic sounds that a toddler can easily pronounce. In fact, I hear it all day long, with lots of grinning and pointing at the New Yorker, "Obama! Obama! Obama! Obama!" That's right, Sam. A great name for an American President.

Happy Birthday Sam!!!

A few thoughts and memories from a mommy-in-love...

Dear Sam,

Two years ago you were born. I remember seeing your beautiful face for the first time, holding your tiny body in my arms, feeling your little fingers and kissing your soft cheek.



Before I knew it you were a jolly 6-month-old and we'd spend hours hanging out in our front yard, taking in the sights of our olive and redwood trees, and listening to the squawking jays.



When you turned one you had already taken your first steps, but you were still a crawling machine, exploring the far reaches of your world. Very soon your feet would take you even farther.



By 18 months you were speaking several words and understanding so much more. We had fun reading books together and naming what we saw in the pictures.



And now you are 2 years old! I still marvel at your beautiful face and your strong little body. I still kiss you, and now you kiss me. We can talk together, and I see you learning new words and ideas every day. We still enjoy our time exploring the outdoors, and we still love to read together. I am so proud to be your mommy. Happy Birthday, Sam.

Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday Grampie!

And from me, Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!