Me and My Baby

Finding Cover

2010-07-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

When you're visiting a Botanical Conservatory and the rain system kicks on, sometimes you just have to be a little creative...

4th of July Weekend!!

2010-07-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

We made the most of our 4th of July holiday weekend this year. On the 3rd we invited over a few of our good friends and had a little barbecue. Of course, I couldn't resist pulling together a little treats table to help set the mood...

And we blew up a big water slide to add a little excitement for the kids!

They loved it!! (And so did the dad's. More than one of them asked what the weight limit was because they wanted to go down too!)

(That last one is Dashell coming down the slide. Whee!!!)

And here are a few videos. At first the kids weren't sure if they wanted to slide, but they sure did like the water!

Later after sliding the regular way became second nature, Dash decided he needed to make it a little more exciting...

After a little water fun, everyone dug into a some yummy grub...

And then sat around and just plain relaxed...

It was a wonderful start to a fabulous weekend!!

The next day we went to see a local parade. This is our third year attending and we always enjoy it so much. It has a wonderful small town feel that is sometimes hard to find out here in Cali.

Parade participants made sure that Dash had all the appropriate accoutrements...

Balloons - check!

Clapper - check!

Now just smile and wave!

That evening we took Dash to see his very first fireworks display at a local park. He was super excited (even though he had no idea what he was going to see!)

We had to park pretty far away, because the festivities at the park had begun in the early afternoon. But that didn't deter Dashell and he ran the whole 5 blocks to the park!

Just before the fireworks started we explained to him that they might be a little loud and if they were he should cover his ears. And so, he decided to get in a little bit of practice before the main event...

Once it started, though, Dave and I ended up helping him out...

It was very loud and went on just a little long, so before it had completely ended we decided to catch the rest on our way back to the car. As we were exiting the park, Dash started talking about how loud it was. "Boom! Boom! BOOM!!" and how Ducky and Sheepy weren't scared. We told Dash it was ok if he was a little scared. But he kept insisting that Ducky and Sheepy weren't scared, that they were brave.

By the time we got home Dashell was completely passed out and we tucked him into bed. The next morning he woke up talking about the fireworks and how he could still hear them in Dashell's bed. Boom! Boom! BOOM!!

And he was right... after we got home several fireworks displayed continued for the next hour or so. The fireworks became quite a topic of conversation for next week. Fireworks and bravery and not being scared. Ok, maybe a little scared. But only a little. (His words not mine.) I was a little nervous about taking him, but I'm glad we did. It definitely helped to create a 4th of July to remember!

The Way You Look Tonight

2010-06-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a "type". From my earliest memory my type was.... boys! Absolutely boys. Not all boys mind you, but most boys. Dark haired. Light haired. Skinny. Muscular. I really, really liked boys. And as I got older I began to hone in on the attributes I liked best. My "boys" were almost always driven. Really driven. Kind of to the point of obsession. (It one of those weird traits that both attracted me and drove me crazy. Maybe I'm a bit masochistic!) And cute. Not in a classic way. (I did that, dated a few models, and let me tell you.... BOR-ing!) But even featured and usually very charming. They were all very different but these were the things that they had in common. All of them. (In case you're wondering, this includes the one I married of course!)

So, it was not entirely surprising to me to realize that Dashell seems to have a "type". I'd noticed it on and off over the past year, but it was never as clear as it was while we were traveling over the last couple months to a few family weddings. First we flew to Arkansas to attend a wedding reception for Dave's niece Amber and her husband Glenn. (Yes, only a reception. The bride and groom snuck off to Jamaica for a private, romantic oceanside wedding first. The stinkers! We SO would have flown out for that!!)

Bride was stunning... (oh, and, of course, so was the groom)

But it wasn't the star of the show that Dash was interested in as much as the cool drink of water he spied across the room. His eyes lit up the minute he saw her and he was off like flash! Standing almost toe to toe with her (but definitely not head to head!) he stared up, up, up and tried to get her attention and grab her hand...

Once successful, he promptly led her over to the wall of windows so that they could stare out at the lake together. Ah, romance!

Unfortunately Dash did get a little obsessed and every time his cousin April tried to make a break for it, he tracked her down again. All in all, though, she was a very good sport!

A month or so later, we flew out to New York for a wedding on my side of family. The bride had sweetly asked if Dashell would be a ring bearer. My first reaction was what fun! And then I really thought about it and decided to warn her that kids at this age (2 years old) can be VERY unpredictable to say the least. But Jess was willing to give it go and understood that there might need to be a back up plan in place.

So when the big day arrived, we all donned our finest wedding attire and headed over to church...

I got in position, with Dash, at the back of the church and we talked about how he would need to walk up to the candles at the front. He said that he thought he could do that and then he got distracted by the women playing piano and cello right behind him. Well, finally the moment of truth was before us (actually Emily the flower girl was before us and then the moment of truth!) I handed Dash the pillow with the rings, and, well... hmmm... see for yourself...

Not exactly without a hitch, but pretty good, huh?!

Later that evening, at the reception, Dash was asked to walk in with Emily during the part where they introduce the bridal party. He already had eyes for her and so thought that it was grand idea, especially when she suggested that they practice first! So, hand in hand they paraded around the lobby waiting for their turn to be introduced. When the time came, they made a beautiful entrance and then waited patiently while the bride and groom were introduced and had their first dance.

Obviously Dash took his responsibilities VERY seriously!!

Don't the bride and groom look stunning?!

After they finished their first dance the rest of the bridal party was asked to join in and dance too. And Dash got swept up in moment...

Ummm.... as did Emily! Here's a little video of what became a landmark event... (just wait, you'll see what I'm talking about)

Yep. You saw it! After that Dash was a total smitten kitten!! (Did you see that happy dance at the end??!!) He chased Emily around for the rest of the night demanding to "hold hands". We had to talk to him more than a few times...

But don't worry, by the next day they were all smiles again at my grandmother's 90th birthday brunch...

(I just have to sneak in a couple photos of the birthday gal and the rest of the gang. It was so wonderful that so much of the family could make it out. Josh, Letitzia and Londyn, we missed you guys!!)

So there you have it. Dash's type: tall, blond, and... older. I guess you could include "cousin" in that list, since both April and Emily are his cousins but we're hoping he'll eventually veer from that path (even though he does have some Arkansas hillbilly blood in him!) It will be interesting to see if his type changes over time. Who knows what he'll end up with. I personally never thought "artist" for myself, but I'm sure glad I gave one a shot!

More Birthday Goodness

2010-06-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

[NOTE: Yes, I'm lame and I haven't posted in, oh.... a month and a half. My job has been out of control and selfishly I have chosen direct one-on-one interaction with my child over spending that same time writing about him on this blog. Choices. Choices. Hopefully you'll all hang with me as I try over the next week or so to catch up. And by catch up, I mean post-dating entries so that it doesn't look like I completely missed the ENTIRE month of June!!]

Just as most children wish for (but very few get), Dashell didn't have as much a birthDAY as a birthMONTH. (Actually he's still trying to drag it out, now that he completely understands the concept of presents and parties!! He LOOOOOVES parties!!)

First we celebrated his actual birthday at home with just the three of us. Here's Dash blowing out his candles...

Yes, I forgot that you get one more candle each year. But, hey, isn't it more fun to get two wishes??!

Where presents were concerned we were a little stumped. The boy truly doesn't NEED more toys. But that morning he gave us a clue as to what might be good a gift...

Yep, if your child has an interest in music and all he has at his disposal is a train whistle, a bridge and a piece of track you have to accept the fact that maybe he might be indicating that a few real instruments could be in order. So, although he has become quite proficient over last few months on air guitar, we broke down and got a few instruments he could really make some "music" with...

I'm not sure he's going to be giving Mozart or even the Jonas Brothers a run for their money any time soon, but I'm all for encouraging exploration of the arts!

And for the final present, we took Dash to a very small local toy store and let him pick out one gift. The minute he rounded the first corner in the store, he spied it and it was love at first sight!

Dash dragged that dinosaur all around the store showing him everything from dollhouses to train sets to puzzles. And although Dashy was sure to check out just about every item offered for sale (and not for sale) at the store, in the end when we asked him what he wanted for his present he simply said "Dinosaur". And that was how we came to add a new member to our family.

In the car on the way home, Dave and I told Dashell that he need to name his new friend and we threw out a bunch of options. From the moment Dash heard the name "Dennis" he was sold. And from that moment on all the chatter from the backseat was "Dennis look at mountains!" "Dennis see truck." "Dennis want to eat snacks." Ah, friends forever. They were a very hard couple to break up at dinner, which had to be done since neither Dave nor I had any desire to explain to the restaurant staff why we had a 3 foot stuffed dinosaur with us. But eventually Dash acquiesced and Dennis waited patiently in the car for our return.

Here's a little video of Dash and Dennis playing together later in the day. (A little note: Dash had a doctor's appointment earlier in the week and it obviously made quite an impression. Oh, and here's a nifty little bit of trivia from that appointment. Our doctor is estimating that he will be about 6'1" when fully grown. I guess you can take children's two year old height and double it and come pretty darn close to their eventual adult height.)

[NOTE: These videos are from about 2 months ago. I'm going to try and get more up very soon, because Dashy's imaginary play has become so much more elaborate and I really need to document it.]

All and all it was a pretty darn good birthday, but being a party freak that I am I couldn't stop there. Soooo... a month later we threw a big party for Dash and invited all his friends.

I decided on a race car theme since although he LOVES garbage trucks right now I just couldn't think of an activity to engage the kids in that involved garbage trucks that didn't seem like they should be wearing orange jumpsuits and have a State Penitentiary bus waiting nearby! So race cars it was.

We blew up a bunch of HUGE balloons and Dash helped decorate the yard...

They were so big in fact (and filled with so much helium) that Dash had trouble pulling his arm down and basically had to run around with his arm in the air!

I worked hard to pull together a properly themed dessert table...

Dash was talking about the race cars and flags on the cookies several days later. (I felt like a success!)

And Dave, sweetly, designed and built a race car track!!

All the kids has a blast!!

Dash even got another cupcake...

...which he loved!

A lovely woman I found on Etsy (Melissa from Beau Melange) sewed up these wonderful favors at the last minute for me...

They're crayon caddies. How cute (and "green"), right?! We made sure that everyone left with plenty of bubbles too...

It was a fantastic time (especially watching all the kids play together this year) and the birthday boy definitely enjoyed being prince for a day!

And to finish the day off right, Dash and Dave jumped in the pool...

Actually, to be more accurate... Dave waded in slowly (since our pool has been ridiculously cold!) and Dash jumped off the diving board 4 times!!

What a birthday (month)!! I definitely don't think I'm going to try to top it next year.

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day Dashell and I ran a few errands. While at a craft shop, Dashell spied a hat and just had to have it. He called it his "cute hat" and proceeded to parade about the store in it despite the fact that it was far too big and kept falling down over his eyes.

He kept the hat on for most of the day. And later, while playing outside, recorded this greeting...

(and because I just had to complete my trilogy of "Happy ___ Day!" videos I decided to post it. Sorry to torture you.)

Hope you all had a wonderful, fun-filled holiday too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DASHELL!!!

2010-05-29T13:53:00.001-07:00

In Which I Sing The Praises Of Obsession

2010-05-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

I think that the word "obsession" typically gets a bad rap. I mean, you usually only hear it used in a negative context like when some obsessed girl gets caught stealing Brad Pitt's underwear or when a neglected wife complains that her husband is obsessed with football. But having lived with two obsessives for a while now (and, if I'm totally honest, being a bit of one myself) I can definitely see the upside to obsession.

I have come to realize that obsession usually defines a period of intense learning. Now, let's be clear, there are all kinds of learning and some are as not always as beneficial to your life long knowledge base as others. (Like do you really need to know that much about someone else's unmentionables??) But this type of driven, intense learning about some things (the right things) can really help catapult you up to the top of the next knowledge plateau.

As everyone who's ever met Dashell (or who has read this blog for a while) knows he has had a small obsession with trains for quite a while. And, as it has been starting to fade, I am actually beginning to miss it. I'll admit it, for a while there, I would wonder, periodically, if there might ever be anything (ANYTHING) else that might possibly pique his interest that was not train related. But now that he's moved on to garbage trucks, I am definitely missing trains. (Garbage is simply not as fascinating to me as it currently is to him. I've tried. Trust me. I've tried. But it just leaves me cold. And, well, a bit dirty feeling.)

As I reflect back on our brighter (cleaner) more interesting days of trains, I realize that Dashy's train obsession was not only fun but really inspired him to learn a lot of new words and concepts. His grasp of direction came from his love of trains. (Not to mention his "mastery" of the words associated to those concepts.) So I tend to attribute a good chunk of his vocabulary to his train obsession....

- train (of course)
- flat car
- freight car
- coal car
- caboose
- engine
- station
- mountain (he has one on his train table, but is also able to identify them in the real world.)
- tunnel
- bridge
- roundhouse
- cow catcher
- bell
- whistle
- smoke
- steam
- train track
- hook (as in the cars "hook" together)
- railroad
- crane
- the letter "r" (he learned this because of his love railroad signs)
- conductor
- unload
- pipes
- gas tank
- barrels
- push
- pull
- over
- under
- forward
- backward
- front
- back

...as well as a few cute phrases like "All aboard!", "Tickets please", "backing up" and "going 'round the bend".

He would spend large amounts of time putting together long lengths of track...

And building tunnels and bridges...

(What the picture can't depict it that there were very elaborate rules as to which trains could be on which bridge. It was very confusing for Mommy, but Dashell was adamant about keeping the trains segregated. Who knows what goes on in their heads sometimes!)

Given how the tracks fit together, I like to think of this as a lot time spent working puzzles. (Which, as a side note, he has become quite fond of lately. Currently he's pretty bored with the typical beginner puzzles. He does have one puzzle that, although also a single piece per hole puzzle, doesn't have pictures under the pieces. Unfortunately, even though it is slightly more challenging, he can put that together pretty easily too. So, the other day, I got him some puzzles where all the pieces fit together to make an animal and he likes them, but they are a little frustrating because they don't have a picture of the animal in the hole where the pieces fit. And he keeps asking for a picture. Does anyone know if there is a middle ground between the big chunky single piece per hole puzzles and the ones I just described? If you do please let me know. Thanks!! Anyway... back to trains.) I think hooking the trains together was also like doing a puzzle... the magnets on the trains only allow you to hook them one way. At first this was really frustrating for him, but in a couple days he got the hang of it and became a master.

And of course, there is guiding the train around the track. What better way to work on hand-eye coordination? Or making up scenarios like the train has to go to the station to pick up the people. The people have to get on board and then the train goes a little further and stops so that the freight cars can be unloaded, etc. Imaginative play! Right? Right?! Maybe I'm just trying to justify the hours and hours that my child spent over the last several months playing with trains, or maybe, just maybe, I might be onto something here. Whaddya think?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

2010-05-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hi I’m Dashell’s dad, and in honor of Mother’s Day I asked the usual writer of this blog if I could do a guest entry. She graciously agreed so here goes:

When Gwynn first told me she wanted to be a mom (almost four years ago now) I have to admit I was skeptical. The thing that you might not pick up on from reading this blog is that she has a rather “A type” personality. What that means in every day life is that she is an extremely driven, exceptionally hard working, “failure is not an option” kind of gal. She budgets, schedules, and runs commercial productions, often several at the same time. I have known her for many years to be a straight talking, no nonsense, producer who never shys away from a tough conversation when someone is not living up to their end of an agreement, as well as someone who always delivers on time and under budget. These are incredible qualities to have if you are running a business, or are an officer in the military, but I wasn’t sure how they would translate to motherhood.

I was expecting a mother who would be frustrated and impatient with a baby's unpredictable schedule and it's moods swings, but adding Dashell to our lives has completely unlocked a softer more playful side of my wife. She is an amazing mother! She was instantly transformed into one of the most loving and nurturing people I have ever seen. Suddenly this hard-nosed, bad ass has an endless supply of love, comfort, and patience for this little person. The time they spend together is filled with laugher, games, reading, and learning. And witnessing all of this has been one of the happiest surprises of my life!

Happy Easter - Welcome To The Egg Hunt!

2010-04-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

I Scream....

2010-03-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

You scream...

We all SCREAM!!!

Unfortunately not for ice cream, but because we are going through that wonderful phase where we have found our voices. (And, man, are they LOUD!!!)

Pooped

2010-03-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

I will start by admitting that I knew that it was bound to happen sooner or later, but I was definitely hoping for later. Muuuuuuuch later...

For the last couple weeks Dashell has only been napping every other day. It's not that he doesn't need a nap. Oh, trust me, he does! It's just that, although seemingly very tired when you put him down, once alone he gets a sudden burst of energy. He sings. He has his animals go on kissing rampages. He opens his shade and looks out the window. He reads books. He has long conversations. He practices shouting, "Allllll Aboooooard!!!" at the top of his lungs. He does just about everything but nap... every other day. On the "other day" he sleeps.... and sleeps.... and sleeps. Waking up somewhere around 4:30pm. So, if he was meant to have a playdate with you and he never showed up, there's a good chance it fell on that "other day" and, well, obviously in that case you would just be plum out luck.

Since this has now been going on for a while, I think that the multitude of fascinating things that you can come up with to do in your crib for a couple hours a day when you should be sleeping has gotten a little old. And consequently today, Dash decided to spice things up a little bit by adding something new to the mix.

After running through all the old favorites he decided to re-tackle something he attempted a few weeks ago... stripping. Why, you ask, was this fun-filled activity abandoned? Let's just say that the first couple times were not particularly successful. (In other words, all sweaters are not equally easy to liberate. Battles ensued and, well, Dash was sadly not the winner.) But, just like the pain of childbirth, even the memory of the agony of defeat can lessen with time. So, today Dash was at it again, but the boy wised up. Why go up, when you can go down? If a sweater is giving you attitude, go south, right? So off came the socks. Then the pants. Then, feelin' breezy and carefree, off to the far corner of the crib he trotted.

I must mention here that this particular corner of the crib is a blind spot for our video monitor. So who knows exactly how it went down, but after a few minutes Dash started swinging something in and out of the view of the camera. In and out. In and out. What could it be? Hmmm... Then he reached over with his other hand, clawed at the object, pulled back in disgust and... ah, yes, I bet you guessed! Our nanny who was watching all this transpire on the monitor (yep, I picked the PERFECT time to run to Target!), first with amusement and then with horror, charged up the stairs! But, too late. The damage was done. Poop! Everywhere! Gross!

And what did the little guy ask for when our nanny flung open his bedroom door??

"Tissue. Tissue," he cried helplessly. "Tissue?"

Like a little tissue would take care of that kind of mess! Silly boy.

All I have to say is, thanks for not picking a weekend day kid! And I swear, from now on, the little rascal will be napping (or not) in footy pajamas!

p.s. I am super behind in my blog reading. I am SO sorry! I haven't read or commented on anyone's in very long time because my crazy work schedule, but I hope in the next week to do a lot of reading. And I hope that there are no hard feelings. I am really looking forward to catching up with everyone very soon!! Sorry again for being so absent.

In The Smallest Things...

2010-03-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

...the mysteries of the world reveal themselves.

The Letter Of The Week Is... P! (x2)

2010-03-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

A few months ago when I found out that Diana and Alex had purchased potties for their little girls, I felt so out of it. I hadn't even considered it yet. (And probably with good reason, since boys are usually very late to potty train.) But trying to be diligent in my mothering duties I eventually ran out to the store and picked one up. (One can never have too many extra things in the house to collect dust, right?!)

I purchased a lovely 3-in-1 deluxe model (they only had two types of potties to choose from and the other looked like it would fall apart quickly), with it's own toilet paper holder and wipes container. (What will they think of next?!) Dash had a wonderful time, for a few days, disassembling it and putting it back together like a big puzzle before he became bored and forgot about it.

Then two weeks ago, right after I put him in the bath, I notice a little leak in his nether region and asked if he needed to pee in his potty, to which he replied,"Yes!" I promptly whisked him out of tub and place him on his throne. He peed like a champ. I cheered. He dumped and flushed. And much joy was shared by all! Then a couple nights later we had a repeat performance, followed by a joyous round of high-fives.

Then last week, while Dave was getting him ready for the bath Dash stated,"Dada... pee pee... potty." And low and behold, he did it again. And again. And again! Which brings us to tonight, where once again as I was getting him ready for his bath and taking off his diaper, he asked to use the potty. So off to the bathroom we trotted.

Six times in two weeks! I'm a little dumbfounded. I didn't think that this was supposed to happen for boys until 2 1/2 or 3. It's neat for now, but I'm not holding my breath that it will continue. We'll just have to wait and see. (Or maybe just... wait for pee! Right?!)

The Stuff Inbetween

2010-02-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

I've been on a shoot all week. In at 2am, out the door the next morning between 8 and 10. I have to say it sucks, but it's part of the job and it's always amazing to watch art being created before your eyes.

Needless to say, I haven't seen much of Dashell this week. My heart breaks when I think about all I've been missing. And I think he's felt my absence as well...

The other day, he climbed up to the landing of our stairs and sat down. Our nanny asked him what he was doing and he replied, "Thinking." "What are you thinking about?" she continued. And the response..."Mommy."

I melted when I heard this story.

The next morning, when he woke up I went in to spend a little time with him before I had to run off. I gave him a kiss and said,"Do you know I missed you yesterday?" He replied, "Missing you... Mommy.... working. Hug." He then wrapped his arms around my neck and gave me the squeeze I needed to get through another day without him.

I'm looking forward to spending a little time at home next week.

I miss my son.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

2010-02-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

What a FABULOUS Valentine's Day!! I got to spend it with my two loves, Dashell and Dave. It was the best!

Dash actually slept in until 8am. It's like he knew that it was a special day and gave me a couple extra hours of sleep as a fantastic (and much needed) present. And then shortly after I woke up, Dave surprised me with a couple of cute gifts...

Aren't the little cat and the handmade box adorable?! And I got a heart-shaped decision maker. The first thing I asked it was if we were going to have wonderful day. And it said...

I didn't know it yet, but it was right!

First we went to breakfast...

(Who picked out the hat? Dash... of course. Almost couldn't guess that one, could ya?!)

Then we piled in the car and headed off to the aquarium. Dash has gotten to the point lately where he can identify whales, sharks and seals, so we thought it was about time we made another trip. He had a great time!

He even learned about a new creature of the sea...

RAYS!!!! He loved pointing them out and talking about them. We even went outside to see if he could pet one...

Unfortunately, none of them came up to him, but he still enjoyed checking them out.

He was also enchanted by the sharks...

Although he was very perplexed that they were "wake" but not "moving". Every time the sharks rested for a while, on the floor of the tank, he would stretch out his arms and then lift them up saying, "Move. Move. Wake. Move. Moving?"

After the sharks we went to see the birds...

Dash was fascinated with the fact that the bird was on Dave's hand and asked if the bird could go on his arm. Sadly the bird was not particularly cooperative. But he did get to feed it...

...which he was very excited about!

Back inside Dave and Dash spied something very unusual...

...which looked to Dave like a huge puffer fish. Wow!

And then on our way out, Dash made a new friend...

...who he decided he wanted to "pet".

Then it was time to go home and take a nap before heading out for a lovely Valentine's Day dinner.

Soon after we were seated, Dash got a little concerned that everyone else had "food" and he didn't. "Food. Food." followed by lots of pointing rang out from our table until Dash's mac 'n' cheese showed up. (He also talked a lot about how he wanted to "throw" the "candle" but luckily, for everyone, he didn't get his wish.) Dave and I both looked around the table several times and smiled contentedly. From now on it is three, just the way it was always meant to be. Valentine's Day is about love and I have never felt more surrounded by it than I felt at that moment.

After dinner, Dash insisted on signing for the check...

..and, of course, who are we to say "no" when our son wants to take us out to dinner!

Then it was time to head home to bed...

As I was drifting off to sleep, all I could think was... perfect.

Perfect sums up my Valentine's day.

Absolutely, postively... perfect.

p.s. My blog just turned 1!!! Wow! I never thought I'd make it this far.

All Aboard!

2010-01-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

Delinquent

2010-01-25T20:02:00.000-08:00

I thought about just calling this post "Rude" but then I decided given my weakened, sickly condition (yep, I'm nursing a cold given to me, with love of course, by none other than my wonderful Dashell) that I would go a little easy on myself. But let's be honest, I asked you all to say "hi" just shy of three weeks ago. And what did I do? Did I reward you by plying you with fantastic stories and much requested videos (yes, Jamie and Diana I still owe you big)? Hell no. I got wrapped up in work, trying to nurse Dave back to health (which I am obviously not very good at given the fact that he is sick again!), out of town guests and de-Christmasing the house. Not particularly good excuses.

HIIII EVERYONE!!! Thank you so much for the big howdys. They truely made my last three weeks. Alex, Diana, GMA, Nana, Sandra, Jeffrey, GG and Jamie soooo great to hear from you!! Patricia, OMG I can't believe you found this blog. How wonderful you have a son! Please let me know how to email you so I can hear more. And Val, WOW! I can't believe that our sons birthday's are on the same exact day! How crazy. Please let me know how to reach you so we can meet! What fun! And BWUB and Lorraine I LOVE having you guys over on this blog. Yipee! I can't wait until your little guys arrive safely and we can compare boy stories!! I can't tell you how much it means to me to have all of you along for this crazy ride!!

I do have to confess, I haven't been completely honest with you as to why I am not only behind on thanking you all, but why I am also behind on posting Thanksgiving and Christmas pictures. Although we did travel quite a bit over the holidays and there was a lot of work to be done, there were a couple days between Christmas and New Years where I could of done a little catch up posting. Did I? Obviously not. My excuse.... adult dinner party!! That's right, a dinner party just for adults. Imagine that, no babies allowed. It was blissful. And in my excitment I spent a little more time than I should have decorating for it...

It was a roulette/raclette party. We all got dressed up in our finest, played a little roulette...

...and then melted a little raclette.

Yummy fun!! Nothing like stinky cheese, cured meats, pickled things and amazing friends.

I did promise to be better about posting and I will. I promise. Again. (Hopefully I'll even get to Thanksgiving before the end of January!)

Solitude

2010-01-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

If This Car's A Rockin'...

2010-01-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

Guess what?! It's national de-lurking week. What is that you ask? Well, lurking is when you read a blog but haven't exactly had a moment (ever or even recently) to say "hi!" And this week is your opportunity to come out of the woodwork for a brief moment and say a quick "howdy!"

I LOVE it when people say "hi!" It makes me feel all sunshine-y and smiley inside. And here's your moment... I would love it! Love it! LOVE IT! if you would simply say "hi!"

It's super easy. Look down at the bottom of this post. You see that word down there "comments"? Just click it. Then you can write "hi" or a little something to let me know that you're out there enjoying our journey. You, then, choose an identity. You can even choose "Anonymous" if you like. (It's ok if you can't let me know who you are. I fully understand that there are many people out there in the Federal witness protection program who simply can't reveal their true identity, but please don't let this keep you from leaving a heidi-howdy-ho.) And then click "publish comment". That's really all that there is to it. Easy peesey, right?!

And in case, you're one of those people who really likes to have something specific to comment on, here's a picture from one of our train park visits....

Hmmm... I mean think about it. It's a sleeper car for heaven's sake! Thoughts?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010-01-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

Look out, 2010 is knocking on the door. Hopefully it's as cheerful and happy as it looks!

Over My Shoulder

2009-12-31T23:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Dashell,

As I lie here in bed during the last few hours of 2009, thinking back over the last year, I am struck by how much you have changed. The baby I remember from 2008, was but a vague glimmer in the mischievous eye of the child I witnessed growing and evolving every day in 2009.

Your birth day 2008...

Your birthday 2009...

Reading books 2008...

Reading books 2009...

Halloween 2008...

Halloween 2009...

Thanksgiving 2008...

Thanksgiving 2009....

Christmas 2008...

Christmas 2009...

You are becoming such an amazing little boy. (Although sometimes you still like to refer to yourself as "baby", you are definitely not a baby any more!) I treasure every moment we share and every conversation we have. Like the other day, when I mentioned that it was raining, you had to see for yourself and then you had to make sure that I understood that "agua" was coming "down" from the "sky". It was so sweet of you explain the rain to me (and go over it several times to make absolutely, positively sure that I got it.) Later that day, memories of that conversation kept a smile on my face as I raced through that wet, wet rain while running errands.

I realize that you won't remember any of this and that makes me sad. (But who knows how much of this I'll even remember in a few years. Your memory is the first thing to go, right?) Most people's earliest memories are from about 3 or 4 years old. That being the case, I understand that your father and I are the keepers of your memories for this period in your life. I hope you know that I do not take this lightly. I have fallen a little behind lately (like I'll be posting about Thanksgiving 2009 in 2010, yikes!), but I resolve for 2010 to try to be a little better. To shoot a little more video. To write down a few more of the moments that make you so special. To commit a little more of your early life to paper and film. I know I will only get to see you go through these stages once. I don't want to forget any of it and maybe, someday, you'll want to revisit your "lost years".

I hope that the next year brings you at least as much joy as the past one. I can only imagine what lies ahead for us. (I'm definitely hoping that that we won't top our record of three trips to the emergency room!) I know that there will be giggles and there will be tears. Life, my love, is unfortunately full of both. Please always remember to soar as high as you can during the joyous times and to learn as much as you can from the painful ones.

In case you're wondering, 2009 for you ended on a high note. I took this picture at 8:15pm tonight, just before I put you to bed...

Happy New Year Dashell!!

Thank you for coming into my life in 2008. And, thank you, for bringing so much joy to it in 2009.

I love you buddy.

I love you so much it hurts.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

2009-12-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

...and happy, healthy holiday wishes from our little elf to you and yours!!

A Little Bit of Holiday Magic

2009-12-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

When I was young (really young, like let's say 4 or so) I remember trying to stay up super duper late (for me) to see if I could spy Santa out my window. Mind you, the windows in my bedroom were very, very high off the ground. Or, maybe, I was really, really short? Hmmm... reality is all perspective, right? Anyway... if I pressed my body and my cheek up against the wall directly under my curtain, I could barely, just barely, get a peek at the darkened night sky. Much to my dismay, I never did see Rudolph, but my Christmas's were not without a little bit of magic.

Every year my parents put a little Christmas tree in my room. I think that it was probably just the top off our big tree, but to me it was so special. I remember gazing at it as I drifted off to sleep, thinking about Santa and the reindeer and presents. And then jumping out of bed Christmas morning to find one little present under my own personal tree as though Santa had actually snuck into my bedroom while I was sleeping!!!

This year when I put up our Christmas trees Dashell was delighted.

He kept talking about how big! they were...

...and about the lights and the balls and of course wanting to touch them.

I explained that these were mommy's trees and he could touch with his eyes but not with his hands. And, I have to say, I felt a little like Scrooge. Ba humbugger. What child isn't entranced by the magic of Christmas trees? And isn't part of the fun looking at all the ornaments? It was a feeling I just couldn't shake so I decided to fix it.

We went out and got Dashy a tree of his very own. A tree that is full of little lights which cast a magical glow and is decorated with animal ornaments of all shapes and sizes. Ornaments that can be touched and played with.

And suprise, surprise, Dash loves it!!!

Every morning before he'll even let me lift him out of his crib he asks for the lights on his tree to be turned on. Many times during the day, he runs over to his tree to look at and talk about the animals on it. And in the evenings, he sits on the floor next to it and asks to have his bedtime stories read to him there.

It's amazing how much Christmas joy one little tree can bring.

BOOM!

2009-12-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

Did you hear that? That HUGE bang??! That was the sound of Dashell's vocabulary exploding over Thanksgiving. He had plateaued for a while and then during the time in and around the holiday his little brain went into overdrive and he started using 2 or 3 or sometimes even 4 or 5 new words a day. It was crazy!

I don't want to forget, so just consider this list a little note to myself.

Signs
- light (this was the perfect sign to learn at Christmas time!!)
- turning (as in the wheels on a train turn)
- cement truck
- stretch

Sounds
- moo (cow)
- baa (sheep)
- meow (cat)
- chug-a-chug-a chug-a-chug-a (you guessed it... train!)
- boom (as in it fell down)
- boop boop (boat)
- laughter (clown)
- crying (to tell us he or someone else was/is sad or scared)
- shhhhhhh (to tell us that it is dark or someone is sleeping)
- clicking of his tongue (chicken or rooster)
- bup bup bup bup bup (helicopter)

Words
- happy
- people
- choo choo
- bus
- mommy (he was already using mama, but mom-ME is sooo cute!)
- puppy
- daddy
- taxi
- house
- ice (he asks for this every time he falls now)
- couch
- broom
- air (as in the air is blowing or moving)
- Chicago (this is what he is saying in the picture above)
- stone
- bone
- comb
- spoon
- boots
- stick
- book
- paper
- keys
- Sandy (the name of our beloved neighbor)
- Patty (the name of our nanny)
- round (as in something is going around)
- run (one of his favorite things to do!)
- pepper
- bumpy
- Ducky (one of his wubbies)
- knee
- toes
- mouth
- nose
- hair
- bean (his new favorite food)
- yummy yum (for eating)
- cup
- sky
- juice
- done (as in "all done")
- big! (this comes with a hand gesture)
- nice
- top (as in the top of a container)
- egg
- stuck (as in "I'm stuck between the couch and the chair and can't get out!")
- cracker
- snack
- bear
- out
- moon
- star
- deer
- please (sounds like "peeze")
- caboose (this sounds like "boo-se")
- te cae (this sort of means "you fall" in Spanish. So now whenever Dash is about to do something where he might fall, he starts saying "te cae! te cae!" This warning to himself does not keep him from doing it, mind you. I think he's just letting me know that he's aware that it is dangerous. Nice boy. Right?!)

Oh yeah, and we got him to say "chili dog" over and over and he would just crack up everytime, but had no idea what he was saying!

Even with all these new words, "under" (which he started using about a month and a half ago) is still the favorite at the moment. He (and his train) just cannot go under enough things!

And I can't forget to mention that two days ago he started saying, "Dashell". It's very cute, but he only says it when prompted. In conversation he still refers to himself as "niño" ("boy" in Spanish) or "baby". Oh, well. He's right, I guess. I just think that "Dashell" sounds so much nicer! Don't you? Hopefully, as they say, this too shall pass.

Oh, Those Sweet Innocent Days Of Youth

2009-12-15T22:30:00.000-08:00

These Are A Few Of My Fav-or-ite Things!

2009-12-11T13:18:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been passionate about something? Or maybe ever so slightly obsessed? What if you were a little preoccupied with umm, let's say for the sake of conversation... trains? What do you think you would need to get you through the day? Maybe a nice "whoo! whoo! hat!"....

And maybe a new...

...and different...

...train...

...everywhere...

...you...

...went???!

There's definitely no way to predict what your child will be into. But, we were warned early on to look out, because around 2 or 3 boys REALLY get into trains. Let's just say I think we started a little early. Around 15 months! The kid can already identify just about every part of a train: wheels, bell, whistle, smoke stack, light, where the engineer sits, coal car, passenger car and caboose (which he current calls the "boo-se".)

To say that Dash is OOOOOB-sessed with trains is an understatement. Many a morning starts with him jumping up in his crib shouting "Whoo! Whoo!! Track!! Whoo! WHOO!!! Choo, choo, choo, choo!!" Then after I collect him and take him downstairs he finds it necessary to gather his hat and his train books and settle in for storytime with a breakfast smoothie.

Given his penchant for trains, my parents made sure that Dashy saw every single electric train in Chicago went we went to visit over the Thanksgiving holiday!

Dash was beside himself.

He had never seen so many amazing trains in his life!!

So, of course out here in California, we've taken him on every train ride in the area as well as a local park where you can actually see (and climb on!) real retired trains.

Dash LOVES it and we have been more then once. And, as if this park couldn't be any more amazing, they have a ride-on train too, where you get to circle trains in a TRAIN!!!

The ride-on train is just a little bit more his size. I mean, look at how tiny the kid is...

The size comparison kills me!

But, please don't think that it is only trains that the child is hooked on. Oh no, that my friend would be a grave mistake! One that I am sure you, who have been reading along for a while, will not make.

As I have mentioned countless times before, Dash has a "small" thing for sticks. If he is outside...the boy has a stick. Consequently, I have hundreds of pictures like this...

Dash in motion, with... a stick. Not usually what I'm shooting for!

I'm not going to delve too deeply into the Freudian aspect of this, but lately Dashell has been gravitating toward larger and larger sticks. Consequently, he always seems to be on the look-out to trade up...

What do you think? Hmmm... right??!

Uh, um, anyway, getting back to sticks... Although Dash doesn't quite understand sharing yet (thank goodness, I don't want to have to worry about him sharing his stick at such a young, tender age!!), he has been pretty adept lately at pointing out the virtues of a good stick to the less enlightened.

And I think he really has a thing for speading the word, because he seems to leave converts in his path where ever he goes...

Outside of trains and sticks there are, of course, tractors...

...trucks and cars. Dash has words or signs for garbage trucks, dump trucks, cement trucks, taxis and buses.

And last but not least, I absolutely can't forget the two things closest to his heart, Ducky and Sheepy...

... (his wubbies). Life would be simply unbearable without them!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

Happy...

2009-11-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

Today, Thanksgiving, is a day that we are asked to take stock of our blessings. To look at the positive. To be grateful. And today, I am. Not just because it is Thanksgiving, but because I am everyday.

Everyday I revel in the fact that I am so lucky to have an amazing family: parents, brother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, mother and father in-law, brother and sister in-law (and their whole brood). I love each and everyone of them for the fun, quirky, interesting people that they are. I love that when we get together, we talk and laugh and have thought provoking conversation. And that everyone loves and supports each other. And that each member of the family is a wonderful complement to next.

Everyday I revel in the fact that my husband is the one true love of my life. My best friend. My confidant. My rock.

And that my friends (you all know who you are) are beyond fabulous. I don't know what I would do without you gals. I love you all more than you know.

And, of course, everyday I revel in the pure existence of my son. Not an hour goes by that I don't think about how lucky I was to be able to conceive him. Not one moment passes that I don't realize how blessed I am to have him in my life.

Today Dashell learned the word "happy". (Actually, not just the word but also the abstract concept.) This is Dash showing off his happy face...

And you know what? I think that sums it up.

Today, I am not just thankful. Today, I am truly...

...happy.

Yep, We Did It.... Again!

2009-11-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

Just before Hallween (ok, ok I KNOW I've been really, really bad about keeping up lately), we went on another cross country trip with Dash. This time to Chicago. It was magical to see a true fall again. In California, we get a kind-of fall. Some leaves change color. Not all, but some. In fact, this year, despite the drought a few of the trees have had some of the most vibrant, beautiful red leaves I've seen out here in a long time. But, it's still not a "real" fall, like the one's I remember from my childhood, where dazzling red, yellow and oranges leaves glinted and danced in the sunlight as far as the eye could see. The landscape became a sea of warm hues. The air was sweet and crisp. And, although your nose might be cold, the sparkling sun would warm your face and hands.

Unfortunately it rained the weekend we were in Chicago, but it was still beautiful. The leaves had just reached their peak colors and Dash was entranced.

As we pulled down my parents driveway, Dash kept signing "Flowers! Flowers!", pointing and going, "Dare! Dare!" Where he was pointing, mind you, was to the trees. He had never seen so many brightly colored leaves before and he thought that the tree were covered in flowers!

One day the rain stopped long enough for us to take a walk through one of the local parks. Dash claimed a stick (the boy is still obscessed with sticks!) and set off.

Eventually we hit a fork in the road, to left was the long way and to the right the short. Which way did our nature boy choose? The long way, of course! And, much to everyone's surprise, he completed the whole loop, which was about a mile. Have stick, will walk!! Me thinks we might have a wee hiker/wanderer on our hands.

Can you believe that after hiking for a mile that boy still had energy to burn??! Well, he did. So thank goodness that there were some beautiful grass capped rolling hills by the parking lot. Absolutely perfect for running up and down!

Dash had a blast!! And afterward (when he had a containable level of energy), we were able to snap this fun picture of the three generations of menfolk...

I think Dash is pointing to the next mountain he'd like to conquer. (Either that or he's saying, "All hail my mighty stick!" I'm not sure which.)

I'm sure you are wondering, why we were in Chicago... for wedding, of course! My parents live outside of Chicago, so it worked out perfectly for us to arrive a couple days early and visit with them and with my Grandmother, who was also able to come in a few days ahead of time. For me this visit was extremely special. I miss my Grandmother very much. We only get to see her every other Christmas and even then it is mixed in with hustle and bustle of the holidays. It was so nice to be able spend a couple relaxing days with her. She and Dashell hit it off. And she was instantly a member of the "Nana Club"! (At the moment Dashy calls all of his grandparents "Nana". We have decided that the word must mean "beloved old person" in his own personal language.)

Soon Dash was running around, jumping and turning somersaults in a desparate attempt to impress all present members of the club. (He obviously didn't realize that this was completely unnecessary, as they were already quite smitten!)

And then, it was time to head off to the wedding. Although I was sad to see have our special time draw to close, it was wonderful to be able to attend my cousin Ben's wedding.

It was beautiful. The bride and groom both beamed with love and joy. And it was fantastic to get to see almost all my cousins! (We missed you Sarah, Jeremy, Emily and Jacob.) We usually are only able to see each other every other year at Christmas, so this was very special. My cousin Jessica organized this picture and I'm sooooo glad that she did. Here's almost the whole gang...

The next day, we flew home. Our bodies exhausted...

...but our hearts full of beautiful joyous memories.

A Handmade(ish) Halloween

2009-11-04T22:43:00.000-08:00

My mother has a wonderful artistic streak and consequently my childhood is sprinkled with the memories of making party invitations, Christmas tree decorations, miscellaneous gifts and, of course, Halloween costumes. I don't ever remember having a "store bought" costume. For that matter, I don't ever remember wanting one either. Maybe they weren't as prevalent as they are now (or maybe I just led a very sheltered life.) But whatever the reason, for me Halloween costumes were things that you (or your mother) sewed, glued, cut and pasted together. They definitely didn't come in a bag with a picture of a cute smiling kid on the front.

One year I went as Heidi...

One year I was Minnie Mouse...

And another I was....
.
.
.
.
.
.
(wait for it)
.
.
.
.
...a bottle of Hunts ketchup.

Go ahead take a minute (or two or five) to laugh, I'll wait. (And, yes, it took me a while to grow into those teeth.)

Sooooo, um, where was I going... oh, yeah. Well, chalk up another reason to feel a pang of guilt where my child is concerned. I just haven't had the time in the last two years to yank out the ol' sewing machine and whip up a costume or two for young Dash. As you may recall, last year he was a lion...

Adorable, yes. But made by mama, hell no. Not even the alterations.

And this year? Well, let's just say I did a little bit better. I did a bit of uh "handmade" ordering on the ol' internets, took the antennas off of one costume, sewed them onto a store bought hat and viola! Killer bee!!

Oh yeah, and I ordered up a little somethin' special for Dave as well...

I have to admit they both turned out cute enough to ease my anxiety a bit. And to help keep it in check, I made sure that we (hand) carved at least one pumpkin. Of course, first we had to find the perfect one.

This is Dash guarding all the potential prospects, so that no one else grabs them...

But once we found the perfect one, Dash had a blast trying to spoon out the guts. Although he did periodically become distressed when the pumpkin seeds got stuck to the bottoms of his bare feet. (Welcome to Halloween in Cali where you carve your pumpkin barefoot, in shorts, and you stress about whether your child will become overheated in their costume as the temperature rises to 90. And to think, in my mid-western days, we'd stress about how turtlenecks, long johns and coats would ruin our costumes!)

Here's a little video of our carving extravaganza...

Finally, Halloween night came along. Dash and Dave ran around the neighborhood (in costume) for a while waiting for it to get dark. And then, we took Dash to our neighbor's, Sandy and Tom's, house for a little (very little) trick or treating.

Afterward, the boys were so tuckered out (from walking all the way next door)...

...that they had to lay down and rest on the front lawn.

This is Dash pretending to sleep...

And this is him pretending to fly...

(A little like Peter Pan, don't ya think??)

All and all it was a pretty spook-tacular Halloween!

I hope yours was scary good too!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2009-10-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a buzzin' good holiday!!

(Stay tuned for more pictures tomorrow...)

Houston, We Have Lift Off!!!

2009-10-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

It's not often that I get excited enough about a milestone (actually I'm not even sure if this is a milestone) to write about it immediately after it happens, but this one is so cool...

Dash just jumped OFF THE GROUND three times!!!

It was a little like Goldilocks...

...the first time he landed, tipped forward and fell.

...the second time he landed, tipped backward and fell.

...the third time he landed juuuust right and stood there smiling ear to ear. YAY!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

(So sue me, I know it's Friday. But I got a new camera and I just couldn't resist.)

Two For The Road

2009-10-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

So about a week and a half ago (yes, it's taken me that long to get my act together!) Dashy and I headed off on our own adventure like Bonnie and Clyde or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Thelma and Louise (only without the running-from-the-crappy-relationship thing). The moon illuminated the still dark sky (and trust me there was a lot of exclaiming about this, "WOW!! Dare! Dare!") as we loaded a ridiculous amount of stuff into the back of Dave's car and then made our way to LAX. Who would have thought that I would need SO MUCH STUFF for three days with a toddler!

When we got to the airport and actually put all the gear together so that it could be transported, it wasn't so much a pile, as a mountain. But I have to admit, if my child was actually progressing normally in the eating-of-table-food department it wouldn't have be so bad. But, since he is such a special delicate, particular flower I had to pack about 10 pounds of food. My suitcase was definitely much lighter coming back. But more about that later.

For the trip, I had one large stroller, one car seat, two carry-ons, and one large maximum weight (read 50 lb) suitcase. Oh yeah, and one 25 pound baby on my back! (I can't thank Marcela enough for recommending the Ergo carrier!! That thing rocks! You carry with your hips not your shoulders and you can just go straight through security carrying the baby on your back. It makes the whole process so much easier. Oh, and you can get the baby on your back yourself while standing up. It's magic!) How much of this stuff was mine you ask?? One book, one skirt, one jacket, and two tops. The rest... all Dashell, all the time. But worth it.

We were lucky to be able to have Dave help us go through security and get to the gate in LA and for the return my wonderful Uncle Bob and cousin Kirsta were able to help us in the same way. Security, with the taking off of the shoes, pulling out the laptop, declaring the liquids, breaking down the stroller, etc. was probably the hardest part of the trip. It was wonderful to have some help!

Once we were safely on the plane and buckled in (not an easy task where the carseat was concerned. And at one point a flight attendant practically suggested that I carry the carseat, the two carry-ons and the baby by MYSELF to my seat! Do you think I would have gotten arrested if I had socked her one?! I think she felt me seething, and started to backpeddle. Btw... about 10 actual passengers asked if they could help me. So sweet! but not their job. Did anyone, whose actual job it was to help me, ask? Um, the answer to that would be a resounding, "no!") Anyway, back to the safely buckled in part... all in all it wasn't too bad.

This is what I noticed about flying with a toddler... life takes place in 5-10 minute increments. Five to ten minutes to look at a book. Ten minutes to climb on the carseat like it's a jungle gym. Five minutes to wake the guy up behind us by yelling, "BOO!!" over and over. Ten minutes of playing trucks with the nice guy who was just woken up. Five minutes of whining and flailing and apologizing to the guy next to us as he gets jabbed repeatedly by Dash's toy plane. Five minutes of "please don't touch the person in front of us they are sleeping." Five minutes of Dash telling me that they are sleeping. Ten minutes of Dash playing with the water bottle and soaking his whole outfit. Five minutes of me deciding if I care. Ten minutes of stealing the potato chip lid from the guy behind us. Five minutes of asking him to play trucks again. Five minutes of head-butting mommy. Five minutes of crying because it hurt. (It did!! I wanted to cry too.)

But, it really wasn't half bad. I had prepared myself for much worse and maybe that was the key. Extremely. low. expectations! From where I sat, Dash did great. He played with his trucks and the water bottle and read book after book about tractors and was basically happy and very rarely hungry. Diana had told me to pack more snacks than I could imagine needing, so I did. But I so didn't take into account that this was my son, not someone elses child.

At home Dash will almost never turn down a cheese puff, so I packed two cans worth as bribes. The whole trip, Dash only ate three. THREE puffs! I don't think he's ever gone three days and only eaten three puffs. Actually, he barely ate anything the whole trip. Except smoothies. The boy loves a good smoothie. And being the doting mother that I am, I purchased one of those wand-like hand-blenders and packed up pounds of fresh fruit so that I could whip up delicious smoothies on-demand in our hotel room. And let me tell you, it sure did pay off. It's about all he ate the whole weekend. (Until the exact moment we landed back in LA, and suddenly he had a ravenous appetite for real food. Go figure. The boy is a little strange. I guess he only eats in his home state, on even days of the month, that begin with "S"!)

So now that you basically have the whole story, I bet you're wondering why we went on this little trip... my cousin David got married in Virginia! It was beautiful and personal and all the things a good wedding should be. And I am so glad that Dash and I were able to go. The vows were lovely and after the ceremony the bride and groom walked down the aisle to the theme from Peanuts. The cake topper was a pair of rubber duckies outfitted as the bride and groom. (Dash noticed this first and was very enthusiastic about telling me that there were birds "dare!" And that he wanted them. Now!) The happy couple danced a few numbers with zest and true zeal and much fun was had by all.

It has been several years since we have had an opportunity to visit with this side of the family. I think that grandparents are the thread that keep the fabric of a family sewn together. And after my grandmother died, life just seemed to get in the way of planning a family gathering. So it was nice to have an excuse, like a wedding, to catch up with everyone and to meet all the new members of the family.

My cousins Mark and Jennifer adopted three beautiful children (Amber, Jason and Jacob) two years ago and it was so wonderful to have a chance to meet them. Dash loved playing with his new cousins. And I think by the end of the trip, that they had a small soft spot for him too. On our last day, we were saying goodby to Amber and I said how nice it was that Dash, the boys and she had all become friends. Amber looked at me earnestly and said, "We're better than friends, we're cousins!" I think I felt a small tear well up in the corner of my eye. There truly is nothing like family. And this trip reminded me that it's definitely worth spending 5 hours each way, on a plane, by myself, with a toddler to spend a little time with them. Life's just too short not to.

********
Our mountain of stuff...

Dashy ready for take off...

Telling me that the person in front of us is sleeping...

The bridesmaids...

The groomsmen...

The happy couple...

...gettin' they're groove on...

The super cute cake...

Aunt Carol and Uncle Bob...

Cousins...

...and a little video that tells the tale of our adventure. Enjoy!

It's A Plane! It's A Bird! It's...

2009-10-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

The other morning while we were taking a little stroll, Dash and I had our first real argument, spat, disagreement if you will. Does this really count as a "first"?

Here's what happened, as we were walking along, Dash spied something in the grass and...

Dash pointing and flapping (his sign for bird): Dare, dare!

Me: Hmm... bird over there? I'm not sure.

Dash pointing and flapping: Dare, dare!

Me: I don't think so Dashy...

Dash pointing... : Up!

Me: I think it...

Dash pointing... : Down!

Me: You think the bird fell down?

Dash: Uuuuuup! Doooown!

Me: I don't think it's a bird.

Dash: Dare! Dare!

Me: I think it's a garbage bag.

Dash flapping: Uuuuup! Dooown!!

Me: No, it's definitely a garbage bag.

Dash flapping and pointing impatiently: DARE!!

Me: Take a closer look. It's a piece of a garbage bag.

Dash takes a step toward the object in question.

Dash: Woooow!

Me: You see, garbage bag.

Dash: Yeaaaah. (and signs for garbage truck.) Boom. (that's the dumpster being dumped.)

Dash (signs garbage truck again): Up. Boom.

Me: I understand why you thought it was a bird though.

Dash (smiling ear to ear): Yeaaaah. Boom.

Take a look for yourself....

...you can see where the kid was coming from, right?

Music Man

2009-10-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

Tonight Dashell decided that it was high time he took up an instrument. Being the musical connoisseur that he is, he chose the ever popular... turtle.

Cinder-fella

2009-09-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

A while ago I promised more tales from our weekend. Well, now that those adventures are 2 weeks old, I'm finally getting around to sharing with you. (I know that the anticipation must have been a killer!!)

That particular weekend we decided to get Dashell some proper "big boy" shoes. (Up until that point he had only worn soft-soled moccasin-type shoes.) We've been hitting a lot of water parks lately (for obvious reasons) and the soft leather soles get slippery very easily in the water and before you know it the kid is on the ground.

Amazingly, he goes down in slow motion so he's not hurt, just stunned. But the horrified looks, that passed over the other parents faces as it happened again and again, were enough to peer-pressure us into looking for some fancy new shoes. (Parenting in a community is really kind of like going back to high school again. I sometimes bowed to peer-pressure then and I'm ashamed to admit I, still sometimes, bow to it now. But, you know, the kid was going to eventually bump his head so maybe they were right to look horrified. As I work through this... Ok, I admit it, maybe peer pressure can be a good thing. Enough said. For now.)

Anyway we took another family trip to the mall, where we had Dashy's foot measured... first with the young toddler foot measurer (yep, that's what it's called. I know allll the lingo.)

...and then the salesman said that Dashell's foot was much larger than he expected and he had to break out the older toddler foot measurer.

(Is it "big feet, big heart"? I hope so.) Once we determined a size, the salesman whipped out some cool new styles for Dash to model for us. We tried to fit one fancy shoe after another on Dashy's feet without luck and soon realized that those luscious bubbly feet that I love so much are not really made for shoes. Dash seems to have bit of a bulgy foot. The top part bumps up and very few shoes actually fit him. Curses. So much for being a fashion maven!

Eventually we got a pair to fit. But Dash was not impressed, initially, and tried over and over to step out of his new shoes! Here's a little video that tells the whole story.... Enjoy!

p.s. He's now walking like a pro in his new shoes. (And I can hold my head high in public once again.)

Singing And The "Rain"

2009-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time a young lad came up with this nifty game...

Unfortunately, he eventually became a little too enthusiastic about it and instead of pouring the water all over himself, he started pouring it all over Mommy! So, we had a little talk...

...and then we had another little talk....

...and then we had a third (muuuuch longer, muuuuch more specific) talk and "we" finally got the idea and continued to pour the water, but now into the other cup. (Thank goodness, because Mommy was getting pretty darn drenched!)

And everyone was sooooo happy...

...that, just like they do in the movies, we broke out into song...

(Yes, you "heard" that right, there even was a silent verse in there. Unfortunately you can't see me mouthing the words back. I really do a spectacular silent verse. You are sooo missing out.)

And then we danced and spun and high-kicked our way off to bed!

p.s. This morning, from his bedroom window, Dash spied 5 peacocks out in our front yard. He enjoyed watching them for a while until they all started to walk in the street, at which point he began scolding them, "No, no, no! No, no, no!" And then realized that they couldn't hear him, so he insisted on going out on the balcony and scolding them some more. Much to his dismay, they never did get out the street. Obviously their mothers didn't teach them all the rules!

Nature Boy

2009-09-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

LOOK OUT!! There goes a giant flying bug!! ACK! Quick duck! These words... have never been uttered from my mouth.

I, personally, have never had any issues with bugs. I admit it, I have spiders in my house that I don't crush. Ants that I have tried time and again to gently usher out the door. And moths who I tried desperately to live with harmoniously until they treated themselves to a cashmere buffet and so consequently had to be destroyed. (They crossed a line, damn it. No one messes with Mama's cashmere!)

And I have been trying to instill that same benevolence toward the specius insestuos in Dashell, which was instilled in me by my insect tolerant parents. When you're little you have very few fears. Most fears are basically learned behaviors. And who do we learn most of our behaviors from? The people who we are around the most. The people we look up to. The people we admire... our parents. Hence my desire to be a bug-lovin' role model!

Ever since Dashy has been able to associate insects with a sound, so that he can "talk" about them, he has been fascinated. He points out ants and spiders and, of course, bees... as in "Bzzzzz uh-oh OW!" from our last emergency room visit. (btw... he continued to tell that story for the rest of the weekend! Still amusing after it's hundred and tenth telling? I'll let you be the judge.)

This year we seem to have an unusual number of Praying Mantis' around the house. The other day Dash spied one in the backyard and was mesmerized...

Later we also found the skin of another Praying Mantis. I had no idea that they shed their skin. I thought that it was pretty neat looking and so did Dash...

...until he decided to smush it...

...and then he lost interest. Go figure!

This past weekend, Dave spied a caterpillar while we were all out for Saturday stroll...

Dashy was entranced...

And kept signing "caterpillar" over and over...

Finally, in order to get Dashy to leave the caterpillar alone, we had to tell him that the caterpillar was going to sleep. So for the rest of the weekend, Dashy kept signing over and over that the caterpillar was sleeping! (I guess he thought that we might just suddenly wonder what that wonderful caterpillar was up to. So, nice of him keep us informed. We are getting a little daft in our old age.)

When Dave and I lived in Echo Park we had peacocks. But when we decided to move here (and get all civilized) we were worried that their honking would upset the neighbors, so we gave them to a local arboretum. Little did we realize that our neighborhood has peacocks of it's own and ours would have blended in beautifully without anyone being the wiser.

The other morning we woke up to this...

How's that for a new hood ornament? (or I guess I should say: roof ornament!)

Our hitchhiker had brought some friends and they were quite content to hang out for a while.

And this weekend another family of peacocks came calling...

(Don't be alarmed, this time of year the males aren't sporting their beautiful tails. There's no reason to, since the chicks are all caught up in caring for the little ones right now and won't be looking for a booty call for a few more months.)

Dash decided to let them know that, "We come in peace."

...and then tried to befriend them.

That boy really does like gettin' his nature on!

My Boys...

2009-09-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

...I don't think I could love them more.

All Of The Above

2009-09-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

"Look, Dash, there's a chicken. A yellow chicken. Did you know that a chicken is a bird? This yellow bird/chicken's name is Henrietta!"

When I get all high-falutin' like that, with my descriptions, I get rewarded with this...

It doesn't surprise me. I mean think about it... If you were just learning language, all the catagories that things could be sorted into, would just about blow your mind, wouldn't it?! Our dog is a perfect example...

A) Four-legged animal

B) Dog

C) Bull Dog

D) Ginger colored

E) Arlo (his name)

Because of Arlo, Dashell's word/sign for dog is saying "Arlo" and then panting. (Not to be confused with his sign for monkey which is just panting.) For a while our cat, Floyd, was also "Arlo", as were all four-legged animals, but as we have worked on more signs, Dash is beginning to be able to identify many of the four-legged creatures by their appropriate names.

Floyd is now being correctly identified as a cat. (And I have to say that he seems very grateful and relieved. Oh, the horror, of being confused with a dog! I can only imagine.) Cows, horses, giraffes and lions have found their own identities as well. But currently, almost all birds are lumped together. (Except for a couple who make distinctive sounds.)

I'm trying to make it as easy as possible for Dash to communicate. If the basic idea is there, that's enough. We can get down the specifics later. Like "Aqua" is currently all forms of liquid (water in a cup, ice, his smoothie, steam) and it is, also, all the places that water comes from (a sprinkler head, a faucet, a hose). I figure it's better to first grasp the big picture, and then we can break it down into smaller and smaller bits as his understanding of things grows.

The speed at which children pick up on things, at this age, is phenomenal. Currently Dash has a relatively large vocabulary which is a comprised of words, sounds, signs and combinations (words and signs to communicate a single word). In the last five days or so he has started putting together little sentences, like "Nana up". (It was explained to him that when Nana left, she went away on a plane. All planes are the word "Up" combined with a raised hand.) Or last night in the emergency room (oh yes, haven't you heard, we have a membership so we drop by frequently) Dash was explaining to everyone, and anyone who would listen, what had happened, "Bzzzzzz uh-oh ow!" I'm sure that sentence is clear, like crystal, to you but just in case it isn't let me interpret... Dashy stepped on a bee last night. At first he was surprised and then it just hurt like hell. (Since he'd never been stung before, and his foot got a little red and swollen, and he had just had the MMR vaccine, aaaand Diana told me to, we took him to get checked out just to make sure that he wasn't going to have a crazy allergic reaction.) Well, anyway, everyone got a big kick out his version of the tale. So the trip, although ultimately unnecessary, did provide a few laughs.

But this morning was the best. Dash decided that he was going to read all of his books to his Dad. He pointed out all the flowers and cows and birds. He told Dave about how you go up the ladder and about how all the animals sleep in the barn. It was super cute!!

Joyce told me that things were going to explode at this age and they sure have. (Joyce's son Magnus is almost two, so she has a little insight into these matters.) I have to say, I'm blown away everyday!

Last week when Diana made a comment on her blog about milestones, it caught me off guard. I had followed all the milestones for the first 12 months, but really hadn't give them a second thought once Dash turned one. So I looked up what things he should be doing and, of course, panicked. I read that he should have about 12-15 words by 16 months and I thought, "OMG! I don't think we're anywhere near that." So I sat down and made a list over the last week, and boy was I surprised!

Here is a list of the "words" that Dash uses regularly now, at 15.75 months. (There are many "words" that he used for a week and dropped or only uses now and again. I haven't included those.)

Words
-    Mama
-    Dada
-    Arlo
-    No
-    Go, go, go!
-    Yeah or Dah (for “yes”)
-    There
-    Cold (sounds like “ca”)
-    Ball
-    Grass (sounds like “gra”)
-    Up
-    Agua
-    Eye
-    Niña
-    Niño
-    Tractor
-    Bubble
-    Nana (one of his grandmothers)
-    Hi
-    Wow
-    Uh-oh
-    Ow
-    Poo-poo (most of the time he tells us when he's done this)
-    Boo Boo
-    Door (sounds like “dur”)
-    Big (sounds like “baa”)
-    Ooo dat (for what’s that)
-    Row, row, row (as in "row, row, row your boat...")
-    Baba (the name of favorite book character)

Sounds (used as word substitutes)
-    Whoo Whoo (train)
-    Ding Ding (train or the bell at the firehouse)
-    Vroom Vroom (car or truck)
-    Brmm Brmm (car, truck or tractor)
-    Bzzzzz (for insects)
-    (the sound a fire truck makes)
-    Awh-Aaah! Awh-Aaah! (for macaw or peacock)
-    Plah. Plah. (for dirty)
-    Rooooar! (for lion)
-    Boom Boom (cannon)

Signs
-    Eat
-    More
-    All done
-    Bird
-    Fish
-    Cow
-    Monkey
-    Turtle
-    Sleep
-    Soft
-    Nice
-    Hi
-    Bye Bye
-    Hear
-    Hat
-    Giraffe
-    Crab
-    Caterpillar
-    Candle
-    Tongue
-    Cat
-    Frog
-    Flower

Combinations (words & signs for a single word)
-    Hot
-    Dump Truck
-    Airplane
-    Telephone
-    Dog

Pretty sweet, huh?! I'm trying to get them all on video, so hopefully sometime in the near future I can get together a little montage, for your viewing pleasure.

This is stage is beyond fun... all of the amusing chatter and very little of the annoying talking back! But I'm certainly not looking foward to my bad childhood karma coming back to haunt me once he becomes a little more articulate. (Let's just say that I was a champion talker-backer!)

Mole-Oooow!

2009-09-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

So after a month of Tuesday night awakenings, followed by rest-of-the-night comforting sessions, (oh, and a Thursday night thrown in for good measure; because it begins with "T" too, of course) we have our first molar! Yep, you heard that right Kacey and Taline... we may be a bit behind, but we are hot on your little white-toothed trails!! So look out!!

I got a good peek at the new gnasher while Dash was laughing it up out in the garden yesterday morning. But there will be no picture here, because Dave nearly lost a finger trying to catch a glimpse during bathtime last night. The little bugger chomped down so hard that he broke the skin and Dave was still moaning about it hours later! Either Dash is working hard on his Jaws impression or Dave is an extremely delicate flower, I'm not sure which.

So, that makes it 1 down and 7 to go. I wonder what night of the week the next one will pick?!

p.s. I'm voting for Wednesday's since Dashy woke up screaming at 12:22am last night. What do you vote, as far as last night goes... pain from our latest friend to break onto the scene (oh yes, another baaaaaad pun) or yet another molar?

A Taste and A Tale

2009-09-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

Until I get a free moment to write a proper post, here is a little taste from one of our weekend adventures...

(Yep, he got nailed. Right in the ol' kisser!)

And a short tale...

This morning Dash and I were in our front yard playing and waiting for Daddy to return from an errand. While we waited, Dash collected acorns, splashed in puddles and pointed out poo-poo (of this he is an expert!)

Finally Daddy came around the corner in his car honking his horn. He rolled down his window, while pulling up to the curb, shouted to Dash and waved. Dashy got excited and starting charging down the driveway toward Daddy, who was still in the street. Panicked, I ran after him shouting, "No! No! No!" and grabbed his arm just as he hit the edge of the driveway.

Dash thought that my panicked shouting was quite amusing. He turned and started walking down the block. Every time he got to a driveway, he would start running down it and then go, "No, no, no!" and stop right at the veeeeery edge where the driveway meets the street. (Can you say, "heartattack"?!)

Eventually this game became a little less interesting (thank goodness!) and our walk down the street became a little more relaxing (for me). Before too long Dash noticed a nice woman walking down the street towards us. He stopped in stunned disbelief, raised his hand and shouted, "No, no, no!!" while wagging his finger back and forth at her!

A little shocked, she looked at me and I explained that today we were learning about how we don't walk in the street. Being the understanding soul that she was, she said, "Oooh..." and high-tailed it out of the street and onto the sidewalk. Dash was pleased, but wanted to make sure she didn't forget the rules, so he chased her, wagging his finger, shouting, "No, no, no! No, no, no!" and then pointing to the street.

Can you believe it? What a good boy I have. I love that he is so concerned about the safety of his fellow man (and woo-man) even if his own safety is, many times, just a bothersome afterthought.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!

2009-09-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

I feel so lucky to have had you as part of my life for the last 18 years, and I know that Dashell will feel blessed for the rest of his life!!

Safety Last?

2009-09-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Although we haven't exposed Dashy to marvels of "modern" cinema yet... I think he might be channeling a little Harold Lloyd.

What do you think??

No wonder the last 15 months have been sooo "exciting"!

Imagine That!

2009-09-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

When I was little, I spent most of my time pretending something... Pretending I was I princess (or a witch.) Pretending the space between my house and the hedges was a cave that I lived in which I had to defend against intruders. Pretending I was cat, lying for long periods of time in the sun (ok, not particularly long periods, I got bored really fast and simply could not understand how cats could do that all day long!) and trying to drink out of a bowl with just my tongue. My dolls and my stuffed animals were my best friends, well until the day that I invented a twin...

One day, when I was about 4 or 5, a census taker showed up at our door and asked how many people lived in our house. My mom answered correctly, "Four." (If it was a quiz she would have aced it!) And then the census taker asked my mom for something else that forced my mother to leave the door for a moment and go fetch it. I used this opportunity to inform the census taker that there were not just 4 people that lived in my house, but 5. I had a twin and to prove it I would go get her and let her introduce herself. So I left via the kitchen, to go fetch my twin, and returned via the livingroom using two small folding chairs, perched under my arms, as crutches. I then introduced myself, as the other twin who had broken her leg in a terrible swing set accident, to the very nice but slightly bewildered census taker. Ok, I admit it, I was that weird, lonely kid that people are always telling stories about. Sad. (This is one of the stories that still makes me cringe every time I think of it. Did I really think she'd believe me?! Silly girl. But like I said... active imagination.)

Hopefully Dashell won't be taking after me, but his imagination does seem to be ramping up and I am delighted! I truly believe that imagination is the cornerstone to having a full, wonderful creative life. And gosh darn it, I think the kid's got one!

It all started several months ago with his trucks and cars. He'd spend a good part of each day going, 'Vroom! Vroom!" and wheeling them around the floor. Then he moved onto trains, "Whoo! Whoo!" And the trains and cars, of course, not only drive around but also smash into lots of things. Boom! Boom! ...or more accurately, "Ba! Ba!" (He's definitely a boy!)

Lately Dash has been into giving kisses. He gives kisses to the dog, to the cat (or at least he tries), to an illustration in a book. The other day he even gave a kiss to one of our front steps! (Why? Who the hell knows.) Given his penchant for kisses, it shouldn't be a big surprise that this morning Dash was having his train give kisses to the pictures in his books. Or that the other day, his stuffed turtle went on a kissing binge, laying a wet one (or are they just dry and crusty coming from a turtle?!) on everything in sight!

Dash has also taken to "picking" the flowers out of every book we read and "handing" them to me. By the end of storytime, I have enough "flowers" for an enormous bouquet! What a lucky mommy I am!

And if the little guy gets hungry while we're reading? No problem, he just indulges in whatever delicacies present themselves on the pages of the book, and then takes a long draw from the invisible beverage in one of his stacking cups. The other day, he not only "ate" whatever the hungry baby in the book was having for dinner, but he also "ate" the baby's nose and thought that this was HIII-larious!

And then, of course, there was the "spaceman" costume... Dash ran around the downstairs holding his helmet snug against his face (it eventually got quite steamy in there!) giggling, going, "Vrooom! Vrooom! Baaaaaaa!" and banging on the helmet with Arlo's bone.

I LOVE that he seems to have a very active imagination. How absolutely boring would life be without one?! (I definitely would not be going on my monthly hikes in the Swiss alps and winning the lottery every week, that's for sure!)

Hmmm...

2009-09-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

What look do you think he's going for here?

I'm thinkin', maaaybe.... The Friendly Caveman Of Death From Outer Space??

Hot Child In The City

2009-08-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

So guess what?? In case you haven't heard, the mountains are burning out here. And it's definitely not a little fire. The fire line is 110 miles long and is being defended by 1800 firefighters. EIGHTTEEN HUNDRED!! That's nuts. The air is thick with smoke and ash. And to top it off, on Saturday it was 108 degrees! Needless to say, it is recommended that everyone stay inside as much as possible.

Luckily we are far enough away that we are not being threatened by the fire (and our air is not quite as bad as it is in many places). But some of our friends are in the thick of it. (Sorry. Bad pun there.) Alex, Leticia, and Nightingale we're sending all our positive energy your way, hoping with everything we've got that your house makes it through this. And Diana, Jamie and Kacey we're keeping our fingers crossed that the air clears up soon out your way.

Given the circumstances, it was understandable that our totally booked weekend suddenly became a completely open weekend when all of our barbeques and birthday parties were cancelled due to the crappy air quality and a nice coating of soot.

So what do you do when you can't go outside and you really need to get out of house because you're feeling a little stir crazy?? Well, on Saturday, we did what any civilized family would do...

We headed to the mall! No, it's not what you think. (Oh, other than those few things that I really needed to pick up at Sephora. Don't you love Sephora?!) Our mall has a double decker carousel. Which Dashy LOVED!!

It also has a train. Can you say, "Whoo! Whoo!"?!

After a ride on the train, we went for a second spin on the carousel. This time on the elephant!!

Once we finished up at the mall, we headed home. And since it was too yucky to go outside for a swim, Dash found a way to make his own water fun...

On Friday night, as I was putting Dashy to bed, he starting talking (well, actually, signing) about fish and turtles. And on Saturday, he was still talking about them. Since we couldn't go outside, and I couldn't deny him (the kid is just too cute when he's persistantly signing about something), on Sunday we got the hell out of dodge (or was it the outskirts of hell?!) and went to the aquarium. Clean air. Gentle breezes. And 82 degrees! Yep, you read that right. Eigthy-two delicious degrees! Versus 102 freakin' degrees where we live. A pretty good trade, I'd say.

From the moment we stepped in the door, Dashy started furiously signing "Fish. Fish!!" over and over. The kid was in heaven!

Once he was done with one tank, he started running toward another. I shouted after him "Stop!" and for a brief moment he did.

But then he decided that I was not nearly as exciting as the fish and he hightailed it across the courtyard toward the big tank and didn't stop until he was right up front...

...where a lot of other mommies spied him and were wondering where his obviously super-on-top-of-it parents could possibly be.

Once we wrangled our fish obsessed child, we went to see what kinds of fish were in the other tanks...

Eventually we made it to a tank that had a large sea turtle in it. Dash got super excited...

...and kept signing "turtle" over and over.

Now for those of you who have studied a little baby sign language, you'll notice that Dash is patting his chest. And, I'm sure that you know that this is not the correct sign for turtle. This is...

But, well... Well, take a minute, and do the real sign. I'll wait. Did you do you it? Now, think about it. You get it, right?! I kind of thought that, maybe, that wasn't the best sign for my sweet little boy to run around signing in public! (Not to mention that two handed signs are a little complicated for him right now.) So, I decided that our sign for turtle would be patting your back (you know, like indicating the shell), but Dash can't quite reach his back yet so he pats his chest. This sign, I'm fine with. (In case you're not familiar with baby signs, it's not meant to be a method for the babies to talk to each other so that they can plan their coup. The only thing that matters is that you understand what your child is saying. So you're allowed to adjust or make up your own signs as needed. Just wanted you to know that I didn't go all renegade.)

After we finished looking at the turtles, we went outside to see the stingrays, baby sharks and birds. As soon as the doors opened Dash ran ahead of us and went directly to the stingray tank and once there he quietly beckoned, "Up" in that sweet little voice that I am incapable of refusing. For quite a while he sat on the ledge of the tank splashing the water and petting the one extremely friendly stingray that kept popping up to nudge his hand. Then he asked to get down and made a beeline for baby sharks. After checking them out, we went to see the birds...

At one point we saw a couple of birds play wrestling on the ground...

Dashy was entranced. He giggled and then signed "more" over and over. I wonder if he's going to end up being a WWF fan. Man, I hope not! (No offense meant to anyone who is. It's just really not my thing.)

We were all exhausted when we got home and took a much needed nap. Afterward, Dash found our baby monitor on my bedside table and decided to work on his fine motor skills.

He worked hard at putting the plug in the little hole on the side of the monitor. Every time he got it plugged in correctly, he looked up so proud.

He did this for 45 minutes! Can you believe it?! Anyone who has a 15 month old child knows that not much holds their attention for FORTY-FIVE MINUTES!! Incredible. Who would have thunk it?!

We've definitely hit a new phase. Not just with the fine motor skills, but in general. It's interesting to think back to the first couple times that we went to the aquarium. It was amazing to see how fascinated Dash was with the fish. How excited he got. Then several months later, when he had just started walking, it was cool to see him try to navigate his way to each of the tanks that caught his interest. And this time, it was great because he can "talk" so we could have "conversations" about what he was seeing. I can't wait to see how his development influences our next trip! Or, more accurately, actually, I can. Time is really flying. People tell you that it flies by. And you know what? They're right. It does. I really can't believe that he's 15 months old already. It seems like just last week I was delighted when he was able to make contact with the red bird dangling above his playmat. I do wish I could make it slow down. Just a little.

The Skinny

2009-08-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

For a while, I have just thought that Dash has been maintaining his trim physique through his often unnervingly particular eating habits.

Witness the menu he chose for this past weekend...

Friday: 2 smoothies, sweet potato, chicken, musaka, and a salmon, broccoli, cheese scramble

Saturday: 2 smoothies, 1/2 piece of french toast, 1/2 serving of mac 'n' cheese

Sunday: 2 smoothies....THAT'S IT! (oh, actually, I lie... he ate centers out of 5 blueberries.)

And then, I caught this...

HA! The truth is out. The child obviously has a problem! What do you think we should do, immediate professional intervention?

(Silly me, I didn't realize that toddler bulimia was on the rise. They totally forgot to mention it in our parenting classes!)

They Go Together Like Peas And Carrots

2009-08-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

For all of you looking for an Adventure Club update, after the great debacle a few weeks ago... We hit a bulls eye this past weekend. Thank goodness!!

Let me hear you shout it out...
Give me a W! A! T! E! R! Water! WATER! WATER!!!!!!

Holy crap, the boy loves water!! Maybe it's because it's easy to spot. Maybe it's because it's refreshing. Maybe because it's one of the few words he has truly mastered.

On that note, I actually have to digress for a few moments here...

Many times when Dash is riding in the backseat of the car by himself, I hear this, "Aaah-ba. Aah-ba. Up. Up. Gra. Up. No, no, no. Aaah-ba. Woo. Woo." It becomes a kind of chant. Over and over. (When you decipher it into English he's saying, "Water. Water. Up. Up. Grass. Up. No, no, no. Water. Train!" Which spirit do you think he is trying conjure? I'm thinking it's the flying water train of the grasslands, of course! Right??)

So the other night when he woke up crying (yep, it's now been two Tuesday nights in a row that he's woken up crying and had to be consoled for the rest of the night. Can you say: tiiiiiired!! I know children like schedules, but really? this? come on.) Anyway, when he woke up crying, I went and comforted him back to sleep and he lay there on my shoulder, diving deeper and deeper into his dreams. He would twitch every now and again. And then, out of the blue, I heard a little, "up." And then a little more twitching. And then, "aaah-ba." Silence. Twitching. And then he panted in my ear like a dog! Hmmm... It's interesting to at least have a bit of insight as to what the little rascal is up to in his dreams! (Or actually maybe it just raises more questions... does he see a dog, since the panting is his sign for dog, or is he a thirsty dog??)

So where was I? Oh yeah, water. The kid loves it! (Unless of course it's the ocean. And since he's a born and bred California boy, we'll have work on that.) So we took him to the Bing Children's Garden at Huntington. Huge success! HUGE!!

Dashy ran through the gates...

...excited, because the first thing you see is WATER!

Little did he know that these pools have fountains, on the ground in front of them, which squirt water straight up in the air every now and then, and he got nailed right in face!! (Sorry, laughing too hard to remember to click off a picture.)

Once inside, Dash got a chance to feel the vibrations. (This dish holds water and the whole thing vibrates.)

Then, around the corner, we hit the jackpot!!

Dashy was a very happy, happy boy!

There are fountains that squirt water and fountains that suck water...

Little streams with bothersome plants...

And the water god, to whom Dashy thought about leaving an offering...

...but then decided not to.

Here's Dashy just doin' his thing...

In the next area there's a mister...

...but Dash was more impressed with the drain!

(Isn't that always the way?! It's not the toy, it's the box that's interesting.)

There was also a really cool stone sculpture that makes music when you throw rocks down it...

...and tons of tunnels to run through and around.

(or, just, through... we're big fans of through!)

One of the tunnels even has prisms in it that cast rainbows everywhere.

As our visit wound to a close Dashy took a moment to admire the flowers...

...and wave goodbye to everyone.

Then we were off!

"Off to where?" you ask. Well, let me ask you... What goes well with water?

FISH!! (of course.)

We found ourselves back at Bahooka's. Surrounded by fish!

Dash thought that the fish at our table looked hungry and decided to see if he would like a little slinky to go with his fish chow...

...and believe or not he did! Unfortunately there was a pesky piece of glass in the way.

Dave and I ordered up a few refreshments, and Dashy got in the spirit of things too...

After a few too many (sips of smoothie, that is), Dash invented this little game...

(Sorry that the quality is crappy. Obviously the people who decided on atmospheric lighting, so weren't thinking about the fact that I would want to video my son!)

Then it was time to say goodbye.

All in all, we had a wonderful, wet, water-filled day!

Ode To The Container With The Green Lid

2009-08-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

It lived in our kitchen. Snuggled between the fruit and the bread.

In the beginning, I thought it would be on the next shuttle to Dumpsterville. But it took up residence instead.

Several times a day, it occupied center stage. Letting us draw deeply from its bounty.

I loved it. I hated it. My independence. My failure. All twisted together in my head.

It made me worry, often, if my child was being short changed.

It made me do a little dance, when I realized I could fit into clothes from which I had sadly become estranged.

It was nourishment and comfort. The start and finish of each day.

It represented my son's babyhood.

And I could have done it a month ago... but today I threw it away.

Sock It To Me

2009-08-16T21:15:00.001-07:00

When we found out that we were having a baby, a million things went through my mind. Is it healthy? Is it a boy or a girl? Will I be a good parent? Will I know what to do to make sure my child stays safe and happy? How do you bathe them? How many times a day do they eat? Are you really not supposed to take them out of the house for 30 days, or is that just an old wives tale?? Are they a drip dry or a towel dry item?

I think every new parent has a lot of questions, and we were no different. So I made sure that we had answers at our fingertips, by purchasing a variety of basic operating manuals. (One really should just pop out at the delivery, but alas that's not the way it works. I personally think it's a real failure by the packing department at the baby factory and someone should definitely talk to them immediately!) I made sure that we were set for diapering, breast feeding, fevers, shots, evaluating milestones and the full spectrum of poop, amongst other things. But little did I know, that all my wonderful guides and charts would fail me in one very particular way... they were all for babies, but not specifically for boy babies!

People should warn you. I mean it. Seriously warn you, that boy babies are different (DIFFERENT!) than girl babies. (And I'm not just talking about their nethers.)

I remember, before Dashell could even crawl, going to a playgroup and watching how the girl babies would just sit there so quiet and content with a single toy, and Dashy would want to look at this thing, and that thing, and the other thing. Always wanting to be handed something new and exciting, or he would begin to pitch a fit.

And once he could crawl, he was everywhere in the blink of an eye!! In the kitchen cupboards pulling out the tupperware. In the bedroom terrorizing the cat. In the bathroom working hard to flood the toilet. Meanwhile back at the Double X Ranch, the girls were politely sipping tea and delicately eating crumpets while musing about the virtues of stacking cups.

And now that he's walking, I expected a little of this...

...and of course some of this...

(I mean, who doesn't expect to see their dirty-handed baby flashing gang signs?!)

But instead of being content with a casual stroll to examine this, that, and the other, he's, well actually, he's running. And tripping. And, well, running and running and running. Oh yeah, and did I mention tripping?! Which leads me to this...

Months alive..............................14.5
Trips to the Dentist.....................4
Trips to the Emergency Room...2

Yep. You read that right...2. TWO trips to the emergency room in the first 14.5 MONTHS of life!

Let me just recap the last few months for you:

- 1 dislodged tooth
- 1 chipped tooth
- 1 second degree burn
- 1 GIANT LUMP ON HIS FOREHEAD

On Friday Dashy ran, tripped and hit his head on the foot of one of our dining chairs and got this...
Which originally (I took this picture two days later) looked like he had decided to have half a plastic Easter egg surgically implanted under the skin of his forehead. Patricia, our nanny, called me in a panic when it happened, and drove over to the stage, where I was shooting, to let me have a look at the victim. She was on the verge of tears. He was smiling and giggling!

Since the giant goose egg on his forehead looked a little crazier than anything I'd seen in a long time, I thought it might be best to have him checked at the hospital for a concussion. So Dave, Patricia, and our unlucky sprinter headed over.

The doctor recommended that Dashy sleep with his head elevated on a pillow that night. (Are you kidding me?! The kid sleeps in a crib and spins around like a carousel all night long.) And, that we wake him every 3 hours to make sure that he is still alert. (After letting that recommendation sink in, let's all repeat rule number one: Never wake a sleeping baby!)

So all night long we slept (first Patricia for 3 hours, then Dave for 3 hours and then me for rest of the night) in the glider with Dashy in our arms. Not very comfortable for him, or for us. But all I could think was, what if something happened, and I was asked, "why did your child slip into a coma?" I would have no other response but, "Oh, I was uncomfortable sleeping in the chair all night, so I laid him down and, well, the rest is history."

So there we slept. And he slept. We woke him up every three hours, so he could smile brightly and go, "hi!" And then look around his darkened room and go, "wow!" And point to his books and ask to be read to. And then try out my pillow. And then squirm around on my lap. And then look around the room. And then notice something on the floor that looked, in the dim light, like it could be Ducky or Sheepy (his lovies), and ask me to pick it up for him. And then cuddle it and rub it on his face in delight. And then rub it on my face so I could enjoy it too. And then, finally, fall asleep in a position that kept the object pressed directly under my nose so I had no choice but to breathe deeply its distinctive scent and realize...

...that I would be stuck sleeping in a chair, all night long, inhaling the oh, so delightful fragrance of Dave's dirty sock!!

Aaaah, parenthood. Apparently, it really is the gift that just keeps on giving (me an ulcer!)

p.s. Both the dentist and the ER doctor said that they would bet money that we will be back again before he turns 2!

p.p.s. I'm thinking about calling him "Crash" from now on. What do you think?

As The Night Passes

2009-08-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

In the dark of the night, I creep into the quiet house. Like the changing of the guard, the keeper of his days passes me the monitor and we nod a silent good-bye.

Click. The image of him sleeping, so peacefully, lights up the screen. My angel, I missed you so much today.

But, now, I am tired. Exhausted. My body hurts. I must lie down and close my eyes too.

Oh, blissful sleep. A seeming luxury, a true necessity. How long can I continue without you as my companion? I lie here waiting for your comforting arms to envelop me.

A cry. Whimper. Crying. Fumbling. Click.

He cries softly to himself. I watch him. I wait.

Silence.

Again, a cry.

I ache to hold him but exhaustion pulls me tight to the bed.

And, silence.

A wail is uttered. A whimper. A cry.

A decision.

I stumble through the black of his room and lift him gently. The weight of his tiny head on my shoulder gives solace to me. And him.

In the dark we settle. Comforting each other.

Outside the misty veil of morning pushes night back into its lonely corners.

His eyes lie beneath the heavy drapes of sleep. His sweet breath rhythmically keeps pace with the passing time.

I try to memorize every detail. Each beautiful eyelash. Each wisp of hair. The set of his sleeping lips. Soon he will be gone from my arms. Soon, too soon, I will be gone too.

Silence.

Breath.

He laughs.

Oh, to have the dreams of children.

I smile and know why there was no reservation when I was beckoned tonight.

For this, I longed.

This is my dream.

It's a thingy, of course!

2009-08-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Conversations in our house, these days, go kind of like this...

"Aaah-ba. Aaaah-ba."

"That's right Dashy, water. The cow, moo moo, on that page is drinking the water."

"Woo-woo! Woo-woo!"

"Yep, that's a train. Woo-woo. It's going past the cow. Moo. Moo. See the boy on the fence waving 'hi'?"

"Hi," Dashy waves, turns the page, and signs for bird. "Vroom. Vroom."

"That's right there's a bird and a car. Vroom. Vroom. Very good."

If anyone was listening outside, they would think that we were complete loons! But lately, Dashy's been getting his ideas across in a mixed language of words, signs and sound effects. (Is it the animators in Dave and me that brought the whole sound effect thing to the table, or is that normal? You tell me. I'd love to know.) And it seems to be working for everyone so far. Dash has been picking up on things quickly, so I've been trying to give him all the options to identify an animal or an object whenever possible.

Like cow, we're working on the sign, but I keep giving him the word and sound effects as backup options. (Who doesn't like options, right?!) But, then there are things like turtles. They don't really make any sound and "turtle" is a pretty hard word, so we've been working a sign for it (since Dash has developed a bit of a facination with turtles.)

Tonight in tub we were working on this sign. I helped him model it a few times and then he pointed to his turtle and tried to model it himself. But I think that he knew he wasn't quite getting right, because he grabbed my hand as if to say, "help me model it mommy." So I helped him again and he tried again and then grabbed my hand again. And we did this a few times until he moved onto his boat. (Turtles can only be interesting for so long!)

So here's the thing...

Dash has this lovely boat that he got for his birthday (thank you Lauren, Rebekah, and Bryan!) He kept pointing to the anchor and saying, "Ooo dat?" So I would say the word. And then he would point to the window and I would say the word.

And for a while we went round and round talking about the window and the anchor.

Then he pointed to this...

...and I got all flustered and said, "Fan! Oh, no, wait, um... propeller. Yep, propeller! I think." (It looks like a fan, right?!)

And then he was back to the anchor and the window for a while and I started to relax until...

...suddenly, out of the blue,...

...he pointed to this...

"Ooo dat?!" he exclaimed.

"Um... uuuummm..." was all I could come up with.

I mean, what heck is that called??! I don't know.

So I said, "Turn-y thing-y."

And Dash just looked at me like this...

Sorry kid. I think I just let you down.

What can I say? I was at a loss for words. I totally did not expect to be in this predicament yet. Isn't this supposed to come next year when they start asking, "Why? Why?!" I have been bracing myself for the why's; I just hadn't prepared for the, "Ooo dat?!"

So now, I'm going to have to start spending all my free time going through the house figuring out what everything's proper name is, because the kid obviously seems to know when I'm fakin' it!

In The Fullest Sense Of The Word

2009-08-05T19:31:00.001-07:00

In case there were any doubts, about our grasp of "moon", after last night's post...

Yep. I'd say we get it.... full moon that is!!

(btw, the hat was totally Dashy's idea. He kept signing for "hat" over and over until I put it on his head. Honest!)

I love you to the moon... and back.

2009-08-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

For about a week or so, Dashy and I have been talking about the moon. Pointing it out in all of his books. Comparing different illustrative interpretations of it. It's amazing how many children's books have pictures of the moon in them. (Maybe this is because it is darn hard to find a children's book that is not about, or resolves at, bedtime!) And like a lot of things at this age, you think he gets it, but you never really know. (For instance, while we were learning the word "eye", he would announce very proudly "Eye!!" while pointing to his... ear.)

So this past weekend, while we were walking back home, after digging in the dirt of our neighbor's garden for quite a while (thank goodness all of our older neighbors are smitten with young Dash!), it took me by surprise when he pointed up at the sky, in the direction of the moon, and exclaimed, "Nana!" [Note: Lately, this is the word he uses as a substitute for any word he is working on, but has not mastered yet.]

I praised him (of course) and said, "Yes, yes that's the moon." But being the dubious person that I am, I wasn't fully convinced that it was actually the moon he was pointing at. After all, there were several large trees and a bird in the general vicinity. But, he continued pointing and proclaiming "Nana! Nana!" as we made our way down the street.

Suddenly some of the tall trees obstructed our view of the moon, and Dashy became very agitated. This is when I began to suspect that maybe I should have had a little more faith in my son's mastery of the whole "moon" concept. Because as soon as we cleared the trees, and could see the moon again, Dashy calmed down and was back to pointing and declaring "Nana!" (And this time it was only thing in our line of sight.)

So yes, yes young Dashell, I do believe that you have begun to understand "moon".

It's things like this that you want to remember. That make your soul sing. That make you just want to hug the little bugger 'til he pops!

So, here I commit it. Here, I will remember it. Here, this moment will not be forgotten. (Because Dashy has a baby book, but hell if I've ever written anything it! How's that for being a Class A mom?!)

Animal Instincts

2009-08-02T22:26:00.001-07:00

Most animals are born with a survival instinct. They naturally (and rightfully) fear annihilation and death. And consequently, enact behaviors to protect themselves from any potential danger at hand. Puppies, kittens, babies (and pill bugs!) curl up into the fetal position when frightened. And adults? Well, we run like hell in the opposite direction! It's natural. It's sensible.

So why do we question that behavior in our young, when we place them in situations that we know have a bit of a danger factor, and that, consequently, they might instinctively view as detrimental to their well being?

Why do we question it when, instead of being content and happy and going along for the ride, they scream and protest and try to high-tail it away from the perceived danger? Hmmm...

Maybe we should celebrate the fact that these children have a deep-seated survival instinct.

Maybe instead of thinking, "Oh, why is my child not as easy going as Baby XYZ?"

I should be thinking, "If a big, hungry bear showed up tomorrow my child would probably do something wonderfully instinctual and survive, whereas Baby XYZ would just crawl on over and offer themselves as the main course for dinner!"

Or....

...maybe I'm just trying to come up with an excuse as to why it took soooooo long for my child to enjoy (sometimes, periodically, on occasion) being thrown up in the air, jiggled and bounced around. Or why, after watching every body have wonderful beach experiences, ours did not go exactly the way I had imagined it would.

I haven't had many preconceived ideas where Dashell has been concerned. I had no dreams of a perfect, magical, natural birth experience. (Thank goodness!!) I had no fantasies about when he would crawl or walk or talk or even what that would be like. (Or, for that matter, what he would be like.) But, I did think that the boy would like the beach.

I mean, all the pieces were there... Dashell LOVES his sandbox. And the beach, well, is just a really big sandbox, right? And he LOVES water. All water. The kid isn't picky in the least. (Unless you count not liking wet grass. But who the heck likes wet grass?!)

So, it definitely took me by surprise when this was his reaction to the beach...

I'm not sure if it was the loudness of the waves breaking, or the size of the breaking waves in relation to his size, or the general size of the ocean, but the beach was definitely not where he wanted to be and he made it very, very clear.

And, just in case you are wondering... no, it did not get any better longer we were there. I don't think Dash could have pointed toward the exit more times in an hour than he did! We did get him to play in the sand by himself for a few brief moments...

... before he quickly demanded to climb back into my lap.

And proceeded to cling to me like a baby monkey while being tempted every so often by his overwhelming desire to crush Dave's sandcastles...

...and then coat me in sand.

We tried to show him the planes and the birds and the boats to get his mind off the fact that the ocean is obviously (given his reaction) a scary, scary place that would love to gobble up little children for breakfast, lunch and dinner! (Ok, I admit it, maybe there is a grain of truth there.)

But looking back at the pictures I don't think he ever really, truly relaxed the whole trip.

Well, maybe that is not entirely true...

On our way home from the beach we stopped at a very well known Tiki restaurant that Dave and I use to frequent quite regularly before Dashell was born. This particular restaurant is known for their ribs, their potent tropical drinks (the accoutrements of which definitely helped Dashy get into the spirit!)...

...and their fish... tanks, that is. They have tanks of fish everywhere. One on both sides of every booth...

...in the waiting area (where their star attraction is Rufus, who has been featured in a lot of movies)...

...in the bar, behind the bar, in the hallways, on the way to bathroom. Like I said, EVERYWHERE. And Dashy loved it!

So I don't know how soon we'll be back at the beach, but I think we might be dining out again in the very near future!

Fabulous Friday's Word of the Day

2009-07-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

And the word of the day is...

Yep, you guessed it... UP!!!!