Trick or treat

This morning when I arrived at EK's, E said ec had a fever.  Later we did walk to the Farmers' Market.  He slept most of the time we were out and continued sleeping when we returned home, for a total of 2 3/4 hours.  After a bottle, I changed his diaper and took off his clothes to cool him down.  I've spent most of the afternoon holding him as he sleeps.  Fortunately I had put a couple of new books on my iPad; it's been a treat to just sit and read.  Of course, I've had this little furnace on my chest!  I hope he doesn't have the same virus that his sister had for about a week.

EK went to the Halloween parade at es's school.  She took her wolf costume to wear.  So cute!  The children were to walk around the block.  I had planned to go but decided to stay home with the baby.

Baby's laptop

This device is the VTech Baby's Learning Laptop, one of the many toys passed on from friends to E and K when es was born.  The yellow lid closes, and the buttons on the base enable the child to choose various songs or respond to questions, etc.  While I don't remember es playing with it very much, ec likes it, at least right now.  He can be distracted with it, which can be a good thing!  But he also likes blocks, stacking cups, and other plain, old toys without flashing lights and music.

He is still having trouble sleeping through the night.  I guess we were spoiled by his sister's good sleep habits.

After being sick with a fever for nearly a week, es did return to school yesterday.  Thursday afternoon was a little rough for me, but other than that we three did well with the extra togetherness.

Sick girl

Apparently es has picked up a virus causing upset stomach and fever.  She will miss school tomorrow and possibly another day or two; the school requires children to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning.  Though she was fairly cheerful much of today, she was also sluggish at times.  I thought ec felt a bit hot, so he may be sick, too.

My friend Linda is coming in from Chicago this week.  We plan to get together Thursday afternoon.  It's been two years since her husband died, one year since she moved to the Windy City.  I don't chat with her as often as I would like; I'm not sure why.

New jazz fan and crib conquered

Thursday the children came to our house.  At one point Randy put on a Diana Krall CD, and after a bit es said, " I like that song."  Interesting response.  I doubt she had heard this light jazz singer before, but something in her voice or perhaps the backing instrumentation caught es's attention.  I expect Randy will expose her to more of Krall's recordings.

We walked down to the park, where es was the only child and could choose what to do.  It seemed she missed having other children around so we soon moved on to the library then to Safeway for bananas.  When asked what she would like for a treat, she quickly replied, "M&M's," and said she would eat some on the way home then give the rest to her mom, which she later did.

About forty-five minutes after I put es in her crib for quiet time, I heard her door open.  "Grandma, I climbed out of my crib!"  This was a first at our house; she climbed, or rather fell, out of her crib at home months ago, so her parents converted it to a day-bed then just a mattress on the floor.  But she never complained about still being in a crib at our house.  We haven't discussed what to do now.  We will need the crib for ec as he outgrows the porta-crib, but are we ready to put es by herself in the green room guest bed?  Probably not.  So, thinking caps on!

Eight months

Eight months old already!  When I see what ec can do, it's easy to believe he has been with us that long.  He crawls easily, maneuvers himself into a sitting position, pulls up by the couch or chair, eagerly eats baby oatmeal, and more.   And this means I've been on full-time childcare for four months, since E returned to work.  Some days are harder than others but what fun to see the children grow.

The air is generally cleaner now, though yesterday we had some unhealthy readings in the afternoon.  The firefighters are gaining control of the North Bay fires, but yesterday a fire erupted to the south of us.  October is a bad month for fires.  Lots of dry vegetation just waits for a spark to finite it.

Smoke and Quilts

Yesterday E, ec and I went to the Pacific International Quilt Festival, a huge quilt show down in Santa Clara.  We drove through the haze, wondering how people in Beijing survive even worse air quality conditions daily.  The fires continue burning in the North Bay, with some 9000 firefighters gradually containing them.  I can't imagine how difficult this work must be, how draining.  I just went out for a walk, 8:00 AM.  Blue sky, 50 degrees, little breeze, nice!  But before long I could smell smell smoke even though the sky was pretty clear, so I headed home.  Schools are keeping children inside all day, and many athletic events have been cancelled or postponed, since exertion leads to deeper/heavier breathing which brings more of the nasty particulates into your lungs.

On a cheerier note, we enjoyed the quilt exhibit.  Although E carried ec briefly, he was generally content in his stroller, looking around, charming some of the other quilters.  We met up with Carol and had lunch with her.  I took very few pictures this year.  The definition of "quilt" seems to be changing.  Now many of the pieces use thread painting, embroidery, hand-painted fabrics and details, and other innovations.  I tend to be old-fashioned, I guess, thinking of a quilt as a blanket for the bed or back of the couch, whereas many of the show entries are works of art that I couldn't imagine using to stay warm.  And that's OK.  People are creating, expressing themselves.  I have joined the local quilt guild, and at our recent meeting plenty of people showed what I consider traditional quilts.  The big show just tends to select more art quilts.

Wildfires

We woke up Monday to news of fires about 60 miles north of us in Santa Rosa and surrounding areas.  Many neighborhoods have been evacuated, schools are closed, homes and businesses have burned.  The TV reports are almost unbelievable.  They are hard to watch yet can be hard to turn off.  Here we experience the worst air pollution ever, with unhealthy air.  Yesterday I could see the sun, but no blue sky; everything seemed hazy, a light orange or coral.

I remember the 1991 fire up in the hills, seeing many pine needles fall from trees across the street as we sat in church, noticing flames shoot up in the hills as we drove home on the freeway, riding bikes down to the bay so we could observe the plumes of smoke.  But that lasted only a couple of days.  Now we have multiple fires expected to last many days.  E and Randy and I have talked about what we would do if told to evacuate, how we can prepare now.

Wildfires in wooded areas or open fields is one thing; fire tearing through residential areas is scary.

They're back!

The U. S. Navy's Blue Angels, a precision flight team, are  back in the Bay Area for Fleet Week.  They take off from our airport then fly over our house on their way to an airshow over by the Golden Gate Bridge.  What a powerful sound those jet engines make as they climb into the sky!  Last year I saw them clearly and could read the lettering on the underside of the wings, but I haven't made it outside fast enough yet this weekend.  I expected them just before 3:00 today, but they zoomed over about 1:15.

Just in case they were doing two shows, I went back outside a few minutes before three, hoping to make a video if they returned.  They did!  But I was too slow and couldn't get them in view.  I captured the roar of the engines but not the planes.  Maybe next year I will head down to the park where the open field should allow a longer view of the jets.  Randy and es were at the park Friday afternoon when the jets flew over.  The noise startled es so much she clung to Randy; later he realized that he probably should have covered her ears.

More socks

Last night I finished this pair of socks for my sister.  The color in the photo is not very good; the yarn is called Cadet Colors and is shades of blue and gray.  I think this is the 8th pair I've knit, and I've already begun the next pair.  Yarn for four more pairs is waiting.  But recently I came to the realization that I don't need numerous pairs of wool socks, no matter how much fun they are to knit and to wear.  So I will probably stop making them after I knit up the yarn I have.  Or at least do some quilting before knitting more.

Anybody want a pair?

Yesterday ec's new food was yogurt, and he really liked it.

Remember "Alice, the Camel?"  You should hear es sing it, complete with dancing.  Fun!

Smooth

What a fluid movement ec exhibits as he moves into a sitting position.  From those first awkward tries to "Aw, shucks, this is simple," ec is becoming more adept daily.  Today he pulled himself up to  standing at his walker.  And he is crawling now!  Not across the room yet, but for several feet.

I've been exploring a workbook with es on same and different, with exercises like "Circle the item that is different" or "Circle the two that are the same."  She makes the correct choice probably 99% of the time and enjoys putting a sticker on the finished page.  I usually ask her to explain her choices, and she can.  i find it interesting that when she circles two items that are alike, she usually circles the first thing then draws a line to the second before circling it.  Her circles are not perfect by any means, but they enclose the item.