Do it myself

When I held e last night, singing to her before putting her in bed, I was taken back about eighteen months to the days when I was just beginning to take care of her.  She was so little yet strong, cheerful and loving.  She is still all those things, just a lot bigger!  Her favorite words seem to be "do it myself."  And most of the time we let her try, if the activity is safe.  Yesterday afternoon for the first time I saw her put her right leg over the edge of the crib and convinced her that was not a good plan.  But I imagine it won't be long till she learns to climb out of bed.

E and K plan to leave this morning for the long drive up here, bringing both cars full of items they didn't want to put in storage.  I expect it may take a few days to settle back in.  Tomorrow K will go see the new house in person for the first time.  I hope he likes it!

Damaw Ta and Dampa Wandy

That's us!  Admittedly I can't spell phonetically very well, but that's what it sounds like.  This morning about 7:20 I heard e calling for me.  Finally, for the past day or two, e has had a consistent name for me; she named Randy quite a while back.  It brings a certain glow to my heart when I hear her call me specifically.

I like the way she is learning what things are.  She's worn a bib every day for many months and knows what one is and that it covers her shirt under her chin.  After a meal I take a wet wash cloth and clean her face and hands before she leaves her high chair.  So she will point to the bib and name it, then point to the wash cloth and say,"Not bib.  Wash cloth."  Numerous times.  Sometime she holds the cloth under her chin while saying, "Not bib."  I don't know if she's trying to convince me or just working out the difference, or maybe just having fun.  We see this with other things, as well.

We are having a good week with e.  She hasn't cried for her daddy, which I thought she might; "My daddy!  My daddy!" are two of her favorite words.  She's affectionate, eats well, sleeps all night.  But all is not perfect.  Her growing independence and frequent use of "No!" can be trying.  Yesterday we went to the park with my friend Carolyn, and e climbed around the play structure, went down the slide and made Carolyn and me take our turns sliding, and wanted to be pushed in both the toddler and the big-kid swings.  I pushed the stroller on the walk home with e beside me till she decided to go on the grass.  I reminded her she had to stay on the sidewalk, not the bike path (closer to the street), but she just laughed and ran.  So I picked her up and put her in the stroller.  Maybe she will stay on the walk next time...maybe not.

New adventure

This morning E and e will fly up from Phoenix, then E will fly back this afternoon leaving e with us.  Since E and K are busy packing up their house and preparing to turn over keys to the new owner on Thursday, they decided it might be easier for them as well as e if she were not there.  So we volunteered to take care of her this week.  E and K will drive up at the end of the week.  This will be e's longest time away from her parents and our longest time caring for her without them.

When Liz was about this same age (just a little younger), Randy and I left her with his aunt and uncle for a week while we went to Hawaii.  She had spent time with them but not for an extended visit.  Lynn brought her to the airport to meet us when we returned.  She looked unsmiling up at us from her seat in the stroller, as if to say, "Who are you?"  Or maybe it was, "Where have you been?  And why didn't I get to go?"  We were glad to have some time to ourselves before the new baby arrived and thankful for Lynn's help.  Now we will get to experience for ourselves what it is like to have a toddler without her parents for a week.

Blue Angels

Each fall San Francisco hosts Fleet Week.  Often the Blue Angels, the Navy's precision flying team, appear, as they did this past weekend.  The six jets take off from Oakland International a short distance from our house, so we get a first-hand experience of their power even if we don't trek into the city to see their show.  Thursday afternoon I was shopping at the nearby Safeway when I heard a roar.  The checker said it was the jets on their way to practice.  Friday just before three I heard the same sound and dashed out the front door, looking up.  I saw four, I think, but one of the navy-blue planes screamed right over my head, exposing the large yellow letters on the undercarriage, U S NAVY.  Pretty exciting!

Saturday I again saw (and heard) them fly over as they headed across the bay for their acrobatics; thousands of people were at Crissy Field and other sites waiting to see the extraordinary event.  When I went back in the house I turned on the TV to see if a local news channel was airing their show.  Yes!  Not the same as being there in person, true, but this way I heard commentary from a Navy officer and saw film from a cockpit.  In a certain diamond formation four jets fly with 18 inches from wingtip to canopy, going maybe 500 miles per hour.  Talk about concentration, eyes on the lead plane, rolling on cue, closing in to this tight pattern.  Imagine the hours and hours of drill and practice.  I admit I don't think about the military aspect of this weekend; I just enjoy seeing the unique show.

This morning I heard the roar again and didn't get outside in time to see the jet.  But as I began my walk a bit later, I heard then saw two Blue Angels soaring toward the west, perhaps on their way back to their home base, NAS Pensacola.

Baking together

The other day e helped me make cornbread to go with the pea soup.  It was hard to hold her back!  She wanted to do everything, and I had different ideas.  But we got it mixed and put it in the oven to bake.

A small red stool sits on the kitchen wall opposite the stove, and we have taught e that is her safe place.  So when I need to open the hot oven, I tell her to "Go to your safe place," then I wait to open the door till she is sitting down.  Sometimes she gets a hot mitt out of the cupboard before she will sit down, but she seems to understand that the stool is her place in the kitchen.  She also sits there or on the floor by the other step stool to eat snacks.  I look forward to the day when we cut out cookies together.

Randy sometimes lets her stand on the tall step stool beside him to "help" him cook or wash dishes.  He taught her how to safely climb up and down on the stool.

Olé!

K's mom was in Spain recently and brought back a souvenir for e.  This flamenco outfit is so cute!  The dress features a red-fringed neckline in front and all these ruffles.  Of course, there is a red fan for her to open and close and wave around.  Don't the shoes just make you laugh?  She's not even two yet and already wearing heels!  And you should have seen her stamp her feet when her grandma Jonnie said, "Olé!"  What fun.

Jonnie also had matching outfits for e and her two cousins, all of whom were together a couple of weeks ago for baby Bella's first birthday.  Bella and Vivian wore black leggings with white dots and pastel pink shirts with a cat's face; e had pink or coral leggings with white dots and a gray shirt.  It's good to have cousins.

Yesterday morning we met with the mortgage guy and turned in our mortgage application and all our paperwork.  Today the realtor will prepare the offer, and tomorrow we all four sign it and turn it in.  I expect the sellers will choose the offer they want very quickly.

What a week!

One week ago today Randy toured an open house E suggested and came home enthusiastic about the possibilities of this three-story Victorian.  He saw EeK living in the upper two stories which are nicely decorated; the ground level would be for him and me, nice for aging grandparents.  The catch? That level would have to be COMPLETELY remodeled.  We both went to see it on Monday, and I was less excited at the prospect of living in a place less than half the size of what we have now.  Yes, we would have access to the entire house, especially the very large family room/den on the second floor, but still our unit would be less than 1000 square feet.  Quite a change.

Tuesday we began the work of filling out the mortgage application and gathering bank statements and tax returns.  Randy asked a man we know from Trinity to look at the place and give his opinion; Ken has been a builder here for many years and actually knows the home's owner, who is a contractor himself.  We spent a lot of time reading city building code on line trying to determine if this bottom floor can legally be converted to living space; previously it was office space.  This morning E will fly in to visit the house in person, rather than through our eyes or the photos on a website.

Offer letters are due on Wednesday, October 5, so there is a sense of urgency about the whole thing.

I did spend some time one afternoon sorting through Christmas decorations.  My original goal was to empty at least one of the nine boxes, but with the possible downsizing I guess I'd better empty more.  I'm collecting things in the blue room to donate to various places, so I need to be done before e returns.