Visiting My Grandma

My Grandmother, Constance Byrne, is beginning to get more and more frail. At the beginning of December the folks at the senior center where she lives, Saint Joseph's Villa, didn't think she'd live much longer. So, I went to visit her a week before Christmas. She was born in 1912 and is 96 years old. I wasn't sure how I'd feel when I first saw her this time because it has been about 2 years since I've seen her and I know she would be close to death. Yet when I got there it was so wonderful to see her that all my fears went away.

That doesn't mean it wasn't a very intense and difficult time, because it was. It was hard to see Grandma having so many difficulties. At the same time, it was very peaceful in a deep way and very satisfying. She's the same woman that I've always loved and it was a gift to be able to spend time with her. I believe she knew I was there several times because she would stroke my hand or play with it, like she used to do. The radio in the corner of the room was playing classical music on about full volume and there was furniture from Grandma's house in her room that made the room feel homey. I feel that I was able to say good by to Grandma.

Sledding for Christmas

Our biggest present this year was the snow for Christmas, because we got to go sledding four days in a row. It was not all fabulous, of course, since the snow was the reason we couldn't go to relatives for the holidays. But there was a silver lining. You loved and adored sledding. When the snow melted this week, we had to hide the sled because every time you saw it you wanted to go out sledding.

Isbre earned her dog treats all last week by pulling you around in the sled, including going to and from the hill and trips up the hill so we could sled back down. She loved the snow, of course.

I taught you how to eat snow and ice when you're thirsty.

We started out on a driveway in the neighborhood and then, later in the week, moved on to a long hill in Noble Woods Park.

At first we put you in the sled on your own. After 2 small crashes, you didn't want that anymore so one of us would go down with you. Then, after several bumpy rides with Mom you decided that you would only ride with Dad (although you'd run down after me when I'd sled down and then enjoy the ride back up with Isbre pulling you in the sled). I actually caught air twice, and have the hormongous bruises to prove it. It was thrilling. I think I enjoyed the sledding more than you did, if that's possible.

Christmas day was super layed back. We didn't have a tree since we were going to be away for the holidays, and by the time it was clear we wouldn't be heading out the roads were to slick to get a tree. We made and decorated sugar cookies and had a really lazy day.

The Other Language

You have started talking in complete sentences and paragraphs, although almost none of the words are understandable. The inflection and tone are right and it sounds like words, just in some foreign language. I wonder if you'll continue to talk in long sentences and slowly more of the words will become understandable, like sounds morphing into a language. When you need to be understood, though, you usually stick to short one-or-two-word sentences.

I think your slide is your favorite toy. You drag it all over the living room and kitchen. You slide down it all during the day. You send your dolls down it. You send your other toys down it. I like to think of it as research into the coefficient of friction for various surfaces. Just today you held Gina (a new doll) as you went down the slide, just like your Dad and I slide with you.

Since you learned how to turn on the water in our bath tub, Dad unscrewed the faucet handles to keep you from filling up the tub. Ever since then you point to the faucet stubs and tell us "broken", sometimes adding that Dad broke it. Now that you can open door and cabinets, and we have put child-proofing on them, you try them and then announce that the door is "stuck". True in a way.

Snow Days

Robert had 2 weeks of vacation left this year, so we were going to go to see his family for a week and then my Mom for a week. It was all planned and set up. I had my packing list written. We had a car video player for you for the ride.

Then the snow came. 4 days of snow. Almost a foot, with freezing rain on top of it. Winter storm warnings and chain requirements (and highway closures) from here to Salt Lake. 9 hours would have been bad enough, but at 20 mph the trip would take 27 hours of driving, assuming we didn't get stuck somewhere. The upshot of this - we're spending the holidays at home.

We've been sledding 3 times so far, and you adore it. At first we were putting you in the sled on your own, but after you tipped over twice (nothing terrible, the hill was short and not that steep, but the down side of your beautiful full lips is that they tend to hit the ground first so you did get a split lip) you wanted to go down but not on your own, so your dad or I go down with you.

We have Isbre pull the sled with you in it to the hill (one in the neighborhood and one in Noble Woods Park) and then sometimes we have her pull you up the hill.

Yesterday we went to REI and got you heavy socks, boots, and heavy mittens. I'd already gotten you long underwear and a fleece top from there and the cutest snow suit and fleece pants from the Pass It On Sale. You are now totally set for the weather.

And the Doors Open!

Guess who just learned how to open the doors in the house? Yes, you! You've been playing with them for ages, but today is the first day you could actually open them. You opened your first door at 7pm tonight, and by 8 you had spent about an hour opening and closing all the doors you could find. Thank goodness you can't reach the deadbolts! As each day goes by, a little more of our control goes with it.

You are at your best and happiest when you're doing something useful. You love to help me empty the dishwasher and you live for washing the dishes with me. I've started giving you plates, silverware, napkins, and glasses and having you set the table and you love it! You keep coming back to me and asking for more, more. Tonight I let you put some of the serving dishes out and you adored it.

Play Gone Wrong

I thought I had a great idea. We would take you and Lauren to OOTW pizza where you could play all evening. You LOVE to play there so much that I thought you wouldn't mind us leaving. Well, there was a small miscalculation there. You loved going there and you loved playing with all of us when your Dad and I were there. But, when I told you we were leaving and kissed you good bye you began to pout. Then you went over to Lauren and pushed her until she was several feet from us, then came back to us. Good natured Lauren came back over to us, and you pushed her several feet away again. Your Dad and I just stood there and laughed because it was so funny.

We stayed for a few more minutes and I ran around with you and Lauren until I thought you were occupied, then we left. Everything went well for an hour and half, then we got a call from Lauren that you are crying and that you've just thrown up. So, we hopped in the car and head back to get you. On the way there Lauren called again and had Dad talk to you to calm you down a little. He kept saying "It's Dada, we'll be there in a few minutes. Are you okay? Have you been playing?". When we get there 5 minutes later your eyes are red and your face is blotchy from crying. We calmed you down and then Dad took you down the slides a few times and you didn't want to leave then, which meant you were feeling much better. I'm really glad you've attached so well to Dad and I, but I'm sorry it's hard on you sometimes.

Up and Down the Slides

Tonight you and I (Dad's too sick) went to Out of This World Pizza to play because you hadn't had a chance to blow off steam all day. I lost count of how many times we went down the big slides - 10 maybe, and we went downthe blow-up slides (you went down both, I couldn't get up the tall one :-( and played in the little house. I had a lot of fun, and the only way I got you to go home was to tell that we were going to go see Dad and Puppy. You like me to play with you now, and I usually let you lead. I have a lot of fun with it. It's like playing with the friends I did (when I was very young) and didn't have when I was a kid. I'm sure you're no bossier than they were :)

The Arranger

When we watch a video at night (usually one of your Baby Einstein ones) you place us very specifically on the couch and try to get Isbre to join us. Then you spend most of your time bouncing from one person to the other to the floor, up on the coffee table, with occaisional trips to the dinner table or up near the TV. Except when the "Wheels of the Bus" song comes on. Then you jump up so you can really do the hand and body motions to the song. Your right arm makes big circles for the wheels going round-and-round, you put your whole body into the peek-a-boo for the doors going open-and-shut, you bounce from a crouch for the passengers on the bus going bumpity-bump, your arm moves back and forth in front of you for the wipers going swish-swish-swish, your hand opens and closes for the dog going bark-bark-bark. You're a lot of fun to watch.

We're all sick now - your Dad was saying he had a superior immune system, but it could only fight the two of us off for so long. Our colds have lasted too long so we took you to the pediatrician today and she diagnosed a sinus infection, with antibiotics. I have an appointment tomorrow and I'm sure I'll have the same thing. I didn't worry too much about the length of time the cold lasted because you and I had the same symptoms, I mean, how likely was it that we both got something extra out of these germs. Not impossible, obviously. Now there are three cranky people in the house of sickness. It's amazing we're getting along as well as we are.

You have gone from being completely uninterested in books to wanting to be read to all the time. Usually the books you like are interactive (lift the flap) without a lot of words where you can identify most of what's on the pages. You will continue to bring over books to be read until your Dad or I wear out, and then you'll beg for "Just one more". It's one of the few times you'll sit on our lap for more than a second or two.

It's funny, you want to be a cuddly child, but you just can't do it. You hug and kiss and sit on our laps, but it only lasts a second or two and then you're on to something else. The will and desire are there, but you have a spring in your butt that causes you to jump up after the briefest interaction. I think you're going to be a goer and a doer. And an arranger.

Still Sick (Cough, Hack)

You and I are just on the tail end of our colds, and Robert is just starting it. You sound like a small Darth Vader when you're sleeping because your nose is still a little plugged up. I'm sure I sound like a bigger version. And you're Dad will be sounding the same in about a week.

Night before last I went into your room at 1 am because you were crying and not going back to sleep. I lay down with you on your bed and eventually we both went to sleep. In the morning I woke up and didn't want to wake you but I was uncomfortable so eventually I started moving, trying to be quiet and careful. When I was sitting up, I looked for you in the mound of covers on the bed and, after a few moments, figured out you weren't in them. I tore into our room and there you were, in our bed, under our covers, snoozing away happily and sounding like a mini Darth Vader. Arghhhh. Robert said you'd been there since about 3am. And I was scrunched up in a pretzel on your bed during that time. Normally I don't leave the door to your room open when I go in but I did that night. NEVER again.

You love the "Wheels on the Bus" song, even more now that you know how to do some of the hand motions to it. You ask for "La la" when you want a song from us, and "La la bus" when you want the Bus song, and even that has shortened to "La bus". Your Dad says it must be a French bus, ha ha. I added on a verse about "The Dad on the bus" that has the Dad saying "Don't touch that" all over town, and a scolding finger goes with it. You love that, and now ask for "La bus dada". Robert then added a verse where "The Mother on the bus says 'that's okay'" all over town with a shoulder shrug. You can see the two warring parental philosophies right there.

I have since added verses for Dad about making waffles, laughing like a pirate, and tickling. For Mom, we have "Put that back", shhhhhhh baby, and who's my pretty child.

Two Month Old Pictures

My ballet dancer in training.

"What trouble can I get into now?!"

Daddy's girl, helping make breakfast. (Your favorite is waffles, and you ask for them every day. Sometimes twice a day.)

You like to carry your baby on their back, like I carry you. I now use a scarf to tie her on.

I like this picture because somehow it says "American Gothic" to me. I also like the obvious size comparison between you and your Dad's foot, which is bigger and longer than your thigh.

This hat, from Grandma Byrne from her trip to Ireland, says "The leprechans made me cute", looks really cute on you. And, I adore your smile. Dad was standing behind me and doing things to make you laugh, which is how I got such a good picture.

The Heavy and the Rain

Last weeks word was "Heavy". Everything was heavy. Now you've settled into using it on anything heavy or difficult. Moving the chair is "heavy". Carrying the milk carton is "heavy".

This weeks word is "Rain". Not too odd when you look at our climate, I suppose. On any given day you can say "Rain" and be right several times during the day. Yesterday you made the connection that rain meant water. I'm still not sure if you know it means "water from the sky" or if any water will do. But, everytime you look out the window it's "rainy".

Your rain boots are your favorite shoes, although they're not my favorite. You love them because you can put them on by yourself. I dislike them because they come of at anything more than smooth pavement, and especially when I am carrying you. After letting you wear them one day when we went to meet Dad on the way home from work, and picking them up a thousand times or more, they don't get to take trips with you. You do look pretty adorable, though, when you stomp around in them. You look a bit like Farmer Jane out to work in the fields.