Bobby's Sunday Summary

This week has felt really really crazy, but I think all of it was from yesterday. The rest of the week has been somewhat normal at home at least. At work management decided to shift some priorities around, so I spent much of this week learning about some new projects. Which is fine, just different from what I was doing before.

Now for Saturday. We had a lot of things planned for Saturday. In the morning starting at 7:00 am was a move. It was fairly well attended but it still took 2:30 hours to get it all done. So it ended at 9:30 and we had to get ready for a birthday party at 10:00. Unfortunately Susan also got a call that she had to sub last minute at the family history center. So we rushed off to the party, and the FHC. Luckily they were both at the church.

The birthday party was a jello slide. They had a somewhat large wading pool filled with orange jello, and a slip and slide. Several people took part, but a lot of people did not, including us. Alice was a bit intimidated. She played in the water a little bit, but did not go anywhere near the jello. Sorry no pictures, we left all of our electronics at home to avoid any jello issues.

We then went home and had a long quite time. That evening was my brother and sister-in-law's combined birthday party. It was a cook-out. It was a lot of fun, but it was very hot out. We did our best to keep the kids hydrated, and I think they really enjoyed it. Again we forgot the camera so no pictures of this either.

And that was our crazy Saturday,

My Favorite Time with Alice

We've been fixing up Alice's room. There is some ancient termite damage in the drywall that we want to address this summer. In the process of uncovering the termite damage, we peeled off several layers of paint (white, blue, white, brown, and pink) that revealed a nasty pastel pink layer reeking of stale cigarette smoke. The walls remained that way for two weeks until I finally mustered the courage to re-texture them myself. Many thanks to my sister Lara for suggesting a new technique that actually used materials I had on-hand and didn't require any special equipment. The teeny room should have been done in 30 minutes, but my life of constant interruption and juggling 3 people's schedules dragged the process out over 6 hours. It's hard to believe HOW that happens, but it does.

I finish just in time to rush out the door 10 minutes late for an appointment. An appointment I feel apprehensive about. We arrive at the meeting place only to learn that the other party has had to cancel last-minute. Alice, Robert, and I get back in the car and head home. Suddenly, I am giddy with the thought of this "extra" time to do something special...unscheduled and guilt-free. Robert is asleep, so it's just Alice and me. What do we do? We break out the ice pops and play every game in her closet: Guess Who, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and the classic Hungry, Hungry Hippos. She talks to me about Nature Camp. She makes up silly jokes about the games. I just sit back and enjoy her for an hour.

A whole hour! Housework had no hold on me, for some reason. What a rare treat. The kitchen was a mess, the laundry was half-done, and the entire house needed a good vacuuming and yet I felt NO need to do any of it. No guilt for leaving it just the way it was. Funny, huh? Somehow, things worked out yesterday in just such a way that I felt I had accomplished something significant and lasting (texturing the walls), met all of my scheduled responsibilities (even though one fell through) and had the rare opportunity to focus 100% on Alice (Robert was asleep). This is the kind of time that I love most with her. It doesn't come around that often any more.

Boy Teachers

Alice's usual Nature Camp teacher, Kate, wasn't there today. Instead, I met Brett. He could play football or basketball or both...tall, broad-shouldered, bellowing sort of fellow. Alice (and I, admittedly) was a little surprised and shy of him. I wondered how she would do today on her last day of Nature Camp. Why? Because a while ago, Alice and I were browsing the park district guide for a few summer activities. She saw a picture of a male teacher leading a youth swimming class. She pointed at him and said "I don't want that teacher. I don't want a boy teacher. I only like girl teachers. Will my class have a girl teacher?" I asked her why she wanted only girl teachers. She wasn't exactly clear why, but she was adamant. Girl teacher or no go. She hasn't had much gender preference in ANYTHING yet. It surprised me. I signed her up anyway, confident we could work things out later.

Fast forward to this morning when Alice is clinging to me, looking wide-eyed up at big ol' Brett. I say my goodbyes and leave. She doesn't cry, but she isn't her bubbly, show-off-when-nervous-with-new-people self. I come back at the end of class and Alice is herself again. She's playing puppy dog with the other kids and Brett is their mommy. She runs over and tells me about her wonderful day and the songs she learned (something called "gummy gummy"), the games they played, the crafts they made. Then she proclaims enthusiastically, "We didn't have Kate today. We had Brett. I LOVE Brett!" Later, in the car, she asks (hopefully?) if Brett will be her teacher next time.

Crisis averted...this time.

Being himself

Robert's 2-month checkup was this morning. Alice was relieved to hear she would not be getting any shots, and she reminded Robert several times in a sing-song voice that he WOULD be receiving shots today. I don't think she was trying to be mean. I think she was just happy for herself.

Anyway, he's still gaining weight (17 lbs 6 oz) despite the diarrhea. He's still 50th-75th percentile for length and head circumference. Still off the charts for weight. I don't think my pediatrician believes me when I say he's exclusively breastfed. He's in good health, and very much his own person. Everything I remember from Alice's 2-month checkup, he did the opposite:

Alice ignored the doctor...Robert smiled and cooed, kicked and giggled.

Alice recovered from the shots as soon as the Band-Aid was on...Robert screamed and cried for 10 minutes, requiring much attention to calm him down.

Alice slept for the rest of the day...Robert's on his regular schedule, though a little crankier.

When we got home, I finally remembered to give him a dose of baby vitamins. He hates it! He won't swallow it. Cracks me up. Yet another small difference from Alice.

One thing that was the same this time: blue Snoopy Band-Aids on the upper thighs.

Bobby's Sunday Summary

This week has been a bit odd. Work has been busy, because we have been coming to the end of a project. Not too overly busy, but still busy. Robert has started sleeping through the night, at least for the most part. He will go from about 9:30 to 5:30. It is still not ideal, 10:00 to 6:00 or even better 9:00 to 7:00 would be much better for a good nights sleep, but it is close enough that life is starting to return to normal. Alice is still her self. She is sitting next to me wanting to type so I will let her.

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Over all we are doing rather well. We have had some company in town this week end. We had a rather busy day Saturday with going to the children's museum, and all, but over all it was rather fun.

Tour de Fruit

This is the coolest idea I've heard in a long time, successfully combining two of my hobby passions. It's on a Saturday, too, which is nigh unto miraculous in this city of "all things cool must happen on Sundays." I've got goosebumps just thinking about it. Please, oh please don't rain us out!

TOUR DE FRUIT: BICYCLE EXPLORATION & URBAN FORAGING
This Saturday, June 19th, 2010. Meet outside the Bike Project (Urbana) at 6:30pm

Join local bicycle riders and fruit lovers as we excursion through the area. We'll visit a variety of fruit trees, including pears, apples, paw paws, persimmons, plums, apricots, peaches, mulberries, cherries, and juneberries. Each stop on the route will have time for activities and discussion, and will end with a delicious snack at the end. The purpose of the ride is to share knowledge of trees, identify native edibles, engage with the community, and talk about new ways of navigating our landscape.

The group ride will begin at the IMC Bike Project and end at La Casa, a co-op house where the residents are working on a permaculture food forest.

3-4 mile ride. Bring a helmet and containers to collect fruit.

Project Blog:
http://thebigneighborhoodorchard.wordpress.com/

Community fruit photo gallery:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnpaulgoguen/sets/72157622578682354/

Sweet Peace

This is Alice's first week of Nature Camp. It's 3 days a week from 9am-12pm, 2 weeks long. I thought it would be a little preview into how preschool might go this fall. It's only Day 2, and we both LOVE it. Alice actually loved it when she only knew its name. This is her fancy camp outfit the first day. Sporting her new sandals, 2 ponytails with frilly clips, and a "matching" outfit, she really went all out to make this special.

She came home the first day with a neat craft and stories of gummy bugs for snack (hmmmm). She also scraped her knee at some point. It didn't bother her a bit until I noticed it. Then she asked for a band-aid and said she couldn't walk very well. Indeed.

I love it because Robert has managed to sleep through it both mornings. That means I have sweet peace to ponder and work. I've missed that pondering time. A lot. With a couple hours of pondering, I'm feeling less scattered than I have in a long time. How have I spent my precious time? I've been scraping paint off of Alice's walls, making bread, catching up on chores, and doing a little blogging. All of these activities, without interruption, are conducive to the quiet thoughtfulness I love most.

The fascinating thing is it's a peace that I can't seem to get with a babysitter. I've tried again and again. Babysitters don't bring me peace. I'm always worried in the back of my mind how Alice is doing, if the extra child is stressful for the babysitter, if I've asked too much of a friend to watch my kid(s). I always feel rushed to go pick them up. I can't relax or enjoy what I'm doing. Ever. Somehow, with a school-like structure and a room full of strangers for Alice to play with, I can finally relax. Maybe because it doesn't directly affect my relationships with my friends and family like a babysitter would? Maybe it's because the instructor is paid and I know they want to do it. I don't feel like I'm asking for a favor. I don't know, exactly. That's something I'll be happy to ponder over the next little while :)

*sigh*

Even bigger

Robert's had a cold this week (slightly smaller appetite, much more barfing) and he's been sleeping through his night feedings. The bathroom scale led me to believe that his weight had finally stabilized at a hefty and quite respectable 15 pounds (*97th percentile*). Nope. At the doctor's office today, he weighed in at 16 pounds 13 ounces...on an empty stomach. Somehow, he's managed to gain half a pound a week on fewer and shorter feedings. What's going on?!

Children his weight are often sitting independently, pulling toys to their mouths, and maybe even crawling or walking. I've somehow ended up with a fat little caterpillar that's too heavy to carry comfortably in the infant carrier but still napping 3-4 times a day (thus requiring a car seat that does not disturb sleep while out and about). A little frustrating, but still nothing to complain about :)

Bobby's Sunday Summary (Last week and this)

Sorry I didn't write earlier. Last week was crazy. We have been a bit over extended at work, and had family in town for Robert's blessing. Everything has worked out fairly well for the most part. You saw the pictures and movies. Alice had a wonderful time with her cousins. She was sad to have everyone leave, but is doing better.

The rest of the week has been mostly normal. Nothing too exciting to report. Which is good, we have needed the rest.

A Silver Lining

I just learned from the termite guy that it's a "good sign" to have black ants in your house. Huh? Turns out that ants and termites are mortal enemies and ants win most of the time. So, not only are ants great for regularly testing the integrity of our food storage packaging (I'm trying to see this as a "plus"), but they protect our house from this termite-infested neighborhood. Wonderful news! I'll still squash them, but now with a lot more love.

This interaction with the exterminator reminded me of a couple other things I used to begrudge until I learned a little more:

1. Stinkin' hot summers with killer humidity and overnight low temps in the 80's. Believe it or not, there is a plus to this. It fosters beautiful, healthy gardens. My veggies grow vigorously and fruitfully all summer. I love, love, love that. The humidity also makes fireflies possible in my own backyard. I love those crazy beetles more every year, despite Alice's tendency to scream bloody murder and run indoors at the slightest hint of an insect.

2. Rain, rain, rain. We get a lot of precipitation out here compared to Southern CA and UT where I grew up. It used to bum me out. Now that I have a lawn and garden, I see rain as a very positive thing. I don't normally irrigate the lawn or remember to water the garden, so regular rain makes my garden possible.

So, if you feel like sharing, what is something you used to begrudge/hate until suddenly you realized it could do something for you?

Movies from last weekend

Bobby took a couple movies with his phone when I was too busy to pull out the camera (or when I forgot to bring the camera altogether!). I did manage to snag the water one myself. Here's some more cousin fun with the Barneys.

Bowling!




Tire swing!




Refreshment from an Igloo dispenser!

The Best Weekend of Her Life

This last weekend was literally the best weekend our little Alice has ever experienced. It makes my "top five" list as well.

Grandma and Grandpa Poulson arrived Friday evening, just minutes before my sister and her family arrived from Texas. What a treat! The Barney cousins are creative, attentive and everything else Alice could desire in playmates. She barely spoke to me the whole weekend :)

We filled every day with more activity than Alice and I usually see in a week, then stayed up late every night playing and chatting with our wonderful family. I couldn't have asked for a better, more relaxing, more fulfilling weekend with family. I'm exhausted.

Robert had a lovely time, too, with plenty of people to hold and rock him. It was this weekend that he started sleeping through the night (6-8 hours between feedings)! Sweet, sweet, 15-pound boy.


The following are photos from our delightful weekend.

Bowling! Alice remembers this about the event: lemonade, a yellow ball that knocks pins over, chips, more lemonade, Starbursts from Sam ("I got uh yast one!), Reese's PB cup from Mary, and even more lemonade. We realized on Sunday that Alice had imbibed lemonade at all of the previous 4 meals...dinner, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's how we Evanses let loose and go wild ;)

One of our picnics at the park/playground (Burwash):

Swimming at the hotel pool. Hooray for Daddy! Hooray for fun cousins that play and play and play. Robert was a bit sleepy:

Robert's blessing day. Bobby did officially name him Robert Jerald Evans (whew!). I always wonder if another name will come out during these blessings. The blessing itself was just what I needed to hear. I feel it suits our little man. Who, by the way, I don't want to call "Baby Bob" anymore. He's Robert, officially, and "Baby Bob" only occasionally. Even my tendency to call him "buddy" just doesn't feel right. All these nicknames are falling off of him. We just haven't found the right one yet. Maybe he'll grow into one of them again later. He's certainly growing into his nose :)

Alice took a couple pictures on the special day, too:

When it was all over and everyone left, Alice promptly fell asleep for several hours.

I loved many things about this weekend. I also learned a few new things about myself. For one, it's getting harder and harder to say goodbye to my family. I was never much of the sentimental type about my family until, well, Robert was born. I don't know why the sudden change.

Second, it finally feels like Bobby, Alice, Robert and I make a real family. We're a cluster of people. Is Robert our last child? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Ask me in another 2 years.

And third, cousins are a totally different kind of relationship than I've ever encountered. It's family without the irritating day-by-day baggage, and friendship without the long process of building trust. It's an instant "in" with kids about your age. Fascinating! I didn't grow up around cousins, and I still haven't met ANY of my cousins, so this is still pretty new to me.