together again.

as you all know, last week marked the conclusion of the absolute longest period of time we've been separated from bean.  i had the misfortune of working the day she got home, so i was bouncing off the hospital walls trying to get out of there in time to lay eyes on her before she went to sleep.  we did have time to give each other many good night kisses as she graciously stayed up late for me, but prior to my arrival, an even more emotional (and affectionate) reunion took place.

and ever since, it's been peas and carrots again.  we are definitely appreciating this time where they absolutely adore each other.  with the exception of occasional disagreements over toys and miscalculated limb placements, these two thoroughly enjoy each other's company.

we enjoyed a somewhat hectic few days with nani and zuzu, eric and emily, and cousins bob, lisa and colin higgs all here to welcome bean back to chicago.

some happy coincidences in scheduling allowed dad to have a few extra days home with us at the end of his vacation, which included valentines day.  i happen to LOVE this artificial hallmark holiday, and hear me out on this.  valentines day to me seems very analogous to halloween.  yes, it loses a few cool points being in the winter vs. the fall, and is the closer to a string of holidays rather than the opener.  so, it's no halloween, but it's still a holiday that invites fun little craft projects, parties, exchanging tokens, candy and sweets, without any strong religious or familial connotation, so you can make it what you want without any guilt or obligation.  rather than viewing it as a scam to make single women miserable and couples spend preposterous amounts of money on mediocre pre set menus, i choose to see this as a small beacon shining in the depth of winter, one last hurrah after the real winter holidays have ended to tide us over until spring.

on my last bean free day, i indulged in a little heart shaped crafting, making felt valentines for the kids.  reese's i filled with noisy paper as that is most interesting to him these days, and bean's with this little necklace, instructions on this great blog:

i was really inspired by my experience knitting xmas gifts this year, and have since made a commitment to make ALL handmade gifts this year.  it's scary to actually type that, but that's the plan...it's a fun challenge and certainly ensures some gifts will come late, but it's exciting to think about branching out from knitting in my crafting and putting a lot of thought and time into gift giving...isn't that the point?

obviously, the kids are just a bit too young to get really fired up about any holiday, but i think we all had a great time on valentines day.  it started with a thematic riff on bean's favorite, french toast, followed by the presentation of gifts.

buddy's went straight into his mouth, which is always a positive sign.  

bean was very excited to open and don her beautiful big girl necklace...

...for precisely .25 seconds before ripping it off her neck and breaking it.  it has since been reinforced and adequately bean-proofed.

we also of course had to end the day with a thematic dish:

perhaps more delicious than it was beautiful.

in other rather significant news this week, it's very possible that we may have a house, or the promise of a house, in davis california.  forgive the crypticness (see the previous post re: not counting chickens).  what i will say is that on our trip, we surprised ourselves by falling in love with a house that hasn't yet been built.  the idea of building a house never occurred to me before as realistic because it seemed far too overwhelming to do so without ever even owning a home, and from across the country.  as it turns out, this is why they make model homes.  without giving away too much detail, i had resigned myself to knowing that my current kitchen, albeit in a tiny apartment, might be the nicest kitchen i ever call my own for the rest of my life, or at least for several more years.  then i met this model kitchen.  love at first sight.

what ensued over the next week or two, i'm not really sure...a lot of back and forth between our wonderful realtor, other realtors, david, designers, associations, other potential buyers and realtors...i chose during this time to remove myself from the deliberation entirely (see the previous post regarding my utter lack of competitiveness, not to mention my very short attention span for anything pertaining to money--i can't even focus on a game of monopoly), until i came home from work last week to find a happy husband with a glass of wine waiting for me to toast our winning offer...now that's good service.

so, barring any major disasters of varying nature, this may be our house in five-six (!) short months.

anyhow, onto more important topics.  the KIDS.  i am thrilled to report that these kids have been an absolute JOY since bean returned home.  per the previous post, everyone knows how magical and special reese has been...in fact, it's a story too long to mention here, but the degree to which his charm and general adorableness helped us secure our future home over our competitors is an interesting consideration (note, he was a part of our toast).  he's finally crawling on all fours rather than like a well compensated hemiplegic.  he's also very focused on climbing and standing.  his sleep issues have all but resolved, in spite of waking up the other night moaning and covered in snot.  he's sleeping better with his cold than he did the entire last month.

however, ms. beautiful baby princess also deserves some serious praise right now.  as we suspected, despite her illness, she really flowered in michigan and returned to us a little lady.  it's amazing what a difference verbal communication makes.  she talks (and sings) all the time now, and is clearly picking up a ton of vocabulary daily.  she easily whizzes through the alphabet now, reading every letter, and is doing pretty well with numbers and colors.  she speaks in spanglish, really impressing us sometimes with tough ones like peacock or crocodile.  she is starting to put words together into caveman sentences as well.

it's great to be able to communicate with her more effectively, and this can really short circuit those horrible tantrums when we can decipher why they started.  for example, if she's screaming in her high chair because she wants to get out, she will scream incessantly regardless of what food, toy, affection or distraction you offer her.  however, if you ask her to repeat "i'm done.  can i please get down?"  she stops crying immediately and pays close attention, repeating word after word. 

she has been thoughtful, loving, clever and funny, attentive to her brother, attentive to us, making us laugh and impressing us every day with her new skills and abilities.  she also has a new favorite band, rodrigo y gabriela, a feisty mexican guitar duo.  david recently put on a video of them and bean instantly started dancing the pasa doble and rocking out on her air guitar, speaking of surprising us daily with new skills and abilities...

both kids have been sleeping great overnight and at naptime, so without needing a nap myself, i have opted to stagger their naps such that i have a few hours of alone time with each of them during the day, which has been fun.  they do well entertaining each other when they're awake together, but it's nice to get one on one time.  this makes it difficult to leave the house, but we're not in a big hurry to do that during the winter anyway.

we are back on track with our weekly recipes, this week enjoying a winter root vegetable and kasha casserole with an apple celery walnut salad.  i'm working away at a sweater for reese, but it's big enough that it might actually fit bean for a few months.

we're very happy to be reunited again and have a lot of excitement coming up in the next few months.  we will keep you posted!

roy g biv

after a wonderful week in davis ca, we bid our goodbyes to day after day of 65 and sunny to make our way back to chicago, where the snow is blowing so hard at our apartment's altitude that it actually just looks opaque and white out the window.  we had a balmy (for chicago) 35 degree day yesterday that reese and i took advantage of with a run, only to find the wind was blowing so hard off the lake my earbuds couldn't even anchor themselves in my ears.  

i think it's safe to say the countdown has officially begun, even if my cautious, reasoned, calculated spouse, who dislikes nothing more than counting his chickens before they've hatched, is wary of making any formal announcements before deeds are signed, boxes unpacked, and new jobs begun.  so you heard it from me:  the countdown has officially begun.

as i mentioned when we signed off last week, we kicked off superbowl sunday with a 10k.  after our previous effort around navy pier, the athlete in david was reawakened from hibernation and he really got down to business in terms of training.  unfortunately, he was met with two minor but significant injuries in the 8 weeks between races--anyone who has a competitive fiber in their body can appreciate that what's harder than sustaining an actual injury is then respecting that injury and allowing it to heal while training days continue to tick by.  i am very proud of him for waiting it out and not making it worse, although he was prepared for big disappointments, and resigned himself to taking it easy and just comfortably completing the race.

then, race morning came, and i was unpleasantly awakened by the sound of a wake up call, an alarm clock, the news, and david out the door to get a 5:30am shot of pre game espresso.  the next two hours were a regimented routine of eating and drinking calculated portions of protein, carbohydrates, and caffeine, a brisk walk to the start line, and a warm up that i quit about 1/4 of the way in because it was more rigorous than i intended to run the entire 6.2 miles.  we parted ways (and next time will probably do so beginning the night before the race--jeez!) as i made my way back to the older adult/young child/running with strollers/recovering from injuries/interval training/walking area, and david was off to the front of the start gate.

approximately one hour later, we reconvened at the crepe restaurant next to the finish line where big boy and grandma were cheering us on...unfortunately we both managed to run through the wrong finish line and missed them altogether.  but, if i thought an athlete had awakened in november, i had no idea what i was in for.  as it turns out, david's injuries were all but absent, the land was flat, the air was dry, the sky was sunny, the scenery was lovely, all melding to make ideal race conditions and allowing him to blow through the goal he had set, which has unleashed a new sense of dedication, inspiration and excitement in him.  we're already signed up for our next race, back along chicago's lakeshore, this may.  it will probably be our last race in this fair city for a looooooooooooong time.

after a short walk together through the uc davis arb including a notable wild turkey sighting, i spent the next few hours enjoying downtown davis solo, including a very thorough calf massage with my mani-pedi, and meandering in and out of bookstores, coffee shops and the like.  there's something so charming and comforting about a college town.  a year ago i really liked it and could see myself living there, but revisiting with a stronger sense of finality, i find i really love it there.  i returned to our hotel in time for kickoff, and a few hours later i accompanied david to drown his sorrows in some thai food and beer.

the next day we spent a leisurely afternoon in berkeley, meeting cousins mary and jim for lunch, and taking an extended stroll through campus.  here, chief had his first real encounter with grass.  he seemed to like it.  we love berkeley's beautiful campus, full of majestic trees and delicious, cheap food, even if two of our favorite restaurants there recently burned to the ground (!).

meanwhile, the word from michigan is that bean came down with yet another terrible virus and spent the rest of her stay there spiking fevers and barfing all over the place.  poor bean.  fortunately, she has definitely turned a corner we're told, just in time for our much anticipated reunion tomorrow (with dad and reese) and sunday (with mom, since i have to work tomorrow, boo).  in spite of her illness she still manages to look awfully cute.

now, before our precious princess bean returns to her kingdom, it's really worth noting how much we've truly enjoyed the last week with reese.  with both parents' attention on him, his grace and charm have become so delightfully apparent.  i doubt there are many parents of a 9 month old who can say to them earnestly at the end of a cross country trip, thank you, sweet prince, you made this trip so much more wonderful by coming with us.  not a single setback, wrench, or surprise, not a whine, a cry, a shout, not even a single poorly timed dirty diaper...when i say he was great on this trip, i don't mean in the context of having a baby on a trip.  i mean that we enjoyed ourselves infinitely more with his constantly smiling, giggling, babbling little self around every moment.  and now that we are home, he has played quietly by himself through several cycles of laundry, unpacking, and working, allowing us to type, read books, wield scissors and needles, coming around every so often to offer a big grin, and go back on his merry little way.

this past week, as we buckled and unbuckled him countless times, in and out of house after house after house, dragged our feet through tours of daycare centers and suffered through a particularly long afternoon at a new housing design center, on and off of flights, through security and baggage claim...this remarkable child kept a smile on his face when really, i would have rather been anywhere but where i was.  

the most difficult part of parenting is patience, and accommodating the needs, before your own, of somebody who lacks the ability to be rational, reasonable, or understanding.  and here, we have this magical little baby who has more grace and patience than any human i've ever met, at only 9 months old, when truly he has no reason to believe the world shouldn't completely revolve around him.  we have registered over the past several months that he must be very mild mannered and easy going as he rarely complains, and by default, rarely gets the lion's share of attention.  

his warm and lovely spirit that we have been able to appreciate more than ever this past week is a humbling reminder of the importance of attitude and perspective, that no matter how uncomfortable or how unfair life can be, you can choose to make the best of it.  when i reluctantly return to work tomorrow, i have vowed to myself that i will try to be like reese, to put a big and sincere smile on my face regardless of what is happening around me, and to bring goodness and light to the people i interact with.  that is all he does, and the world is so much better for it.

reese's favorite song is "roy g biv" by they might be giants, a song about the rainbow.  one verse goes:

"you'll never see a unicorn, but you'll see a rainbow, and inside every rainbow is the spectrum of light.  you'll never see roy g biv, but he's inside the rainbow, and inside every rainbow is the spectrum of light."

we feel so lucky to have our own little roy g biv, a cheerful little man who lives inside his own rainbow and brings happiness to everyone around him.

two only children.

ok, i know i spent the entire last post ranting about how these kids are driving me absolutely batty...apparently i was so frank that even my husband felt a little uneasy reading about it.  but, one week ago today we cut the number of our offspring in half, sending bean off to michigan with her grandparents for a full TWO WEEKS during our trip to california.

i knew my workload would be cut by 75%.  i knew i would have far more free time, more time to spend with reese, an incomparably smoother trip, and more relaxation, not to mention a very clean and somewhat un-childproofed apartment.  but when we headed back west to chicago as bean headed east out of kalamazoo, i was so depressed i didn't know what to do with myself.  no amount of skype can possibly compensate for her hugs and kisses, her laughter, her sweet little voice that has finally found words to describe her world, the way she runs to the door and falls on her knees giggling when i come home from work, the sound of her bouncing in her crib when she wakes up and trying not to smile when you walk in to get her, our secret bedtime ritual, and the uncontrollable excitement between her and reese when they first see each other in the morning. 

the day before she left, we wanted to spend some one on one time with our princess bean, since neither child ever gets the undivided attention of both parents.  we woke up and she made herself some banana chocolate chip pancakes, generously pouring batter all over the kitchen and my purse.  then she took off on the town, walking next to her empty double stroller all the way to the institute of art.  here they have an awesome play area (free) for kids with lots of books, toys, blocks, computers, etc.  we had a lot of fun there.

 

fortunately, i worked the next 72 straight hours which served as a decent distraction from my heartbreak.  three back to back 12 hour shifts of floor nursing is pretty punishing, so i was happy to be floated to icu for one of those shifts, until my 250 lb stroke patient fell on top of me and may or may not have broken my arm in three places.  it was definitely time for vacation.

i was very anxious about having only one day to pack everyone for the trip until i realized i had only one child, and the day was actually quite leisurely with plenty of time to pack, relax, go for a run and go shopping.  ah, to have only one child.... life is definitely much, much easier.

after a brief flirtation with imperfection, the christ potato is back to being magically delicious in every perfect way with the one notable exception of his new 5am wakeup time.  still hoping that phase too passes.  soon.  but really, i feel we can't complain given that all he does from 5am to 8pm is smile, play quietly by himself, babble and has developed a pretty adorable giggle that's a dead ringer for marge simpson's.  it really makes us laugh.

it has been a lot of fun spending so much quality time with him, and i'm sure he enjoys the attention.  we continue to be incredibly impressed with how well behaved and just generally delightful he is.  on our day of travel, for example, he went to bed late the night before, then we woke him up at the crack of dawn, had an el ride, security, a 4 hour plane ride, and another car ride before he could finally relax.  he was all smiles but for the 2 hours he slept on my lap while i knitted, after which he entertained himself in his own seat.  seriously.

after briefly refreshing himself, he enjoyed a fireside dinner of cheese (garden)burger and sweet potato fries, because he eats everything (except babyfood, because that's for babies).  for good measure, he also decided to try standing up for the first time.

we spent literally the entire day yesterday with a realtor, taking him in and out of his carseat every 5 minutes, blowing off his nap time, waking him up from his late nap time (which i'm about to do again in 10 minutes), and traipsing around town (our impending relocation to davis, ca, i realize is a rather major detail we've yet to discuss on this blog).  he drooled happily across many a doorstep, yanked on blinds, played with pets and even traveled happily on the hip of our awesome realtor when his parents' arms grew tired of his happy dancing...you would have thought this was the best day of his life.  even at 5am, you just can't be irritated with this kid.  he has given a new definition to low maintenance.  i think to myself often that he's a tao baby.  his approach to life seems to be to just go with the flow...i think that bodes well for a pretty content future.

meanwhile, the report from michigan is that princess bean too is enjoying her life as an only child.  she's been a busy little bee reorganizing nani's kitchen, playing in her mom's old bedroom, and getting up close and personal with snow.

she's also growing acquainted with her brand new potty chair.  while potty training is a long way off, we see no problem in the two of them becoming friends early on.

we have been talking and skyping with her often.  to reiterate, we just miss her terribly!  we know we're missing out on a very exciting time in her development with this language explosion...yesterday we called to say goodnight and she said "bye bye, love you."  the cutest.

but sometimes, especially given what a wonderful time we're able to have enjoying reese, it's nice to have mandated apart time so both kids can get the attention they deserve but can't possibly receive for the time being. 

anyhow, we've got most of the legwork for our home search, phase one, behind us, and are now looking forward to enjoying some leisure time for the rest of our stay here.  that starts bright and early tomorrow with a 10k in town, so it's for now, it's bedtime!