happy birthday to dad

well, this has been a very eventful few weeks, all spanning dad's birthday on two sides, so we have many stories to tell in this post.  

for months, we have been discussing when we'll be able to make another solid trip back to michigan before we move outside of reasonable driving distance.  these conversations took a turn when david heard an interview on npr with the mexican guitar duo, rodrigo y gabriela, that we mentioned previously on this blog.  after hearing the interview, they quickly became integrated into our family's musical rotation.  we learned they would be playing in chicago, but for very pricey poor seats.  in the interest of saving up for every last power outlet we may need in our new home, we decided against it...until after a little digging we learned they would be playing in michigan just days after dad's birthday in a much more intimate venue for far less money.  easy decision.



and so, dad's birthday planning began.  of course, in order to get the time off to go to michigan (i have a policy that we do not leave town with both children for less than four days because the pain of traveling, the adjustment, if any in sleep schedules, is too taxing to make a shorter trip worthwhile), he had to pay dearly with six consecutive 12 hour overnight shifts.  i start complaining audibly when i have three 12 hour daytime shifts in a row...that's just not natural.


fortunately, nani was in town to visit and kept the kids well occupied while dad tried to squeeze in a few hours of sleep between shifts, allowing me time to focus on other aspects of the birthday celebration, including birthday breakfast (mexican tofu scramble with roasted potatoes and fresh guacamole) and dinner (orzo salad with all of dad's favorites, asparagus, broccoli, sprouts, almonds, feta) and my ongoing commitment to a year of handmade gifts.  crafting for men is not an easy task, but these coasters were fairly quick and easy to make...on one side, maps of our favorite places in costa rica, and on the other side, a photo of a memory from that place.  we're excited to use them when we actually have a coffee table.

then we were off to michigan.  how my mother packed two small children into a small sedan and drove nonstop to florida once a year is beyond me.  four hours in the car with these two is more than i can personally handle.  they never sleep at the same time, scream and wake the other one up, or scream simultaneously.  while we typically really love to spread out and relax in the suburbs, the kids are overlapping in a very difficult phase right now to be in non child-proofed spaces.


bean was very busy reorganizing the house, hauling around crystal bowls and candlesticks and the like, while reese was trying very hard to tumble down the stairs as often as possible.  glass, table corners, uncovered outlets, it was a constant struggle to keep them confined to a reasonable space, especially now that bean can open doors.  again, one or both of them was usually screaming out of frustration that their evil parents wouldn't let them crawl into the fireplace or jump over the balcony.




the level of vigilance required to prevent grave harm or injury was totally exhausting, and unfortunately, sleep was scarce as well since the big boy, accustomed to sleeping in the pitch black bathroom, could not tolerate a ray of light or the bed he was sleeping in.  in spite of us chipping the paint off many doorways and dirtying many sets of sheets moving from room to room to room to find a suitable sleeping space for him, we were up every two hours and never slept past 7am...  not particularly relaxing.


however, our time spent outside the house more than made up for it.  we accomplished many simple but impossible tasks in the city--my bi-annual haircut, clothes shopping, many outdoor runs, and two wonderful trips to ann arbor, one with kids and one without.




the weather more or less cooperated, allowing us to stroll as a family through campus to visit the museum of natural history where i logged many hours as an undergrad student, first as a docent and then as a program coordinator.  it was my home away from home and a space i will always really love. i have always wanted to take my kids there, and i know we will be back.  afterward, we hung out in the quad, and then went to nana's for a really delicious vegetarian indian feast.  he really outdid himself.

bean counting real dinosaur toes!

michigan mastodons!

hanging out on the quad

strolling through campus

the next day was our big concert outing in royal oak, a nice downtown area about 20 minutes from my parents' house.  we went to a brewery for happy hour and, after a few mixups, finally got into the correct line to maximize our general admission tickets.  i have been to many live concerts in my life (surprisingly, since i don't really like them at all), and this is the first time i've been in the front row, like, reach-out-and-touch close (and i did indeed hi-five rodrigo himself), and i have to say, it was really great.  the concert totally lived up to the hype of this extraordinarily talented duo.  a very memorable evening.

microbrews at bastone brewery

check out her awesome shirt!

the next day, we really let nani fend for herself with two adventurous, strong willed babies and indulged in a perfect ann arbor day, adults ONLY.  and perfect it was.  it started with a silent drive, no screaming children in the backseat.  how novel and miraculous.  our first stop was at the people's food coop for our favorite ann arbor brunch--we weighed our plates and loaded them heartily with heaps of organic salad fixings, soups, grits, eggs and tofu scramble.











next, we left our car where it was parked for free, since parking is free on sundays, and sauntered over to the kerrytown shops where we nestled into the comfy chairs at sweetwaters to do some reading over hot drinks and baked goodies.  well, david read while i knitted, which only goes to show the terrible time i had with these kids...i packed two huge knitting projects and couldn't knit a stitch edgewise on either of them so i actually used some precious kid-free time to do what's usually a kid-present activity.  we took a short break here and there to peruse the shops, sparrow market, hollander's paper, all the old haunts.

just another ann arbor trail...

next on the agenda was a nostalgic run, preceded by a new pair of running shoes for me.  i left the running store without any new shoes since i'm apparently running on the perfect pair already, but with a new sense of confidence about a big running goal i've been pitter pattering about since my friend jane planted a half marathon seed in my brain a few weeks ago, which coincided with a small breakthrough in my lazy jogging with the extra childcare on hand this week.  after much debate regarding what path to run since ann arbor must have more trails than streets, we agreed upon a loop from the medical campus through north ann arbor along the huron river, a trail i ran several times a week in graduate school.

we capped this day with some outdoor vegetarian dining at seva, perhaps the only place you'll find me drinking a margarita and not a beer, soaking in the sights and sounds of this beloved town, wondering aloud when we might be back again.

bean and dad stretching

after another miserable night of wakefulness and five more hours of screaming children in a too-confined space, i was surprised to find myself very excited to return to chicago, where the kids have their moments, but at least i can sit on the couch and knit for god's sake!  they too seemed happy to be home.  suddenly, all the whining stopped as they again busied themselves with familiar toys and spaces, greeting stuffed animals and books, bumping their heads on protected table corners.  all in all, a productive, successful, and entertaining trip to michigan, but we'll be thinking long and hard for the next few months about any visits to non-childproofed spaces.  not relaxing.

other than our constant disagreements this weekend about appropriate forms of play, the kids are doing great.  reese has two front teeth growing in just to look like a very big boy for his first birthday, just around the corner.  he's standing, cruising, talking, and making progress in holding his cup and getting some cheerios into his mouth.

bean is more and more a little girl every day.  every week she is so much more competent, verbose, intelligent and articulate, it's hard to imagine what she was like before and what the [near] future might hold.  she's making real-world observations all the time and can legitimately communicate now about what she sees and hears.  she finally got her first doll, baby anna, and has been so loving and nurturing. it's really cute.












we finally got some new pictures of the house and it's moving right along...we have walls!  and windows!  and some doors!  hopefully things continue to move on track since we really can't wait to get out there, and we know the next 12 weeks are going to fly by.

that brings us up to date...we will check back soon!