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March 15, 2004
I’ve made a decision. I am going to try writing more frequent entries here; entries that will most likely be shorter and filled with more of the day-to-day details of our lives. Now let’s all just sit back and see how well I actually follow-through on this.
I’ve been thinking lately about starting a blog, which is, as Heather says, “the new black.” I do like the spiffier format. I like the fact that the bloggers I currently read have neat features like pictures, book/movie/CD reviews, links to other bloggers, etc.
The problem is that I would have to set this blog up, and I would be responsible for maintaining the content & format. Therein lies the problem. I am really bad at this sort of thing, and it also simply does not interest or engage me (I’m sure the two are interrelated). Even with the offer of help from Melissa, I’m intimidated by the potential for upkeep. I’m fairly certain I would rarely, if ever, actually get around to posting pictures. I know I would never actually post my own reviews of anything, despite my fondness for them when other people author them. And so, after some thought, I’ve decided to just stick to iParenting for now. I like it here just fine and it suits my needs at the moment. Rather than move to the blog world right now (do you sense that I am caveating everything with “for now”?), I will stick around and try to simply post more often. Try is the key.
So, to start. We had a very nice weekend. Relaxing. I went out for a couple of drinks with a girlfriend on Friday night, and Mike stayed in with Hana (he rented Matrix Reloaded, knowing full-well I have no desire to see it). We stayed out till 1am and had a great girls-night out. Ran into some friends (guys we went to high school with…all of whom are also Mike’s good friends) and had a great time bantering with them for awhile and buying each other rounds of (gross & grosser) shots (we had a designated driver, for the record). Later, after the guys had moved on to the downtown nightclub scene, we got back to our girl talk, and at the end of the night, the waiter picked up our entire tab. A good night, for sure.
Saturday morning we woke up to a perfect spring morning: sunny, blue skies, crisp, fresh, cool air. Mike, Hana & I took a long walk around the neighborhood and stopped by the bakery for coffee and bagels. Mike’s friend came over around noon to help him with the deck that he’s building off of our bedroom (we put in French doors awhile back). Hana & I went to my parents’ house for lunch & a visit after her nap, and ended up taking another long walk (with my parents) to the beach/park near their house. Hana absolutely loves to chase her grandpa and ride on his shoulders and throw sticks in the lake with him. Her gleeful giggles are truly the best sound in the world.
Shortly after we arrived back home, my girlfriend Leanne came by, and the three of us (Leanne, Hana & I) went to a couple of nearby yarn stores. Leanne knits and wanted to shop a couple of yarn stores near my house (she lives north of us in Arlington).
Acorn Knits had two very elderly & friendly dogs roaming the store, and Hana was in heaven. She doesn’t really have much frequent exposure to dogs except for occasionally at various friends’ houses, and all of our friends have young, energetic dogs. Sweet, well-behaved dogs, but energetic and “in-your-face” (to a toddler), so Hana tends to shy away. These dogs at Acorn Knits, however, were right up her alley. They were sweet, old, slow and loving, and Hana fell in love. She liked Bear in particular….soft, fuzzy Bear, who let her spoon him on the floor, lay her head on his belly, and gently lapped at her chin. Maybe we’re on to something here….I’m more up for an old, sweet dog (even if he does have a few ‘old’ tricks too) than a hyper new puppy at this point in my life. Looks like Hana prefers that right now too. Next time Mike brings up the dog idea, I’m suggesting we save some sweet old mutt at the pound. I’m not worried about teaching my little girl that “all dogs go to heaven” if it means we get some special time with a special creature and can make his (her) last years happy ones. It broke my heart to pull Hana away, crying, from Bear & Shasta, so madly in love she had fallen in just a half hour. Too sweet.
On Sunday morning I did the 3.5-mile Seattle St. Patrick’s Day Dash with my brother. “Dash” hardly describes what we did, though. We signed up for the slowest heat and just enjoyed a leisurely stroll through north downtown, over the Alaskan Way Viaduct, and down through the SoDo district. Our “dash” was done while sipping tea, so you can imagine the speed at which we were cruising. It was fun to be part of the energy though, as thousands of people swarmed through the streets. We wrapped up our morning with a big omelette & hash browns breakfast at 13 Coins, and I haven’t laughed so much & so hard in a long time. It’s been awhile since Kyle & I have hung out, just the two of us, with no Hana, no Mike, no parents, and it was lovely. I puttered the rest of the day. Played with Hana. Read the Sunday paper. Made a big lunch. Made a big dinner. Did lots of dishes. Did some laundry. Grocery shopped. And wrapped up the evening with “American Dreams” (can you believe the previews for next week?!!). I love that show. Since I was young, I’ve always wished I lived in that era.
Things are progressing with my grandma’s house. Its starting to look a lot like we’ll be moving soon, but I’m still hesitant to say that out loud. Tonight we’re meeting with our mortgage guy (for lack of a better term) to get all the paperwork together for the new loan. He’s already pre-approved us, so I guess we’re just going forward with the formalities & paperwork now—although as I said, I’m not sure I’ll be convinced this is happening until the ink is dry.
It looks like we would probably move in May, if it all works out. We do need to sell our house before we move, but the housing market in Seattle is really hot right now so it shouldn’t be too difficult (knock on wood) if we ask the right price. I am at any given moment, elated, happy, nervous, sad, scared, or giddy with anticipation. I never thought I’d be moving again so soon. The thought of packing and unpacking and setting up a new household is both exciting and daunting to the point of depressing (haha). Moving always offers a great opportunity for more cleaning & discarding, and I just love the feeling of being lighter. The thought of having to Find a new place for every last item exhausts me. Getting used to a new closet, kitchen, bathroom, stove, et al also exhausts me, but I have the benefit of knowing the layout of this house pretty darn well going into it. The higher monthly mortgage is the #1 stress factor for me. We can do it. We’ve run the numbers and it works. It’s actually not all that different from our current mortgage when you figure in the rental income from the mother-in-law apartment. But it is different. And that means higher, not lower. And it just raises my heart rate a little, that’s all.
But…the view. Ah, the view. That makes all the panicky moments worth it. The view and the neighborhood. I love this neighborhood. Adore it. Know most of its current residents; grew up with them, in fact. They are the crotchety old lady on the corner who yelled at us for cutting across her lawn; the darling old lady who gave us candy every Wednesday after school; the family of 5 kids with the spunky mom and wacky house; the hip, single guy with the BEST Halloween house, the grumpy gay (they own the town florist) couple next to the pool who threw their expensive flower pots over the fence one year during the summer “Adult Party” at the beach club; the nice middle-aged couple who always let us set up our lemonade/bracelet/perfume stand on their front lawn; so many of my best friends growing up who have since moved back into the neighborhood, and all of their parents,’ who have never left. They are hundreds of different, unique families, all united by this great neighborhood, and I am just elated that we may be moving back in. I’ll really miss our current neighborhood too, but Sheridan Beach just feels like home.
The house was built in the 50’s and has been updated a bit, but is still in need of some updating. It is, however, very livable as-is and we would not remodel for some time. There are a few “big” things we’d like to do right-off the bat though. My grandma’s house is an interesting study in real estate b/c it has so many pluses & minuses that make it hard to “rate” or price. One of the negatives is the fact that it lies off of a busy highway. There is a big driveway/courtyard in front that protects the house from the highway, but it is, nonetheless, on a busy, fast (45 mph) road. This “bad” is balanced by the “good”-- that we can leave by foot via the backyard, which opens onto a nice, quiet, residential street with sidewalks and spills down into an entire neighborhood of these streets and an interurban bike path (the Burke-Gilman Trail) and then the beach & Lake Washington. We plan to put an electric driveway gate in the front, for safety ASAP. They are expensive ($2-3k) but well-worth it for the peace of mind. We would also like to paint & carpet the bedrooms, as they are all in need. We’re also getting excited to re-landscape the garden terrace in the backyard. The house sits on a hill above Lake Washington, and the backyard has a small lawn with gardens on either side (including beautiful magnolia trees that I was in love with as a little girl—great for climbing and daydreaming). About 5 steps down from the lawn is a terrace garden that leads to the street below. Many years back, my grandparents, in a fit of downsizing their gardening responsibilities, planted some juniper and now they have taken the garden hostage. We plan to rip them out as soon as we can and work our way towards a new garden. I dream of a cutting garden and a vegetable garden. Someday, we hope to remodel the kitchen and the bathrooms, enlarge the master bedroom, and have even discussed possibly adding a third floor. But those dreams are distant for now.
Mike was unemployed for far longer than we had planned. Four months to be exact. He had a wonderful 4-months at home with Hana, and I am so thankful that they both had the experience. Mike was recently hired by a national bank (as an investment advisor, or something like that) and is now back to the working world. Although he misses Hana, he is thrilled to be back at work and earning a salary. I’ve been madly investigating daycare options for Hana in the meantime. We are lucky that his mom is still unemployed and so, can watch Hana for now. I do, however, want to get Hana into daycare because I think it will be really good for her right now; she’s so social & independent, and like any toddler, loves to learn and play and explore. Her grandma is wonderful, but my gut feeling is that at this point, it would be healthier for Hana to be with other kids in a group setting with more variety. Her grandma also likes to have the TV on ALL THE TIME, and that makes me crazy.
Mike & I toured what feels like hundreds of daycare centers. She had previously been in a KinderCare center for 4 months, but I am not taking her back there. It was fine and we had no problems, but I didn’t love it, it is downtown (not as convenient as I initially thought it would be), and it is also WAY more expensive than other daycare centers outside of downtown. After much searching, we have fallen in love with 2 child care centers (neither are corporate or chains). One is a cooperative, parent-owned child care center in the University District (near University of Washington). The other is a small , privately owned center (30 kids total, from 12 mos to 5 yrs) in Lake Forest Park…where we will hopefully be moving soon. In both of these places, the kids looked at home, at ease, comfortable. There were couches and bean bags and reading corners, and art tables and water tables and sensory tables, and lots of colorful, joyful artwork and pictures and décor. The centers are cheerful, clean but not sterile. Comfy & cozy. The teachers are fun, easy-going, very well-trained and credentialed. The curricula and philosophy are just what I was looking for (both use the Emilio-Reggia/emergent philosophy) and just feel right. I really appreciate the cooperative center approach at the center near the University, and love that they have big family field trips and monthly parent meetings. I also love the idea of placing Hana in daycare in the neighborhood/town where we will be living though, and so we’ve decided upon the center in Lake Forest Park. It is not cooperative, but it is small and privately owned. I’ve made 3 visits now, and it really does seem like a community in and of itself. The parents & teachers are all very close, there is a lot of parent involvement, and the kids get very involved at community events at the local bookstore & community center, among other field trips to local parks, etc. There is a lot of art, a lot of sensory experiences, a lot of reading, a lot of outdoor play in a big, giant playspace. The kids have their own vegetable garden that they operate. The parents & teachers are in the process of turning an expanse of blacktop into a grassy, tree-filled park. The classrooms all open into each other (but can also remain entirely separate) so the children get many opportunities to interact with different age groups and explore other classrooms. The school provides healthy meals (breakfast & lunch) and snacks that are cooked on-site by their own cook (who is the mom of kids we went to high school with!). The center’s director is the mom of another friend of ours. We have already realized we know 2 other parents, and 1 other teacher (in addition to the cook & the director). Long story long, it feels right. I’m hoping to start Hana in the first part of April, and I’m really looking forward to it. We’re going to start taking her a couple of times a week for visits so that its not entirely unfamiliar to her (she’s already been 3x and loves it!). I hope she transitions well.
Hana herself is doing fabulously. She is now 21 months. She gets chattier by the minute, although it is all still pretty garbled and difficult to decipher unless you are her parents or grandparents. She remains a very active & curious kid. I can’t leave anything I don’t want her to have on the kitchen counter b/c she will wait till I’m not looking, scoot a chair over, climb up, and claim her prize. She is a candy-maniac. She would love to get her hands on a pack of gum (one day I found her hiding in the corner at the local pharmacy, trying madly to unwrap a pack of gum before I got to her!). She loves to swing, jump, run, be flipped upside down, spun in circles, and bounced on the bed. She has no fear of motion or heights as far as I can tell. She loves to push her baby in the stroller and rock her baby to sleep (“sshhh” she says very dramatically, pudgy fingers to rosy lips). She loves to read books by herself or curl into someone’s lap to be read to. Her favorites are the Sam the Bear books, Corduroy, Ping the Duck, and a really annoying hand-me-down called “Grandma’s at the Lake.” Her curly blonde hair is growing wildly in every direction, and she & her buddy Ella remain the tallest kids (their age) on the playground. Swimming has gained more favor lately, and on Friday she even stood in the shower after swimming all by herself (she usually hates showers, or anything that gets her face wet). She adores Matchbox cars and train sets. She loves Clifford, Arthur, Finding Nemo, anything Winnie the Pooh and the Teletubbies (that fetish has come back with a vengeance). She’s getting really good at whining, and I’m making a pledge to learn more about positive discipline. When she passes gas, she grabs her bottom, says “Poo!!” and cracks up. Her dad must be wearing off on her.
And now, I best go and catch my bus. Hopefully I’ll stay true to my word and be back soon.
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