 | Diary Navigation:
|
January 4, 2005
In the process of loading songs from CDs on to my new iPod mini I’ve gone on a bit of an archeological dig through old music. Funny how music can send you rushing to the time you first heard it, to the person you associated with it, to the time in your life where you played that darn cd so much your roommate was ready to throw you out. My taste in music is quite simply all across the spectrum. In my genres section of the mini I have Folk, Pop, R & B, Classical, alternative and country (Dixie Chicks)… It makes the ‘shuffle’ option sort of an interesting ride. John Mayer followed by Yo Yo Mah! But here’s a sampling of what I’m talking about…
Allison Krauss – “When You Say Nothing At All” This is no doubt ‘our song’ for me and John. ‘The smile on your face lets me know that you need me, there’s a truth in your eyes saying you’ll never leave me, the touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall.’
Dave Matthews Band – “Crush” The song that captures the beginning of my relationship with John, the love, the lust, and the certainty of it all. ‘It’s crazy, I’m thinking just as long as you’re around. I’m here I’ll be dancing on the ground. Am I right side up or upside down? To each other, we’ll be facing. My love, my love, we’ll beat back the pain we’ve found. You know, I mean to tell you all the things I’ve been thinking, deep inside my Friend. With each moment the more I love you. So much you have, given love, that I would give you back again and again. Oh, the love, many now hold you but please, please, just let me, always…’
Celine Dion (Don’t laugh) – “A New Day Has Come” When I was pregnant with Ava, early on in my pregnancy I had some spotting. I was terrified I was going to lose her. I was sitting in the lab, getting blood drawn. The tech was having a horrible time finding a vein. I was miserable. And to top it off a da*n Celine Dion song was playing on the radio. But gosh darn it every time I hear that somewhat stupid cheesy song I just feel so grateful for my girl. “Let the rain come down and wash away my tears. Let it fill my soul and drown my fears. Let it shatter the walls for a new sun.”
Fleetwood Mac – “Silver Spring” Why did I ever think that boy was going to fall in love with me? ‘Time cast its spell on you, but you won’t forget me. I know I could have loved you but you wouldn’t let me.’ Great song, pathetic Kate who thought this guy was the bees knees.
Cowboy Junkies – “Come Calling” The mother of all break up songs from the previously mentioned former fiancé.
Yes indeed I’m on a musical dig and I’m rather enjoying it. All those CDs that just sit are being rediscovered and it is pretty coolio.
Our New Years trip was really fun and kind of a nice ‘make up’ for the tough, ear infected Christmas. Ava was an absolute doll, despite the fact that she refused to nap for the entire four days we were gone. We set out Wednesday in our rented mini-van. Call me a little crazy, but I sort of like the feeling of everyone cozied into a car packed to the roof with stuff. It was cold outside, but we were all looking forward to our trip, not in a huge hurry, listening to music, chatting, riding quietly etc…. Ava dozed for the first hour or so and then Meghan was generous enough to share her portable DVD player so she could watch “Momo” (‘Finding Nemo’) for a good portion of the rest of the drive. Again I find myself having to revise rules I had mentally established prior to Ava’s entry into Toddler-hood. That portable DVD player was awesome. It was like a visual blankie. Apparently I am not above practically bribing my child with movies/tv to keep her quiet and content. While I’m not proud, it did make for a very pleasant trip.
We stayed at John’s brother Brian’s house. They live in a nice suburb of Minneapolis in a house that is quite perfectly suited to the three day slumber party that descended on them. Brian and Hilary have two boys Ben who is four and Matt who is just three and a half months older than Ava. We brought our whole crew, plus Meghan’s boyfriend. John’s mother joined the fray just for fun. John has three brothers – John is the oldest, Brian is the youngest. Brian is just a huge heart, very proud of his family (as he should be), very proud of his home (as he should be) and there is just nothing he enjoys more than the nesting that took place at his house over New Year’s. I really like his wife Hilary – we always have nice talks about family and life. I think she was a little less thrilled about everyone being in her house. Maybe that’s not fair. Hilary is very, very clean. I think all those people/kids - all the clutter was a little overwhelming for her. I watched with a mixture of awe and envy as one night she spent nearly two hours cleaning her kitchen while we talked. I swear she didn’t want any help. I had already loaded the dishwasher, swept the floor, wiped off the counters – this was a more thorough cleaning – scrubbing the sink, the stove top etc…. If that had been me at my house I would have congratulated myself on having picked up the big chunks and plunked myself down on the couch, tucked my feet up under me and enjoyed a glass of wine and some conversation. Am I a slob that a somewhat dirty kitchen sink doesn’t bother me in the least?
We didn’t do a lot over our trip. We did a quick trip to the Mall of America to try to look for some post-Christmas bargains. Ava was not terribly content to be pushed around in her stroller while we perused the sale racks, so we cut that part of the trip short and took her on a few rides in Camp Snoopy, their in-door amusement park. She rode the merry go round, a little train and a hot air balloon ride that went around in circles. She loved it. She giggled and clapped and quite literally posed for pictures on every ride. Friday morning I left with Ava and we went to St. Paul to visit with a friend of mine from college and her son, who is nearly Ava’s age. We met at the Minnesota Children’s Museum, which was an inspired idea on her part. The kiddos were able to play in an entirely kid friendly space and we were actually able to talk a little bit, not nearly so much as we’d like, but more than we would have if we would have attempted lunch. The museum was great –I was very impressed. And it was awesome to catch up with my friend. Funny how many life stages/changes we’ve been through together.
Our Patito played so hard with her cousins, brother and sister, aunt and uncle, Grandma…. She slept like a log every night despite skipping her nap every day we were there. She was just in very high spirits as the adult-to-Ava ratio was perfect for her AND she had so many playmates. Brian and Hilary were kind enough to move a crib into the guest room. Since it was nest-fest I will say here that I really enjoyed our three nights of somewhat co-sleeping. I loved hearing my girl through out the night and loved being there seconds after she opened her eyes in the morning. It isn’t practical for us in the long term, but for those few days it was very cozy. Their guest bedroom also had a double bed. John and I are both pretty tall – me at 5’8”, him at 6’3” so it felt a little bit like the shacking up you’d do in a college dorm to settle into a double bed at night. (Not that I would know – ha!)
I saw two new behaviors from my girl on this trip. I actually saw her play WITH her cousin Matt rather than doing the ‘parallel play’ favored by babies. She played hide n seek, she hugged him, kissed him, put necklaces on him, sat next to him while watching “The Wiggles” and danced about to music. It was so fun. It just made me feel so good to watch her connect with her cousin that way. The other thing I saw was slightly less fun. While she was playing with her cousin Matt in a their gynormous play room fully stocked with all kinds of fun toddler appropriate toys Ava set her sights on a hula hoop. She loved it. She loved watching me attempt to recapture my youth and actually make the thing go….none too successfully. But after a few minutes she lost interest and moved on to the faux kitchen. That was, until Matt toddled over to the hula hoop and expressed interest. Ava was off like a rocket trying to grab it from his hands. “Mine, mine, mine.” I said something appropriate, I’m sure, about sharing and Matt was playing with it now. Ava burst into tears, started stomping her feet (kind of the anti-happy-feet) and bit down on the hula hoop. Hard. Hard enough to leave teeth marks. Matt must be a more agreeable child than mine, because he let the hula hoop go in the face of Ava’s toddler-rage. I was fairly horrified and didn’t want to reward Ava’s bad behavior, so I took it away from her and gave it back to Matt. Of course by then Matt had lost interest and toddled away to something else. I immediately attributed this outburst to the fact that Ava doesn’t have a sibling close in age she has to share with. John, as usual, talked me down from the ledge and thought, maybe, instead, she’s learned to fend for herself at daycare. It’s all about rewards and punishments and maybe this behavior gets rewarded there? Blech. The storm cloud passed and it was probably not the biggest deal ever, but it was a little surprising.
So I’m going through my in box when I get back and I see my weekly email from babycenter.com. Hmmm…. Top 100 names of 2004…. Hmmmm…. Ava has moved from #42 to #25 in popularity. It was somewhere in the 80’s in 2003 when we chose it. Then I look a little more carefully at the commentary. They said that they expect Ava to move into the top 10 in 2005. When we chose that name it was, in part, because we thought it was a little bit unusual, but not sooo unusual that people would think it was odd. Of course, since then it has become more and more popular. Even though it isn’t likely to mean she’ll have a classroom full of Ava’s when she gets to school, it sounds like there will be a bunch who are 3-4 years younger than her. At this point I am choosing to believe that we are just very hip and ahead of the times, but in a way I also feel like everyone ‘stole’ our name! And by the way, Bonnie, if you’re reading I’ll tell you that Ella is the other fast mover mentioned in their email. It has moved to #24, right in front of Ava. (BTW, love the name Ella!)
Driving to work yesterday on a really gross, freezing rain kind of morning, the fan in my heater blew out. My car is only 8 months old and the dealer is still trying to give me grief about the warranty. Blech! A winter storm is bearing down on us with 10 inches of snow expected by Thursday. I feel like we’re moving into the dog days of winter – the long stretch of little time off (compounded by the legislative session for me) and day after day of cold, bleak weather. I am trying to schedule a girls trip to Chicago in February, which would be a nice bright spot. My mother in law was very generous with us for Christmas so I have a little bit of shopping money just burning a hole in my pocket. Of course I have about 10 more things on my ‘wish list’ than actually I have funds for! She got Ava a gift certificate to the ‘new mall’ (big news if you’re in Des Moines) but I think I’ll save hers to stock up on spring clothes. Right now she’s pretty well outfitted in terms of winter clothes/toys etc… Ava has her follow up ear-check with her regular pediatrician tomorrow. In my non-medical opinion, it is likely time for tubes for our girl. No big plans for the weekend as we settle back in after a busy holiday season and finally put away the last little bit of Christmas decorations. We hustled the tree out one night after Ava went to bed and she responded fairly well. Although its been over a week now and she still asks for the ‘pretty tree.’
So that’s what’s up in my world right now….
Thanks for reading—
--Kate
 |  |
|
want to keep a diary on iParenting?
Authoring a diary on the iParenting network allows you to chronicle your family's story, preserving it for years to come. It's also a great way to get the most out of the iParenting community. Click here to start...
|
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families. 
