Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It's 7:30am and the house has been in full swing for some time now. Oliver and Cora are reading together and only fighting occasionally. We're getting to that stage where it pays to have two of everything. When one kid has something, the other one wants it, no matter what it is. We've talked a lot about sharing and not grabbing, and I expect it will be a theme for some time to come.
Some things we are thankful for today:
Kate was admitted to Belmont University to complete her Undergraduate degree. She'll start classes in the new year.
Oliver is getting his hair cut today. Aunt Sarah is bringing her scissors to Thanksgiving dinner and he will be sheared before, after, or during our feast. We have enjoyed every minute of his sun drenched locks, and until now they seemed too beautiful to cut. But just last week he crossed that mysterious line when you just know it's time for a haircut. We'll take some before and after pictures for posterity.
We're also thankful for our family and friends who have supported us as a family for the last six years. When Kate and I found out she was pregnant, we were living in a very different world. Ensconced in the buffered environment of Omega, still young and exploring possibilities for ourselves, having children was the last thing we expected to be doing within the next year. Other than Phyllis, our ninety year old friend at Omega who insisted a baby was on the way (and who is honored by Cora's middle name), no one else expected it either. Phyllis was right about the baby, and she was right about another thing too.
Phyllis insisted that this child would bring our families together. I still remember how stunned Kate and I were after breaking the news to our families to receive the instant support, love and acceptance that has never wavered to this day.
Kate and I often talk to each other about how lucky our kids are to have such a loving network of family and friends. They have both grown up in a web of grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends that love them to pieces. And sometimes, when we emerge briefly from the thrill ride that is parenting, we let it soak in that this love surrounds us too. And we are very, very thankful.
We're having trouble posting a photo from Flickr at the moment, click "Online Wingate Photo Album" to see some pics from the trip...
We took a much-needed vacation last weekend, consisting mostly of hiking, eating, dancing, and lazing about in front of a roaring fire -- not bad, eh? Pop Pop and Grammy Rena, Grandma Sally and Granddad, Aunt Anne, Uncle Nate, Cousin Mary Grace, and our Wingate crew converged at a cabin at Pickett State Park in North-Central Tennessee for our annual November getaway. Aside from said cabin having no heat (what are blazing fires for, after all?), everyone had loads of fun and agreed that the time passed much too quickly for our liking. Visuals soon...
Still Life with Dinosaur and Fire Hydrant
Cora as Pippi Longstocking 
More candy, please
Post Trick-or-Treating Silliness
Well, Halloween 2006 was officially a success. Aside from a cranky dinosaur who refused to take a nap earlier in the day and a few minor wardrobe malfunctions for Pippi (her wig kept falling off!), much candy was accumulated by all. We journeyed over to Cora's schoolmate Ben's neighborhood for the evening, and boy, do they know how to do Halloween in those parts! One house even had the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas being projected onto a screen on the front of their house. And there were just droves of trick-or-treaters -- way more people on the streets than I've ever seen in all my Halloweens. My favorite costume (aside from Cora's, of course) was a sumo wrestler -- it was made out of the same material as those large blow-up yard snowmen and pumpkins and had a fan built in which kept it inflated. There was also a dad dressed up like Kid Rock. He had a portable amp slung on his shoulder and whenever his kid approached a front door, he'd play a rif on his electric guitar. It brought back memories of being completely embarrassed by my dad, who always accompanied me trick-or-treating with a paper bag over his head, with holes for the eyes and a face drawn on the front. Hmmm... maybe I'll do that to Cora and Oliver next year...
It's Brian's birthday (yay!), but we won't get to celebrate it as a family today because he's working til 10 tonight (wah!). While she was visiting us last weekend, Grandma Carol had the wonderful idea of bringing him cupcakes at the office on his birthday. It just so happened that he was teaching this morning, so his co-workers and I surprised him at the end of his class by coming in and singing to him, and then handed out cupcakes and juice boxes to his students. Susan even spanked him 33 times -- one for each year and one to grow on. He was sufficiently surprised and embarrassed, I do believe...
Bear with us, dear friends and family -- it's a crazy time here at the Wingate household. With Brian's teaching schedule in full swing, most nights he doesn't get home til 10. This leaves Mommy with the lion's share of kid/house duties, so come evening time, neither of us tends to be up for computer time. Repeat with us, "This semester WILL end. This semester WILL end."
In the midst of it all, however, we somehow managed to organize a fabulous (albeit VERY late) 5th birthday party for our dear girl Cora. She made her "friend party" request way back in July, right after her real birthday, which we celebrated with our extended family at the beach. And what exactly was this request? Nothing other than a (and I qoute) "John Denver campfire singalong." How could one refuse her this? It took me a while, but finally, last weekend, she had her very own John Denver party at a charming picnic shelter in the woods, replete with a stone hearth and lots of friends. Some pics...
Oliver started putting words together this week. He says the first word, pauses, then says the second in a singsongy question. He already has some words like school bus that are more than one word, but now he is starting to express concepts.
Last week was a long one at the Wingate household. I started teaching my Monday/Wednesday night classes, we weaned Oliver; he did not appreciate it one bit and started waking up for the day at 4:30am every morning on the dot, getting out of bed and wandering around in the dark, knocking on the door pitifully. He's also breaking in four new teeth all at once.
Today he woke up at 4:50, so that's some improvement. We don't know exactly how he does it, but Oliver has a circus-like ability to crawl out of enclosures. We've never seen him actually do it, so there's still an element of mystery to how he pulls it off. It involves kicking one leg up over the rail and then heaving his body up after it. But that takes a lot of strength. He's manly.
We retired Oliver's crib because he fell out once and was halfway out a second time when Kate came into the room. With his recent nightly wanderings we decided he needed to be contained for us to have any sanity. Rather than reassemble the crib and risk another high fall, we set up the portable play pen in his room. It's roughly the size of a crib but lower to the ground; the rails are at his eye level or a bit higher, so it should still be tough or impossible for a baby to climb out. Sure enough, at 4:50am this morning he woke up and started crying. A minute later we heard him plodding around in the dark, looking for a door to knock on. He didn't crash to the ground or make a thud; one moment he was in the playpen and the next moment he was out. He's a little Houdini. The playpen did help, though. We put him back down and he slept until 6:00. It was probably too much trouble to escape over and over again.
Cora, on the other hand, has been a dream. She enjoys school soooo much. She has had two sleepovers at friends' houses the last two weekends, so she really knows she's growing up.
Boy, kids grow up quickly...
Oliver has been a trip lately. His personality is blooming. He is absolutely obsessed with school buses and trucks, squealing with delight whenever we pass them on the street. "Boo Buck!" (School bus) "KUK! (Truck)
We were riding in the car a few days ago and listening to some old-time music on the radio. Uncle Dave Macon came on the radio. We didn't know that Oliver was really listening, but as soon as the music started he called out "Dad Dad!" for Granddad, who plays guitar. Then a day or so later, he pointed to a small picture of a fiddle on the wall and said "Dad Dad!" again. He obviously has Granddad's musical style and instruments pegged. Then when Grandma Sally was over for dinner he tried to strum the image of a fiddle on her shirt. He has been mesmerized by music since he was very young, when he crawled up to anyone playing an instrument and tried to strum the strings.
Cora and Oliver stayed home with colds today. One week at school and the kids are swapping germs like crazy. Cora got to watch movies all day and Oliver was tickled to have her around to play with. It's a fine line when a five year old gets sick--they're crafty enough to realize the perks of getting "sick" more often--so you've got to make them suffer a little while at home. I know it's a beautiful day and you want to play outside, but you're sick, remember?
Oliver goot new shoes for the fall, and his feet have slimmed down to wide from 2X wide. Cora is still growing like a weed.
Cora, hugging me goodnight:
"Daddy, I love you as much as a granule of sand."
(She was upset at the time).
Day One is in the books, and Cora came home from school on Cloud Nine. What a contrast to the stereotypical scene of children kicking and screaming as they are dumped at the school door against their will. Abintra is such a home away from home for Cora now after three full years. Her teachers have all been wonderful, and the staff really seem to have a special place in their hearts for Cora.
When she was two and in the Toddler room, one morning she breezed into the classroom and said to her teacher, "Casey, I'm going to make you angry now." Cora walked past Casey, climbed on top of one of the schoolroom tables (a verboten act), turned and smiled at her. Casey handled it beautifully I'm sure, and saw it as a clear indicator of Cora's intelligence and resourcefulness. Supposedly Cora was way ahead of the developmental curve in her premeditated efforts at pissing off authority figures.
The love and acceptance that Cora has received year in and year out was so evident this morning as she jumped out of the car with hardly a goodbye on her first day back after several months away. She has such trust in her teachers and the school itself, and for good reason. They have earned her trust over several years, and she is flourishing there.
Oliver, meanwhile, pined away for his sister all day. When he went to sleep at naptime the last thing he said was "Cowa." When he woke up, "Cowa." He starts school tomorrow with Kate--she'll be working with a few younger kids and he gets to come along. I think Oliver will love the Montessori environment as much as Cora has.
Cora starts kindergarten tomorrow. Wow.
Oliver is now sleeping in a bed instead of a crib. He is using a fork at mealtimes. Wow!
Oliver sat in the bath tub tonight until the water got cold, playing with cups, pouring the water back and forth from one cup to another. He loves bath time ("bat!") and water play in general. He has also enjoyed clacking around the house in Cora's high heels lately. His feet are so wide they fit into her dress-up shoes. He can barely walk in them but he loves the sound they make on the hardwood floors. Cora enjoys having a dress up partner. When I came home tonight Oliver was sporting a purple hairband. With his curls he is mistaken for a girl enough already. Every day-- "She is sooo beautiful!"--even when he is wearing blue from head to toe. Hair is a powerful marker. And at this age it is hard to tell boys from girls without clothing cues.
We're getting back to normal now and dinnertimes have been smooth thanks to the cooking brigade of Anne and Carol last weekend. Our freezer is stocked so dinner preparation and bedtime rituals don't get as pressurized, urgent and frazzling.
When Cora came out of her bedroom this morning Kate and I both had the same first impression--she grew overnight. Sure enough, we measured her against the wall and she had grown since yesterday. Amazing. She has really sprouted this summer.
It's a rare joy when both kids are in bed by 7:30pm. Such a humane bedtime for the parents, and good for the kids too, although they don't appreciate it now. Cora starts her last stint at camp tomorrow morning. In a way this starts her school schedule again because school begins next Monday. She is very excited. She has two teachers (they're called guides) in her class. One is the lead guide returning from last year. The second guide is new to the school. Cora can't wait to see what she's like.
All the family left today; it seemed they were gone as quickly as they arrived. It was a whirlwind visit but a good one.
Grandma Carol and Aunt Anne and Uncle Nate are in town this weekend, following hot on the heels of our friend Phyllis' departure after a four day visit. Phyllis is anywhere between ninety two and ninety five years old and full of vim and vigor, piss and vinegar, "the spirit", whatever you want to call it. She ran for mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts, last year just to stir things up. She's a dedicated lifelong political activist and a self-described agent for change. No moss gathers on her despite her age. Her visit coincided, overlapped actually, with Kate's return from the cabin in West Virginia. She arrived home with Oliver after eleven hours on the road to a full house. We've been trying to recover ever since. Phyllis flew out on Wednesday morning just as all the airlines shut down because of the British terrorism plot. We weren't sure she would make it out at all, but it seems that everything turned out fine.
I was inspired by this local Nashvillian's blog today. He keeps his loyal readers updated on his life in daily detail, meaningful or otherwise. I think I'll try that for a few days to get the blog machine rolling again.
My high school friend Jen came to visit us this past weekend and we had a great time. She lives in New York City but is doing an internship in Kentucky this summer, which makes us neighbors as far as states are concerned. I so enjoyed staying up late into the night, talking and catching up with an old friend. I keep telling myself there will be more of this kind of fun, grown-up/teenage behavior as the kids get older, but sometimes that's so hard to believe. Having small children makes me see how much I've always taken for granted the ability to just hang out with my friends. Sigh...
Cora has been in zoo camp this week. They apparently studied forests yesterday and she came home full of news -- she described the four layers of the rainforest, told us what kinds of animals and plants live and grow there, and told us that bamboo is used for chopsticks, buildings, and boats, among other things. Oh, and she also got to pet a two-toed sloth. She explained that their fur grows from their belly downwards because of the way they hang on the trees, and that it actually turns green in places because algae grows on it. Today, they studied the wetlands. She told us wetlands are like a sponge and that they are helpful because they control flooding. It seems like a pretty great program, if you ask me. I'll have to keep you posted on the next few days' featured bioregions.
Oliver said "cow" today, which was a milestone. Up to this point, whenever we would point to a picture of a cow he would just say "moo." He and Brian also talked trucks and colors tonight as they read books together. It's fun to hear him acquiring new words, but still amazing how few he has in comparison to Cora at this age. Not that I'm concerned or anything, but it just goes to show you how different two kids with the same two parents can be.
Brian was a super-dad over the weekend and really freed me up as much as possible to spend time with Jen. Not that he's not always a super dad, but he was especially super last weekend...
More soon...keep checking back!
How the days fly by. Please forgive our lapse, faithful wingateupdate readers... The kids and I (Kate) thoroughly enjoyed phase two of the vacation -- after leaving Grandma Carol's house, we squeezed in a visit to Bethlehem, PA to visit Great Grammy Stella and Aunt Tootsie, then headed to Pop Pop and Grammy Rena's farm in WV for a few days. Oliver and I visited friends in Morgantown during the days, while Cora and Pop Pop (and Grammy on her day off) did it all on the farm. And I mean ALL. They fished, they rode bikes, they read books, they played with the dogs and cats, they rode horses, they cleaned the horses' stalls, they had a campfire, they saw deer and a whole flock of turkeys, they visited the beavers down at the pond, they fed the hummingbirds, they went to a parade, they fixed a broken bench, they had just candy for dinner one night... Needless to say everyone was pretty wiped out at the end of each day (except for that candy night). Cora soaked up every minute. That's how she prefers life, it seems -- constant stimulus, constant activity, constant interaction. I was just glad to have someone else providing it all for her.
Now we're back home, enjoying fat tomatoes and baby okras from our burgeoning garden. It's always a difficult re-entry process for all of us after a vacation ends, but so far so good. Oliver still says "Uh-oh" as frequently as ever, but he is adding in some new words every now and then. Brian's massage class is going well -- he just taught his second class today. I'm still busy unpacking and catching up on email. We'll be sure to post some new pictures soon, but I just didn't want another day to go by without posting something.
Fourth of July finally came and went, and Cora is now five years old. She has been waiting a whole year for this. Just after turning four she asked how soon she would be five. She hasn't asked about turning six yet, so I think she's going to savor this milestone for a while.
We were gearing up for a great fireworks display last night. A barge full of fireworks positioned itself in the ocean just as it began to get dark. Then the wind started whipping and a gigantic thunderstorm obliterated all chance of any fireworks. The storm was a great display itself, with high winds, driving rain and dramatic jags of lightning striking the water. We stood on the porch and watched; Cora even stayed out there for a while with cousin Rusty.
The ocean seduced both children yesterday. Cora loves to stand at the line of surf and let the water run over her feet. She goes into a meditative state, watching the waves come and go. She will stand there for ten minutes, not saying a word, with a smile on her face. Then she'll let out a wild squeal when a big wave crashes in. But overall the water seems to calm her.
Oliver was still spooked by the ocean yesterday. We edged him near the surf in our arms or sitting on the sand. When the waves approached he let out a concerned whimper and clenched us tightly. Then, yesterday afternoon, just as we were preparing to leave, he went nuts. He started charging into the waves, cackling and laughing. He pranced on the sand and gyrated with delight. I could barely keep him from diving headfirst into the surf. Several big waves doused him pretty throroughly, and he just cackled some more. I'm not sure what flipped the switch, but the the ocean is now his friend.
We're halfway through our first day at Bethany Beach, just inside the Delaware state line. Cora is contentedly slurping on a Hawaiian shaved ice and Kate is putting Oliver down for a nap.
We're not roughing it by any stretch of the imagination--we're staying in a gorgeous ocean front condo with all the amenities, wireless internet included.
Both the kids ot their first glimpse of the ocean yesterday. Cora has been to the ocean before, but it's Oliver's first trip. Cora got to the top of the stairs, saw the ocean and said, "Um, let's go to the pool." She wasn't too sure. Oliver was very concerned as well; too much newness to process.
A good night's sleep helped. Cora and Kate took a walk on the sand this morning with a bucket and collected shells and other treasures. After a while we went down to the water. As we walked close to the water Cora said casually, "Daddy, I want to hold your hand." Then she crushed my knuckles in a vise grip. We just stood in one spot for about twenty minutes while the waves washed over our feet. Then Cora said, "Daddy, let's move a little closer." We moved up, and before long we were just a yard or two from the breaking waves, getting splashed. Cora was squealing with delight, saying over and over, "This is great! This is super-dee-duper!" and other variations on the theme.
Oliver, meanwhile, took an hour or so to warm up to the notion of the ocean water touching him. But slowly, surely, just like Cora, he realized it wasn't so bad.
It's Saturday morning and I've been awake for about five minutes. The kids are occupied at the moment and the computer's available, so this is a fine way to get the morning cobwebs out.
We're beach bound today after our first day of travel. Everything went smoothly, all things considered. It only took two days or so to pack our bags and get the house relatively clean for some friends who will be staying at our place while we're gone.
We got to the airport early with both kids in good spirits. I remember when Cora was young I thought we would never be one of those families you see at the airport with a luggage cart full of a teetering pile of bags. We are one of those families now. It's unavoidable. One extra kid really tips the balance. The luggage increases, but there are still only two adults to carry it all. We checked both car seats, three bags, and had four carry-ons to boot.
As we stood in the ticket line we saw a prime example of how not to behave while traveling. A guy in military fatigues stormed to the ticket counter without waiting in line. He started yelling at the counter agent from about five feet away: "We gotta get going here!!" We couldn't hear the conversation from behind him, but his head bobbed and changed color in a way that we knew violent things were coming out the front. The Southwest people knew just how to treat him--they made him wait. After we checked our million bags he was still standing there about to implode. Our ticket agent admitted that, had he been nice, they would have sent him straight through to his gate.
We moved on to the security checkpoint next, and the metal detector beeped when I went through. I was moved into a holding pen until a security guard could come over with the metal detector wand. On the first pass the wand beeped right over my groin. Ahh, yes...my belt buckle. I took the belt off and set it aside. Second pass, it beeped again, right at my groin.
The guard: "Sir, I need you to lift your shirt. You may have a metal button on your pants."
Me: "I think I should tell you about my penile implant."
He appreciated that. Sure enough, I had a metal button in my pants. Before he patted down my legs, he advised me to hold up the waist of my pants so that we wouldn't "expose your penile implant."
The plane trip was smooth--Oliver was due for a nap and conked out right after takeoff. He slept until we landed. Cora had the window seat and stayed glued to it, watching the clouds go by and admiring the clouds.
G'ma Carol swooped us up at the airport and we headed to Mary Pat's for a wonderful evening of Afghani food, conversation around a backyard fire, s'mores and a pomegranate margarita nightcap.
Cora was delighted to see Cousin Elise, her hero. She slept in Elise's room last night on an air mattress slumber party style.
A few hours in the car today, and then....beach!!
Kate and Cora composed a story today, with each of them taking turns making up sentences. The complete story is reproduced below. One of the two contributors is italicized throughout and the other one isn't. See if you can figure out who's who.
Once upon a time there was a man.
This man was very very tall.
He drank a lot of alcohol.
This made him very sleepy.
And it kind of made him hyper. One night, when he had had too much alcohol, he got sick.
All of a sudden, a fairy appeared.
The fairy said, "If you drink too much alcohol, you will get sick."
The man said, "I drink too much because it dulls the pain from always hitting my head on the doorway, because I am so tall."
The fairy said, "Nonsense. You just let it alone and run your head under some water."
The man asked, "Will you use your magic to make me not so terribly tall?"
The fairy said "Yes." Then the man got shorter and shorter until he was as short as a telephone wire.
He was so short, he couldn't even reach the doorknob, or climb into his huge bed, or sit at the table to eat his huge food.
The fairy came back again. She said, "I think you have to get a little bit taller." Poof!
The man felt himself getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until he was a normal size, not too tall and not too short. However, his hands stayed tiny.
Then the fairy came back and said, "Your hands are little. Let's make them bigger." And so bigger, and bigger, and bigger his hands got.
They grew so big he couldn't lift them.
Why, now, the fairy was getting tired. She was called back by that man again. "My hands are too big. Give me smaller hands please."
And so, the fairy made the man's hands just the right size for his body.
The man just drank water like he not normally did. He never drank alcohol again, only when he felt like it, but not usually.
The fairy went back to her fairy kingdom and went to sleep because now she was so sleepy from doing all that magic for the silly man.
The next morning, the man woke up and went to the market.
He bought six gallons of water, and one teensy weensy little drop of alcohol.
He drank all the water, and he drank the drop of alcohol right before bedtime.
It's not good to drink alcohol right before your bed because it will make you hyper in the morning sometimes and might make you sick.
Well, that night, the man had very bad dreams.
But it wasn't so bad, but he got scared and started to run outside. He told all the people there was a dinosaur in his country.
They all said, "Oh, don't listen to him, he's just a silly drunk."
But he told them he wasn't drinking a lot of alcohol, just six gallons of water a day.
They didn't believe him and kept laughing at the man.
And he guided them to his house in the dark dark night and showed them the gallons of water.
Then they believed him.
And now, they believed him every morning. He said that they were great friends to him when he had sixteen gallons of water.
They asked him about the dinosaur in his country.
It was all just a dream.
The fairy looked down from above and smiled.
The man said, "There's a fairy up there for any of you that drink too much alcohol. She makes you as small as a telephone wire and then makes you big again."
A few pics from Junes past and present...
Surfin' 2002
That cheesy 2003 smile
A rare moment in 2004 when she actually left the cute pigtails in for more than two seconds
2005 -- Look, Mom! Garlic!
Bathing beauty 2006
She's growing up to be quite a stunning, sweet, bull-headed, articulate, confounding, one-of-a-kind, priceless young lady. (Says one misty-eyed Mommy)
(First, a disclaimer -- this info is still a surprise to Cora, so if you happen to talk to her on the phone in the next couple of days, mum's the word, alright?)
Some neighborhood friends of ours will be moving away soon, and we are inheriting their backyard playground! It's a kid's dream come true -- swings, slide, playfort, sandbox, you name it. We decided to keep it a secret from Cora, so that when she got home from camp one of these days soon, it would be waiting for her in the backyard. But I (Kate) have a hard time with secrets, so I told Cora she would be getting a very exciting "something" soon, but I couldn't tell her what it was. This ended up backfiring on me -- it really pissed her off that I wouldn't spill the beans.
A few days later, I decided to make use of Cora's away-at-camp-time to trim the overgrown bushes in the backyard to make sure the soon-to-be swings will have enough room to move. Later that evening, when Cora noticed the trimming I'd done, I couldn't resist telling her it was to make room for her surprise. Well, that really gave her something to chew on. Ever since then, at random times, she'll just come out with a guess as to what this big backyard surprise is. Thus far, she's guessed a big truck, an airplane, and a pool. Then this morning she and Brian were playing out back and out of the blue, Cora said, "Daddy, is it the biggest hermit crab ever?" Ah, the brain of a cunning four-year-old.
We'll post pics of the playset as soon as it's up and running. Til then, ZIP IT.
Cora is reading now. She's been working up to it for a while, sounding out letters and putting together three letter words. But in the last two weeks she made the leap to full blown reading. She caught me when I skipped a word during her bedtime story tonight. That's a scary thing because sometimes she picks out long stories on purpose just to stay up later. If I can't skip any words we're in trouble.
Kate here. Well, we've reached yet another American family milestone -- the aquisition of a Radio Flyer wagon. After a zoo trip yesterday, sans wagon, during which Cora spent almost as much time riding piggy-back (on an already weary Mommy) as walking, I decided -- wagon time. After a brief test-run at our local Toys-R-Us, we headed home with our new purchase, which, the salesman assured me, required minimal assembly. The assembly was quite straightforward, and for once the instruction booklet was actually clear and understandable, but holy moley, this d*** thing just about killed me trying to put it together. The nuts were lined with some kind of plastic coating which is, I understand, designed to prevent loosening. Well, it also prevents tightening. I had to work so hard trying to get just eight bolts tight that my right hand has three big blisters, one of which actually became an open wound in the process. Thank goodness for Cora's prompt medical care ("I'll go get the big honker band-aids, Mommy!") and her chanting, "Go, Mommy, go Mommy, go, Mommy" as I put my all into the last blessed bolt. She's also quite handy with a hammer -- I didn't have to help her at all as she banged the red hubcaps onto each wheel, while I took a much-needed time-out on the sofa. Finally, our wagon was in one piece and ready for its first spin. Grandma Sally came over and we took kids and wagon over to our neighborhood park for a pre-dinner outing. I wish I had some pictures to share, but I am still (much to my chagrin) untrained in the ways of Brian's fancy camera. I'll post some pictures as soon as he's taken them. Overall, a pain in the ass to assemble, but well worth it.
Cora, at bedtime a few minutes ago, indignantly: "Sleep isn't that important for our bodies."
Mommy: "Cora, without sleep we would die."
How's that for a goodnight? We haven't heard a peep from her yet...
Cora started camp today and rushed off without even saying goodbye. She was ready.
Oliver is imitating our words more lately. His words still consist of mostly monosyllables, but they're starting to take more recognizable forms. A list off the cuff:
ball=ball
waa=water
coa=cora
teet=bird
moo=milk
daddy=daddy
mah=mommy
tees=teeth
nack=snack
ow=down
eye=eye
bye=bye
tee=tree
bebutt=belly button
ooh=shoe
bubbooh=bubble
ish=fish
tickaticka=tickle tickle!
We're brainstorming this list while Kate nurses Oliver in the living room. As we say his words he keeps popping off and confirming our pronunciation.
In documenting Ollie's words we were inspired to look up Cora's words when she was around his age. Here's the list from September 17th, 2002, when she was fourteen months old. The picture in this post is a picture of her from that month.
pooter=computer
tees=keys
buckle=buckle
dun=down
noonul=noodle
meyh=melon
cake=rice cake
bye=butterfly
boon=balloon
ood=food
bock-ee=broccoli
baw=ball
baby!=baby!
man=man
bebutt=belly button
beebah=bib
mackie=napkin
boat=boat
buddha=buddha
budt=bird
wok=walk
manna=banana
keek keek=kitty cat
waadooh=water
back ack=backpack
poon=spoon
wow!=wow!
bock=block
minkie=monkey
pooh=Pooh (Winnie the)
bottle=bottle
peacock=peacock
boomboo=bamboo
bat=bath
hat=hat
book=book
egg=egg
bean=bean
quool=squirrel
tee=tree
muck=milk
teet=teeth
tutu=tofu
It's amazing to see what a wide lens and nimble tongue Cora had at fourteen months (and that hasn't changed).
Dear Elise and Alex, and all your Dads and Moms,
I hope that you have a happy trip to the beach. I am looking forward to making sand castles and playing in a kiddie pool and playing out on the beach and finding seashells too.
Love,
Cora
Cora packed her suitcase for the beach this morning. She obviously doesn't take after her daddy, who packed the night before for a four month trip in college. Cora's packing almost a month in advance. She's ready to go!
Summer vacation is intense. All of our routines have suddenly been released from their moorings with Cora out of school. Now she is here, all the time, every minute of every day, ready to do something or be engaged or have some attention or get some attention away from Oliver.......anything except rest or take a break or (gasp) take a nap once in a while, even when she's exhausted and there are bags under her eyes.
Oliver, meanwhile, has taken to yelling in the car, for long stretches, in a monotone. It sounds like he's saying "WaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooooooW!" over and over. It seems he is finally fed up with the Little House on the Prairie books that we've been listening to in the car. We're on book six, and Oliver must be irritated by the narrator's voice. When we put in the disc and the book starts, he cranks up a loud "WaaaaaaaaaaOoooooooooooW!" and continues, over and over, in a monotone, until we stop the book. Resourceful kid.
We hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We didn't do anything fancy; just stuck around here and sweated in the heat. It was close to ninety degrees all weekend and we were inspired to create our own pool out of a large bucket. As you will see in the video, there's just enough room for two and not much room for swimmming. But it was a hit with the kids and kept them occupied for several hours.
Kate got local news coverage in the paper and on television. Here's a link to the newspaper article.
About four nights ago Oliver didn't sleep so well. He was cutting a front bottom tooth, so we figured it was bothering him. The next night he slept even worse, waking up every two hours or so, obviously agitated. The next morning Kate felt around in his mouth and discovered about four teeth coming in at once. Premolars are pushing through on top to help with all his chewing.
Some doctors say that teething pain is mostly a myth and that it doesn't bother kids at night. They are obviously childless doctors. Teeth are like the proverbial watched pot that never boils--their progress is agonizingly slow, especially when your sleep depends on them. We're hanging in there but looking forward to more than two hours' sleep at a time.
Cora is down to one and a half more days of school before summer vacation. She is very excited. We just can't believe it's summer vacation already.
