It’s been a while since I’ve written, I suppose that I’m getting used it, but I think about my poor neglected blog all of the time. I’m sure that as Andor gets more independent, I’ll have more time to write. As of now, we spend most of our time out of the house running around parks. He doesn’t like being at the house unless he has a friend with him. We’re working on that.
This summer has been busy busy busy. We have moved from the Pearl, and then moved again. That’s a long story, and I won’t bother telling it. Suffice it to say, we’re happier with our new place and we’ll be staying here for a long while.
Abra had Olivine, a perfect little darling girl. Her birth was beautiful. I got to film and photograph the whole thing. You can see the final moments here
It was utterly beautiful. You can hear me nearly break down, I’m a little wimp for beautiful moments. I love the picture of her big brother holding her in the picture above.
We also went camping for the first time since Andor was born!! It was a blast. Andor had the best time throwing rocks into the river and sleeping in the tent. When we woke up in the morning he looked up and exclaimed, “trees!!” He loved helping me build a fire by gathering sticks and kept a very respectful distance from the flame, commenting, “hot..fire” again and again. We went hunting for chantrelles but didn’t really end up with much, maybe a gallon. Grandpa Gibson gave us a half a flat because he felt sorry for our sad attempt. We got to spend a little time with him and Andor thought that the chickens were super cool! He spent most of the time there picking berries and eating them. I can’t wait for us to go out again. Cal and I sat and stared at the sky as the stars came out. It was beautiful. I love the quiet of the woods and the majesty of the night sky when it isn’t blotted out by the city lights.
I still have a little pregnancy weight to work off. I may not get rid of it entirely until Andor weans, and that’s fine really. We are finally attempting to night wean. Last night was the first night and Andor was very resistant to the idea. Hopefully tonight will be better. I won’t wean him entirely until much later though. I just need to get some sleep at night. He wakes up a lot sometimes and I get no rest at all. No bueno.
Anyhow, I’m going to throw myself a birthday party this year. I haven’t EVER had a birthday party and I think it’s time. I get at least one right? I mean, I’ve gone out with friends, etc, but never a real party! I want one!
I look forward to the challenge that this winter will bring trying to keep Andor occupied without going to the park twice a day.
Alright, so I haven’t blogged in four months!! I know! Lots of things have happened in the meantime and I don’t even know where to begin. I’m also pressed for time, I have another 15 minutes and then my babysitter is leaving.
Yes, babysitter. I have a neighbor (at least he’s a neighbor for another month or so) that I can trust with Andor and I’ve had him over three times now to watch Andor while I try to have some down time. However, as my luck would have it, It looks like his family has bought a house and are moving in at the end of this month! What then?!?! I finally find someone that I can trust to watch Andor and he’s moving away. Grrr. Arrrg. He claims that his mother will drive him here for a weekly thing, but I really don’t think that that’s going to happen really. It sounds like they have a lot of renovation on the house, and then he will start school again.
I don’t know what I’ll do. Andor requires ALOT of interaction, and I have reached my limit. I need time to decompress and write, or read, or just stare at the wall for a couple of hours a week. It’s unnatural for a grown-up to play 17 month old games all day! In order for me to be a better mom, I need more alone time.
Anyway. Andor finally decided that solid food was better than nummies and eats way more regular food. He still nurses plenty, but over all he asks for food more and nummies less. He loves to swim (he is part fish) , and run, and play with legos. He is talking up a storm. He just loves a kitty of any kind and would pretty much chase one all day long if he could.
Also, Abra and I have planted a garden and it has grown up and started to produce. It is great! We have been eating plenty of fresh produce from it! It has been utterly satisfying to grow food. I hope I have a chance to grow my own food from now on. It’s nice.
Also, Abra is due on the 8th, in two days, so there is a new baby soon! Oh how exciting it is. She is ready for the baby to come, so, now we just wait…I have been given the task of making food and taking pictures at the birth. She is having a home birth and it will be nice to document.
Lastly, Cal and I have applied for work at Breitenbush Hot Springs. I’ll keep you updated!! If we get it, we’ll move there. It will be interesting.
I can’t even describe how badly I want the weather to be nice again! Early this month the sun came out, full blast, and we all packed up and went down to the Square and had a day of sun and relaxation! It was lovely. Andor played and played and played. Of course, the weather went back to it’s normal cold and rainy and we went back to being inside and waiting out the rain with books and snacks and rolling cars around on the floor. Ho hum …
It’s supposed to be nice and sunny this weekend, so, we’ll see,
We’re all settled in to the new place now. We had Cal’s parents over for a little dinner of artichokes, salad, mussels, and blueberry gallette to break it in officially. Next I’ll have to have a little get together/ house warming party. My friends have to actually be available though. I’ll poll later on facebook to see if people are available next week
What else? Andor has started to do kiss sounds..mmuuuuumua! He also stands at the door waving, indicating that it’s time to go outside now! We went to the zoo on $2 Tuesday, and he tried to hug the big Amazon fish, while he cooed, “woooaaa, wooaaa”. He likes fish. The big cats were a hit too.
Soon enough, the sun will be blazing and I will be watching Andor splash in the water fountains!
Here we are, three months into the new year and my poor ignored resolutions are yet to be reached. Blogging twice a week isn’t impossible, but I choose to read or play with my son when I have the time. I’m just not motivated to write that much. I think I ought to change the resolution to read: to blog at least twice a month! That is more realistic. Also loosing ten more pounds has turned into 15 because I seem to have put on a little weight since Andor started eating more solids! It’s a trap! I want to keep the food he doesn’t eat from being wasted, so I eat it! It’s no good, and If I keep it up I’ll be sorry. Eat less move more is my mantra. When we move into the new space it will be a lot easier to work out everyday, that and this summer the baby will be running around and I can chase him! I know I can take this weight off, I just have to be mindful. That’s enough about resolutions.
Andor is walking. He gave up on crawling almost all together and walks around looking so thrilled about it. I think it’s awesome. He is also getting the teeth next to his two front teeth and frozen blueberries seem to be the only thing he really wants to eat. I don’t blame him, they’re yummy. The sweater jacket he’s wearing in this picture is his new favorite thing. He points at it, barks “that” and when I give it to him he wanders around with it, sometimes pressing it to his cheek lovingly. I’m not sure what it is about the thing. It’s a vintage I picked up at the bins. He oves it. He knows that it’s his, and perhaps he associates it with going outside. I don’t know.
So, we move out of this tiny little place on the 28th, and into a 2 bedroom that is nearly three times the size of our current apartment. It will be just a few minutes from Cal’s work in Beaverton. We will be so happy with more space and to have Cal home more. Andor really really loves hanging out with his daddy, and well, so do I. I can’t wait to get to know the neighborhood. I have spent a little time in google maps looking for a few things, but I’m much better at exploring in person. There are many asian markets in the area that i can’t wait to check out. Also, the library and a couple of parks are close.
Anyhow, these days are spent slowly packing and cleaning and organizing and playing with Andor. I love being able to take my time to pack up the house, and go through everything. I can stop everything and entertain Andor or go for a walk or cook and not sweat it. It’s nice. It’s pretty amazing how much stuff we have packed into this tiny space and how little of it is used because it’s in perpetual storage.
That will change in the new place! The next blog will be after we’ve moved in and there will be many pictures!
We are all going to be moving to Beaverton in 30 days. We have the opportunity to almost triple our living space for just a hundred dollars more a month, and also, we’ll cut almost 3 hours of travel time out of Cal’s day, freeing him up for more time with the family.
This is certainly a bittersweet moment, as I will greatly miss my neighborhood and my neighbors, but the time has come.
So, with that, I have made a list of things that I wish to have to fill my new space and make it a home. If you have any of the following things that you’d like to donate, I will gladly take the off of your hands. It’s not exhaustive, so, if there is something lurking in your storage taking up space that you were going to get rid of that you think I might need, let me know.
I will also be announcing a going away party soon.
Wish List:
Toaster
Large Stock Pot
Medium pot
Small Pot
Durable Couch
Complete silverware set
Steak Knives
Dry goods containers
Prints and Pictures
Toy Organizing something
Baby bookshelf
Train table
Toddler Bed
Plants
These photos and this blog were a long time coming, but they’re here! I can’t even describe how well the wedding went, despite the weather nearly causing many tempers to be tested and chain application challenged! All went well, no one fainted or gave drunken toasts, the food was good and the staff was very helpful.
We were at the Bonneville Day Spa in Washington, accommodations were perfect and very comfortable, and we spent the night after the wedding lounging in the hot tub outside, surrounded by snow drifts and cool fresh air. It was very nice.
So, now that the pictures are in, we can pour over the memories, and decided which one of these things to print. I think this picture is a candidate for printing for my wall for sure.
This year, so far, has been great. Day by day I get more and more used to being exclusively a mom, and lose a little of the guilt of not being at work everyday. It’s tough when you’ve been made to believe that a person’s worth is merely what they can earn in dollars. I work on it a little every day. Whenever I feel the feeling start to creep up, I look at my beautiful, relaxed, happy son and my clean apartment, and know that I oughtn’t feel even a little guilty.
I chopped my hair, the choice was to perm it again (too expensive) or cut it off. So I cut it. It looks nice. Short hair really looks the best on me anyway. I look fresh and clean and modern once again.
What else. Andor is still a little pea. He’s 28 inches and 18 pounds. A little guy. He comes in at the 17th percentile in height and the 3rd percentile in weight on the World Health Organizations Exclusively Breast Fed Growth Chart. He is meeting and exceeding all of his milestones. He has a few signs already: all done, more, hi, hot, and pointing at what he wants. Pretty darn good for a ten month old
Cal and I are discussing the size of our apartment. It’s really really small and we are close to outgrowing it. Perhaps we will end up nearer to his work by the end of the year. Beaverton Ahoy! Keep your eyes peeled for me .. ok? Something on the Max line, no more than $600, near Millikan and Murray. I’m not too thrilled to have to leave my precious pearl, but, size does matter in this case. We have 6 months of weather that just isn’t fit for a toddler.
Lorenzo’s is truly one of Portland’s best Italian restaurants. The food is honest, simple, and fresh. Lorenzo cares deeply about your taste buds and truly wants you to eat well and enjoy yourself. These days you will find him back in the kitchen, cooking every dish, with the love and attention that you can see and taste in every plate.
The salads are dressed to perfection, the pasta is toothy, and the sauces are fantastico. The restaurant itself has undergone a few changes for the better, growing up and into it’s own. The deli style counter service has changed to full a full sit down service and the chalk board of specials is now given to you table side by a waiter, making the whole Lorenzo’s experience more relaxed and yet, somehow, more formal.
The addition of a full bar in the back, where the deli case used to be, is great for watching the action in the kitchen. The drink specials are straight forward and absolutely affordable.
My lunch of an organic salad tossed in red wine vinaigrette, bread with oil and vinegar, a giant rustic raviolo of the day, and a glass of Montepulciano was perfect. The raviolo had roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, prosciutto (added for $1 more), a silky cream sauce and fresh sage and toasted almonds. No kidding, all of this for $13.50! I was full, happy and relaxed and spent a little time just taking it all in on the big comfy couch.
Besides the great food, no one seemed to mind that my son, 10 months old, was with me. In fact, you might say that Lorenzo’s and Lorenzo himself are quite child friendly.
The last year was, in some ways, the most difficult, and in some ways the most wonderful year so far in my life. I learned to finally let go of the notion that I can change anyone other than myself, a painful realization for someone like me, who really wants to help others find their joy. On the other hand, I learned that I can choose a happy family and friends, my own happiness, and my own well being! How beautiful a lesson to learn, and how much richer my life will be for it!
Now on to the new years resolutions!
I will:
Lose ten pounds
Create and stick to a schedule
Blog at least twice a week
Get more involved in my community.
Those things are within reach, reasonable, and throughly wonderful resolutions.
President-elect Obama has made it clear that health care reform is one of his top priorities. That’s why the Obama-Biden Transition is asking people to give their own thoughts and ideas for how to fix the system at Health Care Community Discussions all across the country.
I just signed up to host a Community Discussion, and I thought you might want to come. Here are the details:
Date and time: December 20th at 11:00 am
Location:920 NW Kearney St. Portland Oregon
There will be a space for the kids, and a parent volunteer to watch them!
Please RSVP as a comment or to my email!
After, we’re going to go caroling with the Central Portland Families at 3:30, and you’re welcome to join us!
I am grateful for all the little moments that we have.
The little smiles, the kisses, the excitement, the dancing…
I live in your moment, with you.
Every little discovery you make I make with you.
Every cuddle you give I feel way down in my toes.
Every little sleep smile, and every little wave…
