My friend Shannon tagged me and now I’m supposed to share six little known facts about me. Shannon traveled to Siberia with Harry & me in the summer of 1998, so it seems unsuitable to include that trip as one of the facts. For those of you who didn’t know that little tidbit, count yourselves lucky to learn seven.

1) I really like to dance, even though I have quite limited talent and Harry and I haven’t gone out dancing in years. This leaves me to find other opportunities- Harry & Charlie get to watch me do silly dances around the house fairly regularly, my previous co-workers in Seattle used to occasionally be graced with my moves, and I like to work it into cleaning whenever possible. I think someday soon I’m going to take dance classes–either swing &/or ballroom with Harry or modern by myself. Both sound like fun.

2) For as long as I can remember I have loved whales. Dolphins in particular. I wrote almost every “free write” report from junior high through high school about one aspect or another of whales. Sometimes I still can’t believe I didn’t become a biologist. One of my biggest dreams is to swim with wild dolphins and kayak alongside whales. We came close one time in the San Juans, but weather turned the orcas in the opposite direction. I’m not too sad that we’ll have to try again someday. Once it happens, we’ll keep trying!

3) I have run three half marathons and completed a sprint triathlon. When I got pregnant, Harry & I were training for the Seattle to Portland bike ride and I was going to do the Danskin tri again. I really grew to love road biking and can’t wait to go on rides with Harry & Charlie once we get a trailer. I also hope to do another tri next summer. My knees and running haven’t gotten along well lately, so I may have to walk that portion, but I’d be alright with that. I would encourage all women, no matter what shape and age, to give the Danskin triathalon a consideration. It is an incredibly inspirational event. For those wary of all three sports, portions can be divided among teammates.

4) I’m trying to live in a more earth-friendly way these days, though I realize I have a long way to go. Nonetheless, it’s good to be headed in the right direction. I’ve done simple things, like recycling, since childhood (I grew up in Boulder…plus, Seattle’s recycling program is probably the best in the nation). Since our current town doesn’t have curbside recycling for cardboard, we are storing it in our garage until we can take a big load to Eco-cycle. It cracks me up to have a three car garage filled with one car and lots of cardboard. We also use cloth diapers (& often cloth wipes) for Charlie. This has been much easier than I expected and something I’m really happy about. We clean, launder, wash dishes, shower, etc… with non-toxic, non-chlorine, non-petroleum based products. I hope to begin doing grocery shopping and most errands via bike & bike trailer very soon. Harry & I have learned that many green choices are also good for the pocketbook, despite what many people think.

5) I speak Dutch. I used to speak fluently, but it’s been 13 years since I lived in Monnickendam (a small village north of Amsterdam) as an exchange student, and there aren’t too many people to Nederlands spreken with here. I have kept in touch with many friends there so it is high on the list of vacation spots for our family.

6) Harry & I love board games. We have played them our entire marriage and will probably continue to do so until death do us part! We are currently (and have been for years) stuck on Ticket to Ride and Risk.

Off to play a game!

Shan~ Do I need to tag people now or is my “duty” fulfilled? :)

We’re good at change.  Or at least we’re getting used to it.

• Harry left his job to begin full-time work on Jetrecord.  You can follow that blog if you are interested in what he writes these days when it’s not code!  He worked night and day to get the beta test launched last week.  I am so proud of him.
• I interviewed and accepted a per diem SLP position at a hospital (the one I was born at!).  The process involved two interviews, drug testing, TB testing, orientation and training.  I had my first solo day on Saturday.
• We submitted a landscape proposal to our HOA, with Harry Sr’s help, to xeriscape and add vegetable gardens.  Harry Sr. basically single handedly got our first raised vegetable bed in place and we’re going to start planting this week!
• We traveled to Seattle and had an amazing visit with many of our friends. It felt like we never left. We overindulged on good coffee & pastries.  We watched Charlie give endless high-fives to Sam & Angie’s adorable son, Manny. They are true car seat buddies. Another perk of the trip was that their dog cleaned the floor and high chair for us.  Our floor is disgusting and it feels fruitless to clean it because it’s nasty again the next day.  So, now I want to lure neighborhood dogs into our kitchen immediately after Charlie’s meals.
• Charlie took his first series of independent walking steps in the Seattle airport prior to boarding. I love that he began walking where he was born.  Until today he was only walking a few steps between Harry & I, but now he’s walking all over the house.
• There are more videos up on vimeo, if you’re interested.  Also, there’s plenty of pictures on flickr still, too.  Our Seattle pictures are private to friends & family only, so let us know if you join flickr and want to see those shots.

Charlie’s Chicken Dance from kloveoirs on Vimeo.

Charlie received this musical card on his birthday (two months ago) and continues to love listening to the song, watching adults dance, and giving it his best shot. He’s getting better every day!

Ambulating and Flatulating from kloveoirs on Vimeo.

At the end of the first segment of this video Charlie toots, and at the
beginning of the second he gets his poop shivers. After the video is
taken, he poops. All while walking! What a talented boy. We are so
proud. (Truly!)

When I was pregnant, one of my clients grandma’s gave Charlie a toy that definitely freaked me out a bit at the time. It’s a blue and green hybrid dog-seal-lar-phin (dog face, seal flippers, caterpillar thorax, dolphin fluke) whose cheeks flash red while it plays “Rock-a-Bye Baby” after you press it’s abdomen. I would’ve returned it but it smelled horribly because she was a chain-smoker. I couldn’t regift it for the same reason…and because it was so strange. So, after a good wash & dry in smoke-free air, Charlie got to see the toy. He adored it. This softened my heart enough that I came to accept the toy and allowed it to hang out with us. It even traveled with us…frequently. At his 5-month EKG and echocardiogram we must’ve played it fifty times to keep him content during the procedures. Even at his second visit many months later, it did wonders to keep him happy during the wait. Then we moved and mutant toy disappeared for several weeks. When Charlie saw it he still seemed interested, but after I pressed the button, he cried horribly. Vaccination-like crying. I had to nurse him to calm him. I couldn’t figure out why, but the same response happened several days later with another toy who plays music upon squeezing (no lights). I promptly put both of these toys in our basement’s growing piles of stuff for the next little Love.

Well, these piles were brought upstairs again this week so that I could sort through clothes to lend to a friend who recently had a baby. Charlie used his ever refining standing ability to see into the boxes and saw the hybrid before I did. Of course, he wanted it. I let him hold it. He handed it to me, seeming to request that it be played. I pressed the stomach, and voila!, major tears. Red-faced, downturned-lower-lip wailing. I put it in a box that he couldn’t reach, but after he recovered he pointed to the box. Thankfully, I distracted him away from it to avoid the sadness that would inevitably come with him having that toy…either through hearing it or me not playing it despite his requests.

Any of you know of any kids that have had this love/hate relationship with their toys?

This will only seem strange to our friends who aren’t parents.  By 9:30 this morning, Harry and/or I had nursed Charlie, changed his diaper twice, made breakfast, fed Charlie both breakfast & snack, hung three pictures, washed, dried & put away a load of laundry, shoveled the driveway, emptied the dishwasher, and drank the same cup of coffee that had to be reheated multiple times.  Not to forget wiping off the floor and Charlie’s highchair…twice.

After at least a month of wake-up calls before six, this is a little shout out to my boy for waking up at 6:45 (even if he did first wake up at 4:50 from the wind…or being cold…or hungry, but thankfully he went right back to sleep after nursing).  I never thought I’d rejoice at a pre-seven awakening, but I feel like a new woman.

Charlie’s dinner menu:

• a dollop of almond butter
• O’s
• salmon
• yogurt
• tofucado (my tofu & avocado blend…Charlie loves it, so don’t knock it!)
• Annie’s macaroni & cheese
• blackberry applesauce
• water
  

We now await either rainbow poop or vomit.

While watching the seals at the Denver zoo, Harry began imitating their breathing noises, much to Charlie’s pleasure. This catches the end of the laughter, as well as Charlie’s attempts to draw the crowd into the fun with his fake coughs.

Silly Seals from kloveoirs on Vimeo.