The Rest of October

Hi All,

We haven't spent much time blogging this month, we have been having lots of fun though. Lots of sailing and other adventures. We are all looking forward to our November travels. Devon is off to Peru for "work" and Fiona and I are going to be visiting all the rellies in Australia. We leave on the 5th of November and will be away for three weeks. Thank goodness for flexible jobs!!! Hopefully with the republicans out by the time we board and we will settle into a peaceful flight across the Pacific Ocean. Here are some recent pics of October fun:

Fiona Visiting the Nina (a reproduction of Columbus's Ship)Which is visiting our harbour

Fiona ready for Halloween trying on her costume of a "mummy sea otter"

Boat repair and Bluegrass

A big weekend-- four days long-- of finishing all the work on the boat and getting her back in the water. She has all new rigging, many little things fixed, and new paint all over. Also, a friend from back in our Georgia days, Dina Roberts, came down from the wet land up in Oregon and Wa. to soak up some sun and the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival up in Golden Gate Park. Meanwhile, Fiona had a busy weekend playing with Grammy and Grampy. Then on Monday we all got on the boat to bring her back to Santa Cruz from the Moss Landing boat yard. A strong head wind and a good swell made for some wet and heavy going, but we made it to the harbor safe and sound with Fiona sleeping almost the whole way!

Another Moment in Time

This past Saturday we went down to Pacific Grove to visit Grammy and Grampy, and go to a special insect show at the museum. We also did another recreation photo like the one we did last year. This time we copied a photo of Devon with grandparents Ralph and Mildred, taken in the exact same spot in their backyard. The patio is due for a remodel soon, but you can still see the same stains on the concrete!

Quote of the Day:

A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don't have a top for it.
---Jerry Seinfeld

Santa Cruz County Fair 2008

We did the fair last night and had a wonderful time. Seeing it with Fiona means that we spent less time in the horticulture and arts, and more with the livestock. She had lots of fun and this morning when she woke up said that she wants to go again. I don't know if she has the concept of an annual event yet.
Here are some pics:

Riding Pink elephants

Checking out the cows

Goat at sunset

With Dad on the Merry-go-round

Hoedown with Lyle , Liv, fiona, and Devon

Funnies

Here is fiona in the bike wagon downtown the other day. But the funnier part is this...Fiona playing hide and seek:



We count to 5 and she hides, in obvious and common places like behind the door of her room or on the chair like this.

Also, she has been telling the same joke for a while now we thought we should share it with y'all,

Where does baby _(name)____ poo?
In his/her NAPPY!!!!!!!!!

Then she laughs in a disgusted sort of way and repeats the joke again.

At least she keeps things simple for her tired parents.

Just when we thought....

Just when we thought life couldn't get much sweeter. Fiona had a dry nappy last night. We're thinking about putting her to bed without any soon. We'll keep you posted on this.
Love Louise

Sunshine

ABC'S

Fiona Sings all the time, even at lunch...

The past week

Zoe, Fiona and Lyle getting along well

Naked tantrum in progress

Feeding Luna dinner

Sorry for the break in posting...
We had Brian and Liv and baby Lyle to visit over the weekend.
Many tantrums continue but by all current information are normal.
Fiona was out of school for the week so that they could have a summer break.
Keeping up with life here, all is good.

Sleeping Lion

Fiona currently contained behind this door

Fiona had the biggest tantrum of her life just before lunch today. It's hard to say what the problem was but it sure was wild. She's had a cold this week so she was a bit grumpy, we went to the park before hand but she wasn't her usual playful self, we came home by normal lunch time, I asked her what she wanted and she said a bagel with cream cheese...thats when things started, she didnt' want to eat at the table, so she sat on the floor in the kitchen but them moved to the dining table where I was sitting but didn't want me there. I said that I wasn't going to move and that we could sit together bla bla bla, and that's when she went screaming to her room, tore her clothes off and thumped about screaming on the ground for about 20 minutes. I told her she could come out when she felt better, offered her a bottle of milk (refused), and then closed the door most of the way. After a couple more minutes she quieted down and fell asleep on her bed, naked, door closed as you can see from above.

On a lighter note we are looking forward to having Mareke with us in the fall, Fiona's other babysitter Katie's younger sister. Fiona and she get along quite well. She'll take care of fiona while I'm working.
Mareke

Hope all is well with you and yours.
Love
Louise

Mine

Put on your whiniest voice start with the phrase "Hey! Thats MY..." then insert one of many nouns like: pillow, teddy, dummy, drink, bowl, food item, tool, mummy. Then repeat.....ALL DAY LONG. And you'll be just like Fiona this week.

Love
Louise

Rafting

We took Devon's parents to try some whitewater this past weekend. Fiona had a go of the raft at the put-in with her daddy then spent the day with me.
One day when she's much bigger she'll get to go downriver.
Love
Louise

6 Tons!

We finally pulled the trigger on the front yard, rented a roto-tiller, ripped up the lawn, and started landscaping. After lots more digging and a lucky find of some limestone boulders quarried from UCSC we soon had a rock wall and granite path by the street and driveway. We'll get some plants in soon, as well as a garden bed. In the meantime, Fiona loves climbing on the rocks, and playing on the pile of decomposed granite. Luna is doing her hound dog thing out there too.

What Nappy?

Fiona has been sleeping for almost three hours this afternoon! That's a pretty long nap. Before her nap she was arguing with me saying "I don't want to sleep," and writhing about in my arms. So now I'm waiting for her to wake up..But I don't remember putting a nappy on her before her nap... oh crap!...Probably will have some wet sheets to contend with. Where was my brain?
Louise


Update: Bed was dry!!!!!!!!!!

Day Sailing

Hi all,
We had a lovely afternoon sail today. Fiona did really well, We went out with our boat partner Paul. The wind was nice and strong and we got to sail "fast" while heeling over quite a lot. Fiona had a go of steering while we were still at the dock, but once tethered in and out on the bay she mostly sat on Devon's lap. Lots of pelicans flying today, also otters and harbour seals. Fiona heard the sea lions under the wharf, and thought they sounded a lot like the mile buoy. We forgot to bring our bottle of wine, may have to wait for a day with less wind.

Dad at the tiller

On our way back to the harbour

Paul

Bike Drama

This morning Fiona fell off her tricycle in the dining room. She hit her eye and forehead on a table, cracked the table (don't worry she said "daddy will fix it") , she had a good cry, but by the afternoon she had developed this trick... She positioned a pillow next to the trike so she could fall off without any trouble (check out the video, a bit cut off because we ran out of memory). She did it over and over until we went out for a real bike ride in the bike wagon. No crashes there, and Fiona, having played at the park is now fast asleep, a little cut on her eyelid and scratch on her noggin from the morning and she may have a bit of a bruise show up tomorrow. We'll see.



She's getting to be an amazing talker, she is getting her tenses under control, using past tenses of irregular verbs and such. It is wonderful to watch her pick up new words and sing whole songs. Her latest song is "You Are My Sunshine." I'll have to get a video of that because it is beautiful to hear her little voice singing. She learns songs at school too and often I don't know the words to the school songs. This frustrates her but she does her best to teach me anyway. Who knew being a mum could be so much fun.
L

Ahoy

Hi All,
So we didn't have enough to do in our spare time so we thought we'd get a boat.
Here she is "Califia" an Ericson 27. Actually we're in a partnership with another person (Paul) who knows more about sailing that we do. He's a sailing instructor and is willing to teach us the ropes (so to speak). So we're looking forward to some time on the water. Fiona already enjoys it and, for those who care, she wears a lifejacket and is tethered in when we're sailing.

We have already had a couple of forays out to the mile buoy off of Santa Cruz to which she wondered as we were sailing away, "...where is the mile buoy going?" She also spends a bit of time calling the dolphins over and looking for sea lions.

We're hoping to get to the point where we can sail to Monterey for the weekend. In the future we would like to go a lot further but for now well stay close.

Love
Louise

What Happens in Tahoe, Stays in Tahoe

Fiona Devon Brian Lyle and Liv

Fiona with mummy in the lake

Fiona and daddy and Lyle and daddy

Hi All, we just got back from a couple of days up at Lake Tahoe visiting with good friends Brian and Liv and their baby Lyle. It's a bit of a long drive to get there, but fiona did well in the car. Luna enjoyed returning to her old lifestyle of riding in the back of the truck to the mountains and wading about in fresh water. It was warm and lovely, the water was a bit cold for actual swimming but we enjoyed some quality time on a pebbly beach filling buckets with water and rocks.
There were lots of kids to play with at a big shared house with lots of folks all celebrating birthdays this time of year. We opted to sleep in a bed int he back of our truck which worked out remarkably well for Fiona considering some of the failures we have had with camping in the past.The house served as a playground for about 7 kids (count is vague). Fiona, who is still working on the ins and outs of sharing, did pretty well with all the kids and novel toys to covet. She did well with pooing in new toilets and keeping pants dry. Only one mishap all weekend! As with all our holidays with Fiona she was a bit sick, runny nose-cough and getting new teeth too, but we drove home late last night with only one stop for crying. Fiona slept in until 9:30 this morning (a new record). One of the few times I have been out of bed before she was awake.
Love
Louise

Fiona at school

Here is a picture of Fiona hanging out after school last week. She is enjoying being a big girl, though her mum and dad are looking forward to a time we don't (hear shouted in our general direction): "My poo, it's in my pants!!!!." Though a wonderful sentence is always enjoyed. She only wears "big girl" undies now, still has a nappy at night. Even if you think something more absorbent for an extended errand run would be helpful, you would be wrong according to her, and you are better off bringing extra pants and undies and knowing exactly where the nearest toilet is at all times.

She surprised us by singing "Life is Hard, but life is Harder, when you're two" the other morning while getting dressed. It made us laugh, she was clearly having a rough time though.

She is still trying to live her life by the do-all-by-self principle which does tend to make things harder but what else are we to do.

We are also looking for advice: Fiona is very friendly, talks to everyone at the grocery store and walking down the street...when do you have the "stranger" talk to kids and how do you go about shattering their innocent view on the world? Suggestions? I hate that we even have to broach the subject at all. Damn world. Life is hard.

New Pub

Hi All, we just got back froma dinner date, rode down the hill with the wagon, along west cliff drive, up to the new Pub (close to safeway for those who know), to the park, and then home for milk and summer peaches.

Bike wagon

Hi All,
We have a new toy for the family, A bike trailer hereafter referred to as the "bike wagon."
Its wonderful for riding around town and being able to carry all the things a busy girl like Fiona needs. We went to the Farmers market this morning and as we were leaving we bumped into a friend with her newish baby. Fiona sitting back int he wagon, pushed her sunglasses down to the end of her nose and peered over them to say hello to the baby and mum. V. cool.

We're looking forward to a warm week here in santa cruz so we'll be at the pool some days for sure. Fiona is getting good at jumping into mum or dad's waiting arms. She Does really well and is getting more and more confident in the water. Still a bit small for swimming lessons but the is clearly gifted with the kicking and blowing bubbles already.

Love
Louise

"Do allbyself"

We're hearing a lot of that lately. Its refrain as well as the increasingly frequent why and whats are making up the better part of our conversations these days. Still having fun though. This morning Fiona and I went to the library and to get some new books, we stopped in just in time for their kids craft time where Fiona and I made a dragon fly out of pipe cleaners. Quite good. We had our usual bagel stop downtown and even picked up some coffee as Fiona piped up in the shop, "for daddy." Errands are slow these days but the company is good.

This picture is of Fiona "Doing all by self" on the real toilet, no stepping stool required, she climbs up like a spider and holds on tightly but it works and were not having to deal with the horror of hearing her dump out her little potty on her own anymore.
Happy summer (or winter).
Love
Louise

And here's what fiona was up to...

Thanks John and Vicki for Taking care of Fiona and thanks for the Diary, good to see where our time goes.
Love
Louise

Hi Mommy and Daddy,

SATURDAY

Fiona woke a little before 7, happy. Grammy, Grampy, Pio. (no Mummy, Mummy, Mummy -- whew.) She expected Mommy & Daddy to be here, however. I said, they went in a boat, and she cheerfully waved to all the boats. Scrambled eggs & toast, blueberries and apricot, milk for breakfast.

We all (inc. Luna) went with the bob to Lovers Pt. beach. Hot. Climbed on the new replica of the Swan Boat. Waded in the ocean and played in sand. Had water and small snack (dried blueberries & fish crackers).

[I remember going in an original glass-bottom Swan Boat in 1949. I was 6, first visit to PG.]

Home by 11, F had milk, not hungry, easy nap by 11:10! Not cranky but rubbing eyes and took her own pillow to the bed.Woke 1:25. Had lunch: cheese & crackers, apricot. Meanwhile, lightning & thunder & rain. Luna barked. Fiona liked the thunder, but i’m not sure she really picked up the sound because she kept announcing, “I hear thunder again” all afternoon (probably traffic). She is really onto complete sentences now, major progress! Still mixed on “me” and “you.”

In the afternoon, hung out and then went to Costco, where we saw a pigeon inside, “shopping” -- she enjoyed the joke. F spotted a big package of macaroni & cheese, so that’s what she ate for dinner (two bowls) plus fresh blueberries and grapes -- at about 7 o’clock (gulp), hopelessly off schedule, I know, but she was remarkably patient, tho obviously tired & hungry on the drive home.

After a quick bath and requested “big playtime,” which included reading, drawing, and the above “writing all by myself,” she was clearly on the edge and we had to override protests, hear requests for Mommy and Daddy, and give repeated reassurances that her parents were fine and she would see them soon. We both got big cuddles. Asleep the instant her head hit the pillow, about 8:30.

Woke briefly at 11 pm. Mommy and Daddy? Consoled, slept.

A good day overall.

SUNDAY

F woke about 7:30. Breakfast of milk, blueberries, half of my egg, bran muffin, banana -- out of several that got peeled. Hung out: reading, writing, drawing, chasing. Early lunch of macaroni & cheese, muffin, blueberries and grapes, milk. Nap at 11.

Independent potty work yesterday and today. Did truck puzzle easily. Sense of responsibility also developing, as errors cause distress and calls for Mommy: spotting scope knocked over (no damage), small wooden chicken taken and lost (J found it again). Brief attempt at distraction meanwhile: F led me to live chickens, but appeared to know they weren’t really the issue...

Up at 1:30. A little lunch, not really hungry. Packed day stuff, took the bob, and caught the 3 pm Trolley in front of the Aquarium. [Now how did that take up 1.5 h? See that’s where your time goes. ] Nice ride to downtown Monterey, walk to El Estero. Opted for 1/2 h paddleboat, luckily: within 10 min, F was talking about the park; paddleboat may have exhausted its novelty, despite enthusiasm expressed. Lots of birds; the gulls were all bathing. The park proved more durable; also had a light picnic dinner there. Then walked back to transit center, to catch Trolley back to the Aquarium, walked home, bath, etc. Full afternoon.

Then we heard your voice message and called. Great pix from your boating adventure!

Sailing the Ocean Blue

Well in case y'all thought that we didn't do anything without Fiona check this out:

We dropped her off with John and Vicki on Friday evening in Pacific Grove (Thank you thank you thank you) then we came home and fell right to sleep as all parents of a 2 year old do. We got up the next morning after sleeping in. Woke up and ate breakfast that did not involve cheerios, tantrums over bowl colour, making motorcycle noises, or spilled milk. We hopped on our bike and rode down to the harbour to take the first of our sailing courses. Learnign the basics on a "little yacht" a Santa Cruz 27 called La Paz.



The first day we did a lot of rigging stuff and sailed in the afternoon for a little while. Devon wasn't feeling his best, note the cup of coffee and bottle of medicine:


The sailing was fun and exciting. That night (Saturday) We rode our bike up to the little neighbourhood near the harbour and had beer and chips at one stop and then found an itailan place and had some yummy noodles. Eating out alone is a nice treat. We rode our bikes back down to the harbour and settled into our boat for the night. Not La Paz, but her more comfortable 32 foot Catalina neighbour the Wind Goddess. Slept like babies (except for the waking part) and in the morning we were already in the harbour so we toodled down for a pastry and a to-go lunch and then we rigged the boat, and sailed a good chunk of the day.

We had great ideas about getting photos of on the boat while it was going but it was a splashy and dynamic place, lots of leaning over at uncomfortable angles and inexperiences maneuvers, so the camera was safely in the cabin. We had a good time, i was a bit nervous when we heeled more than 20 degrees which I will have to work on until we get a catamaran. Devon of course relished any technical and exciting moment without looking the least bit concerned.


Rode our bikes home...Fiona is coming home tomorrow sometime so tonight...dinner together...maybe a movie...and sleeping in again on monday morning.

Tomatos

Fiona has been reaping the rewards of the garden lately, cherry plums are falling off the tree, strawberries are doing well as are tomatos. Here is fiona sampling some of the morning's crop. She needs a little reminding not to pick the green ones.

Flower girl

Fiona shined during her Flower Girl duties this weekend at Brad and Roseanna's wedding in Carmel. Fiona Walked down the aisle, attempted to stay still for the rest of the ceremony and then partied the night away (until 9) dancing and socializing. devon and I were very tired keeping up with her.

School one day

Today is actually fiona's second day at school but I was too tired to add this photo the other day.
Here she is dressed and ready to go with her backpack. She went for two hours that day and today she's there for a bit more. She loves it and enjoys playing with other kids. I'm enjoying a bit of free time too.
Love
Louise

Midwest Extravaganza

Fiona at turtle camp with devon

Fiona looking at flamingos in chicago

Well we made it to The Midwest and back. We left with Fiona and her gastrointestinal illness, spent a wonderful few days driving about in northern Illinois, and even made it over the borders to Wisconsin and to Iowa. It was perfect for Fiona who was feeling a bit under the weather. Lots of sleeping in the back of the car, interspersed with pastoral landscapes filled with barns and cows and other things she knows from the books. There was a bit of camping at an old phd site of Devon's on the Mississippi river including many mosquitos and a great storm. Some time in Chicago visiting with Jim and Mary Jo Nathan who were wonderful hosts and put up with fiona's schedule.

Here are some pictures, there will be a further edit of this entry to explain to our dearest friends what it is like to travel with a sick 2 year old....

"Sleeping" in the tent

Looking at Giraffes

Playing at a park, clearly feeling better.