Free Wallin

the Cobs

2011-08-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

My rule-abiding child pictured above.

This week has been a crazy one for me at work, and the kids have been patient with me, which I appreciate. On Wednesdays I don't usually work, but I had to go do a court appearance and so a friend from our co-op agreed to take our kids. I realized I had forgotten a file I needed for court at my office, and so on the way to my friend's house, I stopped at the office to run in and grab it.

I told the kids I would leave them in the car and be right back. Nat asked where I was parking, and I assured him the curb wasn't red, which I often have to do. After we were done discussing parking tickets, he said, "I hope the cobs don't come." I said, "cobs?" He explained, "Yeah, mom, like the police. The cobs." I said that cops don't usually issue parking tickets; those are the parking enforcement people. He said, "no, the cobs give you a ticket when you leave kids in the car." Who teaches him these things?

Some photos follow.

At the Albany bulb with our Krista:

In Utah with cousin Nico ("Neekey!"), who was a very urgent and oft-repeated topic of conversation around our house after this trip. "Neekey? Where Neekey?"

At Ya-Ya's house:

Big Papi, or "Pocky," as Maud calls him.

Nat was really sad to be leaving Utah, so Maud comforted him:

Jim and Marie's kids intermingling with mine in Fremont, Utah. So happy (me. and them.).

Jim's family's house in Fremont was one of my favorite parts of our trip. This was my favorite, the fake flowers over the sign that starts, "This is a very special place..." True.

This is the least pretty view we saw while we were there. Seriously.

Home again.

Nat likes taking pictures with my iPhone and some of them I really like:

Maud the Strong

2011-05-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a great picture of our Maud and her upper body strength. For those of you who have not spoken with her recently you will be happy to know that she has a deep vocabulary: Nat, daduh, momma (her favorite), outside, Tina, Hawa, water, bicycle, cat, dog, that, chicken, thank you, and, ball, bottle, doll, car, ugh (second favorite), momma (for milk), water (for any liquid). There are probably others that I have not heard.

Now if you want to hear her say these words don't call, because she becomes very quiet when ask to speak. Instead imagine a sweet high voice that lops off either the first or second part of the above word and add an extra 'd' sound to the beginning of the word. She is also very sweet and is known to give random hugs to others.

A Story for Nat's Birthday

2011-03-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know Nat had his birthday almost a month ago, which is when I started this post. I'll include pictures from his birthday and party with the following story, in honor of Nat's four-year-old imagination:

On the way to our friends' house this evening (in early March), Nat told me he was making up a story and he would tell it to me on the way home. And, three hours later, as soon as we got in the car and drove "into the darkness," he started to tell it. Here's the story he told me, as best as I can remember it, and believe me, I really wish I could remember all of it!

"One night in the darkness, I was in your room and ... Mama, this part is sneaky. And a little scary. I went into the kitchen and it was dark and you weren't there. There was a babysitter. I went into Maudie's room and got my Batman costume. Then I went into the living room and got my fasternator that makes things go slower so you can stay a long time. And then I got really small and went under the red couch. I got really small using a magical way. And then I went under the front door. And this time I was older than Lewis because I was born first. I was 5. And I went to the building where Lewis was, and this time we were both Batmans. And we went to save Amelia and Linden. .... We had to break the window because there were no elevators and no doors in the building and we had to get to them. And I carried Linden out and he didn't say anything. And everything was okay and we got back in the fasternator. The end."

Birthday Nat:

He asked for Buzz Lightyear and got it. He was pretty excited.

Can you throw a party from a seated position?

Shane made the cake. It was plate-licking good.

The highlight of the party: a plane pinata, which Nat first requested one week after his 3rd birthday.

Pinata attackers.

The end.

Background

2011-03-19T19:53:00.001-07:00

So, Mariel which background is more appealing?

Old People

2011-03-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

Check out those wrinkles. Maudie is really old before her time. I think it's all the sour grass we let her eat.

More sour grass. It's a prolific weed around here and the stems taste sour. Both of the kids identify it on on sight and ask for it, in Maudie's case with grunting and the word "more" over and over. Then Nat picks some for her and some for himself. He's really sweet with her.

Our friend Andie gave Nat this Spiderman costume and it's been the big favorite for weeks now. He and Lewis have had lots of negotiations about who gets to wear it when!

This is one Mama's girl that has been hanging out with her Daddy a lot lately. But she calls him "Mama" half the time, so even when she chooses him over me, she's reminding him how great I am.

Nat and Krista. The second picture is at the event at Davis that Krista organized called "Gays and Mormons Unite." It was an excellent and memorable event -- for me, because of its substance, and for Nat, because Edgar brought cookies.

This kid turns four this week! This is him wearing his stylin' new church outfit that Nana and Papa sent. He could not wait to wear the tie to church, and fought hard against putting on a jacket because he didn't want to cover up the tie. We finally convinced him that since it was raining, the tie would get ruined if he didn't wear a jacket.

He's so grown up now. He told me that the heater goes on "automatically," and he uses the word "neither." He will listen to every word of a somewhat dense book on the planet Mercury he chose at the library, and he asks so many questions. What do the numbers (on the odometer) in the car mean? What are the pedals called in the car? How many are there? What do they do? How does the car know when to go? He reminds me of things I said we needed at the store, he tells me which direction to turn to get home, he tells me not to talk on the phone in the car because it's illegal...I'm thinking he can start babysitting his sister now. Right?

Nat writing his name on Valentines for his friends at school. Maud, carrying one of her favorite things in the world, which are, in no particular order, but all clearly loved far and above other things: cell phones, water bottles, cups, dumping the liquid contents of a cup on the floor, containers with lids, her doll, balls, and music. I took her to Primary at church today (Sunday School for kids ages 3-12), and she climbed right up on the bench, sat with her feet swinging a foot off the ground, and swayed and moved her arms to the music. She's getting old, too, this 14 month old. She climbs right up on a tricycle twice her size, up and down stairs with hardly a misstep, seems to learn a new word every day, and has begun telling us when she is pooping. She loves to carry her dirty diaper and put it in the trash can.

This is her look that says, "Actually, mom, I'll be the one babysitting my brother anytime now."

The Kids

2011-01-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

Decided to go for spot-on with the blog post title. Especially since Shane and I have had a little war for months now over the background design of this blog and I don't want any kind of fancy title punning to distract him from the glory that is this orange background. At least you can read the words and see the pictures, right? Support me in the comments, folks, let's see your votes. (Really, with our blog, it's more like folk singular --we love you, Mariel!)

Now the main event:

The kids have been playing really well together. This morning they bounced a bouncy ball all over the kitchen and laughed, then played on Nat's bed for a half an hour. I love seeing them cracking each other up. Or cracking us up.

Why are you interrupting us?

A quotable Nat, to a babysitter: "I have a superhero power that I can get a lot of [parking] tickets all day long and tear them all up!" (WHO is this kid's mother?)

Don't worry, after this super hero destroys the parking tickets, he can be very sweet:

Tonight, I laid down with Nat when I tucked him in. I told him a story, and then he said, "let's both close our eyes, Mama." That sounded good to me. About 3 minutes later, I realized I was falling asleep, and stirred a little. It was 8:00, and I had work to do. Nat turned to me and whispered, "Let's close our eyes for one more minute." He sounded just like the parent. I slept until 11:30.

Today, Maud said "water bottle" twice. Well, "wa-wa bottl" is more like it, but still. She's obsessed. The kid won't take a pacifier or a baby bottle, but she's all about the water bottles.

So reverent.

We got some new dress-ups this weekend at the thrift store and Nat and Lewis had fun today. After they put on dresses, Nat said, "We're the princesses, and you're the princesses' mom, and Maudie is the witch. What is the princesses' mom called?" I said, "the queen?" And he said, "no..."

Maud is fairly busy these days. She has lots of things to move, carry, investigate, climb, or try to eat:

The mustard bottle went right in her mouth.

Nat's lunch box.

Had to move where we kept the tinfoil.

She does not like to sit down unless it's on our laps. Even in the tub, she crouches like a future ninja.

You can't turn around for too long, or she will climb up whatever is around. Or out.

Doesn't this picture look like an unusually smiley farmer posing with his truck?

The end.

Courting Disaster

2011-01-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

The culprit. Read on, you'll see.

Sometimes I am overly optimistic about what I can accomplish. This is a trait that has the power to make my pessimistic, detail-oriented program manager at work break out into metaphorical hives when I use the words "it will be fine," with a hand gesture that indicates I haven't thought much about it. And really, he has a point.

Last week, I had scheduled Maudie's one-year check-up for a Wednesday morning. I have my kids and our two-year-old neighbor on Wednesdays, but we often go out with all three of us; we can even fit three car seats in the back seat of our little Honda, as long as I close the car door with enough force to bend a little plastic. However, I felt bad about putting the older kids in the car and driving to the doctor's office and back on a gorgeous sunny winter day; what fun is that? So I thought we'd walk to BART, take the train and a shuttle bus to the doctor's office, then stop at the nearby park after the appointment. The plan was for Maud to take her morning nap on the way, be well-rested and happy for the doctor, and for the kids to have a fun outing to boot.

HA.

I couldn't find Maud's carrier anywhere. We only(!) have a double stroller, so one kid had to walk or be carried, and no carrier. I tore the house apart, then aborted the search because we were late. I volunteered Nat to walk, put the girls in the stroller, and we were off like a herd of turtles. The BART station is about eight blocks away, and we stopped to switch our configuration 10 times. Nat walked. He rode on my back. He rode rather unsafely on the stroller handle. I got Maud out and carried her on my hip while pushing the stroller so Nat could ride. We made it to the BART station in time to watch our train leave the station without us.

Nat, my nervous Nellie, despaired. But I said, "it'll be fine," and we caught the next train. People on the train were smiling at the kids and frowning at me for my apparent unwillingness to appropriately control my fertility. Maud did not sleep.

Getting off BART, we waited for our Kaiser shuttle. And waited. And I remembered something, which is that the Kaiser shuttle is really never at the BART station. They pretend it goes there, but really it's part of a psychiatric experiment to see how long people will wait for nothing. FINE, I thought. We'll walk/run. And we did, through some high traffic Oakland streets for a little over a mile, me pushing the double stroller and coaxing/pleading with/bribing Nat to run with me, because Maud got the straps after she kept trying to jump out of my arms to run (she is getting really fast, BTW). We ran through the park with me making wild promises that we'd be back there soon, went up the elevator and into the doctor's office, and arrived just after the 15 minute cut off for being seen near your appointed time. The front desk person notified me of this breach in a chipper voice. Next available appointment: one hour away.

Not happy.

I said to myself, "it'll be fine," and took the crew down the hall to get shots while we were waiting to see the doctor. Shots, hooray! Six shots for a one year old with a two and a three year old watching. Honestly, Maudie toddled/ran right out the door of that waiting room exactly six times before our name was called. She knew.

The nurse came out to inform us that we couldn't get shots until after we saw the doctor. I informed her that we would not be coming back if she didn't see us right then. So, after holding down my strong, active toddler for the apparently medically necessary torture, I walked us all toward the elevator to go down to the pharmacy for Tylenol, because Maudie historically has a terrible fever and rash when she gets shots.

But Nat, my Nervous Nellie, started screaming when the elevator doors opened, because our two-year-old was a few steps behind him. MAMA! SHE'S NOT COMING! MAMA! AHHHHHH! WAIIIIT! He was worried that we would leave her behind, I guess. Or he had PTSD from watching his sister get stuck with 6 needles and being given a boy sticker as a reward (the two-year-old got a girl sticker, very pink).

With great coaxing, we made it down to the pharmacy. When appropriately medicated, we returned to the doctor's waiting room via elevator, with coats, toys, snacks, stickers, and important paperwork strewn through various stroller seats and diaper bag pockets. Four minutes after we made it to the waiting room, we opened our sushi-as-snack and poured soy sauce to dip it in. Right then, the potty-trained ones called out for the bathroom. Even though it was time for the doctor to see us, and taking three kids under three into a public restroom is enough to make anyone become a home-bound recluse, I thought "it will be fine."

Finally, finally, finally, we were in the doctor's office. The older kids were playing with their toys, and Maud was just in her diaper and socks, ready for her exam and loopy from Tylenol and breast milk (seriously, the two are a powerful cocktail of inebriation for that kid), happy and walking around. I thought, "see, this wasn't so bad. We did it!"

Because who would suspect this sweet girl?

The doctor came in and I chatted with her glowingly about Maud for one minute. Sixty seconds. And then I looked down and Maud had pooped. Which I could see clearly, because she had also taken off her diaper.

I moved toward her in slow motion, mouthing "oh, noooooooooo" but she had stepped in it by the time I had taken the one step required. The doctor laughed and I cleaned Maud, and me, and the floor, and the socks, with wet paper towels because who can find the wipes in all our chaos? and the doctor tried to help but mostly laughed. I wonder what happened to those socks, actually. I think I may have left those behind. Every war has casualties.

So Maudie is basically healthy with a skinny body and large head. She smiled and cooed as we shared an elevator afterward with our doctor and her friends (Nat screamed again while worried that we would not all get on before the doors closed), and the doctor friends had heard the story, because they said how charming she was and that they doubted this smiley baby would do such a thing as spread poop all over the exam room.

Yet, she did. And beyond that, before our outing was over, we went to the park, went back to the doctor's office to go to the bathroom, put money in a broken vending machine in a last-ditch effort at lunch/bribery, took two more anxiety-inducing (for Nat) elevator rides, convinced a shuttle driver to abandon his psychological experiment/cell phone call 30 minutes after he had said he was unavailable, took a BART train, and walked the eight blocks home with Maudie dead asleep on my shoulder. Her head kept sliding down my arm as I tried to maneuver the double stroller over sidewalk bumps.

THE END
(do you feel as exhausted as I did?)

Unrelated postscript: these two are really cute together lately; they play together and harass each other and make each other laugh and when Nat isn't around, Maud goes through the house looking for him, calling, "Na? Na?" I am so, so glad they have each other and not a single sibling more.

Catch-up

2011-01-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

Maud turned one year old on December 20, 2010. This is her eating the orange roll that served as her birthday cake. Her favorite part was the singing of Happy Birthday: she bounced up and down to the music and smiled at the family gathered to sing.

Nat asked Santa Claus for a candy cane for Christmas, and got his wish. I love this age. Those of you with older kids, is there a way to preserve this appreciation for the simplest things?

Our families were so incredibly generous with their time and with gifts for the kids this year. I wish we had gotten more pictures of the kids with their beloved grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. They are lucky, loved munchkins. Thank you to all of you who made our holiday season great!

We're looking forward to a new year.

Pony pony ponytail

2010-12-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

I'm in Utah with the kids for Christmas, and I forgot our camera. So, no pictures of our visit (at least until Shane arrives), but since we'll see 90% of the ten people who read this blog while we're here, that's probably okay.

In the meantime, if you're looking for a Nat fix, here's a video from September that my aunt had on her computer. Look for the single to be released next summer.

This Week

2010-12-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to for Christmas this year. I think part of that excitement comes from Nat. He told me two weeks ago that it was "too long before Christmas." He did not mean the presents, he meant going to Utah and being with family. All he wanted for Christmas this year was a candy cane. This week is also a special time for us, because Maud turned one on Monday. This year in many ways has been a blur, with large chucks that are in my mind as a slow motion grainy VHS tape. The flood is one of those times, along with North Carolina. I am just grateful for my family and friends, more this year than ever before. Shane.

Bad Day Made Good

2010-12-14T00:17:00.000-08:00

Maud was sick. The Outside's gray and drizzly ways did not exactly extend an invitation. The kids and I decided to stay in and eventually regretted it. That day with kid scissors, Nat cut up a roomful of paper (with permission), a book (without permission), and Maud's blanket. He dumped out toys. He found a permanent marker somewhere in the not-so-gaping hole of the mere moments I spent changing Maud's diaper and he used it to draw on himself and the kitchen table. He is fast and stealthy: don't let the bowl cut and eyelashes fool you. There were fits and whining and eventually, a dumping out of shredded paper in the room where a stuffed animal currently plays "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" every 30 seconds in a location so unknown that we have been unable to eradicate its electronic noise. It was a tough day.

BUT, then I got a gift. At nap time, after a hard fought lunch, we went outside. Nat was Superboy, I was Superwoman/SuperMama, and Maud was SuperBaby. There was dancing, cat-petting, peeing on a tree (Nat, not the cat), laughing, and general merriment. And then there was napping, and it was good.

Some stats on the day (I know, I'm a rookie compared to lots of people): I cleaned 3 rooms only to have them trashed again, gave more than 20 swipes of a snotty nose, changed 2 poopy diapers and six pieces of variously soiled baby clothing (no small task on a squirming toddler), yelled once, made exasperated spluttering noises 47 times, and lowered my standards between 19 and 100 times. Give or take.

An entirely related (because I would never be random) P.S.- We had so much fun in Lake Tahoe for Thanksgiving. It was tempting to kidnap our friends and force them to live in California (LOTS OF PEOPLE LIKE IT HERE, GUYS).

Dress-up

2010-11-30T21:32:00.000-08:00

We have some great pictures of the kids in the snow from our Tahoe trip, but since they aren't loaded on my computer, you'll have to get your Nat fix with this photo one of his preschool teachers took and emailed to me. He's apparently wearing about 8 dresses, and this hat was once one of three, but his teacher wasn't quick enough with the camera. I like this construction worker-meets-pregnant-woman-from-16th-century-borrowing-a-midget's-robe look. At least someone in our family does fashion.

Kamikaze Maud

2010-11-08T23:56:00.001-08:00

This child is dangerous. She can crawl up 12 stairs in 30 seconds, climb onto the kids' table in no time at all, and over the weekend, she speed-crawled into the bathroom where Nat was taking a bath, and, taking advantage of me being one beat behind her, jumped over the bathtub wall to land face first, pajamas and all, into the water-filled tub. Fortunately, I fished her out immediately, but HOLY COW. What are we going to do when she can walk more than a few steps?

Above: she spent 10 minutes trying to get on that tricycle. Don't let the sun in her eyes fool you: she was a happy kid when she succeeded!

Things They Say

2010-11-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

Nat is officially a preschooler. He learns things like "chicken butt" and "poo-poo stupidhead" from kids at school and tries them out at home. Those phrases don't go over too well, so he's got an acceptable back-up if he needs it: "musha-musha." The other day, I was really frustrated about something, and he said, "Mama! Say musha-musha!"

When we were trick-or-treating, we stopped at a house where an older woman was handing out candy. She was not wearing a costume. Before she went back in the house, while Nat and Lewis were coming down her walk, Nat said, "Mom, that lady was REALLY SCARY!"

Nat doesn't like it when people on the street talk to him, and he'll glare at them, or say: "I don't like her." There are a lot of sweet old ladies who go out walking in our neighborhood, and it's sad when he says that. So today I told him that he had a superpower. I was about to continue on that the superpower was making people happy just by saying "hi," but he was way ahead of me. "No, mama, actually, I have five superpowers! I'll show you!" He started doing some twirl moves on the sidewalk and said, "one!" Then he started running with his arms out like wings. "Two!" Then he stopped and I said, "what else?" He said, "I said five superpowers. I don't want ten superpowers, just five or six or eight, but not nine."

Tonight while I was trying to put Maud to bed, Nat came in with some toys and said, "Look at my robot in a catapult! He was stuck but then he was released!"

Nat is excellent at milking his bedtime routine for every last drop. He is suddenly hungry, needs a "spooky" story, has to go to the bathroom, needs a toy, wants to see what we're doing, or would just rather lay in bed and sing at the top of his lungs than sleep. One thing he says is, "Mama, will you cuddle with me? I love you. Let's talk about things we do tomorrow." How am I supposed to say no to that?

He's been trying to figure out which words rhyme, and this week, he pointed out that there's more than one kind of butt. "Like chicken butt and but when I say 'but I want you to play with me! That rhymes!" Of course, he also said something like "radio-head" and "dog" rhymed, so we're still working on it.

While Nat and Maud were in the bathtub tonight, he said, "she doesn't pee, because she doesn't have a penis yet." Someday, Maud, someday.

Maud's quotes are shorter, but still exciting: she has said "Mama" for a while, but today, she saw Nat jumping right outside her bedroom, and she called out exuberantly, "Na! Na! Nat!" Nat said, "her first word!" Happy, happy.

Halloween

2010-11-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

A sunny morning in the backyard during the post-Halloween heat wave. Maud's buddy in the photo is Stew. This is on Tuesday, the one morning each week when it's four on one: Nat, Lewis, Maud and Stewie vs. "Mama Ishy." Somewhat surprisingly, it's one of my best mornings each week.

And Halloween:

Maud the penguin pumpkin stealer.

Nat and H, who, at least for the Halloween parade at Nat's preschool, refused to wear the hoods of their monster and duck costumes, respectively.

On trend

2010-11-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

At our house, we like to follow the most current trends. This, of course, includes wearing dresses and pants at the same time.

Unrelatedly, today Nat asked me if God is okay with people shooting rockets off. We've been talking a lot about no guns in the house, and I think he's looking for loopholes. Though we hadn't brought God into it. Kind of a good idea, though.

Finally, I'll share my current consternation. Today, someone cleaned our toilet, and it was not me or Shane. The water was suddenly blue and the toilet clean, and really, it wasn't us, unless one of us is lying, but that would be contrary to our usual behavior of rushing to take credit for this sort of thing. Which may be why the toilet wasn't already clean, because really, I for one would rather get kudos for cleaning the toilet than actually clean the toilet. This apparently left a gap for a stranger to clean our toilet. I was feeling embarrassed, but I've progressed to gratitude. Maybe it was God who cleaned our toilet, in a reward for us not shooting off any rockets today.

walking

2010-11-03T06:38:00.001-07:00

maud took three steady steps yesterday.

halloween pictures are coming.

Maud Standing and Sort of Walking

2010-10-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Maud has been standing on her own for a few weeks now and yesterday she took two halting steps.

my people came to visit

2010-10-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Videos

2010-08-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent videos:

OBX: The Plane Ride

2010-06-30T13:56:00.001-07:00

We have been here since Sunday. The flight was good with only one casulty. Nat needed a diaper change, so I took him to the bathroom. Nat took his new action figure, a fire fighter with him. Well, I had him stand over the toilet while I changed his diaper and he dropped his guy into the toilet. (that's right even though I thought that I should close the seat, I didn't) Nat started to cry as I tried to grab the guy, but it slipped into the bowels of the toilet before I could get it. Nat continued to sniffle while I completed the change. After the change I stuck my hand down into the toilet and fished around for the toy. After a few second I pulled it out. I went back to our seat, alcohol wipes in hand, and cleaned off the fire fighter.

Let me explain what it was like to put my hand down the toilet. First, what I was able to see. The bathroom was dark and what light that was in the stall was yellow and old. The toilet was stainless steel and well used. My nose was stuffed so I have no smells to report, but my guess is somewhere between ugh and ass (in the toilet). There were two distinct sounds that I heard. The first was Nat crying about having lost his toy. The second was what I said, but could not really believe I was saying. At first, I tried to cut our losses and tell Nat that his guy was gone. Then I weighed how awesome I would be in Nat and Elisa's eyes if I got the guy. Plus it would make a good story, and it was what a father should do. I also wondered how long Nat would cry and/or be upset about the drowning in relationship to how long we still had left on the plane. I then told Nat that I would look for it, but that there was no guarantee that I would find it. And that is how I get to the feel of the thing: warm, soft, wet, moist, soggy toilet paper (this is a real tactile sensation), and goo.

After we got back to the seat Nat told us that he would tell all his friends about what happened and he did.

Reading with Nat

2010-06-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

When I read a book with Nat he will often turn the page after only reading about half the page. This morning when I asked him why he did the he turned to me and said, "sometimes when you need to turn the page, you just turn the page."

RUN!

2010-06-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

As my grandpa often says when he suddenly has a camera pointed at you while you're in the middle of a conversation: "Act natural."

However, a still 3 year old does not routinely occur in nature.

1st attempt at family picture. He ran far and fast enough that I deemed it unwise to chase him in the shoes I was wearing and recruited our friend Edgar to chase him down.

2nd attempt. Coaxing proved ineffective.

3rd attempt. Brute force.

4th attempt. Someone's funny antics off camera did the trick.

By some miracle, there are no grass stains on this dress.

Maudie and her cousin G. G had a few dollars to spend for her SF visit and decided to buy matching hats for the two of them. Don't you want one?

2010-06-05T17:27:00.001-07:00

Maud started eating solids this week. She was really happy about that.

First

2010-06-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

Nat really did it this time. He said, "daddy I need to pee." He did it! Right there in his potty. Call and tell him congratulations.

He also went to a space museum this week.

Frustration

2010-05-27T06:37:00.001-07:00

Last night Nat had a hard time falling asleep. After an hour I was having a hard time with him not falling asleep and my voice tone did not hide that fact. He said , "I am frustrating (meaning that he was under the influence of frustration) with you." I asked him why and he said it was because I told I was not going to come into his room or give him more food (he did not eat much at dinner). I told him that I was frustrated that he did not eat during dinner time. We talked for a few minutes about how we were feeling and at the end he said that I should not be frustrated any more and that I should be happy. I told him that I was happy that we talked and he was awesome for talking to me.

Maud Talking

2010-05-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

Nat's Wisdom

2010-05-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

At 200 in the morning Nat came knocking at our bedroom door. He told me that he had a silly dream. When I walked him back to his room he told me that a scary man had chased him up the stairs and that he had told him "NO" and then Nat said he called for his daddy to save him. I talked to him about the dream and then Nat asked to pray to God, because he wanted to dream about God so that he could feel safe.

Elisa, Maud, Nat and I went to Costco today. On the way Nat asked me if I could sit in the back seat with him and Maud when we go to SUDULUSTU's house after Costco. Nat said, "Mama's a good driver and knows how to get to Lewis' house." I asked Nat if I was a good driver and Nat was just silent. To be fair to me I had just been looking for Maud's Binky and Elisa asked me to stop looking because I was "wiggling" the steering wheel.

While we were at Costco I dropped some eggs out of the carton. As we were walking to the car Nat told me that next time I should take Maud out of the cart first (I dropped the eggs because I was trying to hold Maud and the eggs at the same time) and then take the eggs out.

Potty Time

2010-04-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Nat has started wearing big boy underwear and he pooped for the first time in his potty (he was wearing his underwear, but that does not take away from the sucesss). Call him and say congrats.

This week, in quotes and pictures.

2010-04-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

A few gems from the last week of Della-Wallin kids:

Yesterday, there were two pre-teen boys skateboarding down our street while Nat and Maudie and I were playing on the front lawn. As they passed, one boy said excitedly: "That baby has a mohawk!" Do not underestimate the impact of this hairstyle: as our friend Susan said, it's pretty impressive to get 11-year-old boys to pay attention to an infant.

We need better pictures of the mohawk; its glory far exceeds these depictions.

Lately, Nat has been giving me advice about my appearance. He'll often say, "That's a cute shirt, Mama!" But I don't always get rave reviews. The other day, he looked at me and said: " Your hair is kinda wiggly, Mama. You should take a shower."

We documented the wiggly hair.

Nat just started a weekly music class on Monday and has asked every day this week if we're going to music class when he wakes up. His favorite thing is playing the drums, but he likes all of it. Example of his musical ability:
Nat (singing loudly): "Wah wah wah wah WAH WAH WAH WAH. I don't know the rest of the song. I made it up in my head."

Also, this kid does not stop moving. Honestly, about 40 times a day he asks if we will play [fill in the sport] with him. "Mama, will you play soccer with me?" "Will you play baseball with me?" "Will you hit this [beach] ball with me?" "Will you play tennis with me?" His little city preschool is in a community center, and he loves to watch the teenagers there play basketball. We were walking out the other day, and one of the very tall basketball players saw Nat and said, "Hey, that's the kid that watches us play! He's gonna be a great player, he will just stand there and watch us forever and not move!" The guy kept talking to his friend about Nat while we all walked in the same direction for a while, and Nat was so happy!

Nat has revealed how he can move constantly. I thought he was apple-powered, because he would subsist solely on apples if I let him. He eats them whole and leaves the cores all over the house. But, no:
Susan (our good friend and Lewis' mom): Nat, how do you run so fast?
Nat: Oh, Jesus gave me energy.

The rest of these quotes are from an hour period this evening. I just got a pen and a piece of paper and wrote down the best of what he said. I love living with this kid!

Nat (pointing to the Baby Bjorn baby carrier on the floor): If we put this on the floor, ants will eat it all up.

Nat [Out of the blue, at dinner]: Why will Maudie die if she's covered by a pillow? (This stems from earlier conversations about not smothering his sister).

Yes, bathing. No smothering.

He's been very curious about death lately, and the dinner conversation went on with: "If I die, I don't get to go in the water." Someone's excited for our beach house trip this summer!

Finally, when I was tucking him into bed, he was smiling at me. He said, "I had fun with you today, Mama," and he was stroking my hair. Then he pulled a chunk of my hair over his eyes and said, "I could use this to cover my eyes for the cheese pinata." He's decided that he wants a pinata at his next birthday, and he wants it in the shape of "a cheese." This is the first I've heard that my hair will be a blindfold...

Better than words: quiet sleep.

The kids with friends:

Environmentally Unfriendly

2010-04-02T23:51:00.001-07:00

In my head, I take 5 minute showers. I'm in, I get clean (except the hair, I don't like wet hair), and I'm out. Saving water, saving time, I'm very virtuous. In my head.

It turns out I take long showers. I am not sure where my brain goes, but wherever it is, it takes more than 5 minutes to get there. (Once while my dad was talking on his cell phone in the car, we asked my mom if she ever got bored when he talked to someone else as they were driving. She said, "Oh, no, I go lots of places.").

I discovered this long showering habit today because Nat has pneumonia. I know, a pause for pneumonia -- it's been a rough week -- fevers over 104 degrees and a cough that made him throw up. But, he's doing much better. It's good to see our little guy's personality coming back.

So this morning, at the doctor's recommendation, I had Nat come into the bathroom while I showered so that he could breathe the steam. I set up the laptop with a 7-minute Sesame Street podcast on it for him to watch. (He was excited about setting the laptop on the toilet seat, which I thought was funny.) I assumed I'd be done by the time the podcast was over...but it went so fast! Nat was asking to watch another one and I was wet and soapy and without my glasses, blind as a Stevie Wonder bat (seriously, you 20/20 people out there, count your blessings). So it turns out that really, I take showers that are quite long (at least as long as two Sesame Street podcasts, which has become my go-to unit of time).

And thus concludes the most boring story ever told. But that's how you have to roll when you don't leave the house for a week. AND it is perhaps better than what happens when we do leave the house, like last week when I locked Nat and the keys in the car for the second time in 6 months. (That may be the subject of a future post, once I've looked up the statute of limitations on child endangerment prosecutions).

But, seriously, aren't you glad I posted, just so you could see these pictures of the MOST ADORABLE CHILDREN EVER? (See there, how I'm embracing the Mormon family blog prototype? Okay, fine, stereotype?)

Did I mention that we spent a lot of time inside this week? Nat's face and fact that he's playing with string (albeit string attached to a train) say it all.

Admit it, ADORABLE.

Milestones

2010-03-08T23:36:00.000-08:00

Maudie rolled over for the first time this week.

Nat went to preschool for the first time.

Maudie is growing a mohawk.

Nat is turning 3 years old tomorrow, March 9.

How is it possible that these OLD kids belong to us?

Knows who he is

2010-02-27T22:48:00.000-08:00

At his three-year-old check up this week (we did it a little early to coincide with Maudie's two month check-up), Nat's doctor asked him if he is a boy or a girl. He said, "I'm a kid!" Then she asked him again if he was a boy or a girl and he said: "I'm just Natty." I love this kid.

P.S. -- Am I great at cutting hair or what? I have made his bangs marginally straighter since the above picture was taken, but it's a good thing he's got some natural cuteness to make up for the hair butchering I give him on a regular basis.

Negotiating Technique

2010-02-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

It was beautiful and sunny here today, and we went to Codornices Park in Berkeley, which is one of Nat's favorites. The best feature is a long cement slide, which Nat and Lewis and their friend June went down "over and over again!" (as they exuberantly announced each time we asked them about how many more times they'd like to do it).

Of course, having had so much fun sliding down the slide, rolling down the hill, and playing in the playground, he didn't want to leave the park. When it was time to go home, he started running into a field the opposite direction from our car. I called to him that he could have a treat if he came back to me in 1..2..3... (Is counting to three a universal parenting thing? I do it so often that I should at least switch languages so he's learning while he's ignoring me). He kept running, so far that I couldn't see him and had to chase him with Maudie bouncing against my belly in her sling and the diaper bag swinging vigorously on my shoulder.

Needless to say, he did not get the treat. But he sure tried to convince me he should get it. We (mostly he) discussed the issue all the way home from the park, and I thought his range of techniques was impressive:

-- "I'm ready for my treat!"
-- "But you said."
-- "I'm hungry!"
-- (after I offered him the rest of his sandwich): "but I want my ONLY BEST TREAT! It was my BEST BEST TREAT!"
-- "Mama, we can work this out."
-- "I want to do it again. I want to try [coming when you call] again."
-- "I WANT MY TREAT! I WANT MY TREAT! I WANT MY TREAT!" (This went on for a long while.)
-- "Mama, could I please have my treat?"
-- "I said please! Let's do: if I say please."
-- "I will do it next time! I won't run away so far in the field."
-- "I WON'T DO IT NEXT TIME!"
-- "I want my treat. I NEED IT!"

About 15 minutes later, he was in bed, ready for a nap, and I thought the treat requesting/cajoling/threatening was over. But as I kissed him and got up to leave the room, he said, "Mama, I'm ready for my treat!"

Deuces (the Flood)

2010-02-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

Our lives were fairly peaceful. Or rather, we moved two days after Thanksgiving, Shane started a new job the next week, I finished my work before taking 6 months leave, we unpacked/nested, had a baby, celebrated Christmas, made it through the sleep-deprived haze of Maudie's first month (with lots of help) and THEN our lives were peaceful. For a day or two. Then the rains came. And our (new) apartment flooded. Most of the best chaos was too absorbing to think of capturing on film, but here's a taste:

The first day of flooding, Shane was ready for battle. By the end of that week, he was less collected:

I was pretty much a basket case the whole time (not pictured).

Some of the highlights/lowlights from the flood week:

- On the second flood day, the water was coming really quickly. The kids and I stopped attempting to participate in flood control (note to friends: it turns out I am useless in a crisis, so in event of an earthquake or other emergency, do not come to our house except to plunder the large quantities of food storage that Shane's parents have ensured we have in the garage/playroom/new swimming pool). We started hiding out in the driest room, the living room. There were two wet/dry vacs in operation in the kitchen, and one of the guys operating them kept exclaiming: "OH, NO!" as the water level rose. Each time, Nat would say loudly, "Mama, why that guy is saying, 'Oh, no?'" We were very helpful.

- While I was running to get more towels, carrying the baby, Maudie and I fell down the outside stairs, which were soaked from the rain. We took Maudie to the ER and to see her doctor, and everything checked out, thankfully. It was awful and scary, and the relief we felt when we learned she was really okay was enough to put some perspective on this whole adventure. Plus, as we were leaving the pediatrician's office, the pediatrician turned to me and said, "you should take a buttload of Motrin tonight or else you will be really sore in the morning." Never having heard a doctor prescribe a "buttload" of drugs before, I had to estimate a little as I gleefully followed her advice that evening.

-- While we were at the hospital, our friend Susan arranged for us to stay with a couple from church who have a one-room cottage in back of their house. They were so wonderful, and gave Nat especially lots of much-needed grandparently attention (don't be silly, grandparently is definitely a word). We thanked them by filling their cottage with dirty diapers and crumbs, and, in an incident indicative of the quality of parenting of which I was capable during that time, a burned bagel smell that I'm pretty sure will be permanent (at least the bagel did not actually cook for the 77 minutes, 36 seconds that Nat had programmed into the microwave).

-- We decided to flee to Utah to multiply the grandparently attention. At 5 a.m. the morning of our flight, I was sitting in a chair nursing Maudie, enjoying the smell of burnt bagel, the snorfely sounds of sick kids trying to sleep and to nurse, and trying not to freak out about the fact that I needed to pack up our family for a trip of indefinite length to a winter place when I didn't even know where in our apartment our dressers had landed. Nat was sleeping in a portable crib about a foot away from me, and he woke up with a very cute, long sigh. I waved at him. He waved back, then put up his two fingers in the peace sign, and said, "Deuces." Then he went back to sleep. It made me feel a lot better.

As do these pictures of our Utah trip. We're still here, and Nat is having a ball with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and most of all, his cousin Gabe (aka Gaboo). He told my mom last night after being separated from Gabe for 5 minutes: "Gaboo misses me." Since they have been almost inseperable, he probably did.

Utah agrees with Maudie, I think, because she has been smiling a lot! Though only once for the camera:

Happy Christmas and Merry Holidays

2009-12-24T22:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone for your support. Everyone is doing well and Maud quite the bender

Pictures of Maud

2009-12-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

Her birth story in words is below (in the post "Madeleine...), but even better, here are physical depictions of the baby herself.

Nat is almost reverential about her sometimes:

Sometimes just curious:

Sometimes scheming or indifferent (this morning when Nat saw Maud he said, "I guess she is going to stay here for a while. We are not taking her back to the hospital?":

The rest of us love her, too.

Madeleine "Maud" Marie Macfarlane Wallin

2009-12-22T04:23:00.000-08:00

When I was living in the Baltic States I did service at an orphanage. One little girl became particularly attached to me and her name was Madeleine. Since then I always wanted to name a girl Madeleine. We are calling her Maud, because that is an awesome name (see her in utero name, Maud Bender) and we did not want her to be a Maddy. Marie, for me anyway, comes from my Grandma Wallin. She was a wonderful woman who always had time for me and loved me unconditionally. Macfarlane is from Elisa's maternal family and Wallin is from me. She is named for great individuals and families. We are so happy she is here.

Maud is currently sleeping next to me on the couch at 4:30 in the morning. She has a round face, long thumbs. and cuteness to the core. She also has an older brother who fawns over his "baby." Here's her birth story:

12.20.09
Around 11:30 amish.:

Elisa drank a smoothie laced with Castor Oil. We tried this when she was pregnant with Nat, but all that came from it were painful cramps. Elisa took two more helpings of the oil during the afternoon (with scrambled eggs and then egg nog). Around 2:00, Elisa and Kathryn (Elisa's mom) went on a walk/jog up a very steep hill. When they returned Elisa claimed that she was having contractions, but Shane did not believe that they were anything more than bad cramps.

From 500 pmish to 830 pmish:

Elisa persisted in her belief that the cramps were contractions and out of slight panic that they might be real Shane packed the hospital bag and ate dinner. Nat in the mean time was playing and oblivious to what was happening, or so we thought. Around 630 pm Elisa started having more intense cramps and Shane relented and started calling them contractions. Nat would come up to Elisa and give her hugs and ask if everything was ok. At this time Kathryn was helping with both dinner, Nat and supporting Elisa (thanks for everything you did Kathryn). Shane took Nat up to Tina and Sam's (we love our new upstairs neighbors! ). Elisa was feeling sick and did not want Nat to see her like this. Elisa's contractions were coming every two to three minutes and lasting for about one minute each.

We started doing the Hypnobirthing and getting ready to leave. Shane called the hospital and they said to wait about another hour or so. Elisa then got into the bathtub where she remained for the next hour and a half, just soaking the in the warm water (oh yeah, and having painful contractions). Nat came back down and offered his support and went to bed.

830 pmish to 1030 pmish:

Elisa said that she wanted to go to the hospital and Shane had flashbacks to the last time with Nat when we went to the hospital three times for false labor. When we got to the hospital the nurse in triage was great. We had originally wanted to go to Kaiser Walnut Creek, because they have midwives. At this point, KWC was too far away for us. So we went to Oakland and hoped that it would go ok. Once there and after some painful contractions (are there really any other kind?) the doctor came in and told us that Elisa was at a 7 (meaning she was dilated to 7 cm, birth happens at 10 cm). The doctor and nurses were very excited because we were going to do Hypnobirthing. We could not have asked for a more supportive doctor and set of nurses. They were very encouraging and respectful about our birth choices and a few times encouraged Elisa to continue with the Hypnobirthing, even when she was not sure she could.

1030 pmish to 1111 (exactly): The pushing in earnest begins. Elisa again proved to be a great pusher and the doctor was able to guide Elisa in the pushing so that Maud came out slowly, painfully, but with no tearing on Elisa. At 1111 pm little girl Wallin was brought into the world. She was very purple and screechy. After two or three tries she started to eat like a champ and Shane took pictures of her placenta (emailed upon request). I also cut the umbilical cord.

Thanks for all your support and love.

Shane et al.,

Ants

2009-12-12T09:29:00.001-08:00

If there is one thing that Elisa hates it is ants, she also hates injustice (but not when it is applied to ants). Yesterday it rained most of the day and for the Bay Area that means ants. Elisa and Nat spent a good while removing the ant problem as best they could. Nat was very helpful of his mommy. This morning Nat and I were sweeping up and he saw a few ants. He told me, "we have to get rid of the ants daddy."

At breakfast I told Elisa that Nat had picked up her desire to get rid of the ants. Elisa said to Nat, "good job." Nat then saw an ant and Elisa said, "let's get it." Nat then, in his sweet concerned voice, said, "maybe he is just trying to find his home mommy."

The above picture is what our living room looked like before we painted.

The Quotable Nat, Part One

2009-12-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

Note: this is an old, largely irrelevant to the post, picture. We haven't downloaded (or really taken) photos for a month since things have been CRAZY!

Here are some of the best Nat quotes from the past month:

1. We're in the car, and Nat says from the back seat: "Mommy, that was a stop sign! Why you didn't stop?" This could seriously alter my driving style.

2. Today we were playing with the nativity scene that his Nana and Papa sent for him. He was having Joseph and Mary walk to various places on the couch and no one would let them in. I said, "where should they go?" Nat said, "to South Berkeley on the BART train!" (We just moved to South Berkeley.)

3. After my extremely pregnant belly caused me to lose the fight with gravity one morning, I laid on the bed to get my pants on. Nat said, "Mama! You put on your pants laying down! That's amazing!"

4. Nat said to his friend Lewis, who was going crazy with a flashlight: "Lewis, don't shine that light into my eyes. They're too pretty."

5. We were walking to the BART station the other day and when we entered the parking lot, I said, "We're in the parking lot!" Nat said, in a very patient, but condescending voice: "Yes, we are." Good thing we have a new baby coming; apparently Nat has moved a level beyond me.

6. Nat has been a little obsessed with mints lately. In recapping his day one evening for our neighbor Sam, he told Sam that we had gone to San Francisco to have lunch with my coworkers. He then said he got a treat after lunch. (It was a mint.) Sam asked what it was, and Nat said, "actually, mints are just for kids." Sam later asked what Nat would be when he grew up, and Nat said, "I will be a grown-up and there will be no more mints because I ate them all when I was a kid." All I'm saying is assume your bag will be mint-ransacked if left in the vicinity of Nat.

7. I hear my words coming back to me in funny ways, per esempio: I told Nat it was time to leave the house one morning. He said, "no! I want to stay IN the dodge!" (I often say -- thanks Mom and Dad -- "Let's get outta Dodge."). He followed up with: "I don't want to go, go, G-O!" (Did I get that from my pep club days? Embarrassing. Someone tell me my family says that one, too...).

Flu shots and rain boots

2009-10-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

Nat and I got our flu shots yesterday, for H1N1 as well as seasonal flu. The line was horribly long, the room smelled like poopy diapers, and the kids before us were screaming when they got their shots. But Natty did surprisingly well -- he made friends with a little girl in line, and they were rolling all over the ground, taking pens and clipboards back and forth to the nurse, and generally being obedient whenever the moms asked them to do something.

And when it came time for his shots, he was so brave! I went first, and he kept asking for his turn (he knew he got a sticker afterward). Then he got his shots, and he barely whimpered. But afterward, we left the room, and changed his diaper (did I mention we were contributing to the poop smell by the time we got to the end of the line?), and washed our hands in the bathroom. While we were washing our hands, Nat suddenly had tears running down his cheeks, and he turned to me and said, "Mama, she poked me. That lady poked me." He said that several more times. I think he felt betrayed: why would a stranger poke him like that? Fortunately, he recovered well, and hasn't complained about the shots since.

Last week it rained buckets. The sump pump in our apartment complex broke and we almost had a swimming pool instead of a courtyard (it's due for an upgrade). This is reason #47 that we are moving to a new Berkeley location at the end of November (we can't swim). We are through apartment managing -- no more tenant complaints, no more clogged toilets, no more rental showings, no more performing therapy and mediation for our neighbors at way below our professional pay rate, no more Shane on the roof in rubber boots clearing the leaves in the middle of a rainstorm. Hooray!

But the best part of last week's rain was Nat. It's hard not to love the rain with a toddler like this around. He lives for puddles, and can splash in them for literally hours (this was tested and proven last week). He loves his new rain boots (he calls them "cat boots" though the more ad-exposed among us might say "Hello Kitty boots"), and his too-big monster rain coat, and generally the way the world looks in the rain. "Mama, why do the trees move? I'm getting wet! Where the rain is from? I found a puddle! Another puddle! It's another puddle!" It's hard to say who got wetter, Nat or his still-in-utero sister, who is living in a belly that sticks out beyond the capacity of any of my current rain coats. She probably didn't notice the rain since she's currently swimming in amniotic fluid, but fortunately, she'll be born with lots of rain storms left to come this winter!

Tomorrow

2009-10-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Pacifier Day 3

2009-08-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Nat slept better on Tuesday night. He only woke up once at 600 am and Elisa brought him into our bed. Tonight, Wednesday, he again asked for his pacifier and I had to lay down with him for about 10 minutes before he fell asleep. Hopefully he will sleep through the night again.

Pacifier (Updated 25 Aug 09)

2009-08-24T21:41:00.001-07:00

So, Nat collected all of his pacifiers today and we "donated" them to Babies Who Need Them (BWNT). In place of the pacifiers we gave him a basketball hoop and stand (with a ball). Nat went down tonight pretty well. He wanted me to lay next to his bed for awhile. He was very cute and asked for his pacifier a few times, but as of right now he is asleep.

To prepare him for this we have been offering him a new car for every five times that he gets his diaper changed without the pacifier. He got two cars this week.

**Update:
During the night he wanted me to lay down with him while he fell asleep. He generally wakes up between 1 to 2 am and I just put his pacifier back in. When I went in at 130 am he said, "Daddy I need you." So I layed with him twice and at 500 Elisa layed with him. All in all his first night without the pacifier went well.

"Don't Want Daddy to Say That"

2009-07-30T16:36:00.001-07:00

I asked Nat to not climb on the table and he told me, "Don't want daddy to say that." He is a funny boy. He has started saying that everything is "crazy". Currently we are in the Tahoe region in Northstar. We have had one thunderstorm, one power outage (planned), I have had one shower, and some of us went into the water. No dead bodies sited yet, but we are on the look out.

The place where we are staying is very lovely. It is on a golf course and has many antlers. I think that any time people stay in the mountains there should be at least one rack. This place does not have the trophy rack, but many racks that serve a purpose. They are mostly light fixtures. We are here with Elisa's family. The most interesting of which is Gabe. He is Nat's younger cousin and has a smile that lights up a room (with or with out racks). He can walk now and I think this helps out when playing with Nat who generally runs everywhere.

Tonight we are going to see Measure for Measure by Shakespeare. This addresses issues of justice, laws, mercy, and how to trick someone into marriage.

Toddler Talk

2009-07-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

I just have to say that I'm so glad kids learn how to talk. Since we're having another one in December, I'm trying to remember why babies are so great, but with Nat talking up a storm, it's a little hard not to think that all the sleeplessness in the early screech, cry, suckle years is just the work you put in to get to the big payoff - these glimpses into what's actually going on in their heads.

For example, we get to hear about things Nat imagines. We were walking to the grocery store the other day, and Nat was walking near the (empty stroller). He said, "I walking the dog." I said, "oh, the stroller is a dog?" and he looked at me like I must be stupid. He motioned with the imaginary leash he was holding, and said, "no, the dog is right here."

This morning, I went into his room after he called to us. I love the way he wakes up; he goes from silent to bellowing, "DAAADDDY! DAAAAAAAAADDY!" and then, if that doesn't work, "MOOOMMMY!" I'm a deep sleeper, so he knows to try Shane first. It took me a couple of minutes to wake up one morning when Shane had already gone to work, and when I got in there, he said, "Mommy, I've been waiting for you for 30 minutes!" Anyway, this morning, Nat laid on his back and told me about his dream: "I see a fire engine flying up up up in the sky! It goes whoosh, and the firefighters are on it!".

Also, I'm sort of a grammar/spelling/word precision stickler, so I cannot explain exactly why I think this is so cute, but Nat has been mixing up all sorts of words in his skyrocketing vocabulary, and I love it. He asks for a "trunk" of cheese. He loves "sparky" (sparkling) water. His "Busy Ball Popper" is his "Pop-o-der." And the other day, we got a half of a box of Lucky Charms cereal from friends who were moving. I gave handfuls to Nat in the car as little bribes, and he soon began asking for his "Bucky Chums."

And, finally, it's really cute to hear him talk about the upcoming baby. He says things like, "Mommy has my baby sister in her tummy." We don't know yet if it's a boy or a girl, but Shane and Nat are convinced that it's a girl. He also told me that his baby sister was coming from another house. On Wednesdays, I watch a friend's baby, and I think he thinks that baby Rain is going to be his baby sister. I said that the baby came from heaven and that he or she was in Mommy's tummy. He said, "oh, I see." We've been reading books like "I'm a Big Brother Now," and so far, he's pretty excited, just occasionally impatient. "I want the baby to come OUT!" Thank goodness that's not happening right away! We need until December to get ready.

2009-05-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

"Puddles, puddles, puddles, where are the puddles?" We have had rain for the past few days and therefore puddles. Nat has been putting his rain boots on and splashing and splashing.

When we were splashing today he would stand in a dry spot and dance and sing about the puddles then run and jump into the puddles, splashing and laughing.

We were able to go to Inverness this weekend to visit our friends Jen and Tim. We went on a walk and Nat was able to jump in many puddles and go down steps and over a bridge (twice).

I am currently reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This is an updated version of Jane Austin's rather wity attempt to bring into sharp relief the status and marital attitudes of her day. The addition of Zombies to the book has added much to the quality of Jane Austin's attempt. There are also ninjas.

Walks

2009-04-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

About a week ago Nat and I went to a park. He rode his bike. He is almost tall enough to push the peddles by himself. After the park we started heading home. About halfway he got off the bike and wanted to fix it. He took a stick he found and started "fixing" the bike. After he was satisfied he did not want to get on the bike, nor did he want to go home. Instead he wanted to "fix" the sewer valve covers in front of the house we were at. I tried to coax him to come home with lunch or treats, but nothing was working. Then I decided to have him fix all the covers. So he ran from cover to cover sticking his stick down the cover hole and "fixing" it. He also fixed all the fire hydrants along the way.

Nat now wants to do everything himself, except walk up the stairs. usually he has me carry him if I am with him. He says, "my do it." He still does laps around the house and likes us to sing him the ball song (this is one that I made up) and Desperado before he goes to sleep.

Nat's Month Long Birthday

2009-04-12T20:51:00.001-07:00

Nat's birthday is March 9th and this has been what I call, the Second Year Month of Party. He has pretty much been in party mode since March 9th. The final party was on Saturday at a park. We got balloons (a penguin and Thomas the Tank Engine were his favorites), and Elisa and I made a train cake (icing and all). Elisa's mom was in town, so "Ya-Ya" was the much-anticipated special guest.

The day turned out to be beautiful and many people came (thanks to everyone who came and donated books to the shelter).

Since the party ended yesterday, Nat has been in denial that it is over. He has said repeatedly: "more party again?" And yesterday, when we were getting out of the car, I tried to get him out, and he said: "Shut the door. I sing 'Happ Birfday.'" So I shut the door and he sang to himself. He did it again today, but sang to Krista instead. He's a party boy.

Below is a picture of the cake.

What He Says

2009-04-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

Nat dancing with a basket on his head.

Nat is talking so much these days. Some of his common phrases are "maybe it will work"; "no, no, no"; "play with me"; tonight while reading a book about animals we saw a picture of a monkey with the word "monkey" underneath it. I said, "look a monkey. Nat said, "maybe a chimpanzee." Tonight we had dinner with some friends. When I told Nat where we were going he said, "maybe some milk." I thought about this for awhile and then remembered that about 6 months ago our friends had given him some milk.

Nat also likes to sing when he is walking around or playing on his own. It is his own tune and his own words (meaning we don't know what he is saying).

Nat also likes to sing with use when we sing to him before he goes to sleep. Right now he likes us to sing Desperado. On the last verse Nat sings with us and he does a pretty good job. He has also started telling us things to be thankful for in our prayers.

Things Natty Said

2009-03-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Nat with is new kitchen set

Here is a list of things Natty said to Krista while we were gone (thanks Koos):

K: (after Nana and Papa left to go shopping) Natty, you should really sit in your chair for Nana and Papa.
N: Hmmm....no. I sit Daddy's chair. Daddy gone Ireland. Daddy's chair--my chair. Nanna Papa eating blueberries with Natty.
K: Want to go to the park?
N: Ok. I eat strawberries pancakes first. Then go park.
******
At the park we saw a chicken.
N: Chicken eating. Chicken walking. Chicken bock bock?
K: Natty, maybe if you talk to the chicken he will bock back.
N: (Runs up to fence) Hi chicken. I Nat. Bock?
******
We came back from the park and as I was folding the stroller Natty ran in and shut the door behind him. He pushed up against it so I couldn't get in. He laughed hysterically every time I tried to open the door.

I finally knocked.

N: Yeah?! (from behind closed door).
K: It's Krista. Can I come in Natty?
N: Kressa, Natty gone. Natty gone Ireland. (He then giggled and let me open the door) Peek a boo!
******
Quotes from Monday:
N: (When he saw that I was writing on a paper towel what I wanted to remember to tell you guys) No Krissa, no no no. (He grabbed it out of my hands) Not the paper. not the paper. I show you. (He looks me in the eyes) I wipe your hands Krissa. (wipes my hands with it to show me how to properly use a paper towel).
******
K: What did you do today Natty?
N: Nana Papa go park. Nana Papa no go slide. Natty hang. Natty go slide. Daddy singing. Mama talking.
K: Oh, so you g-chatted with your mom on dad on the computer?
N: Mama talking. Daddy am I happy. I watch Mary Poppins on Krissa's computer?
******
Quotes from Today (I took him to the Institute dinner):
N: (Gives the basketball to Chiquis) Kiki's turn. I count. One, two, three, six, seven, eiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

iiiiiiiiiiiight! Go!
(chiquis shoots the ball) Yay! (Looks around to the crowd of people watching) Clapping? (Everyone applauds).
******
N: My ball. my basketball. Wind toy? More balls. Other balls. Downstairs balls. Pool balls? throw ball. I throw ball. Krissa throw ball.
******
N: (Into the microphone). I talking. Coqui! (he laughs).
******
K: Natty, one more shot and then we need to go home.
N: Noooo. Institute. Peoples.
******
After it took forty minutes to get him in the car and get him home he insisted that he walk. I had to sing "Let's go fly a kite" and "Spoonful of Sugar" over and over again to get him to walk. If i stopped for a second he stoppped, looked at me with raised eyebrows and started walking backwards saying " I go backwards." I sang. he walked. Fifteen minutes later we were in the house.

Back From The Old Country

2009-03-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is the Rock of Cashel

We returned from Ireland today at 1345 today. We had a great trip. I will try and write a blog for every two days starting tomorrow. In short the weather was great, not a drop of rain. I thought that we had landed in the wrong country until I saw the roads. While well maintained, they are often very narrow. We really missed Natty and he was very excited to see us. My parents were great with him and I think we will be detoxing him from constant adult attention.

We saw beautiful country and met many great people. We also watched Ireland beat Wales 17 - 15 in the 6 Nation Championship on Saturday the 21st. It was a very good and heart taking rugby match.

We are very relaxed and grateful to Dave and Marisa for making the trip great.

Here are some more pictures:

This is a high cross at a church in Bunnratty, County Clare

This is St. Kevin's place in Glendalogh, Co Wicklow

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHANAEL GABRIEL DELLA-PIANA WALLIN

2009-03-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

This is Nat licking his plate clean after having chocolate cake

The boy is two years old today (technically about 524 pm). Last night we had a small dinner for him (see picture). He really enjoyed the chocolate cake. It is hard to believe that he is already two. I remember very clearly the birth and ensuing first few days. He was such a little one and now he is in size 5 diapers, running around, telling daddy to not play with him and Marcus, jumping, blowing kisses, saying "true dat", sliding down the slide by himself (of course first hanging on the bar above the slide), jumping everywhere, rolling, playing with his guys (the Muppet stuffed toys and an assortment of other animals), loving penguins, loving most music (except pop-country), and of course playing the drums on any surface (he loves to make loud noises).

Rolling of the Eyes

2009-03-03T06:28:00.000-08:00

Nat is developing a lovely sense of humor. On Sunday we were driving in the car and I was singing a song about binky's. I was making the song up and Nat knew it. He just looked at me and rolled his eyes. Then he just smiled at me.

I am putting older pictures on the these blogs. This one is from Picnic Day 08 at UC Davis.

The New Blog

2009-02-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

Elisa and I decided that it would be easier for people if we published posts on Blogger. Mostly Elisa did not want to spend the time to learn how to use an easier blog application (iWeb for the Mac) and there was the cost.

As far as a picture gallery that will is in the works. It will be located on Picasa (a Google picture site). Hopefully it will easy to access.

The old blog will go away at the end of March.

I like this blogger stuff, because I can access it anywhere. The picture stuff is a bit tricky, but I will hopefully have it all worked out soon. The downside is that you need a Blogger/Google account to read this. You don't need a Gmail account, you can get a Google account with any email address.

Now onto the important stuff: Nat.

He is growing by leaps and bounds (his favorite moving activity also). He has also learned how to pout and has quickly become an adept. He also likes to brush his teeth. Really this is just him putting his toothbrush in his mouth (with bubble gum toothpaste) and walking around the apartment, like Elisa does when she brushes. He is also very much into doing things himself and as he does them says, "I do" or "I get".

Tonight we were eating pasta (his favorite) for Krista's birthday dinner and he started eating an asparagus. After a few minutes I looked over at him and notice that he was not getting very far with the asparagus so I asked him to spit it out. He started choking at this point and I pulled the asparagus completely intact out of his mouth and throat. It was a bit tense and weird.

Well here is the new blog. Hopefully it will be updated more often.