In Motion

We live in a "relatively" small town. Albany has around Forty-four Thousand people living and working in it, so it is larger than many and smaller than most. It was a wonderful place for me to grow up. I have lived here, on and off, all of my life, moving away when the mood struck me, but always returning. I was born here. One of the drawbacks to small town life is that our opportunities for socialization with Indiana are more limited than in larger metropolitan areas.

Our parks and recreation department has some wonderful skill building classes and activities for small children, but normally the age requirement is 18 months. Indiana will be a year old next month. I placed a call to the parks department and am trying to get an exemption for his age. Indiana needs to have a meeting with the program director, and a recommendation from his pediatrician to maybe get a waiver on the age requirement.

Cross your fingers for us!

"THE" Haircut, among other things.

I continue to put off "THE" Haircut. I really don't know why this first haircut is so hard. Indy has been mistaken for a girl recently, what with his huge blue eyes and bouncy blond curls. Even under his hat, the curls struggle free of the confine to blow in the breeze.

Indy wasn't home much today. After breakfast he went to play with the neighbor kids and was gone for almost two hours. What a nice break for me!

While he was gone, his handsome brother came by to visit. We played some video games and generally hung out.

Later still, after Indy had come home and had a nap, the "less fortunate" boy I mentioned in a previous post came by to get away from his troop of sisters who have joined him in staying with his aunt and uncle. There are now 5 kids there. 4 girls and Brandon. Brandon has decided that he likes it at our house, and we enjoy having him. He is polite and tidy. We let him play video games and we feed him and hopefully we are a good influence on him. Indiana likes him a lot, and will drag out his play video game controller and sit along side Brandon "playing" games. Saturday we are taking him along to the zoo with us. He has never been there, even though it is less than an hours drive away. I have heard that he will be leaving after Spring Break is over and going to live with his grandmother. We hope that he, and his sisters, will do well there and get the love and attention they deserve. He has only been in our life for a short time, but he has enriched our daily lives with his presence and will be missed.

How RUDE!

I was walking away from the counter at my local Starbucks today, greedily clutching my steaming whole milk caramel latte in one hand and the hand of an impatient Indy in the other when I heard the nasally, nasty voice of an incredibly horrid woman behind me declare to her equal pissy looking friend, "I would never buy a toddler Nikes, what a waste of money to buy children such expensive shoes like that". Now, Indy was the only toddler type in the place, and I had just walked past these two sour middle aged snobs, so I have a fair amount of certainty that the woman meant Indy's shoes. I held my head high as I walked from the coffee house, thinking myself superior to this woman for several reasons. Here's are some of the thoughts that passed through my head on the walk home:

1. This woman does not know how much I paid for Indy's shoes, for all she knew they could have been a gift.
2. This woman was wearing Nike shoes on her own selfish feet.
3. The woman in question was spending 5 dollars on a cup of coffee for herself. 5 cups of coffee would have bought her kid a sturdy, well made pair of Nike shoes (I got them on sale for twenty five bucks).
4. should I stop and get a burger?
5. I purchase things for my children instead of for myself. I like my stuff and don't need more. They don't need more either, but it makes me feel good to give it to them.
6. how rude do you have to be to say something snotty when the stranger you are being nasty about is still in ear shot?
7. I wonder what kind of kids she is raising, seeing as she has no manners of her own to teach to them.
8. It isn't his shoes that were expensive! It's this danged Eddie Bauer Stroller that cost a fortune!
9. Am I going to have frown lines like hers, in a few more years, when I am her age?
10. What is it with the controversy over his shoes anyways, it isn't like she knows us and thinks I am frivolously wasting my husbands paychecks. As long as he doesn't think I am wasting his money buying things for the handsome sons then she can BITE ME, the jealous, rude, petty B****.

So, this is like the Tuesday Ten, which is like the Thursday thirteen, except it's notTuesday, and there are only ten things. I do not participate in the Thursday Thirteen, but I do enjoy reading other peoples lists. There is no "Tuesday Ten" I was just trying to be clever. Man that lady ticked me off!

Nike

Perhaps it is an "Oregon thing", but I think in the last 30 years things have moved well beyond Steve PreFontaine running with the Ducks!! (If you don't recognize that name... CLICK IT! His story of glory and tragedy is worth reading.) Nike has become a worldwide phenomena. Nike under founder Phil Knight has become an Oregon success story, with their worldwide headquarters located in Beaverton, just an hours drive north of our home.

The proof of Nike's stunning success shines through in the example of my sons, who both had their first Nike's before their first hair cuts. The shoes are wonderfully well made, support his growing feet perfectly, and well, they look cute! C'mon, admit it, you recognize that swoosh.

Cactii

I was out walking with our Indy, and I noticed one of my neighbors had a pot of Cactii on her patio. It made me think of one of my very favorite ladies. I ran back home for the camera, and took a very bad picture with the express idea of sending you to visit her Sittin' Here in the Hills.

She is a wonderfully entertaining and interesting woman, who's blog is well worth the visit. I feel richer for having shared some of her life experiences thru her blog. Enjoy her Cactus garden, walk through her neighborhood in the Hollywood hills, visit the Costwolds, and meet some of her wonderfully entertaining friends!

Learning to say good bye with Hats.

"This old hat has got to go mom!"

Indiana has several hats. He has a darling "snow boarders" hat. A cute little devil hat, complete with horns and tail. He has this great Old Navy ball cap. He has worn this one for ages now. It seems to be getting a little snug. I am going to miss it when we hand it down to another little boy. It is my favorite.

I love Indiana's wardrobe. I am constantly upgrading and updating as he grows out of things so rapidly. I find things that I just love and we lose them too soon. It isn't the growing up that hurts me; its the growing out of some fabulous clothes!

Fleur

Spring is here! The daffodils and blooming and the clouds chase the sun across the sky, giving us beautiful moments of sun, of shade, and even sprinkles of rain.

We are finally getting chances to head outside and enjoy Oregon. This is such a beautiful place to live, and Indiana is just the right age to explore it all with his infinite delight. Sure, we don't move fast, and sometimes we fall down and need mom to pick us up and give us a cuddle, but what a JOY to be out in the gentle breeze and fresh smells and dirt and, oh There is so much to discover!

wonder in everything!

We had an experience with a tree today...


Then we posed for a picture...

And when mommy said Hooray, we clapped!

It is so nice to just have outside time. It stopped raining and was just nice and overcast. I love these gently warm mellow days, and I think Indiana does too!

More Camo! 

Can You see me now?

camouflage is a hugely popular pattern for clothing right now. Indiana is jumping on the trendy bandwagon, sporting his camo diaper cover and hiding on the sofa.

One of his new favorite things is playing on the sofa. I place the big accent pillows on the floor and he scrambles all over the couch, diving off and doing his best to climb back on without my help (which he cant quite manage yet).

Luckily I found an inexpensive upholstery cleaner that works well on our new fabric. It amazes me how much icky stuff Indy can get on our couch. I wonder what I couldn't see on our old dark blue davenport. On second thought, maybe I don't want to know!

Pride

I was reminded today just how fortunate I am to be Dakota's mom. He is a kind, thoughtful, giving guy. Then I was reminded how fortunate I am, period.

here's the story: Today the sad tale of a new neighbor boy came to my attention. It seems that he has come to stay with his aunt and uncle with almost nothing, just two pairs of pants, two shirts, one pair of undies, one pair of socks and part of a pair of shoes. That's all. Nothing else. The boy is slightly smaller than my Duck, so I called him up, thinking perhaps he had some things he had grown out of. I talked to Duck's dad, and just about an hour later there was a knock at my door and Duck standing there with two bags full of his clothes to share with a kid he never even met. I am very proud of Dakota for understanding about those less fortunate than him and being willing to help.

here's the kicker though: I took those bags of clothes to my neighbor for her to give to the boy. She had the boy come out and see his "new" clothes before I left. You could tell he was somewhat uncomfortable, I thought maybe he was embarrassed to be getting things from a stranger, so I told him "hey, you can check that stuff out later if you would rather, its just clothes, no big deal". He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said "Clothes are a big deal when you don't have any. Thank you." I was seriously humbled. This boy of ten or eleven showed me, in that moment, how good my life really is. Both of my sons have fathers who love them and are able to provide them nice things to wear, toys to play with, enough food to eat. I take for granted my closet and two dressers full of clothes. I think nothing of having a rack of movies I don't watch. It seems normal to me to be able to get up and graze in our kitchen full of food.

I will try to remember this lesson, all of us should.

Row Row Row

A toy talking shovel... Four Dollars.

The high chair (tray)... A hundred bucks

Mama catching Indy naked, rowing a boat... Priceless!

Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere!

Normally when we post a picture with bubbles in it, they are the photo-shop variety, and are being used to either enhance a picture, or to cover up things.

This picture, the bubbles are real.

Indy is a fiend for bubbles.

We have been buying bubble machines. So far, we've been pretty unlucky. If they work at all they are messy, and usually they just plain don't work. We were luckiest with a cute little cow that blew bubbles out its mouth, except the bubble canister leaked. We replaced that with a dragon. It didn't work at all. We bought a cheap wal-mart bubble gun. Yikes. Most recently we purchased this orange ray gun looking one. Sometimes it works. When it does, Indy will drop whatever he is doing to play with the bubbles. SO, if you know of a particularly good bubble maker (besides the obvious wand and blow bit) I would be thrilled to have recommendations!

Darth Indy

" You just don't know the power of the dark side"
-Darth Vader

Many of you know that my Indy's daddy is seriously into Star Wars "stuff". He has posters and action figures, tins and trading cards. Last week we purchased the voice changing mask complete with cape and light saber.

We couldn't resist trying it on Indiana, who looked adorable. We really thought he was sweet, until he started whacking at us with his light saber. hmmmm.

All Apologies

I must humbly apologize to so many people right now. I haven't been myself lately. I haven't been surfing the blogs I enjoy. I haven't been calling my friends. I haven't been updating Indy's blog. Sometimes, I just get this way and need a little time to myself before I can head back into the world, refreshed. So, I am feeling better, mostly, and it is time to kick my own butt into gear and get back to the real world.

I am fortunate that I married a man who understands my mood swings. He may not know what to do all the time, and he may wish he could make everything better, but that's all part of it. He understands that sometimes the best way to handle me is to not. I get on with things in my own time. I have a few friends I can count on to be, like Chris, supportive in the best way they can, even if that means leaving me be a while. (thanks Jimmie, sometimes, you remind me why)

Sometimes, I put the clear plastic debris holder from the vacuum into the dishwasher. I am just that way.

So, anyways, hopefully I will be a little more attentive to updating Indy's blog, and visiting my blog friends as well. Thank you all for your patience.

Sucker

Indy had a sucker, all by himself. He sat on the floor and sucked down the whole thing. He was quiet and just enjoyed it. If it wasn't so bad for his teeth, I think I would give them to him all the time just to keep him pacified!

Indy has been busily learning new things and exploring his world. He is running all over the house, dragging toys and blankets along behind him. He enjoys gazing out of the picture window, and fiddling with the shades. Nothing is immune from his exploration and sense of wonder. He is helping me to see beauty in new places that I had forgotten to look.

Snow on the Valley floor

Every couple of year we will get snow down here on the valley floor. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does it is usually deep in the heart of winter.

So, here we are, in the beginning of a warm beautiful spring. It has been snowing crazy, big, fat flakes for a couple of days now. Indiana had the pleasure of going out into it for the first time in his life. He didn't seem very impressed. He was just happy to be out of doors!

The weather is weird and wacky, but we are going to get out and enjoy it. I don't know how much snow you can see in this photo, but trust me, it was snowing!

Toys Toys Toys

Indiana has PLENTY of toys. He has so many of his own toys that he is VERY popular with the other kids. He has play toys. He has toys to stimulate his imagination. He has toys that dance. He has tub toys. He has light up toys. He has musical toys. He has many, many toys that do more than one of the afore-mentioned things. Why oh Why cant he leave my toys alone? Must my Beatles One album be a teether? Must my new DVD of Paul McCartney live be a tug of war rope? And most importantly.... must my sub-woofer be a kick boxing prop? I feel like my vocabulary consists of just a few words now. I used to communicate so well, now all I say is:

1. No!
2. What is that awful SMELL?!?
3. Can someone wipe this kid off?
4. Is that YOUR toy?
5. Please, for the love of God, go to sleep already!

Ah, being a mom is so great!

Clobbered

Sadly, today was the final basketball game of this season for us. It was a road trip, a little over a half an hour drive away to a little town called Philomath. I always enjoy seeing Duck's ball team, even though we tend to get beaten because the boys just like each other so much. So, today was no exception, our boys played together and had a good time and got beaten by about 25 points. I foolishly forgot to take the camera, so I don't have any pictures of this game, nor of Duck's neat new haircut. Perhaps another time.

We have been so busy getting settled and having the neighborhood party, and the spouse is still working nights. I just am not keeping up very well. Perhaps this weekend I will get a chance to sit down and actually write a good post with some fun pictures. Until then, I will do my best to keep ya'll informed.

Compact Discs

Indiana has a little habit that I just can't seem to break. He enjoys pulling the compact discs and DVD's off of the shelves one by one and tossing them on to the floor or carting them off to his room. I am never sure where I will find the movie or music that I am looking for. No amount of coercion seems to be able to make him interested in his own toys.

I am glad that at this age he doesn't understand everything I say to him. When he got his grubby little paws on my unopened Abbey Road album, I cheerfully threatened him with child abuse and added that trashing mama's Beatles collection would cause alcoholism. Did he really WANT mommy to drink? I hope he never does hypnotic regression therapy when he gets older.

Disclaimer: I would never abuse my children and although I socially drink, I am not an alcoholic, I just run my mouth lot. I do not mean to make light of either topic, and no offense is inteded.

Wolf Waters:

Today was such a busy day. We had our first neighborhood barbecue from the new apartment. It was a great success, a sad crush, and an awful lot of work. Pictures will be forth coming.

This awesome picture of the river, when it was still swollen from the floods, was taken somewhere between the towns of Lebanon and Waterloo, Oregon. The wolf was photo-shopped in just for my desktop.

Dakota's Basketball Game:

There is one more game after today's game is finished. Today's basketball game is being played right now, about a mile from where I sit. Why, you ask, am I not there? Well, because I couldn't find a way to get there.

I don't drive. There is not accessible, useful public transportation in our town. The spouse must sleep (he works the graveyard shift). I called my best friend. Today is her husbands birthday. She said his party is going on, or she would love to see another of Duck's games. I called the relatives too late to bum a ride. We have one taxi service in town, they don't do car seats. I asked.

So, I sit here, feeling like an awful parent. The last game of the year is next Monday. It is in another town, late enough at night that I will be searching for a ride to that game, starting now.

I hope ya win, Duck. Good Luck. Play hard. I love you.

Average

We are normal.

We are average.

We are healthy.

We are above average.

How, you ask, can we be average and above average? Easy, I am talking about two totally different things!

Indiana had his ten month well check with the pediatrician (Dr. Bartlett) today. Indy is weighing in at 22.5 lbs and is 29 inches tall. Statistically that makes him the 50th percentile in weight and the 50th percentile in height. Average! However, after we checked out the physical stuff we checked out the developmental things. Indy is a freak. He is doing things well beyond his age and is above average in all developmental categories. He walks very well. He runs. He talks. He understands language when you talk to him. He waves. He claps and plays pat a cake. He seeks out hidden toys and people. He initiates peek a boo and other games. He's a genius.

Well, so maybe not a genius, but above average in capabilities. I am his mom so I can exaggerate him to genius if I want to!