CUTTING MOLARS


Poor little VanNannerkins is dealing with allergies and four emerging molars. Some days this week she has been extra clingy, but she still manages to follow up every tantrum with a stretch of adorableness. She's really, truly, fun to parent.

She's also really, truly, a monkey.

To distract her from her dental pain, Daddio and I took VH1 out to the pier for fish tacos, a look a the sealife, and then to the playground to meet and greet and do the slide. We stopped for dessert then headed home for a bath. Van was so into it.

See her here, mastering the stairs. She'd rather not hold a hand, but we insist. Note that last big step.







And now see Daddio's strawberry gelato.

BLOGMASTER'S NOTE: this was the first time we ever saw Vanessa use a spoon to eat food!

That's my girl!


We frolicked in the sand after dessert. Some of us more than others. Did I mention Vanessa was into it? Yeah.

Breaded little gipper. (Dipped in strawberry gelato, rolled lightly in California beach sand, and warmed gently by the setting sun.)

OUR LITTLE EASTER EGG

So much has been going on around here. Our curly headed toddler turned 15 months old and all manner of new things have been springing up.

A few days ago, Van was digging through her Daddy's bathroom drawer and pulled out his nail clippers. So what does she do with them? She taps on my slippers. "Yes, that's right," I say, "those are for your toes." Off comes my slipper and V-dog very delicately touches each of my toes with the clippers.

Vanners has a rock fetish - loves to pick them up, carry them around, and bang them together - so when Daddy was away he picked up a souvenir bag of polished stones for her. She's crazy for them. While "Uncle" Chris and "Auntie" Nell were babysitting, they poured out the stones and started sorting and counting them. Well, Vanessa, upon recognizing the counting, stood up, ran across the room, rummaged through her DVDs, grabbed Baby Einstein's "Numbers Nursery," held it high and said, "Ein? Ein?" Either Nanners is a genius or she has amazing Irish luck in selecting DVDs on counting. And, well, there is the small matter of her being a Baby Einstein junkie.

Big cousin Julia came this week for her spring break. While babysitting VH1 in the park, a man commented, "Well she's obviously your daughter!" These gorgeous red heads need to stick together.

Where ever VanNestlekins goes, she meets new little friends. See her here with Baby Rose, who is two, but not quite as, um, densely built, as Van. They played nicely together on the beach. Vanessa showed Rose her signature monkey toe moves.

And here is Vanners in the park by our house, playing with neighbors Nicky and Ana Lucia. They had a big black dog named Max who hooked up with our big white cat named Max. Vanessa invariably blows past the kids to greet the dogs, but she came around soon enough to meet Ana Lucia and imitate big brother Nickie.

For Easter, mama decided it was time to try a new church, one in our neighborhood. We went to a newly renovated adobe chapel that holds about 100 worshipers, and lo and behold, they were our kind of peeps. Half of them were wearing Hawaiian shirts and surf shoes on Easter Sunday, and the other half were bouncing children on their knees.

Vanny wore her flowery headdress and a girly hand-me-down dress. She looked darling. People commented. We rocked out to the contemporary music in the back row, Van used her new dance moves when she heard the guitars, then we popped outside to play with the toys and other kids. I regret I didn't bring my camera to the service, but there were six little toddler girls in dresses, all looking mighty cute. Someone took a photo - maybe I'll get it up here someday.



After church we hung out the backyard and played in the sprinkler and kiddie pool. Vanners would only smile for mama's camera when Daddio said, "Gimme five!" which is one of her all-time favorite games. We had "Auntie" Nell and "Uncle" Chris over for Easter burgers, then went for a post-dinner surf at sunset.

Let's just say here that we have a lot to be thankful for. The sermon at church was one of hope and forgiveness - surely you've heard it - but it was fresh as ever for us. The pastor even used a birth analogy for describing how something wonderful can come when all seems dark and impossible.

As I jiggled our wee cherub on my lap, I remembered an Easter service in Seattle with my mom, where I was so uncomfortable from chemo treatments I could barely sit upright. But during that Easter service - in 2004, I think - I suddenly had the strangest feeling I was going to be pregnant someday. My mood shifted dramatically and I carried that strange feeling around in my heart until last year.

This year Jack and I feel a completely different type of conviction, hope and excitement. On Good Friday (and the first day of Spring) we signed a contract with an adoption agency, to hopefully adopt a child sometime in the next two years. I nearly developed an ulcer over this last week, but suddenly, after a lot of prayer, felt as strongly about adopting as I did about being pregnant. "It may not always be smooth, but it's the right direction to sail."

Gimme five!

DANCING AND ROMANCING

The last blog entry lacked a video clip, due to technical difficulties. However, I feel I must post the ones I had in the queue.

Here is an "old" video, taken a few weeks ago. Let's just say, I've been nervous to stand back and film this little drill.

There were also several photos I couldn't get up, some of which feature Vanners and her mother unit, courtesy of cousin Corey.

Of course cousin Corey did a fair amount of babysitting, which resulted in her being mistaken for the little red-headed gipper's red-headed mama out in public. If we three were out together, I was, well, the grandmother. Hey, it could happen.

At the house, Corey filled her spring break hours with sunbathing in the backyard, surfing, baking, babysitting, running errands, catching up on beauty sleep and making out with Milo. Vanessa followed suit, monkey toe to monkey toe (minus the surfing).

Chris and Nell have also been with us... not on spring break but here to train for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Baby Nessa helps to keep them in top shape, too.

Like Corey and Milo, we'd catch Chris snuggled up to the dog of the house whenever the two of them were left alone. I guess there are a few cowboy songs written about this kind of thing...

Everyone was a big help around the house, especially while Daddio was away working in Arkansas. There were a lot of comings and goings, which we think may have super stimulated Nanners' wee brain. She started mimicking words more and more, including Corey, Nell, Chris, keys, strawberries, coffee, car, rock, and cheese.

Baby Nessa is also now able to hug and kiss on demand. So unbelievably cute I can scarcely limit my requests.

Now our Little Monkey Princess is attempting to sing and even dance. The other day in the car I was rocking out in a monster way to Mr. Beethoven's 9th symphony. I was so into belting it out, slapping my leg, banging my head, and tapping my non-driving foot I nearly drove off the road. Van was bug-eyed in the back seat. I couldn't contain myself through the grand finale - I shouted, YEAH! YEE HAW! YEAH! and then burst into tears.

Can you imagine being my child? Heaven help her.

See her ** First Ever ** groovy moves, caught on film, here:

HIGH TRAFFIC AREA

Since "Auntie" One Fried left, Granny Ernestine has come and gone, Jack's post-graduate track athletes Chris and Danielle (a.k.a. Nell) have moved to town to train, and Vanessa's big cousin Corey from Rhode Island has come for her spring break. We've done many things and taken many photos and video clips, but none of us has been posting much on the blog. Well, Chris started his own blog... see it, here:

http://www.randoincali.blogspot.com/

Granny came to help me get out of the house. She comes once a month to see her littlest grandchild, which is such a huge help to me. I get out of the house to go to my meetings, and this month I have a huge amount of volunteer work to do.

Vanessa starts every morning with calisthenics - climbing up the kitchen chair and onto the tabletop and back down again and again and again - so we hit the ground running. Granny is an old pro - having seven children and nine other grandchildren - but I did catch her stretched out for a rest after being in full monitor mode for a few hours. You have to bend over at the waist and run around to babysit Vanessa.

Luckily we live steps away from a park with a giant sandbox, a large grassy field, a slide, swings, and climbing apparatus, and lots of dogs to bark at. Nanners loves the park. She's now old enough to spend hours there, if her adult can take it. Sometimes there are other toddlers there, which is extra special. Otherwise, we bring Milo and Max almost always follows, too. In fact, bringing Vanessa to the park creates a bit of a spectacle, as she brings her whole entourage. Between the baby, the dog and the cat, we draw many, many comments and exclamations.

Vanny's current interests include climbing, sliding, swinging, digging, exploring, hiking, throwing, swimming, running, talking, barking, concentrating, dancing and occasionally singing.

We live in a college milieu, I guess you could say. It doesn't hurt that we also have about 360 days of sunshine per year and a nearby swimming hole we like to call the Pacific Ocean. These things factor together to give us a lifestyle of fun.

She doesn't surf yet, but we feel sure Baby Nessa will pick up the art of hanging her monkey toes over the edge of a longboard in no time. Red-headed cousin Corey was "up" after one hour of lessons. Daddio gets home from work and she says, "Can we go surfing?" which nearly melts the old man's heart, let me tell you. "Someday I hope to hear my daughter say that," he told her.