ADVENTURES WITH GRANNY

Welcome, Granny Ernestine! We were thrilled to have Granny take the train/bus to visit for the weekend. Vanners, ever the hostess, made sure we could greet her with some new fun thing to do. This trip involved the ultimate in monkey-proofing for our little Hurculena or should I say Hurculesa?

What's the ultimate, you may ask yourself? Well, for Daddio and me, it's not rearranging furniture and putting things up high out of reach, it's moving. Yes, we're moving. Our 1978 multi-level home on a terraced lot with a steep driveway is turning out to be far more inhospitable for our budding toddler than I can stomach. So we signed a lease on a tiny house by the sea.

We picked up Granny from the train station and schlepped her directly to the new home. We don't move in until mid-September, but we could show her inside while it's empty.

Granny was with us when we bought the house we own now, on a two day layover from Spain. She was with me when I adopted Milo and helped me get him on the plane to transport him home to Seattle. She was our hostess when Jack interviewed for this job in California. She housed us coming and going from our embryo transfer last year, and, along with Grandma Patty, was present when Vanessa was born. So it seemed entirely fitting she was on hand to witness this next twist in our life's plot.

The new place has monkey-friendly features such as one story, an open floor plan, a grassy front yard and a fenced in back yard, a level driveway for her trike, and a short walk to a kiddie park. Well, and then there is the matter of the sea. It's visible from our backyard and accessed by our back alley. We're not by a sandy beach, it's a bluff and a surf spot. [Maybe Van is a surfer: did you know "Hang Ten" means hang your ten toes off the edge of your board? She certainly has grippy toes...]

Also visiting this weekend were Granny's older sister, Aunt Betty, and Uncle Wally. They were also very supportive and enthusiastic. This older generation (they are in their 80s) makes us feel we can do no wrong. Aunt Betty just this summer retired from teaching inner city Los Angeles kids. Uncle Wally is going to start his own blog. No moss on these stones.

Vanessa continues her teething and exploratory creeping. Yesterday she investigated the perimeter of our living room for two hours so I could get some paperwork done for the move. This morning she pulled herself up to the coffee table then smashed her noggin into it for her first forehead bruise (and dent). We expect tooth number 2 any minute now.

Somebody please tell me if you can see this video. It's a new feature of the blog.