THE USUAL SUSPECTS


This week there was a break in my Thursday volunteer schedule, so I got a chance to bring Vanessa to the petting farm to play with her oldest friends. Well, by oldest I mean longest-known. Most of us moms and babies met in birthing class, back in the fall of 2006.





Our birthing class instructor also offered a weekly follow-up class, called Mothers & Babies. It was really a New Mother Support Group. These are the classes where you can show up an exhausted, disorganized wreck with your newborn, and cry, breastfeed, and otherwise let it all hang out with other new moms.





The very wise instructor encouraged us to spin off into small groups once we completed her classes. Our little pod started a walking group. Then we had to start meeting at the playground when our babies became too wriggly for their strollers. We also occasionally go to the petting farm, as we did this week.

It's great fun getting together with these moms and tots. We've been through a few key stages together. It feels like we are all cousins or something. There are babies missing from these pics - we can't all make it every week - but maybe Vanny fans recognize some of the usual suspects; Baby Thomas (who is actually 6 months the elder), Baby Kennedy (who is one month younger than Van), and Baby Grant of birthday party fame.

All four were studying us intently as I ran the camera and moms Kim, Andrea and Liz stood behind me shouting Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and waving their arms wildly. We think our kiddies were slightly concerned we'd flipped our lids right there at the farm.

We moms were comparing notes about how language is beginning to spew forth from the mouths of our babes. We love it. Not that you'd know it when they're all together - they're mutes whilst at play.

Here is a clip of VanNanners enunciating like the little genius she is.

And here is an example of our daily vocabulary lesson. My word, she's ready for A & P.

TIGER KITTEN

This week has flown by! Daddio has away all week at a track and field competition, so Granny came down to visit us. What a time we had!

One day Vanners and I were browsing at a pottery shop. The shopkeeper was taken with Vanessa. She sounded a bit like Yoda when she commented, "Oh my. That one has a huge tiger in her." Later in the conversation the same woman said, "Hmmmmm, I hear many birds around her. Many birds." Granny and I aren't sure what all this means, but we decided to look it up. We found the Tiger is associated with great will and power. Granny and I laughed so hard. How accurate for our wee tiger kitten!

New things Granny taught Vanessa:

* How to sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star with hand motions

* How to say Granny ("Janny")

* How to use a baby fork

* How to change out a Baby Einstein DVD

* How to get into her carseat

* How to sing along (you should have heard her in church today)

* How to say "Pssst!"

* How to collate different sized cups

* How to lie on your back and do bicycle kicks in the air

* How to kick the soccer ball

* How to blow bubbles in the back yard

* How to feed a goat (without getting bitten)

* How to roll your arms for Pat-a-Cake

* How to count to 5 using your toes as a guide

Well, some of these things were already in the works when Granny arrived, but Nanners stepped up to the plate, for sure.

This week mama had a big presentation to work on, and then a pair of migraines, so it was extra helpful to have Granny around. As usual, she took care of the two of us little princesses. No wonder we call her the Queen Mother. We were able to fit in some grocery shopping, a trip to the petting farm, and a walk to the Saturday farmer's market for sweet corn tamales and strawberry shortcake.

Last week, Baby Nessa had her 15 month check up with her pediatrician. She continues to grow, thankfully. She is in the 75th percentile for height and 90th percentile for weight. Since she's rather slim right now, we think the extra weight is in her head, which continues to be off the chart. I think her head circumference is in the 90th percentile for a 3 year old. She has big feet, too. We think she's purrrrrfect.

We are right around Embryo Transfer Day, which occurred in April 2006 after several years of anticipation. Thank you, God, for thawing us this darling little being.

GO, NELL, GO!

VanNannerkins keeps some pretty elite company around here. Not only is her best guy, Daddio, a highly decorated masters athlete, she brushes elbows with quite the circle of elite track athletes. See her here, getting dry-run tips on surfing from "Auntie" Nell.

Don't worry, daughter. You look boss in that bikini. And if you take after your Daddy, you might just have one of those muscle-clad midsections like "Auntie" Nell.

And if you take after your mama, well, that's okay, too. Nothing wrong with a big, soft, white tummy.




This week, on Wednesday and Thursday, Nell is competing in her first heptathlon in a long, long time. She's trying to get a qualifying score for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Please join me in thinking strong thoughts for her.



The elite athletes who compete at the Olympic Trials get a chance to make the U.S. Olympic Team that goes to Beijing for the summer games. Only the top three placers in each event make the team. So she's vying for one of three spots that are open once every four years. Kind of a lofty goal.


Nell - or Nelga, the Gladiator name Chris made up for her - has come a long way since she was valedictorian of her high school in 2002 - graduating class of 8 (and that was after combining two towns).


Here is a heptathlon primer...


There are 7 track and field events contested over two days. Day 1 is 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 meter sprint. Day 2 is the long jump, javelin, and 800 meter run. Heptathletes get a certain number of points for their marks, the more points the better. The total score determines who wins the two day heptathlon competition. The hepathlon is the female version of the decathlon, which is 10 events over two days, not to be confused with the triathlon (which is three endurance events in one day). Got it? You're all experts now!








Okay, well, making the U.S. Olympic team this year in the heptathlon is probably not going to be Nell's gig. You see, even if she were ranked 1st in the U.S., her overall score would need to be 6000 points - the minimum standard mark for Olympic competitors.







Nell will likely score around 5600 points. That's elite. Way elite for a 24 year old.






Anyway. Thought y'all might want to know some of our little baby daughter's peeps.

LITTLE MISS KISSER

So Nanners is all about the smack now. Last night, as Daddio and I were saying our prayers about adoption together, Vanessa reared up and planted a perfect little wet one right on my lips. I was blown away. That spontaneous, stolen kiss felt like my very first kiss ever!

Where did she learn to kiss on the lips? Since moving to the west coast, I only kiss her - and everyone else except my spouse - on the cheek. I did catch Van kissing her baby doll earlier in the day and it was graphic. In fact, it looked a bit like mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She got the poor baby's nose and mouth covered and there was a lot of smacking and drooling. I think Van was perhaps using the doll's nose for some quick teething whilst in for the kiss. Thank goodness she didn't try that on her mama.

So our daughter taught herself how to kiss.

In my infinite wisdom, I have succeeded in teaching her how to say "P.U." (Does that stand for plug up?) Anyway, her diaper was stinky, so I pinched my nose and said "P.U." - Vanners nearly fell over she laughed so hard. This is my contribution to my daughter's education.

Other things she was laughing about today... she was carrying her baby doll around, making out with her and such, and she brought her to me. I said, "Kick, baby, kick!" and made the doll's little legs go just like Nanners' do. Well that was hysterically funny. VH1 exploded. So I said, "Well now, high-five her," and held up the doll's arm. Van slapped that little plastic hand and could not stop chortling. She had no idea, apparently, that her baby was so cool.

There have not been many blog posts of late because we are suddenly buried in adoption-related busy work. Oh my. Today, on three day's notice, we had the social worker come to the house for the first part of our home study. Boy is our house clean now. I served pumpkin pie. Our social worker, Luke, was very nice to us. Thankfully he seemed unfazed by my medical history and, once VanNannerkins stopped sobbing and screaming, he thought she was a nice "miracle" child. In fact, he commented that we've been through so much as a couple, adoption might be no big deal in comparison. He loved the pie.

When we're not scouring the floors, looking for change in the couch cushions, or completing forms for adoption, we're watching Van's every new move. Here are some highlights:

Last week "Auntie" Nell and I drove VH1 to L.A. to sign up for a toy store commercial. All we did was show up and put her name on a giant list. Even so, it was fun. The people at the toy store thought she was adorable, but I imagine they are trained to say that to every customer. Nanners jammed in the car on the way home. It was about 7 hours in the car that day.

Van had her very first Bubble Bath, thanks to my spying a bottle of Mr. Bubble in K-Mart one day. (Talk about brand loyalty - I used to beg for Mr. Bubble!) We have some shots from the event.

Here she is showing me the bubbly substance, requesting an explanation. The video is from the conclusion of the bath.

At the end of last week, after the jaunt to L.A., Van and I roadtripped to San Francisco to visit Granny. We stayed two nights and had an absolute blast. V-Dog has always been nuts for Granny's siamese cat doorstop, so she started making out with it. If you look closely, you can see where kitty's toe is chipped off - Nanners dropped kitty. Auntie Sally gave Granny this kitty 30 years ago.

Granny had a little newborn Cabbage Patch baby for Nanners, one with red hair and blue eyes. Van squealed when she saw her and carried her around everywhere. She also carried her new purse around, a gift from Auntie Anne. Our little girl is growing up!

When we're not touring California, Vanessa is mastering her own back yard. Well, we consider the nearby playground and beach our back yard, too. When we go to the park as a family, we meet all kinds of people. In addition to our neighbors and their babies, we meet visitors from around the state and the world.

Here is Van with new friends Isaac, who has a laser gun, and Jacob and Manda, who were visiting from Germany.



Every little kid we meet likes to throw the ball to Milo, and Milo obliges them with a proper fetch. Everyone comments on the cat who actually goes on a walk with us, and who has irresitible white fur. The German family witnessed our daughter's climbing skills and could not believe it. We couldn't, either. She really can climb all the way up this arch, but here is a video of her father and I watching an attempt. This seems advanced for a 15 month old human, but is perhaps right on par for a 15 month old chimp.

LOVE the dismount. We're looking into gymnastics for her. If she gets a commerical we'll have to mention Van is part Shirley Temple, part Spiderman.

WELCOME, BABY ANJA!



Vanessa wants you all to know that miracle baby, Anja has just arrived! She came to visit us in California last fall, in her mama's belly. Her mama is "Auntie" Katja and her daddy is "Uncle" Todd. Her new daddy sent us these photos, but I'm sure he had no idea I'd post them here.

She is so gorgeous! We can't wait to meet her!