Lately Rachel has been worrying us by waking up in the middle of night and saying she can't get back to sleep. Earlier this week she said she had tried everything -- "reading, telling my stuffed animals stories, doing math problems in my head," -- but nothing worked. So, she and Drew did some math problems together and that seemed to tire her out. (Drew says she is already doing first-grade math).
Last night we were getting ready to close up the downstairs when...who did we see...but Rachel! She had snuck downstairs onto the couch and was curled up in the "Lil Blanket," the cozy throw that Mammaw bought us for Christmas and that is wrapped around my legs as I write this. Rachel had complained that she couldn't sleep in her own bed, and Drew told her firmly that she COULD NOT fall asleep on the couch and took her upstairs. (She had taken a short nap earlier in the day, which is probably why she had trouble falling asleep).
Drew and I are so concerned about this that we've decided we absolutely must move her bedtime earlier (problem is, we have so much fun playing around with her that we tend to let the bedtime process drag on far too long). So tonight, Drew made dinner at 7, they went upstairs for books and bath at 8:10, and she was in bed by 9:10. Still a little too late for my taste but better than 9:30 or 10(!!) p.m. bedtimes that is our norm.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Busy crazy weekend
On Friday, a local community center had a "Parents Night Out," where they provided a bunch of fun activities for kids -- face painting, a bouncy house, a movie, snack -- so Drew and I took the opportunity to see a movie ("American Hustle," which was fantastic) and grabbed dinner from a local bistro -- I had to order takeout, but we all will go back there someday because the food was inexpensive and good.
On the way home, Rachel said that the staff had played "Simon Says" with her, and she had won, and I reminded her that I had stopped playing that game with her because she won all the time.
"I guess I was just born to be smart," she said cheerfully, and yes, that is true.
On Saturday we discovered a great children's theater company here in Arlington that was putting on "The Little Mermaid Jr." a local stage production with kids in elementary, middle and high school. The singing was uneven but the acting, costumes and props were actually pretty good. Rachel was so happy that I took her, even if she begged to leave during the scary parts (I told her we couldn't leave, so I covered her eyes and ears instead).
When we got home, we had an early dinner and then played "Monopoly Junior," which Charon had brought us as a holiday gift when we invited her and her family over for a holiday dinner last month. Man, Rachel is good at that game. Drew went bankrupt and Rachel won.
"I actually don't like being rich," Rachel said at one point during the game. "'Cause then you have to have a lot of moneybags and you don't have room for other stuff. Got that, Bear?"
Then she added: "I can't believe I just beated two grownups!"
Me: "How about you go to bed?"
Rachel" How about NOT?"
She's so cute I can barely stand it.
Today I had to spend most all of the day working on a magazine story, so I was out of the house by 8 and then back by 5. Drew made dinner, got Rachel to bed early, and I did some more work on the story. Now about to take a break to watch "Downtown Abbey," and then it's back on the story at 8 a.m. tomorrow. When it's all turned in, I plan to take at least a one-day break!
On the way home, Rachel said that the staff had played "Simon Says" with her, and she had won, and I reminded her that I had stopped playing that game with her because she won all the time.
"I guess I was just born to be smart," she said cheerfully, and yes, that is true.
On Saturday we discovered a great children's theater company here in Arlington that was putting on "The Little Mermaid Jr." a local stage production with kids in elementary, middle and high school. The singing was uneven but the acting, costumes and props were actually pretty good. Rachel was so happy that I took her, even if she begged to leave during the scary parts (I told her we couldn't leave, so I covered her eyes and ears instead).
When we got home, we had an early dinner and then played "Monopoly Junior," which Charon had brought us as a holiday gift when we invited her and her family over for a holiday dinner last month. Man, Rachel is good at that game. Drew went bankrupt and Rachel won.
"I actually don't like being rich," Rachel said at one point during the game. "'Cause then you have to have a lot of moneybags and you don't have room for other stuff. Got that, Bear?"
Then she added: "I can't believe I just beated two grownups!"
Me: "How about you go to bed?"
Rachel" How about NOT?"
She's so cute I can barely stand it.
Today I had to spend most all of the day working on a magazine story, so I was out of the house by 8 and then back by 5. Drew made dinner, got Rachel to bed early, and I did some more work on the story. Now about to take a break to watch "Downtown Abbey," and then it's back on the story at 8 a.m. tomorrow. When it's all turned in, I plan to take at least a one-day break!
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Lovely weekend
It was the first weekend in about six weeks that I got to spend with Drew and Rachel, since I'm no longer working nights/weekends, and it was great to be with my family full-time. A few highlights:
--Saturday we had friends over for brunch -- Tracy (former colleague from the Oregonian, now working for the D.C. bureau of the Boston Globe, who told Rachel "your mommy is my mentor! She taught me everything I know"), her partner Gerald, and their adorable son Langston, who is 18 months old. It was wonderful to hold a baby in my arms again and inhale his wonderful smell. He was kind of shy for a while (although he devoured the frittata I made), but then when he saw Rachel cavorting around, he decided our living/dining room/kitchen was a terrific place to run around. I could tell Rachel was delighted by him, and by the end of the visit she sent a message to Tracy and Gerald (she was in her room getting ready for a playdate) that she'd had a really good time and she hoped they'd come over again soonl
--After the brunch I took Rachel over to her classmate Libby's house for a playdate. They live fairly close by and I've been waiting for a chance to get to know Libby's mom Kelly for a while. Kelly works in the Interior Department and is a very kind person. So, while the girls were downstairs watching movies, Kelly and I sat on the couch in the living room with cups of tea and talked for about three hours. (She's from Michigan, which is why we probably connected so well since we've both lived in the Midwest!). We both fretted that people are so busy here, they just don't have the time to drop in unexpectedly, and Kelly said "hey, we can change that!" She also gave me a tip on a good place to camp and hike about four hours away from here.
--Drew picked us up and we went back home to wait for AAA (my car battery died in this intense cold we've been experiencing), while Drew had a snowball fight in the front yard with Rachel in the gathering darkness. I watched from inside because my pinkie toe STILL HURTS -- it is a disgusting back and blue. Drew picked up a pizza and cupcakes for Family Movie Night (oh, how I've missed that!), put Rachel to bed at around 9:30 and then he and I finally found a movie we wanted to watch ("Thank You For Smoking" -- absolutely terrific) around 11. Result: We got to bed very, very late.
This morning we didn't wake up until 10:30 or so; poor Rachel is so patient in the mornings about waiting for breakfast on the weekends. After we'd all eaten, we headed out to an open house (not that we're in any position to buy a house, we just wanted to get a sense of what's out there) and then to the library so I cold do some prep work before a job interview I have on Tuesday. We were there much later than I'd planned to be, so instead of cooking we went to our favorite Lebanese restaurant near our house -- the one I want to bike to in the summer. Then it was home, Skyping with Darryl, Daniella and Valerie, and then Drew headed out to the grocery store while I read to Rachel, gave her a bubble bath (I had almost as much fun as she did), put her to bed and headed to the family room downstairs to watch "Downtown Abbey."
And now Drew is doing still more organizing of our study (he has made great progress so far and we are hoping this task will be finished by the time our guest, my former law school colleague Warren Binford, arrives in two weeks). And I am heading to bed.
--Saturday we had friends over for brunch -- Tracy (former colleague from the Oregonian, now working for the D.C. bureau of the Boston Globe, who told Rachel "your mommy is my mentor! She taught me everything I know"), her partner Gerald, and their adorable son Langston, who is 18 months old. It was wonderful to hold a baby in my arms again and inhale his wonderful smell. He was kind of shy for a while (although he devoured the frittata I made), but then when he saw Rachel cavorting around, he decided our living/dining room/kitchen was a terrific place to run around. I could tell Rachel was delighted by him, and by the end of the visit she sent a message to Tracy and Gerald (she was in her room getting ready for a playdate) that she'd had a really good time and she hoped they'd come over again soonl
--After the brunch I took Rachel over to her classmate Libby's house for a playdate. They live fairly close by and I've been waiting for a chance to get to know Libby's mom Kelly for a while. Kelly works in the Interior Department and is a very kind person. So, while the girls were downstairs watching movies, Kelly and I sat on the couch in the living room with cups of tea and talked for about three hours. (She's from Michigan, which is why we probably connected so well since we've both lived in the Midwest!). We both fretted that people are so busy here, they just don't have the time to drop in unexpectedly, and Kelly said "hey, we can change that!" She also gave me a tip on a good place to camp and hike about four hours away from here.
--Drew picked us up and we went back home to wait for AAA (my car battery died in this intense cold we've been experiencing), while Drew had a snowball fight in the front yard with Rachel in the gathering darkness. I watched from inside because my pinkie toe STILL HURTS -- it is a disgusting back and blue. Drew picked up a pizza and cupcakes for Family Movie Night (oh, how I've missed that!), put Rachel to bed at around 9:30 and then he and I finally found a movie we wanted to watch ("Thank You For Smoking" -- absolutely terrific) around 11. Result: We got to bed very, very late.
This morning we didn't wake up until 10:30 or so; poor Rachel is so patient in the mornings about waiting for breakfast on the weekends. After we'd all eaten, we headed out to an open house (not that we're in any position to buy a house, we just wanted to get a sense of what's out there) and then to the library so I cold do some prep work before a job interview I have on Tuesday. We were there much later than I'd planned to be, so instead of cooking we went to our favorite Lebanese restaurant near our house -- the one I want to bike to in the summer. Then it was home, Skyping with Darryl, Daniella and Valerie, and then Drew headed out to the grocery store while I read to Rachel, gave her a bubble bath (I had almost as much fun as she did), put her to bed and headed to the family room downstairs to watch "Downtown Abbey."
And now Drew is doing still more organizing of our study (he has made great progress so far and we are hoping this task will be finished by the time our guest, my former law school colleague Warren Binford, arrives in two weeks). And I am heading to bed.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Snow daze....
So, the snow we got last night resulted in school being closed today (but of course, Pew was open so off Drew went to work). I figured that since some of the responses to the magazine story I'm writing were from government, and government offices were closed or half-closed, I just threw in the towel and decided to enjoy my time with Rachel.
We started the morning with a pillow fight (I won, but Rachel insisted that she did), then we put on multiple layers of clothes and explored the snow in our backyard. (Rachel looks SO CUTE in her pink snow pants, black snow boots and pink snow jacket and fuzzy hat, I just want to cover her little face in kisses). She taught Mommy how to make snow angels (and I did, even though I don't have snow pants, just jeans) and we stomped around making the biggest footprints we could. While we were out, Ivy's mom called and asked if Rachel would be free for a playdate. Sure, I said, bring her over. So Ivy came over after lunch, and they played outside for a while, then came back in. Ivy badly wanted to watch the Barbie movie version of "The Princess and the Pauper," but Rachel got VERY mad at that idea because she wanted to be "active." (Good on her for not wanting to sit around and watch TV all day; I've trained my little girl well). I promised to make them popcorn and homemade hot chocolate with marshmallows, and Rachel instantly got excited enough to watch the movie. I brought down a tray, Ivy ate most of the popcorn and immediately asked if she could have more. "Um, I don't think we have any more," I said.
Near the end of the movie Ivy's mom came to pick her up and Rachel threw a FIT, wailing and sobbing because she thought she wouldn't have any time to be "active" with Ivy -- she watched the movie because that was what Ivy wanted to do, and now she wanted to do what she wanted to do, and it looked as if Ivy might leave. I was about to send her to her room when Ivy invited Rachel over for a faux pajama party (Rachel brought her nightgown) and I was asked to pick her up at 7. So, they went, and I spent the next two hours cleaning the house because we have friends coming over for brunch tomorrow morning at 11.
Drew picked Rachel up and we had matzo ball soup, challah and salad for dinner -- perfect for a hideously cold day (it will go down to 10 degrees tonight and will be cold tomorrow, too). "There's nothing like soup on a cold day," Rachel pronounced at dinner, "and my favorite chef's challah."
Really, it was a lovely day.
We started the morning with a pillow fight (I won, but Rachel insisted that she did), then we put on multiple layers of clothes and explored the snow in our backyard. (Rachel looks SO CUTE in her pink snow pants, black snow boots and pink snow jacket and fuzzy hat, I just want to cover her little face in kisses). She taught Mommy how to make snow angels (and I did, even though I don't have snow pants, just jeans) and we stomped around making the biggest footprints we could. While we were out, Ivy's mom called and asked if Rachel would be free for a playdate. Sure, I said, bring her over. So Ivy came over after lunch, and they played outside for a while, then came back in. Ivy badly wanted to watch the Barbie movie version of "The Princess and the Pauper," but Rachel got VERY mad at that idea because she wanted to be "active." (Good on her for not wanting to sit around and watch TV all day; I've trained my little girl well). I promised to make them popcorn and homemade hot chocolate with marshmallows, and Rachel instantly got excited enough to watch the movie. I brought down a tray, Ivy ate most of the popcorn and immediately asked if she could have more. "Um, I don't think we have any more," I said.
Near the end of the movie Ivy's mom came to pick her up and Rachel threw a FIT, wailing and sobbing because she thought she wouldn't have any time to be "active" with Ivy -- she watched the movie because that was what Ivy wanted to do, and now she wanted to do what she wanted to do, and it looked as if Ivy might leave. I was about to send her to her room when Ivy invited Rachel over for a faux pajama party (Rachel brought her nightgown) and I was asked to pick her up at 7. So, they went, and I spent the next two hours cleaning the house because we have friends coming over for brunch tomorrow morning at 11.
Drew picked Rachel up and we had matzo ball soup, challah and salad for dinner -- perfect for a hideously cold day (it will go down to 10 degrees tonight and will be cold tomorrow, too). "There's nothing like soup on a cold day," Rachel pronounced at dinner, "and my favorite chef's challah."
Really, it was a lovely day.
Daisy Scouts!
Drew officially registered Rachel for DAISY SCOUTS! I'm so excited my little girl will get at least a taste of Scouting. She gets to wear a blue blazer on meeting days (once a month) and will learn all about merit badges, the Scouting oath, etc.
We've also signed her up for swimming and gymnastics on Saturdays (starts at the end of the moth) and...shhhh, we haven't told her yet....tee ball in the spring! Yay! Hopefully she will develop into a very well-rounded young lady.
We've also signed her up for swimming and gymnastics on Saturdays (starts at the end of the moth) and...shhhh, we haven't told her yet....tee ball in the spring! Yay! Hopefully she will develop into a very well-rounded young lady.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Drew makes the big time!
So, while I'm at home putzing around on a magazine story, Drew goes and gets himself INTERVIEWED ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO'S "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED." Here's a link:
http://www.npr.org/2014/01/02/259222613/the-widening-wealth-gap-bringing-income-inequality-into-focus
Really, there's not much more to report from here, except to say that Rachel's reaction after Drew came home from work and told her he'd been on the radio, was: "Daddy was on the RADIO!?!?!" and she jumped up and down in excitement and danced with him until it was time to set the table.
She has also been very solicitous about my bruised pinkie toe (it's swollen and the inside is black and blue), telling me tonight as I was getting ready to heat up some pot roast and rice: "Mommy." (she said sternly). "Take off your apron, Daddy will build a fire, you sit on the couch and rest." (It was snowing like the dickens outside, so Drew built a fire to make the house seem more cozy. It worked!).
And this morning, after she inquired about the state of my foot and I told her my toe still hurt, she climbed in bed with me, snuggled up close and said, "even though your toe still hurts, you're still the best mommy I could ever ask for."
I immediately felt better. A little.
http://www.npr.org/2014/01/02/259222613/the-widening-wealth-gap-bringing-income-inequality-into-focus
Really, there's not much more to report from here, except to say that Rachel's reaction after Drew came home from work and told her he'd been on the radio, was: "Daddy was on the RADIO!?!?!" and she jumped up and down in excitement and danced with him until it was time to set the table.
She has also been very solicitous about my bruised pinkie toe (it's swollen and the inside is black and blue), telling me tonight as I was getting ready to heat up some pot roast and rice: "Mommy." (she said sternly). "Take off your apron, Daddy will build a fire, you sit on the couch and rest." (It was snowing like the dickens outside, so Drew built a fire to make the house seem more cozy. It worked!).
And this morning, after she inquired about the state of my foot and I told her my toe still hurt, she climbed in bed with me, snuggled up close and said, "even though your toe still hurts, you're still the best mommy I could ever ask for."
I immediately felt better. A little.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Happy New Year!
One of my resolutions is to write more on this blog. Now that my contract work is finished (I still have one magazine piece to write), my hours are much more normal and I can post more about our goings-on.
We had a lovely lead-up to New Year's at PopPop and Mammaw's house in the Outer Banks. Rachel played with Mammaw's granddaughter, who is in 2nd grade, and the girls had a lot of fun at the local aquarium. It was sunny and around 50 degrees, and the kids busied themselves looking for sharks' teeth and other fossils. Drew and I managed to get away by ourselves for 45 minutes and had a nice walk on the beach before it got too dark. Our holiday gift was a goose dinner with a salad, potatoes stuffed inside the goose, and homemade babka for dessert.
One of the reasons I love going to the Outer Banks so much -- besides PopPop and Mammaw's company -- is that I always feel so relaxed when we're down there. Something about the remoteness of the area, the combination of sand, ocean and inlet, steals inside my body and calms me, or at least makes the worry go away for a while. We're hoping to go down there much more often now that we're less than a day's drive away (and a very pretty drive it is; I loved looking at scenery, so different from Oregon but also beautiful in its own way).
Early this morning I woke up to go to the bathroom and banged my pinkie toe into a box that has been sitting in our bedroom for months (it contains the makings of a scrapbook I want to put together for Rachel's and my trip this past summer) and, oh, was it painful. I needed pain medication to get back to sleep, and when I woke up this morning the toe was swollen and I could barely walk. Nevertheless, I insisted we all go to Great Falls National Park for a New Year's Day hike. With much misgivings, Rachel and Drew agreed. We had a great time -- Rachel met a 6-year-old girl named Evelyn, from Alexandria, and they drew pictures at the visitors' center and pitched rocks into one of the streams while Drew and I talked to their parents. The rest of the time I hobbled after Drew and Rachel as they walked the paths, looked at the falls and clambered over rocks. Drew found a walking stick for me. The day was really pleasant -- cold but sunny, and I was bundled up enough so I didn't mind the weather. (Should be the last bearable day we'll have for a while, alas -- it is supposed to get very cold this weekend).
"I love Great Falls Park better than a playground park, because it has rocks you can play on, and you can watch the kayakers, and you can run and play, and go to the visitors' center," Rachel said. We bought a year-round pass for $20, and since each visit is $5, we figure we'll get a lot of use out of it. I'm hoping to make a hike through Great Falls a New Year's Day tradition. It's part of my search to create permanence in our life, in an area of the country that isn't known for permanence compared to the area we left.
We had a lovely lead-up to New Year's at PopPop and Mammaw's house in the Outer Banks. Rachel played with Mammaw's granddaughter, who is in 2nd grade, and the girls had a lot of fun at the local aquarium. It was sunny and around 50 degrees, and the kids busied themselves looking for sharks' teeth and other fossils. Drew and I managed to get away by ourselves for 45 minutes and had a nice walk on the beach before it got too dark. Our holiday gift was a goose dinner with a salad, potatoes stuffed inside the goose, and homemade babka for dessert.
One of the reasons I love going to the Outer Banks so much -- besides PopPop and Mammaw's company -- is that I always feel so relaxed when we're down there. Something about the remoteness of the area, the combination of sand, ocean and inlet, steals inside my body and calms me, or at least makes the worry go away for a while. We're hoping to go down there much more often now that we're less than a day's drive away (and a very pretty drive it is; I loved looking at scenery, so different from Oregon but also beautiful in its own way).
Early this morning I woke up to go to the bathroom and banged my pinkie toe into a box that has been sitting in our bedroom for months (it contains the makings of a scrapbook I want to put together for Rachel's and my trip this past summer) and, oh, was it painful. I needed pain medication to get back to sleep, and when I woke up this morning the toe was swollen and I could barely walk. Nevertheless, I insisted we all go to Great Falls National Park for a New Year's Day hike. With much misgivings, Rachel and Drew agreed. We had a great time -- Rachel met a 6-year-old girl named Evelyn, from Alexandria, and they drew pictures at the visitors' center and pitched rocks into one of the streams while Drew and I talked to their parents. The rest of the time I hobbled after Drew and Rachel as they walked the paths, looked at the falls and clambered over rocks. Drew found a walking stick for me. The day was really pleasant -- cold but sunny, and I was bundled up enough so I didn't mind the weather. (Should be the last bearable day we'll have for a while, alas -- it is supposed to get very cold this weekend).
"I love Great Falls Park better than a playground park, because it has rocks you can play on, and you can watch the kayakers, and you can run and play, and go to the visitors' center," Rachel said. We bought a year-round pass for $20, and since each visit is $5, we figure we'll get a lot of use out of it. I'm hoping to make a hike through Great Falls a New Year's Day tradition. It's part of my search to create permanence in our life, in an area of the country that isn't known for permanence compared to the area we left.
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