Sleepy Sunday in a Small town

The purpose of this blog has been to journal a bit of our everyday life and share a piece with those who are not always close in proximity. This post reminds me that while it may just feel "everyday" or be any day in our life, it is not exactly an ordinary life. Who else decides to relocate for 6 weeks, when they have a house, kid, etc?

Sometimes I find myself asking the question "How did we get here?" not only in physical location, but to the point of handling new situations with a "can do" attitude. A roll with the punches mentality. Is it simply survival mode in this "do what it takes" life dictated by the residency program? But this isn't the first time. Remember when we got married and lived in two separate towns? Or had a baby, quit my job, and moved to a new state, all within 3 months time? I'm sensing a theme...anyway, on with the post.

Our family was reunited last weekend when Henry and I joined George in Richland Center, WI. George is doing his rural rotation in this small town (~5,000 people) an hour and a half west of Madison. The residency program provides a modestly furnished, two bedroom apartment in a house two blocks from the hospital and near the downtown area. So we spent the weekend becoming reacquainted with each other, and exploring our new surroundings. I feel slightly transient, sort of like camping out minus the RV or tent, but it's a good change of pace. For now.

This is what we found.

1. There are certainly more churches than "other" establishments within our immediate neighborhood. We were fortunate to take advantage of the Catholic church festival for lunch on Sunday. We attempted to attend mass, but due to the festival, the times listed outside the church were not correct. On this ONE Sunday of the year, the mass time is moved to accommodate the Church dinner. (side note: in the midwest "dinner" is the noon meal) We tried. Oh well,we did our part to support their cause. Dinner menu: half of a chicken (yes, the animal appeared to have been split in half and BBQ'd and served, baked potato, baked beans, homemade coleslaw, homemade dill pickles, and homegrown tomatoes. Last but not least, PIE!)
2. Sunday is still truly a day of rest in small town USA. We could only window shop around the town square because the stores were all closed. Aside from Walmart (don't even get me started on Walmart and the effect on small town economies) the streets were quiet, the parks were full, and life moved at a slower pace.
3. The country-side is gorgeous. I could drive and drive and look at old barns and cows and fields all day. South-central Wisconsin has a similar feel to the Iowa agricultural ambience, yet in the background is something quite unique. Hills! I'm not sure if they have a special name, because unlike gentle rolling hills (found in some parts of Iowa), these abruptly rise from the horizon as big rocky outcroppings that appear to be heavily wooded. They are a charming backdrop for someone whose eye is trained to envision flat farmland as beautiful. Apparently this is the section "the glaciers forgot" during the last ice age. In my opinion, we are in Richland Center for the perfect season. We are on the brink of fall color in the leaves, and apple orchard season is about to start.
4. The apartment provides only dial up internet service. On one hand, it's nice to be "unplugged" a little in our daily life. On the other, that is generally our support function for communication with others - email, online calendars, etc. with dodgy cell phone service, we feel slightly incomunicado. However, the apartment does have cable TV. This is the "replacement" technology for lacking internet service. Dangerous. Although we were very excited about watching a Red Sox / Yankees game on ESPN. The outcome wasn't in our favor, but it felt good to route for the "home team."
5. The opportunity for George to be THE doctor in town is invaluable. His schedule is something like this: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday see patients in clinic, or urgent care, or free clinic (these all seem to be different names for the same services, really). Wednesday overnight staff the ER (and the OR, and the Labor and Delivery room) as needed, with support from a few local physicians. The hospital has 23 beds, 4 for ICU (which is shared with the OR for post-op patients), and 2 rooms for L&D. Just to offer some perspective, when I worked as an MICU nurse, we had a 20 bed unit.

So far, Henry and I will be splitting our time between Richland Center and Madison. There are things to do here at the house (our grapes are ripening!) and prior commitments. Maybe after Labor Day, we'll be there for a longer duration. I foresee a lot of commuting, however. We'll return to our regularly scheduled program in October. Whatever that may be.

When Henry met the Ocean

A week ago Henry and I returned from a trip to the East Coast to visit Meme and enjoy some time by the ocean.

Meme and friends, Ann & Marilyn

For Henry, it was love at first sight, I think. And by the end of the week Henry was asking for "wat-er." Meaning, please take me back to that place where the waves crash over my feet and it feels so cool and refreshing and fun. He explored the shoreline, with or without his dump truck, splashed in the waves, chased the seagulls, dipped his face to the sand a few times to taste the saltiness, and laughed when we jumped the waves.

Photos from various beach days.

The weather ran the gamut from cold & rainy (but that doesn't keep a person from Wisconsin from enjoying the beach) to HOT and humid. When I packed our bag, I never really expected to dress Henry in his fleece and swim trunks at the same time.

Here's a few things I learned from Henry on our trip:

• Vacation is way too exciting to sleep past 5:30 am, no matter what time we went to bed the night before. Some late nights, due to Red Sox games, makes for a very tired mama.
• Escalators and moving walkways are the perfect way to kill time during a layover in the Detroit Airport. I'm a firm believer that those were, in fact, installed to keep children occupied when parents run out of ideas.
• A PB&J will be accepted for any and all meals.
• Anyone with short hair and glasses (and possibly a mature appearance) is subject to the term "Grandma" or "Grandpa." And surprisingly, most people (even strangers in the airport) enjoy this term of endearment from an 18 month old.

Inspecting the piece of seaweed that was stuck to his toe.

Mmmm

Mmmm. Chocolate Banana Strawberry Smoothie.
Thanks for sharing, Ca-ca.

From words to phrases

Henry and I recently joined Aunt Ca-ca (Jessica) on a trip to Michigan to see the Sanford family.

I believe he met a huge milestone on the trip -- the two word phrases "More cracker" and "All Done!" These are rough translations when, according to context clues, you realize he is not at all talking about crackers or the end of a meal.

"Mo' ca-cker" = I want!

"Ah DONNNNNE!" = Do NOT like!

With all the activity and chaos, and being the third kid in the group, Henry discovered that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. In order to persuade Andrew to share his crackers, Henry had to vocalize. Apparently Andrew, 3 years old, does not understand the baby-sign for "more."

His request sounds somewhat like this: Mo (wavering toward his sound for a cow's moo) and the whispered "cra-cah". This phrase worked so well, it is now appearing at all meal times, or when he's in the vicinity of the kitchen, or on car rides. A cracker may be substituted at any time for a cheerio, piece of quesadilla, or banana.

The second phrase cracks me up because it was certainly a desperate moment for Henry. After our trip to the beach, he was over-tired, over-stimulated, and overly-snotty (thanks to a head cold). While screaming and crying during a quick shower with Mommy, he used the only message he could for "enough already!" There were flailing arms, as if he were motioning for a rescue helicopter to land and save him, and shouting of "DUNNNNNNN" over and over again. On the bright side, I think he really gets it! We're even using the concept of "all done" to make the transition to understanding the concept of "all gone." If there are no more cheerios, grapes, or chocolate chips they are "all gone" and we are "all done!"

Favorite things: Fireflies!

Perhaps his cousins' excitement (you should hear the shouts -- as if they were finding fireflies made of pure gold!) really rubbed off on Henry, but he finds fireflies wonderfully exciting.

Or on second thought, let's see, Henry is very quick to find a light (anywhere and everywhere). His baby sign language is opening and closing your hand (some people mistake it for waving). And he's super interested in bugs. The sign for bee, moving the "ok" sign around and buzzing is now the sign for all things insect.
This means:
These are a few of my favorite things...

Light + Bug = Lightning Bug!!

Which becomes a compound word of waving "ok" while buzzing.

A new perspective

Being with Henry this summer has offered me a new perspective on life. He is in a stage of curiosity that reminds me just how amazing our world really is, and what we take for granted. We take time to watch ants scurry across the patio, we water and smell flowers, and pour sand or pebbles through our fingers. My favorite is when Henry tries to wipe a ray of sunlight off the floor, or creeps into a new hiding place, or grows frustrated when a piece of tape refuses to release it's grip on his finger.

Recently, he's also been spending a lot of time looking at things from a new angle. The world behind him and upside down must be a very interesting place! I think he discovered this when trying to catch a car that rolled between his legs. He nearly does a complete somersault. And now he just thinks its funny to see such a silly world. Walking in this position is mighty tricky.

More fun with Papa

Who likes ice cream.
I do! I do!



George created a "playhouse" out of a cardboard box for Henry. While Henry isn't quite ready for imaginative play yet, he did think it was pretty cool. Especially when Papa was inside. Or when pillows and blankets were piled inside. It was also a good sized garage for his cars.

Practice makes perfect

Henry has been practicing using a spoon. In fact, sometimes he refuses to eat unless he can do it. Here's the aftermath of his morning oatmeal.

Part of me is excited he's on the path to becoming an independent eater. And part of me isn't.

Picnic in the Park

I may have failed to mention in the previous post that aside from the botched camping trip, George has remained busy with his residency work and has missed out.
Therefore, tonight we decided to have a picnic in the park for impromptu summer fun. We ordered Thai food (Henry is a fan!) and let him splash around in the new (and free!) splash pad.

Summertime News & Blues

Time has flown recently! Summertime activities keep us outdoors and away from the computer screen. Here's what we've been up to:

• Fireworks! Our new house is located conveniently close to Madison's "Rhythm & Booms" celebration. Grandpa & Aunt Jessica were here to enjoy the show with us, however, it was postponed a day, so Grandpa had to head back home and missed out on the action. There was a moment of panic for Henry when the F-16 jets flew overhead at the end of the Star Spangled Banner, but he recovered quickly. His recovery was faster than mine as the noise was quite loud and unexpected, and the look on his face had me jumping to snatch him from the stroller in a hurry. Henry watched the fireworks with the same fascination and intensity as last year. Then he promptly fell asleep in the stroller on the walk home. The fireworks, in combination with the music, were truly an amazing show. We highly recommend staying with us the last weekend in June to catch this event!

• Swimming! A heat wave led us to the local swimming holes. Actually, Henry and I tagged along with friends to a swimming lesson to hang out in the baby pool. Henry was. a. nut. I wish I had a little video of him going crazy in the baby pool. Unfortunately, for his safety and my sanity, that was simply not possible. It was his first time in a pool. The pool had little squirting fountains and pouring water over an umbrella structure and he was a maniac. I envisioned resting on the pool's edge watching Henry enjoy the water. In reality, he was so rambunctious I spent all 45 minutes shadowing him like a hawk. In. Out. Up. Down. Running. Splashing. Diving. (that's right, I said diving) Sputtering. Sitting. Kicking. Twisting. Laughing. Shouting. At one point he smacked his face on the concrete wall, but when I picked him up to check out what I thought would be a bloody nose, he was angry that I lifted him out of the water. A near hit, avoided. Phew. Several other moms commented about his energy, because he was so funny to watch. He took a 4 hour nap that afternoon. The next day when we went again, he was more reserved. I was more relaxed.

• Strawberries! The true taste of summer. Henry has been hit or miss with strawberries. I figured out why. He simply has excellent taste in strawberries. The supermarket strawberries can't hold a candle to the sweet and juicy taste of locally grown berries. I went with a friend and her 8 month old to a U-pick strawberry patch. Thankfully, it was Henry's nap time, so he slept in the car while I picked my first quart. Then he woke up and helped me pick to fill my second. He quickly learned what was going on, plucking red berries from the small bushes. By the look on his face, I'm guessing he discovered the green or white ones taste nasty. We left the patch with red fingers, and the two little ones left with red fingers, faces, and clothes!

• Camping! Last weekend we attempted a camping and boating trip that had been planned for months as a Capper family vacation. Unfortunately, it rained. A lot. And our tent, despite being new, leaked. A lot. We were not happy campers. So we abandoned our plan, and our campsite, and spent a day or two at Grandma and Grandpa Capper's house recovering from our lousy nights sleep. We were completely bummed to have missed out on the campfire dinners, songs, s'mores, and swimming. However, we did enjoy seeing our family and were thankful that everyone was together. Henry loves to watch his cousins play and he smiles when they try to involve him in their antics. We hope to have another visit again this summer. Maybe in Michigan when the peaches are ripe!