Home Sweet Home

What a relief to be home again. No more living out of suitcases. Let's hear it for sleeping in our own beds, sitting on our own furniture, and cooking in a well-stocked kitchen! Not to mention being near our Madison friends again! We are settling into our "Home Sweet Home" once again, reminiscing about one year ago, when we closed on our house, were handed the keys, and could start building our home!

Our time in Richland Center was a challenge near the end. Being transplanted into a small town community, where we didn't know anyone, for 6 weeks was a little difficult. Henry and I spent our days going to the park where they had a slide the perfect size for Henry to master on his own. We also enjoyed a few old-timey pieces of equipment, like merry-go-rounds, teeter-totters, and metal slides. We visited the library and occasionally window shopped downtown. Thank goodness we had beautiful weather so we could get out of the apartment and explore!

That's right, dumper goes EVERYWHERE with us.

Our "neighbors" had rabbits.

Henry was enthralled with them and visited every day.

After the annual resident retreat, we visited Governor Dodge State Park for a quick swim. It was a gorgeous park on a gorgeous September day. We'll be back next year, I'm sure!

Word list

Henry's word list grows exponentially each day. He is like a parrot and repeats the end of your sentence constantly. (Mommy is now trying to be very disciplined about her choice of language!)

Here are the ones that George and I are most impressed with:

- banana (it's so clear, no nanas served here!)

- zucchini (sometimes shortened to "kini" but it's a favorite that bears repeating, emphasis on ZU)

- window

- umbrella (we keep practicing -- some syllables get rolled around a few too many times "elella")

- egg (really, complete with an ending "g" already?)

- pizza

- acorn

18 Months

18 Months. I like the sound of that.

It seems like such a good age to be. It's "I'm old enough to grab the world by the tail and start making sense of it," but not so old as to be truly responsible for anything, or have great expectations for behavior. For example, completing a request is still simply a bonus, and sometimes a complete surprise. "George, get this, I asked Henry to go get a new diaper so I could change him, and HE DID!"

Henry sometimes exudes a strange confidence for his tender age.

At his doctor's appointment, he marched down the hallway after the nurse called his name. Swinging his arms as he walked, he looked like he'd done this a thousand times and was ready for anything. His expression didn't change to a heart wrenching sad face until the door swung closed behind him in the exam room. I believe that's when he recalled the experience of being poked and prodded during his prior visits.

Occasionally, when I answer questions about his milestones, I feel like the staff believes I'm overestimating Henry's ability. Like they're thinking "Yes, every parent thinks their child is the best and brightest." And naturally, Henry takes on a shyness in the new surroundings which leads him to develop jelly legs, when I've told them he's already walking. Or he remains mute when I admit that he's mastered many new words recently, casting a shadow of doubt upon his true ability. This time, however, when the doctor was trying to edge the tongue depressor into Henry's mouth he pushed it away and clearly cried out "acky!" So the doctor learned first hand, that indeed, Henry is already using his words.

Speaking of "acky" here are a few other items that deserve the title, according to Henry:

- sidewalk chalk

- sticks

- macaroni salad

- tiny particles found on the floor (he'll even take them to the trash can when coaxed!)

To my relief, some of these items are entering his mouth less frequently. After a mere 18 months of training!

Harvest

My favorite "perk" about the house right now.

Grapes, warmed by the sun, fresh from the vine. Mmm.

Smarty Pants

Look who's been paying attention!

The key to the apartment stays under the mat in the screened in porch. (I told you it was small town!) Henry likes this game of hide and seek, and was trying to put the key in the lock, with great success, actually!

These are the moments that blow your mind as a parent. What a little smarty pants. It is hard work staying a step ahead of this little guy!

PS. Don't worry, we moved the location of the key so he wouldn't lose the ONLY copy!

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.