Walkin!

First off, a big Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms in our lives. We love you all and we’re so thankful to have such a family. Here is the card Oliver made at daycare for Jenny (she’s still puzzling out what he meant by the last part):

Zaeda is walking! Her first steps were on April 22. By May 1, she was climbing the stairs. Out with the baby gates!

As of today, her record is about 6 feet (10 – 12 steps).  She still crawls when she needs to get somewhere, but she’s spending more and more time on two feet.

Oliver’s bathroom training is showing progress. He was backsliding for a while there, basically telling us he had to go after he had to go. Then we set up some charts where he earns a sticker for each success. When he fills up all the boxes on the chart, he gets to choose a toy from a motivational box filled with cheap stuff from the dollar store. Great results so far.  He’s sitting on the big toilet now and experimenting with standing up to pee, which sometimes gets messy, but everyone is happy he’s moving forward.

Canoe Trip

Our lovely 16 foot canoe sat through last summer completely untouched and I didn’t want that to happen again. So yesterday, a sunny Saturday, I took the canoe down and started early in the morning cleaning it up with Oliver’s help. He was in charge of sponging the dust off the oars.  It was a couple hours before everything was cleaned and loaded on the van. Then we took it to nearby Smith Lake here in Portland.

Doing this kind of thing with kids adds layers of difficulty. We knew it would, but even so, it was a bit much. First we walked as a family down the trail to the boat launch – basically a gully impression in the mud leading into a shallow and stick-filled marsh. Jenny held the kids while I went back to the car for all the life vests and assorted gear. Then I made another trip and untied the canoe, wrestled it off the car and onto my shoulders, and carried it down the trail to the launch. I was wiped out before we hit the water, but I was excited to get out there, as was Oliver. Jenny, holding Zaeda while I hauled gear, was already getting a sense of how tough it was about to get.

Next we fit the kids in the life vests, ourselves in ours, and set what we needed in the boat. I dragged it into deeper water and we got the kids seated. Oliver sat in the middle. Jenny took the back platform with Zaeda on her lap. I dragged the boat out into deeper water and took my seat with the oar. I got it out in the lake and took this picture:

I’m glad I did, because there wasn’t much more time out there to shape the memory. Baby Zaeda, the sun overhead, was squirmy. She just wouldn’t sit still and we realized there was nowhere safe for her to go. We couldn’t set her down in the boat because she’d shuffle around, crawl up to the side, bother her brother, and do any number of things that would have required one of us to be shifting around to manage her. So Jenny just held her on her lap as she wailed and twisted impatiently.

15 minutes after setting out, we were back to where we’d launched. It was hot. We packed and loaded our stuff. Once in the back of the van, Zaeda happily rummaged around in cupboards and drawers, pulling out the cups and silverware. Oliver was moody, muddy, and sorely disappointed his boat trip had ended so soon. Jenny and I were exhausted.

To cap it all off, a holding strap loosened on the drive home and the end got caught under a tire when I back up in front of the house, almost yanking the canoe off the van and scratching up the sides. That’s what I get for hurrying.

Conversations noted by Jenny

Jenny takes notes on funny conversations we have around the house. Here are a couple good ones:

“Sandwich”

Keith working late. Oliver and Zaeda are at the table and I am putting dinner on the table.

Oliver: Where is Daddy?

Me: Working at his office.

Oliver: I want Daddy home for dinner.

Me: Don’t you like eating dinner with me?

Oliver: No.

Me: You don’t like me? (This wouldn’t be surprising as I know Keith can be more fun than me)

Oliver: No, I like you. I just want both of you. I want two of my family not just one.

A few minutes later after he looked at his dinner.

“But Mommy, I ordered a sandwich.”

“Duty”

Oliver is a big fan of what we call potty talk. We’ve been trying to discourage it – especially at the dinner table, but we also understand that it is just a phase and a part of his developing humor (for better or worse). One night Keith and I were discussing something that was going on at work and Oliver was listening. I was talking about an issue involving shipping and transportation.

Me:  “…and then you have to pay duty.”

Oliver:  (very excited) “Mommy! You said doody! Ha, ha, ha!”

Keith and I really tried not to laugh but we couldn’t help it.  It’s funny because although they are different, I kind of feel that they are the same.