Wiley Wildlife

I was just blogging and heard the chilling howls of coyote's outside! They are loud and they travel in packs! They are freaky!! They must have caught something for dinner. Hopefully, it wasn't someone's pet.

In other wildlife news:

A week and a half ago Brody and I saw a black bear cross the street by my house. It was gorgeous. I wanted to give it a hug, but Brody wouldn't let me.

Today B came across a snake on the driveway. It was black with yellow stripes. I haven't seen a snake in years!

At dusk all the bunnies come out of the brush and run around the neighborhood. It drives Muppet crazy since she is a terrier and chases anything that moves.

Last week I was rudely awakened by a woodpecker tapping, nay BANGING on the house. Those suckers are big and loud! That day I also saw two woodpeckers playing tag around a tree while I was walking the dog. I decided that I would not want to be a termite. Woodpecker beaks are sharp!

Dog News

Poor Muppet ate some accoutrements I use to feed the baby. Muppet had to have surgery to remove them and now has many, many staples on her shaved stomach. She also has a pain patch on her shaved neck which constantly disburses pain medication. She had a doggie IV placed on her paw too, so she is uncomfortable and in a daze. Her sad little eyes are a bit glazed over. We have been encouraging her to nap and giving her lots of loves.

Veteren's Day Weekend

Ahh, the unofficial start of summer!

Thursday and Friday were gorgeous in Seattle. I can see all the campers now packing their tents thinking that the weather would hold out all weekend, but no! They were wrong. As soon as they arrived on Mt. Rainier, or up in the Cascades, or out on the Olympics, the clouds rolled in and they woke up Saturday with wet sleeping bags.

Brody was here last week. He's living at Chez Moi this summer while he interns at a tech start-up in Freemont. He had to go to a wedding in NYC this weekend however, so while he flew out on Friday at noon, my sister arrived from Houston for the weekend. Talk about frustrating timing.

Auntie Em! (Daddy is soo funny!)

On Saturday, Emmy and I (and baby) went up to visit dad and Elaine and check out their new Antique shop. They rented a space in an old building and with boatloads of elbow grease, turned the very uncute storefront (exposed pipes and wires, closed in spaces, dangerous flooring, malfunctioning door lock and restroom etc. etc. etc) into a sophisticated boutique. Jeff built the counter top and they both knocked the hole in the wall out to create a pass-through window. They also resurfaced the dilapidated walls and put new flooring down. The shop looks great!

Congratulations dad and Elaine!

Sunday it rained. We all had coffee with mom. It was relaxing.

Today Brody was supposed to arrive at Seatac, but due to weekend traffic missed his flight. So, Em and I played with my sewing machine. I'm am a novice and she is an expert. Lacking familiarity with my sewing machine has kept me from doing things I want to do. Lack of patience has kept me from completing a quilt that I started. It's pinned together and I sent it home with my sis.


I can't wait to see how it turns out!! (hint, hint)

Baby is doing so well! She probably weighs 12 pounds now. She's wearing 3 month old clothing already and grows bigger every night. When I see her each morning she looks like a different kid. She started laughing on Saturday. She smiles and then gurgles/ giggles. I've become a sap, but it melts my heart. Like butter.

This high-tech toy plays music and lights up. She can't keep her eyes off it.

She's a sweet baby. She smiles for everyone and keeps a close eye on everything going on around her. She loves to sit on our lap while we're eating. She like to watch our faces while we talk. She mimics my mouth and the sounds that I make when I'm talking to her. She sticks out her tongue a little when I do and raises her cute eyebrows when I make faces at her. When she giggles, she holds her little hands up to hide her face. Ahhh. CUTE!

She is sleeping from 10pm-6am, which is wonderful, but she eats every 2-3 hours all day, thus maternity leave.

Dahlia will be 3 months old on the 4th of June! I can't believe it!

Meet me at the Pig

Baby's First Photo on the Pig!

Last weekend the Brodster and I made our way (with baby) down to Pike Place Market to visit our mom while she was working the annual cheese festival. Of course it was raining, but we were bundled up in true Seattle style. Tourists pointed at us saying "they're locals." We didn't actually have any cheese because every day is a cheese festival when my mom comes over.

Hi Mom! Happy Birthday!

Then we wandered through the back pockets of the market up to the clam chowder stand by 3 Girls Bakery and met up with the elusive Hultin girls!

mmm Clam Chowder!

mmm Hultins! + Ben

And then we drove up the hill to Bauhaus for delicious mochas.

No Japanese Exchange Student

I can't commit to 9 months of hosting a Japanese exchange student. No way. No how.

Here is the email I got back from the placement director at Youth for Understanding.

Both Joji and Mitsuru are available to come to the Seattle are. They would attend the local public high school in your area. They will be arriving in August and will leave at the end of the school year in June.

The transportation is also dependant upon the school. Many of our students take the school bus like a regular student. As far as other activities, you would probably need to transport then to some activities etc. if they do not have access to a bus. We do ask that you provide three meals a day. The meals you describe sound perfectly fine and I am sure the students will be willing to get their own cereal in the morning, etc. It all depends on how you “set up” the living situation to them. As they are new to our culture they will need certain things explained to them more than you would another American. Most students are so willing to adapt to the new situation since it is exciting to them! You are definitely right to be thinking about teenage boys eating a lot. Some certainly do! They do not pay for groceries but have their own spending money for eating out with friends and other social things.

Bowling Alley French-Country Tabletop

Today, I went to one of my favorite stores in the universe, Earthwise Salvage in Seattle.

One can feel foolish paying for another man's trash, but architectural salvage adds character to any project. Re-using old stuff makes me feel warm and fuzzy too. As an added bonus, extra cool salvaged items come with their own, sometimes seedy history.

Last time we went to ES, we bought a fantastic, antique hotel mail slot shelf. It came from the Commodore Hotel, an historic Seattle hotel that was recently demolished. According to www.tripadvisor.com, the Commodore has the worst reviews ever. One reviewer gave it a "less than zero" rating due to the prostitution and drug sales therein. It wasn't always a crap hole though. Back in the day it was the height of luxury.

Anyway, we snagged the mail shelf (for lack of a better description) to use as a wine rack. It will hold at least 40 bottles of wine. The challenge is to figure out how to put it on the wall in the dining room. 40 bottles of wine probably weighs around 120 pounds. To add to the challenge, we need to make sure the wine rack is attached to the wall at and angle so the bottles stay in... but they probably wont fall out if it's not angled... it's a work in progress.

Today, I was on the lookout at ES for table legs. We have no kitchen table, since the "french country" tables we like are upwards of $2K, so I'm hell-bent to MAKE one. Easy as pie! (Crazy as a lark!) I found that stair railing balustrades may be my best bet for table legs.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find four balustrades of a kind, (which is annoying since there tend to be so many of them on a staircase) and they cost $150 EACH!

I passed on the balustrades, but hit the jackpot when I came across 4ft x 8ft sections of a bowling alley floor from Leilani Lanes! According to this article by the Seattle PI, Leilani Lanes is now closed after 44 years of service. The owners and the union couldn't agree on health benefits, but the property was sold to developers for $6.2 million anyway.

The floor section is 3-inch thick hard wood that's slid together like a wood floor. One section will be perfect for my tabletop.

When I start the project, I'll document the fun. One French-country bowling alley floor table coming right up.

My First Mother's Day

Mother's Day was relaxing. We just hung out. B made breakfast and lunch for us. Candygram came over to visit and play in the dirt.

We had friends over on Friday night, so our house was still nice and clean on Sunday.

Baby's bib says "Diva in Training"

Dahlia has growth spurts around every three weeks. She eats for three days, exhausting both of us, and then literally weighs more and looks different each morning. She is sleeping 6-7 hours each night, which is awesome. I feel like a normal person again.

There is a ton to do around the house, so it's going to suck to go back to work. I have until August 4th to relish my time at home with my princess and with my new house.

One-Handed!

Here I am checking email and blogging with one hand! I have a squirmy, but quiet baby on my lap.

She peed on me yesterday and puked on me 2 days in a row! Battle scars... but I wear them with pride.

ok, bye.

Japanese Exchange Student?

I called the phone number advertised on the radio and reached "Youth for Understanding."

The typical age of the exchange students is 15-19, high school age.
They stay for 2 weeks to a year. Whatever the arrangement is.
There is no religious affiliation.
Host responsibilities are to provide 3 meals per day, a bedroom and a study area.
Website: www.ysuusa.com

The director sent me the following email to offer more information.

I am so sorry that I missed your call. Randi told me that you are interested in hosting a Japanese student. That is great news! We have some really great students coming to Washington. I have attached a flyer of some of the Japanese students coming. Please feel free to look it over and let me know if any jump out at you. I look forward to hearing from you!

The two students below sound interesting. If you know me, you'll see the buzzwords that caught my eye. If only there were a student specializing in Japanese horticulture, then I could create another garden... but I can do that anyway.

16 year old Male
Oldest of four siblings, so he is used to household chores and looking after young ones. He is very much into soccer, and snowboarding in the winter. His career is as yet undecided, but he wants to go into an international field. He is very interested in foreign cultures and languages, makes friends easily and is communicative.

15 year old Male
Adaptable, responsible, serious and ambitious are some of the adjectives that
describe this young man, who also enjoys reading, listening to music, and going to
the movies with his family. He is active in recreational sports, including soccer,
jogging, and basketball. He respects both the traditional a modern side of
Japanese culture. While he is a member of a computer club, he also enjoys
practicing the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and cooking a variety of
Japanese meals. He helps around the house by cleaning the bathroom and
doing the dishes. He wants to be an English teacher and is eager to learn
about the American culture and share his culture with his host family. He has
traveled to the United States three times for short visits, including to Hawaii,
and says "I'm really looking forward to going to America!"

Naturally, I responded to the email with more questions.

These two would be a good fit for our family.
Will they be attending a university somewhere?
Will they need daily transportation? (We do not live near a bus line.)
When were they planning to arrive and leave the US?
Do we need to make 3 meals a day for them, or just provide food for the meals? We usually have cereal in the morning, a sandwich, fruit and chips at lunch and then a hot meal at dinner.

Will the student help pay for groceries/ food? This is my biggest concern given that they are teenage boys...

When I hear from the director, I'll post the answers to my questions.

Add to the Mayhem- Exchange Student!

Today, I heard an advertisement requesting families to host Japanese exchange students.

How fun would that be?

We have room right now and since I'm home for another few months, it seems like a good time for a foreign house guest.

My family hosted a 15-year-old Japanese exchange student when I was in third grade. Her name was Mika and she barely spoke a word to us for 6 weeks. When we took her to the airport charter bus, she cried her eyes out. I was confused. How could she have become so attached to us if we never really had a conversation? Maybe I was too young. Or maybe it's some sort of cultural thing...

Anyway, I'm going to call the number (866) 493-8872 to get more info. (I left the number in the event that you too would like a Japanese student of your own.) I wonder if this is a religious/ church affiliated exchange program. I'll post details.

Gwen is my idol.

Life on a Stopwatch

Everything I do is now measured in baby-time.

The baby's attention span lasts from zero to 20 minutes, which means I'm on a stopwatch all the time. How fast can I do the dishes? Throw the laundry in? Wash the dog?

I multitask at 4 am when I need to run downstairs to the refrigerator. Why not start the dryer or fold the clothes?

When we were little, my brother and I would set up "obstacle courses" on the playground. "Start at the tire swing, climb up the ladder, cross the monkey bars, jump over the logs and run around the tree." That's how I feel now.
I've got 20 minutes tops right now since the baby is in her swinging chair. She's got a clean diaper, dry clothes and she's due for a nap. If she doesn't fall asleep, I've got 20 minutes for my "to do" list. If she falls asleep, then I can only do relatively quiet chores until I too drop from exhaustion.

Now onto the perils of caffeine.

They say that everything I eat is passed onto the baby through breast milk. If I have caffeine ("one tall iced mocha frappuccino, please") will that really effect Dahlia? As any self-respecting Seattleite with a baby would, I researched the crap out of the effects of caffeine on babies. They say that mothers can have anything in moderation. One coffee per day... alcohol in moderation... (barring hard A) and a glass of wine with dinner. I think I can have sushi and all that again. If I were to drink three or more cups of black coffee, it would surely wire the baby and that would be sad.

Now that I've blogged about my time trials, I must got on to my next task before the baby stopwatch buzzer wails!

Reading is Fun

I have a couple more new features on Wonderland.



There is now a search bar at the top of the page. Hmm... I wonder if I've used the F word and how many times. I'm going to check that out.



Also new is a link to Dahlia's library; a new page I set up to record which books and CDs she has. If you have any recommendations, let me know! What books did you like when you were a kid? What do you read your kids?

"My Daddy and I"

Vacation with Baby?

How the heck do we vacation with a baby?

If we go out of town we have to cart a car seat and stroller???

Vacation planning may take some creativity on our part.

Experienced parents, please offer suggestions, especially if you have flown or traveled overseas.

Pediatrician

Today is D's 2 month birthday!

She had to go in to the pediatrician's office for her routine check up, which means she had to get four shots. Four shots!!!

Remember when you were a kid and you hated going to the doctor's office because you always needed a shot? Well, it's still like that.

I guess the good news is that the shots prevent polio etc. Fortunately, doctors have started giving the shot series' at an earlier age, so all three (or is it four?) shots for each series has been administered before the kid is 18 months. Years ago, shots were given until age three by which time the kid associated the doctor with the pain from the shot.

Even though D received two shots in each of her tiny little thighs, the nurse was very quick and the gauge of the needle was very small. The Bandaids practically covered her whole leg. I learned when I was pregnant that if you're scared of a needle, you don't ask the length, you ask how thick it is.

Poor baby D screamed her head off and of course the doctor and nurse reassured us that the shots are always more traumatic for the parents than the child. B was certainly wide-eyed, but I had blood drawn three or four times during my pregnancy, not to mention the IV in the hospital. Not that I enjoy the experience, but I guess I try to think about why I'm getting the shot rather than the shot. When I went into labor the nurse couldn't hit my vein three times and had to get another nurse to poke me.

Tonight we gave D some children's Tylenol, checked to see that she didn't have a temperature and put her to bed.

We go back in two months to do it all again.

Roly-Poly

At 4 am my baby was crying for an early breakfast.

I placed her on the bed to change her diaper and while she was rooting for a milk jug she rolled over! I put her on her back again and watched her roll over to her stomach a few more times.

She is developmentally on track, as babies tend to roll over between their second and third month. She will be 2 months old on Friday the 4th.

She's also smiling a lot, gurgling and is getting acquainted with her hands.