Mimzilla’s One More Thing…

As evidenced by last week’s video, I attended Walker’s swimming class. However, he had no idea I was there. He had been having some trouble leaving me in the morning because he would tell me he really wanted to spend time playing with Mommy and Daddy at home so I ensured I was filming from far away and obscured by a many chairs and swim toys as possible. As Walker were getting out of the pool, Grammy Jane motioned for me to come over. Walker saw me, ran over (dripping wet) and jumped into my arms (drenching me). He gave me the most wonderfully strong and long hug while saying, “Mommy. I love you SO MUCH!” I will never, ever forget that moment.

Walker has expressed great love for us over the last few weeks but he’s also gotten a bit more attached to his little blue Bunny Foo Foo. As we have only one (as opposed to our Legion of Substitute Flat Frogs), we haven’t allowed Bunny to travel much beyond the boundaries of the Cheese House. Since Walker has had a hard time leaving his Mommy and Daddy, we’ve allowed him to take Bunny to Sofiya’s. But one night, Bunny decided to stay behind and Walker was very, very sad. Driven to action, Mommy purchased a new bunny online for $12. When it arrived, I was dismayed to realize that it wasn’t the same — in fact, it was completely different! Ours is a sleeping Bunny with sweet little ears but this one is WIDE AWAKE and has long floppy ears. Convinced Walker would notice, I immediately started looking online and realized they don’t make Bunny anymore. Off to eBay I went. There were a number of other Bunny Foo Foos available ranging from $20-$45. I purchased the cheapest one and when it arrived (from www.lostloviesystore.com, what a fantastic idea!) I realized it also was a bit different and I fretted that Walker would notice. Back to eBay I go and realize that of course, the exact same Bunny Foo Foo was selling for $45. SERIOUSLY? I considered returning the eBay Bunny but after a toe-stubbing incident a week ago, I gave Walker Replacement Bunny and he’s been loving it ever since and Bunny has been making many more trips outside.

Walker tries to hang a spoon off his nose, just like Mommy.

I believe we’ve hit the beginning of the “terrible twos”. Our sweet little boy has started to have series opinions about what he will and won’t do. Last night he refused to put on his “nighttime undies”. All the tricks in the book didn’t work. We tried to explain why he couldn’t sleep without undies. Do you want to jump in pants? NO! Do you want to choose your own pants? NO! Mommy and Daddy need help. NO! How about good teamwork? NO! We’re going to have to treat you like a baby. Do you want to be a big boy? NO! When Mommy gets to three, we’re going to put them on you. 1. 2. 3. And we had to put them on. And he cried. And cried. And cried. Heartbreaking. This morning, he wouldn’t put on a sweater. Again we went through some tricks, but fewer this time. We put the sweater on him. He cried. And cried. And cried. Heartbreaking (but a bit less so). I’m not thinking we’ll be heartbroken too long as he continues to try our patience.

He’s acting very grown up. The last few days he decided he needed to take a shower in the morning before he goes to “work,” just like Mommy. He wants to help make his own food. He’s been insisting on making his own jelly sandwiches. And of course, doesn’t eat them. I’ve had to convince myself that the jars of natural fruit spread and expensive whole wheat bread that have been tossed into the trash are an investment in his education (although, I’ve decided to buy cheaper jelly knowing that the ratio of eating to garbage is relatively low).

He’s a real talker. He’s also picked up more than a few of my phrases. One day when he refused to take a nap, I asked, “Why don’t you want to take a nap?” “Because I’m a Turkey Lurkey” he replied. Yes, I call him that when he’s being really silly. The other day, as I’m trying to leave and only be 15 minutes late… Walker was being a Turkey Lurkey by running around the house, refusing to put on his coat, and then finally, after we’re ready and staring to walk out the door, Walker tells me he has to potty. But he won’t go in his potty. He wants to go in the big potty. So I get his step stool so he can stand up and pee like a big boy (he did it the other day, all by himself! but tried it again later and got pee all over the wall and potty so he’s not so excited about trying it more). No, he wants the potty with “wings.” I figured out he wanted the travel potty so I get that. By this time, he’s wet his pants so after going potty, we start undressing. He demands to have his socks changed to. I’m running much later now and I’m thinking, “Are you KIDDING me? Socks? GRRRR. They’re not wet! Walker is just stalling because he doesn’t want to go. UGH.” But of course, I’m smiling and gently helping him get out of his clothes. Walker looks at me and says, “Are you KIDDING me?” I was stunned. The little dude read my mind. Are you KIDDING me?

Sweet little boy tries to make a "football" face while showing off the jersey his Aunt, Uncle and cousins gave him

And it’s time for me to admit I’ve failed. Yes, I had all these wonderful intentions of raising a little California boy who embraced healthy eating. But, I’ve lost the battle. Walker doesn’t like to eat anything that isn’t packed with sodium or sugar. I’m investing in Pepperidge Farm because he’s eaten an ocean of cheesy fish and pretzel fish. He’s interested in cereal but won’t eat anything that’s not unnaturally colored. He won’t eat a cheese sandwich, only a jelly one. Hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks are a staple for dinner. Snacks include crackers and cheese sticks. And he’s on a milk embargo. He’ll only drink juice (we cut it with water, of course) but, desperate to get him to have some vitamin D, I started pushing chocolate milk which he only recently decided he’d drink — as long as he can do so from the bottle and through his long curly straw. Thank goodness he loves yogurt and fruit and will eat “cheesy rice” which I pack with veggies or meat. And of course, he eats anything Sofiya makes for him (but if she sends the same food home, he won’t eat it). Walker, when you read this as an adult, and we discuss this over lunch, will you please remind me of the angst I feel now and tell me how it was all for naught as you enjoy your whole wheat salmon sandwich with organic avocado and a nice homemade tzatziki sauce?

Walker went swimming today with his Grammy Jane. I went to watch and, of course, document the occasion. He’s really comfortable in the water and we’re so very proud of our little dolphin. Thank you Grammy for giving Walker this experience. And don’t get any ideas about surfing, Uncle Thayer!

Walker has been making up songs lately and when we went on the great Valentine photoshoot, he started singing a song. “Valentine for everyone. Play some games for everyone. Play some games and have some FUN!” It’s been something he’s sung a lot over the last few days but apparently it isn’t an original score –it’s his rendition of a song they’ve been singing at school.

I had a wonderful day and received many sweet little hugs and an unsolicited kiss on my forehead while helping the little guy get dressed.

Perfect day. Hugs for everyone.

Walker snapped this photo of me after our Valentine photo shoot. He's getting good with cameras -- he used the big SLR camera!

Daddy picks up Walker each evening and they play while I get an hour to do whatever I want — go to the gym, pay bills, catch up on work, grab some wine and gossip with a friend. The boys have a wonderful time and have recently been playing “guys” a lot. That entails taking some of his little toys, frequently it’s the spacemen, and having conversations like.

“Hi, how are you?”
“I am fine.”
“I like pretzels. Want to fly?”

And then they pretend to fly around the house. Last night there was a bit of a different twist. In the midst of playing Guys, Walker set them up on the couch and asked Daddy to take a photo of him with his friends. He was so very proud when he saw it that he asked Daddy to send it to me.

I got the email while sitting at a red light on my way home. It was the most wonderful email I’ve ever received and I drove home with a stupid grin plastered across my face.

This morning the weather threatened rain so Walker donned his Batman rain gear that Gigi gave him for Christmas. He arrived at the same time as Madeline and while Mommy missed the loving good morning hugs and kisses, I was fast enough with the camera to capture the sweet little lovebird dance.

This morning was not unlike other mornings in that Walker doesn’t like to put on his clothes — even tho he does have the cutest outfits. Larry and I have been able to cultivate a learned response to facilitate getting the little guy to snap to attention and begin doing what we’ve requested. It all started when he refused to get out of the bath once the water drained away. He’d sit in the cold bathroom, covered in bubbles and ignore me as I would implore him to stand up and get out. One day, based on a conversation I had with Malcolm’s mom, I decided I would tell him that I would count to three and if he didn’t get out of the bath, I’d take him out — which of course, involves picking him up like a little boy. He played through 1 — 2 — 2 and a half — three! He was not happy about being treated like a little boy and I gave him the opportunity to climb out himself. The next day, we had the same problem. Again I picked him up and again, he was very upset. The third day, he was playing in the bubbles and I started to count. I didn’t get past 2 before he stood up straight and climbed out saying, “Mommy, I do it my big boy self.” (This is a very common refrain in the house. Everything needs to be done Walker’s big boy self and there is hell to pay if we don’t give him the chance to try something on his own.) We have expanded the counting to all activities in which Walker demonstrates a reticence to comply. It’s developed into kind of a game with him giggling as we get closer to three. Only on very rare occasions do we ever have to treat him like a little Walker and hey, he’s starting to learn about fractions!

Today Walker and I went for a hike while Daddy helped Pop Pop rearrange some furniture at the house. We came across a trail marker and Walker read the pictures to me: red circle, arrow, cowboy and Mommy. Cowboy = horse riding, Mommy = hiking, Arrow = direction and Red Circle = No Smoking. When confronted with a “no smoking” sign, I was thankful that Walker has grown up in a world where he has never seen a cigarette and would have no concept of smoking. I have hope for his generation.

I realized recently that many of the things I take for granted, I must explain to the little human in my charge. In mid-December, it occurred to me that the legend of Santa was not part of our race memory and I must fill his little head with the story to maximize Christmas fun. I seemed to be successful because Sofiya asked Larry to be Santa’s helper and Walker was terribly excited to see Santa visit the school. Not one child, including Walker, noticed Santa appeared only after Larry excused himself to go to the loo!

Santa has Daddy's eyes

Walker continues to amaze us with his memory. A few weeks ago, he saw photos from our Maine trip and he talked to me about playing “Scary Monster”. Today he started singing the theme from “Bob the Builder” but we haven’t seen the show in months. He tells me about stories we haven’t read for a very long time. It’s both exciting and intimidating to watch Walker’s little synapses knit together and to know that everything, (yes everything, even when you think he’s not paying attention) is getting uploaded into his wetware.

It continues to amaze me how much Walker’s speech improves. His mind goes so quickly and he wasn’t able to keep up for awhile, resulting in a little stutter. However, one night, something must have clicked in his head and the stutter all but disappeared and his vocabulary and verbal confidence exploded. “Cool,” “awesome,” and “‘bunga dude” (that being “cowabunga dude” which was introduced by Uncle Thayer), have made their way into Walker’s lexicon. At least “sure! yah” has changed to the more formal “yes.” He’s trying out calling Daddy by his given name of “Yarry” (he finds it hard to pronounce “L”) and is mimicking everything we say. On the off chance we don’t understand what he’s saying, is patient and gracious when his idiot parents ask him to repeat himself a multitude of times or ask him questions. Today he asked for “mayon” which sounds a lot like how he refers to Madeline. As it is Sunday, I figured he couldn’t be speaking of his girlfriend but I inquired whether he was referring to food or a person. “FOOD!” he said loudly. Moments later and a few more times hearing the word,  it dawned on me that he wanted MELON but I never would have known had I not known he enjoyed a sweet juicy cantaloupe with his Pop Pop on Saturday.

On the social front, Walker has another female competing for his affections. Violette came to Sofiya’s this Fall and is a month or two younger than Walker. She was immediately smitten. She started following him around all day and that behavior seemed to tip off Madeline that a rival was at hand. One day, Madeline grabbed Walker and gave him a big, huge passionate kiss on the lips. This was witnessed by all the kids as well as Madeline’s mother who was a bit horrified at her daughter’s gumption. The following day, when Madeline sauntered near Walker for some canoodling, Violette, not wanting a repeat of the amorous activities, hauled off and clocked Madeline. The confrontation thankfully ended there (I can’t imagine what form a Toddler Cat Fight might take) and there have been no further incidents but Larry and I are amazed at the effect Walker has on the chicks. (It is worth mentioning that today the nice woman at the Jenner Deli/Gas Station refused payment for his hot dog because she was overwhelmed at Walker’s adorableness. This just proves his charm is not limited to the Toddler cohort.)

Walker and Madeline share a dance at the Christmas party

The "Other" Woman

Larry and I have never been big partiers, and New Year’s Eve has been no exception. Generally we would see the New Year in with a bottle of wine on the beach but the pitch dark, cold beach in the middle of the night would be a bit scary for little Walker. However, I did feel that we needed to mark the occasion in some way with Walker so we conceived of a birthday party for 2010. We made a cake and frosted it with black frosting on the bottom (for the old 2009) and white on the top (for the new 2010) and dumped some sprinkles on top. We made a birthday hat and ordered the traditional birthday / New Year pepperoni pizza. Uncle Thayer came over and joined in the festivities.

Happy Birthday 2010. Walker wishes you a happy New Year (with lots of presents).

We’ve been talking about Thanksgiving and discussing what we’re thankful for. I’m not sure if Walker gets the concept but I’m certainly satisfied with his response. We love Uncle Thayer and appreciate his knack for keeping things silly.

Daddy gave Walker a very special present — his very own gallery. Walker was so terribly excited to see all his creations hanging in his favorite part of the house (he learned to walk, throw, kick a ball, and jump in the hallway). Come on by and Walker will give you a tour of his most recent creations.

Thanksgiving week was terribly hectic. It wasn’t just that we were making soup for dinner or preparing for an extended visit to Pop-Pop’s. We also did a major upgrade to the electrical service to the house so we were without power on Monday until after 10pm (and then only a few rooms had power). We had a lot of fun having a picnic dinner on the floor of the kitchen with candles and reading Walker’s bedtime stories by flashlight. The upgrade was much more complicated than they anticipated given they had to essentially rewire all the connections and we’re terribly pleased they are perfectionists and triple-checked each connection, circuit and switch. Of course they found some old knob and tubing we’ll want to replace and there are some outlets with “reverse polarity and no grounding” which sounds like me after a particularly trying day at work…

Feeling good about the safer electrical situation in the house, we went up to Sea Ranch. Walker loves his family and was extremely excited to play with Pop-Pop and Uncle Thayer. On Thursday morning we got a picnic breakfast and went to Point Arena to watch Uncle Thayer surf. It turned out we watched him contemplate the “junky” waves and whether they were worth the pain and suffering of putting on a cold, damp wetsuit. (The answer was that yes, it was eventually worth it.) Walker was eating a muffin that I had thought was a blueberry bran but after a taste, I think it was closer to a chocolate chip mocha muffin — and may have contributed to the refusal to nap later that afternoon. No nap + holiday excitement = Sleepy Walker eating a popsicle at Dinner.

I’m thankful for all my boys, young and old. I’m thankful for a wonderful home and a good job. And I’m thankful for giggles, bubbles, balloons, tricycle rides, swings, kisses, smiles, and morning snuggles.

I’m about to run out the door to see my wonderful men but I had a very satisfying web experience today that I thought I should share.

I’ve been in the process getting life insurance, because, well, it’s an adult thing to do. I went through my financial adviser and the process was extremely long and a bit absurd. I spent over 30 minutes on the phone with a rep who asked me questions like, “When you were hospitalized for childbirth, what was the cause of the condition.” I chuckled and I replied something like, “I got knocked up.” After weeks of waiting, I got a quote that seemed like quite a lot.

After speaking to my rock star brother-in-law who is the Chief Underwriter at an insurance company, he directed me to intelliquote.com. This morning I went to the site and answered a few short questions and used a very intuitive and helpful tool for assessing my “risk” category as I’ve got a chronic condition that knocks me out of the “No Way You’ll Die Unless a Piano Falls On You” category. I got quotes from four highly rated institutions and requested an application from one of them. Within three minutes (yes, three minutes), I get a call from a rep following up on the application. A few hours later I got a confirmation of the appointment for the lab tech to come to my office and get my vitals for the underwriting process. It was truly a pleasure planning for my untimely demise and should anyone need to do the same, I suggest they check out www.intelliquote.com. Tell them I sent you.

In other news, my cell phone has mysteriously disappeared and my opinion of human nature is not high at this moment. So if I don’t answer, I’m only ignoring you until I get a replacement phone in the next few days. I’ll be experiencing digital detox in the meantime.

But I can’t post without a bit of Walker news. He dressed himself yesterday. What you can’t see is my attempt at providing a bit of class to outfit with the yellow Ralph Lauren sweater.

I just logged into my Amazon account and saw the following letter from the CEO. I think we can all agree that manufacturers have gone overboard on their packaging — making it impossible to get at the items you purchased as well as disregarding any kind of sustainable packaging. I feel it’s even more of an issue for all those wonderful kids toys we purchase Walker (and the eco-friendly inner hippie in me feels bad enough we’re propagating additional plastic toys for their inevitable extended stay in the city landfill).

So, I applaud Amazon for being customer-focused. (And no, I’m not so naive that I don’t recognize this is a good marketing tactic that differentiates them from their competition but hey, it’s a win/win program.) They could continue to ship products with impossible packaging but they’ve taken their leadership and focused it on something that not only helps the consumer but hopefully will change the way manufacturers present their products. I often feel exhausted just contemplating the work involved in solving some of the bigger problems at work, in society, or across the world. But I’m energized by Amazon’s stand.

OK. Little steps. But the iceberg can be moved.