One more new haunt

Gus' aunt came into town this weekend; she lives up at Twin Lakes, near Coeur d'Alene, in the family cabin. We were thrilled to get a chance to hang out with her. We won't be going up to the lake this summer because my family will be getting together to spread my uncle's ashes and Gus can only take so much vacation, and so we were happy for her to get a chance to see Chie. And, well, she's a hoot. We're always happy to see her.

Anyway, we decided to venture out together yesterday and chose the zoo, hoping for good weather. And we were richly rewarded by brilliant sun. We wandered around for the better part of four hours, and though we completely tired ourselves out, we all had a blast together. The zoo has changed a lot since we were kids. But a lot of it was designed to open up the animal's habitats, which is always a good thing. And seeing it through Chie's eyes made it a whole new experience.

Note: Most of the shots are by Gus. Also of note is that there are no pics of Pinkie. I'm still not sure how she managed to stay out of the frame. There are a few shots of the back of her head, but nothing that really captured her.



It was Packy's birthday (P-town's famous elephant) and so there were all sorts of festivities for him, including a giant birthday cake.



Many of the celebrants wore Packy ears. We differed.



This was one of our first stops. He was perched right by the viewing screen.



We made our way down into the Northwest area, where we found the new petting zoo. Chie was totally in love with the goats. I think that most of all, she loved having an animal that would just sit there and chill instead of running away!



I did encourage her to "Be gentle." She kept tugging on his ears, though.



We stopped and had lunch in the AfriCafe, and then went into the Africa area. This was my favorite place to work when I was a junior zoo keeper.



I thought this was really striking.



I came into this area first and excitedly called to Gus. It was the perfect shot.



We were just about finished by this point. Thankfully, the grizzly was perfectly placed.



We went through Steller Cove again to head out. Gus' dad is just over my shoulder.

Does a party make it official?

We had Chie's first birthday party on Saturday. Since a picture tells a thousand words, or more, I'll just let the shots that we captured tell the story. Well, okay, there's a little commentary.

I took a few pictures before things got going of the table. Decorations were simple because, well, she's one.





I stole the cupcake idea from . But candles will be next year. I didn't think fire was a good idea around babies. The yellow cupcakes are banana and the pink are applesauce spice.



And here's her tiny cake, also sans candle.



Gus made this beautiful fruit platter; I thought we needed more than cake, even if I did attempt to make it low-sugar.



I love Izze. They're a responsible company and they make fabulous drinks out of real stuff. There's a whole serving of fruit in there!

I didn't do a very good job at capturing the guests or happenings because I was busy with The Pea, but here are a few attendees:



Lindsey with her mom, Lisa.



Teddy, who was born within a month of Chie, as was Lindsey.



Most of Gus' family (his step-dad's hand is around C)



Lindsey and Teddy's dads are on the chairs, and that's Teddy's mom, Angie. I'm trying to corral the birthday girl in the midst of all her presents. She got a couple of great toys and books from her friends and some clothes from the Grands. And we got passes to OMSI and The Children's Museum, too.

Oh, and Gus was behind the video camera for most of the party or dealing with Issues.

And then, there was The Cake:



The first foray. She was quite dainty about it.



I think that she was fascinated by the discs.



She finally put her fingers in her mouth, and then licked them!



I think that she thought that she was being naughty.



And then she just sat back and took it all in for a moment. You can almost see her tastebuds assessing things.





And then the smearing began. I let her get a few bites in but then scooped it off and gave her some real food.

And that was her first birthday party.

Newsletter: Month Twelve

As I was laying in bed last night, I thought back to the night before you were born. I had no inkling, then, that you were on your way. But I do remember laying there, feeling you move inside of me, relishing the closeness and intimacy of the bond that we shared. Did I know, somehow, that that time was coming to an end? Perhaps. Or maybe it was just one more chance to feel grateful for the time that I had to carry you, to nurture you into becoming a part of this world.

A few hours after that little reverie, I was jolted from sleep into this strange, sudden alertness. I sat up in bed, still bleary, and felt and heart this tremendous popping sound as my water broke. It was one of those feelings that you can't really describe but I knew, instantly, that this was it. I woke Daddy, told him that it was time, and then began making preparations to leave for the hospital. I took a little bit of extra time to get ready and feel prepared for the day; I wanted to enjoy your advent as much as I could. I had wanted to labor from home, to ease through the stages, but having my water break meant that that process would have to happen at the hospital. At last we packed up and headed in.



The next several hours passed rather predictably. I labored on my own for much of that time, attempted a viewing of Everything Is Illuminated and lots of other distraction and relaxation techniques, and then finally succumbed to the promise of pain relief through epidural. Dr. Ono came in sometime in the afternoon and asked if I felt ready-- and I did. I really did. And I felt sure that I could speak for us both. We were more than ready to finally meet this person who had been so much a part of me. He coached me through the descent and at last, you made your entry into the world.



Your cry was strong and clear, a sure sign of things to come. Dr. Ono held you up and said, "She's here! It's a girl!" and with one movement, you were up on my chest, your heart beating against mine. We sat like that for the longest time, Daddy huddled over us, and I stroked your hair and your back and said, over and over again, "Hi, baby." That was what we had called you--"Baby"--throughout the pregnancy, and it took a while to realize that you were a girl, a daughter, and all that that would bring. After much pleading from Daddy I finally let you out of my arms, and then he held you tight, too, and rocked you back and forth, lost in a little world of his own.



The moment that I remember the most fondly from that day came a few hours later. Daddy had left to get some food, all of the nurses had left, and it was just you and I for the first time. I held you, and rocked you, and sang The One Who Knows and a few other songs that seemed appropos of the moment. At the end of the song, you sighed this tiny little sigh and snuggled into me, and I remember thinking that I couldn't believe how much love I felt for you. You had been growing inside of me for so long, this theory of a person. But now you were here, and real, and the love that I felt for you was so incredible. The proverbial "they" of the world say that you don't understand how much you can love a child until you have one of your own and that always sounds so trite. But the truth of the matter is that you don't. It's like anything else in life. Until you've been there, it's all just a concept.



The wonderful part about parenthood, I've come to realize, is that the reality is better than anything that you can conceptualize. Starting from that moment in the hospital, it's just been one crazy beautiful moment after another. There have been hard times, certainly. You've gone through growing periods where we've sat back and said, "OK, what do we do now?" And when you're sick, you become another creature entirely and I just hold my breath and wait for my happy baby to come back. But the sweet, peaceful Chie that I cradled in my arms that first day is still very much a part of you. You charm everyone around you with your smile, your giggle, your ready wave. Your growth and change has been rapid, precocious, and a joy to be a part of. It's been an amazing year. I can't wait to see what's coming.

Long time, no see!

My sister and her family live in Phoenix, and the lack of proximity means that we don't rendezvous very often. We try to keep in touch, though, and make sure that we see each other's children grow, even if it's through more modern means. Here are some pictures that she sent recently of her rapidly growing children: