A LOOK BACK

Once or twice a month, I'm going to post a photo from our trip to China. Just a bit of nostalgia (ok I know it's only been 2 months, but hey...humor me here!) to remember our incredible trip.

This is one of my favorites. We went to visit a farmer's house in the countryside of Chongqing. The farmer & his wife hand weave these beautiful bamboo baskets. The detail and precision of their weaving is amazing. They said they used them as a vegetable strainer and had a few hanging in their own kitchen. I immediately wanted one and pointed to one of the smaller ones, thinking that would be easier to cram in a suitcase. However, the farmer wasn't finished adding the border and all he had left were the bigger ones...we're talking 20" x 20". But where there's a will, there's a way and I bought the bigger one anyway. He only charged 20Yuan for it (a little over $2) but we gave him more. Thank goodness we had a large Samsonite because it barely fit!!

We took a tour of their home. They're very poor...just stone & dirt floors and tiny rooms. In the room next to the kitchen was their buffalo! In the front yard, they had corn spread out to dry and a large garden with several grinding stones nearby. It was a humbling and fun experience. The couple were very generous to show us around and talk about what they do. I wish I remembered their names but I had nothing to write them down at the time.

This couple had an amazing view of the countryside. It was very peaceful, rolling hills...so different from the massive skyscrapers just an hour away.

FUNNY THURSDAYS

I was going to wait and do "Funny Fridays" so it would start with the same letter but I was too impatient. Besides, this will be a boost to launch you into TGIF. I'm going to start posting funny photos of our family (ok...mainly of Nate because he's our "obsession" right now) every Thursday.

1. In the top photo, just 2 seconds before I shot it he was mad and crying. We had taken him to the coffee shop and he was not in the mood to meet the owner. Maybe because I woke him up out of his car seat. Anyway...stick a camera in front of him and "voila!" instant smile. Of course the smile only lasted 2 seconds too. ha!

2. For some reason, he loves to wear our glasses. He'll sit there and think it's the funniest thing ever. (Notice the squeaky shoes?!)

3. I saw these cute cheetah slippers and had to get them. Even cuter on his chubby little legs!

4. Nate looks very brave in his hooded lion towel. Watch out Harvard!

CAMPING BUG

The weather got a little cooler here (high 80's/ low 90's) and now we're getting a bug to go camping. We decided to trek up to Mt. Lemmon again on our day off and the weather was beautiful. In the 60's (which is cold to us desert rats)...good thing we had our jackets.

We stopped at Rose Canyon Lake first just to check it out. Looks like a nice fishing spot. Don tried out the backpack carrier and we explored the lake for a bit. Then we went on up to the town of Summerhaven for lunch. There's a restaurant called The Iron Door Grill that has awesome chili and sandwiches. We went into Summerhaven, got a ginormous cookie & hot chocolate from The Cookie Store and settled in at the end of the road at Marshall Gulch to relax. Don claimed a picnic table to read and I loaded Nate into the Jeep stroller to go exploring (I can't stand to sit still). Nate had fun playing by the river with a stick (naturally). It was gorgeous weather...a perfect day and just made us want to go camping even more!

A FUTURE "SIMPLY MING" CHEF?

Ever since we've been home, Nate has enjoyed devouring a table food diet of steamed veggies, & canned chicken. That is until this week. Suddenly, he lost his appetite. Maybe it's because I got lazy and started mixing his food together instead of separating it out on his plate. Maybe he's not a "casserole" type of guy...I say this because he started separating out his carrots or broccoli and placing them in the cupholder on his tray.

Then we thought...maybe he wants to eat what we're eating. After all, he had to do this in China. So we tried a little experiment and gave him a bit of our dinner. He LOVED IT!! Ate every spoonful. So this week, his palate has expanded to include...spicy Charro beans (not too much...just a little bit of that! doh!), Veggies & Tilapia in a red curry coconut sauce, and today...a variety of Indian cuisine (Saag paneer, curried lamb meatballs, lentils, curried califlower) and rice pudding. He absolutely loves it all. I suppose that's good since we like a variety of ethnic cuisine. Can't say that I blame him. I didn't care much for the bland steamed veggies either. ha!

The photos above are Nate watching the cars in the car wash. He thought that was totally cool....and his funky bubble mohawk! I posted 2 new videos...his first bubble bath and the most steps he's taken to date. He wants to walk so bad. In fact, he gets antsy in his stroller and likes to push it instead. He enjoys his car seat now and even climbs into it when we put him in the car. We're trying to teach him to keep his shoes on. Ever since he discovered velcro, he likes taking them off. One thing I like about our Jeep stroller, is that whenever he kicks off a shoe or drops it, there's a basket under the stroller that it automatically falls into. I was in Barnes & Noble one day franticallly looking around for his "lost" shoe when I discovered it in that basket. *Sigh*

TOP FIVE - 9/20/07

Every so often I'm going to start listing the latest things we and Nate have discovered. Here's the first round......

NATE'S TOP 5:

1. Sloppy doggie kisses are better than getting your face wiped.

2. You can find the tiniest specks of stuff on the carpet if you really set your mind to it.

3. Wipes are fun to pull out of the wipe dispenser.

4. You can get around faster if you push something that has wheels.

5. There's a funny person who lives in the cell phone and likes to say "Hi" to me. If I smile at it, maybe they'll keep talking.


MOM & DAD'S TOP 5

1. Getting head-butted on the bridge of your nose is not very funny.

2. Don't feed the child strange spicy food or you'll regret it the next morning.

3. If you accidently breathe in while changing the diaper pail, you'll never make that mistake twice.

4. An 11-month old has a longer arm reach than you think.

5. Every day you get to experience new and exciting things through your child's eyes.

BIT THE DUST - MOM'S TALES

Skinned knees....who would've thought I'd have skinned knees at 39? I was on my way to an event the other day and ran into Target for a quick errand. Here I was in my white skirt, wedge sandals and carrying Nate...all was good until I stepped off the curb to walk across the street to the parking lot. I lost my balance in those silly heels and suddenly I was pitching forward.

It's interesting the things that go through your mind in a split second. My first thought was...I'm going to hit the asphalt and I'm falling forward with Nate in my arms. Then I thought...how am I going to land without killing my kid?! So in the blink of an eye, I landed on my knees and arm. I saw Nate's head fly back and thought...Oh no!! Did he hit his head? Quick check...no crying, no look of pain on his face. Next thought on my mind..."Kid's ok, mom's not!" I then realized that I was still sprawled in the middle of the street, in my white skirt on the black asphalt and feeling totally ridiculous. I mustered up what shred of dignity I had left, hobbled to the car and wiped off my stinging, skinned knees with baby wipes. As I looked up at Nate just to make certain he was ok, the kid was sitting on the car seat, smiling and bopping up & down like "Hey mom! That was fun, let's do it again!" Doh!

Normally, every morning I walk Nate & Harvard down to the mini park to play in the sand (and get them both tired for a nap!) Yesterday, I was too lazy to do it, so I sat down on our front porch steps and watched Nate play in the sand & rocks (we have a desert yard). Harvard was out there too and suddenly I saw him stiffen up. I looked across the yard and near the fence were 3 javelina! Javelina usually keep to themselves but Harvard has never seen one and I could only imagine what would take place next. I picked up Nate and told Harvard to "stay", but curiosity got the better of him and he ran up to check out these strange creatures. Of course he had to pick the biggest one to mess with and the pig wasn't too happy. It turned around, glared at Harvard and started charging at him! Harvard wisely decided not to challenge the pig and raced back to the house with the javelina hot on his tail. That's when I realized they were headed straight for ME and I didn't want to get in the middle of that mess, so I sprinted up the steps and into the house! Fortunately, the javelina felt he got his point across and stopped a few feet from the house before turning around and joining his pack. Harvard decided not to pursue the pig this time and obediently came when I called him.

Exciting times in the desert!

BOYS, BOYS, BOYS

Two years ago we took a photo of our very first baby purchase...a Jeep stroller. Parked it up on some rocks in front of our house like we had gone 4-wheeling. It's a lot more attractive with Nate in it! We live on a bumpy dirt road full of mungo potholes (that every 3-4 months someone fills up with more dirt) and and he loves to go "4-wheeling" down the road. Found a little mini park near our house with a playground in walking distance. Actually it's a new home development and all they have built is the park. Works for us! He loves playing in the sand, collecting rocks and Harvard likes cruising the little park marking his territory.

Nate's doing pretty well. He grieved for 4 days after the grandparents left and scared us a bit. He was so depressed and sad and had a blank, distant look in his eyes. Cried CONSTANTLY and was unconsolable. We were wondering if he would ever come out of it. Finally on the 4th day he began smiling again and playing with his toys a little. By the weekend, he was back to his old self. Whew! That wasn't a fun week at all! Now he's "Mr. Explorer" again and I have to redirect him to his toy box when he starts tugging on my powercord or finding carpet lint and trying to eat it or the scissors or electronic devices we accidently forgot and left within his reach. He's got another tooth coming in...right next to his left front tooth. That would explain the constant chewing on his finger on that side of the mouth! He still doesn't like teething rings..not in any shape or form.

I'm learning how to juggle a 22lb kid with my new "purse" (the sturdy diaper bag). On Sunday, I stuck him in our handy hip carrier and loaded up with the diaper bag, a bag of stuff, a big gas can prop for kids worship and 2 Starbucks drinks. ha! He did much better this Sunday. Smiled at people more, although still cautious and shy. He got fussy during Don's sermon so I took him to the nursery where he gradually fell asleep on the floor.

We have a better routine now and Nate's doing great with it. Don put a curtain over his window to keep the light out during the day and it seems to be helping him take his naps better. Plus he goes down happy & wakes up happy. If he's tired enough, he'll sleep anywhere, but this helps when we're at home.

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things with my art work. Right now, I'm working part time and squeezing a little in here & there aside from my afternoon working hours. My agent & freelance clients have been very understanding and supportive so that helps take the stress off. Don has also adjusted his schedule to help me do this and he's starting to get used to his new work routine. The church has been GREAT...they've been slow to approach Nate and very respectful of his adjustment and our time with him. It's been a big help for us and making the transition easier.

I'm ready for cooler weather to get here so I can get outside more. I'd love to take Nate hiking with me. I'm posting more photos and another video soon so check out the links to the right when you get a chance.

-dd&n

GRANDMA & GRANDPA SULLIVAN

This week, Grandma & Grandpa Sullivan came to visit and Nate had a ball getting the grandparents to spoil him! He's started verbalizing more...saying different sounds and we've begun noticing certain behaviors from him. Like if he's doing something he shouldn't be..or isn't sure if he should be..he'll look at us and give us this fake smile in hopes that we'll forget he's touching our laptops, or opening cabinets he's not supposed to be in. ha! He took the shoe inserts out of grandpa's shoes and was trying to figure out how to put them back in. He has a game where he'll pick up the tiniest speck from the floor and hand it to us. But if we don't take it fast enough, he'll put it in his mouth. A few days ago I had to dig a big bug out of his mouth that he'd already chewed into several pieces. Mmmmm...protein!



He did great this week, going out to different restaurants, visiting art galleries and trekking up Mt. Lemmon again. We took him for his first shots in America..he didn't like it, of course, but did MUCH better then when they had to draw blood. All the lab tests came back fine.

Nate's adjusting much better than I am. I keep thinking I'll get stuff done while he's napping or entertaining himself but I'm so tired, I end up napping too. ha! It also takes me awhile to recover from a long trip. We're having a lot of fun with our little guy...he's super smart, totally cute (and uses it to his advantage).

I put new photos and videos up so check them out at the links to the right.
-denise