I can hardly believe it but I just saw two foxes while Bea and I were having our walk down by the water. I live about 12 miles from the center of Chicago and there are really no big areas of woods or fields near us. Huh. They were just slinking around the lawn of the Evanston Historical Society like a couple cats. I happened to have my camera with me so I took a photo.
I went for a canoe ride with dad when I was back in Midland. It is so pleasant to be out on the quiet smooth water in the evening hours of a summer day. The pictures don’t show just how beautiful the colors are.
Dad and Baxter going down the river – It’s a bit of a comedy routine. The canoe vibrates as we go down the river because Baxter is shaking with excitement. He is completely focused on my dad’s fishing line the whole 3 hours that we drift along. He’s goofy with anticipation and then when my dad gets a fish on the line he can hardly keep himself from jumping out of the canoe. In this photo my dad is doing a bit of wading – and Baxter is innocently trying to spook all the fish.
After dad pulls the hook out of the fish he lets Baxter “lick” the fish. I know, I know it looks like he’s about to swallow the fish whole. But believe me no fish were harmed in the making of this comedy.
Here are two of the fish dad caught. The second one is a catfish – kinda unusual. I learned that catfish make sounds – kinda like a croaking frog. It’s true, I heard it with my own ears.
It was nice to get a little baby-free time… thanks to Grandma J.
NOTE: There are some new photos in Bea’s album #4 – take a look at the cuteness.
I always thought I was a lousy joke teller and I know I have a horrible, tuneless singing voice. But, I’m having second thoughts. According to my daughter I am funny, funny, funny and my singing is delightful.
These are the reactions I get when I make a funny or sing a little song.
Sometimes I look at a photo of Brian and me and wonder what Bea will think when she’s 20 and she looks at the same photo. Now that I am a parent I look at old photos of my mom and dad differently. I wonder what they were going through way back then when their lives changed so much like mine now has.
Brian and I have always liked to do a lot of talking. We like to read articles to each other and discuss. We like to rant on about commercials we see and talk about companies and businesses. We like to talk about our interests (Brian = opera, Me = design). We like to people-watch and make up stories for people we see. Brian listens to me rant about my frustrations and I try to listen to his frustrations too. I remember in high school we rode a bus up north to see a hockey game and we talked the whole way – about whatever teenagers talk about. It felt like the 3 hour bus ride lasted about 15 minutes. I was so interested in what Brian had to say and he listened so intently to me. I suppose all people falling in love have this deep conversation phase where they figure out what the other one believes in.
Well now that our little Bea is here we still try to fit all that conversation into our days, but since we simply don’t have as much time to talk we end up with this intense talk-mode where we both have a lot to say and we sometimes forget to listen or we lose patience with each other. I know I haven’t been a very good listener. It’s hard to pay attention and try to sooth a baby at the same time. It’s hard to stay engaged when there is all this background static running through my head – things that are always on my mind like keeping track of Bea’s eating schedule or wondering if she is OK sleeping in the other room with a blanket in her crib or trying to concentrate on reading her cues so I know if she’s headed for play time or nap time. Yesterday a harmless conversation about Swiffer turned into a heated argument, but I knew it wasn’t really about Swiffer, we just needed to step back and lighten up to get back on track. The good thing is that we recognize that we are going through this big change and it’s only natural that we are adjusting and experiencing some bumps along our ride. And I know we are both trying hard to be good listeners and give each other what we need.
Now I understand why marriages suffer and why two people can grow apart when babies come along. I’m sure this is all very familiar to all the parents I know, but I guess you can’t really understand these things until you experience them. Fortunately I’m also learning that you can’t understand the joy that comes along with this time of life until you go through it. So with the bad comes the good and that’s how we get through it. And by the way, I know that I’m just about the luckiest woman around because I’m confident that all this ch-ch-ch-change will not break us apart.
So now I’ve got to get back to my Pumpkin – she’s laying next to me on the floor trying really hard to put her pacifier back in her mouth. I can tell by the tone of her voice that she is about to get really frustrated at the task. Time to play a new game.
Aunt Jennifer made the most special embroidered and appliqued quilt for Bea. I want to hang it on the wall when Bea has her own room a few years from now.
Look at the fine detailed work she did.
Wow it’s been too long since I last posted. The summer, as usual, is just flying by. I blinked and it’s the Fourth of July.
Here are few of my recent favorite things:
A new toy that I bought for Bea when my mom and I went antiquing. It’s an old Fisher Price pull toy. It makes a pleasant little tinkle bell sound when you pull it.
My little funny face Bea. She has discovered her feet in the last week and she is rolling over (with a bunch of coaching and urging from Grandma J).
Greek yogurt. Mmmm. We discovered greek yogurt at our favorite grocery store, Trader Joe’s. They sell a full fat version with a little cup of honey attached – oh mama, it’s heaven. Unfortunatly the full fat version contains about 50% percent of your daily recommended fat. This is the low fat version with some bits of peach and some walnuts. I love breakfast food – don’t you.
Bea and her daddy – I had a great few days in Midland but I missed Brian too. Here’s a photo that Brian snapped.
Happy Fourth of July!
While talking about a co-worker and his presentation.
“You’re fonts are giving me heartburn!”
Incidentally (because I can’t help myself) if you’re looking for a much more respectable typeface than Comic Sans or Arial try one of these free typefaces: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2006/10/11/17-more-free-quality-fonts/
What have we been up to? Well Bea’s latest developments are her love of standing and the drool factory that has developed in her mouth. Here she is using her strong little legs. Our friend, Annie sad her legs are like lotus roots – soft on the outside and strong on the inside.
Over the weekend we went for a walk at the Chicago Botanic Garden. They had model sailboats in the lagoon. I was giddy over the delightful little sailboats. Brian was a little less excited about the boats but happy to be enjoying the gardens on a great summer day.
Here’s Bea tickling her toes in the grass for the first time. How exciting. Look at those thunder thighs.
It’s like walking around with a little celebrity at the garden because so many people want to stop and take a look at a baby. Here’s our little celebrity and her body guard.
Putting outfits on Bea is so fun. This one has a pattern of kitties and tiny milk bottles on it. Bea is talking to herself in her crib right now – I think she’s debating whether she wants to take a nap or lay there and suck on her fist.
Note to grandmas and grandpas: there is a new photo album on the left of the screen. It should be much easier for me to post photos more regularly now because my new computer has more space and and it has wireless access. Here’s a photo from the built in camera on my computer.
Laowai 
