Tampa takes us to the Faire, plus beach and NPNC photos

Here is me and my dad, who Zibby calls Tampa (grandpa) which is somewhat ironical, since he lives in Miami.
Zibby fell asleep in the sling (Taylor Made Solarveil Ring Sling)

after a very full day
The Bristol Renaissance Faire was lots of fun. We saw two families there that we knew from our homeschool group. One of them runs a shop called St Ives, selling handmade pottery. I bought a tile, some tile magnets and a mini-pitcher that Zibby picked out. Frank took some awesome pictures of the parade and of Zibby and I riding the Da Vinci Flying Boats.

Friday we went to the beach. My brother came and showed Zibby the fine art of making sand-drip castles.
Frank and I spent hours upon hours building elaborate drip castle dwellings on the beach in Ocean Isle, NC.

Thursday we went to the North Park Nature Center and saw a heron at the pond.

Here is a classic Zibby pose of silliness and happiness:

Life is good.

We had planned to go to the beach today, but when I woke up, it was cold and grey and windy. And none of our friends were planning to go, so we went to them, instead. Zibby and I met up with a friend and her two kids for lunch at a hipster-y organic restaurant by her house. Then we all went over to another friend’s house to see what they were up to. They were just about to make sock animals, so we joined right in. Several sock-whales, a sock-bunny, and a sock-mouse later, we had exhausted the sewing machine and perhaps our children’s interests. Actually, all 5 (plus various and sundry neighbor children stopping in) kids got along great all afternoon. And us moms talked and talked and talked and it was awesome.

Somehow it turned into evening and we decided to go for Thai food. Although Zibby failed to get a nap all afternoon, I decided to go to the restaurant, and was rewarded with a fantastically dramatic meltdown right after my food arrived. Poor baby. We eventually made it home in one piece, and got her into bed.

Earlier this week we drove to Muncie to see my mom for a few days. Although Zibby loves my moms dog, and had fun while we were there, the car ride home was really hard for her, and I am planning to give her a few recuperating days this weekend. Low-key veg out days.

And I think tomorrow we will do a very fun project together-cant wait to show you pictures!

Botanic Garden

My Thursday Play group met at the Chicago Botanic Gardentoday. The train exhibit was very cool and the kids enjoyed it thoroughly. The model of Wrigley Field was very neat. I liked seeing the trains go through the trees, it looked like a movie almost. There was a model of Old Faithful and Yellowstone Park, and another train had a tootsie roll car on it. It reminded me of my dad and his model trains. I actually just ordered a wooden train set for Zibby, and I think it is going to be a lot of fun.

When we got home, Zibby called Buzz and told him “Choo Choo Big Garden”. She knows the ASL sign for train, and we kept making it all day. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day. We had a picnic lunch and then came home.

It has taken us a full week to get back to our customary sleeping pattern. A weekend of visiting family and staying up super late and excitement of dogs and cousins and endless dollie play severely disrupted me and zibbys sleep routine. She and I drove to Muncie, In for my sisters college graduation ceremony. Here we are (minus my husband) in all of our glory

Afterwards we all went out to dinner at a Japanese Hibachi restaurant. Zibby got quite nervous when the flames appeared on the table right before our eyes. Or should I say, Eye.

I think it is so funny that she covered one eye only!

COUSINS!!!!!

The little girls got along really well all weekend. There were some very funny moments between them. My brother earned his uncle stripes by hanging with the babies for stretches of time, most notably while we waited for our server at the restaurant.

Zibby missed watching her Signing Time show while we were gone, but she totally wowed everyone with her second language knowledge of ASL. I estimate she knows about 100 signs. One time during the weekend, she said “Mamas on the ba”. My dad didnt understand what she meant, so I was telling him that the translation was “nurse on the bed”. He looked at Zibby, and she made the sign for Nurse. But, the kind of nurse who works in an office. It was pretty funny. Come to think of it, I wonder if she knows what an actual nurse is. At any rate, the weekend was fun, but then all week we were zonked out and sleeping at totally crazy times of the day. For instance, last night Zibby and I fell asleep at 6 pm. I got up at 9 when Buzz came home and we ate dinner. Zibby woke up at 12 and she and I were up until 3. Today we got up at 8:30 and she napped at 4, and fell asleep by 12. Pretty usual for us, so I think today we are back on track.

Thursday we went to the NPNC

The kids liked throwing pebbles in the pond and watching the fish. We also went for a walk around the pond and saw a big black frog. We were all snacking on our picnic blankets when the rain came, so we went into the Nature Center building and played in the reading room and checked out the beehive.

Sitting out by the pond picnicking reminded me of when I was little and my mom used to take us to parks or the forest preserve for picnics and playing. Good times. Speaking of olden days, yesterday I drove out to the burbs and I drove around the block I grew up on. They have painted our yellow house a weird grey color and updated the landscaping. Some of the other neighborhood houses were the same color, some were new. It was really weird to be sitting in my car staring out my childhood home. Surreal.

I drove all around and even though I couldnt tell you the street names, I knew my way around, and I had all sorts of memories coming and going, and it made me wonder how growing up in the city will affect my kids and how different it will be from my experience in the burbs and how interesting it will be to see what happens. Thats basically how I feel about my life these days.

It is pretty interesting to see how things are happening.

social butterflies

We have been busy little bees!

Last Thursday we hosted Playgroup at our house. No injuries to report, plenty of fruit and crackers eaten, and balloons played with, and kitten chased mercilessly. Friday we went a-visiting to a new friend’s house. A newish family to our homeschool group had us over, and we had a great time. Zib immediately adopted a dollie (or two, or three) and we enjoyed some yummy broccoli quiche and spinach salad and lots of talking and getting to know one another.

They live in a cool house with scads of art and artistic touch and thrifted goodies and a pink painted playroom. The girls played dress up in scarves before we left. Zib and I went home, nursed for a spell, and then headed over to another friends house to babysit for a couple of hours. After that, we went home and zib fell asleep, so I scarfed down some dinner, and then we went to our third engagement of the day.

Our last stop was my friend, Barrie’s. I helped her figure out some blogstuff, and our kids made some fantastic messes. By the time we got home it was after ten. Might have been eleven. I stopped at CVS to get cough drops, as my throat was feeling very yucky. There was a homeless guy hanging around the door. He didnt say anything to me on my way in, but on my way out he asked me for some money.

I didnt give him any, but then I drove away feeling horrible and guilty and sad and sorry for him and ashamed of myself. I never know what to do when someone asks me for money. I mean homeless people. I mean, I would give a friend in need any amount that I could, you know? So why do I not give a buck or two or more to someone who could clearly use it? I will have to think about that, deeply.

Saturday, I convinced Buzz to come along to the park for a park district “toddler romp” with free music, animals to pet, and activities. There was also a block sale nearby, so I got to peruse all the yards, and I bought a Moosewood Cookbook. Later that afternoon I went by the Lill Street studios to see an exhibition of kids artwork. Pretty cool! Then I hit the Whole Foods and Trader Joes, and by this time, my head cold was severely limiting my ability to breathe.

I called Buzz and asked him to start dinner while I was on my way home. Zibby went to sleep at 8 pm! And got up at 8. I think she is sick with something…she threw up Friday night/Sat am, but Sat was totally fine. Today I spent a lot of the afternoon napping, recovering from my cold. We made an appearance at a friends birthday party, then came home for taco dinner. My brother came over. It was all we could do to keep Zibby up until we finished eating. She was asleep again by 8. ALthough, at 10ish she was fussing and crying. I held her for a while, and she seemed to go back to sleep, but then she threw up again. Now, she is sleeping…not sure what the trouble might be.

Maybe we are doing too much?

Tomorrow is Park Day with the Unschool Group. I had such a good time last week, so I woudl really like to go, but if my little monkey is sick or the weather is bad, maybe we will just have a stay home day.

water!

Today started out pretty lazy. I had nothing scheduled, and was feeling bored and boring. Then a friend from the homeschool co-op called and said she would stop by. I’d never spent a lot of time talking with her, but she was able to stay for a nice visit.
Zibby was hamming it up big time for her visitors. It was quite a change from her usual mild-manneredness. Zibby isnt shy, but she is usually observant and laid back in a crowd. On her own turf, she is a dervish.

After our friends left, I whipped up some teriyaki chicken and rice, which was very much delicious. My brother gave us some really good teriyaki sauce from this place in Seattle. YUM. Then Zibby and I fell asleep nursing.

Since Buzz doesnt get home until late on Fridays, I decided to go run errands after our nap, even though it was almost 4. First, we got an iced coffee at our local billiards room/cafe. Then, we did the condo deposit. We went to Lincoln Square next, hitting the toystore, bookshop, optician, and water fountain.

Zibby was going bananas at the fountain. She was enthusiastically and joyfully hollering at the water, and pointing and announcing WATER! FOUNTAIN! WATER! FOUNTAIN! Man, she was excited about the water. It was really funny. We had to say “goodbye water fountain” several times before she agreed to walk away with me.

I decided that I didnt really want to fix dinner, so we stopped at chipotle to get dinner. It is right by a college campus, so we sat outside in the patio dining area eating our chips and gommo (guacamole) and people watching. That is, until Zib fell off her chair and we decided to go home. Sadly, my burrito was much too spicy for me to enjoy when we got home. Zibby didnt like her taco either. The gommo was a big hit though.

After dinner we watched home movies. Zibby likes the parts where she gets her first bath, and one of her on the beach last spring. Again, a water theme. I also took a couple really good movies in the yard this morning. We watched those a few times. Buzz came home and Zibby got a bath, and eventually she nursed to sleep, and is now cuddling with Cinder-pancake. They make a cute pair, all spooned together.

a very good day after all.

my daughter complimented my derrierre

My epithets at other drivers are “Crazy Person!” or “DUDE!”
Zibby picked these up right away. But she adds her own pizazz.

(mommy makes a sharp turn)
Zibby: Why, crazy person, why?
Mommy: Why, indeed, crazy person

(bus pulls out in front of mommy)
Mommy: DUDE!
Zibby: dude sucks.

Mommy: Pick a lane, lady!
Zibby: PERSON!! PERSON!!

I like to ask Zibby who is crazy.

Mommy: Who’s crazy, Zibby?
Zibby: Papa’s crazy
Mommy: I know! He is crazy!
Zibby: nooo, he is toot! He is a toot person!
Mommy: Papa’s cute? Who else is cute?
Zibby: Mama is a toot butt
Mommy: Cute. right? Cute butt. Has a cute butt.
Zibby: nahm. (nahm means yes in zibbyese)

****

Today was a Park/Gym day with one of the homeschool groups I participate in. But we were waiting on a UPS delivery that had already been missed once. And I am helping coordinate meals for a friend who just had a baby, and the mom who was going to bring something over today got sick. I whipped up a tortellini soup to run over to her instead, and then my friend also needed a market run. So we were plenty busy. And we got our package, and it was fun stuff from Magic Cabin. yay!

Tomorrow is playgroup and I vow to get outside and take some photos.
And I need to deposit the condo association checks, call the vet, start organizing the chore coop w/ the condo owners, vacuum, make plans for my sister’s graduation weekend, schedule my next cloth diaper workshop, call my sil about a playdate, thaw chicken for dinner, and do some laundry.

and tonight I need to get some sleep….
zzzz

zibby tells a joke, and I describe today, a typical day

This actually happened a couple of weeks ago, but I think it is too cute to not share.

Zibby and I had been playing a little game where I would ask her if her name was some silly word, and she would say no, until I finally asked her what it was, and then she would say, Zibby!

This time:

Mama: Is your name Special Baby?
Zibby: noooo
Mama: Is your name Kitten Lumps?
Zibby: nooooo
Mama: Is your name Muffin Cakes?
Zibby: noooo
Mama: Is your name Zibby?
Zibby: noooo
Mama: Whats your name?
Zibby: PANCAKE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Today she called our cat Cinder, Cinder-Pancake. I really enjoy watching her with the kitty. Zibby really gets into bossing the cat around and wagging her finger at the cat, but they also chase each other around and Zibby wants to give the cat “big hug” and “big kiss”.

What is really amazing is witnessing Zibby’s ability to put together words and sentences and ideas (and commands! Mama do it! ) The little verbal mannerisms that come from me and buzz, her desire to make us laugh, the made up words she uses… Yesterday she said, “Awesome, Mom”.

I totally dig it. The whole Motherhood gig.

Today we went to play with some friends we get together regularly with on Thursdays. There are usually two boys and two girls, but the other little girl couldnt make it. Us Mamas spent the morning chatting and occasionally distracting the toddlers. I was planning to run errands when we left, but Zibby yawned in the car, so I just went home. We had lunch, then Zibby took a nap, while I made a blog!

After nap we watched Signing Time and I finished a special photo album project. A friend of mine had given me an album to do for the first two years of Zibbys life. Every month I would take a photo and fix a new page. She had created all the backgrounds and mattes and month labels. Zibby turned two in February, so I finally did the last page, and now its done. Zibby wanted to look it at for a long time.

Eventually we got it together to make hamburgers and roasted potatoes for dinner, and then Papa came home. The two of them did puzzles and looked at other photo albums and read books and played with baby dolls and bibs and diapers the rest of the evening. They probably also watched digital home movies on the computer, as that is one of Zib’s current favorite things to do. Her current fave is the one I took last week of her on the swing at the park. In the video she is laughing like crazy. When she is watching the movies she tells of her memories of that particular day-a dog licked her cheek, papa did an underdog, she sat her bottom in the swing, “sunny eyes” or sometimes it works the other way. She will be re-telling the story of the day, and remember that we have a video of it. Then she says “baby movies, computer” and heads over to the desk, assuming you will follow and put the movies on.

Actually, the only un-typical part of today was that Zibby went to bed around 9:30 and fell asleep enough for me to get back up at 10. That is kind of early for her. So, I get some time on the puter to do blogging and some work and some email stuff.

Thanks for all the nice comments so far! I am really loving wordpress and the fun and easy features on this service. Thanks homeschooljournal.net!