California - day 1

LAX

We are home! Except I didn't mean to use that exclamation point because mostly I am sad to be home. I miss the sunshine, and Katherine, and eating in restaurants for all meals. And I could go on... but instead I will inundate you with photos. Because taking pictures off my phone is still a new thing for me, it's tedious (another reason to miss Katherine - she probably knows an easier way for me to do this).

We left bright and early on Friday morning. I got ready and then woke Edie up by picking her up like a giant baby to carry downstairs. Without even opening her eyes, she asked me, "Are we going to the airplane?"

Buckling herself on the plane. Edie is an awesome flyer.

Katherine picked us up at the airport and we went straight to lunch at Doughboys where the ladies ate salads and Edie had pancakes. She said she wasn't hungry but proceeded to eat enough pancakes to feed half of the starving children in the world.

Waiting for the car at valet outside the restaurant, Edie needed to look inside this giant pot. Inside was an empty can of PBR. Keeping it classy.

Driving around LA, enjoying the sunshine:

 Back at the apartment that afternoon:

 Lounging around on Katherine's roof deck hammock:

I think we mostly spent Friday adjusting to the warm weather and catching up with Katherine. Edie transformed before my eyes - ripping layers of clothing off and running around the roof deck in nothing but a tank top for the first hour there. It's strange to think that there are kids who grow up in the sunshine all the time.

Later that afternoon, we walked to a giant park nearby, but Edie was so excited to play in the sun that I had no time to take a picture for fear of losing her. She darted in and out of the train cars at the park so fast that it took all my mental powers to keep her from disappearing. She did stop to make a quick call on the way though:

For dinner we headed to Malo and while the food was good, it was apparently disappointing compared to previous visits (it was my first time).

Disclaimer: not my photo

I still liked my mojito. A quick stop at Yogurtland on the way home, and a late night chat session after Edie's bedtime, and there you have it - Day 1 in a nutshell.

California - take 2

We rescheduled our botched California trip from last month and we leave tomorrow morning for a 4 day weekend. After I finish freaking out about packing for a few more minutes, I will be 110% totally excited. I don't know how or why I always manage to turn packing for a trip into a TOTAL shit show. It's after 9pm and I'm still doing laundry because I must have Edie's white tee shirt clean for the plane right tomorrow? I can't find my sunglasses! And I need to print our boarding passes still. Can I fit Edie's things into my suitcase or does she need her own? Can I fit all of Edie's plane entertainment into my regular purse or do I need to bring a Mom Bag? Ohmygodit'ssoohard.

Edie was so excited she didn't want to go to bed because she "wants to go to California RIGHT NOW, not tomorrow morning."

See you tomorrow Sunshine! And Katherine! And eating outside! And flip flops!

Valentine's Day

Belated photos of our valentine's dinner at home. I decorated before picking Edie up from daycare with her painted hearts, and random red and pink supplies in my basement, leftover from various baby and bridal showers. Edie walked in, gasped and said, "MOM! I LOVE the decorations SO MUCH!" 

We made heart shaped pizzas and then Edie worked herself into a tizzy of great proportions about nothing, causing an unprecedented 7pm bedtime. And a special valentine's dessert that only had to be split 2 ways instead of 3. 

The Waiting Game

Well, still no word from the preschool, though they said they were mailing notifications out via snail mail this week. I might or might not be working from the living room with an ear bent towards the front door to hear the mailman right now...

As for the ENT appointment, it was .... inconclusive. Edie has large tonsils and her snoring and ear infections would normally lead to a tonsilectomy recommendation. BUT, 3 years is not a good age for this procedure apparently. There are more complications with bleeding in smaller children and the best age is 6-7yrs. There's also still the hope that this year is the last year in which Edie will have more than one ear infection per Cold & Flu Season, because by 4yrs her tubes will be bigger. He referred us to a sleep clinic to do a sleep lab. But this is a super stupid idea and made me all that more aware that this was not a PEDIATRIC ENT doctor like I'd been led to believe. The man either never had children or it's been so long since his kids were 3 that he doesn't remember. Because what 3 year old would sleep normally in a sleep lab situation? Any results they gathered would be useless and most certainly not covered by our self-employed health insurance. So, there you are. Right back where we started.  Oh well.

And we are still waiting for the contract for our Chicago gig, but a phone call with the client yesterday implied it's forthcoming.

Oh my god the mail is here. Gotta go.


WE GOT IN!!!!

OH MY GOD WHAT A RELIEF.

You lose some, win some and then lose some again

On Friday I found out we didn't get accepted into the preschool near our house for next Fall. This is particularly irritating because it was going to be SO CONVENIENT. But if I'm totally honest with myself, I talked myself into wanting Edie there next year.

The other moms on the school tour were decked out in one of two things 1. Head-to-toe Burberry (Jeff's least favorite) or 2. Lulu Lemon suits and blond dye jobs (my least favorite). This is also the school that made us partake in Song Circle before embarking on the tour (you may recall that Jeff's reaction to this was less than enthusiastic).

But then I got caught up in the snobby application process in which they required a photo of our kid and made us come for a "visit" (ie INTERVIEW) - which btw, went VERY POORLY and involved Edie acting reluctant, shy and needy which in turn made me panic about our chances of getting in and whisper a bribe in her ear if she would stop being dramatic (cringe).  It was all very regrettable, and I knew driving away that we likely weren't going to get in. By the end of the day, we were both sick with the plague, Edie with a fever of 104.

Within an hour of receiving my electronic rejection notice last week, I heard that my new company had won the bid for a big conference in Chicago this summer. The contract isn't signed yet, but it certainly looks as though I'll be planning a conference for 700ppl this July. More on that after the contract is signed - cross your fingers it's soon!

Then over the weekend, Edie got pink eye. I think? She's never had pink eye before so this is a little new and confusing to me. Her eyes weren't really pink, but they were producing something in the corners that I'd rather not describe in writing because IT IS GROSS. Prescription eye drops were called in, but I have a sneaking suspicion it's viral and not bacterial pink eye. Edie has been sick with an off and on cold for FOREVER. Which isn't uncommon. She always seems to be the first one sick in school and the last to get well. And while sick, her sleep is typically worse than usual, and "the usual" is mediocre to begin with. After a particularly brutal night on Sunday in which I got one, 3 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep total, I decided/declared/despaired, "THIS ISN'T NORMAL!"

I spent Monday working over theories, eventually coming to the conclusion that Edie might have enlarged adenoids and/or tonsils. There are a lot of reasons for this theory - many of which are symptoms that I've dismissed and/or ignored for over a year and it's all very possible that the doctor will laugh me out of the room, but we have an ENT appointment this afternoon. But it would certainly explain the frequency of ear infections, her super loud snoring, the occasional sleep-apnea like incidents when sleeping the car seat (at least these are the ones I witness - they could also be happening in bed at night), and my my potential hereditary gift of giant, toxic tonsils has me suspicious.

So for now, we wait. We wait until our doctor's appointment this afternoon and we wait to hear if we got into the other preschool we applied to (that truthfully, is much more "us" than the other - it was just pricier and a little further away). AND we wait to hear back from this potential new client to confirm that the contract is indeed signed.

Slippery Slopes

Once in high school I wrote a 5 page essay on the fact that I hate snow. Everything in that essay was pretty much true, if a bit whiny. From the time I was a little kid, I felt real luke warm on snow, sledding, hot chocolate (I know), and especially - snow clothes. I hate being hot and cold at the same time! It's so... confusing. Am I dry in my snow pants or wet from the melting snow creeping in at the ankles? Am I cold because it's snowing or sweaty because I'm running up and down hills to go sledding in 10 layers of clothes that don't breath? And yes, now that I'm a parent I realize how weird and annoying I probably was as a kid.

All this is to say that we spent last weekend in Leavenworth, in an attempt to have a "snow weekend". There are a number of ironic things about this - the main one (obvi) being that I don't really like snow, and yet I jumped at the chance for this weekend. But my life is officially a parenting cliche in which I am reliving my childhood through my own kid - only I'm trying harder to be more open minded in this attempt. So I got Edie all pumped up for snow and packed a plethora of "snow gear".

The second irony is that it didn't snow; the weather was actually nicer in Leavenworth than Seattle. Most importantly though, we had a really great, relaxing weekend in which I ate my weight in enchiladas, lasagna, waffles, and baked goods. We also had the time to reconnect with old friends that we don't see often enough and made new friends that I hope we'll see again soon.

To back up a step - this snow weekend (formally known as the "Slippery Slopes Ski Club") has been an annual tradition for a group of my college friends for a few years now, but this is the first year Edie has been of an appropriate age to make the weekend more fun instead of less fun, so we were invited along for the 2013 edition of Slippery Slopes. We were a little hesitant about bringing the only kid for a weekend of adult antics, but all for naught. The only real downside to the weekend (aside from the lack of snow) was that 2 of the people I was excited to catch up with couldn't make it at the last minute.

Edie turned on the charm and had everyone clapping for her when she entered a room by the last day. It's ridiculously heartwarming to have adults without children play with, help out, and chat with your kid in such a natural way - it reminds me of how lucky we are - with Edie but also to have the kinds of friends we have.

The drive:

Sleepy time unicorn driving through the pass.

A walk in the surrounding hills.

 The farmhouse:

  A small pile of unmelted snow/ice near the farmhouse.

Tractor driving face:

 Returning from our walk:

This is the photo we will use for Jeff's memoir, "Handsome, Brave and Modest: An Autobiography by Jeff Culver" (self titled)

 Our second hike wherein we disregarded the directions to "KEEP OUT".  Melissa being a rebel (Dan was uneasy).

 Various hiking/walking photos from both days:

 Lest you wonder where my husband was during all these shots of other men carrying my kid around - he woke up early with Edie and took her on a big adventure so I could sleep late, which then resulted in a late morning nap for Jeff while I hiked with the others.

Wherein Jeff wrecks what could have been a charming photo:

Jeff making up for it by looking charming with Edie:

Amanda and Ryan:

 Matt, who had never met Edie before this weekend, playing peekaboo with her through the window. She had a great time with him and after a day and a half mentioned to Jeff that, "Matt looks ... different." Jeff finally realized that Edie had been thinking that this Matt was Darrah's husband Matt and that he had gone through some sort of metamorphosis... Jeff explained that this was a DIFFERENT Matt, which I think resolved some confusion we hadn't realized was there.

Melissa making Dan's birthday cake. And Edie licking the frosting beater (officially winning Melissa a place in her heart).

 Enchilada dinner complete with homemade guacamole and coleslaw.

 Games after Edie was in bed:

 Panoramic from my phone:

Dan looking a little uncomfortable after a particularly "food filled" day:

But he still found room for birthday cake:

 Legos were found in the upstairs game room and brought downstairs. Note the lack of children in this photo. Adult men love Legos.