another day, another flood

My mom woke up early this morning to yet another flood. This one was caused by a broken freezer. We have a side-by-side fridge with an ice maker and water dispenser. I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time to get that feature but it cannot be used because 1) you would die if you drank our water and 2) the water does nothing but destroy everything it comes into contact with - including our fridge. So, there, at 5:00am today were gallons upon gallons of messy stink water on the kitchen floor. For whatever reason, my mom thought that a broken freezer meant nothing more than a broken freezer and failed to make the leap that the fridge would also malfunction. The fridge was repaired late this afternoon. And then my mom spent the evening clearing out all of the food that was ruined. Since she had nothing better to do, she took an inventory of everything that had to be trashed so we know how much money we lost. Sadly, it was just grocery day (twice over) so our fridge was stuffed full of all kinds of yumminess - including a lasagna that my mom made on Sunday. We also lost the ingredients for the feta tart we were going to make for my sister. We were going to serve Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey for dessert when my sister came over for dinner. Now, there is nothing to feed her or anyone else.

Did I mention that our dishwasher stopped working late last week? It is also a victim of our nasty water. The pump seized. gummed up with arsenic.

How many floods and broken appliances does it take before one realizes that there is no end in sight?

fall

We might finally be rid of our one hundred degree days. It didn't even get past 80 today.

When we woke up this morning, we went outside to play and look around the yard, as usual. It was so chilly that we had to come back inside to put pants and a sweater on. Since I stayed up most of the night again last night (like until just before 5:00am), I was on a bizarre schedule today. Nap time started at 9:30am and ended far too soon. I was much happier after my nap though. We played in the house for a while, had some lunch, and then decided to set out for the park.

This is me after we went to the Bee Cave Park today. I had a grand time. I met two nice boys who shared their soccer ball with me. But I met one monster of a boy, Jamie. He was about five and could barely talk. His teeth were all rotten out. He was rather aggressive and he dumped a handful of mulch on my head; he was mad because the other boys were playing with me. He also wanted to push me off the plastic mountain I climbed up. Note to Jamie's parents: turn off the tv, put away the candy and the Mountain Dew, and hand your child a toothbrush. He will have a miserable life thanks to his upbringing.

23lb, 11oz

Today I had my 15-month check up with the doctor. I am super healthy, of course. blah blah blah. Good that I am still nursing, he says. I am smart. blah blah blah. I cried when Dr Cox left the room. I cry when most people leave now . . . even the people who sat behind me at lunch today even though I have never seen them before in my life.

The doctor was the boring part of the day. He does have some pretty interesting toys and books in his waiting room though. (Wash your hands well afterward since sick kids play there!)

My teeth have been bugging me again so I bit myself on the arm this morning and left some teeth marks. I cried. a lot. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

After the doctor, we went to Whole Foods. I had naan and steamed organic carrots for lunch. I was grouchy but then cheered up for the rest of our shopping trip. There were lots of babies to gawk at and I always make the older ladies swoon. I love attention!

I should have had a nap when I got home but I was HYPER. I played and played and played. My new thing, aside from practicing my walking, is putting my head on the ground from standing. I am probably working on somersaults but my mom is using this maneuver to teach me downward dog and some other yoga moves.

Cross your fingers that I sleep tonight. I have been on a sleep strike (again) since last Thursday. It's my dumb teeth.

our hero: Terese

This photo is really dark but, if you look closely, you will notice that I am giggling uncontrollably. This evening, Terese called my mom with some news and this started me on a giggling fit that lasted for hours. Even though everyone in the neighborhood may be cross with Terese, she is our hero of the day.

August 12: hello ocean

On August 12, we woke up in Seattle to a beautiful cool day. The fog rolled in from the ocean overnight. When we picked my sister up from the airport, she told us that we could see our breath it was so cool out. This was a welcome change from the 108 degree days we left behind in Austin.

We stopped for a snack and then got on our way to my grandmother's. It is a two-hour drive so we timed this trip around my naptime too so I could sleep the whole way. I adapt remarkably well to different time zones. At first, I was showing off for my sister (mostly asking about her cat and Hector and the cat and Hector and then about the cat again) and it seemed like I would never fall asleep. But I did. And I woke up with plenty of energy to frolic at the beach.

When we got to my great-grandmother's, she had filled her house with toys. fun. We played for a while and then it was time to pick up my other grandmother from the ferry so we went to the beach. I know I said this last year after visiting the northwest, but you almost forget that people can go outside to play for hours on end in other parts of the world.

me and my crocodile

This is me and my crocodile several weeks ago. We bought it so I could get all around the house. It is great fun - especially for chasing my dog. It is also obnoxiously loud on the tile floor.

I probably won't be needing my crocodile for much longer. Today, I took my first independent steps. I stepped from the chair to my stroller that was in the middle of the room. And then back again a while later. You have to be brave to let go.

There's no stopping me now!

Last week when I had a picnic with Jensen in the park, he kept running away and he is fast. I wonder if I will be like that too.

Hermine

Here is a photo of me this evening watching in horror as the outer bands of Hermine blow through Austin, taking the side of my house with it. Well, maybe the whole side of my house isn't gone YET, but we do have water flooding in through the walls.

What a storm we had today. rain and lightning and wind that made the trees dance around in circles. I had fun watching the storm . . . until it came inside.

Tomorrow morning, we will try to find someone to fix our house. again.

p.s. No, I didn't lose the side of my head too. I just don't like to sit still for photos. My mom has a million photos of the corner of my head or emptiness of where I was standing two seconds ago.

August 11

On August 11, I celebrated my 14 month birthday by flying to Seattle. I started the day by catapulting myself out of bed and landing right on my head. backwards and upside down. ouch. I cried but I wasn't hurt. The sad part was my mom had to wait until I moved on my own to be sure I didn't have a spine or neck injury. I have since done this again.

The day was busy and my sister came over to play with me while my mom packed up and tried to get organized for our trip. Our flight left at 5:55pm so we adjusted my nap schedule to ensure that I would sleep for at least part of my flight. We learned our lesson about pre-boarding. The airlines allow families with babies to pre-board thinking that this is some kind of huge favor. It's not. What it really means is you will sit on the airplane for an extra hour before it even moves. bad deal for a wiggly toddler. We learned on the way back to get on the plane no sooner than the final boarding call!

I was an angel on the plane, though. I slept. I played. The saving grace was a pack of stickers my sister gave me. I put them on the back of the seat. took them off. moved them to the back of the next seat. repeated this over and over and over for an hour or more.

The added bonus was that the person sitting next to us was a nanny so I sat in her lap for the last part of the flight. You know when you are flying into Seattle and you pass by Mount St. Helen's and Rainier and the trees and all of the beautiful scenery? That is about when I climbed into the nanny's lap and enjoyed her window seat.

tomorrow is lasagna day (finally)

Last week, to celebrate the temperature cooling off to less than 100 degrees, my mom made a lasagna. It is good wintertime fare. Though most people think I got a late start on solid foods, I am a good adventurous eater now. a very healthy eater. I enjoy the salad bar at Whole Foods, samosas, spanokopita, most veggies, all fruit, smoothies, but I especially love lasagna. (Yes, I am still nursing too.) I can even help my mom make smoothies by putting the fruit into the food processor.

We have had a busy Labour Day weekend. The YMCA near us was remodeled and it now has an outdoor pool. We went swimming yesterday and today. I also tried a music/dance class for tots. My mom will probably sign me up for that class. She was a bit irritated because the teacher handed me a scarf to dance with and then took it away and said "That is a girl color. Use this one instead." Who cares what color my scarf is? I just like to dance!

The new pool is so fancy with a shallow end perfect for someone little like me and it has a slide and a fountain. What a great swimmer I am. I will go swimming again tomorrow. We didn't take any photos because the YMCA forbids cameras in the pool area but we noticed that lots of parents broke the rules.

My mom promised to make me another lasagna tomorrow. I am so excited that I can barely contain myself tonight. Did I mention that I also added "lasagna" to my vocabulary??!!!!?? I ask about lasagna at every meal.