Peas & Perties

KIMPOSSIBLE 003.JPG...
Originally uploaded by Kim Laden.

I came to a conclusion just now about this little project (and I know it's early to be drawing conclusions, but just after you read this, you will think, "yep, she's right"): An everyday update is entirely too time-consuming to write and outright boring to read.

To provide evidence for this conclusion, I am going to go ahead and post the mind-numbing update about our day today:

The Dirty Circus Tent is busy, busy, busy these days what with me working part-time, B claiming to have a full-time job even though I think he would do his work for free, and The Goose crawling around all over the place. B and I try to limit our projects (so as not to become disillusioned), but there is so much we want to do to the house and yard. Currently, we are trying to refinish a chest of drawers and get our yard looking decent---all during Goose's naptimes. The front yard (and back yard for that matter) is not grass, just weeds. The back yard is respectable (covered in clover and other yard-like stuff), but the front has a layer of pine straw through which weeds pop up. Up to now the rangers have just been dousing it in herbicide to keep them down, so that's what we've done too. We'll see how that goes before we start breaking our backs trying to weed everything by hand.

In Radnor Lake news, the captive barred owl has come up missing and B's boss seems to think that someone stole it to take to a ballgame. I think it is totally preposterous that someone would steal an owl to take to a ballgame, but one of the other rangers knows someone who is a psychic who says that the owl is still alive somewhere. To prove how much she believes in the psychic, the ranger spent four hours scouring the area for the missing bird. Apparently this psychic was right several years ago when one of the other birds went missing. I am not making this up, believe me, I am not that creative.

As for The Goose, he has been nothing but a joy lately despite his growing curiosity and mobility. He is giving big hugs now and laughs so much (often without prompting from us, which is new---his toys now crack him up and of course the Baby Beethoven video). He is turning into a little boy and not being so much of a baby. I have mixed feelings about this: I like that he is becoming more independent, but I actually miss those long hours of nursing that I used to complain about (even though mostly it is just because that was easier than running around chasing him or picking up after him). He only nurses about four or five times per day now since he is eating solids and starting to learn to drink from a sippy cup. A typical day looks like ...

7:00 a.m. awake and ready to go; nurses
7:30 a.m. breakfast
8:00 a.m. playtime (this usually consists of gumming objects and/or wrestling with B)
9:00 a.m. naptime
10:00 a.m. nurses and has brunch
10:30 a.m. playtime and running errands with mom time
1:00 p.m. naptime
3:00 p.m. nurses and has a snack
3:30 p.m. playtime
6:00 p.m. dinner
6:45 p.m. bath and story time
7:15 p.m. nurses
7:30 p.m. lights out

His favorite foods are carrots, sweet peas (see above picture), and any kind of cereal mixed with breast milk. Yesterday we gave him a "biter biscuit" and he acted like a dog who has just received a good bone to gnaw on. He got really quiet and sat on the floor alternately chewing on it and holding it out to admire it.

We've been trying to teach him sign language since that's what everyone is doing these days. They say it's like teaching them a second language. Currently we are working on "milk," "eat," and "more." Whenever I say, "Do you want to EAT?" (while making the sign), he goes, "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm" and bangs his hands on the high chair tray. Whenever I say, "Do you want MORE?" (while making the sign), he goes, "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm" and bangs his hands on the high chair tray. Whenever I say, "Look, there's Dad," he goes, "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm" and bangs his hands on the high chair tray. Thus, it's not clear whether we are making progress.

And speaking of language learning, I want to teach you all a new vocabulary word. During our recent trip to Mississippi, I was reminded of a word to use when speaking about the things that Goose likes to play with: "perties." I assume this is derived from the noun phrase, "play pretty," which is "play perty" in southern-speak and can be further reduced to simply "perty." The usefulness of this noun lies in its ability to refer to any object of desire, rather than the much vaguer term, "toy." Because of The Goose's interest in kitchen utensils, handcuffs, and other everyday Dirty Circus Tent items, the term "perty" is much better than "toy." Here it is used in context:

Picture The Goose, Kimpossible, & Macy (Kim's mom) out for stroll. The Goose is holding a green "link-a-doo" (definition: small plastic ring which is capable of attaching objects to strollers and car seats; also, a desirable object in and of itself). We pass a neighbor's house (neighbor is also Macy's cousin) and they, of course, want to ooh and ahh over The Goose. We comply and as we approach, cousin says,

"Oh look, he's got him a perty."

I wonder who's going to post all these updates for me while we are in Arizona without a computer? Any volunteers?