Keep Your Distance

Last Monday, G'ma D joined eaw and mdw for a holiday party sponsored by the early intervention program that has supported us so much. It was a great party, and both g'ma and mdw were touched by the incredible diversity and goodwill that was present at the party. eaw enjoyed pizza and juice, face painting (he chose a Christmas tree), cookie-making (especially the purple frosting), and viewing Santa from afar (still a bit terrified of the bearded fellow). He did NOT enjoy the life size characters that were roaming around the party. He had a hyper-awareness of the exact whereabouts of each character and remained fully anxious if one of them was within a 10 foot radius of our location (notice him nervously pointing out a nearby character to G'ma). As we left the party, we were given a gift bag that included a beautiful hand-made quilt, a stuffed animal, and a farmer in the dell toy that is one of eaw's favorites. We feel grateful to be celebrated and treated with such warmth and generosity.

Grandma D visits!

We had a lovely visit from grandma D. She was able to "squeeze" us in between meetings New Orleans and Washington D.C., and we were so glad for her visit. She creates beautiful environments, whether tangible or intangible, wherever she goes. mdw particularly enjoyed a morning at a local furniture store where mom upgraded mdw's choices for furnishing the new living room. mdw would have gone for her default sporty-casual, but cmd brought her typical style and flair to the occasion, suggesting an eclectic ensemble that feels like creative expression. Thanks mom for your generosity of time, resources, talent, and laughter. We can't wait to have you back in the new living room.

eaw loved (LOVED) playing with grandma. Part of her visit was to celebrate his birthday a bit early since we will be east of the Mississippi for his 2nd birthday and Christmas. Grandma and Grandpa D bought eaw a fantastic wood kitchen set, which mdw and mom set out to assemble while eaw was at daycare. Four hours, 23 steps, and a gazillion parts later, we finished the assembly. Tah- Dah:
The best part, of course, was eaw's sincere thrill and satisfaction with the new gift. The pictorial series shows it all. Thanks G'ma and G'pa !

Winter Wonderland

We are busy celebrating the holiday season, finding magic in the mundane and creating memories and traditions for ourselves as a new family. I'm not going to lie, as trite as it is, I am finding the joy of Christmas again through the eyes of my son. I even got a little teary at the end of "Elmo's Christmas Countdown," ( a gift from grandma D) not because of the content per se, but because of the excitement and thrill in eaw's dancing and clapping. I know he doesn't "get it" yet, and mtw and I are still debating how we want to structure the whole Christmas scenario, but it sure is fun. Last Thursday, we ventured out into the freezing cold to find a tree. Again, we struggled with the environmental costs and impact of a live vs. an artificial tree, but talked ourselves into the real thing as this was our first holiday with eaw and in a new home. Yikes, I guess that sort-of justification leads to a global environmental crisis. Nonetheless, we found a gorgeous frasier fir that smells like heaven. Since we are a little house poor, we bought an extra big one to take up the extra space in our living room. mtw's friend, Terrence, came over to help us decorate. It's a great tree!

Later in the week, we visited the "Festival of Lights" at Alum Creek during grandma D's visit and enjoyed some beautiful and some rather odd Christmas lights. For example this depiction of a hottie nurse, and Santa giving a shot to a deer in the buttox. The festival also included a very over commercialized Santa's shop that sold snowmen in boots with shotguns, among other holiday items. Still, eaw loved the lights and enjoyed looking at Santa through the window at the store (the line was WAY too long to wait for a moment with the man who is still a little bit terrifying to eaw). Other holiday highlights include a visit to the Franklin conservatory where eaw enjoyed a holiday train exhibit and gingerbread competition. On Thursday evening , mtw and I enjoyed our first school performance. eaw's daycare sponsored a holiday concert that included adorable songs and sweet performances by the children. The program began with the children entering the darkened room carrying candles. It was so beautiful and so hopeful. eaw stood in his spot and participated with some gestures and smiles. His big moment was singing the "wish" during the lyric of "We wish you a Merry Christmas," although I thought his portrayal of a spinning dreidel was spot on! Here's a shot from the after -party:

THE DONUT - a pictorial expose

Guitar Hero, Snowfall, and COSI

We all slept in today, after a very busy week and many late nights. mdw had a successful premiere of a new work she created on OSU students this week. The content of the piece was the Guitar Hero phenomenon so the entire creation, rehearsal, and performance process was truly enjoyable. There was definitely craft involved, but there was also some serious play. mdw collaborated on the piece with mtw’s friend Clifton who plays with the Blue Man Group in NYC – he performed live electric guitar in the piece. Clifton stayed at our house during the week, so there were many late nights catching up and laughing. It was good to have him here. There were also many late nights for eaw as his parents overlooked the fact that they would both be obligated to the rehearsals and performances all week, and forgot to get a babysitter. He came along every evening and was a trooper, flirting with the tech crew, performers, and patrons – he seems very comfortable in his own skin and loves to watch the dancers perform. Still, he was very tired and slept in until 9am today – unheard of from him! We had pancakes for breakfast, and enjoyed watching the first true snow fall of the season. Later in the day, we headed to COSI (a dynamic hands-on science center) for an event with the COFLAC group (Central Ohio Families with Latin American Children). COSI has an amazing open playroom for children under five, and eaw was thrilled with the outing, running from station to station. Favorite stops were the water play area, and the indoor treehouse. Just like the visit to the farm in October, it was good to be with families that resembled ours – to share stories, to exchange ideas about how to keep our children’s culture of origin in their lives, and to engage with peers for eaw.

Thanksgiving

This year, I am thankful that I am exhausted more often than not, that my patience is being tried, that I am renegotiating my identity, and that I usually have food stains on my clothes...
...life is abundant, plentiful, and promising.

We finally got ourselves to Cincinnati to visit our Meaders cousins who are living there. The drive was short and easy, and we questioned why we hadn't done it earlier. The day was so lovely - great food, beautiful home, gorgeous weather, pleasant company, humorous conversation, and serious game-playing. Thanks, Billy and Suseanne for hosting us! We'll get you next year. eaw loved the cranberry, apple crisp that was served - repeatedly asking for more "balls" (cranberries). Here's a before and after shot from the day.

Washington DC

My parents called a few weeks back to invite eaw and me to join them in DC for a weekend, while my mom had work in town. They were missing eaw and figured DC was as close as it was going to get now that we live in the mid(-dle of nowhere)west. It was a fabulous weekend, and eaw and I both enjoyed the doting grandparents. They were so generous, getting us a room with them at the Willard, sharing delicious meals (including a fantastic sushi restaurant where eaw embedded sticky rice into the floor, the walls, and his clothing). My mom was tied up in meetings during the day (notice eaw "helping" her organize her papers), so dad, eaw and I wandered along the Mall, and took several visits to the newly open Museum of American History, where we enjoyed a photo op with George Washington himself. eaw particularly loved the Museum of Natural History with the animal and dinosaur exhibits. I had the sheer delight of spending time with my dear friend Diane and her two energetic boys. We made a playdate at the Building Museum, where they have a wonderful playroom full of construction materials and activities. eaw was enamored of her older son (notice him staring at him in the mirror in the picture below- watching his every move) and ran around the grand entry hall of the museum with her younger son (who is just a month younger than eaw). I loved seeing her, and was grateful to be with her and her boys. She's an old friend of mine, and we've been through many stages together. I was touched as she commented on her joy in witnessing me as a mother. She's a good friend. The weekend was good for my soul (and for my body, as well, as I finally emerged from a lingering sinus infection). Thanks, mom and dad!Meanwhile, back at the ranch, mtw spent the entire weekend painting our new home. He finished the kitchen, basement, bathroom, and my office (pictures to follow soon). I think he lost a few brain cells from the fumes, but he gained major points in the "honey-do"arena.