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July 31, 2005

Holy language, Batman.

Tonight we asked Gus to pick out a book to read before going to bed.

He walked over to the shelf, perused the options, pulled out a book, and said, "Go, Dogs, Go!"

Since when do you speak in complete sentences?

I about cried.

Posted by janna at 09:44 PM | Comments (0)

Going to the boat

If you're in Council Bluffs, Iowa, saying you're "going to the boat" means something totally different than if you're Gus and living in Oak Park, IL.

In Council Blufs, "going to the boat" means you're in for a night of losing some cashola while sitting on the floating gambling machine. I worked on a river boat one summer, between college and going to Germany, as a table games assistant (actually, a fancy name for data entry clerk in the pit). What an eye-opening experience, especially working the 8pm to 4am shift... but I digress...

There is a new playground in Oak Park, the perfect toddler size playground where Gus can climb on everything and do everything on his own. One of the pieces is a boat, with a cot, and a steering wheel and and and...everything wonderful. We pretend that the cars that drive by are fish and whales. After visiting for the first time, Gus could not stop talking about the boat. It was really the first time I had noticed Gus talking about historical events (other than people). He would bring up the boat during random times... during our going to bed talking, while playing, while eating...and there were no other boats around to suggest he was talking about something in his presence.

His little brain... it is working its magic!

Posted by janna at 09:15 PM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2005

Happy Birthday, Papa

(Gus asked me to write this as he was going to bed... under the guise of 'giggles', he asked me to dictate this extra-special message)

joiu papa, (=Dear Papa,)

Happpeeeee, Happpeeeee hbionkjc! (=Happy, Happy Birthday!)

Vioko bh bjoiu v buou bh weu...ijo bij ibu ds, kjoi di. (=Thirty one is a good age to be... I imagine it is, that is.)

Yuiou joiu mmonoo, Papa! (=You're the man, Papa!)

xoxo
Gus

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Posted by janna at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)

July 26, 2005

What I will and will not remember about today

I won't remember almost getting run over by a golf cart in the parking garage this morning (and swearing profusely).

I won't remember observing people being disrespectful and rude to each other...at work.

I won't remember trying to figure out if I am the victim of identity theft (Someone wrote checks two years ago for about $2,000...and somehow those checks are associated with my social security number. Scary, people. Shred everything.)

I WILL remember how a woman at the grocery store, in the middle of this crazy rainstorm, held my umbrella over my head as I put Gus in the car.

I WILL remember seeing our neighbor's two dogs loose in the alley, soaking wet. We opened the back of our car and they willingly jumped in, even though they had no idea who the hell we were. We drove them home and finally got them to leave our warm, dry car.

It was the giving and receiving of good that I'll remember today, and I hope Gus will remember that, too. All that other stuff? Energy wasters.

Pass it on, folks...

Posted by janna at 08:17 PM | Comments (1)

July 25, 2005

Life is a sandbox

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Posted by janna at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)

Three generations

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Posted by janna at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)

You can take a boy out of Iowa

...but you can't take the 1/2 of Iowa out of him.

(get it... I'm from Iowa, Gus is half of.... nevermind)

Corn. I don't know how he does it so early in his life, but Gus is eating corn on the cob. Happily. Yummingly. Taking bites from my ear and his own ear.

I am whole Iowan (like, my uncle Jim grew corn... like, both of my parents were raised in farm country... like, if Iowa had a state vegetable, it would be corn...or would it be soybeans?). I was raised to like corn. The day I declared otherwise was pure blasphemy in my family. My uncle Ken STILL reminds me of what he called my "picky eating".

I'll eat corn now, but with every bite I can't help but think of the time I took a bite of corn, and shortly thereafter felt the wiggle of a tooth. Took a bite of hamburger...and the tooth was gone.

Why should I like corn after something like that? My chance at a dollar from the tooth fairy was stolen from me!

Posted by janna at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)

How many DeVylders does it take...

to put pajamas on Gus?

One Grampa...
One Papa...

and one Mama to document it all.

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Grampa made a surprise visit to us on his way to Los Angeles. It was so great to see Gus with him. Gus was signing and saying 'Grampa' right away. Thanks to the soft soccer ball Grampa gave Gus as a gift, Gus now walks around the living room saying, "KICK! KICK!"

(and thanks, Paul, for the SOFT soccer ball rather than the HARD soccer ball.)

Lucky us, we get to see Grampa again on Friday, when he makes his return trip home.

Posted by janna at 08:30 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2005

Fake sleeping??

Coming home from dinner out, I hear Gus in the back making what sounds to be a light whimpering sound. Since I'm driving, I turn my head as much as I can, making sure he's okay.

He is slouched down, head over to his shoulder, eyes kind of shut and breathing irregularly.

I'm thinking, is the strap choking him? Was the soup too much? One too many french fry?

I ask John to see if he thinks he's okay.

Suddenly Gus pops up and laughs and laughs... he was fake sleeping! The whimpering? Fake snoring! I asked him, are you sleeping? He instantly put his head back down, closed his eyes, and 'snored'. He even had a grumpy scowl on his face.

What else is he learning at daycare?

Posted by janna at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2005

Shoulder to shoulder

I'm not sure I can do this topic justice, but I just have to try.

Today we attended John Glick's funeral. It was the saddest, funniest, most thought-provoking, heartfelt, heart-wrenching, inspiring, community-binding memorial to John. I haven't seen John in quite a while, but his energy was everywhere, in everyone. I couldn't help but feel inspired to love more (and more openly), explore more... impact people the way John obviously and so profoundly impacted others.

There was so much pain, so many wondering why this had to happen to him, but so much celebration. So many were totally devestated, but I think the hardest part for me was seeing his Mom...I cannot fathom the loss of a child, would never want to even think about it, but watching her broke my heart.

After the service at the burial site, the Rabbi asked those in attendance to form two lines facing each other, standing shoulder to shoulder. We formed a path for the family and close friends to walk down, as a show of support for those in mourning. It was the most powerful visual representation of community, so beautiful, so hauntingly sad, but so energizing.

I was left wondering if John would be surprised at how many people were deeply impacted by him, even those of us that didn't see him often. I hope not, I hope he knew.

Peace to you, John, and everyone who loved you.

Posted by janna at 08:58 PM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2005

Roar

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When any kind of lion is mentioned, the ROAR comes.
Often Gus just roars out of the blue. In the car. Eating dinner. Just because, and why not.

Gus has also become a fan of the couch, asking for help to climb up. Once up there, we're struggling with Gus standing up. The other night I pulled out, for the first time, the old "ONE....TWO....THREE" act (how does that become an innate part of our being?). I got to one... Gus' eyes got bigger. Two... smiling. And before I could even say it, Gus drops to his butt and declares 'THREE!'

Ok, a) you can count and you never told me before this? and b) you've obviously been 'threatened' with this old trick one too many times at daycare. Way to learn your numbers.

Posted by janna at 10:12 PM | Comments (1)

Baby...

When I first pointed to my belly and said 'baby' around Gus, he pointed to his own belly and said 'sister'.

Sister?

There's a rational explanation for it...Gus' friend at daycare has a baby sister, and instead of calling her by her name, he calls her 'sister', which Gus has adopted. But still.

A few days later, while at the library, a little boy came up to me and asked, 'Where's your little girl?'
I kind of stammered and said, 'I don't have a little girl, I have a little boy.'
'No, the little girl that was with you,' he said.
'Umm, there are a lot of little girls around here.'
Then he ran away.

A message?

Anyone feel like gambling? Odds are 50/50... unless there are twins (which would be my ultimate freakout!).

Posted by janna at 09:45 PM | Comments (2)

July 15, 2005

John Glick

You will be missed. What a lovely man you were, so senseless a way to go.

Posted by janna at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)

Dear Gus,

Are you ready?

You have approximately seven months to prepare yourself for big brotherdom.

This is not a job to take lightly, oh no.

You will need to teach Baby D2 the importance of pillow piling, of bird watching, of giving Zeppo yum yums... You'll need to teach Baby D2 that it is not okay to stand up on the couch (maybe you need to teach yourself that first), that baths are fun, walks in the wagon are a blast, and that changing diapers may not be pleasant but is oh so important (I know you're not convinced of this yet...).

Things will be really different with another character in our family, but I think different in a great way. Another person to laugh with, read books with, give hugs to, eat dinner with... Someone who will have your back (once they can get off their back), and someone you can giggle with late into the night.

My belly is starting to get a little rounder (no, it's not just the ice cream), and I feel more nauseated this time around than I did with you, but then again, I didn't even know I was pregnant with you until you were about nine weeks along. Everything seems to be going really well, and I'll go see the doctor for the first time next Thursday. Luckily my doctor wasn't worried enough to see me earlier (based on my bedrest history), so I've felt less anxiety...sort of. I'm a little nervous, but don't you worry Gus, we know enough now to be as careful as we can be, and we'll find out more soon.

Until then, I'm going to gobble up my one-on-one time with you as much as I can.

Posted by janna at 09:24 PM | Comments (1)

July 11, 2005

Bye, Mom

We love you and miss you, Grandma Shirley!

(I have cute pictures of you with Gus, I'll post them when I can.)

Posted by janna at 09:47 PM | Comments (1)

July 07, 2005

Fear?

I hate that there is evil. I hate that there can be two people evaluating the same choice and both will have opposite decisions, both considered RIGHT.

One person will look at putting a backpack with a bomb on a train as pure evil, masochistic, egoistic even. Another will believe that putting that same backpack will further their cause, their belief that much more, or get them that much closer to some kind of religious or political salvation.

I look at that backpack and I think, "Gus has to live in a world where this is in the realm of possibility?"

Give the boy a break.

He already is living in a world full of STDs, HIV, AIDS.
It seems like there are incredibly nasty drugs around every corner.
He won't be able to drive a car because gas will cost $25 a gallon.
Pollution infiltrates his air and water.
A lot of the milk he drinks is probably full of hormones.
He won't be able to ride his bike freely in the street without worry of getting hurt.
He'll never get to play outside in the woods at the age of seven without me around, with only the streetlight coming on as the cue to go home.

I feel like I could go on and on with the list, but I'm upset that that is the first list I made. I hate that the fear of something happening precedes my hope.

So here goes.
I hope that we continue to list out the things that we enjoyed about the day, and the things we're thankful for, before going to bed.
I hope that people continue to look out for each other, see the best in each other.
I hope we slow down and savor.
I hope we keep the TV off as much as possible so we can sit back and watch Gus marvel in the horsefly flying around the house or listen to him tell us stories of his day.
I hope we can shield Gus from unnecessary fear and allow him to really enjoy the only time in life when you shouldn't have to worry about anything... other than, "Is the fly going to land on my head again?"

Posted by janna at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)

Fourth of July friends

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Posted by janna at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

I wish I could do this without hurting myself

Ready...set...go!

Posted by janna at 09:44 PM | Comments (0)