It's about time for more news.

Summer time is a very busy time for us, Socha.  Your Dad and I love to travel and we're trying to inflict that love on you by taking you to as many places as possible in a two-month period.  You've been to New Mexico, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Quebec (Montreal), Ontario (Toronto), British Columbia (Vancouver), 3 different border crossing via car and 1 via plane, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming (Yellowstone!).  You've met so many new people and seen a bunch of family.  And we still have one more trip coming up (to Colorado for my cousin's wedding).  Lots of driving, lots of flying, and lots of hugs and kisses for and from you.

I'm mostly going to tell the summer stories via pictures in the two photo albums below (sixteenth and seventeenth months), but I have a couple of anecdotes to pass along in addition to photos.

First of all, you have been an awesome traveling companion.  You are really well-behaved in airplanes and cars - until you get really really tired of sitting or you get really really hungry.  We've taken to offering you wheat thins to keep you from yelling as we try to reach our destination.  You really like wheat thins.  I suppose that's better than cookies.

I have been walking around with a sling on my left arm for almost two weeks now.  Whenever anyone asks how I hurt myself I have to say that I was chasing you, Socha.  It's true.  In Vancouver while Kendra and I were packing up the car to head to Yellowstone, you escaped out the garage door into a very steep alley heading toward a road.  When I shouted for you to stop, you looked back at me, grinned, and started running faster.  I gave chase, but unfortunately, just as I grabbed you, I tripped (I blame my chacos - which I had not tightened) and fell forward.  In order to not land on top of you, I guess I rolled and the next think I know, I was sitting on the ground with you in my arms (and not a scratch on you) and a lot of road rash all over my left side.  I could hardly move my left arm.  I was sobbing, and you cried in surprise, but recovered very quickly.  The adrenaline was rushing through me so when Kendra helped me clean all my wounds, it didn't hurt too badly.  I scraped up my foot, my knee, the palm of my hand, my elbow, and my shoulder.  And I clearly landed hard on my arm because it was very sore.  Of course, being on vacation, I didn't want to waste my day going to see a doctor, so I self-diagnosed and took some pain reliever.  When we got into Washington, we went to a Fred Meyer and I bought a sling so I could give my arm a rest.

A second story to come from the chase/fall incident is when we crossed the border from Canada to the USA at the Peace Arch.  The signs said we had about a 40 minute wait to cross, so even though I was hurting and sore from the morning's fall, I volunteered to take you and Jack out of the car while I went to the bathroom in the facilities made available for travelers.  I figured Kendra wouldn't get too far in the time it took me to go.  I was wrong.  By the time I finished and you and Jack ran around the building once or twice, I noticed that our car was no where in sight.  So I had to get you onto my shoulders (carrying you with just my right arm was just not going to happen) and get Jack to move at more than toddler speed to try to catch up with Kendra before she crossed the border (our passports were in the car!).  We had to walk about the length of a football field to get to the actual crossing where Kendra had only one car in front of her before crossing.  She waved at us and because we were moving so slowly and actually turned of the car, got out, and ran towards us - this is a huge no no at an international border crossing!  We think they must have seen me struggling with two little ones and let it slide because she just ran to grab Jack and get us all in the car before the other car pulled away.  We just made it.  And I definitely realized that you are getting pretty big, Socha - it's very hard to carry you far distances these days.

Your Dad and I are getting ready for the new school year to start.  Things are getting crazy busy and the summer fun is winding down.  I'll be taking you to Colorado on Tuesday next week and your Dad will join us on Thursday.  I'm hoping I can handle flying with you single-handedly one more time this summer, and that you remain a great traveling companion.

Here are pictures of the summer.  Enjoy.

Socha's Sixteenth Month

Socha's Seventeenth Month

Summertime, and the livin's easy (at the river)

Old Deerfield has some great places, but my two favorites would have to "The Rock" up on Pocumtuck Ridge, for surprisingly excellent views of the valley, and the "beach" on the Deerfield River by the JV football field. We've had so much rain this spring and early summer that there were a few weeks there where it wasn't safe/healthy to go swimming, but it's really settled down now. It's one of the most idyllic spots around, especially when the farmers and campus aren't sucking water out for irrigation (which no one is doing right now, 'cause it's so wet). I've seen bald eagles fly by, there are little freshwater mussels, and the river is one of the cleaner/colder ones around. The trees on the banks (along with holding some rope swings for when you are older, Socha) make for nice shaded beaches and dappled light. If the leaves are on the trees and it's not rush hour on nearby I-91, there's very little human sights or sound, except for the occasional kayaker or tuber floating by. The eddies in the current have lots of water bugs striding around on them, and the far side has a little rapid that makes a nice sound. But you don't really care about most of that. You are really excited that there is mud there (and sand...both are good), you can play with your bucket and shovel, and I let you throw rocks into the water. Good times. Summertime, and the living is easy.

Sand toys! Mud!

There was a crow CAWWING across the river that had you very concerned.

Throwing rocks. Daddy's phone camera is much too slow for an action shot.

Bad quality video...mostly no audio, but some nice nature sounds punctuated by Dad talking and Socha squealing with delight.

"DA-dee DA-dee!" (Biking)

Socha loves to bike. I mean really, really loves to bike.
Whenever we go downstairs, you urges us all to put on our bike helmets, even if we aren't going riding. (I'm actually not completely sure if you like biking or really just like wearing the helmet...). When you see a bike parked somewhere, you'll point and clap, exclaiming "Da-dee! da-dee!" or something like that. I once thought that "daddy" was a special word you learned to make me smile (and to refer to your father), but now I'm less convinced. Now it seems to mean "Look over there" or "I want that" and several other variants, but once in a while it seems you do mean me.
We've spent June and the first part of July mostly hanging out around Deerfield, trying to get some nice bike rides in when it's not too hot.

Mom and Socha cruising along Mill Village road in Deerfield

When we went to Albuquerque for Anna and Nick's wedding last weekend, you kept pointing out all the bikes we saw, so we broke down and rented a tandem bike with a kid trailer on  Monday, and tried tooling around the bike path that runs along what counts as a river in New Mexico (the "Rio Grande" didn't always have water in it). We learned that your mommy and daddy shouldn't really ride tandem bikes (I want to go faster than mom does down hills, for instance), that a "shady trail" in New Mexico is really only shady in comparison to the shadeless desert, and around noontime is not shady at all, and that you mother really doesn't do well in the heat/sun. You were pretty red and hot too, but not as bad as mom. You also didn't seem to dig the trailer nearly as much as you like sitting up on the seat behind mom's chair, with the wind in your hair. At one point you fell asleep in the trailer, and it was sort of like the old movie Speed, where we figured we couldn't slow down or you would wake up. We even tried turning around to pedal the other direction (away from where we were trying to go), to provide you a tiny bit of shade (no luck...you woke up soon). Perhaps we'll post some photos from that trip in your 16 month photo album.

The trip was an inspiration though - your mom and I decided that we want to try to take a multi-week biking/camping trip with you next summer. It will be a challenge, but we think we'd all have a good time if we can figure out the logistics. I went to a few bike stores here in Greenfield this week to look at a new bike that would be more appropriate than my old mountain bike for a long road tour. I was taking care of you, so I brought you along. I left you as collateral (strapped into the stroller) with a few different bike shop managers as I test rode some bikes. I thought you would be mad to be tied down in the stroller or upset when I left, but you just loved hanging out in the bike store and ogling all those bikes.
We were reading you "Make way for ducklings" yesterday, and you actually starting hugging the book when we turned the page to one that had a man riding a bicycle. You eventually also hugged a few duck drawings, but you were certainly most affectionate to the bike. Daddy's going to go buy one of hte new bikes I test rode the other day, and then I'll be able to put the Socha-carrier seat onto my bike as well as mom's. Then we'll really be able to move around exploring, with the wind in  your hair. Yay for bikes!

Happy Fifteen-Month Birthday!

We celebrated your 15-month birthday by taking you sailing.  It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and we drove up to Vermont and Harriman Reservoir for the second outing of our sailboat.  You were such a good sport and you actually only got a little crabby when we stayed out a bit too long and you were desperate for a nap.  You slept on the ride home and we got home a bit late, but instead of putting you right to bed (and you even tried to tell us that was what you wanted, since you turned on your sound machine and went straight to the bathtub), we took you on a short bike ride to see the magical fire flies that dance in the fields after the sun has gone down.  We were a little early on the ride out, but as we headed back home, the fireflies were out in force and it was beautiful.  There's no way to get a picture that could do it justice - the fields just look like there are little stars dancing around/above them.  Absolutely magical.  It's possible that you didn't really appreciate that magic last night, but I look forward to sharing that special moment with you some day.  After we finally got you to bed, your Dad and I had some ice cream to complete a perfect trifecta of a summer day (sailing, ice cream, and fire flies).

Today we had another summer day trifecta.  And probably kept you up a tiny bit too late - but you certainly enjoyed the evening.  We left home at around 4:30pm and headed down to South Deerfield on our bikes to enjoy some ice cream at the little shop down there (about a 1/2-hour ride).  Then we rode back toward home and stopped at our river spot and let you play in the water until about 7pm.  You have learned to love the water so much (or at least the mud at the edge of the water) that you cry when we take you away.  Bike ride, ice cream, river.  Two perfect summer days in a row.

Since I never posted month 14, here is that photo album:

And here is month 15:

On a side, note, Flickr has changed its formatting, and will display the photo sets as tiles.  They look pretty neat, but you have to hover your mouse over each photo to see the title and if there is any additional information in the description, the only way to see it is by clicking on the individual photo. Links below.

Month 14:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountainpiratephoto/sets/72157634220784969/

Month 15:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountainpiratephoto/sets/72157634220903997/

Comprehension

Suddenly you know what we're talking about. It's crazy. A few days ago when you were reading pre-bedtime stories, I asked you "Would you like some more milk?" I didn't really expect an answer, except maybe a smile or semi-clap. Instead you grinned and handed me your bottle. "Hit me with another, bartender!"

Two weeks ago, also at bedtime, you looked at me, grinned real big, and said "Dad-eee!" My heart grew about 4 sizes. Your previous only words had been "Hi!" and "Uh-eee". I'm hoping you'll figure out "Mama" soon, but I've been amazed at what you have figured out. You haven't used any more words, but, man, do you understand a lot. Comprehension is coming on fast.

Any mention of the word "outside" and you will toddle over to the gate on top of the stairs. "Can you please let me in?" and you'll open the gate (after I unlatch it). You'll close the gate behind me too. "Do you wanna go for a bike ride?" and you'll grin and clap, heading for the stairs. On the stairs you'll be sure we both grab our helmets, even if we're NOT going for a bike ride. Several times recently you've had us both out on the quad, wearing our helmets, just toddling around. Safety first!
You definitely get "Are you hungry?" and " Do you want to eat?" You seemed to have learned that you shouldn't play with electrical cords and the trash can, and are generally pretty obedient about that. (Thanks!) If we're sitting playing and I ask you to get something and bring it to me, you usually can (though you don't always choose to), even when I just use words and don't point. I'm at a loss right now for all the phrases you seem to understand (they increase daily), but it really is quite impressive.

Random other thoughts...
when you want something, you often clap, point, and say "Hi!" (variable pronounciation, but often "Hi-yeee"). Sometimes you spin or stick your head down on the ground (butt in the air), or almost run or  appear to be auditioning for minister of silly walks. It's random, but entertaining.

Your current likes
mulch (still), mud puddles, bike rides, rubber duckies, the buckets in the bath, dropping things down the storm drain grate (including a wiffle ball bat a month or two ago), the swing, wearing your bike helmet, the ball popper (you often run first thing in the morning to the living room to turn this on), your crayons (which you always try to eat), your percussion instrument set (which we have to take away when you start throwing them), your books (especially stacking your books, then restacking them somewhere else...you could do this for hours), the sandbox, cottage cheese, bread, wheat thins

current favorite books -
 Ni-hao Kailan, we just started the spot book (loved it the first time) and quiet bunny (loved it the first time), Pajama Time (at bedtime, of course), and the Charley Harper ABC book (in which you love to point to the different animals and make Mom tell you what each one is. We were impressed when you pointed to an elephant, we told you what it was, and then asked you "Where is the other elephant?" and you immediately found it, even though it is portrayed as  mirror image, not identical.)

you're as tall as most of the two 2-year-olds we see, and often bigger too. You walk kind of ostrich like, with your belly pooched out and a big booty to counterbalance, held on your massive thighs. It's pretty damn cute. Today you were really into a soccer ball and a mini-basketball that the older neighbor kids were playing with - you were following them around, trying to get a piece of the action. You actually made a few half-decent soccer-type dribbles with the basketball.

You've never yet been shy or bashful or afraid of strangers, or dogs.

You've had a bit of a rough month healthwise - you got a cold around Memorial Day after visiting Ella & Micah, which turned into an ear infection. When we gave you antibiotics, you had a drug reaction. Then a horrific diaper rash started, with blisters and everything. Life's pretty lousy when just peeing makes you cry out in pain. But it seems to be much better now (though not yet gone), and even though it looks like it might still be painful, you're definitely not letting it get you down.

You celebrated the end of classes here at Deerfield by promptly getting up 2 hours earlier than usual (6 am instead of 8 or 8:30) for several straight days, then going for 4am. That was fun. Part of that was the ear infection, but most of that was your general impishness.

You squeal with delight and make squinchy faces, you live your life con gusto, and you make ours so much more interesting. I hope that our summer is full of great exploration for you. We've already taken you on your first sailboat ride (Barton's Cove on our new sailboat, yet to be named), and you dug it. You stood up in the cockpit and the boom was still safely over your head (thankfully). You kept trying to reach out and touch the water, and mom had to hold on tight so you didn't abandon ship. i think you'll love your time at McCollum Lake this summer!

It's been a lot of fun...so much more fun than a year ago, when you were hazing us with your colic.
I can't wait to take you hiking in the white mountains in New Hampshire, and sailing some more, and Mom will take you to Yellowstone...it will be a great summer.

The urine incident

Though this might be embarrassing for you some day, I have to relate this story because it was pretty funny at the time.

Often when we are getting your bath ready for you each evening, we will let you run around naked for a little while.  Usually after having to remove a soiled diaper.  We figure you enjoy the fresh air and you are so doggone cute running around naked that we can't stop ourselves from watching and smiling at your hijinks. 

Now, sometimes, if we're not paying close enough attention, you will squat and pee and suddenly there's a spot on the carpet or a puddle on the wood floor.  No big deal - easy to clean up.  And our fault for not watching you at all times. 

But two nights ago this usually harmless situation got just a bit out of hand. 

I was setting up your bathtub in the kitchen sink.  I think your Dad had stepped away for a moment.  When he came back in, he asked incredulously, "Did she pee? Is she playing in her own pee?!"  That's when I looked down and saw that, yes, in fact, you were running your hands through a puddle that wasn't there moments ago.  We had a good laugh at that. 

Then I quickly got a towel to wipe the floor (and you) with, but I wasn't fast enough.  You took a couple of steps through the puddle and your feet flew right out from underneath you and you fell backwards, landing with a splash and unfortunately, bonking your head on the hardwood floor. 

Needless to say, you were very upset.  We're not sure if you were more upset about your head or from sheer embarrassment...

Luckily, the bath distracted you (and cleaned you) and you were no worse for wear.

So busy

Yes, the title of this is my excuse for not updating this blog recently, but it is also a description of you these days, Socha.  You are one busy little girl.  There are so many things grabbing your attention and you are constantly on the move.  Every day your walking gets faster and your balance improves.  You fall down less - but definitely still fall down, and get pretty angry about it sometimes - and you walk with purpose.  I love hearing your footsteps coming down the hall or towards my office.  So full of gusto!  You've been walking long distances too.  Still not entirely in the direction(s) we would like to you to go, but we get there eventually.  Every leaf, pile of dirt, candy wrapper, bird, squirrel, stick, mulchy area, bush, set of stairs, apple core, orange skin, flower, rock, toy, other child, bike, golf club bag (I have no idea what those are actually called), scooter, fence, brick in the sidewalk, piece of paper, pile of grass, piece of cement, etc. grabs your attention and practically stops you in your tracks.  And you definitely put a lot of these things in your mouth, often to immediately spit them out, which is pretty funny to watch.  You love being outside and now that Spring has finally sprung, outside is the best place for us all to be.  The sun is shining, the air is warm, the birds are singing, the trees are blooming, your parents are sneezing.  Oh the trees around campus are gorgeous!  So many flowers and so much pollen.  So far (knock on wood) you aren't showing too much of an allergic reaction.  Maybe some swollen eyes in the morning - but that could simply just be waking up.  I so hope you don't end up getting allergies like your Dad and I have.

There are bunches of things you've started doing recently.

• passive resistance such as going completely limp when we try to get you to walk in a different direction
• grown out of trash can obsession
• chewing on books as a game
• helping close the gate at the top of the stares
• pushing on doors to get them to open
• climbing on boxes
• magnets
• banging the table like a drum
• you love dogs - to the point that I'm a little worried you might get nipped
• sign language - sort of: diaper change, happy (clap), all done
• learning body parts - head, hair, ears, feet
• playing chase - your giggle when we do this simply warms my heart
• swim lessons, and you just walked right into the frigid Deerfield River last weekend
• splashing in the bath
• drinking from a sippy cup
• transitioning from formula to milk
• asking for shoes to be put on
• begging for bread, then actually eating some of it
• eating some solids like pasta, squash, chicken, carrots
• showing us Bonnie the bear when you are ready for some milk
• temper tantrums - sometimes you have a really short fuse
• hugs to stuffed animals, and kisses
• asking for specific books at bed time (for a while it was Goodnight San Francisco, then The ABC's by Charley Harper, and now it's Going on a Bear Hunt)
• singing when you're content
• stacking blocks
• kicking balls
• pointing at things in books
• riding on Dad's bike
• soon to be riding in your new bike seat (this coming weekend!)

I'm sure there are many things that I haven't included here, but I'll use my allergy headache as an excuse for not remembering everything.

Here's the most recent photo album that shows you doing many of the things I've described above...



And finally, this is a nice letter written by some little girl's dad (our cousin, Elizabeth, found this - Thank you!).  I would like you to read and take these words to heart, Socha.  And I would add that if "he" turns out to be a "she", the same rules apply.  :)