The truth about Autumn

So we have been very lucky with our little puppy. She has always been healthy, well trained, smart, active and full of life. Never would we have imagined that she would have any problems but our poor little puppy has been growing old and as all living beings age there are always problems. For the last two and half weeks we have been dealing with a dog that hates being indoors, being on bed rest in the hopes that she would heal. However, she did not and today she had x-rays revealing that apparently she has been playing too much football! A torn CCL (Cranial Crutiary Ligament) is the verdict. So our beloved puppy will be going in for surgery in the next few days and hopefully all will be well. Unfortunately this does mean that she will be out of commission for a while and that she will miss our annual bounce fest in the snow =( So sad! Please send Autumn your good thoughts for a safe surgery and good recovery and we will continue to do the best we can for her! Thanks!

Update!
So we have come to the rehabilitation stage of surgery. The surgery only took a few hours and she had an overnight stay in the Vet Hospital. Autumn is now home and happily dozing in her bed with us! It will take 8 weeks for some normalness to return but we are mostly happy that she will have little to no further pain in her knee. We are looking forward to her improved movement and hope that she will be bound through the snow by next December!

We voted and then watched History happen!

We voted and then spent the evening worrying about the results. We are not completely out of the woods yet here is California but for the nation we have some relief. Barack Obama is our President-Elect and I am proud to be a part of this historic event and to be able to say that our country may be moving into a new and positive direction if Mr. Obama is the man we have come to know him to be! I am excited to see...

Times they are a'changin'

So today was the time change (for those in states that do not do this time change, it is the time when we lose 1 hour). When Isabel was first born I was asked many times if I found it difficult when the time changed. She was born in February so our first change was in the spring when she was about 2 months old, didn't notice anything, but that was probably because she had only just figured out the whole night and day thing and was just starting to sleep at night more than during the day. The next change was in the fall when Izzy was about 9 months and we were just starting to get her to sleep in her own bed and she was still having trouble sleeping through the night because of that change. There was still very little structure to her sleep and waking and she had two naps in the day still. So I do not remember it being that influential on any of her sleep or affecting our sleep that much. This Spring, there was nothing that could affect us, being that we were barely keeping up and Isabel still had two naps a day so we filled our days with sleep rather than activity. This change in the time, however, has had a significant affect on all of us. Isabel gets up at the crack of dawn every morning and this morning was more crackin' than usual as she woke at her normal time in a time of change!!!! So we were off whack by an hour all day. She napped early, she ate early, she needed to be exercised and tired out early and because of all of this, she went to bed... late? Well, Earl said we should push her bedtime to a little later and that appeared to work but it has been an insane day of change!

It takes a village...

When you think of the say "It takes a village...", do you think that because the village is going to pitch in and give you some relief that you, as the actual parent, are going to freed from some responsibility? Or do you think that maybe because you are not all knowing, all seeing and all doing that maybe, just maybe you might need some help? I take issue with both sides and here is why: Those that feel that are devoid of responsibility are shirking their duty and letting the village deal with their manipulative, out of control offspring and those that do not allow the village to help and feel that the village might corrupt their offspring are doing them a disservice by not giving them every opportunity possible! What ever happened to people being in the middle of the road? The more parents I am exposed to the more I realize that my little bubble of friends and acquaintances from college do not appear to be the majority or even equal to the amount of people who feel that their children should be raised in a bubble and then release them to the wilds of the world as a teenager and expect them to survive! Isabel bit a child last week... the next day she was bitten in return, knowing Isabel and her consciousness of consequence (even at the tender age of 20 months), she will probably hesitate the next time she tries to take her frustration out on another child by biting them (she will probably smack them instead)! I do not believe that she would learn this lesson, and many more, if I did not give over her care to another in the village for a portion of her day. On the other hand, I DO NOT expect her teacher or any of the other adults at her school to do my job as a parent, then are not responsible for transporting her, for feeding her during the times that she is not at school, for making sure she is clothed and given shelter, to take her to doctor or even make me take her to the doctor (unless it is a mandated reporting situation). These things are my responsibility and later, when she has homework and other school duties these too, are my realm of responsibility. Earl and I are in charge of helping her grow up and keeping in touch with her teachers and her friends and her friends parents, etc. Not the random (though sometimes wonderful) people in the village that I leave her with during my days of work, I am still her parent and we parents made this choice, consciously hopefully, to be responsible for this life. How is it, then, that I work in a school where I am expected to take the role of the parent for 300 odd teenagers that already have parents? When did it become the responsibility of the village to discipline the children that they are not responsible for? Why are there people/parents in this world who feel that they are not personally responsible or social responsible for their childrens' lives and behavior and schooling and upbringing? Our kids are already entitled as it is, why do we have to deal with parental entitlement too! I have found myself evaluating my own parenting (reminder, my daughter is only 20 months) and find myself is fear and horror that this is how I will be when Isabel is older. So engrossed in work and trying to lead my own life that I forget that I chose to devote my life to raising another human being. Our roles as a parent never end and I cannot understand the attitude that village will corrupt the baby but when we are finished with the teenager that is the villages problem to fix. Come on people... man-up!

Summer is truly over...

And the summer has come to a close and no it is not because of the Equinox that occurred on Monday of last week, rather it is because we just attended the final game of the regular Baseball season and the last game for our 2008 Giants. It was a sad day but a good day. Not only did all three of us get to attend this game and enjoy the experience of AT&T Park but the SF Giants did win most elegantly against the "most hated" Dodgers! It was a beautiful day in the City and Isabel, I think, was the most aware of the atmosphere and the excitement that happens at a live baseball game. Isabel's first game was Opening Day 2007, she was approximately 7 weeks old, and I have watched her grow up in her attitude when attending games and it was amazing to watch her enjoy the day! Earl, on the other hand, was sad and repeated many times that he wouldn't have baseball until April, even though there are playoffs well into October, and I could hear the sadness around the Ballpark knowing that they would not back for a game until the new season. I never realy mourn the end of the season so much as the solidification that summer is truly over and I will have to wait for another 6 months for the sunshine, smell of grass and the 7th inning stretch! Vamos Gigantes! Now for football!

Enjoying my life...

It's amazing how slight changes can make such a big difference in how you lead your life! It has only been about 2 months since I started my new, part-time job and I have found myself happier, healthier and most importantly less stressed. I did not realize until I started this job how stressed and unmanageable my life had become. I was living on the edge of chaos everyday and I was forgetting how to enjoy my family and friends because I was so busy attempting to stay balanced. In the past 2 months I have learned to cook again, found new hobbies (one of which is this blog), finished some books and started new ones and most importantly rediscovered my family! I have found myself just sitting with nothing to do and nothing on my mind and realizing that I have stuff I could fill my time with! I feel that I have more time to enjoy the things I remember enjoying a few years (did I say years!) ago... I might just take up my crochet again, who knows. This is a great revelation and I happy to have had it and to share it. If you in cyberspace have any suggestions as to what I should do with some of my spare moments please share... I will continue to peruse my thoughts and take lots of time to enjoy both Earl and Isabel!

Things once thought Childish...

So I spoke a little in my last about my new venture into Children's music, which is not so far fetched for me, similar to my cartoon watching habit, it was not a difficult road to get to the younger version of children's music and TV. A little bit of Dora, her cousin Diego, the Backyardigans, Kipper and Thomas the tank engine, stir and repeat daily (the same episodes mind you) and you've got some age appropriate stuff that Izzy can watch. Same on the music front, in fact if I change her music routine during bath time she gets mighty upset, in fact, down-right belligerent! However, when it comes to children's books I am completely useless. I have some favorites from my childhood and so does Earl but those books are from times when we were older, more patient and had the attention span of a normal human being. Try reading "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" when the page is being turned by you 19 month old because it took you too long to read the 15 words on the page! Not only it difficulty but it is also dangerous for our poor books, more than once I have been in fear of torn pages and bent covers. I must say that I like to teach a respect for books and being that I managed to keep my books in one piece for future use (now), I want Isabel's books to have that same chance. So what do you read a 19 month old who loves to be read to but cannot sit for long and needs a constant change of scenery? Well, I have bought many board books, some just word/vocabulary building books, some with short stories, some with longer stories but none have been so popular as the Sandra Boynton books. I discovered these books in Portland, OR at the Powell's bookstore, largest book store in western states (I swear it has everything!). The first books I bought were "The Belly Button Book" and "Snuggle Puppy", how can resist any book about Hippos and their belly buttons and puppies? I thought they were cute and figured even if Isabel wasn't interested, Earl and I might enjoy them. Well, they were inspirational to us, we became involved in the books and by association Isabel became fascinated and engaged! These are good books, I haven't had to switch out her books in over a month because she was so happy with them and we (the 'rents) weren't getting tired of them. It is amazing that the last time I remember knowing anything about children's book was when I was interning in a kindergarten classroom and the popular books that were winning awards are now considered classics.
I guess what I am trying get at is that it has been an easy transition from adult TV and music to children's TV and music but when it comes to books finding the right kind of books that we can live with in happiness and repetition has been a long hard road but what we have gotten in the end was definitely worth the search!

Life to a Soundtrack

Anyone who knows Earl and I knows that we have a music library that combined takes up half our house (only rivaled by our book collection). We both love music and in fact I believe that was something we connected on early in our friendship/relationship. Earl has always lived his life like it was based on a soundtrack and I never realized how music could evoke such emotion and memory until I began Isabel's collection of music. Isabel's collection is a hodge-podge of music I have bought her since before she was born and my own mother's loving and clumsy attempt to preserve the records of my childhood on her computer and cd. I have played some of this music for her already and find myself lost in an attempt to remember how I felt and what I did when I heard this music as a child. I wonder if she will remember anything from hearing this music now and how much she has enjoyed it. I am so excited that she is so in tune with music and even more that Earl and I will have the opportunity to infect her with our personal love of music! As you read this blog I hope you enjoy a little taste of some of our favorites from our collection. There is a little something for everyone in our musical tastes!

Reflection

I have been thinking a lot lately... possibly because I have more time: working part time and baby is actually sleeping at a decent hour and through the night! But what ever the cause I have been thinking and therefore reflections over my life, my choices, my expereinces, my regrets (though I claim to have none) and my future come with my thoughts. Much has happened to me since I left home for college and I feel that that is when I my real life started, away from my parents, away from the safety nets, and away from the familiarity of 18 years. So to continue, within my reflection I have some fears and I find that most of my real fears began the day I gave birth to my daughter. I suddenly realized that she would be the center of my world and the person I would think of before myself in all my decisions and struggles, if I regretted something it would make a serious impact on her. So I have been cautious and thought everything through in fashion that would make sure I was doing the right thing for her and would keep our family entact. I feel that we (my husband and I together) have done the best we could for her in our decisions but how do we know. She does not talk all that much (definitely not articulating well) and she cries over spilled milk (literally), so how do we know we doing right by her. Well, I have decided that she is clothed, fed (even when we don't eat), she has entertainment, gets to spend time with us, and have a roof over her and bed to sleep in. She doesn't get ignored, or left at random people's house, I haven't gone out with my girlfriends since Tracy's wedding and my husband, Earl, and I try to take care of our relationship in the time that we have when we are not sleeping!
So, as with anything there is always work to do BUT I feel that I am doing everything within my power to make Isabel the healthiest, happiest, and most well- rounded little girl I can, while encouraging her independence and growth everyday! I love being a mommy and everyday she does something to remind of that (right after she does something crazy) =)

Evolution of a Person

So as I warned in my previous blog, my life revolves around my family and here is my first post about Isabel! I have spent last two years wondering, worrying, loving, exploring and chasing this little person and I wanted to introduce her to you.
Isabel is my angel but she is also known as "Gozer, the destructor", she is my little cuteness, and my little manipulator! I love to watch her and in the last 6 months I have watched her grow and change at a rapid pace! Here are some pictures to give you a feel for her evolution and a little look at my reflection over the last 2 years of growth!

Starting is the Hardest Part...

So I have just started a new job/adventure and though I was apprehensive about changing jobs AGAIN for the third time in 5 years, I am finding that I am enjoying myself and feeling somewhat settled in my new position. Now, I have learned in my experiences, that nothing is permanent and things may change again by the end of the school year but I could see myself staying at this position for a lengthy period of time! I have to keep my hopes in check, though, and see where it takes me with the faith that we will always persevere in the end.
This little narrative all leads to beginning this blog. As a child and young adult I was always told to keep a journal and I have tried many times to do so. I usually give up after about 1 month of entries, in my most tumultuous times in High School I may have made it for about 2-3 months, but I am trying to commit to keeping this up. I would like to be able to put my thoughts here and talk about the many changes I see happening every day/week in my life. I will probably forget to write some days and weeks and I will find that I will have nothing to say sometimes but I can at least put something down when I feel that I have thoughts that need to expressed!
So this is the beginning and here is hoping there will be many more blogs that will hopefully not bore you to death! By the way, just in case you don't know me, many of my blogs will probably be about my family because my husband and daughter are the center of my world!