We had a big windstorm in Seattle on December 14, including the highest winds recorded in more than 10 years (peaks gusts of about 70mph in Seattle). More than a million people in the area lost power. We never did, fortunately, although it flickered a lot. We did lose our cable, and therefore our TV and Internet. For 36 hours! It was horrible! :) We were the lucky ones. Some people didn't get their power back until Christmas.
I went out to get the paper in the morning. There was no paper (printing plant lost power, no paper for the first time in 54 years!) but there were a bunch of shingles in the yard. "Hmm," I thought, "those look like our shingles." We lost a patch of shingles about 3x8 feet from the house roof. I was able to make a pretty good patch with thick plastic sheet and strip material (to hold it down) that I had laying around from the garage project. Roofers in the area are quite busy, but I checked on the patch (from the attic) last night in a downpour and it was dry as a bone. I think this weekend I'll try to replace the shingles myself.
My headline, "Storm of the Century," is a comment on how breathless television news has to be every time a cloud comes by in recent years. If you believe them, every little weather system we get is "dangerous".
By the way, I bike commuted the day of the storm and rode home during its peak period. Somehow, though, my ride was during a lull. There wasn't much wind at all once I got out of downtown. However, there was plenty of rain. In one section I was riding through 6 inches of water for about 100 yards. We got over an inch of rain in an hour.
At one point in my commute I travel on a bike path that passes under a large bridge. It's dark underneath. I have a headlight, but it doesn't illuminate the ground like car headlights do. I noticed a different texture on the path and slowed a little, but soon found myself riding through a mudslide that had come down an adjacent hill across the path. It was about 6 inches of wet mud. I managed to stay up and ride through it (about 50' long). Then I scrambled around to find some cones to warn other cyclists of the danger. My bike is in serious need of a bath.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Monday, December 4, 2006
Charlotte Turns One
Charlotte's first birthday was last Monday. We didn't have any huge celebrations since she wouldn't know any better anyway. Audrey was pretty excited about Charlotte's birthday because it meant she got to have cake. Can't blame her for that! And Audrey helped make the cupcakes.
It seems like a lot has happened since my last post. November was the rainiest month *ever* in Seattle. It seemed like it would never end. And then at the end of the month we had a little sun, then a snowstorm that paralyzed the city. It only snowed about 3 inches, but it then turned icy and cold for a few days so the ice wouldn't melt. I couldn't commute by bike for most of a week. Downtown Seattle is close to sea level but most of the neighborhoods are on hills or require going over hills to get to or from. So it was interesting to have a struggle to get out of one's neighborhood only to get downtown and be unable to tell that snow had even fallen.
Charlotte continues to improve her walking skills. She's also become quite chatty lately. And a couple of days ago she started making gestures that mean something: she'll now point at something and then at herself and speak. We're pretty sure she's saying "Please give that thing over there to me." The only problem is that we never quite know which object has caught her eye. We can give her the item we think she's pointing at, but then she'll just point in the same general direction again.
The snowstorm we had was the first one we've had since Audrey was born, I think. It was definitely the first one she ever went out and played in. She loved it. She didn't like touching the snow, though. Neighbor boys were throwing snowballs and she thought she'd join in. But as soon as her hand (bare, because she refused to wear mittens) touched the snow she had had enough of that.
Audrey has recently taken another cognitive step. We can't ever put our finger on exactly what has changed, but we've seen this many times. All of sudden something is just different about her. The night it was snowing she was up late. Carol sneaked her out of her room conspiratorially and opened the front door so Audrey could watch it snow by the streetlight. Audrey said it was beautiful. Earlier, when I asked if she wanted to go for a walk in the snow, she said "Oh, that would be perfect!" Yesterday while driving I criticized another driver. From the back seat we heard, "Daddy, that not very fair."
Immediately behind our house is Schmitz Park, a wooded city park that mainly consists of a ravine draining from our neighborhood at the top of the West Seattle ridge all the way down to Alki Beach. It's about a 15 minute walk from here to the beach via trails. Today it was cold but sunny, so we put the girls in their backpack carriers and took the walk. Then we walked along the seawall for a bit and took the bus back up the hill. Audrey declared it a "good adventure." We don't take advantage of the park nearly enough - that's only the second time we've done it in the 14 months we've lived here.
Months ago some friends turned us on to a woman who works as a part-time nanny on a flexible basis. Last week Carol called her and had her come over for an initial visit. Her name is Jessica and she's a retired Head Start teacher. She works for many families on as as-needed basis. The girls loved her, so now we're getting set up to have her come for half a day once a week. That will be a welcome break for Carol.
We've made plans to visit my parents in Palm Desert, CA in early March. We haven't taken a trip in two years, so we're really looking forward to it. If all goes as planned and Charlotte is weaned by then, Carol and I will get to go to Las Vegas for a couple of nights while the girls stay with Grandma and Grandpa.
Carol and I are constantly in awe of our good fortune. It's exhausting having two kids this young, but oh so rewarding and fun.
It seems like a lot has happened since my last post. November was the rainiest month *ever* in Seattle. It seemed like it would never end. And then at the end of the month we had a little sun, then a snowstorm that paralyzed the city. It only snowed about 3 inches, but it then turned icy and cold for a few days so the ice wouldn't melt. I couldn't commute by bike for most of a week. Downtown Seattle is close to sea level but most of the neighborhoods are on hills or require going over hills to get to or from. So it was interesting to have a struggle to get out of one's neighborhood only to get downtown and be unable to tell that snow had even fallen.
Charlotte continues to improve her walking skills. She's also become quite chatty lately. And a couple of days ago she started making gestures that mean something: she'll now point at something and then at herself and speak. We're pretty sure she's saying "Please give that thing over there to me." The only problem is that we never quite know which object has caught her eye. We can give her the item we think she's pointing at, but then she'll just point in the same general direction again.
The snowstorm we had was the first one we've had since Audrey was born, I think. It was definitely the first one she ever went out and played in. She loved it. She didn't like touching the snow, though. Neighbor boys were throwing snowballs and she thought she'd join in. But as soon as her hand (bare, because she refused to wear mittens) touched the snow she had had enough of that.
Audrey has recently taken another cognitive step. We can't ever put our finger on exactly what has changed, but we've seen this many times. All of sudden something is just different about her. The night it was snowing she was up late. Carol sneaked her out of her room conspiratorially and opened the front door so Audrey could watch it snow by the streetlight. Audrey said it was beautiful. Earlier, when I asked if she wanted to go for a walk in the snow, she said "Oh, that would be perfect!" Yesterday while driving I criticized another driver. From the back seat we heard, "Daddy, that not very fair."
Immediately behind our house is Schmitz Park, a wooded city park that mainly consists of a ravine draining from our neighborhood at the top of the West Seattle ridge all the way down to Alki Beach. It's about a 15 minute walk from here to the beach via trails. Today it was cold but sunny, so we put the girls in their backpack carriers and took the walk. Then we walked along the seawall for a bit and took the bus back up the hill. Audrey declared it a "good adventure." We don't take advantage of the park nearly enough - that's only the second time we've done it in the 14 months we've lived here.
Months ago some friends turned us on to a woman who works as a part-time nanny on a flexible basis. Last week Carol called her and had her come over for an initial visit. Her name is Jessica and she's a retired Head Start teacher. She works for many families on as as-needed basis. The girls loved her, so now we're getting set up to have her come for half a day once a week. That will be a welcome break for Carol.
We've made plans to visit my parents in Palm Desert, CA in early March. We haven't taken a trip in two years, so we're really looking forward to it. If all goes as planned and Charlotte is weaned by then, Carol and I will get to go to Las Vegas for a couple of nights while the girls stay with Grandma and Grandpa.
Carol and I are constantly in awe of our good fortune. It's exhausting having two kids this young, but oh so rewarding and fun.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Things Parents Should Be Warned About
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family
I was going to send an email to some friends with some funny stories, but then had the highly insightful realization that methot.net is a blog - I could post the stories! I can escape my little mental box that says I can only post here when there are photos! May your Inbox (or RSS reader) beware.
First, the warning every parent should get as soon as their child can stand up on his or her own: your child will attempt to break your nose and knock out your teeth! They don't do it on purpose, obviously. But I can't tell you how many times it has happened to Carol or me. I'll bend over Audrey to pick her up or hug her from behind and just at that instant she'll decide to jump. WHAM, I'm seeing stars. Can't wait for Charlotte to start doing it, too.
Now a story. Audrey is learning about body sensations and maybe even getting ready to potty train. So right now, instead of "the boy who cried 'wolf!'", she's "the girl who cried 'poop!'". More specifically, "I have poop!" We hear that many times a day. It's almost never true (yet).
Audrey will also use it as a dodge to avoid something she doesn't want to do, like go to bed. One night last week, she was overtired and whining like you wouldn't believe. I was trying to get her into bed (once she is laying down and I'm reading stories she does fine).
"I have poop!" she squealed.
"No you don't, Audrey, I just a put a fresh diaper on you," I replied.
"But I have pee pee!"
"Well," I said, "you can't have peed much in the three minutes you've had that diaper on."
"But I have farts!"
"That's OK. You don't need a new diaper for farts."
She was reaching the end of the line. If she didn't come up with something she might actually have to go to bed. So, in her very whiniest, saddest, crying voice she protested, "I need you to change my farts!"
First, the warning every parent should get as soon as their child can stand up on his or her own: your child will attempt to break your nose and knock out your teeth! They don't do it on purpose, obviously. But I can't tell you how many times it has happened to Carol or me. I'll bend over Audrey to pick her up or hug her from behind and just at that instant she'll decide to jump. WHAM, I'm seeing stars. Can't wait for Charlotte to start doing it, too.
Now a story. Audrey is learning about body sensations and maybe even getting ready to potty train. So right now, instead of "the boy who cried 'wolf!'", she's "the girl who cried 'poop!'". More specifically, "I have poop!" We hear that many times a day. It's almost never true (yet).
Audrey will also use it as a dodge to avoid something she doesn't want to do, like go to bed. One night last week, she was overtired and whining like you wouldn't believe. I was trying to get her into bed (once she is laying down and I'm reading stories she does fine).
"I have poop!" she squealed.
"No you don't, Audrey, I just a put a fresh diaper on you," I replied.
"But I have pee pee!"
"Well," I said, "you can't have peed much in the three minutes you've had that diaper on."
"But I have farts!"
"That's OK. You don't need a new diaper for farts."
She was reaching the end of the line. If she didn't come up with something she might actually have to go to bed. So, in her very whiniest, saddest, crying voice she protested, "I need you to change my farts!"
Saturday, November 4, 2006
Charlotte Gets Upright
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family
The big news lately is that Charlotte is walking! It took her a while to figure it out, but then about a week and a half ago she decided it was time. For a few days she could only make it 10-15 feet, but now she can go about as far as she wants if there are no obstacles. She's quite pleased with herself.
Charlotte didn't dress up for Halloween, but Audrey did. And she went trick or treating for her first time. We didn't get any photos, but she was wearing her princess dress, of course. She was a little leery at the first house or two, but then she started to get the idea and couldn't wait to get to the next house. It was a very chilly night, though, so we only went about a block from home and then back. I went with Audrey while Carol and Charlotte stayed home to hand out candy.
The rainy season has arrived. It has been raining for three days and is forecast to rain for the foreseeable future.
In other news, we're making a concerted effort to get Charlotte to sleep better (i.e. through the night). We kept having setbacks due to colds or whatever. But now Charlotte is sleeping pretty well from about 7pm until 4:30am. Carol nurses her and then she'll sleep until 7:00 or 7:30. Life is improved for Carol with some better sleep.
Charlotte didn't dress up for Halloween, but Audrey did. And she went trick or treating for her first time. We didn't get any photos, but she was wearing her princess dress, of course. She was a little leery at the first house or two, but then she started to get the idea and couldn't wait to get to the next house. It was a very chilly night, though, so we only went about a block from home and then back. I went with Audrey while Carol and Charlotte stayed home to hand out candy.
The rainy season has arrived. It has been raining for three days and is forecast to rain for the foreseeable future.
In other news, we're making a concerted effort to get Charlotte to sleep better (i.e. through the night). We kept having setbacks due to colds or whatever. But now Charlotte is sleeping pretty well from about 7pm until 4:30am. Carol nurses her and then she'll sleep until 7:00 or 7:30. Life is improved for Carol with some better sleep.
Charlotte Starts to Walk
Labels:
family
This photo set is several weeks old, but I'm finally getting around to publishing it. Much has happened on the Charlotte mobility front since then, but you'll have to wait until later in the weekend for details. I can't get the narrative ahead of the photos!
I took the first week of October off between jobs. Everything needed to weather-proof the garage for the rainy season was done on the first weekend, so we took off to Richland for a few days to visit Carol's parents. As always, a very enjoyable and relaxing time. Carol and I got to take Audrey to the park while the grandparents watched Charlotte. Audrey loved the attention.
It is sinking in to our minds that Charlotte is almost a year old (in three weeks) and Audrey is almost 3 years old (in three months). Being a full-time mom is a challenge, but there is nothing Carol would rather be doing. Audrey is constantly gaining independence: she's starting to want to try to dress and undress herself and tonight she wanted to feed Charlotte instead of me doing it. And she did a fine job.
Poor Charlotte doesn't get nearly the level of praise for new skills as Audrey did when it was all new to us. We're continually surprised at the things Charlotte can do. Yesterday Carol and the girls were playing when they found the pants that go to a doll named Henry. Carol said to Charlotte, "Those are baby Henry's pants." Next thing Carol knew, Charlotte had gone and found Henry and was doing the best she could to apply Henry's pants. Charlotte is also now very into feeding herself. She'll barely take baby food from a spoon lately, but give her a tray of Cheerios or a pile of rice and beans and she'll go to town. She has a clear signal when she's done, too: wipe it all off of the tray onto the floor.
My job transition has gone very smoothly. I've been in the new job for four weeks now. I've adjusted to the very different work environment (private offices, so very quiet). The nice weather we had over the summer held until this week. Monday through Wednesday I rode my "dry" bike to work, but yesterday the fall rains arrived for good. It was dumping during both directions of my commute yesterday and wet (but only raining lightly) today. I bought a brighter headlight yesterday (so now I have three on my bike!) because a couple of drivers obviously had trouble seeing me and almost took me out. When you're driving respect cyclists' safety! It's the law, and those cyclists have families just like you do.
Oops, there I go letting the narrative get ahead of the photos. Stand by for another post later this weekend an then we'll be up to date.
I took the first week of October off between jobs. Everything needed to weather-proof the garage for the rainy season was done on the first weekend, so we took off to Richland for a few days to visit Carol's parents. As always, a very enjoyable and relaxing time. Carol and I got to take Audrey to the park while the grandparents watched Charlotte. Audrey loved the attention.
It is sinking in to our minds that Charlotte is almost a year old (in three weeks) and Audrey is almost 3 years old (in three months). Being a full-time mom is a challenge, but there is nothing Carol would rather be doing. Audrey is constantly gaining independence: she's starting to want to try to dress and undress herself and tonight she wanted to feed Charlotte instead of me doing it. And she did a fine job.
Poor Charlotte doesn't get nearly the level of praise for new skills as Audrey did when it was all new to us. We're continually surprised at the things Charlotte can do. Yesterday Carol and the girls were playing when they found the pants that go to a doll named Henry. Carol said to Charlotte, "Those are baby Henry's pants." Next thing Carol knew, Charlotte had gone and found Henry and was doing the best she could to apply Henry's pants. Charlotte is also now very into feeding herself. She'll barely take baby food from a spoon lately, but give her a tray of Cheerios or a pile of rice and beans and she'll go to town. She has a clear signal when she's done, too: wipe it all off of the tray onto the floor.
My job transition has gone very smoothly. I've been in the new job for four weeks now. I've adjusted to the very different work environment (private offices, so very quiet). The nice weather we had over the summer held until this week. Monday through Wednesday I rode my "dry" bike to work, but yesterday the fall rains arrived for good. It was dumping during both directions of my commute yesterday and wet (but only raining lightly) today. I bought a brighter headlight yesterday (so now I have three on my bike!) because a couple of drivers obviously had trouble seeing me and almost took me out. When you're driving respect cyclists' safety! It's the law, and those cyclists have families just like you do.
Oops, there I go letting the narrative get ahead of the photos. Stand by for another post later this weekend an then we'll be up to date.
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