You are two years old! At your checkup, your head measured in the 50th percentile, while the rest of you measured in the 5th percentile. Which is why you're wearing 2T shirts even though they're big on you, because they fit over your head. We just got a box of 2T and 3T hand-me-downs from Sofia Chapman, who is about the girly-est girl that we know. It included a pair of pink sparkly sneakers, which you now love. Grandma was happy to pull out any t-shirt still left in your bin that was from Corbin and hand it down to a friend of Aunt Lena's. It did occur to me that you need one more bin than Corbin does: the dress bin. Or I suppose I could be 2% less lazy and actually hang the dresses in your closet.
You went back to the dentist this month, too. They took some more x-rays, but also did a general cleaning and check up with fluoride treatment, which I didn't expect. They said everything looked good. Your little tooth remnant hasn't moved, and the rest of your teeth are coming in normally, if slowly. You didn't cooperate very much for the x-rays, but you were a little better during the exam. I think the dentists like you more than they like me--they gave me grief about the fact that you haven't gained any weight since your last visit. I think they suspect that you've got Second Child Syndrome.
Which is true, I realized, when I was putting up pictures at my new desk. I have lots of pictures of Corbin, but none of you. Poor, neglected, second child. So I brought one of your framed portraits and now the whole family is represented.
I started working at LA Biomed this month, which is good for the family but made for some adjustments, of course. We had all become used to my ability to run errands during the day and make dinner for us. The dogs certainly were sad that their morning trips to the dog park were severely curtailed. Your routine hasn't changed very much, you just get a little more excited when I get home in the afternoon. The hardest part seems to be deciding how I'm going to commute every day. In Minneapolis, I took the bus every day because I didn't want to pay for parking downtown. There were several bus routes that I could take, and as much as I complained about it, the system actually worked pretty well. Here, I don't have to pay for parking, and the bus system is really quite under-developed. So I've tried taking the bus a few times and it's simply been a source of frustration. My next tactic is to try bicycling and hope that this isn't the last blog I ever write for you because I get flattened by a semi somewhere on Carson Avenue.
It feels good to be working again. I hope that you are able to find jobs in your life that you enjoy, that challenge you, and that teach you useful skills. I hope you work for companies and people who value you and treat you well, and pay you well, too. Take pride in your work and do it well, but do not allow your work to rule your life. You are far more than a 40 hour work week. Of course, that's assuming that you end up in a profession akin to what your father and I have. If you end up as someone who doesn't work in an office, you'll have to find some other sources of advice about how to stay sane while earning a living. Whichever way your career path goes, remember this: you are smart, capable and valuable. Treat yourself accordingly, act accordingly, and expect the same from your employer.
The Thornes and Spencers from IN were meant to visit this month, but instead Grandpa Thorne ended up in the hospital with a stroke. Fortunately, it was minor, and he's being treated with drugs instead of surgery. This is one of the biggest drawbacks to having moved--we are so much farther away from Dad's side of the family. It was scary to wake up to news that Grandpa was in the hospital and know that we would have to fly there if we needed to, instead of just drive down. News always seems to come much too slowly at times like that, even though Aunt Erin was doing her best to keep us informed. I am sorry that they weren't able to come, but hopefully they'll reschedule for a time when I can take some days off from work and we can all have fun.
We had a bit of fun for your birthday, of course. Since our birthdays were during the week, we waited until the weekend to celebrate. You opened some of your presents on Saturday. Then Uncle Alex and Aunt Lena came up on Sunday and brought a most delicious cake that Aunt Lena baked. It was just about too much chocolate to handle, but it was very, very good. We stuck two candles in it and tried to get you to blow them out. Corbin blew one out accidentally, and then Dad helped you do the second one. You got two new books, a new stamp set, a new set of stencils, a fun game from Great-Aunt Delma and a cute timer for brushing your teeth. Corbin and Dad gave you a set of dinosaurs, which are now your favorite things. You bring them upstairs for nap time and bed time. In the morning, I have to help you carry them all back downstairs again. Having actual dinosaur toys has taken the pressure off of a page of dinosaur stencils that we had. You liked to make me trace them over and over, and then draw happy faces on them. Although, then you went into a phase where you made me draw them sticking out their tongues. Now you just wave the dinosaur figures around and stick your own tongue out at us. It makes me laugh every time.
Love,
Mom
At Madrona Marsh, after a rain:
Pink sparkly shoes!
Getting a push from big brother:
Birthday cake!
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