Newport Aquarium

Way back in June my mother came to visit her only granddaughter, bring us a sandbox (which was actually not a reason for, just a happy side-effect of, her visit), and give Matt's mom a break from babysitting while I was in school. On the day I did not have classes, we decided to take Harper to the Newport Aquarium, in Northern Kentucky. If you don't count the time she attended in-utero, it was her first visit. Harper enjoys fish, so it seemed like a good fit.

Before we took her in the aquarium, however, we made her stand in rather intense wind for this photo with Cincinnati in the background. It looks like she's about to be blown down into the river, but never fear, Mugga never would have let that happen.

So the aquarium is a pretty interesting place. My only complaint is that it is designed to flow in one direction so you pretty much go from beginning to end and it is difficult to backtrack and take another look at something. For most visitors this probably isn't a big deal, but Harper, once she learned there were SHARKS! really wasn't interested in looking at much else. We went on turbo speed past many cool exhibits to get to the SHARKS! which, being the most popular attraction, are located at the end of the setup.

We learned something new during our day at the aquarium; actually two new things. 1) Given the one-way orientation, it needs more bathrooms. 2) There is an animal called a shark ray which can be viewed there. There are two and apparently this is the only place they are on display in this hemisphere. I believe this aquarium boasts the only shark ray breeding program in the world. Now, did you know that some sharks are born alive and some hatch from eggs? (Consider yourself educated!) When we were there someone asked a guide whether shark ray babies would be born alive or hatch from eggs, and the guide said, "No one really knows." Um, huh?! I really though scientists had already documented most of that stuff, but I guess not!

Here's what Harper looks like after a long day of fish-gazing. The aquarium gets an A+ for Toddler Poop-Out Factor.

Long, Long Ago

Those of you who also read Giselle's blog will know this story already, but it's too good not to share. . .

Way back in mid-June Giselle, Jeff, and their children, Lily and Andrew, were in town for a wedding. The night of the rehearsal dinner, Giselle and the kids opted for pizza and a visit with us while Jeff met his groomsman obligation. Let's face it, rehearsal dinners are rarely fun for children, even if they are in the wedding!

We had high hopes for Andrew and Harper's getting together because they both tend to say hilarious things. I think we all imagined some intense preschool conversing, but it never really happened. They warmed up to each other about ten minutes before our guests had to leave. Harper, with no siblings of her own, gets so excited about children visiting that she can barely contain herself, but she didn't really know what to make of Andrew and she practically buried Lily by handing her a bazillion toys.





I know it is quite difficult to imagine, but Lily is far cuter in person than she is in photos, and she's darn cute in photos. If you don't want more children, then you'd best not meet her, because she is that adorable and agreeable.

Now for the funny part:

At one point both Harper and Andrew had to go to the bathroom. We decided to let them use the bathroom at the same time, Andrew on the "big potty" and Harper in our potty seat. Harper glanced up while Andrew was sans underwear, gasped, and exclaimed, "Andrew, you have a tail!"

To which a dismayed Andrew said, "I do not!"

(Yes, yes, an anatomy lesson is probably in order.)

Coming Soon!

Hello! Harper and I are at Mugga and Grandpa's in Wisconsin. We drove up with them today. From Ohio. It took eight hours.

Eight hours in a car.

With a two-year-old.

Which, as it turns out, is exactly the situation God forsaw when he created the portible DVD player and Dora the Explorer DVDs, available at the library.

Harper was an angel.

Please don't send me hate mail. . . we only use that thing for these long trips. Let's face it, sitting on the freeway in bumper to bumper traffic outside of Chicago is no picnic even if you are an adult!

We even made it all the way with no bathroom accidents.

So we're here for a week. It's vacation. My summer classes are finished. I plan to spend the week being relatively lazy and trying to catch up on some of the things I didn't blog about this summer, such as:

a visit from Giselle and her beautiful children
two visits from Mugga
a visit from Aunt Meaghan
a visit from Auntie Shannon
our fifth anniversary and a huge surprise from Matt

All this and pictures coming up -- stay tuned!

We're Melting!

Ugh. It's hot here. And we have air conditioning. I cannot imagine what we'd do without it during a week like this. Yesterday, to protest the heat, Harper spent much of the day running around in her purple shoes and big girl pants.



Behind Harper you can view her zoo animals lined up in "time out." Harper has seen a lot of time out lately and she has started routinely giving her animals (stuffed and plastic) their own time outs.

Today, over protesting the heat and fully clothed, Harper was lucky enough to spend some time out with Nana. Ann came and took Harper to lunch and then back to her place to get ready for a showing. Since it is end-of-the-quarter-crunch-time it was wonderful to have a couple of quiet hours to tap away at the computer.

Later this afternoon, after a wonderful time with Nana, all attempts to get Harper to nap failed and she turned into a late afternoon cranky beast. While in time out in a dining room chair she decided to test the laws of physics. I was mere feet away in the kitchen, getting some test results from the allergist, when I heard a tremendous crash. I ran into the dining room to find Harper on her stomach, under the table, screaming an "I am hurt and I mean it!" scream.

I gently lifted Harper, still screaming, from under the table, and immediately a drop of blood splattered on my arm. Her bottom teeth had cut the inside of her lip when she fell. Of course it took several minutes to figure that out, due to all the blood. In case you were not aware, the inside of your mouth? When you cut it? It bleeds. A lot.

I felt much better once the bleeding had stopped and I had determined that all of Harper's teeth were still firmly rooted in her gums. She felt much better once she was sucking on some ice cubes and getting blood on a washcloth, rather than the front of my shirt.

She now has a bit of a puffy lower lip, accompanied by teeth marks inside her bottom lip, and a skid mark of sorts on her chin.


After all the crying (and bleeding) had stopped, I asked Harper what had happened. She told me she stood on the chair and, "Just put one foot out and stepped wite (right) off."

I doubt she'll be doing that again. This week anyway.

Hide and Seek

I don't think Harper is alone in enjoying the challenge of fitting herself into small spaces. Children have fun playing in (real or imagined) forts and tents, places that feel private and cozy.


She likes to hide under tables and under shelves. She likes to hide behind furniture and behind doors. I know this about Harper, and yet I was not quite prepared for what I found in her bedroom this afternoon.

I went in to see whether she'd actually fallen asleep or not and discovered she'd emptied the contents of her sock drawer onto her bed. And separated all the pairs, because that is how a two-year-old rolls.



You might notice a suspicious lack of Harper in the bed. Apparently, once adorned with socks, the bed was no longer an acceptable sleeping space. So Harper did what any logical child would have done; created a nest of dirty clothes, retrieved the decorative pillow that was in the closet, and snuggled in under her changing table.


Because of the curtain that hangs over that storage space, we couldn't tell where she was at first. It is pretty unnerving to walk into a child's bedroom and not be able to find her.


Next time I guess we'll know where to look.

Before and After

Earlier this week we had two beings with very unruly hair living in our home.


Today, we only have one. And it is not Rebound.


Rebound looks so skinny after visiting the groomer and it cracks me up every time. Now we just have to figure out what to do about Harper's hair.

*****

Earlier today I found an old photo of Matt (age 5? 6?) and I thought Harper would get a kick out of it. I held it out for her to see and asked who it was. She didn't even venture a guess. When I told her it was Daddy, a totally shocked expression appeared on her face and she said, incredulously, "Daddy was a boy?!"

Overheard

Yesterday, while Harper was supposed to be taking a nap, I heard this little drama playing out in her bedroom. . .

Thunk!
(Sound of stuffed animal hitting the floor, having been unceremoniously launched from the bed.)

"Oh no! Ehyephant fell down! Where is my animal phone?" Pause. "Hehyo? (Hello?) Fireman partment? Come quick! Ehyephant fell down! Okay? Okay. Sank you."

---

Thunk!
(Another animal.)

"Oh no! Yehyo (Yellow) Bear fell down! I need my phone!" Pause. "Hehyo? Fireman partment? I need help. The bear is on the fyoor! Oh sank you."

---

Thunk. . .

You get the idea.

How About Some Swimming Pictures?

For the past month we have been engaged in swimming "lessons" at our local rec center. The swimming lessons have taken place from 9:30 - 10:00 on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

I think that learning how to swim is important. I think learning to respect the water is important. I think learning how to be safe around water is important. To a point. (We did not take swimming lessons last year; between vacations and school it just didn't fit into our schedule.) If it is geographically or financially or logistically nightmarish then no, your two-year-old does not have to have swimming lessons. I found myself asking quite often, over the past month, whether our particular two-year-old really had to have swimming lessons.


Here, in no particular order, are:

The Top Ten Reasons I Will Not Miss Swimming Lessons

1. The mad dash to get home from swimming, get Harper changed, get myself changed and showered, and be ready to leave for class less than an hour later. Two-year-olds become their slowest, crankiest, most-difficult selves if you are in a hurry.

2. How disgusting I always felt after getting out of the intensely chemically treated rec pool water -- this was no backyard pool. I would smell like pool even after I showered.

3. Wrestling Harper back into her wet swimming suit if she needed to use the bathroom before we left the rec center.

4. Being out in relative public in my swimming suit.

5. The way Harper practically pulled my swimming suit off of me every time I tried to get her to do anything other than cling desperately to my upper body.

6. The way Harper would yell, "Nonononononono!!! I can't byo (blow) bubbles!" loud enough for most of Ohio to hear.

7. The way Harper would yell, "Nonononononono!!! I can't put my face in!" loud enough for most of Ohio to hear.

8. The way Harper would yell, "Nonononononono!!! I can't put my head under!" loud enough for most of Ohio to hear.

9. The way Harper would actually practice a skill she was supposed to be doing with me, and then as soon as the very perky instructor came over she would clam up, refuse to move a muscle, and scowl at her. Charming.

10. The fact that is has been between 55 and 65 degrees at 9:30 the last few swimming mornings and we've basically turned blue and lost toes to frost bite when getting out of the pool.

"So why," you ask me, "did you continue to torture the child with swimming when it was cold and she so clearly wasn't interested in any type of swimming instruction?"

Because every time I told her we were going to swimming Harper shouted, "Hooway!!!" and galloped around, fists pumping in the air, doing her little happy dance.

Apparently she wanted to be in the pool. Even if it did make her face look like this most of the time:

Breaking Baby News

Nope. Not mine. I'll bet that got your attention though!

Erin had a baby!!!!!

Her baby boy was born at 8:40 (Central time) this morning.

He weighs 7 lb 9 oz.

He is 21 inches long.

And I'm not allowed to write the name, as Erin is kind of looking forward to revealing that over on her own blog. But I do know what the name is and it is just perfect.

Erin and the baby are both doing fine. I'm leaving other details out because I know she'll want the chance to set them forth on the Internet all on her own.

Welcome to the world little one, we're so glad you're here!

Scenes From the Park: A Study in Two-Year-Old OCD

The other evening, in order to offset a long and cranky day, Harper and I walked to a park with Auntie M and Atticus. Auntie M and I sat on a bench and vented/chatted, while Harper ran off some steam and proved two things about herself:

1.) If there is such a thing as a two-year-old OCD, she has it. Let's just say she is a little set in her ways.

2.) Her hair does some funky things because of the static on plastic playground slides.


So here's how Harper's "playing" went:

1. Scurry up the steps at one end of the playground equipment.

2. Look at the twisty slide and yell, "The ant is still there!" (Early on in her playground adventure she noticed a little ant near the top of the twisty slide.)

3. Run across the bridge, arms flailing, yelling nonsensical preschool syllables.

4. Stop at the giant tic-tac-toe board and spin a few pieces.

5. Sit at the top of the tall slide and yell, "Here I go guys!"

6. Slide down, using feet to keep the descent slow.

7. Lay down at the bottom of the slide as though exhausted.

8. Sit up slowly and look at Mommy and Auntie M so they can fully appreciate the impact of the plastic slide on hair.

9. Run across the wood chips, jumping on and off the raised platforms at the bottom of each slide, until back at the steps.

10. Repeat. For nearly twenty minutes straight.






Have I ever mentioned that Harper is a bit. . . particular?

Seven Things

This is how badly I've been doing at keeping up with things, about a month ago Mommy Daisy tagged me for a meme and I'm just now getting around to it.

Here are the rules:

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

The last time I "tagged" people I'm not sure if anyone actually did it; so I will amend the rules to say that if you want to do your own seven things you have my blessing. Leave a note in the comment section so we can come read more about you.

Here are my seven:

1) I have completed two marathons. Both seem like a lifetime ago. The first was a great experience and the second was horrible. It is something I would like to do again in this lifetime, but I'd be lucky to run a mile right now.

2) I was, for a time, on the crew (rowing) team in college.

(I'll bet you never knew I was so sporty!)

3) I played on my high school volleyball team and we were state runners-up my last year. There are three children in my family (2 girls, 1 boy) and we were all on the volleyball team in high school (not at the same time). All three of us played in the state finals for a chance at the championship, but only my sister's team actually won it. Which is kind of nice for her, it's her thing. She was also homecoming queen, but maybe she can put that in her seven if she ever starts a blog.

4) I was a summer camp counselor for six full summers at a YMCA camp in Wisconsin. I loved every moment of it, except maybe the time a camper's parents sent her to camp with head lice and I was one of the many unfortunate people who got it. That part wasn't much fun. I was actually a counselor, then craft director, then leadership training director. There were cabins, a lake, archery, horses, a pool, hiking trails, campfires. . . the real deal. It was seriously awesome.

5) I love Mountain Dew. It is probably my worst habit. I am far to old to be drinking anything with that much sugar. I had nearly given it up and then I started graduate school. Five more weeks and then I will pretty much be finished with that excuse. Then I'll have to kick the habit for good.

6) I will always have soft spot for pop music. Debbie Gibson was my first musical obsession. In college my musical obsession switched to Dar Williams and she's still a favorite to this day. I enjoy all kinds of music, but my favorite is singer/songwriter stuff that tells a good story. I blame it on all those campfires.

7) I love to read and write. And I will read just about anything. I read a steady mix of adult, young adult, and children's fiction. Since I'm getting a school library degree I can pretend all that reading is career related. I'm one of those people planning to go at midnight next Friday night/Saturday morning and get the final Harry Potter book. I've reread the first six in preparation (it was all HP, all the time in June). I have pre-ordered copies before, but this will be my first midnight pickup. If I thought Harper was even the slightest bit old enough to understand what was going on, I would take her with me.



Tag -- your turn.

No Means. . .

So we've been pretty busy around here, entertaining visitors, taking exciting day trips, and just enjoying the summer. All the while school has been crazy busy and we also went through a period of about two weeks during which I was interviewing for a teaching position for next fall and frantically trying to figure out day care possibilities. Even as I type this, I am in the middle of two projects which are actually due, oh, later today (considering that it is past midnight and technically Wednesday already).

I am not, as it turns out, going back to work in the fall. And I'll even be mostly finished with school by mid-August and I'll have a little more time for leisure computer activities. So some of you will have to be patient (Dad, Kristin) if posting is a little light for the next month or so. I'll do my best.


While there is a lot to catch up on here at Midwest Mom, I have just one little anecdote to share tonight. Earlier today Auntie M reminded me of a funny thing that happened when my mom was here a couple of weeks ago. We were discussing the fact that so many children are no longer raised to be respectful, are never told they can't have/do something, don't use manners, etc. My mom looked at Harper and said, "Do you know what it means when Mommy says no?"

Harper struck her thoughtful pose, finger to chin, and didn't say anything for about a minute. Then she raised her head and said, "It means time out?"

Adorably Insane

After leaving Auntie M's house today, Harper insisted I roll her window down. As I looked back, she was holding her hand up to the edge of the open window, fingers curled as if holding an imaginary handle. Then she brought her hand to her mouth and made a ssssppp sound.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Harper replied, "I am just catchin some wind in this cup so I can grink (drink) it."

And for me that pretty much sums up all there is to love about a two-year-old.

There's A Crap on the Patio!

I'm trying the video thing again because look what showed up at our house!



(I know you really can't hear Harper in that clip, I think that poor sound quality is a side effect of using the digital (mostly still) camera to record video.)

After the mulling over the plight of the lack of local sandbox I called my parents, less than 48 before my mom was scheduled to come visit and said, "If you have time, maybe you could check if this sandbox is available at the toy store in Wisconsin." And it was!!!

It was not even at the store closest to them, and they drove late Saturday night, my dad on pain medication from having a tooth pulled, to pick it up for Harper. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

My mom drove it down here, Matt bought some sand, and we set it up Monday night after Harper had gone to bed.



She went with my mom to let Rebound out this morning and ran back into my room saying, "There is a crack sandbox in my yard!"




For some reason Harper cannot remember to pronounce the end of the word crab with a b sound. It either comes out crap or crack. He he he. She spent the afternoon playing in a red crack full of sand.

Getting Good and Messy

Recently a whole host of factors have been conspiring to keep me away from this blog. It all began about a week ago when I tried to post a video and neither YouTube nor this computer were cooperating. I am usually pretty flexible when it comes to computer glitches, but I have been losing patience lately and that stubborn video clip was just pushing me over the edge. So at the end of this post there will be another video clip and I still have no idea whether or not it will work. Either way, I am finished monkeying with it. So there.

One Sunday (possibly last Sunday), we were all enjoying some idyllic time in the back yard; Matt and I reading at the table on the patio, Harper romping around in the fenced-in yard, and Rebound trotting all over. There was a lot of clunking and grunting coming from a place in the yard we couldn't quite see. We explored it to find that Harper had been digging in some soil we'd emptied from a broken pot (the pot was gone) and trying to get Rebound to eat the dirt.


Once upon a time I was reluctant to purchase a sandbox because I was afraid we'd be tethered to the patio all summer long and I had visions of Harper wailing as I closed the back door and forced her to spend some time in the air-conditioned house. As it turns out, she's going to treat the entire yard as if it were a sandbox and I probably shouldn't have been so afraid of the real thing. Dirt is filthy! Seriously. It was really difficult to get her dress clean.


Of course now that I've decided a sandbox would be a good thing, there aren't any decent ones left in our local stores. We looked at one today that was a) too small and b) less sturdy than what I could build myself with some construction paper and electrical tape. Sigh. For now we'll just keep visiting the local parks which have sandboxes. We can always break down and buy one online.

Among the many things I have been meaning to write about two little announcements seem the most important:

1) My friend Colleen, who was in first grade with me, had her second baby earlier this month. Welcome Ben!

2) My friend Tracy, a friend from college, had her first baby just a few days ago. Welcome Ruth!

Congratulations to both of their families!

Summertime!

Ah. . . It is hot here. And dry. And sunny. And we are getting around to some genuine summer activities. Including taking pictures on bright days.

We had stashed some Christmas money away and recently used it to buy a Cincinnati Zoo membership. We got the kind that includes free parking and one free guest; so come visit and we'll take you! Harper is a big fan of animals and taking her to the zoo is seriously one of the greatest pleasures I have known as a parent. Last year we visited zoos in Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee. This summer we may just take many return trips to the Cincinnati Zoo. The best part about having a membership is that we can leave first thing in the morning, spend a couple of hours at the zoo, and head home for lunch. I don't have to feel guilty for only being there a couple of hours because we didn't spend a fortune to get in and park.

On Saturday we took Dziatku to the zoo with us. Even though they look very serious in this photo, the two of them had a wonderful time.


The zoo I grew up with does not have a manatee exhibit, which has become one of my favorite parts of the Cinci Zoo. There were other fish swimming around with the manatees, and Harper kept insisting that they were babies. She would not be dissuaded. Did you know two-year-olds are experts in most subjects? Kind of like teenagers.

Potty training update:

I would like to mention that Harper wet her pants only once during the zoo excursion. Not bad, considering we were in the car for at least 45 minutes each way. We were standing in the reptile building when Harper got a funny look on her face; I looked down and she was creating a little puddle right there in her sandals. I suppose that is to be expected. And she made it through another gymnastics class today with no accidents, so I remain optimistic.

Back to The Point

I have been meaning to share these pictures since Thursday, when we made a return trip to The Point, that church's indoor play land. It was supposed to be over 90 degrees here, which seemed like a good enough reason to drive a little way to let Harper do her running around in air conditioning. We did not go with a friend this time around; I had my fingers crossed that she might be a little more adventurous than last time.

In fact our last trip to this indoor play land was part of the reason we decided to sign Harper up for her gymnastics class, because she had been so scared of everything.


Well the gymnastics has apparently been making her a little more brave because we were not there long before she actually climbed up the very set of stairs that had terrified her mere weeks ago.

Harper happily climbed up into the tunnels and had fun looking down at me from various perches. It probably helped that there weren't very many people there, so she wasn't intimidated by all those big kids running (climbing) circles around her.

We even packed a little lunch so we could stay and play longer. There is a small area with tables in the next room and Harper felt like a big girl sitting in a regular chair. Unfortunately she was so eager to play she couldn't be persuaded to eat much lunch.

An observant person will notice that Harper is not wearing the same pair of shorts in all these pictures. I guess when you are playing in what looks like a giant hamster play set, you forget to pay attention to the sensation that tells you it is time to go potty.

Oops.

Despite my efforts to get her in the bathroom periodically, Harper still had an accident. These things happen.

After a while, another family of children arrived and made Harper an accessory to their game. They were running around defending some sort of imaginary fort, and the little one, maybe age 4?, kept saying, "Run, she's trying to kill us!" That sounded a little dramatic to me, but whatever. They made a game out of knowing where Harper was and shouting things like, "What is she doing now? Did she come out of the tunnel?" Harper, for her part, was happy to be even marginally included and enjoyed the fact that they ran away if she chased them.

The day ended on a slightly sour note. Harper in her new fit of bravery, climbed way up into a corner of the play structure. And she couldn't get down. The other kids (the oldest was probably 7? 8?) tried to help her, but no luck. I could see her up in the corner and when she started to cry I decided I was going to have to climb up after her.

Fortunately I am still relatively agile, and I didn't run into any tunnels that I couldn't fit through, which was a genuine fear! I helped Harper out of the corner she was stuck in, only to find she had wet her pants again!

So we both climbed down, I changed her into a diaper (the only thing I had left) and we headed home. Harper said three things over and over again on the ride back to our house:

"Sanks for coming to get me Mommy."

"I'm sorry I went potty in my big girl pants."

"That was fun at Point!"

The Reason I Flush

. . . dead bugs down the toilet.

As I started to clean up the remains of our dinner I opened the trash can and something flew out of it!

My life has officially been shortened by about ten years.

Early today I found a fly, on its back, on our kitchen counter. In all honesty it is the first time I can remember ever seeing a fly in this house at all. In over two years. Weird.

I squished it between a couple of tissues (or so I thought) and put it in the garbage can. Only to have it fly back out at me hours later!

So Matt can laugh when I request that dead spiders be flushed, but that fly is exactly why such precautions are necessary.

(Unless of course, there was a second, non-squished fly in the garbage can. I deny that possibility because if it were true I would need to start to look into an apparent infestation.)