Since Eric and I bought the house on the Boulevard, we've been in constant flux.
I sat down to try to figure out the changes in our life since February 2008. It was pretty incredible:
1. New house with total renovation;
2. Wedding (and the mandatory 20 pound pre-wedding weight loss for me);
3. New job for me;
4. Found out we were having little Vake;
5. New job for Eric;
6. My house not selling and having to get renters;
7. Moving into the renovated house;
8. Being pregnant (and not feeling so hot);
9. Having little Vake in February 2009.
Just living in the house and not having things change quite so quickly has been amazingly good. I am so grateful to have things finally starting to settle down a little bit (a LOT!). I feel very settled and happy here in the house on the Boulevard and am finally started to get cracking on some of the smaller projects.
Today we had an open house for our very patient Boulevard neighbors (some of whom we didn't know all that well) who tolerated a dumpster filled with stinky construction trash for nine months. We had hotdogs and beer and it was super fun. Aunt Martha was a super trooper- she came over and helped us with the whole thing.
Vake and I took our picture waiting for our friends to get here. He was wearing the cutest little elephant suit- Andrea told me about the Animal Crackers 50% off sale- and this was just irresistable.
The other exciting news is that the Erdas gave us our bench- I am going to post pictures of it tomorrow- it is going to be so great to have a bench to enjoy out there this summer!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Mulletectomy and Perfectly Perfect Saturday Morning!
Having just invented the word for having a mullet removed yesterday afternoon, I am still not confident in my spelling of mulletectomy. In fact, as if I needed to prove I was any geekier than I already am, I just wrote out the spelling of appendectomy on a a sheet of paper by the computer to make sure that my spelling made sense!
But I digress. Yesterday, the world's best nanny and I took little V. to Martinette (for those of you all who don't know about it, Hien who cuts/colors my hair and who owns the salon with her parents is Richmond's best-kept beauty secret and Hien is an amazing person). At the end of my cut, I asked Hien if there was anything we could do about the mullet. Hien got out her clippers and took care of business.
Now, just to be clear, this was not Vake's first haircut. Because if it was, I certainly would have cried. And I didn't (mostly because I am so happy to have that unfortunate little patch of hair gone!)
I just put Vake down for his morning nap. He woke up at 6:30 this morning, had a little snack and then he and I listened to Songs From the Street, which is a collection of songs from Sesame Street from 30 years ago as we played with his new shape sorter. He just laughed and laughed. Is it embarrassing to admit that I like the Sesame Street music probably more than he does? Oh well.
Eric got to sleep in, thank God. He had about a 200 hour month last month and June, July and August are looking appreciably worse than that so I am psyched that he got some rest!
But I digress. Yesterday, the world's best nanny and I took little V. to Martinette (for those of you all who don't know about it, Hien who cuts/colors my hair and who owns the salon with her parents is Richmond's best-kept beauty secret and Hien is an amazing person). At the end of my cut, I asked Hien if there was anything we could do about the mullet. Hien got out her clippers and took care of business.
Now, just to be clear, this was not Vake's first haircut. Because if it was, I certainly would have cried. And I didn't (mostly because I am so happy to have that unfortunate little patch of hair gone!)
I just put Vake down for his morning nap. He woke up at 6:30 this morning, had a little snack and then he and I listened to Songs From the Street, which is a collection of songs from Sesame Street from 30 years ago as we played with his new shape sorter. He just laughed and laughed. Is it embarrassing to admit that I like the Sesame Street music probably more than he does? Oh well.
Eric got to sleep in, thank God. He had about a 200 hour month last month and June, July and August are looking appreciably worse than that so I am psyched that he got some rest!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Vake's MD appointment and GOOD NEWS!!!
Vake had his 3/4 month appointment with Dr. Thorpe today. He got 4 (I think- I didn't have the guts to watch) inoculations (is that how you spell it? Cannot remember and blogger doesn't have spellcheck unfortunately.
Basically Vake is doing really well. He's a little behind on the whole rolling over program but that's not surprising given that there's so much to roll right now! He was in the 90th percentile for head circumference, the 95th for height and still off the charts for weight. It continues to surprise me to hear that I have given birth to a child who tops the height charts. I mean, really?
Anyway, we were sitting in the waiting room and this sweet mother who was there with her teenager was talking to us- and she said, and I quote, "Wow, doesn't he look just like his Daddy?"
Hmmm.
So the good news is that I had to ask the Judge in one of my cases for an order undoing her original order and putting another one in its place- and she granted it. Thank GOODNESS. I had been losing sleep about this and I am so relieved.
I am starting to get psyched up for our trip to Seattle. If Eric has to work on Friday, I am going to the Nordstrom Rack. Even if he is working, I may still try to go there!!!
Basically Vake is doing really well. He's a little behind on the whole rolling over program but that's not surprising given that there's so much to roll right now! He was in the 90th percentile for head circumference, the 95th for height and still off the charts for weight. It continues to surprise me to hear that I have given birth to a child who tops the height charts. I mean, really?
Anyway, we were sitting in the waiting room and this sweet mother who was there with her teenager was talking to us- and she said, and I quote, "Wow, doesn't he look just like his Daddy?"
Hmmm.
So the good news is that I had to ask the Judge in one of my cases for an order undoing her original order and putting another one in its place- and she granted it. Thank GOODNESS. I had been losing sleep about this and I am so relieved.
I am starting to get psyched up for our trip to Seattle. If Eric has to work on Friday, I am going to the Nordstrom Rack. Even if he is working, I may still try to go there!!!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Unbelievable!
Vake's expression says it all.
When I bought my car in 2004, they were about to switch body styles. As a result, I got a fantastic deal on the car plus 0% financing. I love this car. I love that it feels heavy and safe when I drive it. I love that it has lots of trunk space. I love the cupholder that will hold a bottle of Diet Coke, not just a can.
My plan was to drive it for at least another hundred thousand miles.
Eric and I also just made the last payment on it. I'm not even sure if we've gotten the title for it yet. Eric was emailing with his brother last week and joked that now that it was completely ours, it was time to start looking for a new car because paying for it in full meant that something was DEFINITELY about to go wrong.
And it did. Yesterday. The "check engine" light came on and I took the car to the Firestone at Broad and Staples Mill. I've been really impressed by how honest the people who work there are. Once, when I took the car in to get the oil changed, they broke something and they called me to tell me what had happened. The manager there called us and said, and I quote, "Do you really want to know what's wrong with it?"
I did not want to know. I made Eric talk to the guy. The short version is that it needs a new transmission. The long version is it needs a new transmission plus the air conditioner has started to leak oil.
Aarrgh.
So, I think what we're going to do is take the car to a transmission shop and see what they can do for us. I had sort of thought that a station wagon would be the way to go but I'm not sure that either Eric or I is ready to commit that kind of money at this point.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Busy Saturday
Vake, Eric and I had a very busy Saturday- we are getting ready for our cookout next weekend. We've been involved in a series of cleanup projects. We are also getting geared up to have Dennis and Domingo come and stay with us, which meant a cleanout of the guest room too.
Vake's gaining skills by leaps and bounds- here are a few snaps of him holding onto a toy- when he plays on his back on the play mat, he's constantly reaching and grabbing now.
Vake's gaining skills by leaps and bounds- here are a few snaps of him holding onto a toy- when he plays on his back on the play mat, he's constantly reaching and grabbing now.
We also opened a package that arrived from Eric's good friend Craig's parents- such a sweet, thoughtful gift of needlepointed pillows and a sweet little rabbit. Vake and I LOVE both but especially the pillows! So thoughtful- and I have to say that I still have needlepoint pillow projects from before I had Vake (ahem!) so I cannot believe how quickly she did these!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Talking and Drooling
Vake's two new favorite activities are "talking" and drooling. There's a funny joke about his parents in there somewhere, but I am not sure that it reflects either of us in the best possible light so I am going to let it sail on by for the time being.
I had a REALLY hard day at work yesterday and spent most of yesterday and today unwinding the problems that I and a Commonwealth's Attorney created in January. I've got to tell you that there was nothing better than talking to my little man when I finally got home from work last night.
I had a REALLY hard day at work yesterday and spent most of yesterday and today unwinding the problems that I and a Commonwealth's Attorney created in January. I've got to tell you that there was nothing better than talking to my little man when I finally got home from work last night.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Standing Up, Embroidered Shoes and the Mullet
Vake has decided that he's a big fan of standing up- I think it may be related to his love of the bouncy seat. I find it very hard to believe that he enjoys standing up as much as he does but he really loves it! Here he is practicing his balancing moves on a chair in the living room with a little help from Daddy.
Daddy has, incidentally, continued to be the preferred parent. As we are going through our daily routine, there will be times that Vake is not thrilled with what I am doing (changing him, changing his clothes, etc) but then Eric grabs him and Vake is all smiles. Here's a shot of Vake staring longingly at the number one Dad.
Daddy has, incidentally, continued to be the preferred parent. As we are going through our daily routine, there will be times that Vake is not thrilled with what I am doing (changing him, changing his clothes, etc) but then Eric grabs him and Vake is all smiles. Here's a shot of Vake staring longingly at the number one Dad.
And if you look closely at his little feet (which is so funny to write little feet like that, because one of my favorite songs is Dixie Chicken by Little Feat) you will see his fancy embroidered shoes which were sent to him by Eric's cousin Leslie, the same cousin who sent him the embroidered ox that hangs above his changing table (it becomes more and more appropriate that this 20 pound 3 month old baby was born in the Year of the Ox). When we got the shoes, which are a Taiwanese size 2 (whatever that means) I thought they were enormous. I put them on him today because we are having unseasonably cold weather and suffice it to say that it was extremely lucky that we tried them out when we did because they BARELY fit his baby feet.
I tried to get a good snap of the size, but I didn't zoom in close enough, apparently.
This one shows you the size close up- I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that he's blowing through shoes the same way that he's blowing through clothes. Grandmary and I picked out this outfit from the Hall Tree (a consignment store in town) to wear this fall. As you can see, there's not a lot of extra room in these overalls- we are hoping that they make it through the trip to Seattle in June.
I also want you to see little V's mullet. It is almost impossible to describe, but he has this patch of what looks like original baby hair at the base of his neck- it is nearly black and the hair that's coming in everywhere else is lighter. The pediatrician joked us last month that it looked like a mullet, and it still really really does.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (otherwise known as Vake Martin) and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy
Vake is evolving into my own personal very hungry caterpillar. Today, he's eaten a grand total of 40 ounces. I've got to say, that's a lot. Let's hope that he's just about to start a growth spurt. It was sort of unbelievable. He woke up at about 6 am, had 8 ounces, then went back to sleep until 9:30 when he woke up. He had another 8 ounces at 10:30, at noon, at 2:30, at 4:30 and then at 6:30. That seems like so much because it used to be pretty exceptional when he would take down 4 or 5 ounces.
Aunt Martha brought over what is likely to become our new favorite book today. This is a sweet little story by Mo Willems about a pigeon who desperately wants a puppy (hence the title of the book, but humor me, ok? I am still not sleeping quite enough) but who then actually gets the puppy, is terrified of the puppy and asks for a (spoiler alert!) walrus.
Vake loves the pictures. He's funny about books. Every night when we start reading them, he's fussy for the first page or two but then he starts to study the illustrations. He was fascinated by the pigeon. Now of course my inclination is to run out and buy all the books in the series but I am trying to hold off. I think Martha got this book for us because she always jokes me (and it is true enough, I think) about how I adopt every stray puppy that comes along but this book is just adorable!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn
My own little Beastie Boy was rocking it out last night. I woke up about 3 am and at about that same time, Vake woke up and sang, fussed, "talked" and cried in his own crib on and off until about 4 or so. I have to say, there is something uniquely horrible about the cry-it-out method because in our case, Eric's got to work really hard and be really rested, so I just turn off the sound on the monitor and watch the red lights come and go. If I listen out of the corner of my ear, I can hear the soundtrack that accompanies the red lights and sometimes it is not pretty.
But he eventually went back to sleep. And woke up this morning in a great mood.
I snapped these pictures of him wearing pajamas that Stacy gave him. He looks exactly like Eric in these to me.
Which is understandable because Eric is his father. But come on. I am the one watching the lights on the monitor at 3:47 in the morning. It would be ok if he looked like me even a little bit.
But he eventually went back to sleep. And woke up this morning in a great mood.
I snapped these pictures of him wearing pajamas that Stacy gave him. He looks exactly like Eric in these to me.
Which is understandable because Eric is his father. But come on. I am the one watching the lights on the monitor at 3:47 in the morning. It would be ok if he looked like me even a little bit.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Vake's Three-Month Jaunt to Jacques Penne and Bouncy Seat Bliss.
Grandmary picked up Vake's three month pictures from J.C. Penney today: I've put two poses up for you to see. The first I like to call "Contemplative Vake." In it, he is thinking big thoughts, just like his Daddy. Are we working our way through a complicated Civil Procedure problem? If so, Vake should talk to me: I could tell him, "Vake, son, don't overthink it. It's just counting days."
Here's the second pose. This is "Party Animal Vake." In this picture, he shows that he's single and likes to mingle! A good time is always in store when this little guy shows up!!!
In other exciting news, the little Vakester sat in his activity seat for the first time today and LOVED it. He's getting to the point where he can reach out and touch things and he was pretty happy when he reached out and touched some of the activities.
Here's the second pose. This is "Party Animal Vake." In this picture, he shows that he's single and likes to mingle! A good time is always in store when this little guy shows up!!!
In other exciting news, the little Vakester sat in his activity seat for the first time today and LOVED it. He's getting to the point where he can reach out and touch things and he was pretty happy when he reached out and touched some of the activities.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Visitors!
So we are pretty slow on the news front- not a lot to report from yesterday or today. The big excitement is that Jen, our friend from the West Coast, is going to be able to come and visit in June and is thinking about getting Cara and Katherine to come with her.
Vake LOVES the older ladies. I've attached this picture with his friend Flora as proof!
Vake LOVES the older ladies. I've attached this picture with his friend Flora as proof!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Guest Blogger- Left Bank Granny about Vake's great-grandmother, Mildred Goers Sampson
Here's interesting information that I got from Sue, Vake's grandmother about Mildred Goers Sampson. "Milly" is the wife of Reynold Vake Sampson, for whom our little Vake is named. Sue, thanks so much for getting all this information down- I've divided it into sections that seem logical to me. I've got a picture of Milly that was taken recently that I am going to try to add today.
Milly's Birth, the Move to Chicago and the Depression:
She was born on 27,May 1922 on a wheat ranch in Saskatchewan,Canada, to American parent Edith and Emil Goers. when she was about 4, her younger sister Evelyn was born with a cleft palate, so the whole familymoved to Chicago, IL, where doctors at Cook County hospital were performing surgery on infants with cleft palate and the related syndrome, "hare lip." Emil got a job finishing pianos, and Edith worked in a dry-cleaning shop.When the depression hit after 1929, the piano industry ended, and the familywas incredibly poor until Emil got a job in the post office, that he workeduntil he could retire. The family included five children, Edison, Arthur,Mildred, Evelyn and Walter. They were Missouri Synod Lutherans living in anIrish Roman Catholic neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, next to thestockyards. That was enough to get the Goers kids into fights: they accusedthe Irish Their neighbor across the street of being "idol worshipers," andgot into a few brick fights. Milly lost her front tooth in a brick fightwhen she was hit with what she called an "alley apple." The Salvation Armyvisited their neighborhood to bring children their Christmas gift. They gotan orange, and a choice of one toy. One year, Milly chose a statuette of ahorse. Another time, she chose paper dolls. Her brother Art tore the headsoff her paper dolls, so she filled his harmonica with salt and corroded itsreeds, ruining it. A neighbor across the street was a Port Commissioner whofixed her brother's driving tickets. A bomb went off on his porch one night.The dirigibile "Hindinberg" flew over one day, but try as she might, witheverybody pointing, Milly never did see it. Another neighbor was RichardDaly, who played music with her brothers, and who later became the notorious"Mayor Daly" of Chicago. Yet another set of neighbors who played guitarwith her brothers became known as "Flatt and Scruggs," bluegrass musicianswho did the theme from the movie "Deliverance."
Milly's Childhood:
But as a kid, Milly was as skinny as a rail, probably from malnutrition. The family ate oatmeal threetimes per day, with cinnamon at dinner time to make it special. Her mother,Vake's great-great grandmother, traded home-made bread for horse manure to a vendor who came through the neighborhood in a horse-drawn wagon, so she could fertilize a "Victory garden." The school district thought Milly was way too skinny, so they issued her a hooded sweatshirt and sent her to class in a "fresh air" room, where the windows were left open to let the wind blow off of Lake Michigan. When her brother Arthur developed aninfection in the mastoid area behind the ear, and this was before antibiotics, he had to have treatment at the Cook County hospital. Bothparents worked, so Milly was sent along to see that Art got to his appointment. They had 5 cents for the street car. Instead, they walked,and spent the money on candy. Art got three cents, because it was his ear.Milly spent her 2 cents on caramels, but had to give one to Art, because itwas his ear. Once a stranger stopped his car next to Milly as she played onthe street, and enticed her got get in. He drove her to a nearby cafe, bought her a bowl of chili, and drove her home again. To this day, she enjoys chili. She and Art went to the theater to see a Bella Lugosi horror flick, and were so scared that they held hands and ran down the center of 43rd street, all the way home. Milly loved to read, including Zane Gray andS herlock Holmes, but her mother would see her lamp reflected off the housenext door, and yelled at her to turn the light off. Then, she read under the covers. In 1933, she attended the Chicago World's Fair, and got in forfree on "freckle day" for anybody who had more than 5 freckles. She had so many that they let her cousin Murial come in with her, although Murial had none, because Milly had enough for them both.
High School:
When the depression began to alleviate, girls who had dropped out of school began to return to class,and created lots of conflict because they wore lipstick and plucked their eyebrows. Milly graduated from Inglewood High School, whose most famous graduate a few years later was Lorraine Hansberry, who wrote "Raisin in theSun." Milly completed a career tract in high school, and went to work as a private secretary who could type and who could take dictation in shorthand. Her first job with Spiegel catalogs was working nights, and she could not sleep days, so she was becoming badly run down, and her parents made her quit the job. She got another with Westinghouse, and dutifully turned overa portion of each check to her parents for rent. She saved enough forhorse-riding lessons.
World War II and "Ray":
When WW II broke out, many sailors were being trained at Navy Pier in Chicago. One day she and her cousin Muriel were bowlingwhen some sailors hooted and whistled and tried to pick them up. Milly was indignant, "We aren't dogs!" but discovered that Muriel was winking at thesailors. The guys caught up with them, and walked them home. A skinny guy from Oregon, Reynold Vake Sampson, to a shine to her. When they talked about flowers, and she was not familiar with daffodils, he took her to a florist but was horrified to learn that they wanted 25 cents per stem. He offered to take her to Oregon, some time, to see fields of daffodils in bloom. She was irritated from time to time when he came calling, because an Irish womanup the street would invite him in for a drink before he got to Milly'shouse, and he would accept. When he shipped out, he said he would write,and he did. When she turned 21, Milly enlisted in the Women's Army Corps.Before reporting to duty, she went west to Seattle to see "Ray," as they called him. They took a bus over the Cascades to Wenatchee to visit Vake's brother Gene, who was training flyers at Pangborn field. On their way back to Seattle, the brakes on their bus caught fire as they were winding downthe hills past the Snoqualmie falls. Eventually, she caught a troop train back to Chicago to report to duty, and "Ray" was sent to Pearl Harbor,Hawaii. Milly reported to duty and completed basic training at Ft. Worth,Texas. She and Muriel had enlisted together--now they had to choose assignments. Muriel chose to serve at the Pentagon,and eventually worked atthe Yalta conference. Milly chose active duty, and shipped out on theformer luxury liner, the Lurlene, to Australia. From there, she worked at New Guinea and the Philippines. While she was on a flight from Australia to New Guinea, her airplane developed an oil leak, and had to set down on thenorth coast of Australia near a village of reputed cannibals. Milly had herphoto taken with a big-bellied chief with his hair in a huge "'fro." When they departed the next day,the WACs thanked the locals for theirhospitality, and asked what they could do to repay the kindness. Theindiginous people asked for shaving mirrors, so the WACs left their compacts. In Manila, every night a Japanese bomber flew over, and the WACs ran from their tents to seek cover in grub-filled trenches. One day, thetroops partied and left a big mess. Commanders ordered all personnel to clean it up. Milly didn't drink and didn't smoke and wasn't about to cleanup after those who did. She sat at her typewriter pounding out work, angry smoke blowing out of her ears. A rumor persisted that a major weapon was going to end the war, and one day, it did.
Milly and Vake:
Milly was asked to go to Japan to serve in General MacArthur's army occupational army, but she got a note from Evelyn Sampson (wife of Reynold Vake's older brother John) that Reynold Vake Sampson had been discharged from the Navy and was seeing an old girlfriend. Milly took her discharge and hurried home. She and Reynold Vake Sampson were married in Chicago in January of 1946.She wore a knee-length dress with a nipped waist, high-heeled shoes, and a hat withartificial birds on it perched on the front of her head.
Milly and Vake have Sue:
They resumed civilian life at Bridge, Oregon, and I, the grandmother of Reynold Vake Blaine Martin, was born at nearby Myrtle Point, Oregon, a year and a half later. They were married for over 50 years until the end of his life in 1997. Sue has lived at Snoqualmie, where the brakes caught fire; and Sue has a house directly across the Columbia River from Pangborn field, where Milly visited Gene.
Milly today:
She will be 87 years old on May 27, and unfortunately, personality and integrity and wit and indendence and fortitude are hidden are lost in a miasma of Altzheimer's. But Sue has no doubt that she would be as pleased as Sue is to know that her first great-grandchild was named after her husband, and Sue's dad, Reynold Vake.
Milly's Birth, the Move to Chicago and the Depression:
She was born on 27,May 1922 on a wheat ranch in Saskatchewan,Canada, to American parent Edith and Emil Goers. when she was about 4, her younger sister Evelyn was born with a cleft palate, so the whole familymoved to Chicago, IL, where doctors at Cook County hospital were performing surgery on infants with cleft palate and the related syndrome, "hare lip." Emil got a job finishing pianos, and Edith worked in a dry-cleaning shop.When the depression hit after 1929, the piano industry ended, and the familywas incredibly poor until Emil got a job in the post office, that he workeduntil he could retire. The family included five children, Edison, Arthur,Mildred, Evelyn and Walter. They were Missouri Synod Lutherans living in anIrish Roman Catholic neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, next to thestockyards. That was enough to get the Goers kids into fights: they accusedthe Irish Their neighbor across the street of being "idol worshipers," andgot into a few brick fights. Milly lost her front tooth in a brick fightwhen she was hit with what she called an "alley apple." The Salvation Armyvisited their neighborhood to bring children their Christmas gift. They gotan orange, and a choice of one toy. One year, Milly chose a statuette of ahorse. Another time, she chose paper dolls. Her brother Art tore the headsoff her paper dolls, so she filled his harmonica with salt and corroded itsreeds, ruining it. A neighbor across the street was a Port Commissioner whofixed her brother's driving tickets. A bomb went off on his porch one night.The dirigibile "Hindinberg" flew over one day, but try as she might, witheverybody pointing, Milly never did see it. Another neighbor was RichardDaly, who played music with her brothers, and who later became the notorious"Mayor Daly" of Chicago. Yet another set of neighbors who played guitarwith her brothers became known as "Flatt and Scruggs," bluegrass musicianswho did the theme from the movie "Deliverance."
Milly's Childhood:
But as a kid, Milly was as skinny as a rail, probably from malnutrition. The family ate oatmeal threetimes per day, with cinnamon at dinner time to make it special. Her mother,Vake's great-great grandmother, traded home-made bread for horse manure to a vendor who came through the neighborhood in a horse-drawn wagon, so she could fertilize a "Victory garden." The school district thought Milly was way too skinny, so they issued her a hooded sweatshirt and sent her to class in a "fresh air" room, where the windows were left open to let the wind blow off of Lake Michigan. When her brother Arthur developed aninfection in the mastoid area behind the ear, and this was before antibiotics, he had to have treatment at the Cook County hospital. Bothparents worked, so Milly was sent along to see that Art got to his appointment. They had 5 cents for the street car. Instead, they walked,and spent the money on candy. Art got three cents, because it was his ear.Milly spent her 2 cents on caramels, but had to give one to Art, because itwas his ear. Once a stranger stopped his car next to Milly as she played onthe street, and enticed her got get in. He drove her to a nearby cafe, bought her a bowl of chili, and drove her home again. To this day, she enjoys chili. She and Art went to the theater to see a Bella Lugosi horror flick, and were so scared that they held hands and ran down the center of 43rd street, all the way home. Milly loved to read, including Zane Gray andS herlock Holmes, but her mother would see her lamp reflected off the housenext door, and yelled at her to turn the light off. Then, she read under the covers. In 1933, she attended the Chicago World's Fair, and got in forfree on "freckle day" for anybody who had more than 5 freckles. She had so many that they let her cousin Murial come in with her, although Murial had none, because Milly had enough for them both.
High School:
When the depression began to alleviate, girls who had dropped out of school began to return to class,and created lots of conflict because they wore lipstick and plucked their eyebrows. Milly graduated from Inglewood High School, whose most famous graduate a few years later was Lorraine Hansberry, who wrote "Raisin in theSun." Milly completed a career tract in high school, and went to work as a private secretary who could type and who could take dictation in shorthand. Her first job with Spiegel catalogs was working nights, and she could not sleep days, so she was becoming badly run down, and her parents made her quit the job. She got another with Westinghouse, and dutifully turned overa portion of each check to her parents for rent. She saved enough forhorse-riding lessons.
World War II and "Ray":
When WW II broke out, many sailors were being trained at Navy Pier in Chicago. One day she and her cousin Muriel were bowlingwhen some sailors hooted and whistled and tried to pick them up. Milly was indignant, "We aren't dogs!" but discovered that Muriel was winking at thesailors. The guys caught up with them, and walked them home. A skinny guy from Oregon, Reynold Vake Sampson, to a shine to her. When they talked about flowers, and she was not familiar with daffodils, he took her to a florist but was horrified to learn that they wanted 25 cents per stem. He offered to take her to Oregon, some time, to see fields of daffodils in bloom. She was irritated from time to time when he came calling, because an Irish womanup the street would invite him in for a drink before he got to Milly'shouse, and he would accept. When he shipped out, he said he would write,and he did. When she turned 21, Milly enlisted in the Women's Army Corps.Before reporting to duty, she went west to Seattle to see "Ray," as they called him. They took a bus over the Cascades to Wenatchee to visit Vake's brother Gene, who was training flyers at Pangborn field. On their way back to Seattle, the brakes on their bus caught fire as they were winding downthe hills past the Snoqualmie falls. Eventually, she caught a troop train back to Chicago to report to duty, and "Ray" was sent to Pearl Harbor,Hawaii. Milly reported to duty and completed basic training at Ft. Worth,Texas. She and Muriel had enlisted together--now they had to choose assignments. Muriel chose to serve at the Pentagon,and eventually worked atthe Yalta conference. Milly chose active duty, and shipped out on theformer luxury liner, the Lurlene, to Australia. From there, she worked at New Guinea and the Philippines. While she was on a flight from Australia to New Guinea, her airplane developed an oil leak, and had to set down on thenorth coast of Australia near a village of reputed cannibals. Milly had herphoto taken with a big-bellied chief with his hair in a huge "'fro." When they departed the next day,the WACs thanked the locals for theirhospitality, and asked what they could do to repay the kindness. Theindiginous people asked for shaving mirrors, so the WACs left their compacts. In Manila, every night a Japanese bomber flew over, and the WACs ran from their tents to seek cover in grub-filled trenches. One day, thetroops partied and left a big mess. Commanders ordered all personnel to clean it up. Milly didn't drink and didn't smoke and wasn't about to cleanup after those who did. She sat at her typewriter pounding out work, angry smoke blowing out of her ears. A rumor persisted that a major weapon was going to end the war, and one day, it did.
Milly and Vake:
Milly was asked to go to Japan to serve in General MacArthur's army occupational army, but she got a note from Evelyn Sampson (wife of Reynold Vake's older brother John) that Reynold Vake Sampson had been discharged from the Navy and was seeing an old girlfriend. Milly took her discharge and hurried home. She and Reynold Vake Sampson were married in Chicago in January of 1946.She wore a knee-length dress with a nipped waist, high-heeled shoes, and a hat withartificial birds on it perched on the front of her head.
Milly and Vake have Sue:
They resumed civilian life at Bridge, Oregon, and I, the grandmother of Reynold Vake Blaine Martin, was born at nearby Myrtle Point, Oregon, a year and a half later. They were married for over 50 years until the end of his life in 1997. Sue has lived at Snoqualmie, where the brakes caught fire; and Sue has a house directly across the Columbia River from Pangborn field, where Milly visited Gene.
Milly today:
She will be 87 years old on May 27, and unfortunately, personality and integrity and wit and indendence and fortitude are hidden are lost in a miasma of Altzheimer's. But Sue has no doubt that she would be as pleased as Sue is to know that her first great-grandchild was named after her husband, and Sue's dad, Reynold Vake.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
What a fun day
So I haven't had a lot of experience on the receiving end of Mother's Day. All in all, though, the day was pretty excellent. Vake woke up in a fantastic mood. Then, he and I took a walk through Carytown and people kept on saying "Happy Mother's Day" to me, which was pretty incredible.
Then, I got the best present from Eric- he didn't work this afternoon and we took Vake to the Museum District Mother's Day House Tour. As cheesy as I know it sounds, getting some quality time with both of them in the gorgeous weather that we are having was really all I could have asked for for Mother's Day.
And as if that wasn't enough, we had dinner with Chuck, Julie and Neil- burgers on the grill and delicious desserts with good friends! What a day!
Then, I got the best present from Eric- he didn't work this afternoon and we took Vake to the Museum District Mother's Day House Tour. As cheesy as I know it sounds, getting some quality time with both of them in the gorgeous weather that we are having was really all I could have asked for for Mother's Day.
And as if that wasn't enough, we had dinner with Chuck, Julie and Neil- burgers on the grill and delicious desserts with good friends! What a day!
Mothers and Mobiles!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MARY SABRA AND SUE!!!
I've got a whole new appreciation for mothers this year. I've always been pretty fortunate- Mary Sabra Gillespie Monroe wins the award for All-time Best Mother Ever in Category of Mother to High Energy Daughters! Anyone who knows Mary Sabra knows that she has basically devoted her life to Anne and me. She's been so encouraging and supportive in every category for both of us. And now she's having the time of her life with little V.
And Eric's equally lucky to have Sue. The two of them are law peas in a pod. As Jerry and Brook can attest, the two of them could be locked in a room for 24 hours and they wouldn't run out of cases to talk about to each other. This is a picture that was taken during Sue and Jerry's whirlwind trip to Richmond- we are looking forward to having them back once Sue gets her practice closed out for good in June.
As I've mentioned before, Vake loves his mobile. This morning, I put him down in his crib while I folded his laundry when he woke up at 6:15 and I think he entertained himself for about a half an hour while I folded. He really was concentrating- the fun has risen to a whole new level because now the fan is blowing in his room and the pieces really move around pretty quickly.Saturday, May 9, 2009
Happy Three Months, Vake!
These first three months have flown by!!! I took a picture of the little man sitting in his Bumbo seat, holding his head up all by himself. As you can tell from the clothes he's wearing, it is starting to get hot here- Eric is not so excited about that whole program.
At three months, Vake is:
- smiling and giggling;
- enjoying playing simple games;
- controlling his head;
- 18 pounds and is 25 inches long;
- sleeping through the night (this one is BRAND new- he's made it 11-12 hours for the past three nights;
- loving his bath;
- interested in the lights above him; and
- wearing clothes that are anywhere between 9 and 18 months!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Uncle Dennis, Bright Shiny Lights and Yet Another Reason Why Taren's Terrific
So Vake, Eric, Mary Sabra and I want to send a big "we're thinking about you" to Vake's Uncle Dennis. A week from today, Dennis will take his exam to become a licensed clinical social worker. He's completed all the requirements and just needs to take this test. For those of you who don't know Dennis, he's the most laid-back, patient person who gets along really well with everyone in our extremely high-energy family. We are super-psyched to have Dennis (and the new puppy Domingo) up with us in June. GO DENNIS.
So as I have posted before, I think, most days I get home from work as the V is winding down from his day. There's basically time to give him a bath, feed him and read some stories and cuddle as I get him ready for bed. There's a fussiness quotient in play too- he' s pretty tired. But he's never too tired to look at lights- here he is about to fall backwards out of my arms staring at the kitchen lights.
Last but certainly not least, I wanted you to see why I am such a huge Taren fan. So today, I come home from work and Vake has a Mother's Day present for me- I've attached a picture of it below- such a thoughtful thing to do! She called Mom for help and planned the whole thing!
So as I have posted before, I think, most days I get home from work as the V is winding down from his day. There's basically time to give him a bath, feed him and read some stories and cuddle as I get him ready for bed. There's a fussiness quotient in play too- he' s pretty tired. But he's never too tired to look at lights- here he is about to fall backwards out of my arms staring at the kitchen lights.
Last but certainly not least, I wanted you to see why I am such a huge Taren fan. So today, I come home from work and Vake has a Mother's Day present for me- I've attached a picture of it below- such a thoughtful thing to do! She called Mom for help and planned the whole thing!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Vake's Room, a Visitor and Thoughts on "Sleep Training"
I wanted all the West Coasters to be able to see Vake's room. When I was picking out the paint colors, I picked out a light shade of green with a blue ceiling. When we found out we were having a little boy, I wanted to see if I could plan his room so that he could "grow" into it. I started out with a fabric that I really loved- it has a map of the world on it. Unfortunately, our Richmond store was discontinuing it so they only had about 12 yards left. So, I got roman shades made for the two windows. I took a yard and figured out how to use fabric stretchers (actually a lot easier than it looks) and made a frame and put a "map" on the wall. Mom found some inexpensive striped fabric for the bedspread and for the crib skirt. The first picture is the view as you are looking in to his room.
This second view is looking toward the back of the house. On the floating bookshelves, I've got some of Eric's toys and books from when he was little and the ox that Cousin Leslie sent to Vake is hanging right over where Vake's little head goes when I change him. I bought the bureau drawers for $20.00 at a thrift store in Philadelphia and painted them white, and then one of Vake's godmothers, Andrea, gave us the changing pad so we didn't buy a changing table.
This second view is looking toward the back of the house. On the floating bookshelves, I've got some of Eric's toys and books from when he was little and the ox that Cousin Leslie sent to Vake is hanging right over where Vake's little head goes when I change him. I bought the bureau drawers for $20.00 at a thrift store in Philadelphia and painted them white, and then one of Vake's godmothers, Andrea, gave us the changing pad so we didn't buy a changing table.
This next pic shows what is probably far and away the coolest thing in the room- it is a huge light fixture from Pottery Barn Kids- if I had known how gi-normous it was going to be, I might have held off. Vake really likes to pull up when he is sitting with me in the chair and look at the shiny lights. I am thinking that once the crib gets moved out, I can move in an activity table.
This is the other really great thing in this room- Eric and I found this sweet mobile at the Portland, Oregon Saturday Market. There was a lady there who makes each figure and then she balances the whole thing perfectly. Vake LOVES the zebra. I think my favorite part of it is that there are not a milllion like it.
My aunt Tomoko is visiting for the next two weeks. She's taking a painting class here in Richmond. She's come over to visit her grand-nephew every night at bathtime.
My aunt Tomoko is visiting for the next two weeks. She's taking a painting class here in Richmond. She's come over to visit her grand-nephew every night at bathtime.
So our sleep schedule is progressing and I think the picture below summarized perfectly the way both of us feel about the "crying it out" process. Eric and I have talked about it and intellectually I definitely understand the benefits of having a child who sleeps through the night. In actual practice, it feels really awful to have your child sobbing at 2 am. I'm actually pretty surprised with myself because I really hate not getting up with him at night when he sounds like he needs me. (Ok, that last sentence sounded completely wrong...what I guess I am trying to say is that I really enjoy being able to soothe and comfort him and since I've gone back to work, one of the prime times I got to do that was in the middle of the night.)
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sleep Training = No Fun
So we've embarked on a sleep training program. I am really hoping that what we achieve is having little Vake sleep through the night. The terrific woman that we are doing our nanny share with, J., has started her little boy H. on it with amazing results- little H. is now sleeping through the night 11 hours at a stretch.
Let me preface this by saying that Vake is about the most cheerful little cherub you could hope to know. Unless he's hungry or tired, he's seldom fussy and LOVES to smile (grin, really). However, he's also been on a schedule where he's gotten up twice a night for a little nightcap. Which was fine when I wasn't working but is a little more of a challenge now. So the big goal is to get him to sleep through the night.
Last night, armed with J.'s sleep program, we started. Before I had children, I didn't think that letting a baby cry would be a very big deal. Suffice it to say I no longer hold that belief. BUT in happier news, he only woke up once last night so I guess that is progress.
Let me preface this by saying that Vake is about the most cheerful little cherub you could hope to know. Unless he's hungry or tired, he's seldom fussy and LOVES to smile (grin, really). However, he's also been on a schedule where he's gotten up twice a night for a little nightcap. Which was fine when I wasn't working but is a little more of a challenge now. So the big goal is to get him to sleep through the night.
Last night, armed with J.'s sleep program, we started. Before I had children, I didn't think that letting a baby cry would be a very big deal. Suffice it to say I no longer hold that belief. BUT in happier news, he only woke up once last night so I guess that is progress.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Raffi the Giraffe
One of the things I was totally insane about (and Eric will tell you that there were many) when I was pregnant was what Vake's "lovey" was going to be. I was bound and determined to have his favorite animal picked out for him well in advance of his birth. I dragged Eric to a couple of stores to find the perfect bear, notably one in Carytown where the shopkeeper informed us in a very serious tone that her bears were collectible and taking off the tags would destroy their value.
The perfect bear is actually a giraffe- I think mostly because he can get his little arm around Raffi's neck and because he likes to gum Raffi's ears. He sleeps with Raffi every night. I think it may be too soon to know whether or not Raffi will retain the same position as the favored toy, but they are pretty sweet together right now.
Shoutout to Anne Monroe
This is going to be a picture-free post, mostly because Eric and I haven't gotten organized and fixed my computer which has all of our pictures on it! But a HUGE shoutout to Anne Monroe, who is finishing her thesis today- I just got to read the first section and it is REALLY good.
I'd like to point out how amazing it is that she's finishing up her master's because she's also a physician who moonlights at the ER. She's also one of the best people I know. This week, in the midst of just trying to get finished up, she dropped everything and came to Virginia to visit our step-grandmother Louise. There are not a lot of people I know who are that selfless.
So here's to you, Anne Monroe!
I'd like to point out how amazing it is that she's finishing up her master's because she's also a physician who moonlights at the ER. She's also one of the best people I know. This week, in the midst of just trying to get finished up, she dropped everything and came to Virginia to visit our step-grandmother Louise. There are not a lot of people I know who are that selfless.
So here's to you, Anne Monroe!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Soooo tired.
So we went for our monthly "glamour shot" at the JC Penney Portrait Studio (which, incidentally, does not hold a candle to our cousin Leslie's experience at a Taipei portrait studio...see undersundog.com for details). Vake's schedule is changing and he was tired and getting tireder by the minute.
The fantastic lady who works there snapped as quickly as she good- and we got the all important full-body shot that shows how much he has grown and then got him out of there before he had a total meltdown. He was wearing his new smocked bubble from Grandmary with the three little bears on it.
(As an aside, I'd just like to remind all the doubters in the crowd that these bubbles that he's being photographed in are NOT, I repeat NOT, dresses. You can tell they're for little boys by looking at the collar and the sleeves. And, he's only a baby once. But I digress.)
Within 5 minutes of the pictures being done, Vake was out cold- he's so cute when he's sleeping.
The fantastic lady who works there snapped as quickly as she good- and we got the all important full-body shot that shows how much he has grown and then got him out of there before he had a total meltdown. He was wearing his new smocked bubble from Grandmary with the three little bears on it.
(As an aside, I'd just like to remind all the doubters in the crowd that these bubbles that he's being photographed in are NOT, I repeat NOT, dresses. You can tell they're for little boys by looking at the collar and the sleeves. And, he's only a baby once. But I digress.)
Within 5 minutes of the pictures being done, Vake was out cold- he's so cute when he's sleeping.
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