The best medicine

Yesterday, it seemed that Franny was definitely starting to feel better; she had just a touch of congestion left. This morning, however, she woke up on the wrong side of the crib. She wasn't her usual smiling self, she wasn't hungry, and in general, she had just a rather cranky disposition. When she asked for some milk, I assumed she had just been thirsty, but when that didn't boost her spirits I was afraid that her virus was still aggravating her little system.

Just when I had resigned myself for a long and demanding day, Auntie Noelle arrived for her weekly visit. At most, it took five minutes before Franny was running around, rolling on the floor laughing, and enthusiastically eating her cinnamon scone. A fresh, friendly face was just what she needed to end her morning funk. We even took a low-key excursion to the local nursery to peruse the flowers, enjoy the beautiful morning, and get some fresh air. And she has been in a great mood ever since. I guess even toddlers get cabin fever!

Kicking back in the Adirondack

We gathered at my parent's home this past weekend to celebrate several birthdays and Fathers Day. Despite the heat, Franny had a great time--but what's not to love? Wonderful grandparents and Auntie Noelle to play with; running through the cool grass in bare feet; Dusty to admire and chase. But she especially loved climbing in and out of their Adirondack chair. It's just the perfect height for her to sit in, not to mention that it's such a big girl chair!

More on more

There is no question that I LOVE the new signs that Franny started using this week. After she woke up this morning and we sat down for a little couch time, she started signing for milk. Wonderful! If we hadn't had any milk, I would have been driving to the nearest store!

However, I am finding that "more"can be a little tricky. A number of times over the last few days, she has signed for more and I haven't been able to determine what she wants more of. The most frustrating example was her waking up from her nap crying and repeatedly signing for more. We tried for more sleep but in the end settled for more hugs and some milk. More sleep--what was I thinking? I think I have used the term "clueless Mommy" before...

Tell me more!

After months and months of trying, Franny is finally signing "more"! Her interpretation is not exactly proper form, but it is unmistakably "more". Since yesterday, she asked for more milk, crackers, bananas, time in the bathtub and even more music! It is an amazingly powerful sign. There is no question that I was thrilled with her signing "dog" and "ball", but the signs that really help our communication are "more" and "all done", which she has been doing regularly for a couple of weeks now. These two signs have also greatly reduced the amount of food hitting the floor at mealtime!

"more"

"all done"

I am hoping that she is about to hit her signing cluster, where she rapidly adopts a number of signs. Currently, she is consistantly signing "dog", "ball", "rabbit", "milk", "more", and "all done". "Eat" and "cheese" are emerging as well, but she does not use them regularly yet. She also has created her own sign for "music", which is interesting. Last night, after the music had shut off, she started signing "more". I had no idea what she was trying to say, but when I asked her "more what?" she started slapping her legs like she does when music plays. It was an incredible moment!

I must admit, I was starting to wonder if Franny was really going to start signing, but now I am certain that all the months of effort are going to pay off. My hope is that signing will help Franny communicate more easily with us and reduce some of the frustration I frequently see in young toddlers who are trying to say something but just can't get their message across.

Record highs

Franny, deciding that 100 degrees just wasn't hot enough, yesterday developed a fever of 102.2! The poor girl has never been that sick; playing, eating, sleeping, were of no interest to her. From 2:30 until 7:00, all she wanted to do was sit in my lap and rest her head on my shoulder, which is very uncharacteristic of the ever on-the-move Franny. We read some books, but that was about the extent of our activity. Thank goodness she did continue to drink both water and milk all day. Now, with a normal temperature and reasonably good mood for having such a rough night, she is doing much better. She is napping now --let's hope it's a long one!

In the know

Franny wants to know. She is continuously pointing and looking to me for explanations. I can only determine that she is asking "What is that?" or "Can I have that?" or something involving that. She is so clearly wanting to know something, I am sometimes reluctant to respond in case I give her the wrong answer, since it's not always completely clear what she is pointing at. More than once, I have received a look that seems to say "Clueless Mommy! Not that--that!" One thing I am sure of, though, is that her question phrase is "na-na". With Franny, the pointing is always accompanied with an authoritative "na-na". It's fun to see her so incredibly aware and inquisitive of everything; the developing mind of the toddler is an amazing and wonderful thing to not only witness, but be a part of.

Franny's city

Portland is such a wonderful city to live in--and no place can top our incredible summers! For me, there is very little that compares to sharing a warm and pleasant day here with my family. I hope Franny grows to love it as much as we do! Here is Franny checking out one of the views from the Pittock Mansion.

One of the other visitors offered to take our picture--Franny looks irritated because she was! The poor girl wanted to be on the ground and walking! As long as she is on the move, she is happy-- but interrupt her good time and she will let you know!

The Franny has landed

Franny is definitely an enthusiastic go-to-sleeper. Every night she goes through her ritual romping, which includes playing with her tiger, talking up a storm, and blowing raspberries against the crib railing. With few exceptions, she will cover the whole expanse of the crib before she finally lands and falls asleep. This process can put her in some interesting sleeping positions. Last night, her landing put her partially out of the crib! Fortunately, she eventually pulled her feet back in without waking up.

Another great afternoon!

After such a great Monday, I decided to take Franny on another afternoon excursion and headed down to Washington Park to do some walking along the Vietnam Memorial path. Again, Franny just loved getting out, walking around, and seeing the sights. As soon as we got there, she was on the move, and the smooth pavers were a great surface for her--she could have her independence and I could feel more at ease.





She had a great time checking out the fountain--she wanted to climb in, so I had to act fast!











And she got a big kick out of checking out her reflection on the monument...
















...and peering down at the other visitors once we had gotten to the top.















Then, we headed down the Marquam Trail, which runs from the Memorial to the Children's Museum, and then up the sidewalk back towards our start.









Franny got distracted once we got to the stairs in front of the Forestry Center, and wanted to practice her new stair climbing skills. We went all the way up, then down, back up, and then back down. She would have kept going, but we had to get back home! She has endless energy! I do need to help her by holding her hands as she pulls herself up each step, but she wants to do it herself. This is a new endeavor which really makes her daddy uneasy.







But she was very pleased with herself, that is for sure! What a great day!

Our Monday adventure

Yesterday I was trying to find a new place that we could go for an afternoon excursion where Franny would have lots of space to walk safely that would minimize her risk of scrapes. With Franny not only insisting on walking, but insisting on walking unassisted, I find myself paying much more attention to surfaces, such as the texture of concrete and uneven ground. With this in mind, I opted to explore the Tualatin Hills Nature Park. Since it is located right off of a major road in Beaverton, I really wasn't expecting much, but it is close and I just wanted someplace different that Franny could run around.

I was pleasantly surprised--the park is very nice, and actually encompasses 219-acres of urban greenspace. I was anticipating just a grassy, natural park-like area--like Fanno Park--but this park has a variety of very dense foliage and trees, similar to a Forest Park trail. But the trails are paved and flat--perfect for strollers and amateur walkers to toddle around! The pavement was fairly smooth, just a bit rougher than a sidewalk. It was perfect for Franny to walk along, and as we continued down the main trail, I was amazed at the general feeling of being in the forest--there was no road noise, and while the main trail is paved, there are a series of secondary trails composed of wood pellets, which is even better since it's a softer surface. There are several different areas we didn't see, including a Wildlife Preserve and two large creek and pond areas, but since there are several entrances to the park, we will be able to see those without having to walk too far to get to them.

In all, we only went a little over a half a mile, but Franny walked almost the whole thing, stopping only when we came across new people. And that really was long enough, as it took us about an hour to do! But Franny had a great time, and we now have a new afternoon adventure spot!

Franny and her Daddy

Franny is very fortunate to have such a wonderful daddy. He really takes the time--not only with her, but also in knowing what she's doing everyday and how she likes and reacts to our routine and adventures. He nurtures their relationship everyday in some way and always makes the most of their time together. That is the reason I wanted to have such a special Fathers Day--and I think it was.

First ride

Our test drive with the new Burley was not exactly the most relaxing of rides. There were defintitely a few kinks to work out--the straps took some adjusting, as did Franny's helmet. Unfortunately, it took most of our trip out to everything situated just right. Poor Franny was a trooper, but was definitely uncomfortable. Although we did have her helmet fitted for her prior to the trip, after much fussing it was quite apparent that the smaller size would have been better. Hopefully, our next trip out will be more pleasant for everyone!

But it was still a great day, as the bike ride was only a small part. We saw some very pretty views along the Willamette River, and the sun came out just in time for our picnic. Franny enjoyed practicing her walking skills in the grassy area, and did pretty well, considering the uneven terrain. She did, however, take some time to do some resting as well.

Sweet abandon

Portland in bloom

Yesterday we began and ended our day amongst a backdrop of flowers. In the morning, we set out on a morning excursion to the Rose Test Garden. It was absolutely beautiful with everything in full bloom. Franny enjoyed roaming up and down the rows. The thick grass was a bit of a challenge for her new walking skills, but she did pretty well, considering.

We finished the day at the Festival of Flowers in Pioneer Square. Franny had a fabulous time running all over, investigating the different flowers, and seeing all the different people and goings on.

Got milk--finally!

Franny has finally started to drink her milk, and is almost up to the recommended 16 ounces. As with everything else, I guess she finally decided she was ready.

Surfin' USA

Power-trip walker

Independent Franny is back, and has really taken to the streets--as long as she is outside, she must walk. And don't even think about holding her hands--apparently help is for amateurs and is now completely unacceptable! Franny also does not like to be directed--she wants to decide where she is going. And being redirected is just a source of nuisance for her--she will persist in trying to get where she wants to go (such as the middle of the street) until she is finally picked up and taken out the vicinity of controversy, which of course does not occur without strenuous complaint. For some reason, she likes to walk the length of the driveway toward the street, but not back toward the house. As a result, we make a lot of one-way trips. How such a little being can have such strong opinions really amazes me. It also makes me slightly wary of what other battles the future holds for us!

It's so precious

I was overwhelmed today after hearing about the condition of Arin and the battle that looms ahead for the Werner family. My heart aches for both what they are going through and what they have already endured. I am so thankful for the health that we are blessed with.

Sitting bull (headed)

Franny is exceptionally skilled at finding new ways to battle sleep. Her latest tactic is to just sit. After I lay her down, tuck her tiger under her arm, and give her a smooch, she immediately sits up. She is more or less quiet; she really just sits there holding her tiger and periodically shifting a bit--I can only guess to get a new range of sight. Eventually, though, her eyes will start to droop, her head will nod, and she will start to lean. Then, she will snap back up--she reminds me of me during my Russian Cinema class in college. Anyway, this process will go on for about 10 minutes, until one of her leans finally results in her head finally resting on her mattress, with her finally asleep. It's really quite comical. Exasperating, but comical nonetheless.

Back in the rear-facing saddle again

After much consideration regarding the safety benefits, we decided to turn Franny back to the rear-facing position in her car seat. In a head-on collision, a rear-facing seat allows the force of the crash to spread evenly over the spine; facing forward, although the body is restrained, the head is vulnerable. For a baby or toddler whose vertebrae and ligaments are still loose, a rear-facing seat can mean the difference between a minor injury and severe spinal cord damage. Recent studies show toddlers are twice as safe in front and side crashes when facing backward. Those were statistics we couldn't ignore.

After making the decision yesterday, I agonized all evening, all night, and then all morning about how Franny would react. I just felt sick over the whole situation, and was so concerned that she wouldn't understand what was going on, and that I would be spending many days, maybe weeks, with Franny crying and repeating "mommy, mommy" for the duration of each ride.

This morning, when we loaded her up for the first time, my eyes teared up and my stomach knotted, as I anticipated her reaction. Well, apparently facing forward was a bigger deal for us than it was for her, because she didn't skip a beat--not a cry, complaint, or even any reaction at all! Just her usual, happy self, thank goodness!

I, however, will miss my travel companion. Although I realize that she is still in the car with me, to a certain degree, her new position isolates us from each other. I will miss seeing her smiling face in the rear-view mirror, being able to see her reactions to the world passing by, and being able to turn and make her laugh when we are at a stop. But at least I can take comfort in that she is safer and will be better protected if we are in an accident. As for Franny, she seems to be happy as long as she can press the button to open the garage door!

I love the now

What a wonderful day we had on Sunday. Although we didn't do anything extraordinary or special, it was just a relaxed and fun day from beginning to end. It was one of those days where you breathe very deeply, see beauty in the ordinary, and have a peaceful feeling of contentment through being completely conscious of how happy you are and how everything seems to be as it should. I am truly blessed.

Outdoor seating

I had a great time yesterday on my Mom's Day outing, but I missed Rick and Franny terribly! So, today I wanted to get an early start on our fantastic day by going for a morning walk. Because we left the house so early, we had to start our excursion at the park so Franny could have her snack.

Of course, when there's cream cheese involved, it's easy to join in on the fun...

Who's "it"?

Now that Franny is walking we have all sorts of new things to do and games to play. It's just a whole new perspective for her, and therefore, for me as well. Yesterday, we walked around the pond at the park; I could sense more of her reactions to different things--dogs, walkers, ducks, cars, bridges--by her pace, direction, and general motions. It's very fun to see. It's also very time consuming, but very fun, nonetheless.

One of our new games at home starts with me chasing her, but as she really gets going, it ends up with her chasing me. Coming around the different corners and blindspots in the house sends her into fits of giggles, and she starts going faster and faster. She falls, but pushes up without missing a beat, laughing the whole time, and starts after me again. She is hilarious!