Frith O’Steen

So Decker has been sleeping his new ‘big boy’ bed for about a week and a half now, and seems to have gotten quite used to it and very content sleeping in it. (which is nice for his folks!). Not only is he in a big boy bed now, but he is also officially sleeping with a pillow and blanket (one of his baby quilts- just the right size), and seems to be sleeping much better now that he’s warmer (duh - footie pj’s aren’t all that thermal when the temperature dips at night). Anyway, as I put him down for his nap today, he snuggled in under his blanket, looked up at me and blew me a kiss! Sean had told me that Decker was waving “night night” to him when he put him down in the evenings, but this was a first for me! And…it’s the first time he’s blown me a kiss without prompting! Could’ve melted right there on the spot, but decided to blog instead. Thank you for the kiss, Decker!

It is no wonder I don’t manage to get much down around here. There is nothing in the world as intoxicating and beautiful as a sleeping child. I will fully admit to turning into a big ol’ voyeur and staring at my son as he slumbers. So peaceful and sweet it’s almost heartbreaking. (Partly b/c I know he’ll wake up soon, and I haven’t gotten anything done!). I promise to do this a lot less when he gets older (Decker, I won’t sneak into your house and watch you sleep when you are an adult, despite what that book “I’ll love you forever” has to say about the matter!).

Well, we’re back! From where, you may ask? (or you may not, if I don’t care for your tone). From Lake Lure, North Carolina! What was I doing all the way out there, you may ask? (boy, you ask a lot of questions). Sean and I flew back there last week to attend Ryan and Amanda’s wedding (Sean’s brother and his fiancee, for those who need a briefing on the cast of characters in this little blog universe o’ mine).

Anyway - it was the first time we had ever left Decker without either parent for more than just an evening, and I have to say it was hard to say ‘bye bye’ to him but then it was reeeeeeeealllllly nice to enjoy a long weekend as just a couple! Air travel is a lot easier when you aren’t schlepping baby gear and a squirmy toddler along with you!

I have never been further south than Washington DC, so this was a true adventure for me. The wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun, and the weekend went by in a blur. Here are some of the highlights/notable observations I experienced:

* I don’t fly well. But flying on a red-eye and drugged up on benadryl-type stuff is the way to go! When you wake up to turbulence, you can fall back asleep a lot easier and your husband doesn’t end up with deep welts in his arm where your fingers would have been digging into it during all the bumpy parts.

* We flew into Charlotte, NC - the airport there is huge, and instead of regular ol’ naugahyde chairs in the terminals, they have white rockers! And toooooooooooons of NASCAR stuff everywhere.

* We transferred in Charlotte and flew into Greenville, SC. Apparently this is the home of Bob Jones University, which is proudly displayed in the baggage claim area. This was to be my first clue that we were definitely somewhere a little different than we were used to back home.

* Just outside Greenville (still in SC), we stopped to grab a quick bite of breakfast at McDonald’s. They had the 10 Commandments largely and proudly displayed by the entrance. This was to be the first of many dining experiences that had a Biblical aftertaste.

* Lake Lure is located in the Smokey Mountains, an hour short of Asheville. It is absolutely gorgeous. We were there before the fall leaves had really started to turn, and everything was lush and green and the trees just went on and on and on. Video and photos couldn’t capture just how stunning it was. It is easy to see why they filmed “Last of the Mohicans” there. And of course, “Dirty Dancing”. Ah, yes.

* It was dang good to be a Vanderbilt. The Biltmore Estate was HUGE and the original acreage was 125,000 (no, not a typo there) until they sold off most of it to the goverment (which then converted the land to Pisgah National Forest). They somehow managed to still make do with a measly 9,000 acres after that.

* North Carolina accents are cool. It is hard not to slip into a fake one, but you really should refrain from doing so.

* There are Baptist churches and realty offices every 1/2 mile. People put out large crosses on their front lawns, proclaiming that “He died for you/Are you ready for him?” and the like. I saw no synagogues or mosques, but I did see lots of marquis that said things like “Free trip to heaven - inquire within”

* Chimney Rock State Park charges you $14 to enter. You can take a picture for much cheaper (free) down below the entrance, and be equally impressed.

* When it rains in NC, it still stays really warm! That was very weird, but very nice!

* When you are without your kid in tow, and you indulge in multiple pieces of wedding cake all at once, you do not need any alcohol to be persuaded to get out on the dance floor and make a big fool of yourself (having fun all the same) with your spouse.

* It is very hard to recreate the scene from “Dirty Dancing” where Jennifer Grey jumps into Patrick Swayze’s arms and ‘flies’!

Congrats again, Ryan and Amanda!

Next time you see me, I’ll  be bob bob bobbin’ along, b/c I got my hair cut (finally! The last time was in April!). I think it threw Decker off for a bit, but he soon adjusted and settled for pulling on the shorter ‘do just as well as he had on my pigtails. (Note: he’s not being naughty, but he likes to brush my hair and still hasn’t quite learned what ‘too hard’ means!).

On Saturday Sean and little guy and I headed over to the Pleasant Hill Farmer’s Market, to see my friend Erin and hear her boyfriend Scott’s acoustic duo perform. They are called ‘Acoustic S & M”, and they were really good! Fun times had by all. Sean and Decker wandered around the pond for a while, and I got to catch up with Erin. A nice way to spend a leisurely morning!

On Sunday it was my mom’s birthday, so me and Decker joined the Jacob crew and headed on out to Half Moon Bay for the day. The weather was gorgeous (I love September in California!) and we had a really fun time at the beach! My dad said that if you dig a hole, you can keep a toddler occupied for a good long while. Kudos to my sisters for finding Decker a hole, and then hanging out with him while he played in said hole. Good times, good times.

And…I want to add that there are nice people out there in addition to the idiots who give unwarranted parenting advice. Yesterday at the grocery store, I was struggling with a grocery cart, a squirmy toddler, and a rather severe grade in the parking lot (so the cart was trying to roll downhill). A very nice man stopped and helped hold the cart steady so I could get Decker in the seat. Thank you, nice man! That was cool.

Well, at least it always seems that way to me in September! Almost like the world is being filmed in a sepia filter, like in “O Brother Where Art Thou”?. Anyway - fall is here and I can’t believe how quickly the summer went by. The air is definitely colder at night, and I’m in the mood to chop up veggies and make a nice big pot o’ lentil soup. I can’t be fooled quite yet - mother nature I’m sure still has some hot days up her sleeve. But it is nice to start thinking autumnal type thoughts at the very least.

Looking forward to the season premiere of “Lost”, and the upcoming movie season! Not looking forward to shorter daylight hours and wearing long pants!

Yesterday, my son threw a tantrum. We’re talking an armageddon-level fit that included screaming and clinging and wrestling with his mommy. Decker does not generally throw tantrums, and has never thrown one of this level and magnitude and length - at least, not in public. Trying the best I could to remove him from the public realm, and to help him calm down (he was so over the top that you could tell he was freaking himself out by how out of control he was), I took away from where people were, to the parking lot. I held him close and was rocking and trying to soothe him and essentially flying by the seat of my pants with this very new and unusual (for Decker) behavior.

In the midst of this, a man on a bike appears out of nowhere and starts telling my mom and sister (who were with me) that Decker is very distressing and that this was unaccepatable. Big mistake! I took Decker even further away in the parking lot (so it would echo less), and mom disappears with the stroller. She comes back about 10 minutes later and I find out that she trailed the guy down, cornered him, and gave him a piece of her mind! Don’t mess with the mama of the mama! You will regret it!

So…what is my public service announcement? If you see a woman with a screaming toddler, who is CLEARLY trying to do everything she possibly can to deal with the situation, and CLEARLY has gone as far away from the general public as she can, and you have absolutely no connection with this woman or child WHATSOEVER (ie: you are not a husband/father, grandparent, auntie/uncle): SHUT THE HECK UP AND KEEP YOUR OPINIONS TO YOURSELF. If you find yourself annoyed or feeling judgmental of this woman, stop and reflect for a second. Perhaps instead of voiccing your irritation and exacerbating the situation with unsolicited and unhelpful criticism, try to feel a little sympathy and go along your way and let them be. Two year olds are expected to lack control over their emotions and actions - it’s inexcusable in an adult.

This also goes for making comments about children’s apparel, names, speech and mobility development, and toy preference.

Thank you for your time. Remember - if you choose not to heed the above advice, I’ll send my mom after you! The little ones are mean!

Why, you may ask?

Because Decker is now imitating the hand/body motions back for two of the verses when I sing it to him! For two days running now, when he’s taking his bath I have sung “Wheels on the Bus” to Decker (which I’ve done lots before, but he was always more interested in playing with his toys and listening, rather than participating), we get to the verse about “the babies on the bus go wah wah wah” and I rub my eyes like I’m crying…and Decker rubs his eyes too! AND I swear he is making noises that sound like he’s singing along with the ‘wah wah wah’ part! And even better (here’s the part where I tear up a little, yes I’m cheesy, I don’t care) the next verse is “the mommies/daddies on the bus say ‘I love you’”, and you hug yourself and sway - he holds his sides and moves back and forth! Go Decker, go! He is learning and growing in leaps and bounds - I know talking is going to be sooner than later, and then I can’t wait to hear all the funny things he has to say to us.

I am beaming.

Some of you may know that Decker has been going to a speech therapist since early July to help him in finding his words. I probably won’t be writing about it very often, unless there is something really cool to report…like today! Decker has been working on using pictures and signs to help express what he wants (his therapist Pamela is awesome and he likes her a lot and thinks they’re playing lots of games). He had already been signing “open” and “bye bye/done” for a while, but today…he signed ‘ball’! I was absolutely beaming - my smile could’ve stretched from wall to wall in the office. He’s making progress and it’s so dang exciting to see! He showed off his new “word” for his daddy this evening. Yay Decker!

So, I forced myself to read HP slowly this time, so I could savor every bit of the genius that is JKR, and it was soooo worth it! Started it on Saturday night, and can’t believe I waited until Wednesday night to finish it, but was glad that I did. This latest book was amazing, and while GOF is still my absolute fave so far (for a variety of reasons I won’t bore you with here), this one was right up there. She just gets better and better - I can’t wait to introduce Decker to the series myself - little does he know what he has in store for him! After I finished the book, I immediately went online to “The Leaky Cauldron” to see what other folks were saying, and I felt like a big geek but it was also very satisfying - like getting my own instant book club! Props to my dad for calling me up the next morning (he finished it the night before as well) and being interested in discussing the story with me - you are so great, Dad!

So I was pretty worn out from staying up so late reading night after night, but I had enough time to gather some energy back up so I would be ready for…another trip to PIXAR! Yes, lightning can strike twice (particularly when your mom is good friends with people who work there, but hey) and Sean and I were once more invited along with my family to come and visit PIXAR studios in Emeryville. This time we were invited specifically to join Marie and David for the annual company “Motorama”, which included a big barbecue and lots of cars on display (Decker was in 7th Heaven). And…the usual celeb spottings, including John Lasseter, Brad Bird, and - wait for it - Cliffy himself, John Ratzenberger! I just about hyperventilated - but I’d like to say I kept my cool for the most part. (Folks who were with me, just shut up). Heh. We got to walk around the grounds more this time, and had an amazing day thanks to the kindness of our hosts - thank you so much, you guys! Everyone there just seemed so psyched and happy to be working at PIXAR - it’s something all too rare in the work world. Neat to see it.

And lastly, Sean and I were honored to be invited to the wedding of two former students of mine from Berkeley, which happened last night over in the Brazil Room in Tilden Park. It was really fun and I got a chance to catch up with some folks from my Cal days, which was cool. It was a very touching evening - I like to tease Jen and Steve that I was there from the beginning (which I sort of was, since my co-RD and I were making ‘bets’ as to when they would start dating, since they seemed so perfect for each other), and you could feel how good a partnership this is and how happy everyone was for them. Good times - and Sean and I actually got out and danced a bit (sorry if we hit anyone!).

Happy Pioneer Day!

Argh! As of yesterday, my precious treasure was in transit to Pleasant Hill from Concord - they could practically walk it over to my front door! Where is my book?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is killing me. Softly.