Dada in 'Da House--and gone again

We got a little tease of Dada around here this past weekend. It was as if we breathed in and he was here and breathed out to him leaving. Norah and Harvey definitely enjoyed it though. We ran around in fountains, went to the Hollywood Farmer's Market, splashed in the public pool a couple of times, took care of errands and generally just enjoyed being together.

Oh, and in other news, Harvey learned how to say "poo-poo" today. Consequently, when he has some (which he does frequently), he squats in what looks to be a plie', points through his legs to his bottom, and pronounces his new word. Hysterical.

Happy Happy Day

Today was my first completely anxiety-free day in Portland and what a day it was. Actually, it was pretty non-eventful but that made it even nicer. We hung out here ALL morning long with no complete meltdowns, no major catastrophes, and no breakdowns on my part. It was a feat beyond all feats (especially that last one). My bro cooked breakfast for the kids. I had my coffee, cleaned the house, played with the kids and spoke to friends and family. The kids then went down for a nap. We took a brief walk in the afternoon to pick up some Thai food for dinner and finished the day off with ice cream cake. What a truly beautiful and completely simple day.

Preschool

It turns out that my little preschooler is not really a preschooler on the West Coast. Out here, the majority of preschools admit only children who are three by September 1 and rarely before that. AND even if Norah was going to be three, we would not have made it here in time. Many schools start accepting applications in October or November for the following year. For preschool?! Wow. So, little Norah is going to get one more year of her Mama before braving the treacheries of nursery school here in Portland.

I did find one preschool in the Waldorf model that will accept two and a half year olds, and I have decided to send her there one day a week for a couple of reasons. One, we want her to get some social interaction--she is desperate for it. Right now, she is screaming to young passers-by on the street, "What's your name?" "Wanna come over?" "Can I come to your house?" with abandon. She needs friends and she needs them fast. Beyond that, I need friends and I am hoping that this might be a place for me to meet some. Also, Harvey needs some one on one attention right now and this will be give the chance to give it to him.

So Norah is going to be attending the Blossom House Preschool every Thursday morning. Sending her to a Waldorf-inspired preschool is a pretty big step for us--we are taking an ideological stance on the education of our children. There is so much that I love about Waldorf methods--the emphasis on creative play with young children and the de-emphasis on academics until later, the focus on a daily rhythm, the natural play materials, and even the healthy food. There is also some of it that makes me uncomfortable--anthroposophy (I am unclear still as to what this is), the spiritual component, and, yes, the gnomes. In regards to The Blossom House, it is not a strictly "Waldorf" school and I am quite comfortable that Norah is going to be surrounded by real beauty and light in her preschool classroom one morning a week, and, after all, it is one morning a week.

Making Me Happy

when I am very very tired.

Our Family Medical Care

Since I have had children, I have started thinking a lot more critically about the doctors that we see and the kind of treatment we get from our doctors. The changes have been gradual and moderate but changes nonetheless. For example, I thought little about the vaccination schedule for Norah, but for Harvey, I had spoken to enough doctors and mothers to consider options to the traditional care of toddlers. I am still a believer in vaccinating and I think I always will be, but I know now why I am vaccinating my child.

I decided before we moved to this end of the country that I would choose our health care providers carefully once we got here. Doctors that I feel comfortable around mean so much to me as a patient and as a parent. Also, I do not want to have to research all of our medical options. I want to find a doctor whose philosophies are in line with mine and then I want to trust him or her with the decisions afterwards.

Today I met Norah and Harvey's new pediatrician, one who was recommended to me by some mothers in cyber-space. I like him, I really like him. His office is located in a health care coop. I really don't know what this is, but it sounds pretty cool. I like the way it sounds coming out of my mouth, "My pediatrician is part of a health care coop." After I say it, I just have to run away so that no one asks me what that means!

I checked out Heathy Child, Whole Child from the library here so that I could finish reading it. I really like the book because neither doctor seems to have an agenda. They do not strongly push alternative medicine or traditional treatment (although neither will accept patients who are not vaccinating) but encourage something that they call "integrative medicine" which melds traditional and alternative treatments--a very thoughtful approach.

We'll see how our new doctors work out...

Berry Picking

WOW! What a day! After waking up late (thanks for takin' care of the kids, Brode) and having my coffee brought to me (thanks again Brodie), Norah, Harvey and I headed off to a farm on Sauvie Island to gather some fruit. Sauvie Island, just fifteen minutes from downtown Portland, is filled with farms where residents of the area go to pick their own fruit.

There was something so good about getting my kids closer to their food source, closer to the land that feeds them. Deeply satisfying. Upon arrival, I popped Norah and Harvey into one of the wagons provided by the farm and we headed to the far end of the property where all of the berries grow. I was most excited about taking home some local berries and figured if we couldn't make it to the veggies because of a meltdown that we would at least come home with some fruity treats. Boy did we! We went deep into the raspberry bushes (as instructed) and came upon berry after yummy sweet-smelling berry. Norah had an outrageously good time picking them and Harvey had that same good time eating them.
After leaving the raspberries, we wagoned over to the blueberries. Had I ever truly taken the time to think about the labor involved in picking fruit, I would have enjoyed every berry I ever ate that much more. I planted myself in front of one blueberry bush and hadn't cleaned it of its fruit by the end of the 45 minutes I spent there. Now, granted, I am an inexperienced picker and I was also chasing down two toddlers but still!

The berries were such a hit with my kiddos that we even had time to pick some zucchini for dinner! Ah, yes, this is our kind of place.

Getting Dirty

and settling in. That is pretty much all we have been doing the past couple of weeks. This past weekend, we soaked up the last of Dada by running around in fountains, planting vegetables in our small garden, and catching up with my brother and his soon-to-be roommate Jesse around mealtimes.

Our existence in this new town has been a solitary one so far (with the exception of visiting family). Because we have no real "roots" here, I am scanning the Internet for things to do in the area, to get to know where we are. Today, the kids and I went to the zoo. Zoos normally depress me--all of those sad, lethargic animals trapped in small spaces, but this one was on the good end of bad. You actually feel like you are hiking through it--tall pine trees and chirping birds surround you. On the whole, it was a nice experience and we are sure to go back. Tomorrow, we are headed to Sauvie Island for some raspberry and blueberry picking.

I desperately want to feel rooted here, tied to a place, in it for the long haul. I know it will come with time, with a new job, and with a new home that is truly ours, For too long now, we have been in a state of upheaval. Now it is time for settling down.