Bleh

Durango's Day-care Dilemma

Loving Where You Live

Our recent visit to San Francisco reminded me that I need to do a better job of enjoying Durango (and anywhere we live). You hate to leave a place, no matter how long you live there, wishing you'd taken advantage of it more.

Highlights of the last few days:

• Ryan finished his first triathlon Saturday and he did pretty good (54 of 150) for his first time. GUR did it also, and did damn well for an old guy. Certainly better than this young(ish) gal, who could hardly drag herself and her daughters out to watch before it was all over.
  
• yesterday Clementine used her potty three times
  
• Clementine also had two scream-as-high-as-you can, full-fledged, completely-lose-her-mind fits in the last three days
  
• Clementine has had no more night terrors since the first one
  
• Calliope drank 5 oz from a bottle today while I was at work (the first day was 1/2 oz, second 1/2 oz, third 1 oz, and so on, so we're very happy about this)
  

Such are the statistics by which we measure our days...

San Francisco, Easter, Beef and Work (in reverse order)

Well the long time since my last post won't be surprising since I went back to work 6 hours a day this week. It doesn't sound like much, probably, and both Ryan and Clementine are handling with remarkable aplomb, especially as Calliope isn't really taking a bottle yet. Two ounces in 6 hours was her max. We'll hope for better next week. I'd forgotten how fun it is to stress about milk supply, pump twice a day, and know that every moment I'm doing one thing, I'm failing at something else. We are all just putting one foot in front of the other, and I re-read Anna Quindlen's "Putting Up a Good Front" (you might have to click on it to scale to 100%) practically every day, and we'll make it. We even have fun every once in a while.

Clementine's language skills continue to amaze. The other day I came home from work and she said, "Hi Mommy, how are you?" (this is new, very cute). I said, "I'm a little tired, but glad to be home!" (I try not to talk to her like she's an idiot.) She replied, "No Mommy, you are not tired. You are fine." We have been talking about what to do when she is mad. This is slow but I think amazing that she can participate in such a conversation when she's 2! She also patted Ryan on the back last week and said, "It's ok Daddy, it's ok." She unfortunately experienced her first night terrors last week, probably due to being tired and my going back to work. She snapped right out of it with a glass of milk, and fingers crossed it won't happen again.

On Friday we went to "Barnyard Day" at the college. Ryan had heard about it from another mom. I thought that it would just be farm animals and tractors, etc. Couldn't imagine why the college would do that, but whatever. WELL. We arrive to see busloads of schoolchildren running around with white plastic bags, printed in huge red letters "BEEF!" We are now proud owners of a "Beef, it's whats for dinner" ruler, several brochures on how much beef you should eat and why, a large dinner napkin depicting local brands (as in branding irons -- on a napkin, because... -- no idea) and, my favorite, a tiny ziploc bag containing 4 gummy bears and a small piece of beef jerky, which we received, of course, from a person in a plump happy cow outfit. We also got to pet some of the afore-mentioned beef (pre-beef?) as well as llamas, pigs, bunnies, ponies, sheep, and a goat. And we got to ride in a mule-drawn surrey. With a fringe on top, no less. The whole thing was quite funny.

Easter was nice, Clementine is starting to get it. She required that each egg be eventually dipped in at least 2 colors, so we have lots of brownish-green easter eggs. Actually, they're kind of pretty. (photos)

We were in San Francisco for a week for work and play, which was wonderful. House-sat for a lesbian couple who'd adopted two African-American kids and had Israeli newly-weds living in their in-law. More diversity in the first 30 minutes than we've seen in 6 months here! Mostly it was about food and friends... we ate at Tartine, of course, and had Macarons de Paris for the first time ever, from Bay Bread. How we missed these in Paris, I have no idea. The lemon one was so good I actually cried (from knowing how far we live from them). I mean, these are really, really, really incredible. Anyway, also pizza, crepes, sushi, thai, burritos (of course), french, Joseph Schmidt chocolate... Food-wise, it was pretty good. We hit no less than 3 bakeries. While enjoying hot-cross buns outside of Noe Valley Bakery, I was discouraged to discover that Clementine is afraid of pigeons (there are some in Durango, but sighting one is cause for celebration). "Mama, it's HUGE!" Yes, we will move back someday, if for no other reason that I won't have her afraid of pigeons, for heaven's sake.

Matt, Kerry and Emily threw us a little fête, which was wonderful, and altogether we got to see Chris, Jenifer & Zachary, Matt, Kerry & Emily, Brad, Jessica, Quinn & Maeve, Amanda, Mason & Julia, and of course the Dubberlies. We didn't get to any museums, which was hard for me, but did hit Ocean Beach (had to introduce Calliope to the Pacific Ocean) and Muir Woods. What an incredible place. And there was so much we missed. (photos)