Hallie and Travis

Mark started off the day by announcing at breakfast he thought today would be a good day for Travis to take his first steps. I really didn’t think about it that much during the day. But this evening, as I was starting to make dinner, Mark asked if I had 2 minutes to spare so Travis could take his first steps.

I figured I’d humor him, so I sat down on the floor a few feet away from the two of them. The first few tries, T just fell towards each of us. But Mark figured out how to get him balanced by just holding onto the back of his shirt. Once T was steady, he’d move forward himself and all of a sudden he was taking steps!

We didn’t capture the first few rounds, but we got several of the next ones on video. Travis was cackling and squawking, he was so excited. We had trouble controlling his direction until we started passing the cordless phone back and forth. That was all the incentive he needed, and he’d head straight for it every time.

Hallie really wanted him to walk to her, so she sat in my lap and we’d “caught” him together a few times. He’s still quite a ways away from getting anywhere on his own. He’s even got a ways to go before he’s steady at standing by himself. But this was a big step along the way (sorry–couldn’t help the pun).

This was much more staged than Hallie’s first steps. Hers were really a surprise and thus somehow more emotional. Part of the joy with her was that it was so unexpected and yet we were both there to see it. Tonight was just plain fun and exciting. So we went out for ice cream to celebrate. Travis, we’ve discovered, really likes ice cream!

Hallie’s finally getting the hang of riding a tricycle. She never quite got the motion down until she tried one with a handle on the back. When someone was able to push her, she got the feel for the peddles. Gum and Gup saw how much that helped her, so they sent her home with a new trike that doubles as a rocker for T. She’s been cruising all over the neighborhood and needs fewer and fewer pushes. Before long she’ll be riding either of her trikes without any help at all.

Hallie’s been having a lot of meltdowns lately. I know a lot of her peers are, too, so maybe it’s just the age. It’s hard to predict what will trigger one. I’m trying to figure out what they have in common. Several have been related to wanting to play with one of her neighborhood friends. Either finding out someone isn’t home, or is eating dinner, or having to leave when a playdate is over have become common triggers. It doesn’t seem to be tiredness, since this evenings was after she’d had a long nap. Maybe it’s when she’s hungry–she’s back to eating like a bird most of the time, but she usually tells me when she’s hungry. I’ll continuing keeping track and hopefully I’ll find a way to defuse them in the future.

We had a fantastic visit to Gum and Gup’s. They were SO good to us, and I was really worried Hallie would have trouble leaving. The drive home was smoother than I feared. Both kids were really great. Hallie started to lose it about 30 minutes from home, but making up funny song lyrics about her being almost home turned the tide and we made it intact. And a big bonus–they both took long naps after we got here, which helped their exhausted Mommy.

We’ve had a fun weekend. We got in a walk to the nature park and a neighborhood birthday party. Not that it’s not so unbearably hot, the neighborhood is coming to life again. Hallie’s really enjoying her friends, especially Brianna and Tatiana. We’re looking forward to a lot more time outside in the next few months.

I’m finally getting around to some catch-up posting. The kids and I had a fun visit to Frying Pan Park on the day before we left Gum and Gup’s. We met my grade school friend Laura and her almost-4-year-old twin girls. All the girls were excited about seeing the animals, though Hallie was on a lightning quick pace–every time she’d get to a new animal she’d shout “Let’s go see ANOTHER animal!” before really taking a peek at the first one.

Our only animal incident came when visiting the donkeys. A whole group of kids was right up against the fence, with Hallie in the middle. I bent down to say something to Travis when I heard a chorus of “Oh, no!” I looked up to see a donkey nibbling Hallie’s bangs! Someone pushed him back, and Hallie was not at all bothered. When I suggested she step back from the fence, she complained about not wanting to lose her spot. Hallie does need a hair cut, but that wasn’t what I had in mind.

Our only non-animal incident came just before it was time to leave. The girls were all acting tired and grumpy, even though it was just after noon, we’d eaten a picnic there, and it wasn’t really all that hot. We promised them drinks from the country store before leaving, and they wanted to try weighing themselves on the old grain scale on the porch. Well, the scale was broken and that in itself was more than an already-fragile Hallie could handle. Add to that the fact that the store was closed, and she just lost it.

Laura and I said a hasty good-bye over the wails of all three girls, and I attempted some damage control. Though I think it was the symptom and not the cause, Hallie couldn’t let go of her disappointment over the broken scale. Here’s a snippet of the bulk of our ride home:

“I just wanted that scale to work.”

“I’m sad because that scale wasn’t working.”

“I don’t want that scale to be not working.”

“I don’t want to go to any park where the scale isn’t working.”

“I don’t want there to have to be a person to come fix that scale.”

“I don’t like it when things are not working.”

“I don’t want anything at ALL to be not working.”

Then her negative rant expanded to encompass other things, such as the horses (Jessie and Michael) we saw.

“I don’t want there to be horses named Jessie and Michael at that park.”

“The next time I go to that park I don’t want horses named Jessie and Michael to be there.”

“I want there to be other horses not named Jessie and Michael the next time I go to that park.”

You can gather that it was a rather trying trip home. Finally, Hallie announced through her whimpers that she was starting to feel a little bit happier. Shortly after that, she spilled her container of Cheerios and was plunged back into the depths of despair. She didn’t fall quite so hard that time, and by the time we got to Gum and Gup’s she was somewhat composed. They were a little surprised to hear her summary of the day: “We had a Cheerio mess in the car.” But after a nap and a snack, Hallie’s world seemed a much brighter place.

Travis turns 10 months old today. As my friend Laura, with whom we had a fun playdate today at Frying Pan Park, put it, “How did that happen?!”

Gum, Gup, Hallie, Travis, and I spent yesterday driving to DE to visit Great Grandma Williams, Great Aunt Judy, and other assorted relatives. It was Travis’s first time meeting these folks, and it’s been a while since Hallie’s been up there.

After the drama of our drive to Warrenton, I have to say I really wasn’t looking forward to the trip. Being there, yes. But getting there and home, no. Amazingly, the day went about 800 times better than I expected. Being in a mini-van helped–having easier access to the kids made a huge difference. And having extra hands to read and entertain was huge. And making great time with no traffic glitches played a part, too.

We got up there in good time, had a nice lunch with my grandma and Aunt Judy, and then spent some time at Judy’s house. Hallie loved seeing Judy’s ponies, geese, goats, dogs, cats, and python. She got to feed Holly apples from her palm, watch Pete bow to her, and even pet a goose. The geese, or at least their honking, scared T, but he rallied quickly as usual. And he shared plenty of good smiles and chortles with his great grandma while holding on to her wheelchair.

We snapped a few “4-generation” shots and sang along with Judy’s player piano before hitting the road. The trip home was smooth, too. Both kids napped a little, but not enough to mess up their nights. I couldn’t have been prouder of them and more relieved and happy with the whole trip.

For weeks now, Hallie’s been expressing interest in plumbing. She always wants to know where the water goes when she flushes or drains the tub. We’ve looked for children’s books that show cross-sections of houses and buildings, but haven’t yet found anything better than an explanation of how toilets work. I’ve even promised that we’d go find a house being built to see the pipes before they get closed in.

In comes Gup to the rescue! Gum and Gup’s house has a huge unfinished basement, with lots of visible pipes. Hallie and Gup had a grand time tracking them along the ceiling, listening to water rush when a toilet was flushed, feeling the temperatures of the “in” and “out” pipes at the water heater, and even learning about the septic system. For the next day or two, whenever Hallie used the potty she’d want me to “run down to the basement to hear the water” when she flushed. I obliged a few times while on the first floor. But when she wanted me to run down two flights of stairs (and back up again) at bedtime, I decided to draw the line.

Hallie’s also been very interested in water towers recently, and Gup’s promised to create a model to show her how they work. I love to watch her curiousity blossom and to see the joy when it gets fed. Thanks, Gup.

Travis cut two teeth at 6 months and we hadn’t seen anything since then. Hallie and I had taken to calling him “Mr. Two Teeth.” But today that nickname expired. I spied tooth #3 peeking through on the top, one spot left of center. It looks like it probably broke through a few days ago. No sign of any others, so for a little while he’s going to be a snaggle tooth. I’m sure we’ll see more soon.

Travis started clapping today, and he sure does enjoy it. We looked at him in his booster seat while getting breakfast ready, and his little hands were clapping away. He gets this super-proud look on his face when he does it. Of course we all clap back, and he’s already learned to look for our reaction. It’s pretty fun to step back for a minute and see a table full of adults all clapping vigorously, eyes trained on a jolly cherub.

Aunt Anna and Uncle David came out to spend the day. Travis put both of them, as well as the rest of us, though their paces. He got in much more walking practice than usual–he had six people to relieve each other, which is a lot better than one distracted mommy–and especially liked Gup’s towel contraption. He was practically running, though he still leans so far forward he’d fall flat on his face without support.