Catch Up Week: Day 5 (also, Four Picture Friday!)

The last bit of catch up business from the last three weeks are some photos of a fun visit from Chimpy's Nanny and Granddad. Chimpy taught her Nanny the fun way to window shop:





And she had to supervise her Granddad:





And, of course, there's the just sitting there and letting the grandparents admire her:





And as busy as the last couple of weeks have been, we were still able to make time for a pony ride:

"Yeee!"

"Hawww!"

Catch Up Week: Day 4

Catch Up Week: Day 3

"You mean I have to share my blog with this guy?"

"Hmm."

"I'll do it!"

Catch Up Week: Day 2

Profile

Face

Hand

The Tell-Tale Part

Catch Up Week: Day 1

Well, last week we all three caught a '24 hour' stomach flu, leading K and I to take some down time and leading Chimpy to say her longest–and saddest–sentence yet, "Me throw-up little potty downstairs, Mama" (no joke). Though things are back in order, my computer is still down. I have ordered a new hard drive and will swap out my old one in a few days, but until then I thought I should do a little catch up on our recent adventures and follow up on the Mother's Day post.

Yes, that's an ultrasound. It's a xxxx, due in late xxxxxxxx. We told Chimpy there is a baby in mama's tummy and asked her what its name is. She said "JoJo." I've got a name picked, but her name has stuck. We don't know what exactly Chimpy thinks of Jojo (real baby or pretend) but she says hello and goodbye to and kisses JoJo. She seems to understand Mama is eating for two and gives K food for JoJo. At our tea party today Chimpy poured a cup for JoJo. We've been pulling Chimpy's smaller clothes and younger toys aside "for JoJo" and she hasn't made any fuss yet.

Mama and Jojo are doing great, they're pictures of health (except for the recent marathon vomiting). Jojo is a real kicker and appears to be growing strong and well, the doctors have moved the due date up three times. I'll attach some ultrasound pics when I get them scanned.

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My computer crashed in a big way a few days ago. It's still out of commission, but I was finally able to (luckily) extract all of my data, including this picture:



Happy Mother's Day, everybody!

Four Picture Friday: A Day in the Life

We started our day hanging out with the usual gang:



Then hopped in the car for a busy day:



First, we looked for some goats:



Then considered jumping a fence to go run around on a BMX track. I talked Chimpy out of it:




So instead we explored an old freight train:



After, a quick dip to wash the soot of rail travel off:



Refreshed, we go on hug patrol:



All that and and ice cream cone, a duck pond and a bike ride–we were wiped out. It was time to hop in the car and call it a day. Well, after a quick drive-thru for a coffee and some cookies:



** ** **


What a day!

Wednesday Moment of Zen

Four Picture Friday: When Chimpy Met O.

After a rough morning last week, we thought we'd take our lunch in the park. On the menu: spaghetti with a fried egg on top and fizzy water.



It was a crazy windy day but there was another kid out with his mom. Intrigued by Chimpy's choice in lunch, he kept an eye on her so we invited him to play. And that's how we met O.

O. was a real little gentleman. He let Chimpy drive their pretend driftwood horse:



O. also shared his crackers, unwittingly discovering the second quickest way to Chimpy's heart (the quickest way is owning a dog):



For her part, Chimpy impressed him by spotting a ladybug by his feet:



After playing they stood around and told each other jokes (nonsense jibberjabber followed by hysterical laughter) for 1-2 minutes straight.



It was about this time O's mom and I started feeling like third wheels. But still, it was a great afternoon.

Wednesday Moment of Zen

Third in a series: My Uncle Came from South Africa and all he brought me was this lion and I love it! Thanks Uncle Bobby and Liz.

Four Picture Friday: Sunday in the Park with Chimpy

Just over a month ago, Chimpy and I drove past a roadside carnival on our way to the salvage yard. We didn't stop but I pointed out the merry-go-round to her. As usual, she added it to her vocabulary AND long-term memory and has asked for 'more may-go-wown' several times since then. Luckily there is a permanent merry-go-round across the bay, so we made an expedition to see it.

The merry-go-round was much faster than any of us three expected, and Chimpy was a little unnerved. The trauma was nothing a kiss from a giraffe and a cream puff couldn't fix, though.

Four Picture Friday: Home Improvement Chimpy (with special guest star, Mo Junior!)

As Chimpy has gotten better at handling a hammer, we've kept ourselves busy this last month with a lot of home improvements. The big project is the attic renovation, but the weather was been so nice we've taken many of our chores outside.

At the salvage yard looking for bricks.

We came home with 568 paving bricks at a crazy low price. We'll have a patio this summer.

Finally, the bricks for a small retaining wall.

Chimpy loves riding in trucks. The trip to the dump for some compost and top soil (recycled out of our green bin scraps) was also a big hit. And Chimpy finally got to see where it is I've been telling her garbage trucks go to sleep.

We got a head start on our garden this year and are really looking forward to eating tomatoes off the vine.

Only one attic picture. Our friend Mo Junior came by to help us with some plumbing. Hooray for exposed beams!

* * *

Special Bonus Picture: My uncle Jeff went to Italy and all he brought me was this jester's hat and doll and I love them!

Thursday Theatre: Chatterbox Chimpy

Chimpy is talking a lot. She has been for a while, actually, but I've been careless about keeping my old camera (which can take video) handy. On this morning she had just created a game (Daddy, Where Are You?) and I was in arm's reach of the camera. This video doesn't have all that much of Chimpy's talking, but it shows her using rudimentary sentences and that has been a constant source of surprise. Chimpy can parrot anything Mama or I say, but what's most fun is when she puts the words she knows into little sentences: "Two-Tone sleep house" (Two-Tone is our neighbor's rarely-spotted but much sought after cat) and "No chicken. Burger!" (Chimpy has meal preferences now) for example.

The game ends at around the ten second mark so we fill the time with a little Indonesian lesson. We actually hadn't done that in a month or more so I was pleased to see she remembered her words:



Here's some more Daddy, Where Are You? from earlier that morning:

Four Picture Friday: Filmstrip Friday

Milkshakes with Louie

Making breadcrumbs

Reading with Sis

Wednesday Moment of Zen