Growing up and feeling down (sort of)

Growing up

Part of Daddy's job on this blog is to report Miri's updates from her doctor's appointments. Just over two weeks ago she had her 2 year appointment, and she is getting big! Height is 33in (25th percentile), weight is 22lbs13.5oz (20th percentile), and just for good measure...head size is 46.5cm (30 percentile). So when I say getting big...I mean big for Miri! She is still a little munchkin compared to others her age, but it doesn't seem to phase her! And it certainly doesn't phase Mommy and I! It makes it that much easier to pick her up and throw her over our shoulders when she's being "a 2 year old".

 

And speaking of being a 2 year old, Miri is no longer a 1 year old! She had her 2nd birthday party 3 weeks ago. It was a small "bash", but most of her favorite people were there! Of course Mommy and Daddy were there...and yes, Bear, Lambie, and Baby Sandie (all the usual suspects) were there too. But more importantly, both sets of grandparents were there as well! Whenever we are able to assemble Gammy & Grandpa R. and Gramma & G-pa B. (who came all the way from South Carolina) in one room, Alli and I consider Miri's "mind blown" (it's hard to contain THAT much excitement). Anyways, a great time was had by all at her zoo themed ("themed" used loosely) party. We started off at...well...the zoo! It was a beautiful day, so animals were out and very active. And Miri had her first ride on the zoo train. Lunch at the zoo, where Miri feasted on one of her favorite delicacies..."hot gog" with "hot gog bun". Home for nap, followed by presents(!!!), spinach & artichoke mac 'n' cheese, and birthday cake decorated with some of her favorite zoo animals. It was a great day and Miriam is really becoming a BIG GIRL!

Feeling down

As Allison mentioned a couple blog entries ago, I lost my job at the end of May. It was really tough on us, but there was one great thing that came out of it. I got to be a stay-at-home dad for the summer! Miri and I had a ton of fun and had a lot of bonding time. Of course we wish Mommy could have also been off with us all summer...but she was too busy working tons of extra hours (including Saturdays) to take care of us while I was job hunting (and playing with Miri). What a great mommy and wife! But back to us...Miri and I had tons of fun this summer...going on bike rides, playing and picnicking at all the parks in Germantown, doing arts and crafts, building forts, play dates with Erich and Maddie, events at the library, going to the zoo, playing in the water, etc. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely a tough job being a stay-at-home parent...making sure Miri ate/slept well and on schedule, having little to no adult interaction for days at a time, cleaning the house during short naps, etc...but the fun definitely out-weighs the not-so-fun!

"Feeling down?", you ask. "I don't understand why you would name this section Feeling down." Well, I'll tell you. My days as a stay-at-home dad have come to an end. I guess you could say I'm SAD about no longer being a SAHD. Get it? Man, I am creative.

(Sort of)

So that brings me to the last section of this blog entry. Although I am feeling down about no longer getting to spend day after day with my wonderful, hilarious, smart, beautiful daughter, I am feeling up (hence the "Sort of" feeling down) because I am now back to work. It is a huge weight off our shoulders, and I am completely grateful I was not out of work for much longer than I was. We definitely made some cuts this summer (not ramen noodles and powdered mac-n-cheese kind of cuts, but certainly some cuts), but it could have been much, much worse. Just happy that's all over with. Things are starting to get back to normal. It's tough to be back to work, but things could be tougher. And, one of the benefits of my new job, is that I'll be working from home so will get to see my girls a lot more! Yay for me!

Miri's turning 2

 

Our sweet baby girl will be 2 in a few hours.  I can't even tell you how sentimental it's making me.  I feel like I kind of took her first birthday in stride, but this year, it's really hitting me that she is growing up.  She still was such a baby at her first birthday, and although she'll ALWAYS be my baby girl, this year on her birthday, she's really not a baby anymore.  Seeing her grow and become her own little person is honestly the most amazing thing I've ever experienced, but at the same time, I sometimes just wish I could freeze her in this moment.  Especially right now.  She's becoming spunky and smart and independent, but she still thinks her parents are the greatest things since sliced bread, and she is so affectionate and loving and asks for snuggles and hugs and kisses about a million times a day.  At any rate, I have decided to share a list of Miri's current "favorites" to be able to look back on in another year (or 5 or 10 or 30) and remember exactly who she is at this moment in time.  This year, I am answering for her, but my plan is to try to do a similar "birthday questionnaire" on the eve of her birthday every year from now until she's 18 (or until she refuses to do it).

 

 

1. How old are you?  Miri actually answered this one herself.  See picture above, and imagine her little voice saying "One!"

2. Who is your best friend?  Mommy and Daddy (yes, I answered for her... but I think it's true!)

3. What are your favorite things to do?  Dance, read books, jump, swim, "snuggle in the big chair"

4. What is your favorite color?  Purple

5. What is your favorite food?  "Hot gog and hot gog bun", macaroni, fruit (especially blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and, recently, watermelon)

6. What is your favorite toy?  Books, dolls (especially Baby Sandie), puzzles, coloring and stickers, water table

7. What is your favorite book?  Anything we currently have checked out from the library, Winnie the Pooh Animal Encyclopedia, DOG by Matthew Van Fleet, Pat the Bunny, Time for Bed Little Red, Snappy Little Farm

8. Where are your favorite places to go?  Gammy and Grandpa's house, the zoo, the library, anywhere she can swim

9. What is your favorite snack?  "Booty" (aka Pirate's Booty white cheddar cheese puffs)

10. What is your favorite dessert?  ICE CREAM!

11. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Every night, Miri makes sure she has:  Bear, Cookie, Elmo, lovey, "flower geekut" (translation- flower blanket), "other geekut too" (pink and brown circles flannel blanket)

12. What is your favorite song/ music?  ABC song, Laurie Berkner "Rocketship Run" album, personalized Elmo album, Walking Walking Hop Hop Hop song, Hurry Hurry Drive the Fire Truck song, and.... "Rumour Has It" by Adele (hearing her sing that is sooooo cute!!!)

13. What is your favorite thing to wear?  Miriam is not demonstrating strong clothing preferences yet... but she always asks to wear "sandal shoes." 

14.  Trademark phrases:

• "MY DO IT!"
• "I got it, dude!" (We tried to teach her "You got it, dude" but she made it her own!)
• "Snuggle in the big chair?"
• "Hey kids, wanna play with Miri?"  (She yells this out the window if she hears kids playing outside)
• "Hi people!" and/or "Hi kids!"  (when out in public)
• "Is that a ____?"  (asked about 10 million times a day... and it always is whatever she is asking if it is... we don't know why she even asks!)
• "Mama/Daddy happy?"  (so sweet that she likes to check and see if we're happy)
• "Eat hungry!!!"
• "Miri/Mama/Daddy fall night-night"
• "No, my walking!"  (if you try to hold her hand or pick her up to carry her somewhere when she wants to walk)
• "NO WAY!"
• "Hey Jason!!!"  (oddly enough, she doesn't ever refer to Mommy as "Allison")

We love you so much, Miri-boo!  Can't wait to see what you learn this next year!!!

Life Changes and True Blessings

Well, if this blog is going to be an accurate record of the life and times of the Bashaw family, it's got to be a record of the hard times too, right? As anyone who follows this blog probably already knows, Jason was laid off from Red Prairie two and a half weeks ago, right before Memorial Day weekend. The company is doing some major corporate restructuring, and part of that included eliminating the resource management program and thus Jason's position. While Jason knew that something big was brewing within the organization of the company, I don't think he really anticipated this happening. This was a very low blow to our family, particularly with me only working 20 hrs/week since moving to Wisconsin. It is a very scary time for us, but Jason and I are very confident that we will persevere through this and come out stronger as a couple and a family on the other side. We are certain it will lead him to new career experiences and hopefully a much improved work-life balance. It's also solidly reinforced that we made the right decision to forego many "indulgences" over the last 5.5 years and save that money instead. And quite honestly, this is probably somewhat of a blessing in disguise. While it is true that many, probably even MOST, professional jobs in the business world these days are not 40-hour-a-week jobs, Jason has routinely worked 55-65 hour weeks for the past 17 months without the financial or professional praise rewards of which he was so deserving. He has poured blood, sweat, tears, and sleepless nights into this position and while he has admittedly gained some good experiences from his time there, the stress and long hours over time would NOT have been able to be maintained indefinitely without causing detriment to his health and/or his relationships with his wife and daughter. So we are finding the silver lining amongst this big storm cloud and hanging on to the outlook that, as my Dad always says, "this too shall pass." Hopefully sooner rather than later! We feel blessed to have each other and to have the most amazing child that either of us ever could have imagined. We feel fortunate to have the love and support of our family and friends. We will survive!

Onwards to happier news... We've had some great times w/ our siblings and nieces/nephews as of late! Adam, Rochelle, and Kaden (and LJ) were in town visiting over Memorial Day weekend. It was really nice to get to spend some quality time with them and to be able to celebrate Kaden's 7th birthday with her. I can scarcely believe she's 7! I remember meeting her for the first time when she was about 2.5. That adorable little toddler has grown into such a sweet, creative, and beautiful little girl, and we love her very very much. Here are some pics from their visit and Kaden's party.

Siblings and siblings-in-laws

Miri and Kaden dancing

The birthday girl!

This past weekend, the Thompson family came from Ohio to visit.  It was wonderful to see them.  We hadn't seen them since November, and it is amazing to see how much Desmond and Maggie have grown up in that time!  Des is now 2.5 years old.  He's such a great talker, a wonderfully sweet and compassionate little boy, and he just has the most fabulous joie de vivre!  He is a ton of fun.  Maggie is 7 months old now, and she is the happiest, most laid-back baby you can imagine.  When we visited the Thompsons for a weekend shortly after Maggie was born, I heard her cry only once that weekend, and I only heard her cry once this weekend.  Seriously, she is about as easygoing as they come!  It was a fun weekend of parks, splashpad, and lots of fun cousin playtime. Here are just a few picture highlights.

Miri entertaining Maggie

Miri and Des plotting their next adventure

Splash-tastic times!

As for Miss Miriam, she is growing like a weed-- physically and mentally.  Some pants and shirts that fit her perfectly just a month or so again are getting too short, although she's still a skinny little thing.  Her language has really exploded in about the past 1.5 to 2 months.  Her vocabulary is easily over 200 words.  I would say probably 80-90% of her utterances are 2 word phrases, and she's starting to have occasional 3 word phrases a couple times a day now too.  She loves music and singing these days, and her favorite toys are her baby dolls.  "Little Baby" and "Baby Sandie" (named after Miss Sandie, her beloved daycare teacher, who gave her the doll as a gift on her last day of daycare last week) have been going just about everywhere with her lately.  She is such a little nurturer.  If her babies cry, she holds them on her shoulder and bounces gently and shushes them.  When they are tired, she tucks them in for "night-night" with their loveys and rubs their backs.  She puts her babies in my lap with a book and asks me to read stories to them.  Today she taught Baby Sandie how to play with her "whack-a-ball" toy and used Baby Sandie's hand to push the balls into the slots.  It's really sweet to see her being a little mommy.   I have no doubt that she is going to be an amazing mommy herself some day (hopefully not for at least a good 28 years or so though)!  Miri also loves playing outside more than anything.  Whether it's taking a bike/wagon/"beep beep" ride, blowing bubbles in the yard, playing at the playground, or splashing at the splashpad, she is a happy girl to be outdoors.  She is such a tremendous joy and so much fun these days.  I have never known much Scripture, but for Miri's baptism, my mom framed a picture of her in a religious frame that pretty much says it all:  1 Samuel 1:27  "For this child I have prayed, and the Lord has granted me my request."

  

Fabulous Family Day

First of all, I am sorry for not blogging more regularly. Sometimes when I get to the point where I haven't posted in a month, I feel guilty and overwhelmed that I'm not doing a better job with this, and then I think "Ugh, I'm going to have to do a really long post to catch up," which then makes me feel more overwhelmed and then I put it off longer and longer. So, I have decided that I am not going to attempt to "catch up" on here. Those of you who read this are also all on Facebook with just one exception, I believe (ahem ROBIN THOMPSON!), so I know that you all know we have had a wonderful spring and a lovely trip to South Carolina last month. And now I will just proceed with today's topic... We had an amazingly wonderful family day today. It wasn't a particularly special day in the sense that we didn't have any major plans or special events going on, but it ended up being just pretty much perfect. You know, one of those days you wouldn't trade for any other day. We had a yummy breakfast, kinda played around a bit, and then headed out to Germantown's Mai Fest.

The first thing we did at Mai Fest was watch a kids German dance troupe do some dancing around the Maypole. Then we took Miri to meet some firefighters and look at fire trucks. Lately, Miri has been having a bit more stranger- and new situation-anxiety, so she stuck pretty close to Jason and me, but she was somewhat interested in the fire trucks.

A very nice firewoman even gave Miri a plastic fire chief hat to take home! Then we decided to have some lunch. Poor Jason had to take 4 different trips around the tent for various food/drink items while Miri and I held down some seats, but it was worth it, and we ultimately had a very yummy lunch. Miri was a HUGE fan of the hand-cut spiral potato chips with nacho cheese. I think she alone ate half the plate of them! The nacho cheese proved to be a bit messy, but the best foods always are!

After that, it was time to head home for Miri's nap. I even got to take a little nap myself during her nap-- what a wonderful treat! After Miri got up from her nap, we took a family bike ride. This is a very exciting thing for us, as Jason's bicycle and Miri's bike trailer are new acquisitions, and we hadn't tried out either yet. Miri was very good about wearing her helmet, and she really seemed to enjoy the bike ride in her trailer, although anytime I was out of her sight, she would call out worriedly "Mama? Mama?"

After that, Miri and I took a walk around the neighborhood (well, Miri actually rode in her "beep beep") and then played outside while Jason fixed dinner. For the last year, as a natural result of my part-time work schedule and Jason's more-than-40-hours/week work schedule, I have become the primary cook around here, and while I don't mind it... it's always really nice to have nights off sometimes that don't involve take-out or going out. While we were awaiting dinner, Miri and I were playing on the playset and she was (not too sneakily) spying on two little neighbor girls who were jumping on our next door neighbors' trampoline. The girls saw Miri watching them, and they came over to hang out in our yard a bit and ooh and aah over Miri (and Prescott). It always cracks me up when other kids talk about how cute Miriam is, being that they are kids themselves. At any rate, these little girls are in second and third grades, and they are super cute and sweet. They tried to play with Miri, but as I mentioned, she is in a shy stage, so she kinda just smiled shyly at them while hugging tightly to my leg. Perhaps they will be our babysitters in a few years! Once the food was all ready, we had a lovely dinner of burgers and corn on the cob out on the deck. We didn't grill an ear of corn for Miri because she is a slow teether, and I just didn't think she'd be able to do it without a full set of front teeth. But after her pointing insistently at my corn on the cob and saying "that! that!," I gave in and let her try my ear. She did great, and she loved it!

I had to bribe her with dip (oh my goodness, that girl loves dipping her food in condiments SO MUCH!) to get my corn back! It was so nice to eat outside. We have decided to forego getting a patio set this year, but we made it work by just pulling Miriam's highchair outside and Jason and I using our Adirondack chairs pulled up to the deck bench as a table. We Bashaws are resourceful. I hope we will do lots of al fresco dining this summer! After dinner, it was straight to bed for Miss Miriam. Now the kiddo is down, and Jason and I will probably settle down for a Netflix and some butter pecan. Perfect ending to a really wonderful day. I feel so lucky to have our little family and our house and just to be able to enjoy life together. Really, what more could a girl ask for?

A taste of summer

I am too smart for this weather, and I know it's not going to last. We will still battle cold days for at least another 2 months. But the weather for the past 2 weeks or so has been nothing short of amazing! And it has been a preview of how much fun this summer is destined to be. Our little girl loves being outside, so much so that she often cries when it's time to come in. Understandably, we have all been spending as much time outside as possible. Here are some pics of us enjoying the lovely weather.

Miri getting ready to go down the slide at Kinderberg park. She LOVES slides and refers to it a lot of the time as a "whee!"


Swings are a big hit too!


Running on the big hill at Kinderberg Park with Daddy


Playing ball with Grandpa


Looking at the cows at the zoo with Mommy on Monday


Watching the birds fly overhead at the aviary at the zoo on Saturday

And a little video of Miri saying the words that melt her daddy's heart the fastest...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Miri and Daddy on St. Patrick's Day


Our little leprechaun


Allison and Prescott (whose 5th anniversary as a Bashaw is tomorrow, 3/18/12)


Dinner outside at the Highland House to celebrate St. Patty's Day... and Gammy and Grandpa's 34th wedding anniversary! Happy anniversary to the Rymers!


One of Miri's new favorite activities... "cheers"-ing! Slainte, baby!


Perfect bib for our Irish lassie!

Hope you all enjoyed this beautiful St. Patrick's Day!

My girls are growing up!

This week we celebrated both my girls getting a little bit older. Two days ago, March 6th, was Alli's thirty-somethingth birthday (I am a true gentleman, and a true gentleman never reveals m'lady's age). Unfortunately, this year it fell on her least favorite day of the week (her most stressful day between work and a hectic evening routine taking care of our family-- don't know what we'd do without her!). Anyways, kind of a quiet one this year-- pizza, cake, and family. Futher celebrations to follow...  this woman deserves to be spoiled!

The Birthday Girl and Miri

Only one year earlier!

So that little comparison brings us to our next big event this week. Today Miri turned 18 months old!  One-and-a-half!! So what do you get a girl when she turns 1.5? How about 3 shots in the thigh?! Yup, today we brought Miri in for her eighteen month appointment. The nurse struggled a bit against a very upset little baby...ahem...toddler, but was able to confirm her at 30 3/4 inches tall and 19lbs 14.5oz...and in case you're tracking, a 46cm head.  After that, Miri calmed down as the doctor told us she was right on track with her development...or even a bit ahead, as he said she was "talking like a 2-year-old!" That's our little smarty pants!!



Our little smarty pants sans pants.

So grown up! On my way to 2...