The Life and Times of Bailey D

Halloween Faerie?

2009-08-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

Well, Bailey has really loved dressing up and we're considering some costume possibilities. Thoughts?

Guess who's swimming?

2009-06-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Bailey started swim lessons this week and has really done well. Her babysitter, Nate, has been taking her down, and had told me that she was doing well and that she'd swum the length of the pool with only a noodle wrapped around her - he didn't tell me that she was also swimming independently under water. I took her to her swim lesson yesterday and the second she got in pool she started doing this:

I was STUNNED!! She LOVES swimming - pushes the swim instructor away when they try to hold her to swim around the pool - and loves to dive down and get things off of the bottom of the pool. It was such an incredible thing to watch and I was so proud of the way that she claimed her place in the water. When I told her she was swimming like a fish, though, she replied, "no, I'm like the little mermaid!" I guess we know what has inspired her swimming!

Bailey's Ballet Photos

2009-06-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Rounding out the ballet recital week, here are Bailey's Ballet pictures - enjoy!

Co

A Star is Born

2009-06-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Pool is Open!

2009-05-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

The pool opened this week and for the first time, Bailey experienced the diving board. For two hours! She loved it!

Same time next year...

2009-05-15T14:57:00.001-07:00

Well - one year ago (almost to the week) I wrote about taking Bailey to Farm Tots for the first visit of the year. I shared how she spent a couple of hours jumping in a puddle. I could pretty much copy and paste as today was a repeat - only there was sun. Enjoy the opening of Farm Tots 2009!

Guess who wants to go to Hawaii?!?!

2009-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

...Bailey does, too:

The Easter Bunny's Coming to Town

2009-04-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well - ok - the Easter Bunny has come and gone. How did time pass so quickly?!?! We have been very busy here at the casa Dare. I have been working many hours, playing with Bailey, starting my career as a chauffeur (well, driving Bailey all over the place for her activities), and playing the piano (I am in the theater W-Sa evening and Su matinee, until May 17th - If you get a chance, come see Gutenberg! The Musical! at Arts West in West Seattle - http://www.artswest.org). Adam has been working a great deal - go Xbox!! Bailey, well, she's just THE BEST!! She's three and she's busy. And, she's growing up. Check out her Easter pictures (I melt every time I look at them):

Bailey's First Recital - a teaser

2009-03-01T23:16:00.000-08:00

First haircut!

2009-02-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

Bailey got her first haircut last Thursday - an exciting day! Momo came up to do do Bailey's special first haircut and did a great job - Bailey did a terrific job with the haircut and had fun!! Here are the pictures from the big event:

Sleepover

2009-02-15T09:21:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day, Adam got sneaky and arranged a sleepover for Bailey with one of her playgroup buddies, Zoe. We loaned Ruth and Ryan our video monitor so that they could watch the girls (more for entertainment purposes than anything). They said it was hilarious to watch - the two of them trying to have conversations (they don't always understand each other at this age) and going back and forth to each other. A bit like an Abbot and Costello movie.

Apparently Bailey went to sleep easily, but woke up at 5:30am announcing, "My mommy and daddy are coming to get me." Zoe informed her that we weren't coming until after breakfast, but Bailey did not back down. She wasn't upset, just didn't want to miss us! We picked her up around 10:30am and she fell asleep on the way home and slept until 2pm - and when she woke up she wanted to go back to Zoe's to play - she had a great time!! (and so did mommy and daddy) Our little girl is really growing up!

These aren't the real pics - this is them pretending to have a sleepover the week before:

Cinderella

2009-02-15T09:17:00.000-08:00

We've moved to a new princess - Cinderella. On Wednesday night/morning, Bailey woke up at 2:30am because she thought she saw a snake (a very kind one who was holding up her clothes in her closet - also known as a clothes rod), a bee (again, a nice one, she caught him),and then (while she was up) she thought she'd act out the entire movie of Cinderella - it took until 6:30am. I listened to it on the monitor - she's got the script and score down - I'm hiding the movie for a little while, I think this is a sign that she's watched it too much (and, I don't want a repeat - I need my sleep)!

Momo comes to play

2009-02-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

While I was recuperating from my tummy tuck, Momo came up to spend the afternoon with Bailey and play. They made cookies together, which Bailey LOVED! She was actually more of a participant with Momo than she ever is with me. When she and I make cookies, she breaks the egg and then wants to wash her hands (which is code for play in the water). With Momo, she wanted to help mix and put other ingredients in. Here are some pics:

Bailey Sings Belle

2009-02-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

Bailey's favorite new activity is for me to play Belle while she acts the song - this evening she began spontaneously broke into song. If you listen close you can almost make out the words and melody. Oh, and she doesn't believe in second verses - she just loops through the first verse (well, and a bridge) - as far as she's concerned, if the composer really cared about the second verse they'd have put it first.

Warning - Pic overload!

2009-01-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

Don't say I didn't warn ya! Here are the pics taken by the sports photographers at the marathon and 1/2 marathon. I'll add captions for my own pictures - for Adam, the caption is, "would you look at the guy with the hot legs?" (and, to my Mother-in-law, just pretend that the caption said, "great job honey!")

The clock above is the total running time for ALL runners from the moment that the fireworks went off. This doesn't take into account the "chip" reading from when Adam actually crossed the start line. His actual time was 1:58:(something - I can't remember right this second). They adjust for the final results.

This was at mile 20 - I was just thankful that I wasn't wearing a wool kilt about now!

This was right around mile 11 - I was really feeling very good!

Running through the castle - about mile 10.5

Marathon Weekend - AKA - WE DID IT!!

2009-01-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the DisneyWorld marathon weekend. Adam ran the 1/2 marathon on Saturday and I ran the full marathon on Sunday. Here's a quick recap:

First - Adam ran the 1/2 marathon yesterday. He finished in 1:58:19 and was 1766 out of 12,434 finishers (he was 249th place in his Division).

Because I'm verbose, I'll give you more details about mine - it's my style! It was TOUGH, but I was able to run all but 2 miles, and those walking miles were due to knee pain. My muscles and body weren't overly fatigued. I managed to keep my heart rate between 152 and 157 through out and really felt like I ran a smart marathon. When I rounded the corner and saw the finish line, I felt such a swell of pride. Just 2 years ago, I weighed 210 pounds and couldn't run 1 block - now, thanks to the 20/20 program and a lot of hard work, I've run a marathon. It feels SO amazing!!

I found the result today - I finished in 6:16:13 and was 12,665 out of 14,940 finishers and 827th place in my Division.

The ABC's of Life

2009-01-06T21:49:00.001-08:00

While I typically just post "Bailey stuff" I thought I'd take a small break to post this "alphabet for life" that I found today:

Accept differences
Be kind
Count your blessings
Dream
Express thanks
Forgive
Give freely
Harm no one
Imagine more
Jettison anger
Keep confidences
Love truly
Master something
Nurture hope
Open your mind
Pack lightly
Quell rumors
Reciprocate
Seek wisdom
Touch hearts
Understand
Value truth
Win graciously
Xeriscape
Yearn for peace
Zealously support a worthy cause

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

Beauty and the Beast

2008-12-28T19:44:00.001-08:00

We took Bailey to her first mainstage production in the theater yesterday - Beauty and the Beast. She was entranced throughout, and at the end of the show exclaimed, "Let's do it again" - A ringing endorsement!!

After the show, we met Nick (Lumiere), Jennifer (Belle) and Eric (The Beast), and a number of other cast members. They were kind enough to let us take pictures with them - Bailey was shy. When we left, however, she informed Adam and I that she wasn't leaving. We informed her that she, actually, was.

Oh - and, she's so conditioned that after we see Disney type things we see Mickey Mouse (we've been to Disneyland, DisneyWorld and Tokyo Disney a number of times) that she asked if we could go see Mickey now. Guess we'll have to "un-condition" her!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

I have been watching one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen this morning. The sky is clear, the colors are brilliant, and the white of the wintery weather that we've been experiencing is adding a calm that, frankly, I've needed this entire holiday season. Yesterday, we had the best snow that I've seen in a long time. Bailey has never seen snow like this. Now, she's been spoiled and will want nothing less. We taught her to do snow angels and many times she just plopped down and started doing them. She was happy, though, to run through the snow and see how her footprints disrupted the snow - she loved picking up the snow and eating it - and, she tried her hand at throwing (and deflecting, in a snowball "fight" with Daddy) snowballs. I used to wish for snow as a child, and then would be too cold in it to really enjoy. So - we bundled Bailey up like the child from A Christmas Story and let her play in it. She lasted much longer than I'd expected, and it was so fun to watch her play!

A vision in pink in a sea of white

2008-12-14T12:26:00.001-08:00

In Washington, if there is more than 1/4 inch of snow that stays longer than 45 minutes it's called a snow day. We had a snow day today - and more COULD be on the way (which, in Washington, means it will tease us but never arrive). Bailey had fun playing in the snow until her fingers were cold - then...she was DONE!!

Ah Minnie - Good to see you!!

2008-12-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

This is a "pic overload". Just a few pictures from our trip to Disneyland. Momo and Papa joined us, and we had a lovely time. Bailey is getting older and able to communicate her joy and her desires much more clearly - we did the Peter Pan ride a number of times!!

We interrupt this blog...

2008-12-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

...about Bailey, for a quick post about mommy!

Adam's group holiday party was last night and I got a new dress. I've always gone for the LBD (little black dress). However, I decided to venture outside of that world into the world of racy red. So - without further ado - here is the new "racy red" dress!

Bailey's First Symphony

2008-12-05T05:17:00.001-08:00

We took Bailey to the Seattle Symphony last night for Marvin Hamlisch conducting the Holiday POPS! I was a little nervous, of course...I mean, it is the symphony. I was worried that she'd be super antsy and restless and that everyone around us would have an awful time (and that we'd leave after 3 minutes because everyone was having an awful time). Well - that wasn't the case. Bailey did a great job. The evening was (to some degree) catered to the kids, with Santa Claus and Christmas music. We did leave after the first half, more because it was getting late and we didn't want to press our luck. But most of the people around us (actually, all of the people but one man whom I have some choice names for) said that she did great. This one man was a real Scrooge McDuck - in fact, when we mentioned the comment that he'd made (very unkind man, btw) the people around us had choice words about him. I suspect that the second half was uncomfortable for him. But, I digress! The concert was lovely, Bailey looked absolutely adorable, and she enjoyed the music!

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-03T15:14:00.001-08:00

We had initially planned to wait until after our Disneyland trip to put up our Christmas tree, but I woke up on Thanksgiving knowing that I would not be able to wait. So - the day after Thanksgiving we went and got our first live tree and decorated it. Bailey was very helpful at decorating, although all of the ornaments ended up in one section of the tree. The holidays have begun!

10-4 Good Buddy!

2008-12-01T07:57:00.001-08:00

Bailey and Makenzie had opportunity to play together last week when Makenzie was up for Thanksgiving. These two have such a special bond - they just pick up where they last left off and move forward with their friendship. They are getting to be more verbal in their communication, which was made evident when they were rough-housing and Bailey got a little too rough. Makenzie looked right at Bailey and said, "Ouch, Bailey, you hurt me." and Bailey apologized. We were so proud - they're learning to solve differences with words. Hope that lasts!

k

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here, looking at the video monitor in Bailey's room, listening to the quiet of the house (we're not early risers because we like it - we only wake early when we have to), and thinking about all that I have to be thankful for. Every little moment of my day is filled with so many blessings. I hope that you'll all stop and whisper a word of thanks for everything, little and big, that blesses your life! Happy Thanksgiving!

Nothing Short of Brilliant

2008-11-19T17:37:00.000-08:00

3 Year Stats

2008-11-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

We had Bailey's three year appointment today. She's doing great!! According to their measurements, she's 34 pounds, which puts her in the 85th percentile, and she's 38 1/2 inches, which puts her in the 90th percentile. So - she's tall and lean (which I know because all of her pants are too short and to baggy on her).

All went well - she just hated the flu shot (and, who of us likes those anyway).

We've been Elved!

2008-11-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

We interrupt this blog...

2008-11-12T04:33:00.000-08:00

...for a little bit of deeper thinking. I don't typically go this route simply because I'm not sure that anyone really is into any more than pics of Bailey and what's going on in her life. However, I don't want to forget this thought and, as they always say, "the memory is the first to go." And, it's my blog, so I'll type what I want to (or, something like that)

I was thinking about this as we watched Barack Obama's acceptance speech on election night. The speech was, for us, moving, and inspiring, and encouraging. I had many moments that caused me to well up with hope for the first time in a pretty dreary eight years. Regardless of how anyone felt about the election - I don't think that many can deny that it is time for a change. Both candidates preached about it during the campaign. I did vote for Barack Obama, and I've been quite open about that. I've read a number of posts by folks who did not vote that way stating that people voted for him because he was black - while I'm sure that there were some who did, I was not one of those. I can't imagine voting that way, without any intelligent thought.

I was born in 1967, certainly not the "height" of racial times. But, while we were supposedly a society that "shunned" racism, and all men were created "equal", that wasn't evidenced in this country. I distinctly remember studying the formation of our country and being told that all men and women of all colors, shapes and sizes were created equal and that we were a country that presented every opportunity for everybody. But, until I was in my 20's, I don't recall any black men or women in the professional workforce, or in places of power (CEOs and executives). In school, it was a sea of white until 5th grade (that's the first year that I remember any other ethnicities in my classroom - although, my 4th grade teacher from from the Philippines). But, we TALKED about equality like it was something that existed. It was talked about a lot. But, never demonstrated in the world that I saw.

Over the last week I've had this thought running through my mind. Bailey will never remember the "Bush years". She'll study them in school, but she won't have any recollection of the job that he's done in office. The very earliest that Obama will leave office, though, will put her at 7 years old. She'll remember these years. She'll remember that he was president. She won't, necessarily, consider his presidency and weigh in on how well he did. She'll just remember that he was president. But, when they teach that all men are created equal, she'll SEE that as true. She will never experience conflict between the principle and the truth alive in her world. She will always see that to be fact. She will always see that there truly are no limitations. I love that my daughter is being raised in that kind of world. A world where there are no limitations. And, don't think that I'm naive - I certainly see that there are many other influences that aren't so positive. But, for this moment, I'm so encouraged by this - my daughter will always remember a world where anything is possible because all men and women are created equal.

She smiled with her eyes

2008-11-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

Here are all of the photos in a little montage. Enjoy!

She's Three

2008-11-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

Just have a moment but want to share some of the GORGEOUS photos that my friend Leah took for Bailey's 3 year photo shoot. Leah is SOOOOO talented and we feel so blessed that she shares it with us!! I'll post more later!

Happy Birthday Princess!!

2008-10-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

It's official - my Bailey is 3!! Happy Birthday my princess!!

Bailey's Thoughts on the election

2008-10-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

I just think it's too cute when Bailey says his name!!

As promised...

2008-10-25T08:28:00.001-07:00

here are the pictures of Bailey's new bedroom set:

Guess who...

2008-10-25T08:10:00.001-07:00

...spent her first night in her big girl bed?!?! Pics will be forthcoming!

Remlinger Farm

2008-10-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today, we went to Remlinger Farms. It's a local farm that has a TON of activities during the fall. It was a gorgeous day - sunny but with a hint of autumn in the air. There were so many fun pictures from today that I just couldn't trim the number - this is what we refer to as a picture overload!

Pumpkin Patch with buddies

2008-10-19T20:23:00.001-07:00

This week, a group of us from Playgroup went to the pumpkin patch and had a blast. It had been raining for a few days, so the girls enjoyed a "mud dance" at the end - I'll try to get that video up soon - it was AWESOME!! Until I get the video edited, please enjoy these pictures!!

As promised - the video! Enjoy!!

Dr. Bailey

2008-10-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

I had my 6th knee surgery about a week ago (1st surgery on the left knee - it's doing great, I'm hoping to get cleared to run on Tuesday). We brought home some hospital garb for Bailey - I don't think that most surgeons work in just their undergarments - I think she'll have to go through med school to get the official outfit!

Getting Ready for Halloween!

2008-10-19T20:11:00.001-07:00

We've really gotten into the Halloween spirit around here. A couple of weeks ago we had a Halloween party with some old friends. This outfit is one of Bailey's new "favorites" - subtle, eh?

Bailey's first handful of pumpkin

She wasn't too impressed!

Bailey, teaching us all how to decorate cookies. Skip the cookie and just eat the decorations.

If you don't look like this after decorating cookies, you obviously haven't done it right!

President Bailey

2008-10-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

The shirt says it all!! She gets my vote!!

What I love most!

2008-10-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

In the past couple of days, Bailey has requested snuggle time at the end of the day with me. This is a rare occurrence as she typically can't be bothered to slow down for a snuggle. But, right now, she wants to snuggle. So we lay on the couch, listen to quiet music, and I rub her head slowly while I sing to her. And - two nights in a row - she has fallen asleep. O-U-T. Sound asleep. When Adam carries her to her room she doesn't wake at all. Do I think that this is her new pattern? Hmmm - I don't know. But, I'm going to absolutely cherish each time that it happens. It's my new favorite part of the day!

Let the rounds begin...

2008-10-06T05:36:00.000-07:00

It's pumpkin patch time again and we have a few "favorite farms" to hit in the next couple of weeks. We started, yesterday, at the South 47 Farm - home of the Farm Tots. They did not disappoint! We had some particularly stormy weather on Saturday which left some tremendous puddles - if we could vote one place for the best mud puddles in the NorthWest, this farm would be our winner!!

We found some pumpkins, fed the Alpacas and Goats, climbed some toys, and then wrapped it all up with a rousing time of puddle jumping!!

Tea Party

2008-10-04T22:13:00.001-07:00

The most special thing I did on my birthday was to have a "mommy & Bailey first tea party." We made tea cookies before with my cookie press and then broke out our new tea party set and got dressed up for the party. It was so sweet and very fun (until someone, and I'm not naming names - Bailey, decided to pour "tea" on the table because that's very funny - hmmm). Here are some pics.

Witches in Redmond!!

2008-10-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

Obviously the scariest sort of witch - the un-pottytrained witch flying without a diaper!! Look out below!!

Seriously?

2008-10-04T21:58:00.000-07:00

Somehow October showed up in full force. I can't believe it's already here - it just seems to have flown in. What have we been up to, you might ask? Redecorating Bailey's room. She'll be moving into a "big girl bed" soon (we're planning in December - could be earlier) and decided that this would be a good time to update her room to a little girl room. Her bedding is chocolate and pink and we decided that we'd give her a room that compliments that. So far Adam has painted the entire room and added the wainscoting and trim around the room. I've stained half of the room and stained the curtain rod and door frame. "All" that we have left is:

Finish staining
Add the crown moulding
Hang her name
Hang the shelves (and stain them)
Get one more painting for the wall above the rocking chair

Bailey did "help" us paint her room last week. We gave her a little cup of paint and a foam brush and had her stand on a sheet and paint the walls - that way both of us could be productive in her room. The work conversation went something like this:

Bailey: Hey dad, you painting the room?
Adam: I'm painting the room. Are you painting the room?
Bailey: Yup dad, sure did. Hey mom, you painting the room?
Me: I'm painting the room. Are you painting the room?
Bailey: Yup mom, sure did. Hey dad, you painting the room?

You don't need me to transcribe the rest in order to get the picture. Now, imagine that conversation going on for about 45 minutes. Talk about engaging conversation!! Tonight Bailey kept us engaged in discussion with the following,
"Hey mom - what you doing?" Once I answered it she asked Adam the same question. 45 MINUTES!!

Anyway - here are some pictures of the work so far. Every time that Bailey walks into her room she declares, "It's beautiful, mom!" I agree - Adam is very talented and obviously puts special care into creating a lovely place for Bailey to rest!!

I'm just saying...

2008-09-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have neighbors from Argentina, neighbors from Cambodia, neighbors from China, and neighbors from Iran. I have great relationships with all of them. Based on criteria that I've heard thrown out lately, I'm now qualified, in areas related to foreign policy, for Vice President. I can't balance a checkbook, though, so that might disqualify me!

Johnny and the Bailey Sprite

2008-09-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Well, after seeing how sweet John Tartaglia was with the little guy last night, we decided to estimate the end of the matinee performance of Shrek today and see if (by chance) John would come out and meet a fan of the 2 year old variety (Bailey). With this being closing night, and the evening performance only 2.5 hours later, we knew that there was a good chance that he wouldn't come out and would choose to start cleaning up for strike. We just thought that we'd take a chance. As chance would have it, he did come out and spent a good 5 minutes talking with Bailey (who suddenly got a case of the "I'm super duper shy" behavior). It didn't seem to matter that she was shy - he just kept trying to engage her in some small talk (about Ginger Sprite, mainly). Bailey was intrigued, but froze at answering questions. She did, finally, take a picture where she didn't hide her face (although, my camera skills caught her looking down). She also blew him a kiss, gave him "5" and said, "Bye Johnny". He told her that he would tell the sprites "hi" for her and that he would think of her next time he was on T.V - she said, "ok" and smiled. This is one very talented young man who definitely doesn't take his talent for granted - such a humble guy, and so kind to his fans - even the little ones!!

Johnny - without the sprites

2008-09-21T00:15:00.000-07:00

So - Adam and I saw Shrek the Musical this evening with Johnny (of Johnny and the Sprites) playing Pinocchio. After the show, we went to the stage door to see if he would take pictures and sign autographs. There was a woman there with her (looked to be about) 5 year old son and the little boy's grandma there. Before Johnny came out, she and her son and the grandma were talking about the episode of Johnny and the Sprites where Johnny dressed up like a Bora Bora bush, so you knew that they were waiting to see Johnny. As soon as Johnny came out of the door he scanned the crowd, saw the little guy, and went over to talk to the little guy. He squatted down to the little guy's height and talked to him about the sprites and the Bora Bora bush and just gave the little guy special attention - it was so sweet to see. This little boy was just beaming and I found myself wishing that I'd brought Bailey because she would have loved to have seen him. Some celebs are still nice people!!

I'm looking for Bob, Dad!

2008-09-19T07:33:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday night one of the most exciting events touring the nation came to our neck of the woods!! The Jonas Brothers, you ask? Perhaps Madonna? No - Veggie Tales Live!!

We took Bailey and one of her buddies, Zoe, was there. The two of them had a BLAST!! I won't spoil the plot for anyone who is planning to take in this epic show, but near the beginning of the show Bob goes missing (I know, you're on the edge of your seat - do they find him? What happened? Was there some time warp? Will I fall into it? All of those age old questions!). While he's missing, the Veggies are "stalling" (the twists and turns that this show takes - it was tough to follow at times). Shortly before the intermission, Bailey was just crawling around under seats and goofing around on the floor. I asked Adam what she was doing and he shrugged his shoulders and then asked her what she was doing. She looked at us as if we were the biggest morons around and said, "I'm looking for Bob, dad. Bob's missing." I almost hit the ground laughing. How insensitive of us to just sit and watch this show when the real tragedy was that Bob was missing!!

So - did they ever find Bob? Was he returned in good shape? Well, I don't want to ruin it for you, but I'll say this - we had a great time!

Guess who is off of the paci?

2008-09-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

From exhaustion is born progress! That's my new quote. Need a little explanation? Adam and I have been working a lot of hours and sleeping very few. Of course, anytime that we're not either working or sleeping we're enjoying family. But, the fact remains, that we're both running many hours short on the sleep front. Two nights ago we accidentally forgot (too tired to think) to attach the pacifier to Bailey's jammies when we put her to bed, and somehow she missed this fact or was so ready to go to bed that she didn't care. I didn't even discover it until she woke up yesterday morning. After talking with Adam, we decided to just see how it would go - if she asked for Paci we'd try to engage her in something else, if she started crying for Paci we'd let her have it. She didn't ask for it all day. So, we put her to bed without it - no problem! She's been without Paci since around 6pm on Wednesday and hasn't seemed to even notice! I'm thrilled because I was envisioning many bribes and much begging to get rid of the pacifier before she graduated from college. Her dentist has told us that we need to wean her of paci by the time that she's three - I was really dreading it! This just reinforces that, as with every other thing that Bailey has done (sleep, eating, weaning from breast feeding, etc) when she's ready, it just happens. So - no more paci - way to go peanut!!

Remember

2008-09-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

They say that you never forget where you were when you heard about certain events. The day that President Kennedy was shot. The moment that Pearl Harbor started getting bombed. The day that we initiated the first Gulf War. September 11, 2001. I was on a treadmill.

I arrived at the gym around 6am and saw the news reporting that a plane had flown into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. At that time, there was no reason given for the poor flying. Had a pilot had a heart attack? Did a navigation system fail? The Today Show was on and there was discussion and speculation, but the terrorist possibility was not really highlighted. I started running and watched the show. All cameras were trained on the towers, with occasional glances back at Matt and Katie. And then, we saw another plane enter the corner of the screen. And then, it headed straight for the other tower. And everyone in the gym stopped running. Treadmills still moving, but no sound of footfall on the belts. Everyone was just standing there, trying to decide if they were really seeing what they thought they were seeing. I just stood there as it happened - unable to fully grasp what I was watching. After a few minutes, I continued my workout and just listened to the news. It was so quiet in the gym. No one was chatting. Everyone was more intense, seemingly wrapped up in their workout, but really wrapped up in their thoughts and how the world had just changed.

By the time that I arrived home, a plane had flown into the Pentagon. I knew that Roger knew people there and called him. Oddly, the people that I most expected to be awake early in the morning (Roger and Mom) had slept a little later than usual that morning. Roger answered the phone and I asked if he'd been watching the news. He said that he hadn't turned on the T.V. yet. I remember my words, "the Pentagon has been hit." He asked, "by what". I then told him about the events of the morning. Suddenly it was Leiutenant Colonel Roger Gaines on the phone, "I've got to go Kim, I've got to get briefed." It reminded me that in times of crisis we default to the mode where we've known crisis in the past. After West Point, Vietnam, and his many years of service to this country, he knows briefings.

So much has happened since then. I realize that Bailey will never know a world without the very real threat of terrorism. That's strange. That's not the world that I grew up in. I realize that my dad, the ultimate history and world affairs buff, knew none of this. The first Gulf War occurred after he died. Obviously, so did the second. And, the Twin Towers were still standing during his life. I didn't even know Adam prior to 9/11.

Shortly after this event, I had the opportunity to meet a photographer named Peter Turnley. His career has been quite prolific and he has photographed events ranging from Harley Davidson's anniversary to the Bosnian war. He found his way down to Ground Zero on 9/11 and spent the night holed up in an office building accross from Ground Zero. He is far more articulate than I am, and shares his observations and one of his photos here.

So, why the brain dump this morning? What's my point? Not sure that I have one. I'll note right now that this may not be the most cohesive closing paragraph. Not sure that matters. I think I'm just rambling. But, here's my current though, this is a different world that we live in. We're at war. I never thought that I'd be able to say that in my lifetime. But, I'm thankful and I'm blessed that every day of my life I'm surrounded by people that I know and that know me. And, I'm thankful that I have Adam and Bailey. Certainly, I'll remember 9/11 forever. However, with it, I'll remember how fortunate I am to have such a beautiful family.

All Growed Up!

2008-09-10T06:21:00.001-07:00

I woke Bailey up this morning and said, "Guess what day it is baby? It's Tuesday and it's your first day of school!" Her response? "School?!?! Hooray school!!" And, that seemed to represent how she really felt about preschool because when we got there she floated into class. Adam and I stuck around for a few minutes, but she didn't really care - she was too busy, and she was enjoying it! We said good-bye and she said, "bye mommy-dad". And that was it. She had a great day at school, too. When I got there she ran and hugged and snuggled and then told me all about how she played outside and played in the kitchen and played with friends (are you catching the theme?). She was really wired for the night, too. She took a nap, but only 1.5 hours. I think that her brain must have just been so busy processing the day! It was a great day, though - my little girl is growing up!

Is that my little girl?

2008-09-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Bailey started dance on Saturday and it was beautiful! We were a few minutes early so that she could observe, but she didn't need it - she's a big girl (duh, mom). For the first 22 minutes, Bailey actually did everything that the teacher asked her to do. I don't think that she has performed that task (of following directions) since she was born, and even that was a forced obedience (via c-section). Oh, and I actually know the instructor. I've directed her in shows and played a number of rehearsals for another show that she was in.

Back to Bailey, about 1/2 way through the class, Bailey went to the teacher and told her that she needed to use the toilet - so I took her into the bathroom, but she had a pull up on so I was sure that she was just fooling us. SURPRISE - she was dry and actually did use the toilet - I was STUNNED!!

Needless to say, I sat there as a proud mom watching my girl be like a bunny and wave her arms like a tree and thought about what a beautiful little person she is becoming. I just love her spirit and love her spunk (with the exception of when she tells me, "I'm not going to do that mom") and just soaked it in.

Oh, and when you see her looking behind the instructor, it's because there's a wall length mirror that she just loved to watch. She couldn't take her eyes off of herself.

Here's some video of my tiny dancer:

School Days

2008-09-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

Bailey will start preschool next Tuesday. I am still a little shocked about this. We had parent orientation yesterday where we met the other parents and got all of our school information. It's interesting - I actually already knew two of the parents.

I was in yoga with the mom of one girl while we were pregnant. It's kind of funny, this mom and I have run into each other a number of times. We both sat on a panel at the hospital for a breastfeeding class. We've run into each other at Borders and Costco. Then, I walked into the parent orientation yesterday and discovered that our girls are going to be in class together. We've exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses at least 3 times - and then lost them. Now, our phone numbers are on a class list. We'll be better at keeping track of the numbers and will see each other more frequently.

Last spring, Bailey was in soccer with one of the boys in her class - his name is Camden. He definitely listened to the coach better than Bailey did. Which means that he listened to the coach more than once. I hope that Bailey will listen more than once in school - my fingers are crossed.

I did apologize to all of the other parents right away. You see, last March, as I was walking out to the car and carrying Bailey and my purse and a cup of coffee and who knows what else (probably the kitchen sink and the fridge), I dropped something on the ground and said, "ah crap". About 2 milliseconds later, Bailey said, "aw cwap". I just groaned - ugh! And thought I'd try not to even make a big deal out of it. I thought that I'd pulled it off because I didn't hear it again. Until about 3 weeks later when Bailey dropped a toy on the floor and announced, "aw cwap". And (yes, I'm confessing) I let out a laugh. And then I suggested that she use another expression. And then she used it again. Well, we've had a "cwap-free" summer until 2 days ago when I was setting up the new climbing toy. She dropped one of the pieces on the ground and said, "aw cwap" and I just about died. We had a talk and she knows that she shouldn't use that word, but I don't have high hopes. So - I apologized to the parents for my daughter's language and expressed that I'm hopeful that she won't teach this word to all of their children. In my defense - at least it's not the "F" word!

But, I digress. The real point of this post is that we have begun the school festivities. School begins on Tuesday, but today was open house. Bailey had a blast, met a couple of new "buddies" (Anna and Kira) and is looking forward to next week. I can't believe it's starting!! Oh, and we did learn that Bailey will get to bring something for show and tell every Tuesday. This is going to be an exciting year - as long as she doesn't get expelled for her foul mouth!

Pajamas are an accessory

2008-09-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

If every day could be a pajama day in the Dare household, Bailey would declare it to be nirvana. She loves her pajamas. I've discovered that I can "dress up" jammies fairly easily. The dilemma occurs when Bailey decides to further accessorize. What do you think about this getup:

She climbs

2008-09-05T22:00:00.001-07:00

For awhile I took Bailey to the daycare at the gym while I worked out. The first day that I took her, I walked into the room and took a careful look around the room. I immediately recognized that Bailey was going to LOVE this room because it was filled with climbing opportunities. She was only 20 months old and none of the other kids in the room (walking to 22 months) were anywhere near as physically coordinated as she was. I spoke to the daycare provider in the room and shared that Bailey was a climber. Her response? "Oh, they're all climbers." I proceeded to explain that Bailey was not your average toddler climber - she's climbed on top of the piano at home. She was a CLIMBER. I then pointed out every area that I thought would be a hazardous area for her. They assured me that it was all going to fine (silly mommy). When I returned 1.5 hours later, the entire room had been rearranged - all of the climbing opportunities had been removed - and the provider said, "she's a CLIMBER". I just smiled and nodded my head.

We've got a new climbing toy in our backyard. Bailey's mastered it, but LOVES it. She makes us sit and watch (if we stand she points to the ledge and says, "mama, sit!"). Bailey's a climber!

I can sew!

2008-09-05T21:36:00.001-07:00

When I was growing up my parents owned a gymnastics academy. My mother made leotards and sold them at the gym and offered my sisters and I the opportunity to earn a little money sewing the seams. Well, I did one leotard and got canned. My mother's announcement was that it would cost her more to rip the seam out and restitch it than it would for her to just take the time to sew the leo. She was probably right.

Bailey and I were at Ben Franklin about a month ago and she saw this pumpkin quilt and said that she liked it. I looked at it and thought it just looked like a bunch of straight lines and I should be able to handle that, so I purchased the kit and brought it home. The first time that I read the instructions I couldn't translate it - it looked like Greek. The second time that I read the instructions (about 3 weeks later) it made sense, and I sewed the quilt together in just 4 days. Here is the result:

Deadliest Catch?

2008-09-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

In 1974, my family moved from Bellevue to Olympia. Before we moved down there I remember going to the Gold Creek Trout Farm where we would go "fishing". It was a stocked pond, so you could have just stood in the middle of the pond with your arms out and you would have caught something.

Fast forward to Saturday afternoon. The Gold Creek Trout Farm is still open (different owner) and still has a stocked pond. We took Bailey "fishing". It was so funny! She insisted that the pole was hers - "My fishing pole!" Anytime Adam tried to help her she would remind him of this fact. She caught 2 fish - with each one she just squealed!! She especially got a kick out of watching them get so squirmy and wiggly!! We'll be having trout for dinner in the next week or so (they're in the freezer right now). It was a great afternoon!!

Smooky!!

2008-08-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

Picture it - Olympia, 1999. I'd just recently moved to Seattle and made a daytrip to visit family. I think that Cassidy was about 4 years old. Most people who remember her as a little one remember that she came up with some really cute words and pronunciations. She is the reason that we have Momo and Tree Tree (Kristi), and for quite some time she called herself "Duckie" (but if you called her Duckie she'd say, "No - it's DUCKIE", so I'm certain that she thought she was saying Cassidy). Anyway, it was nearly Halloween and she was at the kitchen table coloring and I asked her what she was drawing. Her response was, "I'm drawing Smooky things, Kim." I have called anything "spooky" smooky ever since.

Fast forward to today - Bailey's Halloween costume arrived. Yes, I realize it's still August, but I LOVED it and didn't want to miss out on this costume. As soon as it arrived she had to put it on - she calls it her "scary" - I say it's "Smooky". Want to see what she's gonna be for Halloween? Well, here it is - but don't get too smooked!!

Tiny Dancer - Part Deux

2008-08-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

"I'm a beautiful Tinkerbell, Mama" is what Bailey has been exclaiming every time that she walks by a window or a mirror. Bailey and I went to pick up her dance "duds" today. She tried on ballet slippers and tap shoes, and then it was time for us to pick out her leotard. The only "rule" is that it has to be pink. So we looked through the leos and she found the one that she wanted. I felt like we should try it on first so we hit the dressing room and as soon as she saw it on she took a deep breath, spread out her hands in an "oh wow" expression and declared, "it's beautiful". And, she has been wearing it since. I hope we'll be able to get her out of it for her bath. I just don't think that it will dry before bedtime!

Tiny Dancer

2008-08-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

As is well known, I grew up a gymnast. By the time I was in 7th grade I ate, slept, and breathed gymnastics. While I loved what I was doing, there is a part of me that, every once in a while, wishes that I'd tried other sports.

True story - during high school assemblies they often have "class competitions". In these competitions they would choose one person from each class to go to the main gym floor, in front of EVERYONE, and perform some "wacky" competition. At one of the assemblies my senior year, they had a "sport competition" where they chose one person from each winter sport. That person had to cartwheel out to a mat (gymnastics), jump rope a certain number of times (wrestling?!?!), ride a little square scooter thing on their stomach to a line (swimming?!?!) and then shoot a free throw (basketball). Well, the cartwheel gave me a huge lead which no one made up - until the free throw. I kid you not, I stood with that damn ball trying to make a free throw at least 3 minutes past the last person. Someone yelled, "aim for the backboard!" They could have said it in Amharek - it wouldn't have made a difference - I had no idea what they were talking about!

Of course, I don't share that story to indicate that I have always wanted to play basketball. At 5 ' 4 1/2" I don't think that I'd be of much use, and the game really never interested me. I simply note that I was a clod in any sport other than gymnastics.

Well - I've certainly strayed from the path on this post. The whole point is that Bailey has really enjoyed a number of sports (at her advanced age of 2 3/4). She had a blast in gymnastics. Totally loves soccer. Thinks that puddle jumping is the best of all (I include it as I think it should be named an Olympic sport). Enjoys swimming (when it doesn't hurt her ears). And is going to try dance this fall. It's a mixed ballet and tap class - I'm hiding the tap shoes when we're at home!! Can't wait to see my "tiny dancer" in the studio!! Of course, I'll have video to share when she begins - keep your eyes peeled for a full report on September 6th!

Oh, and did I ever make the free throw. Finally, after they had cleared all of the equipment used in the competition, I "sunk" one - while I didn't have much "skill" in other sports, my persistence never wavered!

Playgroup Fun in the Sun

2008-08-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

We hosted playgroup this week on a beautiful day and decided to set up the bounce house and the pools and let the kids have at it. They had a BALL! Bailey was quite fearless, and got to spend a little more time with Kiki. What you can't hear in the video below is Kiki laughing her head off every time that Bailey jumped. I turned down the sound because you can also hear the conversations that we moms were having - y'all don't need to hear us comment on cute baby bumps and hair styles!

Kiki....Where are you?!?!

2008-08-13T06:10:00.000-07:00

Bailey had a great day yesterday - her best buddy, Makenzie (Kiki) is up in Seattle for the week and we went to the zoo with her. I woke Bailey yesterday telling her that we were going to go see Kiki - her reply was, "I like Kiki, Mom". Me, too. When we got to the zoo we waited for a few minutes for Kiki. When they saw each other they went running to meet - I thought they were going to knock each other down. Then they went running off together. Not long into the visit they were holding hands and giggling - TOO CUTE!! They are also now having conversations where they ask questions and answer APPROPRIATELY - it's so fun to watch. I have to pull the video and pictures off of the camera - I'll post them as soon as I get a chance.

It was great to see both Lindsay and Makenzie. Lindsay is 19 weeks pregnant and just found out that it's a girl - if this one has anywhere near the personality that Makenzie does, they are in for a fun trip!! We'll see them again for playgroup on Thursday - can't wait!!

Here are a couple of teasers - I still have to edit some others and to edit the video!

A Million Gnats!!

2008-08-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that I'm now training for a marathon. On January 11th I'll run the DisneyWorld Marathon. Adam will run the Half Marathon the day before, and Bailey will run the kids 100 meter dash on Friday the 9th. Yesterday was an 80 minute run - I went just over 7 miles which feels like a good pace for me at this time. I'm figuring that I'll average about 10min. 30sec. per mile. I typically breathe through my mouth while I'm running which means (ugh) that I eat about 1 gnat per mile (can I say, UGH). I'm trying to avoid disgust and just view this as additional protein during my training - it's the only way that I can manage.

One down...now it's two

2008-08-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ah, somewhat cryptic title, right? Well - we took Bailey in for an ear recheck and now it's not one ear infection of the "swimmer's ear" variety. It's a double ear infection of the ear drum variety!! This poor girl. We're on heavy duty antibiotics to knock it out and will see if it goes away in 10 days. If not, we'll be at Children's Hospital to assess next steps - feel better little one!!

Bailey Sings the Blues

2008-08-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

It has been an exciting week in the Dare household. I've decided that growth is a combination of "2 steps forward and 1 step back" and then "stand still, oh wait, run forward". This week is a 2 steps running forward week. The most exciting news is that Bailey has begun toilet training herself. Without getting too much into the "gory" details, she has been in underwear all week during the day and has been "listening to her body" (as Elmo instructs in one of "our" favorite videos - Elmo's Potty Time). He tells us that when our body tells us that we need to go to the toilet that we should listen to it. Of course, accidents happen (as Grover and Elmo sing) but you just move on from them. It's been exciting to see her do this on her own and the amount of pride that she's taken in it. Truth was, I was beginning to think that I'd have to wait until she graduated from high school before this process began, so I'm very excited. I'm sure that it could still take some time to "perfect" the process, but we're well on our way now and feeling very happy!

She's also been singing songs for us lately. The video in this post has a number of her favorites - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, My Friends Tigger & Pooh, Veggie Tales, Itsy Bitsy Spider and Pattycake. If she had her way, these would be the songs on her iPod. When you listen, note how she gets "stuck" on the first two lines of the Veggie Tales song - I apologize for the laugh that I let out!! I should note that there's a lot of "chatter" between she and I that I didn't edit - my editing software was "acting up" so I just threw all caution to the wind and uploaded all of it. Also - when you see her reach over the camera when I start singing, that's her putting her hand over my mouth to tell me to shut up! Such a bossy girl already.

Another Ear Infection

2008-08-07T06:40:00.000-07:00

Well, swim lessons have led to swimmer's ear - an ear infection in the outer ear and (apparently) even more painful than one involving the ear drum. Bailey was sort of crabby yesterday. And then, during her bath, she lost it (right after Adam rinsed her hair). And grabbed her ear crying, "it hurts me, it hurts me." Further inquiry brought out that her ear hurts. So - we had the doctor come out and sure enough - ear infection. So, we'll be missing a few days of swim lessons (she was really having fun with it, too) and we'll lay a little low for the day. I am thankful that she's only had 3 ear infections since her tubes were put in last year. However, I thought that she'd have no ear infections with the tubes so I'm having to adjust my expectations for ear tubes. Feel better quick Bailey!!

Water Baby!!

2008-08-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

We've been going to our swimming pool with great frequency since Bailey's first summer in 2006. Most of the time we hang out at the baby pool, but Bailey occasionally ventures to the big pool which makes us a little nervous. She's getting better at asking before she struts over there, but sometimes the impulse is too great and the resolve too weak and she suddenly bolts for the big pool with no regard for safety (which, for a 2 year old, is the MO). Today we started our journey toward water safety - Bailey had her first day of swimming lessons. It was only 1/2 hour, but it POOPED HER OUT!! By the end she was exhausted and actually let me carry her home while she rested her head on my shoulder and relaxed. I was a little concerned with whether she was ready or not - she doesn't follow instructions anywhere else and seems to plunge into life with utter reckless abandon and anarchy - I was pretty sure that she'd do the same here. I'm pleased to report that she actually did what the instructors asked her to do and she stayed seated on the steps when she was supposed to. And - she only tried to run to the baby pool once. I call this success!! She will be in lessons for the next two weeks. I'm certainly not expecting her to be able to swim by then, but "baby steps" will get her there eventually. Congrats on your first day of swimming lessons Bailey - momma's proud!!

5K Day

2008-08-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

So - Adam and I ran our Foot Zone 5k today. It's the same race that we made our "first 5k ever" last year. This year we both saw great improvement. Adam ran it in 22:32 (last year he ran it in approximately 24 minutes). My time last year was 36:20 which is a pace of 11:45 per mile. And - I'd finished 463rd. This year I finished in 30:04 with a pace of 9:42 per mile and was 269th out of over 500 runners. Having had my foot surgery only 3 months ago I wasn't sure how it would go, but I feel really good about it. I was also quite determined this year. I've been telling Adam that I wanted to finish at around 30 minutes. Then, around mile 2, I checked my watch and had sort of resigned myself to finishing within 31 minutes. As I neared the finish line I could see the timer and realized that I could actually finish around 30 minutes so I pushed myself - hard. And, I saw the timer just change to 30 minutes right before my finish. And - I almost barfed when I stopped - I had to work really hard to "hold it in", so to speak. I don't have any lofty ambitions to improve my time in the future - I'm really quite happy with this. We have two more 5ks this year and the the Marathon/half marathon/100 meter dash in January - it's hard to believe that we are a running family - that's something that I never figured I'd say.

Can it really be time?

2008-08-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

We just received word today that Bailey will be enrolled in school next year. It seems crazy that the little girl who lived in my body for 9 months, not too long ago, is now ready to start preschool!!

She will be attending the Bellevue Country Day School on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My sister, Kristi, thinks it sounds like a finishing school. I think it sounds like fun. She doesn't start for another month - but September seems to be sneaking up on us fairly quickly!

The Torchlight Parade

2008-07-27T15:17:00.001-07:00

Well, if you've been following my blog for a couple of months, you might remember my list of "things to do for the summer". One of the things on my list was to go to the Torchlight Parade. I used to go with Cassidy and Alex, and last year we brought Bailey for the first time. This year's parade was a huge hit with Bailey. She, of course, loved riding the rides at the Seattle Center. But, she also loved watching the many princesses and pretty floats. She hadn't had a nap (it was a busy day) so she had some pretty zoney and mellow moments (although, she announced frequently, "I'm not tired mom".

This is the view that we had of Bailey most of the time - her running ahead of us!!
Bailey loved riding these cars - she probably would have been fine if we'd just left her there with a bunch of tickets!

When Bailey's older I think I'll compile a collage of pictures of her with the pirates - she always looks terrified, but then wants to go see them again!

The Discovery Channel has a program on called Deadliest Catch. While I've only seen a portion of it once, the bit that I saw was pretty exciting because one of the boats was able to rescue a man who'd fallen off of his fishing boat into the freezing waters in Alaska. Anyway, this year's "celebrities" were a couple of the crew members for the Northwestern. As an aside - my family on my mother's side is Croatian and many of them were fishermen out of Anacortes. As I read biographies, I thought of my Uncle Tony and my mother's father.
So - here are Bailey's first photos with "celebrities" (in this case, dudes who fish for crab).
Jake Anderson
Edgar Hansen (not of the singing group Hanson)

Matt Bradley

These next two pictures are where Bailey clearly demonstrates that she's NOT tired (haha)!

Bailey really enjoyed seeing any of the Asian groups - their costumes and floats were very colorful!

Of course - who could miss the clowns!

And - one final ride on the Carousel!!

She sacked out on the car ride home - it was an exhausting day!!

Bellevue Arts Fair

2008-07-27T15:14:00.001-07:00

It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, that I am not artistic in anything other than music. I flunked stick figures and have not improved much. Then there's my daughter - who LOVES art! She loves to paint and color and cut with scissors (which she pronounces, cups wif seesers". Well, her newest art activity is to glue. But, not actually to glue anything to anything - simply to squeeze glue out of the bottle. Now that is an artistic event that I just might be able to excel at!!

Company Picnic

2008-07-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

When you work for a company as big as Microsoft, the company picnic is not your usual, "bring a blanket and share some chicken" kind of affair. For Microsoft, the company picnic is spread out over three days (you RSVP for the day that you plan to attend so that they can accommodate the number of people) and consists of HUGE bounce houses, pony rides, tractor pulled hay rides, entertainment on a couple of stages, AMAZING food (burgers, vegan, vegetarian, ribs, indian, thai), and a lot of people.

We attended on Sunday the 20th - Bailey wanted to move in. Especially when she found the pony ride.

The Aftermath

2008-07-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well - after the Vomiting Vegas week we had a number of "laying low" days, but I can happily report that Bailey made a full recovery with no relapse. At the end of the week was a weekend that was relatively full. Our first event (this post) was to go to the Bite of Seattle. It's an event that is held at the Seattle Center every year with entertainment and food. Bailey decided that it was a perfect opportunity to visit the Pacific Science Center (which is located on the grounds of the Seattle Center). So we visited the dinosaurs, touched a starfish and hermit crab (sadly, none of them were named Don so they didn't answer when she called for them) and then finished up with an ice cream cone. I feel safe in stating that Bailey's favorite event of the summer is ice cream cone eating. If there was a fair completely dedicated to having ice cream cones, she would totally sign up!

Vacation....Interruptus

2008-07-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

4:30am - Circus, Circus Hotel Room, Las Vegas, Nevada:

"Hello" (spoken as gruffly as you can imagine due to second hand casino smoke and air conditioning)
"Kim, Bailey's been throwing up since 1am and I wanted to see if you think that we should take her to the hospital."

And that is how my day began. It is a parent's nightmare. Your child is really sick and you are many miles and a 2.5 hour flight away from her. Certainly I knew that Kristi and Gabe had the "parenting chops" to handle it. But, this is my baby. And, I know how she likes to have her back rubbed and what key she sings the theme song to Miss Spider's Sunnypatch Friends and exactly how she likes to be snuggled. And yet I'm not there to take her to the hospital where they may have to IV her to get fluids in her, or might have to admit.

So - we quickly call the airline, shower, pack, check out of the hotel, get a cab, and get to the airport. By the time that we got on the plane she had been able to keep a few teaspoons of apple juice down for about 20 minutes and was heading home with after care instructions. Thankfully it was minor, as far as emergencies go. But, no easier for us to handle.

In retrospect, could we have stayed in Vegas and "stimulated the economy" and enjoyed some shopping and entertainment? Probably. And, Bailey would have been just fine with Tree Tree and Uncle Dave (as she's now calling Gabe). But I wouldn't change our actions. I remember pondering whether we should head home or not and figured it was probably the flu (which it was/is). But, what if it had been rotovirus or worse? I think that one of the toughest things about parenting is that you constantly wonder if you've done good enough. If you've made the best choices. If you've disciplined appropriately. There's just so much pressure that we place on ourselves (often unnecessarily). Sometimes, we can't take the action to head home. Sometimes we HAVE to wait. But, when the opportunity exists to head home. Well, that's the right choice. So - we're experiencing vacation interruptus. And we're snuggling, and rubbing Bailey's back, and singing Miss Spider's Sunnypatch Friends, and enjoying our time together.

As for our 23 hours in Vegas - we had a great time! Adam had a little unexpected windfall - he was sitting at a slot machine as I sat down to cycle a little coinage through the machine and he saw what appeared to be credits on that machine. When he selected to cash out it printed a ticket for $25.80. So - he decided to play it by "betting the full amount". He hit a bonus and ended up winning $280 - Happy Birthday Honey!!

The "wall" for the Revolution bar in the Mirage - I'm sitting in the "U" - can U tell?

"All we need is love" - we saw this show - BRILLIANT!!

I purchased a glass of wine. I'd figured (when I saw the stadium beer cup) that they'd just fill it about 1/4 of the way. Nope!! Full cup of wine!

yeliaB - We NEVER find items with the name Bailey, so we were delighted to find this Piggy Bank with her name. Bailey' thinks its brilliant and would like some more coins (it's almost full as is - we had extra change from our trip).

This is where Bailey chose to snuggle. She pretty much stayed on the ground wrapped in her blankets from 1pm until 3pm. She didn't want to move to the couch when I asked her. Get well Princess!!

What a Day!

2008-07-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing that we have counted as a great blessing, it is that Bailey has always been an amazing sleeper. Since she was 6 months old, she has slept between 10 and 12 hour nights plus naps. She goes to bed easily and wakes up around 9am happy as can be. However, occasionally the fates align poorly and she wakes early. Typically, on a day that I have a deadline to meet and I'm trying to finish up a few little tasks. Yesterday was one of those days, although she didn't get up too much earlier (only 7am). What made yesterday a little different is that we had a full day planned. So - we just started a little early. I'll confess, it was kind of nice because I got extra snuggles in the morning!! Let me outline our day though:

10am - Mommy has a Dr. appointment. The good news - the foot surgery has been claimed to be a great success. I now have 70 degrees of movement in my big toe where it was previously limited to 39.

11am - Children's Museum in Seattle where we played for about an hour.

Noon - Eat lunch (2 mini burgers and fries) at the Seattle Center Food Court

12:30p - Momo and Johnny join us for lunch

1pm - Pacific Science Center with Momo and Johnny - the Dinosaurs!!

2:15pm - Soccer starts up again

3pm - Quick trip into the grocery store

3:15pm - Nap - Bailey was so tired that when we got in her room she pointed at her bed and said, "night night mom" as if to say - just put me in the bed, no rocking, no talking, I'm pooped. Bailey usually sleeps anywhere from 2-3 hours. She slept for 4 1/4 hours!! And - she had to be woken up. I was at rehearsal and Adam went to a concert, so our babysitter was here and finally woke her at 7:30p.

Here are some pictures from today. I think that some day I will compile a video of all of the pictures that I "almost" captured. I have a lot of those. Sometimes photographing a toddler is like trying to capture a still photo of a moving ostrich - I get a lot of the back of her head, or side of her face, or a fuzzy photo because I was trying to click before she was done with whichever activity she'd just completed.

It's a good thing that Bailey didn't live during the dinosaurs - she would

Bailey in a dinosaur footprint!

Johnny and the T-rex teeth.

"I Kickee De Ball!"

I Speak Whale

2008-07-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

There's a new water park in town! We checked it out a couple of weeks ago and it received two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

The Mariners Suck a Little Less!

2008-07-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we in Seattle are the proud cheering section for the Seattle Mariners. The MLB team that is sitting so far at the bottom of the league that we'd need a wild, wild card to see any post season play. But - we decided to take Bailey to a Mariners game tonight. Whether at the bottom or the top of the league, we felt it would just be fun to attend. We were right. However, Bailey's favorite part of the game had nothing to do with the game itself - it was the playground that they have for kids just off of center field. Ah, and the Moose. Every time that we saw a stuffed animal Moose (the Mariner Moose is our "mascot") she yelled, "my moose" (have I mentioned that she's two - SO POSSESSIVE). Ah - and the Mariners ended up winning so, um, YAY TEAM!!

Here are some pics!

The Fourth 4th

2008-07-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July, as with most holidays, more or less glides through year after year without really leaving a great impression. Certainly, it is enjoyable. However, it's not like each year is so memorable that I can tell you what I've done every single year. As this year's 4th came to an end I realized that there are only four 4th of July holidays that I clearly recall. Without further ado - I present my four 4ths.

1976 - The bi-centennial. I was 8 years old and was visiting my Great Grandmother (Nana) in Texas. For the 4th of July we went to Baylor stadium and participated in the festivities there. What I remember most is being at Baylor and watching fireworks.

1990 - The year that my father had died. He died on July 2nd and what stood out on the 4th that year was the fact that the neighborhood kids (I was staying with my mother) were behaving like imbeciles. Well, at least I thought they were. The truth is, they were behaving like teenage kids. They were loud and they were shooting off fireworks and I remember considering calling the police on them (I knew that they were underage and were drinking) simply because they were pissing me off. It somehow seemed wrong that they were able to have fun and my dad had just died. My lesson learned in that was that life continues to move forward no matter what the situation.

???? - I've been racking my brain for the year, but I just can't recall. What I do recall is that Kristi came over for the evening. We ate barbecued ribs -which took a lot longer than I'd expected. And then, we did cheap fireworks out on the street next to my apartment at 102 D Street. And she did this sparkler dance that almost had me wetting my pants. And, I've asked her to do it since and she has declined every time. I like to think that I'm the only one who she has shared this with and she wants to keep it that way because I'm "just that special". Whatever the reason, it was truly memorable!!

2008 - Bailey's first fireworks. We took her to Bellevue Park for the Bellevue Family 4th. There were bounce houses, the play area, bands on the mainstage (ending with the Bellevue Philharmonic) and then Fireworks. When we'd first mentioned that we were going to see fireworks she immediately assumed that meant that we were going to DisneyWorld. Makes sense seeing as the only Fireworks that she has seen have been at a Disney park. We told her we were going to Bellevue-World. As we waited for the fireworks we played hide and seek under the blanket with the flashlight and played patticake, and prayed that time would pass more quickly. Then they began. Having just had thunder storms the day before, the noise initially reminded her of the thunder. But, she quickly settled in and kept going "oh wow" in her enthusiastic voice. And then, she laid down next to Adam and covered up with the blanket and just watched. It was such a sweet moment and one that is now etched in my memory as the best 4th ever!

Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-millipede

2008-07-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

I've shared a number of times about our trips to the farm - the South 47 farm. Bailey feels so at home running around there. At Farm Tots yesterday Bailey was able to see a millipede, a centipede, and a ladybug - what a morning!! She asked me to take a picture of the millipede, so I'm sharing it will all of you. Then, we went into the field to pick peas. That was fun for Bailey - and we discovered that she enjoys eating raw peas. I'm recording this day as the first day that she's volunteered to eat a vegetable (ok, I know it's a starch) other than a cucumber.

Mommy Bailey is a Fashion Icon!

2008-07-03T23:35:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned Bailey's sense of style, but now she's really topped herself. She just needs some high heels and she's set as a fashion icon. I just can't figure out who her role model is - I never did dress like this to carry her around town!!

Duck Feet

2008-07-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Bailey's Aunt Dana and Aunt Pat came down with her Grandma to go to the Strawberry Festival and picked out the most perfect gift ever - a pair of slippers. And, not just any slippers. Slippers that look like Purple Duck Feet. Bailey has worn them SOOO much - she loves her duck feet. Quack Quack and Thank you!! She loves them!!

Bellevue Strawberry Festival

2008-06-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

Bailey's Grandma, Aunt Dana, and Aunt Pat, came down from Bellingham to join us at the Bellevue Strawberry Festival. It was a great time, even though it felt like we were 10 inches from the sun.
Bailey got a little golfing in. Truth is, she pretty much threatened the ball, but barely ever actually hit it. I think that I saw the ball quiver a couple of times, though!!
Bailey with Grandma. Yes, she has pink cheeks. No, she didn't get a sun burn. We had SPF 70 on her - her skin is still milky white!!
Aunt Pat, Adam, Bailey, Me, Grandma and Aunt Dana at the end of a fun weekend!

Not the Nut Jobs!!

2008-06-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

So - I've posted before about people on bulletin boards and how they (at times) don't think before they type (the whole, "growing balls and forgetting to count to 10" thing). I've seen numerous people in numerous online settings who will share WAY more than they ought to (I recently heard of one woman telling her "close personal friends on an Internet bulletin board" [that I'm sure is only read by about 300 people that she's never met each day] some rather "delicate" details about her sex life with her husband - oh boy, I hope he doesn't ever read her post history, he will want to bury his head in the dirt and never come up for air!).

Anyway - I digress!! Along with the nut jobs, there are some terrific people on these boards. I had the opportunity to meet a group of women who fell into this category last Friday night. We hosted their families for a little meet up and had a wonderful time - the kids all seemed to play well around each other (they're two - they even engaged in play together a couple of times, and acknowledged one another). We let the dads do much of the child wrangling while we moms sat and chatted. Then, we tried to get pictures (note to self - next time, do pictures before the kids get tired). Here are the results:

Shake your body just like a crab!

2008-06-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

Bailey's favorite Dora the Explorer episode has a wonderful little ditty in it with the lyric:

"Shake your body, shake your body, shake your body just like a crab!"

Bailey can dance to it forever - we've rewound and replayed numerous times. As a side note, she' moving into the age of repetition. Repeating the same thing over and over again is predictable and that feels safe and comforting - so, she repeats, and repeats, and repeats, and repeats. As an additional aside, these days I can sort of see the value in repetition. While I don't fear the unpredictable (my mother has referred to me as her free spirit a number of times), there are times that sticking to the pattern and expected just feels better for a bit.So - back to the story. Bailey's Grandma is on her "sister's retreat" (time with her sisters) and this year it's in Bellingham. We went up to join them today and took Bailey to the beach. She had never been to the beach before, but she (of course) has seen it on TV. With Dora. Shaking her body LIKE A CRAB. So - when we mentioned going to the beach we talked about playing in the sand and then she chimed up with, "I see crabs?" I told her we might. We did - it was just the shell (dead crab). It didn't shake it's body. She told me it wasn't a crab - and then ran back to dig in the sand. Maybe next time!!

There are even more pictures here

Interesting Mathematical Equation

2008-06-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

You get 2 points for putting sunscreen on your child.
You get 2 points for putting sunscreen on yourself.
2 points does not represent a complete equation.
4 points wins.
I scored 2 points.
I am sore right now.
You do the math!

Summer - is that you?

2008-06-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

We got a surprise today - sun!! So, I quickly dressed Bailey in some non-pajamas (we've had many "jammie days" here recently because she just doesn't want to get dressed. A little aside, it's amazing how you can dress up jammies - a dress over the jammies and some boots and we're talking STYLE!!). Then, we headed out to the back yard to play. I managed to snap a couple of photos that I liked. Here's where I admit to being a little TFI (Talent Free Individual) at really artistic things - I'm not typically great at photography, but I've been working on it and think that with such a great subject it just gets better and better.

Bump - Daddy's Girl - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

2008-06-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

No doubt about it - Bailey loves her daddy!! Another fact - Daddy loves his Bailey! A little tribute to the love of a daddy for his little girl:

Happy Father's Day!!

My Castle to the Sky!

2008-06-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

We're all over castles these days. Anytime that we can stack one thing on top of the other is a great time. This morning Bailey topped them all - she started with her play spices and then tried to add the toaster - I was sure it was going to topple and was trying to get it to balance somehow and then she added the princess shoe - and suddenly it was balanced. Go figure - much like the building in Seattle that is built wider at the top than the base. Perhaps Bailey will be a world renowned Architect. As long as she doesn't design something as ugly as the EMP I'll be thrilled. We don't need any more of those eyesores!!

Tagged - delay

2008-06-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, I'm new to comments and just noticed that I've been tagged. When I have an opportunity I'll be posting 7 things about me. Here's my first:

While I've music directed about 70 productions over the last 16 years, I flunked music theory in college (flat out flunked). My mother asked me, "how do you flunk music theory when you've studied piano for 9 years?" My answer, "the class was at 8am and I was too hungover to attend most of the time." Valid answer, if you ask me! I suspect that I'd have passed if I'd gone to class. In fact, I suspect that my GPA would have been higher than 1.18 my freshman year of college if I'd employed that very tactic - attending class. Oh well, my first college experience was one of learning outside of the classroom. Too bad they don't offer refunds!

The remaining 6 are on the way!

Give Me Five, Man!

2008-06-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled to have another playdate with Kiki yesterday and what fun this was! We bounced in the house, played in the dirt, painted, and then took a bath (it's amazing how much is painted outside of the canvas). At one point, Makenzie was painting Bailey and then would put her hand up and yell, "B - give me five!" and Bailey would high five her. It was like she was saying, "check it out, we're getting messy and no one is stopping us, give me five!" It was a fun day for all. As an aside, we're collecting quite the gallery of art work - our first showing will be when the storage unit can no longer hold all of the 8x8 masterpieces (should be in about a week - to any family who is reading this, guess what you're getting for Christmas this year?!?!).

I was thinking about how special it is that Bailey has Makenzie. It bums me out that they are moving because I've had all of these lofty visions of them growing up together, hanging out in high school, blah, blah, blah (who knows, they may have hit junior high and decided that the other stinks...). I've had to shift my focus a bit, though. Certainly - I love the relationship that the two of them have. But, it has also taught me that Bailey is fostering the skills needed to build relationships with others. There is something in her that recognizes the kindred spirit in others and she pays attention to it. I've noticed that there are a couple of kids in playgroup that she gravitates to more than others (not that they get all "clique" ish. But, there are smaller groups of kids who obviously connect with certain others more easily - it's the natural way, I think). For example, she talks quite a bit about Addison, Tyler, Zoe and Kiki, but it's me who brings up the other kids - then, she's excited about them, too. I think that there is just something about these kids that clicks with her. She likes the other kids, certainly, and occasionally their names will filter into her conversation. She just connects more closely with a smaller handful.

Ah, I'm rambling now. Where am I going with this? Good question. I think that parenting causes a lot of introspection and I think about my socialization growing up. I was really awkward with kids. REALLY AWKWARD! My sisters called me a hermit because I never really socialized with anyone. I didn't have any real bonds growing up. I really can't think of anyone that I would have labeled as a close friend until I was in my 20's. I was also really alone and lonely. I don't want that for Bailey. I definitely have no plans to push any of that onto Bailey, and I've no need to live through her. But, watching her socialize is so refreshing. It gives me hope that she will continue to recognize those who she bonds more closely with. That she is capable of paying attention to whatever is in another child's personality that somehow "clicks" with her. Will there be another Kiki in her life? I don't know. But, I'm looking forward to watching her develop closer bonds with her other buddies and making new friends. And, if they're any bit as colorful as Kiki - she's going to have a blast!!

Its like we never left!

2008-06-11T15:14:00.001-07:00

Well, today was the big day - opening day at Farm Tots. We have been looking forward to getting back to the farm and playing in the dirt. Turns out that opening day of Farm Tots is not much unlike closing day 2007 of Farm Tots. Let's run down the check list:

Rain - check
Rain coat - check
Rain boots - check
Hat - check
Mom wearing gloves - check
Ginormous mud puddles - check

In other words - this was THE BEST DAY EVER!! Many of us moms remarked that it felt more like October, though - but, for Bailey, it was a memorable event. She has been talking all afternoon about the goats (yes, Kristi, goats - she even pet one named Tilly), chickens (bock, bock), Ducks, and "Big wain puddles" (Big rain puddles). We also picked spinach, saw a caterpillar and went on a tractor pulled hayride. But, nothing was as exciting as the 1.5 hours spent jumping in the mud puddles - we're back!! For more pictures check here

Riding Pedro

2008-06-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

While at the Tot Spot Cafe today I was reminded of an old family joke about riding Pedro while in Mexico. This had to do with the downfalls of Montezuma's revenge (drinking the water in Mexico will bring about many an opportunity to ride Pedro - ah, the light bulb just went on and it all makes sense - another "ah" - I'm probably telling the joke wrong - ah well, it's now one of the longest run on sentences in the history of the world, so who cares). Bailey found an elephant to ride - not Pedro, and nowhere near the same experience, but she dragged this elephant around the play area the entire two hours that we were there. She also dragged the play phone up as she sat on the elephant and loudly called out, "HELLO" while sitting on the elephant. I think that this is what cell phones look like on safari!

Bailey's Day

2008-06-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday was truly a great day for Bailey! She got to watch Mickey Mouse Christmas in the car with her Baby Maisy (that's what she calls her dolly).

Then, she got to have "spa day" with Momo and now has beautiful toenails with little Hello Kitty stickers on them.Once Johnny's swing set was put together she got to slide (and eat dirt - we are NOT talking about that!). She also got to play with her favorite rock star - Johnny, and hold Baby Maisy - she always has such a great time with them!!

And, when we got home and had guests she got to "wash her hands" at the sink for about an hour (I didn't take pictures, but trust me, the 1/4 inch of water on the floor was an indication of a great time).

4 wheelin'

2008-06-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

We had a bunch of gift cards for Toys R Us so we purchased one of those little kid ATVs for Bailey. After a couple of passes across the family room she decided that she needed her helmet - good girl!! I think that she looks like an Italian student zooming through Rome on her motor scooter in the second photo. What I didn't photograph about 4 minutes later was the melt down that occurred when it was time to put the Barbie ATV away - she kept wailing, "My biiiiiikkkkke!"

Modern Art 2.0

2008-06-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

In the quest for original art, we thought we'd spread the enthusiasm to our playgroup buddies today. Addison and Brooklyn joined us for a little Painting 101 - and, what started out as paint on the canvas became paint on the tummy (but of course, I'm sure Picasso worked that way, too!). You'll notice that Brooklyn takes a more refined approach.

Two buddies

2008-06-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Bailey and Makenzie have hit it off almost from the start. I think that because they were the first two in the playgroup to be mobile, they connected in their ability to separate themselves from everyone else. Whatever the reason, they have had a very special bond. So - Lindsay and I started trading babysitting when we had appointments. And then, when I was swamped with work, Lindsay and Makenzie came over three days a week to play with Bailey (I could not have accomplished all that I did without their help). Bailey calls her "Kiki" and frequently calls for her when she wants out of her crib and no one else is responding (Kiki, Johnny, and Zoe are the first on the list - then it just depends...some other names are Momo, Grandma, Addison, Donner[Johnny's cat], and Tree Tree). Well, Kiki's family is moving to Vancouver, WA and Bailey and Kiki had their last playdate today. I felt a little sad when I realized that. I know that many people will come and go from Bailey's life. And, I know that she will connect with many other friends in the future. There's just something special (to me) in a first friend. Here are a couple of pictures from today. They just make me smile!

The Theater

2008-06-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I've been involved in the local theater for quite some time. In Olympia I worked with a number of theaters. Here in Redmond, I work with the Second Story Rep, located in the Redmond Town Center. This past weekend there was a preview of the coming season (the theater's 10th season) and we attended. Cathy, one of the other resident music directors, played the show - I got to sit back and enjoy! During the intermission, though, a picture of the two of us was taken that I actually like (more or less) in spite of the fact that it looks like I've just come from a face lift where the doctor pulled everything (especially my eyebrows) up. I have got to learn how to smile for the camera - where are those America's Next Top Model lessons when you need them!!