Henry's 2nd Birthday

Daddy's House?

Today when I dropped Bubba off at work, Henry pointed at his office building and said, "Daddy's house." Not sure that we heard him correctly, we asked him what he said. "Daddy's house," he replied again. "No," we explained, "that's Daddy's office. Daddy's work." But as Bubba stepped out of the car he said it again. "Daddy's house." We laughed, but it was the kind of laughter you usually reserve for news that is depressingly true, like finding out you've gained 80 pounds during your pregnancy or that the rate for your insurance policy has increased 25% because of that accident you were in last month. Something that you know but don't know until someone points it out to you with startling clarity.

H-Man

"Nakee" in his toy basket

Coloring with friends Ian and Easton


Relaxing

Playing at the beach with his favorite toy, his digger

Again, with the digger, and my sad attempt to compensate for not having a sandbox

Found on our Answering Machine from May 2004

This weekend, Bubba and I found an old telephone we used to use that has an answering machine on it. We plugged it in and found we had several saved messages on the phone, all left in May of 2004. These are the last messages before we moved out of our Highland Drive apartment before leaving for Notre Dame. Listening to the messages was like finding a slice of our lives preserved in time. We were mostly surprised to find that we used to have friends that called us! Below are some of the transcribed messages. They probably won't amuse you unless you were one of the callers. The message from Bubba's brother Jeremy we found particularly amusing (a note of historical context: Bubba's uncle Nolan was running for governor at the time).

-This message is for Michael Karras. This is Reyes - R- e -y -e- s - Aguilar - A -g- u -i- l-a-r - from the University of Utah. If you could please, return my call.

-Hi Bub, this is Seth (Thorup), just calling you back, or um, calling you from your email, if you could just call me at work or at home or reply to my email.

-Hey Bubba and Kim, I'm Patrick (Moyes). This is my new phone number, and perhaps you could call it back if you want to. Okay, bye.

-Hi ,Kim this is Emily Elsmore, aka Emily Bishop. How you doing? Calling because we want to play basically, on Friday, Kim, Kim Garrett, who was Gillespie, and Rachel, we're gonna get together and do something, so give me a call when you can .

-Hello Michael Karras, this is Ryan (Andrus), just calling, I had a couple of questions for you. Heard you got accepted to Notre Dame. Just give me a call back when you have a second. Thank you Michael.

-Mr. Baggins, this is Barry. Hey, uh, just wondering if your plans have changed or remained the same concerning work, just want to talk about timing and that sort of thing. Call me back and we'll figure it out.

-Hi Bubba this is Gary at Guitar Czar, I've got your guitar ready to go. Okay.

- Bubba, call your mother.

-Hi, this is Deanna at Stichin' Station, this message is for Kim. Just calling to remind you about the Afghan Knitting class on Thursday at 6:30. Thanks. (this was during my crossword and knitting phase).

-Hi you guys, it's Stace (Heaps). Just checkin in and and seeing what's going on in your lives. So call us when you have time. Bye.

-Oh, hi guys. This is Emily (Christensen) and we just miss you guys a ton. And I'm just getting even and calling you cause I want to talk to you but I'll call you this week. We're just dying to know what you guys decided and where you're going. I'll just try to call you sometime. Sorry I missed you, kay, we love you. Bye.

-Hello Kimita, this is Jamie (Eldredge). I'm just calling, I, um, there's an Invitational Track Meet tomorrow and I'm um calling to see if you guys could go. If you take the buses it's gonna take till 7 to get home and I don't want to stay till 7, so if you could give me a ride home or something that would be great. It's at East High - so call me so I know what I'm gonna do. Love you, bye.

-Hi Bubba, Risa wants you to do something, and me (Jeremy)too, yeah. Uh, but um, you know they have this poll on the Provo Herald Web page, it's Hark the Herald .com, it's just like, you know, in the bible - (to Risa) is that the bible? -um, just kidding, just get on there and it has a poll for governor and for some reason this poll Nolan's doing really crappy, he's doing really well on other ones but not this one so, but what you can do is when you go to the University of Utah , there at the library, there's all those computers, crank through 25, 30 computers, whatever you can , get in that many votes, but uh, Risa wants you to be sly about it, I don't think too many people will notice what you're doing, so that can be your small contribution to the campaign. But, uh, anyway, and if you want to, give us a call and say hello.

-Hey Kim, it's your mother, I'm just wondering if you needed that book. I have it, so call me. Bye.

-Bubba Karras, we're (Bubba's dad) looking for campaign workers at the campaign office on 4th south. Saturday from 2 till, I forget what it is, 6 or something like that. You'd just be making phone calls and handing it over, they're gonna have Rob Bishop there, who's a legislature, and Enid Greene and Norm Bangeter and Nolan talk to the people. They want people to dial for them. So, and also do some other campaign things like put stickers on stuff. So if you can make it down they'll make a party of it.

Things that make you go hmmm....

Carpeted Kitchens - Why was carpet ever considered an acceptable flooring option for a kitchen? It's one of those interior design ideas where form trumps function - only the form stinks. The only condition I can imagine where a carpeted kitchen would be a good idea is ... okay, I can't think of one. It is never a good idea - especially when you reside with a toddler who finds crunching crackers into the floor an immensely pleasurable activity.
The only thing worse than a carpeted kitchen is a carpeted bathroom - and believe me, I'd know since we've had the privilege of living in apartments with both. (For more evidence of the ills of carpet, read http://janelwilliams.blogspot.com/2008/05/who-put-carpet-in-bathroom.html).

Gas Prices - What's worse than paying $3.89 for a gallon of gas? Paying $4.09 for a gallon of gas. Last Tuesday, the price of gas at the gas station we patronize jumped 20 cents in one day. Who did kill that electric car?

Two-piece bathing suits - I hold nothing against two-piece swimsuits - especially my own body. Which is why I can't understand why every single swim suit I saw at Target was a 2 piece. Am I the only seeker of swimwear who doesn't want to expose her abdomen? Does no one else have something to hide? Give me some other options, please.

America Runs on Dunkin - Dunkin Donuts' slogan puzzles me. It seems such an obvious misstatement. Perhaps I am taking it too literally, but does America really run on Dunkin? I would think "waddle" seems a more appropriate verb. Or "saunters", "meanders", or "slouches. " When I eat a donut, it makes me feel like taking up residence on my couch and drowning in the bluish glow of the television. The last thing it makes me want to do is run.

Diaper Genies - Whatever marketing exec came up with the name "Diaper Genie" must have done something right, because you would be hard pressed to find any other diaper pail on the market. But still, Diaper Genie? Really? Aren't genies the magical creatures that appear when a lamp is rubbed three times? For those of you who haven't had the honor of housing a Diaper Genie in your home, I'll let you in on a little secret - this is one container that you don't want to rub. There's something in that diaper pail, but it ain't no genie.

The Kindness of Strangers

Having a new-born is perhaps the closest most women will ever come to being a celebrity. When you enter a room with an infant in arms, it is usually to the accompaniment of a chorus of "oohs" and "aahs". Shoppers at the grocery store kindly smile as you navigate the cart with baby aboard down the aisles. At the airport,you get to board the plane first; on the bus, fellow passengers readily offer you their seats. At restaurants or shopping malls you become accustomed to receiving adoring compliments from passing patrons. You know the compliments are directed at the baby, but you relish in them as if they were intended for you. The kindness of strangers is overwhelming, abundant, and extremely gratifying.

I was recently at Navy Pier with my family. Henry was tired of being confined by the stroller, and so we let him out to stretch his legs. He immediately took off, racing past the shops and restaurants, and I dutifully pursued him. As I captured him in my arms, I noticed a young couple watching the scene. Expecting the kind remarks I usually receive from strangers,I wondered what compliment they might offer me. Perhaps they would remark on Henry's astonishing speed. Or maybe they would comment on the adorable way his long, blond hair fell across his beautiful face. As they approached me, I eagerly awaited their praise, only to become crestfallen when the man smiled and said, "Now that's good birth-control."

What has happened to the kindness I have come to expect from strangers? I have begun to notice a change in tone in the way people respond to me and my toddler. At the grocery store, shoppers' smiles are increasingly replaced by looks of sympathy, or worse, unsolicited advice, as I struggle to contain Henry, and our groceries, in the shopping cart. The last time I boarded a plane, I noticed many of the passengers look down as I proceeded down the aisle, uttering urgent prayers that we were not their assigned row-mates. At the library, as Henry races about removing books from shelves, I can sense the librarians perceive him as at best an annoyance and at worst a threat.

My brief-lived near-celebrity status is coming to an end. As a mother of a toddler, I am more often viewed with the pity that one has for Brittany after her custody battle or Lindsay after rehab.Of course, the kindness of strangers has'nt disappeared completely, although its intensity has become somewhat diluted. It is the frequency, not the quality, of the compliments that has changed. As Henry becomes a full-fledged toddler, he can be more adorable than he ever was as a new-born: he can give big bear-hugs, laugh and smile, and even attempt to say "I love you." But with these new developments also comes kicking, biting, and full-on temper tantrums.

As far as I'm concerned, these difficulties are a small price to pay as I watch Henry's personality emerge and develop. But with the terrible twos fast approaching, I'm aware they'll more likely be heralded by the dissonant symphony of kicking and screaming than the adoring "oohs" and "aahs" from strangers.

You Might Be a Red Neck If...

...your son's favorite toy is a disembodied stuffed bear called Little Bear. You can't decide whether to be amused or disturbed by the fact that Little Bear has to turn the pages when a book is read, eat at the dinner table, and take walks with the family.

... your mechanic tells you that the reason your car's "check engine" light is on is because some kind of rodent has chewed through all the electrical wires. This accounts for the several hours you invest searching "rodent prevention" on the internet and wandering the "Pest Control" aisle at the local hardware store.

...your abysmal lack of computer skills leads you to pack your non-functioning computer in a laundry basket and drop it off at the Easy Tech at Staples. You manage to leave the technician suspecting that you are a complete idiot as you attempt to explain the error in language that is anything but technical. Suspicion of idiocy is confirmed when the technician calls to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with said computer.

...you are disappointed to find that the $600 per person/ $300 per child tax rebate doesn't actually apply to you because, the adjusted income amount on your 2007 tax return was too small. You end up receiving only 2/3s of what you expected, leaving you feeling hurt and afraid.

I am increasingly becoming aware that we belong to that demographic of poor, white, hardworking Americans that make up the core of Hillary Clinton's base.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.