Life in the Boonies

The Namesake
by: Jhumpa Lahiri

Story of a boy with immigrant parents who name him Gogol, a famous author that is somehow linked to saving his father’s life in the train wreck. He doesn’t understand and rejects the name but eventually embraces it. It is about his life growing up and finding meaning and understanding his family and himself.

So much stuff is happening but I can never remember any when I finally sit down when the kids are asleep.  They are growing so fast!  Here is a checkpoint.

Timmy

• plays peek-a-boo by saying bepoo and covers his eyes with his hands
• always wave and says byebye when a car drives by
• loves to dig outside with Frank.  There are big holes now in our nice landscaped yard.
• is getting better with not throwing the milk cup on the floor when finished
• is never left out when the word cookie is mentioned
• is running!  sometimes he thinks I’m playing chase with him and runs away, turn the corner and then peeks back at me.
• loves to put things in and take things out.  Especially small things.  You can see he is concentrating hard developing those fine motor skills.  And he can be at it for a long time.
• loves birds and airplanes.  now first thing in the morning we come downstairs and open the window shades to look for birds.  he does the airplane sign whenever one flies over us.
• he says patpat and pats gently.  it can be a flower, me, frank, or his own tummy.
• lots of time he follows Frank around and does what Frank does but often he is independently playing his own things.  Sometimes Frank ends up following Timmy’s lead.
• loves socks.  will take his own off while in the car and eat it til soaking wet.  at bath time he will get those socks and Franks too and throw them into the tub.
• sits on stuffed animals or a laying down mommy and bounces like riding a horse.
• signs: fish (with phissss sound), banana (with nana sound), orange, grape, more (also means want), cookie, bear, milk, airplane (with boooooo sound like engine), bird, balloon, eat, water (with wahwah sound), toothbrush
• uses all the stepping stools we have for Frank and can now reach the kitchen and bathroom counters/sinks.  also has learned he can move them to where he wants to get higher.  how do to babyproof that?
• loves to climb into the kid’s rocking chair and rock.  in general love to sit in rocking chair and rock.  does not allow you to help rock.  will push your hand away.  but has not yet figured out I help him rock it with my feet.
• managed to screw the top on his milk cup that I gave him right out of the dishwasher.
• loves to blow on hanging things to see it move in the air.  i.e. star and moon in his room, red lantern in the corner, tassels, big blue hanging things at the library (he discovered those as I never even looked up to see it)
• goes forward and backwards on the ride-on toy
• eats mostly what we eat at the same time we eat.  snack around 4pm with Frank on occassion.  loves oranges, grapes, steak, avocado.  starting to get tired of bananas.  still asks for it but will eat alittle bit and then start playing with it.  recently started to like brocolli.  loved peas for a week but maybe it was just the novelty of putting them on his spoon and self feeding.  loves corndogs.  can eat a whole one just like big brother.  starting to like rice but it gets hard to keep on the spoon and then it is just a big mess.

Frank

• spells his name FRANK and can write F legibly
• starting to ride his no-pedal bike.  He is now tall enough to sit and have his feet touch the ground.  He loves to ride with the neighborhood girls (9-11 year-olds)
• he does not like boys!  not any boys!
• in fact he is a girl.  his name is Frankalina
• he sings often.  sometimes he will talk to us in song.  putting his words to the music of a song he knows.
• often he asks “what did you say mommy?” even when I’m talking to someone else.  Sometimes he heard me but still asks it.
• watched his first movie at Preschool Movie Night Camp.  It was one from “Book of Pooh”.  He loved it and can’t wait to go again this month.
• refuses to cut his hair.  As he screamed, the clipper got closer and then it touched his hair and he stopped screaming and said oh that’s not so bad.
•  can count up to 14 no problem.  often skips 15 and goes straight to 16.  from there to 20 is kind of a blur.  then can do 20, 21, 22, 23.
• asks every morning if today is garbage night.  even though he knows it is only on weds.  he gets so excited when it is.
• loves to help sweep.  i sweep a pile and he gets it on the dust pan, repeat til done.
• can put his own pants on.  can put on and zip up his sweatshirt when the sleeves are reset back to the right positions.
• recently found some flip-flops and wants to wear it everywhere.
• can’t smile for the camera with a natural smile.  it is always a forced smile with big teeth showing and eyes all squinted.  lots of those kinds of pictures.
• at times very protective of Timmy, telling him not to go on the street and holding him down.  can also pick him up and move him to safety.  even when Timmy is just standing there and not moving toward the street.
• purple and pink are his favorite colors.  goes along with being a girl.

Our first unaccompanied visit to the dock house was filled with adventures.  To start off we didn’t get on the ferry cuz we were too far down in line and the boat for that run was a smaller one.  So we played by the beach next to the terminal.  Timmy dug in the sand and rocks and got all wet.  Then he made a giant poop.  Frank was wearing Crocs and got his socks and pants all wet too.  Even before leaving Anacortes the kids were on their second set of clothes. On the boat Timmy was cranky until he found a friend.  A nice man sitting in the row behind us was making faces and play peek-a-boo with Timmy.  He was laughing nonstop.

Finally we arrived at Friday Harbor and settled down to eat at the Ale House.  Fish and chips and burgers and stuff.  Frank doesn’t like potatoes so no french fries.  We make it to the dock house at 8pm with Timmy already asleep.  Too late to set up the tent for Frank so I sleep with him in the back room.  He rassles alot and keeps me up most of the night.  Then 6:45am he tells me it is morning time.  I manage to keep him quiet for another 10 min they Timmy wakes up next door.  So I send Frank over to play with Timmy.  Later Nat gets up and takes the kids.  I start to dose off and then suddenly loud beeping noise wakes me.  First I think Nat set an alarm.  Then I realize it is the smoke alarm.  It is now 7:30am and I think he is already making bacon?  The alarm goes off every time at our house when he makes bacon.  But that is not the case.  I surface from my bed and discover the house filled with smoke.  The wood stove didn’t start as easily as Nat had hoped.  Eventually he gets the proper instructions and everything is in order and all the door and windows and kitchen vents are open.

I set up the tent downstairs.  The kids help but I managed.  We ate and played the morning away.  Timmy and Frank collected pine cones and rocks and went down to the dock to throw them in the water.  Timmy is very tolerant of the life vest except for when he wants to bend down to pick up stuff and he can’t.  Then he tries harder and tips over backwards.  Frank was very nice and shared all the things he collected into his bucket with me and Timmy.  When Timmy went for his nap, Frank and I went kayaking.  We visited his many buoys.  Saw one that was a tire.  Paddled along the beach and almost to the isthmus.  Dinner was a disaster.  Frank is having trouble pooping in the potty.  So a big battle and he has been holding it in for 4 days now.  Finally we give in and provide him with the diaper after reading about impacted bowels and other problems caused by holding it in for too long.

Saturday was another gorgeous day.  Nat and Frank both woke up sick and threw up.  But after 6 pancakes Frank was feeling better.  He still wanted the rest of the pancakes but I stopped him in case he couldn’t keep it down.  Everyone felt better soon.  More kayaking with Nat and Frank this time.  Then I managed to get Frank to nap in the tent.  Then I went for out in the kayak by myself.  The water was so calm that you can see the ripples as the drips from my paddles falls in.  I went out to the outer end and saw a heroin.  He/she was soooo still that at first I thought that is a life like still.  But as I got closer, it moved its head.  Then it flew away.  I followed it some and found another one.  I wish I had my camera.  More exploring but I didn’t find anything else worthwhile.  Then I paddled back, taking breaks to just sat quietly in the water floating.  So peaceful.  Wonderful steak dinner this time.  We all eat heartily.  Then after Timmy is down for the count, we roast marshmallows in the camp fire.  Frank eats as many as us.

As I was doing my morning routine, Timmy comes into the bathroom to help.  He finds a hair brush and starts to brush his hair.  I comment on how cute and of course now Frank wants that same brush which he calls a comb.  So I gave him my comb.  Frank said, “Silly mommy, that’s not a comb.  It’s just a sharp knife.”  I almost cracked up and spit out my toothpaste.  Sunday was busy.  Cleaning and packing and getting Timmy down for an early nap so we don’t miss this ferry.  We took turns distracting the kids with buckets and gravel and pine needles.  Timmy loved filling the bucket and carrying it around.  Frank did too and when they filled it up with gravel, Timmy couldn’t carry it so Frank helped lots.  Nat and Frank kayaked one more time and saw a seal on someone’s dock.  Cool.  Lots of seagulls.  Frank talks to them and tells them he does not have any crackers for them.  Poor seagulls.

We did not miss out boat.  In fact, we enjoyed the extra time with some ice cream cones.  Frank had peanut butter and chocolate.  I had mint chocolate chip which everyone shared and loved, Timmy especially.  Even after it was all gone, Timmy chewed on the tasting spoon until the ferry boat came.  On the boat Timmy cutes at everyone and play pee-a-boo with anyone who would peek back at him.  We sit and a 2 year old girl comes to sit on my lap.  Timmy doesn’t notice for a long time.  He is playing with her older brothers.  When he does, he is very unhappy.  So then I had two kids on my lap and only one was mine this time.  We make it home.  Unpacked some and then out to pizza.  Fun!  Tired!  Realize the camera is no longer in my pocket.  So many picture and videos gone.  I was really sad and not at all hopeful for the lost and found.  But indeed the next morning when I called they had it there.  Yippee!

Last week Timmy started to sign fish and now he says phisss as he waves his hand back and forth.  He has been saying nana when signing banana as well.  He is starting to throw tandraums.  He stomps his feet and screams.  He also screams alot now in the car.  Maybe practicing his vocal cords but it then sets off Frank screaming at Timmy to stop screaming or to be like Timmy.  I need earplugs to drive.  Timmy loves birds.  His bird sign looks like the milk sign but it is accompanied with dededede followed by bah.  First I thought he was saying ball but then I realized he was imitating me since I always say dididi bird.  He is also signing orange but that was awhile ago.  Today he signed bear.  It was a like a clap.  He put his hands together and made a growling noise for the stuffed bear at the store he was pointing at.  Then he screamed when I didn’t put it in the cart.

Now he hates to sit in the shopping cart.  I have to shop fast or I have to carry him while pushing the cart with one hand.  It helps when Frank comes too to distract Timmy.

Last week Timmy stacked 5 blocks.  I was playing with Frank and showing him the letters on the blocks and when I turned around there was a tower.  Timmy likes to fed himself with a spoon.  He gets frustrated when the food slides out.  After a few tries he will start to scream.  He can get it in his mouth as long as the food stays on.