March Wrap Up

Before we get much further into April that is....

First, I've got lots of new pictures to share but they are stuck in my camera. My laptop is dying a slow painful death, and I can't get it to stay turned on long enough for me to plug in my camera's memory card and download -- and the upload -- the photos to flickr. I'm so annoyed. Maybe it is time to revert to film and just get the pictured developed... I still haven't managed to make any progress on Hank's baby book, largely because I stilll haven't gotten all the pictures printed out. (this is a project I embarked on in OCTOBER... it is now APRIL... Maybe the longer I wait the less important it will become and I can just put it all in a shoebox and forget about it? Archiving in a digital age is tricky, for an old fashioned girl like me.). So, long story short, there are pictures, they are a-comin', just check back. When you do, you will see lovely pictures of my birthday, the new furniture set up in the apartment, and pictures of Hank exploring and exploring and exploring.

In news:

My 36th birthday has come and gone. I think this means that I have officially begun moving towards middle aged. Bleh. But what are you gonna do, right? Henry planned a really lovely day in Golden Gate park with a picnic at Stowe Lake, and trip in the the deYoung museum to take in the Warhol exhibit and a photography exhibit, and tea in the Japanese tea garden. Hank was with my parents. We went back to Oakland at dinner time and went to Holly's Mandarin (the BEST chinese food in the Bay Area), and my family joined us -- even Evan. It was such a great day.

I got a new job -- it starts on Monday. My dalliance with unemployment is over and back to the workforce I go. I admit to having lixed feelings about the whole thing. I think the job will be fine -- I'll be doing the same stuff I've been doing for the last several years, just somewhere else. The people all seem friendly enough. It is in the City. I just am a bix anxious of course about the impact of the schedule on our home life. It is still a part time job, but more hours than I was working when I got laid off, so Hank is going to be in day care for longer hours than he was before. I'm sure he'll do fine, but I'm going to miss him, and miss our afternoon playground runs, and I don't know when groceries are going to be bought or meals cooked, or mail responded to, stuff like that. I don't know when I'm going to get exercise, or have 45 minutes to myself, or practice ukulele, or make it to ukulele class. I don't know. I pretty much like my life the way it is and I hate changes, but here we go anyway. I'm just keeping an open mind, trusting that we'll be able to balance everything, and that we'll all thrive as a result.

Hank is so funny these days. He understands everything, knows who people are, and communicates so well. So, in Hank news.
1. Hank has discovered the Wonderful World of Condiments. I wish I had pictures of these two meals, but I don't so my memories will just have to suffice. On Thursday he discovered ketchup. He ate a whole plate of fries with ketchup. He kept dipping the fries in the ketchup and licking it off. Rinse and repeat. He was covered in ketchup and so, so happy. On friday night he discovered salsa. His kids meal at the local taqueria came with a small dish of fresh salsa. He locked on to this dish and kept scooping little bits out and eating it -- he ate the whole bowl of salsa that way, becoming increasingly giddy and happy with himself. By the end he had a beard made of cilantro, but by and large, all the salsa was consumed, along with most of a taco, beans, rice, and a slice of balogna. This is not a condiment, but he has also discovered apples and he looooves them, gets so happy when one is handed to him.

2. Hank has discovered how to make music. He strumms the guitar (which he calls a 'gitee'), plucks the ukulele, and bangs on his little piano. He is craaaazy for the gitee. I'm currently awaiting a box from Amazon containing Hank's very own gitee so we can stop worrying about him causing damage to Henry's!

3. We had an actual conversation yesterday! We were getting ready to leave Melissa's apartment where he'd been playing with Lillie and Liam, and it went something like this:
Me: Hank, I think it is time to go.
Hank: (waving at me) 'bye bye'
Me: do you want me to go home?
Hank: no
Me: do you want to go home?
Hank: no
Me: do you want to go home and see Daddy?
Hank: (with a goofy smile) Daaaaadddyyyy

He's also started to learn his ABCs which toally thorws me for a loop.

I guess that's enough for now. It is pretty hard to compress a month into one post, but at least I've managed to capture a little bit here. Hank is awake and has gone from babbling to whining and is now nearly crying so I think it is time to hit 'publish' and get up. Poor kid!!