Thursday, August 15, 2013

August 12 - 18, 2013 - SF

Thursday, August 15.  It's Thursday morning already and I can't believe how fast this week has gone by.  The days that Charlotte is at home are pretty busy and are structured pretty well so she gets some activities, regular meals and snacks, story time, play time and nap time (when we also try to nap or just have some quiet time).  This week's activities were a trip to California Academy of Sciences, walks to the neighborhood playground, and story time at the library today.  Jill has not been feeling very good at all, is suffering from migraine-like headaches and having episodes of nausea, apparently all pregnancy related.  So I'm hoping that I can help enough to allow her plenty of rest when she needs it.

Yesterday, I did the grocery shopping and made a trip to Costco after taking Charlotte to daycare. I have been looking forward to doing some shopping but when I had the opportunity, I really didn't have any interest.  I came home and took Frisco for a nice walk and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.  For dinner we had grilled chicken and zucchini kebabs with a mint-feta sauce - quite an and easy and very tasty recipe.

This afternoon, Jill pulled out a dress that her mom made for her when she was Charlotte's age and put it on Charlotte when she got up from her nap.  She also gave her this cute furry jacket to try on and she loved it, not wanting to take it off the rest of the afternoon.

    "Ta Da!"

Friday, August 16, 2013.  I was able to getting touch with my friend, Marta, and learned that she is still in the area, so I headed north across the Golden Gate this morning for a visit with her.  Was it ever foggy.  So much fog that you really couldn't see much of the red structure of that giant bridge.  Then, as I headed north and went through the Bunker Road Tunnel, I could see the the light at the end of the tunnel (sunshine).  I wish I could have captured a photo, as I would describe it as sunny fog or maybe foggy sunshine - get the picture? It was beautiful and so unusual - as the fog dropped along the hillsides and thinned, you could see it would be a sunny day at Marin Park.  Also, you can see the Bay from atop these hills and that view was stunning also.  It felt good to be back here, although it also sparked many memories of our experiences out here.

It was so nice to see Marta, she has such an inviting, friendly, cheerful, hopeful, and delightful personality and just has a way of making a person feel good.  We had a wonderful chat, a beer with lunch at the Marin Brewery, and a nice walk through the estuary with the dogs.  It was a very pleasant afternoon.

Saturday, August 17.  This morning started with Ben making a yummy frittata for us for breakfast.  What a great way to start the day.  After breakfast we headed to the playground so Charlotte could run around and the dogs could get a nice walk in.  Charlotte was pretty brave and played on the big jungle gym and even went down the slide feet first on her tummy.  Unfortunately, she was determined to take the concrete stairs to the top of the slide and lost her balance and feel down about 3 steps.  Grandma would have coddled her, but Ben stood her up, asked if she hurt anywhere, kissed her to make it better, then told her to shake it off and she was ready to get on a bouncy ride.  His approach makes much more sense.  Believe me, I am learning a lot and relearning a lot about parenting.  I'm so proud of them and how they are teaching her.

Sunday, August 18.  It was another busy day, starting with a quick breakfast, then Ben and I went to the Farmer's Market for produce.  We stocked up on veggies, fruits, and some meats for the week.  Back home, Ben rubbed down the pork shoulder for tonight's pulled pork dinner.  And then it was off to the playground.  While they took Charlotte to the playground, I took the dogs for a walk and met them back at the playground.  

While Charlotte napped, Ben went for a bike tide while Jill and I went through baby clothes to take inventory of what they have for newborns and we cleaned and washed one of the car seats and liners.  Those tasks can be crossed off the to do list.

When nap time is over, it's a whirlwind once again with snacks, playtime, fixing dinner, cleaning up the kitchen, bathtime, brushing teeth, story time, and bed time - whew!

I've been a bit under the weather since Friday when I started feeling crappy; congestion, headache, scratchy throat, and a dry cough.  By Sunday evening, I had very little voice, although I was feeling just fine.   Grrrrrrrrrr!