November in a Nutshell

  

Davis the Dog

First came love, then came marriage, and then came Davis in a baby carriage.

He was a tiny black bundle who grew into a giant moose of a dog, taking us on a parenting crash course along the way. 

He was our first "baby" and seemed bent on breaking us in, paving the way for tiny humans. Late nights and puppy whimpers in the middle of the night? Check. He taught us everything there is to know about "crying it out" (we failed miserably and became co-sleeping parents for his first 5 years). It turns out that house-breaking a puppy might be even more challenging than potty-training a toddler. And we were well-versed in ER visits by the time kids came along, thanks to Davis' penchant for eating chicken bones, swallowing underwear, and getting burned by flying cooking oil.

We scooped poop, applied ear ointment, and said goodbye to countless shoes, books, bathing suits, towels and socks...and realized years later that changing diapers, smearing on diaper cream, and seething over black Sharpie on a leather couch amounts to pretty much the same thing.

Davis taught us to slow down, appreciate long walks, and laugh and linger at the dog park while he fine tuned his puppy "zooms" and formed goofy canine friendships. We always had reason to sweep or vacuum up dog hair, but he made sure we never had to clean up a single crumb on the floor, often taking things one step further and taking food right out of unsuspecting hands.

He was an ambler, a loafer, an expert napper. But he could spring to action and turn on a dime if dinner was being pulled out of the oven, if a little boy ran by him with a stuffed animal, or if anyone, anywhere was drying themselves off with a towel.

For eleven and a half years, he was everything we ever wanted in a dog. He gave us empathy for other dogs in need of homes, made us the kind of crazy dog people who special-order a black Lab mailbox, and inspired us to practically buy stock in the Black Dog Co.

Most of all, he taught our kids how to love and care for an animal who, in exchange for breakfast and dinner, tolerated them even when they mounted him like a horse, wrestled toys out of his mouth, and rolled over his paws with bikes and doll strollers.

We had to say goodbye to him this month, but we know for sure that he could not have given us a better start in this parenting adventure.  

Glasses Girl

Two days before Thanksgiving, we drove home from a local eyeglasses store, blasting Alvin & the Chipmunks Christmas tunes, with one newly bespectacled little girl in the backseat, a half-smile fixed to her face as she stared out the window in a trance. The world had slid into focus for her, and she was amazed.

I remember the feeling like it was yesterday -- the wonderment over how crystallized everything had become, and also the knot in my stomach over what these ugly new lenses perched on my nose would mean for me.

This time around, it's been my turn to be amazed once again. What I thought would be bittersweet has been anything but.... because unlike my 10 year-old self, Clara, at barely 5, knows down to her toes that it's the girl behind the glasses who matters most of all.

Her self-esteem and sense of self, which once seemed so out of proportion to her age and size, has served her beautifully from the moment her optometrist wrote out her new prescription. From bounding breathlessly into the eyeglass store, to gravely inspecting herself in the mirror as she tried on pair after pair of glasses, to finally, shyly but decisively settling on a perfectly pink pair of frames, there hasn't been a single second of doubt.

These glasses are hers, and there is not a girl in the world who is happier to be wearing them.

Little Turkeys Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving 2012 will go down in Cecchin history as the first time we had three children bring home Thanksgiving projects from school... a veritable bounty of turkeys, cornicopias, pumpkins, pilgrim hats and fall leaves.

But amidst all that construction paper and glue, we learned just what Joey and Clara are most thankful for this holiday season. They either journaled or dictated their "gratitude thoughts" at school, and I'm pretty sure it has never been easier to distinguish which thanks belong to which little pilgrim.

Here they are in no particular order, with no names attached... the answer key will be in the comments ;)

""I am thankful for my dog Davis."

"I am thankful for horses and strawberries and cranberry juice and candy cane ice cream."

"I am thankful for firemen."

"I am thankful for army men."

"I am thankful for saying sorry and then people don't be sad."

"I am thankful for the people in New York."

"I am thankful for policemen."

Happy Thanksgiving from our crew to yours!

A Trip to Neverland: Halloween 2012

Halloween just wouldn't be Halloween if I couldn't pull off a trio of matching costumes, right? I don't know how many more years I'll be able to get everybody on the same page, but so far, it's been shockingly easy.

This year, we decided to revisit the theme of Peter Pan. We had a 4 year-old Peter Pan and a 2 year-old Tinker Bell in 2009, but shook thinks up just slightly in 2012 for a slightly older cast of characters. Joey almost burst with excitement over being Captain Hook, Clara had to be Wendy ("I look exactly like her, except I have green eyes!"), and we were able to re-use that 2009 Tinker Bell costume for our new little 2 year-old!

Our Captain Hook was a little more dapper and regal than the real deal -- he couldn't bring his sword or hook to school, but made do with a disarming smile ;) (Did you see what I did there?)

 

Meanwhile, our Wendy turned out to be way less sedate and mature than Wendy Darling. I'm pretty sure she would much rather join in the Lost Boys' shenanigans than sing them a lullaby. I think she really thought she was a pirate who happened to be wearing a (painstakingly sewn) silky blue dress/ nightgown.

 

But we had one little person who totally nailed her character... our little Tinker Bell might be as willful and determined as the original conniving little sprite! 

 

At the end of the night, our trio was exhausted and very ready to fly back home to their own beds!

Little Maverick Strikes Again

It's been four long years since I last posted about bringing a little person with me to while I cast my vote in a presidential election. Back then, our "Little Maverick" (2 year-old Joey) outed me at our very liberal polling place in San Francisco, by asking loudly if I had voted for 'Cain.

He hasn't learned any subtlety in the four years since, and yesterday, while exiting his school gym, which happened to be our polling place this year, he proudly offered up his/ my viewpoint for his entire school family to hear:

"I really hope Mitt Romney beats Barack Obama!"

I love that, for now, he's doing his own thing in California, and isn't afraid to show it!

I'm also amazed by just how much he's absorbing about democracy, at six years old. His favorite job in school is to be in charge of the Pledge of Allegiance -- getting to be the lucky kid to stand below the flag in his classroom, hold his hand to his heart, and lead his classmates in a pledge of loyalty to our great, amazing nation -- and the president who serves us -- whether he was our pick or not.

 

 

Circus Monkey

Our little circus monkey -- the clown of her class, and the biggest laugh-getter in the family -- recently added to her portfolio of tricks. She taught herself to snap and whistle over the last month, and then, with Mop's help this weekend, learned to ride her bike with no training wheels!

Yes, that's right: We didn't teach either Joey or Clara how to ride their bikes; they both learned while we were away overnight!

Mop has a foolproof method that involves 1) a very motivated child, 2) a large driveway, and 3) a large adjacent lawn for a soft landing. Luckily, we have all three!

Clara couldn't be more thrilled with herself, and if her first full day of bike riding is any indicator, she's on the path to becoming a road warrior on Purplicious. She rode on bike paths at two local parks yesterday for about two hours total, along with logging another 45 minutes of more riding in our driveway.

We're on our way to many more outings like this one in our future!

 

 

I have a feeling Clara won't be resting on her laurels... I think she's channeling her aunt Shawna and will soon teach herself to juggle and play the harmonica ;)