Favorite Moments of the Summer

Aria's First Caterpillar
May 2009
We saw this caterpillar as we were waiting for friends on the Hill.
I explained we had to be very gentle with it so Aria let me put it on her arm, then calmly watched it crawl on her, so interested and quiet.

Our First Backyard
July 2009
This was taken only days after we moved to Takoma from the Hill.
Aria and I were outside playing with bubbles and
enjoying the space and freedom a backyard affords us.

Aria's Big Finish
July 2009
This is the same day, as indicated by the outfit.
Aria was singing and here is performing her "big finish" as we call it.

Shadows
August 2009
Aria and Mommy out for a walk on a sunny, hot August day,
admiring our shadows.

Silly Sad Faces
August 2009
Aria and Daddy pretending to be sad.

I'm Not a Silly Girl. I AM ARIA!

So she says. I beg to differ.

Um, honey, you have a little something on your face.
August '09

She picked her own outfit that day.
July '09

Trying on Daddy's gear.
June '09

Teasing Mommy.
Such a twinkle in the eye.
April '09

Second Time Around, Together

Aria and I went to a birthday party today. Our little friend, Grayden, just turned two and to celebrate all the moms and toddlers and some of the dads from our circle met at the park for a big playdate and snacks. It was sooo nice to be back on the Hill, with lovely playgrounds and friendly, familiar faces in wonderful abundance.

It's such a good feeling to be able to get together with other people that are in the same stage in life...and we very much are. As we sat at the table feeding our toddlers (all within a couple months of turning two) grapes and chatting I began looking around and noticing that of the seven mothers there, five are currently pregnant with their second babies and one had a baby less than two weeks ago. And that was just those that could come to this event; there are more in our circle that are expecting. We'll all have our babies in much the same spread as last time, too, within 4 or 5 months of each other.

Unfortunately, they won't all grow up together; some have already moved from the Hill - ourselves included - and others are talking about it. DC is a transient place and no one seems to stay for long. But these kids are forever linked by the times they spent together as babies and toddlers and the moms will long remember the commeraderie enjoyed during playgroups and nursing classes and chance playground meetings. And hopefully in the process, a few friendships have been forged that will withstand the distance.

Aria & Mommy Meet Obama

This post is dedicated to Joy, who has been patiently waiting for a new post for oh, so long.

In my list of Great DC Moments this one ranks near the top of the list.

As with all great stories, it all started with a trip to the DMV. After a long walk and a long wait and a not-too-shabby photo, we emerged from the non-descript building with my updated license and big appetites and started searching for the nearest something edible. Southwest DC, where we were, is an up-and-coming area and the food joints are not as plentiful as in some areas of the District. But it was lunchtime and the starving toddler would not be ignored and pregnant Mommy was getting slugglish. Following the path of professionals toting carryout lunches, we made our way to the nearest restaurant, a Subway. One look at the line told Mommy that neither she nor her cranky toddler would survive it. The only other visible option was the Five Guys (the DC almost-as-good version of In & Out) next door, still with a long line but not nearly as long as Subway's and with fresh, yummy french fries, grilled cheese for the little one and a veggie sandwich for Mommy. Oh yeah, they serve burgers too.

As we stood waiting for our food two teenage boys and their dad started running back and forth from their table to the window, straining their necks to try to see something. As all others seemed to be acting normally, I paid them little mind other than the brief glance toward whatever they were looking at (I saw nothing). Quickly, however, the hubbub grew and soon people were screaming in excitement outside. Suddenly, 30 or 40 photographers, cameramen and microphone-thingy-guys were flooding backwards through the doorway of Five Guys. And then it becomes clear: President Obama, who is known in DC for his love of Five Guys, is here. He walks up to the counter and places an order (no, I do not know for what - he had a very large bag when he left) and then proceeds to wander around talking to the customers.

Obama orders his burger(s).
The guy in front - Security; the guy next to him - Press.

Working the Crowd

Soon he spots Aria and comes over saying, "And who is this pretty little girl?"

"This is Aria," I say.

"Does Aria like to dance?" he says, munching on some peanuts. Aria was wearing a pink tutu skirt.

"Aria loves to dance," I say. Aria stared intensely, not moving a muscle, as she always does when meeting a new person.

President Obama giggled, munched another peanut and moved on to the others standing nearby, first a guy, then a bug-eyed woman nearly coming out of her skin and saying "Will you take a picture with me!?!?" (he graciously did). I took the opportunity to place Aria on the top of the trash can and capture these images.

Aria & Obama

Obama & Aria

A short but exciting exchange for Aria and her liberal-minded mommy. President Obama left a few minutes later to more screams of excitement from the sidewalk outside, waving as he drove away.

Mommy & Aria after meeting President Obama

Random thoughts on this brief run-in with the President:

- He's taller than I thought.

- I still think it's creepy to ask a politician to hold your baby, but it did cross my mind for a second or two...would've made a great picture.

- The Secret Service were remarkably low-key and nowhere near as noticeable as the press.

- I really hope there is a picture published in the paper with Aria and Obama; I'd love it for her scrapbook (let me know if you see any!)

Aria Performs

Aria's demonstrates her singing ability with an
exuberant rendition of the Hokie Pokie.




Aria dancing to Dada's Hokie Pokie serenade.

An Artist Emerges

I love to paint. I was a fine art minor in college and studied a lot of art history. My favorite place to go in DC (before they took it down) was the Rothko exhibit in the modern wing of the National Gallery of Art. I took Aria there a few times pre-mobility and she is regularly exposed to other exhibits around DC (though I admit I'm not sure how much she takes in these days now that she literally runs the entire time we are there...). I have looked forward to days when we can sit at a table drawing or stand at side-by-side easels painting some awe-inspiring coastal view.

We introduced Aria to crayons some months ago now and she loves to color and draw. For Christmas Grandma Janie gave Aria an easel and she uses it multiple times daily. It has a chalkboard, a dry-erase board and paper, but until recently we'd only tried the paper and crayons. This was both an effort to draw out the newness of the easel and it's many features and a little bit of stalling on my part, not sure how much "art" (read: mess) I could handle at this age and in our small space. Last week we broke out the dry-erase markers for the first time, which she loves; I love that they wash off skin quite easily (we'll see about the clothes). We've also pulled out paper and paint brushes and water and practiced painting with no color. She's very interested in that process.

Today, though, I was up for a challenge and being a bit bored with the typical cold-weather routine, decided to embrace the impending toddler mess and try finger paints for the first time. I admit that I've been a little intimidated by these thus far, having visions of multi-colored walls and baby and books and mama and rug and floor and ceiling (i know, i know, she can't reach it...but she could throw it...) each time I've considered using these in the past. Today was different. Armed with a much-too-big smock and drop cloth, I carefully opened 4 jars of finger paint and set them on the cloth.

Side note: I had NO IDEA that finger paint was gelatinous! Is this common knowledge? I have no memory of using anything like this before. Was I deprived as a child? Or is this a new development in finger paint technology? I may have pulled them out a bit sooner if I'd only known. Anyway, back to the story...

Our Studio
(Thanks to Carolyn for providing the paints and canvases!)

Pulling out one sheet of finger-painting paper at a time, Aria and I sat down on opposites sides of the drop cloth and slowly began experimenting with the paints. Now, I am not a neat painter. I am messy, with little drops of spattered paint falling like rain all around me in the art studio. I like to get it on my hands, clothes, etc, and to really experience the paint. In my mind, it'll wash off eventually, so no worries. Aria, on the other hand, has not enjoyed any foreign matter on her hands/fingers. She will get the tiniest speck of something on the very tip of her finger and will point it at us and ask over and over and over to get it off until we comply (or at least pretend to if we can't actually see anything). So, she was a bit wary of the fingerpaints and started off slowly, just the tip of a finger dipped into color then wiped off on the paper over and over again. She watched me, though, and after requesting a few apples and letters and bananas, she began to get into it and eventually was painting with gusto. Her favorite finger to use was the thumb. She dipped each thumb into a jar of paint (one on each side of her for different colors) and instructed me to do the same with my thumbs. Yes, it had to be the thumbs. She would then say "Ready, Set, GO!" and we would paint with passion for several seconds, using up the paint before starting the entire process over again.

Aria with paint-covered hands
in her huge (but very protective) smock

All in all we had a great time, with minimal mess. The few drops on the clothes and floor have washed up easily. I learned that "art" can in fact be art and not just mess for Mama to clean up. Aria learned that it isn't always bad to have messy hands. And though it may be a bit premature, I don't think it's over the top to say that I think we've seen the birth of the world's next great artist.

Our Collaborative Masterpieces
(My parts are swirly, Aria's are vigorous lines)

Meg's All-Time Favorite Picture of Keith

From now on I'll publish the occasional historical picture depicting our favorite moments or scenes.

To date, this is my favorite picture of Keith. We were newly engaged and driving cross-country, turning a 1500-2000 mile trip into one well over 4000 miles. We traveled the northern states and stopped at Monterey's magnificent aquarium, the rocky beaches of Oregon, and Yellowstone National Park, to name a just a few. Here we were walking along a path over the natural pools at Yellowstone. Keith dropped down for a closer look and I caught the moment, the vivid orange pool a perfect color for my handsome guy.

Keith at Yellowstone National Park
August 2002