Everyone's a critic

When Emma was just born, I started singing "Zip A Dee Doo Dah" to her each morning, punctuated by kisses. It was our ritual for starting the day, and I loved it. As our morning routines changed, I started forgetting to sing. I missed it though, and thought that Emma might, too, so I've been trying to remember lately.

This morning, when she woke up, I was already awake, and I had my wits about me. Consequently, I remembered to sing to her. I laid down beside her and started singing, "Zip a dee doo daaahhh, zip a dee ayyyy." She shook her head and, around her binky, said, "No, no." I kept on singing. Surely she'd stop telling me no when she got all those kisses that accompanied the song. "My, oh my, what a wonderful dayyyy!"

Emma wasn't having it. She took her binky out of her mouth, looked me square in the eye, shook her head, and said, "No, no!"

Yep, everyone's a critic!

The incredible Emma!

Suddenly, Emma is learning, and sharing, all kinds of new stuff! She's saying "bye-bye," something she hasn't said before (although she's been waving bye-bye since she was six months old). She recognizes red, blue, and yellow, and can pick them up if asked. She also finds random blue things around the house, points at them and says "boo." And she recognizes the star shape, and will point and say "staaahhhhh" in such a sweet voice.

I've worried off and on about her lack of verbalizing. She makes sounds for what she wants, and is great at bossing everyone around without saying a word. But I wondered when she was going to start speaking. This isn't a lot of speech, of course, but she's finally adding to her speech repertoire, and that's a big relief for this worrywart mama!

Emma and Elmo: Partners In Crime

Emma is forever wanting to push buttons on the t.v. Of course, she's not supposed to, and that makes her want to do it all the more.

This morning, she was at it again, pushing those buttons. Mom was watching her while I helped Sam with some work, and I think that Emma was pushing some buttons other than those on the t.v.! Mom said to her, "Emma, do not push those buttons!" and distracted her with her Elmo doll.

Well, my Emma is a problem solver. She was going to find a way to push those buttons, by gosh! But how could she get away with it? Then she figured out what to do! She carried Elmo to the t.v., reached out, and pushed the buttons with Elmo's nose! Elmo was pushing the buttons, not Emma!

How do they come up with this stuff???

Adventures in driving, and other random stuff

Today I drove in the snow, really drove in the snow, for the first time ever. I had practiced a little previously, slammed on my brakes to get the feel of a fishtail, and tried accelerating quickly so I could experience my wheels spinning. Well, okay, the "just spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere" was, for a long time, the story of my life, so I knew what that would feel like! :) Happily, those things did not happen this morning, and I made it to school in one piece. Of course, what typically takes a half hour or so took me 1 1/2 hours today! However, there was a major silver lining to the traffic and slow speeds: it suited the granny-mode driving I felt the need to do this morning!

Tomorrow the last of our California guests will be going home. Last Thursday, Terry, Karen and McKenna flew in, and then Sandy came this past Sunday. Terry, Karen and McKenna went home on Monday, and Sandy goes home tomorrow. It's been a crazy-busy few days, but it's been good seeing everyone. We've been busy almost every day, getting together for dinners, going to the zoo...yep, we went to the zoo in 20 degree weather, and it was a really good time! During the months of January and February, the zoo charges half price if the temp is below 32 degrees, so we got to take advantage of that. Emma, of course, had a great time. She loves the zoo, particularly the aquarium. She can sit and watch the fish for ages, and says "wow!" over and over.

Emma's reaction to all the visitors was mixed. She loved when she got to spend time with the "kis," playing and running around and screaming. She's Bossy Princess of the World when they're around, and they let her be just that. But she's not happy when her routine is upset, and also doesn't like being around people she doesn't know. She hadn't seen Terry or Karen since Christmas 2003, and hadn't seen Sandy or McKenna since this past June. That's a long time for a toddler! Some feelings were definitely hurt when Miss Emma rejected hugs and kisses, but that's the prerogative of a toddler, and it's something to tease her about later. Ha! Everything is ammunition for a later day! :)

School is going well, and I'm enjoying my classes. My Byzantine History class is a serious challenge, though. There's lots of reading, lots of discussions, and lots of Constantines to keep track of. I'm so glad that I've taken online classes before, since they taught me to not make the mistake of saving work for later. I'm doing a pretty good job of keeping up in this class, and I still feel like I'm hanging on my the skin of my teeth...and it's only the third week! Happily, we get to choose which assignments to do, and I've chosen in such a way that my work will be done before the final, which will alleviate some pressure later in the quarter. What a luxury to not have to take the final! Now, if I can just get out without having to do any bibliographies... &&&&& (fingers crossed!)

Remembering La Conchita

For 14 years, I lived in Carpinteria, CA (with a short stint in Ventura mixed in). When driving north on US 101, Carp is the first city in Santa Barbara County. But, before getting to Santa Barbara County, the last town you pass when leaving Ventura County is La Conchita. It's a tiny little hamlet at the base of the foothills and fronted by US101 and, on the other side of the highway, the Pacific Ocean. I passed there every single time I went to Ventura, which was often, since there's very little shopping in Carp.

I was driving past with Carlos ten years ago when the first mudslide started. It wasn't a huge one, though a small one was all it took to wipe out a couple houses that time. Still, it seemed massive to me, and I wondered afterward how those people - not many, since there are only 60 or so houses there - could continue to live there. Surely, the mountain was liable to come down again.

When it did this past week, I wasn't surprised, but I certainly was devastated. I've seen the pictures on t.v., and on my computer screen, both my looking at online news sources and on my e-mail, with pictures there from Lorena. I think about the people who died this time, many of whom probably didn't even know what hit them. I pray that those people died instantly, and that most of them went just that way. I know it's too much to ask for instant, fear- and pain-free death for all, but we can certainly hope that the majority were oblivious in those last moments.

It amazes me that people are already considering rebuilding. Though La Conchita has been home to many people, and for long periods of time, let's face it, it's a death trap. Buried under tons of mud is not the way to go. And allowing the possibility of that is irresponsible of those in charge.

I think about the children who died in this mudslide. I would never, ever say that their parents are responsible for putting them in a dangerous position. Those parents have lost enough, and recriminations will do nothing to help these poor people who were left to pick up the pieces. But, if La Conchita isn't totally condemned, people will foolishly believe it to be safe, and will take new, vulnerable children into a place that could be the end of them, as well.

Emma is 21 months old. One of the children who died in the mudslide was 2. I realize how much that little girl had ahead of her when I look at my own child, and my heart breaks all over again. I hope that common sense will prevail, and that people just walk away from La Conchita.

Happy New Year! We had a quiet New Year's Eve at home. Emma, of course, hit the sack early, leaving me to indulge myself by watching the last few episodes of "Sex and the City." I've seen the finale many times, but this time was particulrly poignant; Carrie's reunion with her friends reminded me of the friends I left behind in California. Consequently, I ended 2004 with a good cry.

Emma seems to be changing right before my eyes. She recognizes the letters A, E and O; when we're out and about, if she sees an O, she'll shout "O, O!" She also knows blue, red and yellow. She's started doing the sweetest thing: she puts her hands on my cheeks and turns my head, then lays her cheek against mine; it's one of her "hugs."

Emma used to love when I sang to her, and would grab my face and make me look at her as I sang. Now, she asks me to sing, but as soon as I start, she shakes her head and says, "No, no, no," like she's saying, "Come on, mom, you can't possibly do as well as Barney, so just give up." Ah, yes, putting me in my place already. :)

She also loves to color, and "helps" me in my note-taking by scribbling in my textbooks and notebook! Yes, I'm taking notes because school has started again. I'm taking two history classes, one on the Byzantine Empire, and one on African-American history. My third class is a gateway class into the Spanish major, and it's a reading class, conducted entirely in Spanish. Mind you, I haven't taken a Spanish class in three years, so I'm a bit (a lot!) rusty! Pero, no olvido todo, y creo que sera mas facil cuando el clase termina. There, I just said that I haven't forgotten everything, and that I think it will be easier when the class ends. At least, that's what I think I said! :)