Nearing an Anniversary

One week ago we acquired a Honda Odyssey--call it a first birthday present for the kiddies.* They didn't ask for a new ride, but are getting one anyway. We traded in a Trailblazer with worse gas mileage and less room, and got more cash back than we spent on it. Now we enter Minivan Land, much less reluctantly than I would have a few years ago. Then, SUVs were downright cool, and minivans were for pansies and parents who lacked a will to live and any signs of imagination. Now, my perspective has changed. SUVs feed a "I will crush you" mentality while minivans are sensible kid-movers slightly less hell-bent on destroying the environment and at least get your junk from one side of town to another with nary an effort. Yeah, so we won't ford any rivers or scramble up rocky inclines, nor would Progressive let us. Suffice it to say NL made the right choice.

Noelle has been showing off a new trick: unassisted vertical positioning. Cases of UVP have been a rare sight in our household, but recently Noelle has taken to this maneuver with determination. Granted, her balance extends for only a handful of seconds and is accompanied by a shaky teeter. Lucas is equally praiseworthy: he's experimenting with bewildering gurgling "gohdi gohdi gohdi" sounds. A comparison to things overheard in The Exorcist is too harsh, but not altogether strained.

Dressing NL is no fun. It never was. Now that they're stronger, pulling a onesie or other article over their heads and straining their arms through the holes takes immense focus and patience. Somehow I missed this topic over the last eleven months but can stay silent no longer. If anything, reporting this will help the kids appreciate the troubles we endured in carrying out basic tasks. And they will appreciate them!

I skip around as this post covers nearly two weeks of action. Today we tried a novel (for us) approach to parenting: divide and conquer. Or, more like it, divide and deal with only one potential maelstrom, overflowing diaper, red-faced teary-eyed tantrum, or what have you. Kel took along Noelle for a lunch date with a friend at PeiWei, while I introduced tiny buddy (Lucas, that is) to Vietnamese fare at Lac Viet. He sat politely in the high chair, awaiting the various morsels I deemed tame enough for an 11-month old to consume. I ordered my usual--pho ga (an Oriental take on chicken soup)--and set aside bits of chicken, rice noodles and bean sprouts for him before spooning thick red spicy sauce into my bowl. Lucas was rather gun-shy with his exotic meal, though, and clearly preferred the Cheerios I brought as back-up.

Next weekend we return to Clearwater Beach for a one-night break from the norm. We last visited over New Year's weekend, when the kids had less hair and the chilly Gulf was decidedly un-swimmable. This time we'll pack the sunscreen, arm floaties, and wipes for inevitable sand-in-crack encounters.


* In 12 days, NL's age meter flips to 1; they'll don Big Bird party hats and formally celebrate their first candle in mid-July.