Gummibunny

I Blame the Parents

2010-03-07T15:54:21Z

I know it takes a village to raise a child, but last Sunday I felt like a lone villager dealing with a whole heap of the village's kids. Camille was invited to her first Chuck-E-Cheese birthday party, and oh boy it was a doozie. The place was packed, with a long line out the door of kids hoping for a chance to play skee ball and eat pizza. Camille thoroughly enjoyed herself, but I found the experience to be a bit frustrating.

Lee and I are very fortunate that, thus far, our daughter seems receptive to our instruction regarding social behavior. Of course we still have issues with sharing and all those similar social skills that don't come easily to a three-year-old. But overall, I think she understands what is expected and generally makes an effort to adhere to the rules.

But Chuck-E-Cheese is apparently a study in chaos, where the rules don't apply and it's every man for himself. Camille would wait patiently to play a game only to have kids run up in front of her and take her turn. Another kid followed me around the restaurant wanting our tokens. The thing is, I don't really blame the kids. But where were the parents? Either the parents never taught them the rules, or the parents aren't paying enough attention to see that the rules are enforced.

So what was I to do? That was the hardest part. When kids broke in line in front of Camille, I wanted to physically remove them from the game. Is it my job, as a fellow villager, to step in and enforce the rules even when other parents don't? Or is it my job to teach Camille to turn the proverbial cheek and move on?

We ended up doing a little of both. Sometimes I was able to convince a child to get in line with everyone else. Sometimes we just found another game to play.

I'm curious, if you care to share, what do you do when other kids are breaking the rules and the parents aren't paying attention? How do you police the village, or do you just police your own kids?

Southern Hospitality

2010-03-03T01:22:02Z

Even though I didn't get to see President Obama today, anyone in the vicinity of Savannah Technical College where he spoke definitely knew something was up. On my way to run errands with Camille, I made a slight detour and drove by the college about an hour and a half before his scheduled arrival. Not surprisingly, the place was crawling with police cars and people were lining up along the sidewalks for a glimpse at the motorcade. For a few moments I considered postponing our errands and joining the onlookers. But alas, it was a cold, rainy day, and we had no raincoats. I was pretty sure if I made Camille stand out in the elements for an hour just to watch a limo drive by my sanity would be called into question.

I couldn't help but be excited for Mayor Otis Johnson. He grew up in the segregated south, was the first African American to graduate from AASU, and has been vocal about how much Obama's election meant to him personally. Today he ate lunch at the President's side at Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House - how cool! Here's some mostly raw video from that lunch - I cannot imagine how exciting it would have been to be a diner there today! (And I'm kind of glad they didn't choose Paula Deen's. I mean, it's good southern food too, but already has plenty of good publicity).

I wish Obama could have experienced some of our typically great March weather, but I bet that fried chicken and some southern hospitality made up for the rain!

O-Bummer

2010-03-02T00:10:23Z

I guess I really shouldn't be disappointed. After all, the man (or his people) did choose my town for a visit. I'm just bummed that it's an invite-only visit.

Tomorrow, the Prez is coming to Savannah as part of his "White House to Main Street" tour. The last Presidential visit I remember in Savannah was when George W. Bush held a press conference at the end of the G-8 Summit in 2004. I was working as a reporter at the time and had a press pass for the conference. But I was so excited about the whole thing that I felt more like a tourist than a journalist. To prove that point, I had someone take my picture near the podium. D-O-R-K!

I got this fuzzy pic of the President speaking to reporters. Thankfully my TV station was able to capture much clearer pictures.

Well this time, I really wanted to see President Obama speak - not as a journalist, not even as a tourist, but as an unabashed FAN! I know the Dems have had a rough time of late, but that doesn't change my admiration for Obama. I liked him even before I read his first book, but I think reading Dreams From My Father sealed the deal. I learned so much more about his background and upbringing, and believe he is very uniquely suited to serve as President. And I just like him as a person, at least the public person I see.

I guess I'm disappointed because if this is a tour to allow Obama to connect with everyday people, then shouldn't he be speaking at a location where everyday people can hear him? I know I'm oversimplifying the logistics of a Presidential visit, but I wish I didn't have to have an invitation to hear my President speak in my hometown.

Oh well. I'll watch the coverage on TV like everyone else, and I'll still be a fan. Welcome to Savannah, Mr. President!

Letter to Camille: Forty-Three Months

2010-02-20T20:47:51Z

Hello sweet love, and Happy Forty-Three Month Birthday (plus one day). Right now you're sitting beside me on the couch watching the movie Wall-E for the 4 millionth time. Thank goodness I love this movie too! That silly Wall-E robot is a very lovable guy, and he has completely stolen your heart.

We were at a toy store recently when you spotted a Wall-E toy, and you nearly fell over with joy and longing. You're usually pretty good in stores about putting toys back on the shelf and not getting upset when you can't have them, but it was clear this would be an exception. So we got him, and you two have been nearly inseparable since. This isn't the best photo, but to prove my point, here you are at the playground last weekend, sliding with Wall-E in your lap.

You even requested that I paint him on your face, so I gave it a go.

This Wall-E mania hasn't dampened your affection for dinosaurs though, which are still very high on your list of favorite things. Nearly every day we play Dinosaur school, with Mrs. Parasaurolophus presiding over class while all the baby dinos gather in a circle to learn about herbivores, carnivores and the like. Now that we've had a few warmer, sunnier days, your dinos have even been taking field trips to the backyard.

Your all-time favorite dinosaur is still probably Sue, the T-Rex we saw at the Field Museum in Chicago. For Christmas, Boo got you a shirt from the museum with Sue on it. The shirt is still a bit too big, but the other day we let you wear it anyway, and you LOVED it. Now you request to wear it all the time. The other morning, about 5 a.m., you started moaning and crying quietly in your bed, occasionally calling for me. Finally, at 5:30 I went to see what was up. "Mama," you cried, "I miss my Sue shirt!"

Last night you had an exciting first - the first slumber party in your own room! Nikki, Andrew, Nia and Nate came to visit, and you finally had a friend in the top bunk. Nia slept in your room all night, and you two did pretty well. I think it's great (and adorable) that you still expect the rules to be followed even during sleepovers. This morning at 6:30, despite the fact that you'd been singing to yourself for a while, I was amused to hear you say, "Nia! Go back to sleep - it's not 7 yet!" It was great watching you kids play - we sure do miss our buddies when they're gone.

This month you have become firmly entrenched in the "why" phase. Most of the time I think you're being truly inquisitive, but the question can still be frustrating because you want me to explain everything down to the smallest detail. And sometimes I come up short. For example, you were playing with your alphabet refrigerator magnets the other day and we spelled the word "Tiny." Then you added another "Y" to the end of the word and asked, "Mama, what does that spell?"

"Nothing," I said. "Tiny only has one 'y.'"

"Why doesn't it spell anything?" you asked.

"It just doesn't."

"But why?"

Can't help you there kiddo. Later, we were talking about pool water and how it's not good for drinking. "Why?" you asked.

"Because it has chemicals that are good for the water but not good for our tummies," I said, thinking that was a fairly straightforward explanation.

"What's a chemical?" you then asked. How do I explain a chemical to you at age 3?

Despite all of your questioning, there are still so many things about which you are happily unaware. Guns would fall into this category. The other day at Monkey Joe's, you picked up one of the guns that is used to play an arcade game. At first I was annoyed and was about to ask you to put it away when I realized your intentions were innocent. You were using the gun to gas up the arcade cars, because to you it resembled the nozzle at the gas tank. Here's a quick video clip I recorded on my phone:

Our night-time reading routine has advanced in recent weeks, and I'm proud to say we've moved on to chapter books. The first chapter book you really seemed to enjoy was a collection of the old Winne-the-Pooh stories. The book was actually a gift I gave to your Daddy when we were dating, and I love reading the stories to you before bedtime. On our last visit to the library, you weren't interested in checking out any short books. Instead, we got The Swamp Monster and Silverwing, both chapter books with few or no pictures. I'm so happy you enjoy reading as much as we do, and your Daddy and I are both having fun digging in to these new books with you.

One recent bedtime routine was livened up by a serious case of the sillies. I love this video because your deep belly laughs make me smile every time.

Your language skills continue to grow, and your vocabulary now also includes words you made up yourself. I'm not sure where these words came from, but you're certain they're real. One is "requitement." You've used it in several different contexts, but the only insight we've gotten into its meaning was when you said you were building a "requitement stand, a place where you tell the truth." Could this be some legal term used in courtrooms of which I'm not aware?

Another favorite is "rankfully." One might think it would be a negative word, but it is quite the opposite. You use it to indicate you feel something strongly, as in, "I love you rankfully much," or "this cookie is rankfully good."

Well Camille, I can tell you this. I'd be happy to get on your requitement stand and tell you truthfully that I love you rankfully, rankfully much. Thanks for another great month, my love.

Rose Bows

2010-02-15T20:36:44Z

I like that this title rhymes. "Rose Bows." Camille loves rhyming. For example, did you know that four rhymes with whore? She told me this just last week. She will often make up random words while rhyming, so thankfully, I don't think she knows what that word means.

Back to the bows. A big thanks to Michelle for sending me a link for a tutorial on making rosebud bows. I tackled the project Saturday night, just in time to create a pretty Valentine's Day accessory for my girl. I was pleased with the end result!

The first one I made was the red one, and I made it according to the instructions except I didn't print the pattern since our home printer is on the fritz. I guessed at the shapes and sizes and they seemed fine.

After success with the first one, I decided to try again, and this time with an alligator clip. They stay in Camille's hair much better. I also wanted to see how it might look with leaves, so I gave that a try too.

I thought it turned out well - maybe not as dainty as the red one, but still cute and fun. Best of all, Camille likes wearing them. Win-win!

A Squeal for a Seal

2010-01-27T20:08:55Z

I'm pretty sure I have to have a baby seal for a pet now. Thanks Cute Overload!

Letter to Camille: Forty-Two Months

2010-01-20T03:28:23Z

Hello sweet girl, and happy Forty-Two Month birthday! Today you are as close to four as you are to three. How crazy and how cool! This month, we finally shed the baby accessories in your room, transforming your domain into a proper and precious big girl space. You've grown so much lately, and it was time your room grew along with you too.

Your crib-turned-toddler-bed was replaced by the bunk beds your Daddy slept on as a child. He sanded, primed and painted them white for you, and you couldn't be more pleased. You love going up and down the ladder and playing on the top bunk.

Your room has a nature theme, complete with trees, owls, birds, hedgehogs and squirrels. You got new valances and bedding with matching wall decals. Woodland creatures, flowers, mushrooms and leaves are scattered along the walls of your room.

You requested a pink owl be placed on the wall beside your pillow. "She keeps me company," you explained.

Not only do I like the look of your new bed - I like the functionality, too. Sometimes when you wake up (at 7, of course), your Daddy or I will come in the room and crawl in bed with you - something we couldn't do with your toddler bed. Some mornings you'll even fall back asleep that way and we all enjoy a quick snooze. Other mornings you just want to talk, and I treasure those times too. We were talking and cuddling one recent morning and I finally said, "Ok Camille, are you ready to get up?"

"No," you said, "let's cuddle some more." How nice!

What a fun month we've had, visiting family and friends and celebrating Christmas! I think you've finally decided that this Santa guy is ok after all. I believe your favorite Santa gift was a pink, white and silver ballerina tutu, adorned with lots of sequins and glitter. You wanted to put it on right away, and kept it on all day. You also got a Hello Kitty bike, complete with streamers (of course) and a baby seat so you can strap in one of your dolls or toys for a ride.

Here you are on Christmas Day, taking your bike for its maiden voyage. You look so grown up! And you're concentrating very hard.

Another big hit this year was anything having to do with dinosaurs. Between the grandparents and Santa, you got lots of toy dinosaurs, a dino play set, a dino puzzle, a Tyrannosaurus Sue t-shirt and dino books. I love this picture of you from Christmas morning, lying on a new pillow, snuggling with a Parasaurolophus while wearing your tutu.

I absolutely love that you are a vision of contrasts - my girly girl who still loves non-girly things. My dinosaur-loving ballerina. My princess construction worker.

That last picture was taken during our Christmas travels, when we spent a few nights with the Leonard family. Wow. We all had fun, but I think it was a real adventure for you. The Leonards have four young children and you became fast friends with all of them except the 14-month-old, whom you accused of trying to take your "things." But once we worked through that, you got along with them quite well. You'd disappear into the playroom and I wouldn't see you for ages, relying on the sounds of happy playing to know you all were ok and having fun.

Perhaps the biggest adventure was having a sleepover with the kids. Curtis claimed the top bunk of their bunk bed, and you joined Ansley and Zoe on the air mattress in a sleeping bag. We usually stick strongly to our bedtime routine at home, which involves you being in bed around 8 p.m. But all bets are off when four kids try to sleep in one room. Here's a pic your Daddy took with his cell phone as we tucked you in. This was also about the time I realized you were not close to being sleepy.

Finally at 10:30, when the giggling and general partying hadn't tapered off, I couldn't take it anymore and moved you to a bed in our room. I know, I'm such a party pooper. The next night we tried it again, and you all finally fell asleep around 10. We parents barely outlasted you!

On that trip we also spent a couple of nights with Uncle Jeff, Aunt Michelle, Stella and Baby Jane. It wasn't that long ago that you would get quite jealous if I held another baby, but you were nothing but loving toward your new cousin. When I held her, you wanted to be close so you could see her and kiss her. When I fed her, you wanted to help me burp her on my shoulder.

You also enjoyed playing with Stella, and I think you've embraced your role as "big cousin." We spent one morning at a playground, and you liked to position yourself at the bottom of the slide to catch her.

The really amusing thing is that you wanted to catch your Daddy too. Silly girl.

While in Birmingham, we visited the Science Museum, which was a blast. They have a great dinosaur exhibit, including a paleontologist's office. Who knows what you'll want to be when you grow up, but you seemed quite at home here, assembling bones and studying artifacts. Goodness knows you already have a head start on all those dinosaur names. It's a trip hearing you say things like Zigongosaurus.

Tomorrow your Daddy and I have a meeting with the pre-k coordinator at one of our local elementary schools. Can you believe that? I have been a bucket of mixed emotions about this. It's exciting to watch you usher in this next big phase in your life. But at the same time, it will mark the closure of your current phase, and that's always hard for us mamas and daddies. We took you to visit the school last week, and my heart was pounding as we walked up the big front steps together. I've grown quite fond of your little preschool, with its four rooms and small, friendly staff. This elementary school felt mammoth in comparison.

As we toured a room, I kept thinking, "She's not ready for this. She's not ready for this." After all, we don't have to enroll you this fall. We could wait another year until kindergarten. But then I realized that maybe I'm the one who doesn't feel ready. When we first moved you from your daycare to your current preschool, I didn't know if you were ready. But of course you transitioned perfectly, and soon I realized you were exactly where you needed to be. I hope we will make a good decision about this as well.

Ok sweets, I'm off to bed too. Sleep well my big girl, and know that your Mama loves you more than you could ever imagine.

Sunshine and Family Time

2010-01-17T04:07:38Z

I'm back in Savannah tonight, listening to the rain falling on my roof, feeling grateful that the clouds stayed away until today. We spent the last couple of days at Boo's house, enjoying her company as always, but also treasuring a visit with Erin and Jones who were down from Boston.

Thursday and Friday we put in some serious playground time. After weeks of below-average temps, it felt so good to be outside with the warm sun on our backs. And if it felt good to me, I can only imagine how it felt to the Bostonians!

Camille and Jones had a great time at the playground sliding, climbing and just generally running around the park. Camille particularly enjoyed pulling up bits of green weeds and using them to make "Blueberry Ginkgo Salad." I'm not sure where she comes up with these things, but I love her imagination. The salad was really yummy, or so we all pretended.

Now we're back home and enjoying a visit from Nana (who Camille now sometimes calls her "Nanny.") We're getting spoiled by all this good family time!

A Trip to the Temple

2010-01-13T02:41:06Z

I'm going to brag for a minute about something other than my sweet girl...

I like my church for a lot of reasons, and our engagement with churches of other faiths is pretty high on that list. There are lots of examples - like the interfaith service we hosted in our sanctuary with Christian, Jewish and Muslim worshipers on the one-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks. When Lee and I went to Cuba on a mission trip, we traveled with members of Congregation Mickve Israel, Savannah's oldest synagogue. On that trip I had my first visit to a temple when we were invited to a Jewish service and dinner in Havana.

Last Sunday marked my second visit to a temple - this time, the local one belonging to Congregation Mickve Israel, overlooking Monterey Square just a few blocks from my own church.

Our church is undergoing major roof repairs, so our sanctuary is off-limits for the month of January. I love that when our doors closed, the synagogue opened theirs, offering us a place to hold services on Sunday mornings.

The temple is beautiful, and I look forward to services there this month. I'm also proud of the way our church leaders showed respect for the sacred place and acknowledged our surroundings by reading from the Torah and sharing Bible verses in Hebrew.

To all this I say, "Shalom!"

Welcome Baby Jane!

2010-01-01T20:20:31Z

November 21st, this sweet baby girl made her entrance into the world. I am the lucky Aunt of adorable Baby Jane.

We finally got a chance to meet her last weekend when we traveled to Alabama to spend a few days with Jeff and the family. She's a happy, cuddly cutie who likes bottles, doesn't like being burped, and is easy-going as long as you keep that bouncy-seat bouncing. She seemed so very tiny to me, especially in comparison to her 2-year-old sister and 3-year-old cousin, but Jeff assures me she's already grown a lot. I already can't wait to see them all again.

Happy Noon Year!

2009-12-31T19:10:18Z

We have no big New Year's Eve plans and I'm fine with that. After a busy month of travel, I'm looking forward to chill-out time on the sofa with my main squeeze, a glass of wine and maybe a movie. CRAZY TIMES, I KNOW!

Camille rang in the New Year a little early today at Monkey Joe's. They sponsored a Happy Noon Year party and counted down to 12-noon, then had the kids jump on bubble wrap to simulate the sounds of fireworks. It was really cute and Camille thought it was fun even though she was seriously worn out after a morning of jumping.

Happy Noon Year to you all!

Happy Noon Year! from Ginger on Vimeo.

Letter to Camille: Forty-One Months

2009-12-25T00:10:35Z

Hello sweet sleeping girl! It is Christmas Eve as I write this - can you believe it? The last image I had of you tonight was watching you pull your quilt up over your head so you wouldn't see Santa. Several weeks ago you announced that you did not like Santa. Not one bit. I kept reminding you about all the presents he brings, but you'd already solved that problem. "Santa can just mail my presents!" you declared. When I informed you that it didn't work that way, you decided you didn't want any presents.

WHAT??

Then later, you said it was ok if Santa didn't come, because Boo would get you presents. I think you are absolutely spoiled rotten!

I believe some of this anti-Santa-ism may stem from the talks we've had recently about stranger danger. We've tried to impress upon you the importance of not going anywhere with strangers, and I think you've taken that message and morphed it into ALL STRANGERS ARE SCARY! Now, for example, when we get on an elevator with strangers, you clamp your eyes shut tightly. It's as if you've decided - if I can't see them, then they can't see me! If a stranger comes up to you in the grocery store to remark about your pretty, sparkly red shoes, you'll slap your hand over your eyes as quick as a wink, completely shutting them out. Thankfully people don't seem to take offense, and we're all mostly amused.

Oh sweetheart, I am sorry your letter is so late this month. It's not because I had trouble finding things about which to write, but because we've been too busy to write! One thing I love about December is that we get to spend time with family for the holidays. But unfortunately, our dearest ones are not also our nearest ones, and that has meant a lot of travel. Don't misunderstand, I love travel and I think you've got the travel bug too. But I also like to spread the travel out a little more!

The first weekend in December, we flew up to Boston to visit Auntie, Uncle Dave and Jones. We had quite a time getting there (delays in D.C., cancellations, last minute taxi ride across D.C. to catch a plane at another airport, etc.) and you were a trooper through it all. But once we finally arrived we had a wonderful visit.

Auntie was nice enough to summon snow for us, so we had a very good time stomping around in the white stuff and tossing snowballs. The suburbs around Boston are so picturesque, and were made even more perfect with a layer of snow over the whole landscape. Everywhere you turned, the view looked like the perfect Christmas card.

It was fun watching you and Jones play together. Your favorite thing to do is wrestle, or as we say here in Georgia, "wrassle." This basically involves you laying on the floor yelling, "Get me, Jones!" And then Jones does a belly flop on top of you and you wrestle. It's really cute, and we'd better enjoy it now because he's growing so quickly he'll soon be too big for wrassling!

The next weekend we were back in Savannah and got to enjoy the Holly Days festival. You loved the "ice" skating rink on Broughton Street (no ice, but an ice-like surface) and watching the old-school Frosty movie in one of the historic theaters downtown. We had a good laugh at the end of the movie when Santa brought Frosty back to life. You looked at your Daddy and said, in an exasperated tone, "See! I told you Santa was nice!" As if we had said anything to the contrary!

Since that day, you've become smitten with Frosty and with snowmen in general. When the Frosty song comes on the radio you squeal and then start doing the "Frosty dance."

Well, lucky for you, Nana and Granddaddy also summoned some snow the next weekend when we went to Tennessee to celebrate Christmas with them.

We spent all of Saturday morning in the snow building snowmen and watching you sled for the first time! Here's some video with highlights of our snowy adventures in Boston and Tennessee:

You opened presents at Nana and Granddaddy's house, and were ecstatic to get a new baby doll that laughs and coos and a bucket of dinosaurs. What a fun mix! I love this picture I snapped of you on the floor, cuddling with Baby Allee while the Brachiosaurus gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Another big event this month was your debut in Savannah's Christmas parade. Your dance class marches in the parade every year, and last year I remember standing in a square with you, watching all the little girls go by. I remember thinking, "That could be Camille one day!"

Being in the parade was a much more difficult undertaking than I expected. First of all, it was really cold that night and your parade uniform wasn't nearly warm enough. Secondly, we had to line up for the parade an hour before it began. That was a looooong hour, standing on the asphalt, freezing cold, just waiting. And waiting. You were pretty miserable and I kept waffling about what to do. One part of me wanted to just call it quits, go find your Daddy and Boo along the parade route and watch like we did last year. But another part of me wondered if this was an important lesson about being part of a team and having to stick it out even when it wasn't easy. Finally, when I didn't think we could stand it another minute, we started marching. Once we got moving your mood improved dramatically and you marched with a big smile on your face.

For about two blocks.

Your Daddy and Boo had stationed themselves close to the beginning of the parade route. At first, when we saw them, I thought you were going to march on by. But at the last minute, you dropped the baton of the girl next to you and collapsed into your Daddy's arms in tears. When I asked you if you wanted to march some more, the answer was a definite NO. I decided a compromise was in order - you'd endured an hour of waiting in the cold and marched a couple of blocks with your team. Now your reward would be watching the rest of the parade with Daddy, Boo and me. Here's a video of your brief parade appearance:

A Very Brief Christmas Parade Appearance from Ginger on Vimeo.

Camille Grace, it has been so great to enjoy this holiday season with you. I have always loved, loved, loved Christmas, but watching you love it too just magnifies the magic. Sleep well tonight my angel, because you've been a very good girl this year. Are those reindeer hooves I hear on the roof?

I love you sweetheart. Merry Christmas!

Bring on Christmas!

2009-12-05T03:37:01Z

I think age three is a pretty spectacular time to celebrate Christmas - plenty old enough to get very excited about all the holiday trimmings!

We picked out our tree yesterday, and just happened to show up at the tree lot at the same time as her buddy Elsie. The two had fun racing through the aisles, gasping while extolling the beauty of each tree, posing with the inflatable Santa and - best of all - CANDY CANES!

The Elf Family

2009-12-03T01:45:40Z

So, everyone else is probably sick of these already, but this is my first time making one of these Elf Yourself videos. And I must say, I'm kind of excited to show this to Camille tomorrow. I think she'll get a kick out of it!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A Dawg Goes Home

2009-11-30T02:04:12Z

It was with great anticipation and no small amount of nostalgia that Lee and I traveled to Athens last weekend for the Dawgs final home game of the season. I hadn't been to a home game in nearly a decade and was starved for the electricity that races around Sanford Stadium. I savored the pride that comes from wearing red in a sea of red and chanting all those bulldog chants along with the thousands of other fans. And while the final score was disappointing, the experience was still a rush.

We had some serious nose-bleed seats on that chilly night, and I yelled until I was hoarse and made a general fool of myself. I glared enviously at the student section where the kids had a much better view. When I was student I didn't know enough to appreciate the perks of football tickets on the lower level at a price I could actually afford. But I had too much fun at this game to complain for long.

Now if only I could figure out how to squeeze the state of Georgia so that Athens were a bit closer to Savannah, because I sure do miss my alma mater. G-E-O-R-G-I-A!