Annie has just cut her first big molar. She's been sniffling, her cheeks have been rosy and she seems slightly weepy. I'm reminded of when she started teething when she was about five months old. My sweet baby!
Friday, April 6, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
The San Francisco Treat!
I just got back from a four-star, foot-loose and fancy-free, feast of the senses (as well as the palette), birthday weekend in San Francisco with LaLa Pat. Wow! I'm still floating!Some highlights:
Seeing LaLa coming down the walk at the airport!
Al Fresco breakfast at the farmers market, on the pier at the ferry building .
Catching a gong, fireworks and dancing lion ceremony down a side street in Chinatown.
Delightful service and personal indulgences at the Tuscan Inn at Fisherman's Wharf.
Two good laugh attacks. One to tears.
Outstanding wine, asparagus, and desserts at The Slanted Door.
Eating chocolates in bed, resting and chatting.
The weather! Warm, crisp, sunny in the city. Foggy and windy at North Point.
Driving through the Presido with it's amazing views and well kept historic buildings.
Stumbling upon the amazing Masterpieces of French Jewelry show at the Legion of Honor that was so amazing it left me pretty much speechless.
Am I forgetting anything Pat?
Oh yea. It was an unforgettable time...thank you doesn't quite cover it.
Friday, March 30, 2007
P + J 4 Ever
I'm bursting with a secret...Jasper and I are in love.Don't tell! We have to keep it hidden.
We were "out" about it for a while, but Annie and Bill really hated it.
Annie'd try to get on my lap whenever I pet him or talked to him.
Bill would just crate him. Annie said she hated Jasper! Every time I let him in the front door, Bill would let him out the back door.
So we went underground.
We try not to flaunt it in front of Bill and Annie...no hand holding, kissing, or baby talk. I don't want trigger any more jealous feelings or competition, comparisons, or measuring of my affections. We steal away to take walks at night, or early in the morning, and we try not to gaze lovingly at each other across the room. Right now he's under the table with his head secretly resting on my feet. Mmmmmmm.
We were "out" about it for a while, but Annie and Bill really hated it.
Annie'd try to get on my lap whenever I pet him or talked to him.
Bill would just crate him. Annie said she hated Jasper! Every time I let him in the front door, Bill would let him out the back door.
So we went underground.
We try not to flaunt it in front of Bill and Annie...no hand holding, kissing, or baby talk. I don't want trigger any more jealous feelings or competition, comparisons, or measuring of my affections. We steal away to take walks at night, or early in the morning, and we try not to gaze lovingly at each other across the room. Right now he's under the table with his head secretly resting on my feet. Mmmmmmm.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Walk A Mile
I originally published this post about my Mom, Annie, last Summer. Then, in December I sadly lost all of my blog and archives. ( Ugh ) This is one of the posts I was most sad to lose. Luckily while cleaning up some old files recently, I found a copy of it and I'm happy to republish it now, the fifth anniversary of her dying.
Her feet hurt for years. At the time it didn't seem so alarming to me. She'd go long periods when she wouldn't even mention it, and I thought that her feet weren't an issue anymore.
She'd gotten a few different diagnosis over the years. Planter fascistis was one of them. Then bone spurs. She followed each treatment plan until it was obvious that they weren't helping. At the beginning of each treatment, she'd feel hopeful and seem to get some relief, then she would fall back into pain that was almost debilitating. I only know that the pain was that severe from reading her journals after she died.
For years, she looked at her feet from different medical perspectives. A chiropractic angle, an acupuncture angle, with her M.D., and even from the psychological angle with a therapist. I remember her talking about her exploration. "I'm looking at my feet pain symbolically as it relates to my literal path in life" kinda stuff. She wore special prescription orthotic inserts in her shoes and that helped. Kinda. Then she thought that maybe the perfect orthotic/shoe combo would be the ticket, and she tried many brands of well-made shoes. Since we wore the same size, she kept me in almost-new European shoes for years. Somehow though, each pair and each combo was "not quite right." I worried. In well-made shoes. Once we worked a trade show together in New Orleans in '96 and she could barely touch them after a day on the showroom floor. Actually, it might go back as far as a trade show we did in Minnesota. I remember that she stayed in the hotel room one day because her feet hurt so bad. Hmm.
Looking back, I think I lumped her search for a cure for her feet in with her search for the perfect purse to replace her beloved purse Martha. Kinda quirky I thought. I also judged her relationship with her hair (cut, color, plucking and fussing) to be slightly obsessive too.
Now that I look back, she must have kept her suffering pretty private, talking about it when she was either on the mend, or had a new plan of attack. I wonder if her feet were telling her something was wrong.? I keep thinking about what her Oncologist said not long after her diagnosis in 2000. He said that colon cancer is one of the slowest growing cancers, and that it was very possible that it had been growing for ten years or more. Could her feet pain have been alerting her to the growing cancer in her colon? I still don't know.
GeorgeAnne "Annie" Sieler
10-14-41
to
3-25-02
The photo above was taken in 1972.
Is it just me or isn't she absolutely beautiful?
Her feet hurt for years. At the time it didn't seem so alarming to me. She'd go long periods when she wouldn't even mention it, and I thought that her feet weren't an issue anymore.
She'd gotten a few different diagnosis over the years. Planter fascistis was one of them. Then bone spurs. She followed each treatment plan until it was obvious that they weren't helping. At the beginning of each treatment, she'd feel hopeful and seem to get some relief, then she would fall back into pain that was almost debilitating. I only know that the pain was that severe from reading her journals after she died.
For years, she looked at her feet from different medical perspectives. A chiropractic angle, an acupuncture angle, with her M.D., and even from the psychological angle with a therapist. I remember her talking about her exploration. "I'm looking at my feet pain symbolically as it relates to my literal path in life" kinda stuff. She wore special prescription orthotic inserts in her shoes and that helped. Kinda. Then she thought that maybe the perfect orthotic/shoe combo would be the ticket, and she tried many brands of well-made shoes. Since we wore the same size, she kept me in almost-new European shoes for years. Somehow though, each pair and each combo was "not quite right." I worried. In well-made shoes. Once we worked a trade show together in New Orleans in '96 and she could barely touch them after a day on the showroom floor. Actually, it might go back as far as a trade show we did in Minnesota. I remember that she stayed in the hotel room one day because her feet hurt so bad. Hmm.
Looking back, I think I lumped her search for a cure for her feet in with her search for the perfect purse to replace her beloved purse Martha. Kinda quirky I thought. I also judged her relationship with her hair (cut, color, plucking and fussing) to be slightly obsessive too.
Now that I look back, she must have kept her suffering pretty private, talking about it when she was either on the mend, or had a new plan of attack. I wonder if her feet were telling her something was wrong.? I keep thinking about what her Oncologist said not long after her diagnosis in 2000. He said that colon cancer is one of the slowest growing cancers, and that it was very possible that it had been growing for ten years or more. Could her feet pain have been alerting her to the growing cancer in her colon? I still don't know.
GeorgeAnne "Annie" Sieler
10-14-41
to
3-25-02
The photo above was taken in 1972.
Is it just me or isn't she absolutely beautiful?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Why I Haven't Been Posting
Watching Annie learn to spell.
Decorating for Easter.
A Day at the beach with Eva and Stella.
Rearranging our dollhouses.
Making ginger-shrimp pot stickers with Sara.
Keeping up with housekeeping.
A great park day with homeschoolers and their Mama's.
Hanging out our laundry to dry in the sun.
A wonderful dinner date with Dana.
Finally finishing Thank You cards from Annie's Birthday.
Numerous and very cozy jammie days.
Doing a few graphic design and advertising projects with Joan.
A walk downtown and yummy Indian food with Sara.
Learning some sign language with Annie.
Going through closets, drawers, garage, studio and releasing stuff to Goodwill.
Riding our bikes.
Training Annie's snake to eat frozen baby mice instead of live.
Listening to Annie sing "I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover" with intense pleasure.
Enjoying my new rug!
Getting current with Annie's B&W photo album.
Getting foot rubs from Billy.
Eating tacos with the Prior women.
Thinking a lot about my mom.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Brand New Day
Annie pulled out her wiggly tooth this morning at about 10:30. She is ecstatic! I was amazed when she decided to just yank it out, and then did! In my mind this first tooth marks the entering of a whole new phase of growth and development. I'm feeling simultaneously delighted and a little weepy today... she isn't a little little girl anymore, and I'm thrilled to see her thriving and growing so beautifully.As a way to mark the occasion, we decided to make an extra delicious brunch and celebrate. Annie collected eggs from the hens for a scramble, we brewed some extra special tea with honey, and made some fresh scones. The scones were really, really yummy and easy to make so I'll include the recipe here if you want to try them.
Oh yeah, Annie asked me to make a note to the toothfairy for her that says she wants a first aid kit so that she can care for any animals that get injured. Bill went to the drug store and got her one so we can tuck it under her pillow tonight.
Scone Recipe
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream or yogurt or milk
I also added dried cranberries.
Glaze:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon cream or milk
Preheat to 375. Line pan with parchment. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in butter until pea size. Mix wet ingredients in a measuring cup, then pour over dry ingredients until mixed. Don't over mix. Form into a ball, flatten to about 1 1/2" high, 7" wide round and cut into triangles. Brush with glaze. Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and tops are starting to brown.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Nana Insists on Bathing the Children
As you can see here, Jasper really watches over Annie in almost everything she does. He's especially attentive when she's in the bath. He's actually hovering over her right now, as she sings and plays in there, much like you would imagine Nana doing in the Darling household. I even thought I heard him whisper to her to wash behind her ears! Annie just got out of the bath and is at my elbow right now, wrapped in a towel, insisting that I tell you all the she has a very wiggly tooth. Her first wiggly tooth! It wiggles A LOT already! We're guessing it will be out within a day or two.
Wow! Tooth fairies, Leprechauns, and Shamrocks Oh My!
Wow! Tooth fairies, Leprechauns, and Shamrocks Oh My!
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