Newness

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We've had our first family trip to the Field Museum over the weekend, accompanied by Auntie Aiiee, and it went pretty well from a Gaz perspective. She didn't get very fussy and didn't have a tantrum or lift up my shirt or anything like that. She was more well behaved than some children twice her size. She did get completely exhausted, which was due to some bad planning on our part. I didn't even think about bringing the stroller before we left, and we even walked right past it on the way out the door. We know for next time. Mark and I got so worn out carrying her around that the lesson had been burned into our brains: bring the stroller, and if you forget the stroller, rent one as soon as you get to the museum.

Gaz and I are settling back into home life. Unfortunately, that means that we're spending a lot of time looking out of windows and moping about it being too cold/wet/icy/windy to go outside, but it won't be this lousy forever. Speaking of which, I tried explaining "lousy" to Gaz yesterday, but I don't think it stuck. But now she's got another new word to amaze people with at odd moments.

I'm having trouble getting her back on her normal bedtime story schedule, but part of that is my own distraction. We only got to read our new Knuffle Bunny book a couple of times before we left for Evansville, so I hope I can entice the young'un with that this evening.

You know, she still has her moments and we've still got a number of months to go, but could it be that the most terrible part of the terrible twos is behind us? It seems like we're communicating more with words and less with ear-splitting shrieks of frustration. Time will tell.

Gateless

We're back home again, and it's time for another milestone. Mark took the gate down while we were out of town. One of the first things Gaz noticed upon our return yesterday was the gate leaning up against the dining room wall, and she was quick to demand its return to the doorway. But what with this and that we didn't get around to it right away and then she forgot that she was upset about it not being in the right place. This morning she started to take it apart and play with it, so I put it back in the pantry where it would be out of the way.

We've officially moved away from the need for gates. Weird. It's very strange to not be bruising my thighs constantly as I go from dining room to hallway. At least it's a comfortable change.

We both miss our E-ville family members, who we'd both gotten used to seeing every day, but we're both happy to be home with Daddy and Proton again. And a huge pile of new spring clothes I have to figure out where to stash. ;)

Aaaaand we're back

As soon as we arrived at Nana and Papa's house, we discovered a problem: Gaz could easily open the bathroom door and the bathroom door didn't lock anymore. The old doorknob was replaced with one that locks quite nicely, but now the door doesn't latch.

Today Papa was in the bathroom when Gaz busted in, ran past him, wedged herself between the toilet and the bathtub, and asked, "Papa, why peepee coming out of you finger?" Poor Papa was doing some elaborate leaning trying to preserve a modicum of privacy and Nana was trying not to laugh so hard that she peed. And dear Gaz kept asking why peepee was coming out of Papa's finger, clearly fascinated by this strange new way to pee, but not so fascinated that she listened to any of the answers we tried to get out between hysterical laughing fits.

I think we're getting back to normal.

Baby's First Funeral

A regularly scheduled visit to the old homestead took a weird turn when my paternal grandfather, whom I've mentioned before here, died. He had been on the decline for a while, but none of us were quite prepared. No one ever is, are they? So that's what our visit has revolved around. I'm really glad we were already here.

Gaz, for her part, has been so amazingly good that I am still amazed. She was much-needed comic relief during the long hours of visitation at the funeral home. She and I camped out in the cry room at the church my grandpa founded for the requiem mass. She really was a trooper. She even came into grandpa's room at the nursing home, after he'd been cleaned up but before the funeral home came to pick him up, and just climbed up into a chair next to me and just sat with us for a while before demanding a trip to see the birds in the lounge area. That just blew my mind that she didn't pay anything any mind.

The only problems we've had have been a sudden need to nap in the afternoons to compensate for the very weird hours we've been keeping, and of course, Gaz getting upset when she sees me cry. Poor kid, she had no idea why Mommy was upset. Things are evening out now and we're getting back to the regular fun of visiting Nana Cel and Papa Charley. The ice storm and rain and snow have made outdoor play impossible, but we're doing well indoors.

One bit of silliness, in the spirit of my silly grandpa: Gaz said that Pugly, my parent's chow/shepherd mix, was stinky and that we should "get a new Pugly that's fresher."