Whitney Turns One

Can it be??  Will I turn into yet another mother asking, "Where does the time go?  How can my little baby be ___ already?"  Alas, it seems like yet another thing I said I would never do and then come to realize that it is an inevitable part of parenthood.  Here I am celebrating my daughter's first year on this earth and I truly feel like it was yesterday that I was holding her in my arms for the first time.  My current favorite phrase to capture this phenomenon goes something like, "The days are long, but the years are short."  And boy have we had some long days here in the Marcis household.  Days filled with diapers and food all over the floor (and ceiling) and paint spilling down the stairs, and full speed ahead wipe outs on the asphalt, and more diapers and much more food on the floor.  Then all of a sudden your little baby girl grabs your hairbrush while you're brushing your hair and tries to comb her own hair while grinning in the mirror and you realize in a blink she will be 16 and getting ready for the prom and where has all the time gone??

What can you do but try your hardest to stay present and celebrate each moment.  We had a lovely joint birthday party with a baby born just a few weeks apart from Whitney down the street at our little play park.  We all had a blast and I finally learned how to make a cocktail (15 short years after turning 21:)  Whitney is now an advanced crawler and working hard on her climbing skills, but doesn't seem too interested in walking.  She does manage to get herself in all sorts of precarious situations; one morning she pushed my guitar across the floor to use as a step to get herself onto the couch.  She then crawled across the couch to the end table, where I found her sitting on top and calmly leafing through a magazine.  You may wonder why I didn't notice this happening:  he whole guitar to couch to end table to magazine maneuver took her less then a minute.  She is a quick one.

Lyell has picked up on all the terms of endearment we use for Whitney, calling her, "Darling" or "Sweet Baby."  He loves to have her up on his new big bed, where they play endless rounds of diving under the blankets and then suddenly reappearing to squeals of laughter.  Lyell also insists on picking out Whitney's daily wardrobe, a practice that has resulted in some bold new fashion pairings.  And don't think you can smile and then swap out a shirt while Lyell's not looking- he will be onto you before you know it.

Lyell continues to make me laugh out loud and steam with anger simultaneously.  He is exploring his world and his boundaries with great zeal right now.  An example from our day: Lyell is playing in the backyard where I can watch him easily from the kitchen window while I do dishes.  However, he cannot see me watching him and thinks he is all alone.  I watch him pick up a shovel from the sandbox toys and carry it over to our little pond.  He looks around casually before dangling the shovel over the pond and letting it drop into the water.  He waits, looks around again, and heads back over to get another sandbox toy to drop in the pond.  I watch him for a few minutes and then quietly walk outside and catch him just as he is about to drop the next toy in.  "Lyell, what happened to the sand toys?"  I ask.  Lyell puts his hands on his hips and looks up and me.  "I have no idea,"  he says.

Now it so happens that I am reading a chapter from the book NurtureShock about children and lying, which explains why this is a natural reaction, and as I stand with my son and a pond full of sand toys I cannot help but laugh out loud when he continues, "Mommy, I have no idea what happened but I think we need to make a fishing pole to get them out."  A-ha!  Once again I have my friend Curious George to thank, as George made his own fishing pole to use in his pond.  I think I'll wait a few years before I start him on the Swiss Family Robinson stories.

Roasting marshmallows during a Potluck Preschool "campout" on a stormy day.

Lyell got on skis for the first time this winter and got progressively more excited with each trip.  He seems to be very happy about skiing as long as Matthew sticks right by his side.

Lyell even got to go up a chair lift by the end of the season!

We took a field trip to our local fire station and Lyell was a captive audience.

Lyell gets to try on the "big mask"

A rare moment of tranquility in the bedroom.  

Whitney sporting a dirndl that we bought almost 30 years ago when my family travelled in Europe.  

Lyell and his buddy Cooper take a walk in the rain.  We had given the boys umbrellas and looked away for a minute and they had taken off up the street on their own little path.  

Whitney showcasing her special talent for eating just about anything that is put on her plate.

Lyell and Whitney "helping" me make Birthday Scones for Whitney's birthday brunch.

Notice who is doing most of the opening of Whitney's birthday presents.  Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind.

Whitney on her first birthday.

This month Lyell says farewell to his cousin and best friend Georgia as they are moving back to Hawaii.  Don't worry, Georgia, we will be visiting very soon! 

Whitney enjoys her carrot cake muffin at her Birthday Luau party.

Sushi, spring rolls and kebabs were on the menu for the birthday bash, along with our 'signature' Mai Tai. 

We had a joint birthday celebration with our neighbor Phoebe, who was born 3 weeks after Whitney.  

The craft table at the Luau

We joined in the Easter fun at the annual Yosemite Valley egg hunt.  

It was an epic spring day in the Valley, with Yosemite Falls raging behind Lyell as he looks for eggs.

The Easter Bunny himself even made his way up to the mountains to see us!

Lovin' on each other in the Radio Flyer.

Lyell and Grammy making Easter cookies

Three generations of Marcis boys having a picnic in our backyard!  

                                               

The drawers of our new bunk bed seem to be the current favorite play spot.  The game goes like this: climb in with all your stuffed animals and scream at the top of your lungs.

Matthew and I snuck away for a final ski date as a cold April storm blew through and dumped 2 feet of snow!  The quiet of the forest in newly fallen snow brought us gently back into balance.  We are thankful every day to live in a place so filled with wonder!!!  

Holiday Greetings to All

One morning last week Lyell woke up saying, "There's snow outside, mama.  It's snowing."  The only thing I can figure is that all the seasonal books we are reading made their way into his dreams, and subsequently into his first waking moment.  As he ran to the window to look for the freshly fallen snow from his mind's eye, poor Lyell was greeted by yet another crystal clear blue sky California day.  We have had the driest December in 100 years, according to the various almanacs, and Lyell's dreams of a white Christmas may have to wait until next year.

Somehow, amidst all of this sunshine, we are still managing to have a lovely holiday season.  Lyell has still not totally sorted out what is going on with this Santa character who flies around in a helicopter (we had to introduce the "sleigh" concept gently, as Lyell was convinced that Santa had a special convertible helicopter at his disposal.)  To make matters a bit more confusing, we celebrated many birthdays in November, so Lyell still thinks that every event we go to is somebody's birthday.  When he doesn't see the "happy cake" and candles, he just starts singing "Happy Birthday to Me."  His favorite song.

Lyell is also catching on to the Caroling selections, and while he wasn't ready for a complete concert, he did allow me to tape him while he was doing puzzles.  Whitney enjoys her role as backup vocals and helps with some improvisational sections.  She also has a solo at the end of this video...

Whitney has no idea why her mother keeps wrestling her into all of these green, red and white outfits.  She has started to protest the lengthy dressing sessions, as my little nine month old baby has suddenly developed her own agenda!  Whitney is piloting a new and special form of crawling- which consists of a large collection of random movements that somehow projects her where she wants to go.  She has a regular circuit around our house to take in all the exciting objects within 6 inches of our floor.  The other day she gave me a mischievous grin before disappearing around the corner at a rapid scoot to go check out the bath mat- one of her favorite textural discoveries.  In general, Whitney entertains us with her multiple forms of cuteness- including babbling to herself and erupting in laughter at the sound of her own voice.  Her less cute, but developmentally necessary, habits include cutting teeth, rubbing food into her hair, and putting everything else into her mouth.

Here are a few photos from the past three months since our last bloggy post.

Fishing on Gull Lake

Taking in the fall colors on the Eastern Sierra

Sleepytime in the bike trailer.

Eating and throwing rocks are still some of Lyell's favorite things in life.

First time picking apples at the Pumpkin Patch

Potluck Preschoolers in all of their cuteness

Nariz looooves to jump in to Whitney's crib when no one is looking.  He has become an expert on hiding in the bedroom and waiting until I leave to hop in and nap with her.  

Lyell got to ride his own carousel horse for the first time (actually he choose a carousel ostrich.)  He remained very focused throughout the ride.

Whitney goes for a ride in the stroller.

We went to Ocean Beach and Lyell couldn't believe that the sandbox went on for miles and miles.  

Whitney and I made it to the top of Yosemite Falls thanks to my motivated hiking friends.  

Making gingerbread man (and tree and star) cookies, and being silly.  

We participated in the Bracebridge Dinner again this year.  It was a bit more work to keep the kids happy backstage, but once they stepped into the lights, they loved it.  The best part was seeing so many friends in the audience!

Playing trains and snuggling in the parachute with Potluck Preschool friends.  We have been so lucky to join an incredibly motivated group of families who have created a preschool program in El Portal.

Whitney and her buddy Luca dressing up for the season.

Through the roller coaster of parenthood we are so grateful for the support and companionship of our community of family and friends.  We send our love out to all of you! 

Kim, Matthew, Lyell and Whitney

Down by the Banks of the Merced River

We'll start out with a little video of the two munchkins...

This summer has been filled with growth and change for us, most of it good, however we are ready to slow down and relax with the rhythms of the changing season.  The growth part was mostly done by Whitney, with a little help from Lyell.  She celebrated her sixth month birthday yesterday with a yummy bowl of yogurt and rice cereal.  The development of a newborn in the first six months is astounding, and I can hardly keep up.  It seems I am always learning through experience that (crash!) she can no longer lay on the couch without rolling off, and (splatter!) it's not a good idea to eat a bowl of cereal with her on my lap.  Whitney is now a mover and a shaker.  She is lightning quick and makes it a personal goal to put everything within a six foot radius into her mouth.  Her favorite person in the world continues to be her big brother, who fortunately feels the same way about her.  Unfortunately, until each learns a safe way to express their love, their time together needs to be closely monitored.  Thus far Lyell has tried to teach Whitney how to jump on the bed, climb on his back, and (my personal favorite) rub her head to toe with lotion after their bath.  As many parents can relate- it is so darn cute until all of a sudden there is lotion in eyes, hair, mouths and everybody is screaming at the top of their lungs.  But somehow all members of our household have managed to keep their appendages intact, and actually feel quite healthy despite all of the action in our lives.  Since our last post we have experienced...

• Five weekend excursions
• Three camping adventures
• One car accident
• Renting our house out and moving to El Portal
• Being evacuated from our El Portal house due to a forest fire
• Returning to El Portal for one night before heading to a four-day Strawberry Music Festival
• Flying to Chicago for Matthew's sister Jeanne's wedding

Phew!  I am afraid that Lyell was most affected by all this transition as he ran out of names for all the different houses we were at.  We started with "new house" when we were camping, then said, "other house" when we moved, then when we were evacuated Lyell just started saying "everybody's house."  Lyell likes to give everything he sees a label these days- part of the whole language acquisition thing I am told.  I can chart his language development with Whitney's age; when she was born he called her "Bee," then he caught on to the two syllable "Whitney" at about 6 weeks.  When she was three months he could string together Baby Whitney, and start adding on verbs like "Baby Whitney sleeping."  Now, at six months, he puts a hand on his hip as I am furiously typing away at the computer trying to get just one thing done, and says "Mommy, Whitney feels sad.  Needs a new diaper now.  Stop, 'puter, stop."  Oh geez, he's onto me... online shopping will now have to wait until after bedtime :)  

Lyell seems to be taking after both of his grandfathers these days.  Grandpa VK has passed down his salesman's negotiating skills.  Many nights the conversation goes something like this, "Lyell, put on your jammies and we will read two books before sleep."  "No mommy, four books and play trains, then sleep." (big smile, wide eyes... guess how many books we read? :)  During his waking hours Lyell exhibits his budding engineering skills passed down from Papa Marcis as he constructs tunnels and bridges for his trains.  He has suddenly passed into a new phase of development called "independent play."  It is lovely!  I've made an entire purchase on Amazon and Lyell hasn't even looked up from the elaborate bridge/tower he is designing.  

Our move to El Portal has been wonderful.  Matthew's commute to work consists of walking 200 yards down the hill.  Although we experienced some "downsizing pains" as we went from 2 acres to 900 square feet, the process of simplifying felt very cleansing and we were able to create a beautiful new space.  We also made the final decision that I not return to work, and I feel so grateful everyday to be able to stay home with my children through these early years.  Most days I find I am moved to tears by the beauty and wonder (and sometimes the frustration) of it all.  On one of the more frustrating days, Lyell looked up at me and said, "Mommy sad.  Need a hug.  Feel better." and after hugging me he hopped down from my lap and said, "Thank you.  Welcome" and scooted back over to his trains. Of course this made me really cry until I laughed and soon we were laughing and pushing the trains around to stop at every station in our house.

Now for the pictures.  Taking pictures this summer has been a bit problematic.  When I actually remember the camera on a trip, and remember to charge the battery, and remember to put it somewhere logical so I remember to take pictures... well then Lyell is usually naked or half-naked or running away from me.  Whitney, however, is still extremely cooperative ;)

 Our first camping trip of the summer up to Tenaya Lake

 Lyell stripped down and jumped in...

... and realized how cold the high country water is.

 On our second trip to Tuolumne Lyell met Lyell (boy on the left) both named after the mountain and canyon we were camping next to.

With our friends the McKinneys and Cathedral Peak in the background.

 Throwin' rocks in 'da riva'

The only family photo we managed on all our trips :)  

 Whitney sleeping on the banks of the Kings River on our annual rafting trip.

 Lyell directing traffic in his "uniform."  It was above 90 degrees all day and he was quite happy in his birthday suit.

 Cooking dinner for 20 with our dear friends Josie and Nate

The failed family photo attempt :)

 Lyell helping with the potato harvest.

Look who's driving the moving truck!

 Playing in the crib.  Lyell would love nothing more than to have Whitney sleep with him all the time.  

 This is a picture of the Motor Fire from our porch (pre-evacuation.)  The amazing fire crews prevented the flames from cresting the ridge in this picture, thus saving all our houses!

 Two hours into our trip to Chicago and Lyell has already managed to remove his pants.

 En route to the zoo with Auntie Carrie in Chicago.

 If you look closely you can see the baby monkey above my head which kept Lyell spellbound with it's antics.

 Whitney at six months

 Lyell spotting his first tarantula (a common sight here in El Portal in the fall.)

 Taking care of one another.

Lyell at two years and three months

All for now from the Sierra Foothills.  Much love to each and every one of you.  As the days grow shorter, may we all settle and find that peace within.