I have to learn to think these things through before I open my mouth. . .

Ting Ting loves for me to tell her stories at night, after we've read some books and turned off the light (yes, I realize she's stalling).

A couple weeks ago, desperate to tell a shorter story than her oft-requested "princess stories" (which, of course, require me to remember every detail of the Disney movies), I offered to tell her about Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

I started telling the story, off the cuff. I had difficulty recalling details, and I couldn't for the life of me remember how it ended -- although I'm sure it was frightening. So I just made up a happy ending.

She loved it. Now she often asks for that story, and I just make up a different ending every time.

The other night I finished with the bears finding Goldilocks and waking her up.

"She sat up in bed, and said, 'oh my goodness! I'm glad you're home,'" I told Ting Ting. "Goldilocks apologized for eating their porridge and breaking Baby Bear's chair, and she said,
'how about I make you a nice big breakfast?'

"So they all went into the kitchen, and Papa Bear and Mama Bear helped Baby Bear fix his chair while Goldilocks made breakfast. Then Goldilocks brought in big platters of bacon and eggs and they all sat down and ate it together!" I finished, triumphantly.

Ting Ting didn't miss a beat.

"Where did Goldilocks sit?" she asked.

(I had been smart enough to realize they needed to fix Baby Bear's seat, but I hadn't realized that that meant they still had only three chairs. Darn that kid.)

"Oh," I said. "They had a little stool in the kitchen, so Goldilocks brought it into the table and sat on that."

"Noooo," said Ting Ting.

Uh oh, I thought.

"I think she should sit in Mama Bear's lap!" Ting Ting said.


Fine with me. I'm just too busy worrying about how we're going to pay for law school.

Family tea

OK, we're rewinding a bit.

Ting Ting and I went to Tennessee to spend Mother's Day weekend with my family. We celebrated with a tea party.

Aunt Kay poured us some "tea."


We had lovely little sandwiches, too.

Pre-tea entertainment was a race between Cousin Chad (in wheelchair)* and Ting Ting (on wild-eyed pony purchased at a yard sale).

I don't remember who won the race, but I know who won points for style.


We taught Ting Ting to drink with her pinkies out.

We finished with some amazing cupcakes.


Had to look at those again.


A good time was had by all.


* P.S.: Chad is having the same surgery on the other foot Friday, so he'll be back in that wheelchair for awhile. Good luck, buddy!

And the answers are: We don't know

Don't leave us guessing, what happened to TingTing's eye? What did she get in it? And how was Lauren's finals? What was making Cyrus sick? Or did I miss something? ---Rambling Mother

Sorry, didn't mean to leave everyone hanging!

We don't know exactly what happened to Ting Ting's eye. My best guess is that she had a mosquito bite around it somewhere. She had the same thing last year, and the doctor gave her antihistamine, and we had to wait just a couple of days. So we did that this year, too. It took a little longer this time, but after swelling up and turning bright red and looking absolutely awful for a few days, it slowly returned to normal.

Lauren's finals are still hanging. She's taking two of them Thursday and the last one next week. She couldn't take them at first because her eye was too sensitive to light, then we went to Florida. Then she went to Arizona with her Mom when we returned, then when she came home she spent another week at her Mom's house. So now the summer is half over, and she's just getting around to it. And, yes, that is driving me crazy.

We don't know what was making Cyrus sick, either, but he's slowly getting better. All we know, really, is that he did not have a blockage, which might have required surgery. We've been trying to keep him quiet, but that's hard when we have a 3-year-old who wants to hug him all the time. He's still reluctant to eat on his own, but we've gotten some liquids into him and even a little food. Keep your fingers crossed . . . by the way, we freaked out about 4 a.m. today when Lauren's dog started throwing up, too. But fortunately, she stopped. Looks like she just got into something that upset her stomach.

The drywall has been repaired and today the ceilings and walls were painted. Now we just need to get the carpet replaced and we'll be done . . . as soon as we get all the furniture back in and everything put away. Whew!

Welcome to our world

OK, I'm not going to spend a lot of time making up excuses for not posting. I'm just going to give you a little glimpse into life at la Casa de Ting Ting the last few weeks.

First of all, Lance lost his job at the end of May. We'd rather he hadn't, but it's sort of a good thing that it happened when it did. The first evening, he was sort of at loose ends -- in a good way, though. He sat down and started flipping through the channels on the TV and I suddenly realized I had not seen him do that in months. Really, months. And he looked sort of . . . well, relieved. I don't think either of us really realized the kind of stress he had been under and the toll it was taking on the whole family. Anyway, he and I were chatting about how weird it was to have him home and relaxing when all of a sudden we heard Lauren call up from downstairs, "Dad, we have a leak!"

Boy, did we. We didn't just have a few bad shingles; we discovered later that we had a huge hole in our roof, courtesy of some raccoons (Helpful bit of trivia: Homeowners' insurance covers damage caused by raccoons, but not "vermin" like squirrels). Before long we found that water had poured into Brandon's bedroom, ruining his ceiling, walls and carpet. Then that water had traveled down into the space below his floor and on into the ceiling below, where it was leaking (actually, pouring) into our family room.

Well, you know what life was like for Lance the next couple of weeks: Calling people for remediation. Talking to insurance adjustors. Getting roofers out to climb up and give us estimates (we had planned to replace the roof this year anyway, but losing one of our jobs was not in those plans). Getting estimates for new carpet. Remembering specific paint colors. Picking out shingle style and color. Picking out gutter colors. Arranging for roofers to come. Arranging for drywall people to come. Figuring out when the carpet can be installed and who should do it.

Brandon's room has been a construction zone for several weeks, but it's nearing an end. Thankfully it was the one bedroom not in daily use, although I'm sure he's tired of sleeping on the couch on weekends.



And that wasn't all, of course. The first week or two Lance was home, Lauren was preparing for finals, and Lance was helping her study geometry, get her projects done, run her around. Then the morning of the last day of finals she injured her cornea and had to go to the ER instead of to school. Except they had to go to school anyway to turn in her part of the final English project. Then they had to pick up medications (and get the drops into her eyes several times a day). Call teachers and counselors about making up exams. Visit the opthamologist several times. Go to the optometrist for new glasses (old ones were, well, old, and she couldn't wear her contacts for several weeks). And now she has to go back to school to take the tests she missed.

In the middle of all that, we took our annual beach vacation (woo hoo!). Most of it was already paid for, so what the heck. We needed the break.

Before and after the beach trip, we had company from out of town. And somewhere in there Lance had to apply for unemployment, get his resume ready, network and post. And he had to catch up on his own medical appointments.

We withdrew Ting Ting from her day care/preschool beginning with our return from Florida. So now Lance and Lauren are running after a 3-year-old all day (and LOVING it, too). And my job hasn't let up, although, frankly, last week, I was glad. Here's what I left each morning:

MONDAY -- guys pulling in the driveway as I'm leaving, wanting to leave stacks of shingles and other supplies. They cart them up to the roof, waking Lauren (Waaaaahhh).

TUESDAY -- guys start hammering on the roof and will be at it all day.

WEDNESDAY -- Lauren wakes us up by sharing the news that Cyrus is throwing up . . . Oops, again . . . Oops, there he goes again. Lance and I are running around with cleaning supplies for the carpet and trying to tend to him. Guys are due to estimate materials needed for repairing Brandon's room. Lauren calls up from downstairs, "he just threw up again -- and it's red."

THURSDAY-- Cyrus, who had spent all Wednesday at the vet's office, wakes up and decides to have a bite to eat -- oops. More throwing up. And it's bloody again. Lance prepares to drive him back to the vet. We try to clean the carpets. Guys due to install the gutters. Guys due to deliver materials to repair the damage to Brandon's room. Some family members coming over to bring a cousin to play with Ting Ting.

FRIDAY -- Cyrus had to spend the night at the vet, so he's not vomiting on our rug today, but we're waiting on word on whether he needs surgery (thankfully, no). Guys are coming to repair the drywall. Ting Ting wakes up looking like this:


"I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam."

(Actually, it looked a lot worse in the following days. But don't her bangs look great? Thanks, Aunt Gloria).

I know what you're thinking, and you're absolutely right . . . Every morning I tried to keep the concerned/sad/worried look on my face just long enough to get to the car so I could peel out of the driveway and yell "Yahoooooooo!" all the way to my nice, sedate job.

Oh, and did I mention that I think I broke my toe? Cyrus is better, though. And he's home with us again.

Hmmm, still want pictures, do you? I'll try tomorrow.


. . .



Well, OK, one to tide you over:

School picture, spring '09

My little baby is in preschool.

And to think at one time we actually worried that she'd never talk . . .

In the car one morning:

TT: Mommy, do you like bees?

Mom: Ummmm, yes, I like bees . . . Bees make honey.

TT: Well, I like ants. Ants make apples.

.

At a restaurant where I arrived later than the others, who had already finished their soup. Ting Ting watched as the waitress put a hot bowl in front of me.

TT (eyeing it slyly): Mommy, if you eat all that soup, your tummy will get bigger.

Lauren: Oh, nice.

Mom (quietly, to Lauren): Just wait for it.

TT: Mommy, I share with you, please?

.

Later, at the same restaurant, addressing the people at the booth behind her

TT: What's your name? I'm 'Ting-a-licious.'

.

Arriving at preschool one morning . . .

TT: Mommy, this isn't day care, this is Africa!

Mom: Oh? How can you tell we're in Africa?

TT: There's a lion . . . and an ephelunt . . . and some monkeys . . . and a possum!

.

Ting Ting, Dad and Lauren are goofing around, and Ting Ting is arguing to make her point. Dad holds up his hand, palm facing her.

Dad: Ting Ting, talk to the hand.

TT (holding up her hand the same way, then bending the fingers into her palm like a mouth): Hello, hand! How are you today?

.

Ting Ting is playing with a magic wand. She spies a second one and hands it to Mom.

TT: Mommy, now we BOTH have magic wands! Let's go find Daddy and make all of his wishes come true!

Something tells me we've already done that, kiddo.

Yes, I DO remember the password to post here -- why do you ask?

I know, I know, it's inexcusable. I'm sorry for disappearing there for awhile. It's been a little busy, not that any of you really care -- I know you just want photos. So I'll just say blah, blah, blah, strep throat . . .



yada, yada, yada, layoffs at work, blah, blah, blah, blah, Cyrus' cousin visited . . .


yada, yada, yada, yada, insane schedule, blah, blah, blah, visited Papa and Lao Lao . . . .


yackity, yackity, yack, big brother's confirmation . . .


blah, blah, blobbity, blah, Ting Ting taking photos of Daddy . . . who was taking photos of her . . .


blah, blah, yada, yada, yada, some friends from the old country came to visit . . .


yackity, yackity, yackity, Memorial Day, yada, yada, yada, visiting with cousins . . .


blah, blah, blah, saw some wildlife, yada, yada, yada, more than one species . . .


yackity, yackity, yackity, blah, blah, pregnancy, yada, yada, yada . . .NO! Not me, her:

Then and then and now -- Easter edition

Easter portraits:


2007 (15 months)

2008

2009


and Easter basket shots:


2007


2008


2009

Wonderful weekend

Oh, the fun of Easter.


Coloring eggs with "Alla."


Going through the Easter basket (with Cyrus' help).


After that it was church, where she greeted dozens of folks and wished them happy Easter. I think the highlight for me was when I caught her waving at the pastors in the middle of the anthem -- and they both waved back.


Then we had Easter dinner at Aunt Gloria's.

That's exactly what I was thinking

Ting Ting, looking at a picture she had just drawn in crayon:

"I don't know what that is, but it sure is pretty"

Happy Easter

Spring!

We'll just go with the calendar -- forget what's happening outside my window.


Happy Easter, everyone!


If you're wondering about that beautiful matching hat, I dropped it on our way out the door to the photo studio. Yes, I did consider rescheduling the appointment -- why did you ask?


Oh well -- all's well that ends well.

Monday morning

And it only got worse

Same scenes, 9:45 p.m. April 5:


Yes, I was taking photos of my back yard at night.


And here's one out the front door, of the cherry tree in front of Lauren's window. Yesterday, when we came home from a little outing (to which Lance and I didn't even wear coats), I pointed out how both trees right in front of our house were budding.

Ai-yi-yi.

Ruthanne, what was the high today?

Oh, come ON!

7 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2009.

Yes, it WAS in the 60s yesterday. Why do you ask?

Notice how nicely it sticks to our neighbor's new mulch?

Ting Ting's trip to the dentist

Well, as I mentioned earlier, Ting Ting recently made her first trip to the dentist. She was a champ!


She was so excited when she woke up that morning that she insisted on picking out her clothes and getting dressed immediately after breakfast.


She was ready at 7:30 a.m. Our appointment was at 10.


I had prepared her in advance, starting almost as soon as I made the appointment six months earlier. It helped that one of the books Santa brought her was about Dora's trip to the dentist. We've probably read it 30 times in the last few months.


She was all ready for what the room would look like, what the instruments would look like, and what the dentist and hygienist would do with her.


And, luckily for us, we had Rosemary the hygienist. Rosemary showed Ting Ting each of the instruments and how it worked, and she turned each one on so Ting Ting would know how it sounded.

After Rosemary had helped Ting Ting count her teeth and had given them a quick polishing, Dr. D. came in to meet her newest patient.


I'm not bragging, but Ting Ting was such a model patient that the other hygienists and office staff kept stopping in to see her.


Ting Ting was thrilled when Rosemary gave her a new toothbrush with Belle on it. And she happily followed Rosemary down the hall to find some stickers with Dora and Diego on them.


Then it was Mama's turn. I had been smart enough to make the appointment at the same time I scheduled my own visit, but I wasn't smart enough to bring someone else with me to keep Ting Ting entertained while I was getting checked.

So Rosemary asked Ting Ting if she would help her with me. Ting Ting strapped on an enormous pair of rubber gloves and went to work.


One of the visiting hygienists snapped this photo for us. After that, Ting Ting took my camera and got some shots of her own.


(Remind me never to let her do that again).


Most of her photos were pretty good, though. I liked the composition of this one, with Ting Ting's finger across the corner.


And Rosemary continued to entertain.



All in all, it was a good day. She made me proud.

Matter of fact, she did so well that we followed it up with a hair cut -- oh, yes we did.


All in all, a great morning.