Metal Meredith

Oh My!

I have been desperately trying to sit down and write an update for a week now, but I have not carved out enough solid time to do so. So tonight, with dye in hair and paint drying on toenails, I am giving the update of all updates. Caution, some content might not be for the faint of heart

First, Phil said something last week that has really stuck with me. He said “I think of the past two years and realize that I have only learned a few things. Vivienne has learned EVERYTHING.” And it is so true. She thrills us daily with the new object that she can name (trumpet), the new skill she has picked up (climbing the ladder), or the new emotion she can identify (scared?). I had to call Phil on the way back from the Post Office last week to ask him where Vivienne learned “Trumpet”. Who knew?

We have settled back into our old, pre-move routine at long last. Although from time to time, I am still putting away boxes, digging through piles of random papers and spending a couple of minutes looking for that one long lost item. Vivienne is now a professional stair navigator. She has laid claims to almost every room by littering toys from one end of this house to the other. It’s hard to walk from one end to end without stepping on a Little People farm lady.

Lastly, and this is the story that might make some people cringe, Vivienne is saying new words all the time and butchering many of the old. Today, she started with “Volcano”, which she calls “Kayno”. Unfortunately, she is mixing it up with “Jyna”. This is her pronunciation of “Vagina”. All day long, at the playground, post office and stores, I had to hear “Where did jyna go?” and “big big jyna!”. All the while I smiled and kept repeating “VOLCANO. It’s VOL-CANE-OH”. Oh, the joys of motherhood.

Until next time, stay cool!
Meredith

Well.......kinda.....

After we moved a whirlwind of activity happened all around us. We moved on June 16th and it doesn’t feel like we have stopped since.

Phil went to Pittsburgh for 5 days for an AIGA conference on the 22nd. He called every night and proudly announced 3 days in that 2 days away from home is his new limit. I can’t blame him. He claims to have been working and really bored, but his receipts from many a bar and restaurant says otherwise. He did seem to come back refreshed and happy to be home, so you won’t hear a complaint from me.

Grammy and Abby came up that week to watch Vivienne while I went to the bank and the store. Ronni helped me take 2 loads of crap from the old house to the new. I couldn’t have done all that without her, mostly because I am really lazy….That weekend I had visits from Giselle, who watched Vivienne while I brought the last of the Seddon Road stuff to the new house. She also picked me up when I fell so gracefully off my steps and twisted my ankle. She didn’t even laugh which makes her a great friend. Mom came in Saturday and Vivienne went on the train at Short Pump Towne Center. I thought she might explode from excitement. She talked about that train for a week afterwards. Still, I can hear her do the muffled “choo choo” noise all day long.

My sister, grandparents and mom all came on the 30th for Grandpa’s 83rd Birthday. It was another busy weekend with trips back and forth to Amelia and Southside Richmond for 5 days. Dad and Nancy came down for a visit with Michelle, Vivienne and I. Again, Vivienne rode the train and talked about it for another 4 days. Fourth of July was spent outdoors in the pool and cooking out, like every American did that day. I was exhausted by the time it was all over.

Now, today marks the beginning of the first week of normalcy since we moved in. We have no plans, no visitors, no out of town trips or overnight guests. Vivienne is watching Dora the Explorer while she eats waffles in the living room. I have just hung a mirror, towel bar and some pictures in the downstairs bathroom. It finally feels like mine instead of someone else’s room I am using.

The rest of the week will be more of the same. Unpacking the last few boxes of things we need. The rest are in the extra bedroom upstairs. I am pretending they don’t exist for a few more weeks. I am not ready to tackle attic boxes yet.

Hopefully, updates will come more frequently now that we are a little more settled and the month of June is passed. If I can make it through summer this year, it will be a miracle.

Love,
Meredith

Vivienne celebrates the big “2”

Phil and I aren’t sure how we will top this years’ present. After all, what could a better gift than a new house (or mooo house as Vivienne calls it?) We moved the morning of her birthday. She took it all quite well. But she had no real idea that the day was something special.

Vivienne spent the day playing in her new room and getting reacquainted with toys that had been packed away. She got a bunch of balloons, a play sushi set and some fridge magnets that sing “ABC song”. She was in heaven. Phil even left a meeting early to being her home some cake. She thought that was just great. In fact, “cake” is a request we hear every night now.

There will be another celebration when Vivienne’s great grandparents come to own in a couple of weeks. Grandpa’s birthday is July 4th, so we will do a nice joint shin-dig at the farm.

In all this I must take one moment to thank all of the people who helped us get through the move. Without your babysitting help, design and decorating insights, dishwashing and straightening, we never would have been able to pull this off. You all know who you are.

More updates to come once this house isn’t such a ransacked mess!

Love,
Meredith and clan

Or at least trying to...

I remember when I moved into my first apartment, how fun it was to wake up, make a cup of coffee and sit in my living room doing something “grown up” like reading the paper or watching the news. Drinking coffee always seemed to be such a grown up thing to do. I suppose it stems from the routine I saw my parents take on each morning. Every day the coffee would be brewed. Dad would read the paper and the Today show was always on in the bedroom as Mom got ready for work.

Now that Phil and I are moving into our second home, I am still having those goofy “grown up” images. When I think of how things might be in the new house, I see me waking up and going downstairs in a robe to make the coffee (a ritual that I never do now, its Phil’s thing.) I see family meals, me cooking in the kitchen while Phil entertains Vivienne in the living room. I see me doing things around the house while Vivienne is at school and Phil at work. These are all such average, common images.

As always, I am stressing about all that needs to be done. I trick myself into thinking that a painted bathroom will make my existence more exciting, relaxing or complete. When in reality, the more things like that I have to do when we move in, the happier I am. With that said, we have successfully painted a few rooms, had carpet installed, and received our new, super-fancy appliances. I have torn out a kitchen cabinet, relocated the fridge and starting the process of replacing the countertops.

In the grand scheme, 5 years down the road, there will be bigger projects to tackle. But for right now, I am looking forward to making that coffee in my robe.

We are moving this week, so hopefully I will be up and running (computer wise) by next weekend. Let’s all not hold our breath though!

Love!
Meredith, Phil and Vivienne