Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Ever since we moved to the Bay Area, Ryan has been working freelance from home. Ethan and I have been spoiled by all of the time we've been able to spend with him and the flexibility that this has created for our family. When I had to go back to work when Ethan was two months old, Ryan was able to arrange his schedule to provide most of the childcare. It was easy to plan for family vacations, as we only have one schedule to work around. Best of all, Ethan had tons of father and son time, and got to go on lots of adventures like this:







Ryan starts a new job tomorrow, which will take some getting used to around here. It's an amazing opportunity (full-time commercial/advertising photography jobs are hard to come by!), and Ethan and I are so proud! That doesn't mean we won't miss having him around, though. Call us selfish, but we really enjoy our time with him!


Especially this little guy, who absolutely adores his daddy.

Long Time, No Blog!

Okay, first things first. Let's go through a quick list of everything that's been going on that has kept me from blogging for the past month or so:

Ethan's hair pulling saga
We decided to give the boy a buzz cut after much consultation with his pediatrician. We haven't seen any of the pulling behaviors since, and are very hopeful that it was just a phase. To be thorough, we're scheduling an appointment with Children's Hospital in Oakland to see a specialist and make sure that we've fully attacked the problem.

Ryan's graduation from his Master's program
Finally! Three years of hard work really paid off for him. He walks on Wednesday, and we are looking forward to celebrating the big event with his parents who will be in town for the ceremony.

New job, new house
I've spent the past month or two setting wheels in motion on a new job. After a couple of rounds of interviews, I received the call yesterday that I'd been selected! This is great news - it's a wonderful opportunity, a big promotion, and without this job we would have had to move out of state. Now we're searching for a new house, as our landlord is selling ours. Soon we'll be right in the thick of packing up boxes, trying to keep Ethan from unpacking said boxes, and moving to a new house.

Now that we've got all that out of the way...

It's SUMMERTIME! Well, almost. It feels like summer is just around the corner. Ahhh, the season of backyard barbecues and lounging by the pool. Ethan was all suited up and ready for some swimming, and then we saw this:


Hmm, maybe it's not quite time yet. Guess it's all about running through the sprinkler for the next few weeks.

Think the UN is Hiring?

Dear United Nations,

I realize that I neither hold a degree in linguistics, nor am I fluent in any other language than my native English. However, I believe that real-life experience should not be underestimated, and that I possess the necessary skills and constitution to join your team of translators. What, may you ask, is the impetus for my inquiry into open positions? Well, sir or madam, the inspiration struck yesterday when I was at the park with my toddler. You see, facilitating a play date is a lot like being responsible for conveying the messages of important heads of state. The same sort of language barriers that are seen from country to country are also evident from age group to age group. Though they were speaking the same dialect only a few years prior, children in the 7 to 10 year old age range simply do not understand the language of toddlers. That's where I come in. With my playground interventions, I bring people together. I clear up misunderstandings. I prevent attacks. I spread goodwill. How much more qualified could one person who doesn't speak any language other than English be?

To strengthen my appeal, I submit for your review a few excerpts from my Toddler Translator. It began as an Ethan to English dictionary, but it's proven so helpful that I've decided to release it worldwide. Some of my favorite entries are listed below:

bup
Etymology: from English "help"
1 : to request assistance or support ("Bup, peas." - See entry "peas" for further translation.)
Etymology: from English "up"
2 : to request to be lifted or carried ("Bup, peas." - Very similar to above definition, and therefore quite confusing.)

maho
Etymology: from English "follow"
1 : to request that a person drops what he or she is doing and accompany the toddler to wherever he wants to go ("Maho me!") This is usually paired with an outstretched hand that the toddler expects the requestee to take.
*See, I'm even skilled at nonverbal communication! Hire me!!!*

nana
Etymology: from English "food" or "snack," derived from first learning how to request a favorite fruit, then extending said request to cover all foods
1 : to indicate that one is hungry, or at least that one wants to eat ("Nana?")

nanana
Etymology: from English "banana"
1 : a specific snack request of a sweet and soft yellow fruit ("Nanana? Nanana!")
*Note how the request with a question inflection quickly turns to a shouted demand. It's best not to delay provision of a banana, unless you want to see what the combination of a hungry AND angry toddler looks like. It's not pretty.*

peas
Etymology: from English "please"
1 : a term of politeness that increases the likelihood of request being fulfilled ("Bup, peas." - See entry "bup" for further translation.)
*Clarification - "peas" never actually refers to the vegetable, as my child refuses to eat fresh veggies.*

While still in development, my patent- and copyright-pending Toddler Translator will in its finished form be quite extensive. I hold complete confidence in its destiny to be the "it" reference book for parents to be (after "What to Expect When You're Expecting," of course). I thank you for your time and consideration, as well as your out of the box thinking when looking to hire your next translator. I look forward to speaking with you further about how I could be an invaluable asset to the United Nations translation team.

Respectfully,

Sarah Notch, Ph.T. (Psychologist of Toddlers)

PS - I also posses skills in the area of behavior management. May I suggest assigning a time out to leaders who break UN agreements? Just a thought.