Two-th!

Iver lost his first tooth at the end of February. Less than two weeks later, after spending many days very wiggly at a very strange angle, his second (right) lower tooth came out this week on Wednesday during dinner.

He loves showing off his gap-toothed smile. When I asked him if eating is now hard(er), with the gap, he said "not really."  His speech is about the same (the "th-ame").

"And now my tongue has a home to rest." 

I wasn't sure when we can expect replacement, permanent teeth to erupt. I wondered if Iver, who had a teeth cleaning earlier in the week, had asked his dentist about this. He replied, "Nope. But I think my lower tooth will come in as soon as I lose an upper one."  I am pretty that, scientifically speaking, this is not actually the case, but I guess "we'll 'th-ee'"... 

One Year, One Aunt

One year into this COVID-19 pandemic, our kids (and we) got to see ONE relative this past weekend (the last time they saw any family was a year ago when my parents were here before the world shut down).

Theresa, Kelvin's youngest sister, is in between jobs and asked if she could come up and visit us/the kids before her new (remote) position started. We have been really strict with absolutely avoiding any out-of-work-or-school socializing with any other household indoors to date (I have gone on some masked outdoor walks with a few friends here and there). However, the CDC recently released guidelines outlining what is reasonable/allowable for vaccinated people (like Kelvin and me) to do, which included visiting with unvaccinated and non-high-health-risk members of one other (even unvaccinated) household, especially as vaccination nearly entirely eliminates severe COVID outcomes as well as likely considerably decreases spread of infection.  Although Theresa hasn't had the opportunity to get her shot yet (and the kids obviously aren't eligible yet), she was careful, got pre-tested, wore her N95 on the way, is very medically healthy, and we agreed it was okay for her to come up to spend a few days here locally and stay with us (as the risk was mainly to her).

It was so worth it and a very fun time for the kids!  We had lovely sunny weather on the weekend. 

On Saturday, we went to the local Sequoia Zoo (a Christmas gift which she had bought for our family).  

We also took her to the kids' favorite beaches and dunes. 

Theresa took some lovely scenic photos. 

There was good food/eating to be had, including fresh-caught local Dungeness crab and oysters. 

Pancake-making (and eating) with Iver.

Theresa made some delicious popcorn chicken from scratch, which was a hit with all!

Dessert time!

Reading with auntie

Art

Marble fun

It wasn't a long visit (and didn't make up for a year's absence!), and we had a hiccup of a mild non-COVID cold that Niall developed on Saturday, prompting nasal swabs all around.... sigh. Nevertheless, we were so glad Theresa had the opportunity and chose to come and spend time with us here and the kids had another adult/person to engage with, taking some of the emotional (and entertaining) pressure off of us (as I've written before, pandemic parents are really needing breaks!). 

(Parents of small children)

We really wish we could just go back to routine family visits like in *normal* times without all of the extra worries and infection precautions... but here we are. Kelvin's parents are finishing up their second COVID vaccines this month, and hope to come up here to see us in April (which would be the first grandparents in more than a year!). We hope that my parents, who are status-post-shots #1, can follow later this year, and that we can maybe travel out of the area to see our other OC family sometime in the summer. I seriously need a change in scenery and miss travel and the novelty of new places and experiences desperately.  So much has been lost and has changed in a year.  However, things are starting to turn around... slowly... for the better. Here's to the future. Praise God.  And Science. 

International Women's Day

International Women's Day is a day that is also my father's birthday.  I spent the day helping women strive for healthy pregnancies and births (one happened before midnight, one after).  

I am thankful for parents and a spouse who have allowed me to be many things as a woman-- a medical professional, a mother, and more. 

Greta, Malala

To strong women everywhere (and those who love them): may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them (and may we raise our men to celebrate them, too). 

Interview Insights

One of my friends posted these interview questions on FB recently and so I posed them to the kids. It's a neat snapshot in time in a very strange time of growing up for these kids, but kid answers sometimes seem universally funny; here they are.

Interview with Iver, March, 2021 (age 6).

1. If you won a million dollars, what would you buy? I don't know how much money that is.

2. How long does it take to get to the beach? "What beach?" "Any beach. Your favorite, closest beach." 20 minutes.

3. What do I always say to you? "Good morning, Iver."

4. What job would you like to do when you grow up? I haven't decided yet. Between a vet or a zookeeper.

5. Who is the strongest person? Me.

6. Where do babies come from? Mommies' stomachs.

7. At what age do you become a grownup?  Eighteen

8. What’s the worst rule I have for you? Not eating by the heater.

9.  What wild animal do you like? Chameleon

10. What would you do if you couldn’t find your underwear? I would make underwear out of blankets.

11. If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Pizza.

12. How much does it cost to buy a house? $3 million 

13. Who do you hang out with all the time?  Hudson & Ryder

14. What song makes you want to dance? See You Again

15. What are you scared of? Nothing

16.  What is your favorite game to play? Chess, Uno, Enchanted Forest.

17. What's your favorite color? Dark Pink

18. How old am I?  41? 

19. Who is the president? Joe Biden

20. What kind of car do you want when you grow up?  A convertible

22. Where do you want to live when you grow up? In Orange County

23. Who is your best friend? Hudson

24. What’s your favorite activity? Crafts, play with my brother 

25. What year is it? 2021

Interview with Niall (age 3). 

1. If you won a million dollars, what would you buy?  A cow.

2. How long does it take to get to the beach? Five hours.

3. What do I always say to you? "I love you."

4. What job would you like to do when you grow up? Play museum.

5. Who is the strongest person? Joe Biden.

6. Where do babies come from? Mothers' bellies.

7. At what age do you become a grownup?  Three

8. What’s the worst rule I have for you?  Eating.

9.  What wild animal do you like? Snakes-- anacondas.

10. What would you do if you couldn’t find your underwear? I would just wear pants.

11. If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Vegetables.

12. How much does it cost to buy a house? Three. "Three what?" "Three money."

13. Who do you hang out with all the time?  Declan.

14. What song makes you want to dance? Hamilton

15. What are you scared of? Tigers, Bigfoot, Witches.

16.  What is your favorite game to play?  Marble Run

17. What's your favorite color? Blue

18. How old am I?  I don't know.

19. Who is the president? Joe Biden

20. What kind of car do you want when you grow up?  Simba Car

22. Where do you want to live when you grow up? Croatia

23. Who is your best friend? Declan

24. What’s your favorite activity?  Play chocolate games.

25. What year is it? I don't know.