Bahrman Bulletin

I believe that having a toddler is a lot like playing Peek-a-boo. One moment, there is your sweet child, playing quietly, smiling and laughing. Next time you say peek, in your child’s place is some monster, whining and crying, running away from mom.

For example, tonight Chiara entertained herself while I prepped dinner by putting stickers on paper and playing with the magnets we got from our friends Laura, Jon, and Finn that are on the dishwasher. This after she helped me do the laundry by taking the dry clothes from the dryer and handing them to me and then pushing the start button after I had re-loaded the dryer. Such a big helper!

However, this morning a different child embodied my sweet girl. After story-time at the library, Chiara decided to climb the stairs. Then, she wanted to play with her baby doll on the shelves, climb on the step-stool reserved for librarian use, and scream when I suggested she not do these things. As I quickly tried to check out our books so we could remove this loud distraction from the quiet halls of the library, she screamed louder and ran away, causing a librarian to ask, “Is this your child?” No, definitely not my sweet little girl…if you have seen my child, though, please return her to me. I miss her!

Although, I’m sure my mom is laughing and saying, “Ah, yes, that is Amy’s child!” How did my mother retain her sanity?

Chiara has loved learning winter words, such as Ho Ho Ho, reindeer, and snowman. Finally, we got a little snow that was perfect for building snow people.

So began the letter Becca received yesterday from Willamette University. Her first acceptance letter! (It’s funny, in this digital age, acceptance letters are no longer the thick packets they once were, but the tradition remains to send the now, thin two-page letter in an oversized 9″x12″ envelope.)

“Whew, that really takes off a lot of pressure. At least now I know I’ve been accepted somewhere.” Becca observed after her initial surprise and enthusiam. Having only applied on January 1, Becca had not expected to receive a response so quickly. The good news was compounded with a companion letter from the Office of Financial Aid offering her a significant Merit Award scholarship.

The wait continues on the other two schools to which she applied: University of Portland and Southern Oregon University. And we still need to visit Southern Oregon University in Ashland, hopefully in early March, so Becca can fully evaluate her options. So… no final decisions have been made, but we know she’ll be leaving for college somewhere west of the Cascades early next fall.

In this economy, it is good to build a diverse skill-set. Preparing for an eventual return to the job market, Tom is encouraging me to add to my resumé. Thanks to Santa who brought me a set of Haba blocks, I will soon be able to claim “master builder” status, just in case homemaker, marketing, or teaching don’t pan out.

“Mommy’s blocks,” as Chiara refers to them, consist of a “master builder” set of blocks to construct a medieval castle. Well, I think medieval builders had less trouble than I in assembling my castle. First, there are no instructions–simply an image to strive for. I can relate to how Brunelleschi must have felt envisioning the dome without being given a plan to bring it into reality. More challenging, however, is my little destroyer. As soon as I get two or three blocks together, Chiara immediately rushes over to knock them down. She never tires of the game. Suffice it to say, I am getting plenty of building practice.

The other night, once the destroyer was tucked into her crib, I stole some time and built my castle. Alas, a castle took form, defense wall and all.

This castle enjoyed approximately 12 hours of standing time. As soon as Chiara saw it standing the following morning, nothing could stop her from rushing in to destroy it. In a matter of seconds, my castle was no more.

So it seems I will get plenty of practice building my castle–over and over. Next resumé skill to add: knitting–but more on that later!

When I was training for a marathon (Did I actually do that? One would never know now!), I visited with a nutritionist to make sure I was fueling properly for the event. She suggested I get more protein in my diet and provided me with five pounds of protein powder. It wasn’t great, but I dutifully downed a few glasses of it in the weeks prior to race day.

One morning, as I was consuming my protein, Chiara asked for a sip. Thinking that she would not be interested in it once she actually tasted it, I lowered my glass and tipped it to her little lips. Smacking her lips, she immediately requested more. I was sure she didn’t get a really good taste of it, so I let her have another sip.

After the run, I readily gave up my protein shakes, which has been very fortunate for Chiara. Protein shakes, it seems, is all she eats now. She’ll go into the pantry and pull out the 5-pound tub and bring it to wherever we are in the house, requesting her drink. Morning, noon, and night, the girl wants protein shakes. So, if anyone knows where we can get a good deal on more protein powder, let me know. Chiara has almost depleted our first five-pound tub. (Oh, and I’ve learned a valuable lesson. Suffice it to say, Chiara will not be allowed any sips of wine or beer anytime soon! This means from you, too, Papa!)