All I'm Saying there's a joke in here somewhere

Once my training was wrapped up, we headed into the guts of downtown Phoenix to go to the Heard Museum, which is one of the premier Native American museums in the world. They have an amazing collection of art by tribal members from all over the country, not just the Southwest.

One thing I noticed on our trip was that there seems to be this fundamental cultural value the Native Americans have, and that is to produce art. I'm not sure if I am reading that right, but everywhere we went, we found pottery, paintings, beadwork, sculpture, you name it. I definitely don't see that sort of production in the Anglo community. We have our artists, but I sensed more of a...I don't know...duty? to produce objects that showed who the people in these Native communities are.

The Heard had a pretty neat children's section that depicted some of the key environments of tribes across the country. Here are Freya and I exploring the polar regions:

The Heard also had a gift shop full of beautiful hand-crafted things like Navajo rugs, pottery, silver and turquoise, etc. A friend had told me that was the place to buy a nice souvenier, but the prices confounded me. Luckily, as you will see later, I didn't buy anything there. Bargains were in my future...

We went to the Southwest because I had a training session in Phoenix. Matt and Freya did touristy stuff during the day, and I joined back up with them at the hotel in the evenings. Not much to report there.

On our way to Phoenix, we overnighted in Flagstaff and stopped at Walnut Canyon National Monument before leaving town that next morning. The monument is at the site of a really cool cliff dwelling, where Native Americans lived about 700 years ago. There was a creek about 75-100 feet below the dwellings, and all I could do was wonder how on earth the mothers who lived there kept their toddlers from wandering right over the edge. Seriously, how? I'll bet they had little baby leashes even back then.

My own toddler enjoyed exploring the visitor center, and grew very attached to The Corn Cookbook, which she picked up in the bookstore and didn't want to put down. She got pretty pissed off when we took it away from her, but we just don't cook that much corn.

Hi, all! I am sitting at my sister-in-law's house in Denver, waiting for Freya to wake up from a nap. I was checking my e-mails and noticed I was getting comment spam from hell, so since the little girl is still sleeping...why not log in, take care of the friggin' spam and give you a little update?

The trip is going fine. Freya has been a little sick off and on, which is really tough. She woke me up at 5:30 a.m. in Grants, New Mexico, by puking into my bra. She only threw up the one time, but it was also the only time in her whole baby life that she's barfed. (Spit up, which was rare, doesn't count.) She's run a fever off and on, and while she's fine now, it was awful not knowing what to do. We gave her Tylenol, and it helped. Talk about hard to be away from home when your baby isn't feeling good.

I'm planning on posting a whole travelogue over a series of days when we get back, so I won't spoil all the fun of following our adventures, but suffice to say we'll be home Sunday and I'll try to get all our pics uploaded and start filling you in.

Now I need to go check the weather report--Denver is expecting snow tonight and tomorrow, and we may have to leave a little early to get ahead of the storm...

I'll be taking a little hiatus while I attend some training in Phoenix and we have a little family vacation. You all be good--I'll talk to you in a couple weeks.

Dear Sweet Baby,

You are one year old today. I've spent much of the last 24 hours mentally reliving your labor and delivery. Last night as I fed you before bed, I looked down into your eyes and told you about how, one year ago, you and I were working so hard to bring you in to the world and how you and I both were being so strong so that we could see one another's faces. I think you thought I was nuts.

I kept glancing at my watch through the day thinking, "Matt was probably getting to hold you for the first time," or "I was feeding you for the first time." It has been an amazing year of learning, both about you and about myself. You teach me about what is important (like reading "Spot Goes to the Park" nine times while trying to type this entry one-handed), and what isn't. Like whether I make that green light or not.

Your father and I agreed the other day that while we've had some hard days since your birth, there isn't one day that wasn't made infinitely better by the fact that you were in it.

All my love, my birthday girl.
Mommy

This picture was taken the other night when I thought I'd get some cute shots of your naked bottom. Instead, you peed on the carpet and I got some cute shots of you looking down, wondering why you were standing in a warm spot.

Nearly every time I sit down anywhere in the house, Freya approaches me with a book in her hand. She's walking very well, and more importantly (evidently, to her) is the fact that she can now carry a story book to her father or I, place it in our laps, and then bounce up and down grunting. That's how she says she wants a story.

We've been reading to her for a long time. In fact, Matt did the whole reading to my belly thing. And now she'll sit in the living room with a book on her lap and will talk to herself, telling her own version of the story. It's wonderful. It's amazing. It gives me hope that she'll be the genius I think she is.

It is also a little crazy-making. My morning getting ready today went like this:
Shower
Read "Pat the Bunny"
Dry hair
Read "Pat the Bunny"
Put on shirt
Read "Pat the Bunny"
Put on pants
Read "Pat the Bunny"

I am not exaggerating, internet peoples. We must have read that stupid book ten times while I was trying to keep my forward momentum. I grew so sick of the book that I ended up taking it over to the care-giver's this morning. Now we won't see it for a week or so, at least, not until she's sick of it too.

Sorry, I can't write a proper entry tonight. I have to read "Spot Goes to School" for the millionth time to my book-a-holic toddler.

Okay, one million and one, one million and two...

Matt just left to attend a training session all the way on the other end of the state, and he's going to be gone all week. This is the longest he's been gone since Freya was born. I think the last time was during hunting season, and it was just two nights. It is also different because Freya wasn't walking then, and she's a little more work now than she was before. (In some ways.) But he just left 20 minutes ago and I think Freya and I both are already bored and lonely.

On the plus side for Freya, she's been looking at the TV off and on for a while, as it is tuned to Animal Planet's, "The Puppy Bowl," wherein a bunch of puppies run around on a miniature football field. It doesn't sound all that interesting, and I guess it really isn't, but this is the third year running that it has been on for at least part of Super Bowl Sunday at our house. This is the first time Freya has even acknowledged the TV set, which is a really good thing (that she hasn't acknowledged it before, I mean), but I also wonder if I should turn it off. Don't want to harm her small brain or start turning her into a couch potato. On the other hand, part of me thinks I should be Tivoing it for future use in lulling her into complacency. Can't I have it both ways?

And on the really dire side of things, our neighbors across the street were over for Freya's birthday party last night. (I'll post pictures and whatnot Wednesday, which is her actual birthday.) If you'll recall, this set of neighbors includes Tess, the woman who watches Freya 30 hours a week while I'm working at my not-at-home office. The bad news is that he's been offered a job in Salem, Oregon, which would be great for them but horrible for us, as we'd really be adrift for child care. It just doesn't get any better than having a trusted friend across the street caring for your child in her own home. We've had the best, and you know what happens under those circumstances: nothing else is ever as good. So hey, internet, send vibes that the job doesn't pan out, will you? They're in the offer/counter-offer negotiations right now, and it could all fall apart.

Sigh...

While it pretty much means outing my nerdliness, I have got to tell you guys about this cool website I was just directed to the other day!

Back in the 1980's my beloved Uncle Bunk (short for "carbuncle," not because he had them but because it rhymed so nicely with uncle) started buying me hardback books from the Reader's Digest "World's Best Reading" series. I got The Yearling, To Kill a Mockingbird, Kim, Jane Eyre, and a bunch of other great classics. Over the years, I've tried to add to my collection. I've been paying about $6 or $7 a volume at estate sales, used booksellers and wherever else I could find them.

I recently posted an "In Search Of" ad at MDC, and one of the posters there referred me to AbeBooks. Sure enough, there was a seller there who was asking $1/volume, plus shipping. I got five more of the books for $18.50!

The site is basically a conglomoration of online sellers of used books, but the beauty of it is that you just use one shopping cart for all your purchases, so you don't spend $3.50 here, $5 there, etc.

And now I can't wait to get my books!