Spelunking and sailing: The latest adventures

Today Soren accomplished his biggest cave exploration to date. He made it all the way to the pitch-black and somewhat scary end of an abandoned mining tunnel in the Anacortes Forest Lands. He and his grandparents had tried to explore it before without proper lights, so this time (with his mom and Aunt Jill along), we brought multiple flashlights.

Soren showed his characteristic caution for new situations, but once he made it timidly to the destination (not wanting to be in the lead), his confidence perked up, and with his own flashlight he made several solo trips in and out, laughing and singing and shouting echoes and collecting rocks--all the things that make spelunking so much fun.

It's very nice to have rendezvoused in Anacortes with Auntie Jill, who is visiting us from Portland. She's starting school (again) this summer to become a nurse practitioner, at OHSU. Congrats, Jilly!

In other adventures.... On the last day of March, we were honored to be aboard the first public sail of the 2012 season for the schooner Adventuress. She schooned around Port Townsend Bay in the rain, testing out her new mainsail (the biggest one on the west coast!), and Soren got to check everything out. (He'll be volunteer crew in no time.)
Soren's favorite activity? A close second to dogging down the watertight doors in the fo'c'sle bulkhead (just like in the Nautilus submarine in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!) was viewing fresh-caught plankton with a video microscope in the deckhouse.
Now, when I was crew in 1999, we didn't have such fancy equipment. But no way could we have ever spotted an urchin larva with those old magnifying boxes! With this, we could even see diatom chains. Way cool.
Too bad Jeff couldn't come with us; he was manning a booth for Power Trip Energy Corp. at the Sequim Home Show. But my boy and I had a memorable sail together. Here's to many more.

P.S. If you're not a subscriber to Soren Talks, he also posted today:

http://sorentalks.blogspot.com/2012/04/im-all-boy-and-i-can-drive-tractor-too.html

Soren's sleep-over and my night out

Let's just call it inertia. The force that held Soren and I captive in our bedtime routine for nearly 2-1/2 years. It took a great deal of planning and resolve to break free of, but this force was successfully overcome last week.

What am I talking about?!

The mothers out there are nodding. They know it's hard to believe but TRUE. I hadn't LEFT Soren for a single night since he'd been born. Not until last Thursday.

Did you hear that right? Dr. Soren will check out your ears if you think they're not working correctly...



These cute pix are not just window dressing, they're a tribute to my parents (pictured) for agreeing to keep Soren at their house for a tad over 24 hours so I could escape unencumbered to Seattle. They did this not knowing if they would get ANY sleep that night. Because they love me!

Thankfully their home is filled with things fascinating to Soren, including this doctor's kit that I played with as a little girl. He loves to give check-ups.
OK, so back to my story. The seed for my escape was planted in the theatre, of all places. I don't go that often, but one of the plays I saw in the past year was an incredible one-woman show performed in Port Townsend called "The K of D: An Urban Legend." The actress, Renata Friedman, grew up in PT and has hit it pretty big in the theatre world. She took this show to the New York Fringe Festival, and right now it is showing at the Seattle Rep.

I knew I wanted to see it again.

I wanted to take my best friend, Sierra.

I considered taking my husband, but a Thursday night worked best for everyone else involved, and he had to work Friday.

And bad luck, I came down with a wicked head cold the day before all this was to transpire.

I wasn't breathing well enough to sleep well during my first guaranteed-uninterrupted night in 2-1/2 years, but oh, well. Sierra and I enjoyed dinner out and the play was smashing (we had seats in the second row). We stayed up past midnight just talking and blissfully slept in till 9:30 a.m. A short time later my mom left a message on my cell phone that started, "You have left us a model child..." and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I didn't suffer separation anxiety -- and, it turns out, neither did Soren. But I was worried for my parents' peace of mind. How cheering to hear he only called out my name upon waking from the nap I put him down for, and after that he didn't ask for me again. He didn't ask about nursing, either (yes, we're not weaned, something I'm usually grateful for...), but happily drank the warm milk I suggested offering. In fact, he didn't cry or fuss once the entire 27 hours!! And then he slept 11 hours straight that night, a near record.

When we were reunited, he had a meltdown a mere two hours later. So it goes.

It was a busy weekend, because after all the planning and packing for the sleep-over Thursday night, Soren and I scurried home Saturday night to plan and prepare for a baby shower I hosted Sunday afternoon. Actually, Soren and Jeff were ordered to vacate the house so I could clean and party-prep. Then 12 of us gathered at The Roost to bestow blessings upon my dear friend Audrey, whose second child is due in just a few days.

Here we are, hands on her big belly, wishing the child safe passage to this world.

I wish for Audrey a night away LESS THAN 2-1/2 years from now!

Auntie Nora returns - Anacortes visit

My sister Nora finally got a break from grad school in Colorado and was able to visit for the first time since December! She totally bonded with her nephew (really, they were inseparable) and we got to hang out with her in Anacortes and then she visited us in Port Townsend (see next post).

Here they are on the beautiful beach at Washington Park in Anacortes (above).
With Grannie and Papaw pushing the swing at the 1-year-old "community-built" playground in Anacortes. The large and varied park (more fun and photos to come from many future visits, I'm sure) was assembled in 5 days by volunteers (they helped) and was designed by Leathers & Associates, which does this sort of thing with playgrounds all around the country. Very cool!
On a hot day, Soren chilling in his great-grandma Rees's stainless steel dishtub. Just the perfect size for a 9-mo.-old boy!
Posing in a colorful orange-juice corner when Nora and Grannie took him to the supermarket. Soren LOVES riding around in a shopping cart!

Our first visit to Anacortes

Believe it or not, Soren didn't make a trip to my hometown of Anacortes until he was nearly six months old! Papaw Bill and Grannie Annie have made lots of trips to Port Townsend to see us, but this was our first time traveling north. (One excuse we can trot out is that there was no car ferry service for the month of January.)

We visited lots of friends, including my high school friend Amber (above). We are holding each other's babies! Her little girl Avelyn is two days younger than Soren.
And here is the family of Nat, my friend from way back in elementary school! He just moved back to the area and it was good to meet his new son Timmy (far left) as well as reconnect with his older boy Frank (whom we had not seen since he was first born) and his wife Diane (holding Soren).
Our friend Barb brought Soren a Rubbermaid container, labeled on the lid as "Soren's Toy Box." But we soon realized it could be used for all sorts of fun games!
Of course, the real attractions in Anacortes are the grandparents. Here's Soren with Grannie and Papaw on his six-month birthday. I was worried about two aspects of our trip: 1) that Soren would be fussy on the 45-minute car ride, and 2) that he wouldn't sleep well away from home.

Well, my first worry was just unfounded. He napped all the way there and only whined part of the way back. My second worry was alleviated by the fact that we brought with us his hammock, his blanket, his stuffed animal, his humidifier, his radiator, and even the inflatable bathtub in which he bathes right before bed. So he must have felt pretty much at home, because he slept better than he usually does! I hadn't slept in the same room with him since he was three months old, and was surprised at how little noise he makes. I slept soundly, too. And then my parents played the role of Jeff (who was back in PT working) and took over at 6:30 a.m. when Soren was wide awake so I could get a little more sleep.
A really fun thing was an "open house" my parents organized to introduce Soren to some of their friends. About a dozen people came, and it was quite the party. Soren was a cheery lad and allowed himself to be handed around and generally charmed all present. As you can perhaps see in this photo, it snowed that afternoon (a bit unseasonably for the Northwest), and by the end of the day, four inches had piled up!

As my mom exclaimed, "Soren, if we'd known what a fun houseguest you would be, we would have had you over much sooner!" Agreed.