Category Archives: Monkey

Monkey

Oh the rays of sun doth pierce the clouds…

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So, after the previously mentioned reading armageddon, I felt a break from the world of ABC’s was overdue. Monkey and I spent a wee bit of time on two reading wheels I made for her, but other than that, we have left the issue alone.

Tonight, while I was cooking dinner, she picked up one of the reading wheels, and began to read it. I, rather intelligently I think, said nothing and continued to prepare dinner. She began to sound out the words, cat, hat, pat, sat, mat, rat, bat, fat. After a little while, she was reading them, over and over with increasing ease. At this point, I exitedly told her that she was reading. She paused, looked over at me, and said “Really?”. I assured her she was reading. She got sooooo excited and then all teary and proud!! We celebrated with a little plaque saying when she began to read, what she read, and how proud we are of her. It is hanging on her wall. After the celebration she sat down to practice more so she could show her daddy after he returned home from work.

It feels so good!! I think maybe the pressure is off, if I can’t just keep leaving fun little things for her to happen upon and read, then maybe she will do this again, without the drama!!

A great day of success for our house! Yay Monkey!!

Monkey, New Jersey
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Shelf paper and temper tantrums….

Regardless of how “easy to apply” shelf paper may claim to be, I have yet to come across any that actually is easy to apply. If it doesn’t stick to itself, it doesn’t stick to the object to which it is applied. We are re-papering our kitchen cabinets, as the person before us felt that white plastic and packing tape were appropriate tools for shelf covering. The shelves themselves are a dark and forbidding particle board. Ick. Not that the re-papered shelves look much better than particle board, but at least you can see when they are dirty!!

Today was a hard day, continued resistance from the Monkey front occurred all afternoon. I tried to get her to take a nap, mainly because she wouldn’t entertain herself long enough to let me finish any work, and that did not go over well. It began with the normal resistance; “I’m not tired”, “Can I just rest?”, “If I can’t sleep can I play?” and then became a full fledged attack! “I am going back to Colorado without you!!”, “I hate it here!!”, “I don’t want to live here with you!” etc. I maintained robot mom status, calmly informed her she wasn’t leaving the state without us, and then told her her choices were nap, or grounded in her room until it was time to get her father. An hour later she was asleep. (Thankfully)

Still, a hard day. with many tears on her part and a dull headache on mine. So when she woke up we went and got Pizza Hut to try and restore good humor. Luckily it worked. She and I were happily singing away in the car and giggling all the way to get Lee.

Well, it is getting more real. This whole “Crap! I live here now!!” feeling. I keep expecting to get on the plane home, but each day, there is less of that, and more of a sense of permanency. Not a sense of home, but a sense of permanency.

Oh! Last night we were getting Monkey to bed when she started yelling ” a firefly mama! A firefly!” AND THERE THEY WERE!! All these little bugs with light up bottoms flying around my front yard. Neither she nor I had ever seen one before, so we got to share that experience together. Which was very, very special. After it got really dark, I got her out of bed to look for more, but alas, they were finished with thier light show for the night. I will have to try and catch some on film.

Missing you all…

Your Denver girl, signing out on the east coast.

Monkey, Moving, New Jersey

Beginning in New Jersey

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A Denver Girl in New Jersey…

Well…. it’s official, we are now domiciled in New Jersey.
(Of course, for all you law friends of mine, can one be domiciled when one has all the indicia of residency, but has neither the desire, nor the intent, to remain too long?) We have the job, the house, our stuff, but I wanna go home!!! (Wah!)

Our trip out was quite an interesting experience. To begin with, we had to rush into the airport because the helpful (overly so) man at curbside check-in raced away with our luggage before we could have our long, lingering goodbye with my parents. So instead, we had a quick hug and kiss each, and ran after his quickly retreating frame. Luckily, we were able to have a lovely breakfast with them before heading out, so I do not feel as bereft as I could.

Then, Monkey and I went through security with one backpack, a carry on, a Siamese cat in a carrying case, and three laptops. This took quite some time. All the laptops had to be removed and placed in individual containers. Then the cat had to be removed. (Yes! I had to remove a very unhappy, scared, and quite pissed off Siamese from her carrier in the middle of DIA security and desperately hold onto her while they scanned the carrier for bombs and other terrorist equipment.) Once I was completely covered in fur and scratched beyond recognition I was allowed to shove the cat, now with 20 unbelievably long legs (all resisting), back into the carrier and remove my shoes for inspection. Sigh. Finally, I was able to pack up all the laptops and creatures and proceed to the train to concourse A.

On the train, Monkey somehow managed to get her arm stuck in between the wall inside the train and the hand rail. She screamed bloody murder for three of the longest minutes of my life while I attempted to find the one position in which she had managed to shove her elbow into this tiny space to begin with. Meanwhile, the cat screamed like a dying baby and the passengers all fervently hoped they were flying no where near me. Finally, after asking Monkey to straighten her arm several times, each with increasing intensity, she was free. The train arrived at concourse A, we got off, set down our stuff, and cried for a while.

When we were feeling more like ourselves, we got up, and began our trek to the gate. Once there, we were basically calm for an hour. There was a brief panic when Monkey left her Nalgene bottle in the bathroom, and I thought I would have to trek back into it with the backpack, carry-on, and cat. Thankfully, an angel disguised as a fellow passenger went in and got it for me. Once again, I am both touched and disturbed by how sweet and helpful people are. Touched because I so obviously need their help, and disturbed because I am now that person who so obviously needs their help!! Ah, the days when I used to travel with a backpack, and nothing else, for two weeks. 🙁

Once on the plane, things were all right. Chloe’s carrier did fit nicely under the seat, and she was quiet for the first hour. Of course, the in-flight movie was “Good Night and Good Luck”, so Monkey was bored right away, but I had thought ahead and packed a gazillion little travel packs from Target, so she was all right. These are by far the coolest idea in kid entertainment I have encountered in ages, especially at a dollar a piece. Each kit comes in a see through, colorful, plastic, zipper container with a key chain. Her favorite kit contains a glue stick, several colorful foam pieces, and pictures to glue the pieces to. We also had a card kit, with four miniature cards and envelopes, a stamp pad, stamps, stickers, and a pen. There are bracelet kits, watch kits, Mirror and Frame kits, etc. I love them all. I have bought about 50 of them. I will cry when they are gone.

So, back to the plane… Monkey was an angel, entertaining herself with these great kits. Therefore, the occasional Yowl! from Chole was not too bad, and usually she was quieted with a pet or two. I started to relax a little. Contintental still serves meals, so we actually had a hot and yummy dinner on the plane. I relaxed more. Then the baby three seats up began to scream. Non-stop for the remainder of the flight. I could hear her through my ear plugs. Chloe could hear her in her carrier. Chloe commiserated with the baby in loud and strident tones, though I doubt anyone heard her. I compensated my seatmate by producing an extra pair of earplugs. (Which I had because I recently took the bar, and in a moment of OCD induced mania purchased about 40 sets of earplugs “just in case”.)

We finally got to New Jersey, got lost on the way home, had to stop at Target to get a litter box, but finally got home with food, cat, luggage, and kid. Safe and sound.

Our house is still packed, as we are still waiting for carpet removal, but the landlords have responded to us, and they will be gone within the week!! Yay!!

I miss you all, I miss the mountains, I miss the low humidity, and indistinguishable accents.