Welcome to June and the Summer?

I think I shall ski tomorrow. Yes, Snowbird is still open and yes I'm still interested in making turns. I know it's supposed to be summer but the trails are too muddy for hiking or biking and the mountains are still covered in snow. I'll admit, part of my motivation is a story I'm working on about the economics of late season skiing (check out the IndustryReport.com June 16) but the other is that I'm desperate for exercise. I climbed at Rockreation with Kristen last Wednesday and that was about it since my week in Mammoth May 16 where I skied one day and snowboarded (or shall I say, got my body pummelled) one day. I'm committed to climbing at least once a week but I really thought I would be moved into my new office - stairstepper and all- by now and back to my workout regime. Best laid plans. My sheetrock guy went to jail for a week on cocaine charges and the momentum jerked to a halt. Needless to say, I didn't welcome him back after his stint in the "graybar motel". I've already unwittingly had my camera and watch stolen since construction began, I don't need to attach a neon sign to my things now. So I still have a bunch of little things let to finish.

The thrift store finally hauled off my entertainment center and my parents big screen TV. Funny. I thought that piece of rear projection history would be worth a whole lot more than whatever that 5-n-dime in Heber is going to sell it for. Sigh. It was one of the first ever on the scene. I dragged it out from San Diego and it worked great until I upgraded with the folks' next hand-me-down. Then it sat in the garage collecting dust; failing to sell at last year's yard sale and throughout the year on Craigslist.

Tomorrow, I'll ski and forget all about it. I hear it's mid-winter up there. Looking forward to the bragging afterwards. "I skiied the last day of May." And next week, I'll have "skiied the first weekend of June." We are promised turns at least until Dad's Day. No word yet on Fourth of July skiing but no matter. Ryan, Sage and I are off to Boston to visit Vavo and Vavao(?)- that's grandma and grandpa for those Portuguese challenged. Did I fail to mention that Sage is half Portuguese? I think that is sooo cool. Who would have thought that this whitebred American Jewish chick would wind up with a Portuguese (non-practicing) Catholic? I did always have a thing for dark, handsome foreigners. It started around the time The Godfather won those Oscars. Maybe Sage's legacy will even help her get into college one day. You never know.

Sage Signs For More

Speaking of which, those gorgeous blue eyes of hers are here to stay! Her mousy blond hair is past her shoulders and although I clipped her some bangs to keep the strands from getting glued to her snot nose in the mornings, they have grown past her nose again. She can point to most all the parts of her body, she still loves baths and when we watch "So You Think You Can Dance," she actually drops to the floor and tried to breakdance. I promise to video this soon so you can all chuckle with us. It's too cute. She's also learning to jump up and down. She does great in her crib but only gets one foot off at a time when she's on the ground. She occasionally gets them both airborn but when she lands, she falls. Tomorrow I bet she gets it. Her words are coming along and it sure helps that she knows sign. Otherwise, it would be hard to figure out whether she wanted the book or the ball, juice or shoes, cracker, cookie or cheese. It's so much easier to communicate with her. But I forget how important it is to teach everyone else the signs too. My mom whined when she spent the day with her in Mammoth. She laughed and scolded me because Sage signed to her all day long and she couldn't understand a single word or figure out what Sage wanted. Oh the poor things!

So now at 21 months, Sage can say (and sign) More, Ball, Book, Please, Cheese, Da-EE, Mama, Juice, Food, Shoes. She can sign- shirt, pants, bath, hug, baby, boy, yes, thank you, diaper, poop, toes, dirty, water, cracker, cookie, dog, sleep, pacifier, milk, up, down, and I'm sure there are some I missed.
When we read Goodnight Moon, she points to the pictures in the book as I say them- Goodnight Cow jumping over the moon, goodnight brush, goodnight stars. I ask her where the balloon is and she puts her finger on the image. I have no idea if she's smarter than the average toddler but it's so thrilling to see what was once a lump, interacting and responding like a little human being.
Tenaya is her protector. If she's not sleeping at the side of my bed, she's curled up at the baby's door. Must be those scraps she snags from the highchair at mealtime. Only takes a few snips of bacon to know who your best friend should be.
Well, I best hit the hay if I want to have any energy for the slushfest tomorrow. The forecast stated 60 degrees and sunny in the mountains! Toodles.

Long Time No Chat

Wow, I think this has been the longest stretch I've gone without blogging since I started blogging. I blame the stellar Wasatch ski season, my gargantuan home construction and being the mom of a one year old. Does that buy me a hall pass? I still have 60 hours of programming to watch on my DVR! On the bright side, I've painted the new spaces and have moved onto purchasing a office desk and appliances for the downstairs mom-in-law space and Sage has said her first word beyond Mama and Daddy. She can say "MORE". Yup; her very first word; ironic isn't it? A true Adler. She also loves bagels, takes huge spills without a tear shed, and laughs and babbles up a storm. She's walking fast but not running yet. Signing more words- ball, baby, bath, socks, shoes, diaper- but more importantly she 'gets it.' When we wake in the morning, she picks up her toys before we leave her room, I ask her where her binky is and she looks for it and finds it, she tells me what she would like to eat, she grabs her ankles and lifts up her butt for the diaper change, stops fussing before I count to '5' (9 times out of 10 :)). Our baby is growing up! She'll be 21 months on the 12th so I suppose it's to be expected. Hoping the "terrible twos" will pass us like Elijah.
To see the evolution of the construction, http://picasaweb.google.com/mtnmedia/HomeAdditionRemodel?authkey=YL7DnLtOcdY
and of Sage: http://picasaweb.google.com/mtnmedia/19MonthsOld

Hello Again!

I got my ass spanked in the terrain park at PCMR today. Not that I crashed or anything major but with hyper adrenaline charges pumping, I was whisked into the park and pride forced me to step up - on 4 trips through the beast. It was Jonesies. Three years ago this was the baby park. Now it's the medium-sized one but you could have fooled me. #1 - I cleared the knuckle each time but came down on my tails before correcting my balance. The PSIA clinician said I was an ACL accident waiting to happen. Not good for the psyche when it was right back up for round two. Bigger, faster and more centered, I nailed all three landings but damn those can still feel like someone is drilling into your feet from below. #3- first jump came up short and I landed on the knuckle. No biggie really but being concerned about clearing the next jump, I started my straightrun from that rollover. I was flying and then I was flying. I caught so much air it scared me. I nearly hit the flats after the landing. Not good. I pulled out to the side and steadied myself for going sideways on the ''beginner" box. No problem riding straight on the 2-foot wide feature of flat white plastic with metal edges. But popping onto it and twisting 90-degrees so that I was perpendicular to it was another animal. Four times I tried; three I wiped out on my left hip and once I stayed on my feet- barely. My ankle, arm, hip, middle back and neck are all a little achey tonight.
I must be touched in the head because I really want to go back and conquer that beast. I bet if it was a sunny day, things would be different! Instead, the light was flat, it was snowing and frickin' cold. Plus, my hip flexors are weak from lack of training and I seemed to be working hard for each 180 and pop.

Back at the ranch, I found Lucas sheetrocking my new addition. It's coming along- slowly as always- but it's beginning to transform into something resembling a living space. The plan is to acid stain the concrete floor tomorrow. I can't wait. A new DIY project for Jill! So far, I've installed switchplates, lighting fixtures and painted and installed an organizer in my closet. I would have done more if there was more to do. We're moving soooo slowly. I can't believe it's taking more than 6 months. That's crazy.
Ryan's well and has been a huge help with the baby. For example, he drove up from Salt Lake to pick her up from the sitter's yesterday while I was stuck in SLC shopping for supplies. He came up tonight to watch her so I could make my digital photography class but I blew that off and we hung out for dinner instead. I do want to get a better understanding of my Canon but the class is boring and filled with that photograher's gibberish like F-stop, shutter speed, histogram, spot metering that puts me to sleep. After a day like today, I'd fade fast. I think I need a one on one to ever understand the mechanics of anything non point-n-shoot.
We spent three hours last Saturday shooting around a drab park (it was starting to snow, everything was dead (or hibernating), grey and still. Plus, I was freezing. It must have been in the 20s.
Here's one of my shots. What do you think? Do I have talent or what?
I am going to try to go back next week but I may have lost my way.
Updates:
Skiing's still really nice although the powder is now packed powder and locals are sitting things out until the next big dump. Tuesday maybe?
Sage said mama tonight and for the first time I seriously think she gets what it means. She has said it in the past but then it was more like part of her babbling. Today at dinner Ryan asked her, "Where's mama?" Sage looked right at me and said, "Mama." I know this shouldn't so exciting but when you've waited nearly 19 months and everyone starts wondering why your baby is 'slow' at speech you can't help but swoon over the accomplishment. She has been signing for communication. She knows the signs for milk, diaper, more, please, cheese, juice, sleep and daddy. I so love being able to give Ryan shit about baby signlanguage. When I took my class and tried to teach him some words he said no way and that he would have to see it to believe. Now he believes.
She walks, she crawls up steps, she loves bathtime, sleeps 12 hours a night and is still mostly eating food from the baby jars. She likes them and they're all natural so why not. This way she's guaranteed to eat her veggies (unlike her mama). And speaking of eating, Sage is 24 pounds and 32 inches. She has outgrown clothes from my almost 3 yr old niece! The two babies are now about the same size.
Tenaya's starting get some payback for all of these months of (relative) inattentive. The baby is tossing balls to her and Tenaya retrieves. ok, gotta go. Have to sleep. After three nights in a row of a mere 5 hour shuteye, I popped an Ambian and am now about to tuff my face into this keyboard. L8tr!

Sundance Day Two, Part Two (Friday)

The House of Hype brought to you by The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino offered a darkened corridor, cocktail waitresses and a live DJ as you strolled the avenue of sponsors from Goodyear (no tires just cans of Tire Shine and Hotwheels toy cars) to USA Golf and Havaiana Sandals (create your own flipflops). As I crafted my Mongolian Barbecue Basket Shoe at the Puma booth, I felt the heat of cameras and fans. It wasn't for me; ha ha. Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy) was in the house; picking out her own set of Pumas. Josh promised my custom sneakers would be shipped by the end of the month and I got out of the limelight by scooting over to Oakley. A pixie-like, cool chick named Chelsea handed me a pair of their new Breathless sunglasses. Olsen twin glam with the technical specs of a true Oakley. They definitely give me that Sundance 'look'. Throw in the Frye Gloria pumps (Frye is making fashion shoes in addition to boots now) and my Utah friends might not recognize me.
The style continued at The Boost Mobile Lounge at The Marquee. The New York nightclub has once again assumed the Buddha Lounge space on Main Street during the first four days of the Festival. The boutique clients lining the swanky, intimate bar introduced celebs like Marcia Gay Harden and Rex Lee (Entourage) to Klipsch speakers, Lia Sophia jewelry, cuddly LNA “boyfriend” Tees and Primp cotton/poly hoodies and waffle tops decorated with cute little piggies, pandas, moons or sheep. I got the most fabulous ruffled dress coat from Tulle and it was a tough decision; they have so many charming styles. The bauble on my finger is a Lia Sophia original you can find only on their website (liasophia.com) or through in-home party reps, and the Boost reps insisted I put my Sprint phone in their new Boosted Device Case designed by graffiti artist Madsteez. What I appreciated more was their information on Boost Mobile itself - a Sprint division - that offers unlimited local and long distance cell calls for as little as $35 (no contract, no credit check, no activation fees) depending on your home calling area. Though this probably wouldn't work for a world-traveler like myself (you pay .15/minute outside your extended area), my boyfriend would save a ton of money and those H1 Visa resort employees will dance circles for this new product.
Another company with a fresh cousin is New Balance's PF Flyers. Sporty, action/fashion shoes like the Journa are the perfect spring shoe for a mountain girl. Finally, I will be anxiously waiting for a Treesje handbag to arrive on my doorstep. The collection of bags on display was gorgeous. We’ll see if it actually shows once the Sundance circus leaves town.
I capped off my visit with a smoothy like drink from Lifeway Kefir. With the pro-biotic cultures for a healthier immune system, I might be able to ward off a potential hangover from tonight's parties: MySpace, The Horrors and Maroon 5.
Three hours later…..I did. The open bars stood no chance against my resilience.
As I eecked into traffic on Deer Valley Drive at 6 p.m. I said, "Screw it!" and turned around. The mess was obscene. We were at a crawl from every intersection. By the time I got home, changed and back to town it would be 9. Instead, I called Ryan, asked him to bring my Fox Girls top, parked at a friend’s house to do my makeup, and met him on Main. Just in time to watch the ambulance haul away some guy who had tried to steal a plasma screen from the Main Street Mall but wound up plunging off the balcony of Shabu in his attempt to flee. I heard later, he suffered only a concussion. Of course, he was also under arrest.
At the Horrors screening of their documentary "Counting in Fives" at The Marquee, the champagne and Maker's flowed. We sat down behind Jared Leto in a dorky bomber hat, spying on him as he hobnobbed with the punk band members. The flick itself wasn't really my thing (I'm not into punk nor rockumentaries) but I appreciated the scene. I guess the parties on Friday overloaded city circuits and the power went out all over Main Street. The blackout lasted more than 20 minutes- enough time to sneak next door for the Maroon 5 show at Harry O's. No one paid attention to us because we randomly happened to have the same color wristband as their guests. I almost wished we had been bounced. The band played well but crowd was overwhelming. The only celeb (?) in sight was Ian Zering. I kept silently wishing someone would call the fire marshal- it was that packed. We got out at 1 and headed over to the T-Mobile Diner at the VAY. Live music wafted amid the yelps from drunk snowtubers outside. We entered and bee-lined for the tureens of gourmet mac n' cheese, apple crisp and chocolate bread pudding. Former model Rachel Hunter, with fuller hips, stood nearby with friends. Eventually it was time to head home but this time there was no traffic. We hitched and a nice woman from L.A. picked us up and brought us to Ryan's car at Kimball Junction. You gotta love small towns. Stay tuned for Saturday's update, the people, the parties and the ginormous Sundance attendance thanks to the writers' strike.

Sundance Day Two

My new favorite place is the Village at the Yard. I’m sure the organizers had this intension. They split with Best Events (Village at the Lift) to start their own enterprise and although it’s not drawing the A-listers just yet, because of the off-Main Street location, they have so much more to offer- including parking, room to breathe in the café and less snooty check-in girls.
Here’s my royal peeve. Even if you are unrecognizable as a celeb or don’t travel with a publicist in tow, you should be treated with the same respect or at least attention. You have absolutely NO idea when that person you just dissed might have something you need (whether its press, a ski lesson or your next job). And yet some folks here think their sh*t don’t stink. I read somewhere that you should treat everyone like a fan. Best advice I’ve ever had to consider. It made sense to me first when I was the third wheel of a #1 morning radio show. It was a classic rock show (like Howard Stern) and all sorts of characters approached like they knew me. As much as some of them scared me, I didn’t want strangers who were meeting me for the first time to run home and tell their friends what a bitch I was; and stop listening because of me. I wanted to be the one people talked about as “so nice”. Folks at the House of Hype whispered that all yesterday afternoon after Brittany Murphy floated through. Brittany’s got the right idea.
You want to be nice; even if you can’t help or can’t upgrade one type of pass to an all-access one. As I stood waiting for my turn at The Lift’s credential desk, I watched the girls at checkin assume one personality –sycophantic- when they recognized a name on a list, or arrogant and dismissive when they didn’t. Of course, some people just don’t care and I’ve been guilty of that on occasion but not on purpose. Sometimes our egos get the best of us and I suppose a four-day stint as the gatekeeper of a Sundance Lounge can go to your head, but jeez, folks, don’t let it!
In the everyday world, these girls they hire as Sundance credentialers are no more important than the person who foams their lattes on Monday morning. Just because they have the power of denial for this event should not spawn the kind of attitude you witness at the Sundance Film Festival. Unfortunately, This phenomenon is not limited to The Lift girls. It’s at the Sundance office itself, the houses and the parties. The ones who are the best at their jobs, however, (Fingerprint Communications operating the Boost Mobile Lounge, Stacey Wechsler’s Hired Gun Publicity, Tracy Paul & Company) get it. They actually look forward to meeting new people. But if you don’t, then fake it. You never know when the relationship you create will pay off.
That said, I was in wherever I wanted to be yesterday.
Kudos to Anderson Lumber off hwy 224 for moving out for the weekend to make the big bucks as the BNCPR’s Village at the Yard. In back, industry, media, and invited guests could drink Amstel Light around bonfire, snow tube on a mini sled hill, dine for breakfast, lunch and late night snacks at the wired T-Mobile Diner. With nearly 100,000 square feet, you aren’t angling for elbow room. I stopped at The Lift this morning and couldn’t help bumping into people- granted many had crowded around the front to take pictures with Method Man.
The VAY’s sponsors seemed to be more relaxed in their spacious environs. Timberland showcased their eco-friendly Earthkeeper boots. I can’t wait for it to warm up so I can don my Chelsea’s – the lining and outsole are recycled, the lining is also moisture wicking, they are fully waterproofed and they’re styling! I also picked up some Coochy cream from Pure Romance. Stealthy gifting celebs, the in-home personal products and accessories company has thought of everything for the bedroom; down to the “toy cleaner”. I’m looking forward to testing out the Basic Instinct pheromone cologne at the Roxy party tonight at Celsius. There was also room for the Humane Society to educate guests on seal-clubbing (I got a stuffed animal baby seal for Sage’s crib) and Diesel in partnership with A Perfect World encouraged me to select an outfit from their kids collection for one needy child participating in the APW are program. Twelve-year-old Shemar will be one styling dude soon! I stocked up with cream and conditioner at Drugstore.com’s Essentials Suite (I could have gotten some Airborne but my cold was at bay) and headed up town to the House of Hype for, what else?, hype.

First day of Sundance- Thursday Jan. 18

Location: Harry O’s NightclubSnow falls gently outside as maybe hundreds of eager Akon (or simply party) fans crowd the metal guardrail. The hoard of attractive women and guys in blazers, scarves and knit hats beg for VIP passage into the exit-only door. Many manage to squeak by, bewildering security.
As I make my move to the front to check the guest list, I merge with a group with obvious cache; I’m with them it’s assumed; I stick out my wrist and a plastic green band appears. I’m in, no questions asked! The mob behind me waiting to groove inside has no clue what just happened.After 2o minutes of hunting for that list to get my friends in the door, the guys give up and hand me two more bands. We’re all in! It’s nearly 11 p.m. The beat thumps and go-go dancers dressed like Halley Barry from James Bond, with striped knee socks and fuzzy black boots, gyrate; mesmerizing the men who obviously haven’t seen much action in a while. I silently wish I could dance like that.It’ll be a green night for Harry O’s. Patron shots ($12) sold like they’re running out of them. Akon doesn’t come on until nearly 1 a.m. (last call time) and I’ve sworn to leave by 1:30. Sigh. In the meantime, I’ve met a guy who promises to get me into the Maroon 5 show at Harry O’s tonight and another guy who will get me into the Hard Rock Party across the street and a gal who will get me into the ASCAP Music Café at the Star Bar. Everyone’s connected.More people will arrive today. Yesterday was mellow in comparison. I could find parking, my friends waitlisting for the Opening Night Premiere of In Bruges got in without a problem despite signing up only 30 minutes prior. I skipped that movie because Chase Masterson invited me to see her new movie debuting at the Park City Music Film Festival. I’m such a sucker for personal invites. The movie “Yesterday Was A Lie” held an interesting concept about time and memory but was a bit obtuse (obscure?) for the general public. Chase, however, did a great acting job. No complaints there.Today, it’s all about the gifting lounges before the evening festivities. I’m assuming that I’ll see as much green as Harry O’s. After all, green is ‘in’. For starters, the Sundance VIP baskets were filled only by eco-friendly companies. Chaos hats- with whom I work with in the ski industry- threw in a thick alpaca beanie and, although quite itchy, will look tres cool on the domes of Peter Sarsgaard, Quentin Tarantino, Jimmy Fallon, Mos Def, and more. So there’s The Lift, The Village at the Yard (which used to be the Village At The Lift), The Gibson Guitar Lounge, The Boost Mobile Lounge/The Marquee, The House of Hype, The L-R-G Gifting Villa, and I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch! Tonight, I’m looking forward to the Breakout British group The Horrors’ documentary screening at The Marquee and the after party. The MySpace premiere party is at the House of Hype from 6-9pm before that. And, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that secret entry into Maroon 5. Whew. I’ll sleep when it’s over. I'll also ski when it's over. It's too frickin' cold right now anyway - 10 degrees!!!

Happy Holidays!

Time flies and we just closed our second Christmas with Sage.





Where did October and November go? I could have sworn I blogged at least once those months but then I'm slightly brain fried since beginning this construction project. What the hell was I thinking?? Starting a new addition in the winter?! The guy I hired to draw my plans- IN MAY- didn't get them submitted to the county for approval until OCTOBER. By then, the guys I had hired as my contractors totally flaked and stopped returning phonecalls. I decided to scrap the project until the spring but then my friend Steve Weinstein, a local Park City contractor, made me an offer I couldn't refuse- being that I'm fiscally conservative and all. He would oversee my project by phone and only charge me for days he actually had to show up at my house. I would handle everything and he would translate for me so that I understood what needed to be done and how to do it. Basically, he would be my consultant and I, the contractor. Insanity.





All of a sudden, I'm fielding phone calls, bids, inspections, material deliveries and charges. I get fun little surprises like hearing that the plans I paid $2k for were scrap paper because the designer failed to locate the septic tank before crafting his masterpiece. Steve redesigned on the fly and didn't really charge me because I hired his crew to excavate and frame. Today, Aspen Roofing is laying shingle and Aron (Steve's laborer) is sheeting the exterior for siding. Don't I sound like a construction guy? Pretty cool learning a whole new industry. I can't say I won't leave the job to professionals the next time around but I have saved some $5k so far even with the extra surprises - moving the septic tank cleanout location, the 10feet deep hard stone that had to be jackhammered for a week before they could excavate my backyard, my phone line getting sliced (Qwest raped me of $400 just to run a longer cable and connect wires!), paying a very nice Bosnian to cut part of a concrete wall that was in the way of framing ($550). Oh, and then it started to snow! Propane heaters to melt snow from the concrete and warm workers' hands and feet; trucks that couldn't make it up I-80 for deliveries or up my icy driveway.


The holidays sent this place into ghostville but we're back on track today. The goal is to at least have my guest room back to liveable so friends can stay over. Keith says if I let him crash here, he'll tile my new bathroom for me. Not a bad deal. And no, I have yet to tear apart my closet and bathroom for this remodel but, oh won't that be fun!


When it's all done, I will have a HUGE office and Sage will have her very own playroom. Right now I have divided my office via babygate. She gets half and I get half. With all her new holiday toys, however, there's no more room for me. :(


She got skis from Karhu- little ones that strap to her feet so she doesn't need to wear ski boots. They have a herring bone pattern on the bottom so she won't slide backward. Once it warms up (we're at 6 degrees today) we'll go out and shuffle around. If she's really a daredevil, we'll slide down my driveway!

My parents sent her a Teddy bear bigger than she is and we got her a Leap Frog activity table she can't stop playing. Ryan's parents sent her a ski suit and lots of other little goodies for the tree. I know we're Jewish but you can't deny a small child the pleasures of wrapped gifts surrounding nature (indoor nature :)). My dad didn't take the news of our Christmas tree well. But I swear Sage will get her Bat Mitzvah in 13 years.
The skiing has been great. I've had friends in town for the past week and we've been tolerating the temps for the freshies. A couple in the group got hurt but merely flesh wounds. They'll be skiing again full steam in a couple of weeks. You have to be on alert when it's early season. Your body isn't as catlike as it is by mid-winter. More snow is on call for tonight but today has been clear and sunny. Perfect Kodak day. I prefer tomorrow's forecast. Snow snow snow. The sun messes with your skin.


I better get back to work. Lots to do and workers to manage. ;) Don't call me if you have a construction project- although I have lots of good people to refer. BTW stay away from a company called KJ Builders. Concrete guys that will rob you blind. Luckily, I sniffed out the scam before I lost $2k. They want half up front then never show up to actually do the work. Lou Dellapena did the job right without an ounce of anxiety.

To Infinite and Beyond! Sage as a One-Year-Old.

I dreamt last night that I was at a Don Henley concert except that Don was the spitting image of Sam Elliott and sang more like Bruce Springsteen than a former Eagles. And there I was sitting on scaffolding, watching the action below when all of a sudden he's standing behind me, singing. I'm creeped out, not psyched and all I want to do is get down from there. Concert's over and I'm searching everywhere for Sage. She's near the portal and the stairs. Running for them. She's her actual age and all of sudden she's found her legs, she can walk, or better, run. She's not hearing or seeing me, she's taken off running. Faster than one of those pigs in a greased pig event. I dive and catch her but she's desperate to get away. And there are people everywhere getting in the way. I'm trying not to take it personally but she's running away from me! I panic. When did she learn to run?! I awake. It's just a dream. Whew.
Sage is still sleeping soundly in her room. She's not walking. She's not running. Not yet. But she sure likes to move around. I'm not sure what the Don Henley part has to do with anything but I do know how scared I am of Sage running around. When I put her on the bed, it's like she's break dancing. She must dig the softness of the mattress and sheets. On the floor, she scoots on one knee with the other foot flat on the ground to propel her. Soon, there'll be no stopping her?
She stands on her own, briefly, then sits back down. But mostly she plays quietly with her toys happy to greet you and share her toys with you. Walking may not be too far off and I'm not sure what to do at that point. Let her run up and down the hall? My books seem surprisingly vague about what to do with your newly mobile child beyond childproofing the house. How much time is minimally acceptable to spend playing during the day when you have work to do? Obviously supervision is key but does that mean I must leave the house every day for a romp in the park? Is every other day or three times a week acceptable? What should a one year old's 'normal' day look like? And what about eating? How much is normal when it's real people food? I'm used to the jars 2-3 a day. With eggs or spaghetti or bread, I can't tell if she's full or just doesn't like her food after a few bites. And my pede told me I should start weaning her from her bottle - at least start by cutting out one a day and giving her milk in a (sippy) cup. I try but she just skips her milk altogether until it's back in the bottle. I should be tougher but in the back of my head, the pede's words that I "really shouldn't worry about it until 15 months echo." The good news is that she doesn't need her nighttime bottle anymore. Water works fine. It's time for more recon.
It's been easy so far but Motherhood is rearing its ugly head and I have slim to no info about one-year-olds and how to be with them.
Next Monday, I head to Lake Powell for a four-day river trip on the Grand. No, I not taking the baby. Ryan will get to stay with her all by himself. A first for both of them! And my first time leaving her for more than a day since she was born. I'm just a 5-hour drive away if there's an emergency but they should be just fine bonding without mommy there. Hell, they'll probably love it. She's such a daddy's girl. The way he makes her laugh when he reads to her or dances with her. It's precious. Everyone should laugh like that at least once a day.
Oh well, the babe is sleeping soundly (as usual, or course ;) ) and I need to made good use of the quiet night and get back to work. For recent pictures of Sage and our quick trip to Vegas last week go to http://picasaweb.google.com/mtnmedia/VegasBaby.

Hope all is well and if you have any advice, I'm all ears.