Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts
By Alyce Wilson
June 19, 2007 - Playing in Vermont
Me with my niece
This past weekend, The Gryphon and I drove up to Vermont to visit my brother and his family, in part because I really wanted to meet my niece in person before my wedding day, at which point she would be just over a year old. Also, I expect I'll be far too busy to spend a lot of quality time with her.
It had been since September, just before my niece was born, that we last visited. I was anxious to see them again.
The Gryphon and I drove up Friday. We got on the road a little later than we'd planned, because we stopped for breakfast first. I'd say we were on the road by about noon.
We took a bit of a different route than the last time we drove up, when we drove through Western Pennsylvania and Western Vermont, which actually added a couple hours by adding distance. The route we took this time was more direct, taking us up I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike through New York City and then north through Connecticut and Massachusetts to Vermont.
Of course, we weren't counting on the traffic we'd run into around New York City, and that slowed us down considerably.
The Gryphon and I had a good time, joking around and talking about pop culture and music, making jokes about things we drove by on the road. We'd hoped to arrive by about 9 p.m. but due to the traffic arrived closer to 11. My brother met us at the door in his pajamas and robe, directing us to where we'd sleep.
They no longer have an office/guest room, since they've removed the wall that adjoined it to the living room, creating a much larger space. The futon is now a couch during a day and a bed at night. The only difficulty was we had to make sure our suitcases were kept closed in a back corner so that my nephew, who's 2 1/2 years old, didn't investigate. Although, to be sure, he's doing much less of that sort of thing than when we last saw him.
We were pretty exhausted from the trip and went right to bed. The next morning, when I heard people moving around upstairs, I woke up. Soon, my brother's wife was coming down the steps with my niece. I greeted them as they came into the living room. She brought my niece over and said, "This is your Aunt Alyce." I said hi and smiled at her, and she giggled and smiled back. That's exactly the same reaction my nephew had when she first met me. This made me happy, because I wasn't sure how'd she'd react. I guess my smiling face looked friendly.
Not long after that, I got to hold her for the first time. My brother jokes that she's their little meatball, because she's a very round, compact little baby. Still, she was fairly light.
My niece has advanced far beyond a newborn. She sits up on her own, with a very straight back, and she makes sounds and pays attention to what's happening around her. In particular, she's fascinated by what her older brother does, always watching him and sometimes trying to imitate him.
I got a shower and had breakfast, then chatted with my brother's wife until she had to leave. She is a wedding photographer and had a wedding to photograph that day. She left at about 10:30 to get there early and see where everything was.
We took our time getting ready. After we were all up, my brother blew up some balls, and we went in the yard to play with them. He's fenced off the front part of the yard to make it safe for the kids. They can play without worrying about running out accidentally into the road.
I sat in the shade with my niece while my brother and nephew played with a big exercise ball. My nephew found it easy to push it around and would giggle every time he pushed it down the hill, where it bounced against a retaining wall made of railroad ties and my brother had to retrieve it.
My niece, meantime, was watching my brother, fascinated by the fact that he could bounce a child-sized soccer ball off his head, off his knee, and dribble it down the lawn with his feet. She was then very interested in playing with small balls, and even head-butted the large exercise ball with her head!
I also got a super shot of my brother with my niece and nephew.
When we got tired of playing, we moved inside to have lunch. The Gryphon joined us. He was feeling very sleep deprived and so napped for much of the early morning and afternoon.
After a nice lunch, it was also time for my nephew and niece to take naps. My brother put on a Baby Einstein tape that always puts my nephew to sleep, and it did the trick. We turned down the sound and let him sleep on the futon, moving into the dining room with my niece. My brother put her in a rocker swing with some music, and after a short while, she was napping, too.
Sometimes when I visit, I also nap during nap time, but this time I was feeling refreshed, so I talked quietly to my brother until both children reawakened. We had time, then, to go play at a nearby playground before their usual afternoon snack. So we gathered them up and put on shoes and hats, buckled them into a stroller. The Gryphon joined us, and we walked along quiet country road to a park about 15 minutes away.
My brother was disappointed to discover no other children were playing there that day, perhaps because of a few ominous clouds in the sky. Fortunately, the rain held off while we played.
We tried out all the playground equipment my nephew could handle. He hated the safety swings, so we didn't do that for long. He had more fun with the twisty slide, going down it with my brother. He also enjoyed a brief ride on a big bouncy purple lizard, also with my brother.
But his favorite thing to do was to take a stick and bang on a metal pole, which made a ringing noise. I've noticed that he is fascinated by anything that makes a noise but prefers to discover them himself. He doesn't like, for example, to have a children's musical instrument handed to him. Instead, he'd rather make a drum out of a bucket.
I think the most fun he had was running around on the basketball court with my brother and me. He was a monster, chasing me and going "roar!" while I ran away in slow motion, making exaggerated noises and facial expressions of distress. "No!!!!!! It's a monster!!!!!"
I've never heard a monster giggle so much before.
Meanwhile, The Gryphon sat on a bench, watching my niece in her stroller and giving her some formula.
We decided she'd make a great "Got Milk?" ad.
When the rain started to threaten, we made haste for home, just beating it back. The rainfall was minimal, though, and was gone by the time the children had had snack time and we went out to run some errands.
I had suggested cooking something for dinner, perhaps using a recipe from a book my brother's wife had recently bought, Volumetrics, written by a Penn State nutritionist. The book concentrates on making intelligent food choices by picking food that is more filling for the same number of calories. For example, by using more vegetables.
But my brother and The Gryphon were lukewarm on the idea, so we ordered Chinese food to pick up. Then we all got in the car with the two babies in their car seats and drove to town. I was in the back seat next to the kids and stayed with them when the guys ran in, first to the Chinese restaurant and then to the grocery store, where they picked up a 12-pack of local beer.
Then we drove home, where we served out Chinese food for the adults, a little lo mein and some fresh fruit for my nephew, and of course baby food for my niece. Afterwards, The Gryphon and my brother washed the dishes while I played with the children in the other room. We had a good time. My nephew particularly enjoyed played with cars with my, and my niece was entertained for a long time by playing with a toy that plays music and talks to you when you press different buttons.
Before long, it was time for my nephew to go to bed. My brother gave him a bath and put him to sleep, and he was soon snoring. My niece posed more of a problem. At first, she sat up being cheerful and bouncy, then she started to cry disconsolately.
My brother told me that she was crying because her mommy normally nurses her in the evening before bed, and she wouldn't be home until much later. So we gave her a bottle of formula, which calmed her a little bit. But then she fussed and cried some more.
That's when I had an idea. I remembered that her mom sings them to sleep every night by singing the Beatles song, "Good Night". I sang it, then hummed it to her, while rocking her gently in my arms, until she fell asleep. At least now my brother knows one thing to try, if feeding her formula doesn't do the trick at bedtime.
She stayed asleep until I set her in her little crib, next to her parents' bed. But my brother and I talked gently to her and soothed her so that she fell back asleep. Poor little girl must have been very tired by then, having exhausted herself with crying so hard.
My brother went to bed, as well, while The Gryphon and I stayed up and watched a little more TV and read.
When my brother's wife came home, less than 10 minutes later, she was in good spirits, telling us that everything had gone well. The weather had been great and the people very nice. She'd gotten some great shots, which she showed me after downloading them to the computer. I had to agree she'd done a very professional job. Her clients will no doubt be happy.
When she'd copied all the photos and given them a quick look, she wished us goodnight and went to bed, as well. We converted the futon into bed mode and did the same, looking forward to Sunday, when we'd all spend time together.
More from the trip to Vermont:
Moral:
Baby girls will head butt things if they see their father doing so.
Copyright
2006 by Alyce Wilson
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