newsy bits

The last few weeks have been so busy.

* The last three weeks, Chris and I took an intensive ASL class that met three nights a week. Babysitting feat performed by my motherinlaw and a few great friends. It was a great class with just the right amount of what we needed to know at just the right level. Trying to write more on that in another post....

* Last Monday we spent the entire day with a researcher and two dissertators from Gallaudet University (the liberal arts univ for the Deaf in Wash., DC). The focus of their topic was newborn hearing screens. They interviewed us about our experience with discovering Ellis's deafness so early and how we've been proceeding since, interested in some of the choices we've made and motivations for decision making. They also videotaped Ellis doing various communicative play things. The people were very nice. We met at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD), where we go often anyway, so that was fine. It was a good day of self-reflection.

* On Wednesdays we've been going to PSD for parent-kid play/support/information time. The kids play and have a great time, and they have someone spend some time with parents with lots of helpful issues and topics to discuss...like how to manage reading a book to a deaf kid. It's more complicated then you think. Visions of snuggling together and having the shared experience of reading a book are out the window. (But maybe because I also have the Wiggliest One-Year Old in the World.) I have to figure how to hold the book, sign, indicate to Ellis what I'm signing, get his attention to move from my hands to the book and back, somehow connect what my hands are doing to the printed word. Phew! I'm sure as he gets older, it will get easier. We do little bits right now. Mostly just labelling. Forget the story...that is a cow. What? you want to flip three pages? ok. Look there's a chicken. *sign "cow" sign "chicken"*

* Last Friday we went to IKEA. Again! Hey, we just moved. We needed a couple more hooks, a lamp, and picked up Ellis's birthday gift from C's g'ma, a little table and chairs with paper roll attached. Ellis is beginning his early forays into the world of Crayon.

* Chris started his new job at UPS last week. It's a parttime job from 4-9 AM! Aack. After he's been there the requisite amount of months, though, the benefits are amazing. Really great insurance. He's holding on to this job and trying to find a full time day job. So this past week we've had to restructure a few things. Definitely earlier bed times! (Well, E stays pretty much the same there) But I think we could both use earlier bed times. And now I lose his help at night. Bah. Especially since Ellis has been having really awful nights lately. He slept through the night a week ago Sunday night and again last Saturday night. It would've been great if we already weren't so sleep-deprived. I can't decide if he has a cold or if he's teething. Either way it's keeping us up, and it takes about 2 hours to get him settled back to sleep after that 2 or 3 or 4 am wakeup. Not. Been. Fun!

* Saturday Ellis and I zoomed off to Lancaster. We first went to visit my grandma, newly interned at a very nice retirement/assisted living facility in the southern part of the county in Quarryville. This necessitated finding a new route for my Lancaster trek. Google maps gave me TWO PAGES of directions for a 60 mile trip. Freaked me out a bit, but it ended up being straightforward, and after I got off the Route 30 expressway, it was a beautiful drive through the country, winding along streams, through the sentinel rows of tall corn fields tassels waving proudly, past bright green fields of tabacco. Gorgeous! Will enjoy future visits to Grandma.

After visiting the Aged Grandparent, I drove into Lancaster city (with it's delicious gas prices of 30-40 cents cheaper than Philly prices) to see my brother in his new house that he just bought. It's a great place. Totally the Bachelor Pad.

I took Nick and Mom to Costco, now that I'm on my MIL's family plan. Nick was after a dehumidifier. I got cute pinkness from Carter's for my new baby niece and snacks for my college-bound sister.

It's been so hot! We washed the day's sticky sweatiness off in our cousin's pool with a pre-dinner dip. I dragged Ellis around the pool on a kickboard. He wiggled his legs and grinned proudly.

There's always a cool breeze in my parent's backyard. My dad exchanged the weed whacker for tongs and grilled us up yummy steaks.

* Sunday we spontaneously invited seven people over for lunch. Amazed I had enough food, since I haven't been grocery shopping in two weeks. I love summer. Zucchini, eggplant, chicken, and tomatoes over pasta. It proved to be a very yummy dinner indeed. Our first full-fledged company in our apartment!

* Today.... I found a new produce stand--we passed it on our way to the DMV last week. We got frames at Target to hang a couple of pictures. Ellis screamed at his green balloon from Trader Joe's. I got a voter's registration card that says Democrat. It's hot, but could be worse, and we have window AC units that work.

Don't you think Ellis looks like a Calhoun in that last pic?