Little Things, Big Things

We had one of those days where lots of little things go wrong, but pure luck made all of those things turn out fine. We took my mother to the airport this morning, dropped her off at the terminal, then went to park the car. The lot was full, and we were instructed to park in Lot G, where we would have to take a bus and then the people mover to get to the terminals. It occurred to me to park in the international terminal, and I was quite proud of myself for thinking of that, since we would only have to take the people mover, and the parking is relatively cheap. But when I pulled into the gate, a guy just walked up and pushed the button on my "turn" to get in, took the ticket and walked away, leaving me there with the gate open. When I pushed the button, of course, it would not give me a ticket. People behind me were getting antsy, I couldn't back up, so I went through and was just not sure what to do. I thought I should just leave immediately, find someone who worked there and explain. (I didn't see anyone.) Or stay and pay the full rate of 24 hours when I left. (That didn't sound good.) Then I figured I'd call my mom and tell her where we were and that we might not meet her to say goodbye after all, and I realized I didn't have my cell phone. While I was starting to feel very dismayed, I suddenly saw the guy who had taken "my" ticket. After my explanation, he kindly gave me the ticket back (he had another one anyway). The parking lot was huge, and we had just randomly gone to the far end of it, away from all the traffic. It amazed me that I saw him again, and it made me feel really happy.

We then went into the terminal and hopped on the people mover to Terminal 3, where my mother was supposedly checking in. I couldn't call her, of course, so I wondered where in the world she might be and if we would even see her. We emerged from the train, walked right off the escalator and spotted my mom, who was just stepping into the security line. If we had been a minute later, we would have probably walked right by, as there was a huge line, and I was expecting her to be waiting in a different area. And of course, we had no phone to call her.

The line was long, and she wanted to get through it, so we said goodbye and thought things were fine. We watched her go through security, just to be sure that all went alright. And then we went to ride the train a bit more (the boys think it's an amusement park ride, not just a way to get from terminal to terminal). The train was crowded today, and after one full loop around the airport, we decided we were hungry and we left O'Hare. We drove a short while with minimal traffic (yay!) and stopped in the Edgebrook neighborhood for food, specifically for ice cream at a shop they like. We made a couple of other stops, including a drugstore, a grocery store, a Starbucks. And then, as we often do after a sweet snack, we decided to have lunch. We went to Elephant for Thai food and had a yummy box lunch, with satay for Otto, shrimp and baby corn for Max, green curry chicken for me and sticky rice for everyone. We talked and laughed and listened to the thunder outside, amazed we could hear so much from inside. Soon it began to rain. No, it began to POUR. We watched the rain, glad we were inside. I realized we had parked quite far away and would have to get pretty wet on the walk to the car. I decided to get everything ready for the run, like my keys to open the door. I reached into my bag. No keys. Disbelief. Emptied bag. No keys. Looked through all clothing, sling. Still no keys. And, still, no phone.

The rain continued to come down, in absolute buckets. The streets were filling up with water. I would have liked to stay inside until the rain stopped, playing some cards or something else in my bag (my bag had swimsuits, snacks, toys, all sorts of things to keep us going, just no keys or phone to help us leave), but I was beginning to worry we had locked the keys in the car, or lost them along the way. I paid our bill and asked the server if we could leave our bag and leftover food there, explaining the situation. She was very kind and agreed to watch our stuff. She also told me that sometimes little things go wrong in our lives because we are fending off big problems, that we can be thankful for the small accidents because they are keeping us from bigger ones. I really liked this idea, and it helped to relax about it, knowing that the important thing was that we were all okay. We didn't really have anywhere we had to be, it was warm outside, so the rain would actually feel good. If by chance the keys did not appear, we would borrow a phone and call Martin and wait out the rain. We would figure it out.

We prepared ourselves to get wet, and we ran across the street to the ice cream shop, where they were very sympathetic but did not have our keys. We crossed the street again and ran another block to the drug store. We were all completely wet, our shoes sloshing great amounts of water, squishing on the floor. The boys were so wet they couldn't see, and Otto kept his eyes closed because the rain was so hard. Our hair was dripping, but we were all laughing, and the storekeeper might have thought we were loonies. To my great relief (and surprise, actually), she produced a very familiar set of keys.

We picked up our things from the Thai restaurant and ran for the car. The boys were so cold, they took off all their clothes and used the towels I had (we had planned to go to the pool, but it clearly was not going to happen) to dry off. We should have changed into those swimsuits for the run! It was too late for that great idea, but Max put on his swimsuit at that point so he wouldn't be so wet. Otto wanted to keep on all the wet clothes but put the towel over him for warmth. I had no option but to remain soaking wet, literally sitting in a pool of water.

The rain was coming so fast the sides of the street were starting to flood. Our car seemed to be drowning, and Max was panicked that it wouldn't drive (the water was as high as the underside of the car). The windows fogged up, and this worried the boys even more, but I felt very sure that things would be fine. We started the car, drove very slowly and carefully toward our house. I made my usual mistakes in an unfamiliar neighborhood, going the wrong way, and turning around, only to realize I had actually been going the right way, turning around again. Traffic was, of course, dreadful, but the happy thought that we were fending off more serious harm kept me going wihout the slightest aggravation.

Water was literally pooled in my seat, and when I would go forward, I could feel it moving too. What a lot of water in such a short time. It was quite amazing. I wanted to take a picture of all of us, dripping wet and laughing. I didn't do it because the rain was coming down so very hard, but I hope I will keep the picture of this day in my mind for a very long time.

We got home, finally, and when I got my phone, I saw there was a message from my mother, whose flight was delayed because of the weather. She sat for hours on the plane, but finally did make it out of Chicago. My parents had been delayed on the way to Chicago as well, and my dad had some delays when he flew by himself to Cincinnati (my mom stayed here with us), so it seemed we were having really rotten luck for that sort of thing. As an aside, on Saturday, we noticed our rear tire on the car was low on air (turned out there was a nail in it and it had to be replaced), so we had to spend a bit of their visit replacing the tire.

And so, with the mantra that all of these little problems were fending off big problems, I thought about some recent issues going on with us and the people we love, and I thought if we have to have delayed flights and lost keys and missing phones and flat tires to make sure that the big things in life are good, then I'm happy to have them. Bring them on. :) So. Who knows what big things and little things are in store for us, but today was a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday, Otto!

I can't believe that little Otto is three. Today is his day, and we will go to the zoo, because he loves it there. This afternoon, we plan to make a castle cake (he wants to put his knights and horses around the cake). And tonight, presents (we have to wait until Martin gets home). Next weekend, a horse themed party at Noble Horse Theatre, where we'll watch the horses perform and ride them afterward. Grandma and Grandpa are coming. And so are so many of his friends. We are all very excited about it.

I want to take some time to write about my sweet little boy, so I can remember what life with Otto was like at this time—his frequent smile and his long wispy curly blonde hair, how he likes to put his shoes on the opposite feet because they fit better that way, how he often decides to wear just one shoe or one sock, and of course, how he always likes to wear his pajamas. That he will go for days in the same outfit, and sometimes the only way to get him to change clothes is to have him take a bath (afterwards, he is always amenable to fresh clothes). That he loves blue. That he gets excited to see a red winged blackbird because "that's Rocco's favorite bird!"

So much more...how he feels it is his job to decorate presents with chenille straws, popsicle sticks and tape, and that no present is complete without that. That he wants ice cream from the ice cream truck absolutely every time he hears the song. That when I am looking for something, asking Martin where it might be, or wondering aloud, I will suddenly hear the pitter patter of his naked feet slapping the floor as he brings me the item in question. How he runs, sort of lopsided, with his head moving sideways and his feet pointing out (no doubt in part because the shoes are on the wrong feet!), his heels almost touching his bottom between steps. How he follows every conversation and chirps up with his own observations, even when we thought he was sleeping. And when he does sleep (which seems so little somehow), that he talks and laughs and makes gestures. How he loves loves loves movies. How he climbs up any piece of playground equipment with no fear, sometimes even higher than I can reach him. I want to always remember the picture him atop our garden fence, ready to climb over it, and my heart absolutely stopped.

I hope I will also remember some of his kooky ideas (more string inventions), his eating habits (he lives almost entirely on meat, ice cream, candy, the occasional egg white, and of course breastmilk), how he likes to reenact accidents for me if by chance I missed the actual event. And of course, how much he loves his big brother and will do anything to be with him always, playing games of all sorts, just trying to keep up. How he parrots complete sentences from Max even if he doesn't know what they mean. That he buys costumes and toys that are similar to Max's so that they can play with them together, sometimes ignoring his own natural inclinations because he wants so much to be like Max. And of course, that despite all his longing to be like Max, Otto is his own unique and strong willed self and often his ideas clash with others (namely, the afore-mentioned Max), and that Otto will hold fast to his stance and strike back if necessary. We are a family of strong wills, that's for sure.

I'd like to write even more about him, but I'd rather scoop him up and play with him right now. I don't want to waste this lovely day at the computer. So instead, enjoy this little video I made about him, to celebrate his lovely being, on the occasion of his third birthday. I think it gives a pretty good idea of him at this age. We love you so, Otto. Happy happy day.

Regarding Henry

So we finally got to meet little Henry, Rae Dawn and David's son. And of course, we didn't mange to take a single picture of him to prove it.

Rae Dawn and David (and Henry) came to town for the weekend (they are living in LA now) and they had a little party at their friends' very nice high rise apartment, with a view of the lake and a pool, to boot. Max and Otto were very excited to swim and insisted on doing so, even though it was a very cold evening. The only photo we managed to snap from the whole event was of our own children (I am embarrassed to admit what this says about us), in the very cold pool at about 7 pm, with host Michael (who kindly took us down for the late evening dip).


Henry was a cutie, a typical one year old with lots of energy and enthusiasm. It was so strange to meet him for the first time when he was already walking. I just kept looking at him and his parents and wondering how it could be that this big boy (he's got his parents tall genes) could be from them, how I could have not met him until this moment. It's hard to be so far away from your friends. I imagine this must be how it feels for my parents when they see Max and Otto.

But it was good to see everyone, and I hope it will not be so long before I see them again.

Oh, yeah, and on another note...Otto wrote his name for the first time on Henry's card. We gave it to them with his gift, but when we told them of Otto's accomplishment, Rae Dawn wisely said, "Take this home, we love it, but it will definitely mean more to you." Of course she's right. Thanks, Rae Dawn.

Justin Roberts at Printers Row

We saw both Justin Roberts shows on Sunday at the Printers Row Book Fair. Otto keeps asking when we'll see him again. He's a really wonderful performer, with lots of fun moves for the kids for each song. Watching him jump up and down makes me wonder where all my energy has gone. The rest of the band is fantastic, as well, and Max really loves the trumpet player Dave, with his big (REALLY BIG!) shoes and other antics. There's always a mosh pit of little kids jumping up and down and screaming, and it's so fun to see them really enjoying themselves. Plus, all the parents seem to like the music too.


Needless to say, it was a great time. We saw so many people we know, friends that we didn't even know had children, friends who had recently had children but we hadn't met them yet, fellow fans of Justin Roberts who we recognized from other shows. It was beautiful weather and of course, we got more than our fair share of books. Now we need to get reading...but the weather has been so nice, we've been going going going all day, out and about, too busy to check email, too busy to blog (gasp!), and, alack, a woe, too exhausted at the end fo the day to read.

Oh yeah, there was a guy at the book fair with a parrot. He invited you to try to make it talk or laugh for $1 contribution. Despite all of our our attempts, the bird did not talk or laugh, he only pooped. But it was still fun to try.

Karl Wirsum and Others

We headed downtown with Rocco and Skylar on Tuesday to see the Karl Wirsum exhibition at the Cultural Center. The kids really liked the colorful pieces, especially the "puppets," on giant marionette strings. Otto's favorite was a small puppet playing a piano with toothbrushes (box of toothpaste included under piano).

We also saw a couple of other exhibits that were there at the same time, one of which was an inatallation which invited you to participate. There were three wooden rooms with glass walls, and on each of the walls were dozens of letters. The audience was invited to write the letters they had never had the time, courage, insight, whatever, to write, to send them out there in the world. There were letters to lost loves, dead relations, old friends, siblings, birth mothers, all sorts of secrets revealed. The letters were sad and funny and insightful and healing and pointless, all manner of letters. You could read some, write some. We did a bit of both, and all the kids wrote letters to each other.

Anachronisms and Playmobil

We have recently gotten very into the Playmobil around here. The boys know exactly which piece goes with each set, and do not like it when the knight has the incorrect sword, or the mermaid's crown is put atop a pirate, for instance. Martin, however, loves to mix all of it up and see what happens. When they are playing together, this can be somewhat stressful for all of them, but I think they are all learning to adjust and expand horizons together.

This morning, Max was very insistent that a gold sword went with a white knight who was otherwise suited up with silver. The gold detailed knight has no matching sword, and although Martin suggested that the gold sword probably came with the gold knight, he said that it was fine and fun to mix them all up and match them however you like. Max was very perplexed and insisted that the gold sword came with the silver knight, and he would show Martin the box when we go to Target next time. (Incidentally, I looked it up online at Playmobil.com, and of course, Max was right—the gold sword did come with an otherwise silver-clad knight. Kids are amazing at details, their minds have more room to remember things that I don't even notice in the first place. I usually trust that Max is correct when he insists these things, and I try to remember how frustrating it was a child when you were sure you were right, but adults thought they knew better.)

Just as things were getting really tense, Martin then put a "boom box" into the knight's hand, so that he could listen to his favorite tunes as he went into battle. This struck this boys as completely wrong, but the image and idea was hilarious to me, and I just started laughing. The boys did not understand why I thought this was so funny, but then they reconsidered and looked at it some more, and they also started to laugh. We then came up with several other combinations, to everyone's satisfaction.

The pirate and his shopping bag, for all the loot he would collect. Another knight with a camera, so he could send home a few photos to mom. The mermaid and her fireman helmet, just in case there was any trouble in the water. The fireman and his hairbrush. A police officer with a shield. A presumably sick knight with an IV bag. And of coure, a knight with a bullhorn to round everybody up.

Cicada Mania

The cidadas still haven't made it to Chicago, but we've made a few trips out to the suburbs in the last week and we've been amazed by the masses. Last Tuesday, we saw hundreds of them, newly emerging, crawling, flying, falling, on their last legs, dying, dead, white ones, black ones, big ones, small ones....all at the Brookfield Zoo. The ground around the trees had hundreds of holes where they had climbed out. It was creepy and fantastic. The kids loved it. I didn't bring my camera (!!!), but it was truly an amazing sight.

Then on Friday, we visited a friend in River Forest and were positively delighted to find them all over her hostas, literally one or more on every leaf.

On Sunday, we went to Ryerson Woods again for Cicada Mania, a festival to celebrate all things cicada. There were wagon rides, face painting, temporary tattoos. You could dress up like a cicada, visit the Cicada Mobile. There was a tarantula and a gigantic millipede to hold. Beautiful wooded areas to walk through. It was raining, but it didn't stop us from having a great time.

The massive cicada emergence seemed to have happened already, so it was somewhat of a letdown from what I had expected. I am so glad we saw them at the zoo, to see all of the exoskeletons clinging to the trees, to see some of them climbing right out of their exoskeletons, to hear their loud mating call. Martin hadn't seen any of them yet, so I was disappointed for him that there weren't more. And I think he was a bit disapointed that we had already "been there, done that" about some of it. He wanted to explore the woods and the cicadas with us, but Max and Otto had brought their new Star Wars toys and were more excited to see their friends and show them how their spacecrafts flew.

We're still waiting for the cicadas to come to our own back yard. It's difficult to fathom that the next time these particular cicadas emerge, Max will be 22 and Otto will be 19. I wonder how much they will remember of their first exposure to cicada Brood XIII.

On Top of the World

We finally made it to the top of the John Hancock building. The view did not disappoint. And neither did the lunch—Max is still asking about those delicious burgers that were "even better than McDonald's burgers."

Revelation

Max dresses up in a costume almost daily, and lately when we go out, he absolutely must have one on. Otto joins his brother's dress up activities some of the time, but he seems to do it more because he wants to be like Max. But with Max, it's serious business. We have had to leave the park and come back so that Max can play there in a costume. He has completely melted down when we are out somewhere because we don't have a costume with us and he wishes (and I do too) that I had reminded him he might want to take one when we left the house for the day. I have taken costumes and accessories on the train and the bus, carried them through the zoo, or on long walks when he has also abandoned his bicycle. He's often an astronaut, or a fireman, sometimes a park ranger/zookeeper (the outfit works for both), and on rare occasions he chooses to be Spiderman or Superman. But by far, his most frequent costume choice is his Clone Trooper or Darth Vader outfit (Star Wars characters, for those of you who do not know), for which we also have gear (plastic masks, papier mache masks, fleece hoods to go under the masks, gloves, light sabres). It's hot in all that stuff, but Max will wear it for an astonishingly long time without complaint.

I was thinking about how much he seems to want and actually need these costumes lately, and it occurred to me that Max has always been very shy, slow to join a group, slow to join a game, mostly very quiet until he is very comfortable. He has a difficult time asserting himself, and this often leads to him being left out, or not getting his needs met (I have witnessed him at several kids' birthday parties where all the kid dove in for cake or for the candy from a pinata, and he is just so slow to move forward that he misses out on the candy almost entirely). I have noticed that if I don't help him to assert his needs, he often will not do so at all.

I think that Max's need to wear a costume is because it earns him attention, but it also allows him to be hidden. I can absolutely identify with this need for attention and anonymity at the same time, and I am sure I felt it as a kid, even if I couldn't have said it.