Sadly, no pictures

...because, well, see my previous post for the reason I didn't take any pictures of Andy with my siblings.

Having Jess and Jake here for the week was a treat. All of our guests from CA have brought sunshine with them, keeping the real Pittsburgh winter at bay. The winter everyone says is inevitable, in a "just wait and see..." knowing way.

Before I persuade family to choose Pittsburgh over 300 days a year of sunshine, I must first survive a winter here. No, it may not be a Minnesota winter, or even an upstate NY winter, but it's certainly not a coastal California winter. I can tell that much already.

For one thing, there are really no evergreens to speak of, besides the dead pines and firs people put up in their living rooms! Christmas decorations go up earlier, and it makes sense in this climate. The landscape is incredibly beautiful, in a stark and dramatic way that leaves no doubt about the season. Hills are visible where they weren't before. From our upstairs' window, we can see the cemetery hillside and the rooftops of our neighbors' Tudor homes. The full folliage of summer and fall hid these sights from us, like a curtain that has now been drawn. Neighbors have waited until now to rake the leaves; no sense going through the effort until every last leaf has fallen.

Although Jess and Jake saw mostly blue skies this visit, we did get a sprinkling of snow on Monday. We were walking back from the Squirrel Hill shopping district when the snow began to fall. We stopped walking and turned our faces to the sky. We laughed and twirled and held out our hands. We taught Andy to catch snowflakes with his mitten paws. It snowed just enough to dust our hats and coats with white powder before melting. Just a fleeting glimpse of a different climate, another way of life. Winter magic.

Maybe Jessica and Jacob will be back for school here in the fall. Jacob toured the University of Pittsburgh; Jessica, the Western School of Health and Business.

If this winter does come in like a lion, I will just have to keep it to myself.

Night Observations

Where Andy gets his bed-head

Here are some things Andy has said to me at bedtime:
"Daddy's head on pillow."
"Daddy Andy's friend." (while holding my hand)
"Daddy a very noisy boy." (apparently I snore...)

Girls' Weekend

  
This is the last picture I took before dropping Mike's camera to the floor of the bar. (And we hit a couple more spots after this one.) Although we had fun, I felt so...........old.

Cassandra, who is the single gal in our threesome, wanted to check out Pittsburgh's nightlife. We hit a few clubs on the South Side. I think she liked what she saw of Pgh's men. (Too bad I already snagged the area's Number One Bachelor, The Most Forgiving Man In The World. Instead of yelling at me for dropping his digital camera for the second time, he thanked me for the excuse to get a newer model with more features. Model camera, that is.)

Thanks ladies, for a memorable weekend!

Collage

  

He Needs his Space

Mike was playing upstairs with Andy this weekend, and was surprised to hear: "Daddy go downstairs. An-ny need SPACE!"

His friend William has a tendency to get close and personal with other toddlers--touching their hair and face, and giving long, intense squeezes. Andy has heard William's parents say: "William, you're being intrusive. Andy needs his space."

In return, Andy has taught William the words "No!", and "pause" for the DVD. (I told them I'm very sorry.)

On the daycare scene, Andy has received several positive reports. His teachers tell us he has not yelled, pushed or hit in the last two sessions. He plays nicely, they say, has an excellent vocabulary, and enjoys the music they play. Yeah!

I'm really looking forward to Cassandra and Bernadette's visit this weekend... And next week, Jess and Jake... Safe travels, all of you!

The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers

Tigger made his debut at the library's Halloween party on the 30th. He listened to stories, colored a ghost puppet, and scored at the ball toss ("But he CHEATED!", the four year old behind him cried.) Andy had so much fun as Tigger that he begged to sleep in his costume that night.


He rose the next morning, his head a matted ball of sweat, and wore the costume again to day care. When I picked him up later that morning, I observed poor Tigger in a time-out for pushing another kid. Tigger stayed in the time-out chair, but he cried the entire time. He asked his teacher for a hug afterwards, which broke my heart. It was difficult to watch someone else discipline my spirited guy, even though I was grateful she did.

Andy came home exhausted, but refused to take his costume off. After a nap, he was off to a Moms Club party. Finally, he made a surprise "Trick" stop at Grandma and Pap-Paps' house. Mike and I positioned Andy in front of the door, rung the bell, and dove behind some bushes. Pap-Pap answered the door, wondering where the parents of this orphan tiger had disappeared to. It took him a few seconds to recognize his grandson! Clever disguise, eh?