Before you read this long blog post, I want to apologize for the stream-of-consciousness. There is a lot to say and not much time to blog it; I intended to keep a tidy California 2011 journal. It's still just nothing more than an intention.
Okay, so first up- Irwin and Barbara
Los Angeles' sweetest old couple just happens to be connected to the Weeks family. Aunt Liz's uncle and aunt live in a Mediterranean mansion that is nestled amongst other beautiful homes on a hill overlooking Sunset Blvd. and Santa Monica. They are about four miles from the Pacific Ocean in a house built in 1927. The front door alone was unbelievable. A huge custom-built door that is so heavy it's on some sort of sliding steel ball-bearing thingy majigger (ask Matt). Original Mediterranean mosaic flooring was on the side porch and their secret garden back yard boasted an orange tree, two avocado trees, a fig bush, roses, hydrangeas, and tomatoes. It was like Corbin could sense the fragility of our hosts and was on his BEST behavior. He said please and thank you, kept his napkin in his lap, smiled, tried quiche/salad/chicken/rice and all very gratefully. We were really proud of him, and of course, he's never met a stranger. So, Barbara was his instant best friend when she overheard him asking about where their laundry room and vacuums are located, she just perked right up and said, "come with me, sweet thing. I will show you." Irwin served in World War 2. It was amazing to talk to them and hear about all their worldly experiences over decades and decades of marriage. When we pulled up into the driveway he announced to us, "I'm 88!" It was the cutest thing ever. Conversations between Irwin and Corbin were funny as both have significant hearing loss. Here sat Corbin with an ear cup and hat on which both muffle everything and Irwin at the other end of the table with two hearing aids. I interpreted for them ;) Having dinner with them was one of the highlights of this trip.





"We're at the happiest place on Earth, damn it!" An extremely crowded Disneyland Wednesday night did not a happy place make...
All in all, we've had a nice visit. Given the circumstances, we've all managed stress really well. I think it's a little bit hilarious that my first real break down happened at Disney. Yup. I cried my little eyes out amidst the stress of vacationing chaos. I think my anxiety about seeing Corbin's ear and his graft site on his skull have been haunting me for about a week. I've had several nightmares that we're going to see rotten flesh. I know that sounds morbid, but it's true. I am totally freaked out. I guess I feel like there's no undoing what has been done and I just pray to God that it looks like an ear. I fully expect swelling and redness and flakiness and that whole bit that Dr. Reinisch has warned us of, but there is still that unknown factor. And I'm scared. Corbin has been complaining about itching lately. I'm so glad that he gets the ear and head washed today. Poor buddy!







The one day that Corbin decides to show that he's still a three year old who is very capable of grumpiness just happened to be the afternoon we experimented with a trip to "the happiest place on Earth." We learned two lessons- 1.) do not take said grumpster to a theme park on an off day and 2.) when 5pm rolls around, the adults come to play at Disney and it's even MORE crowded than when moms and tots are out in the morning. Bleh. Nevertheless, Mema and Granddaddy are real troopers and we all made the best of it. We all rode the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster ride. We could take agresssion out on Zurg, the evil emperor with the little laser guns. We saw the evening parade, and Matt and I rode the Haunted Mansion ride. That's about the only thing we could find for under 45 minutes of waiting. We had two awesome half days at Disney, but this last visit was fodder for a cynical montage. I just kept picturing in my mind's eye the "It's a Small World" tune with still photos fading in and out of families in total melt down. There was no shortage of ill-behaving children of all ages: moms dragging kiddos by the wrists, brats screaming at parents, adults blowing up at each other (almost always clad in Mickey ears). All this with sickeningly cartoonish and peppy music all around. It really did make me laugh out loud several times when I thought about what an awesome SNL sketch could be made from it. We scarfed down some less-than-spectacular pizza, hit the gift shop, and called it quits. The tram ride back to the car was pleasant. Corbin announced in a really sweet voice, "I'm very sorry for being grumpy." Ah, never too little too late on those kinds of apologies.

The car ride home was hysterical. Corbin was pretending to attack Chili Cat and told us he was a Meanosaurus. It's now my new favorite word.

California Crazies

Sightings of what I am endearingly calling "California Crazies"

1. Old Man Roller-Blading on North Robertson Boulevard on the street, weaving in and out of traffic shouting incomprehensible reprimands and waving his finger at invisible people. He was clad in black spandex and had sun-kissed, okay leathery, skin underneath the Los Angeles sun.

2. Boombox Bafoon
A mid thirties man walking down Wilshire Boulevard holding a battery powered clock radio up to his ear as if it were a boom box as he belted out some lyrics of various rap songs. We passed him once on our way to the Peterson Museum and then had the pleasure of seeing him again on the way home. Wow.

3. Santa on vacation
This sighting was my favorite. An older gentleman (to be overly gracious) was sitting shirtless in front of Starbucks rubbing his gray chest hairs and dabbling in his belly button. Matt dubbed him Santa on holiday. Hey, just because he's from the North Pole doesn't mean he can't work on a tan...

Favorite quote of the day:
"Why do pigeons have to move their necks like that to walk? Can you imagine? I mean what if we had to move our necks forward and backward to be able to move around? Heather, you're into running, and that would mean really fast neck movement. You'd come back from your runs like, "shit, my neck is really sore."- Matt Weeks
To make this quote perfect, I would need to show you the pigeon-neck demonstration that accompanied it ;)

We had a great day. Corbin felt good and was in a happy mood all day. He ate well, took a good nap, enjoyed dinner at Maggiano's and saw the Winnie the Pooh movie. It really was a cute movie.

Ear surgery is behind us. Sort of.
The procedure was successful. Our little man is recovering. He had multiple skin grafts from abdomen, thigh, and skull.
He had an incision on his skull to vascularize the ear implant. He was a real trooper and I'm just overwhelmed with emotions. I love Corbin more than words can express. God is good.

T minus three days

It's Thursday, July 7th. Sunday, the 10th we board the plane to California.
It is still not sinking in fully. We're going across the country in three days. Three days later Corbin will be rolled into the anesthesia department and I might just crawl out of my skin. I'm hoping to tame the anxiety with books and a "teach yourself to knit" kit. Yes, I will be attempting it. Again.
Lately we've been squeezing every bit of summer fun out of this fleeting summer that we can. We have made several trips to Mema's pool. Corbin even put his face in with goggles on this past Monday!! That is true progress as he was reluctant to even get his face wet in the pre-swimming shower at swim lessons just a few weeks ago. He has had a blast with his bicycle, tricycle, sand box, and swimming pool this summer. I am sitting here thinking that it has flown by, but in remembering everything we've done since Memorial Day, it has been a pretty packed month of fun. We have settled into a little routine of twice-weekly trips to the reservoir trail. He rides his tricycle (with big off road tires) around the lake and then hops into the jogging stroller so that I can jog around it. That makes a total of just a little more than 4 miles. We spread out a blanket near the geese and have a picnic. Corbin likes to share crackers and goldfish with the geese and ducks. When we aren't chilling on the back deck in the sand box or riding circles in the cul de sac, we can be found on regional adventures;)
I have gotten a little braver as Corbin gets older. We went to the beach by ourselves and camping. The camping trip was so refreshing and evoked such fond memories of Blowing Rock and Boone. As I hiked the trail around Price Lake with Corbin on my back I couldn't help remember countless climbing trips with my Dad and sister, family camping/hiking trips, grueling road bike rides on the parkway, training runs with my ASU teammates. I LOVE western North Carolina. It holds a special place in my heart. I hope to be able to share it and enjoy it more with Corbin. After all, how bad is a three hour car ride when you get to see spectacularly gentle mountains fading into the blue horizon.

First of all, we miss Daddy. We really wish he could have been at the beach with us. For one thing, he's much better at making Corbin feel secure out in the ocean. And for second, he looks handsome in swim trunks and makes my heart thump. And third, he's just a fun guy to have at the beach because he likes to relax. In honor of Matty Patty, we made some sand art.










This little guy worked very hard on sifting sand, finding sea shells, and building castles. I was overwhelmingly delighted at how much he loved the beach. It was the perfect temperature- upper 80s with a fantastic breeze. Corbin didn't turn that scary shade of purple that I'm so accustomed to when he's playing outside in Pinehurst. We were able to stay out for about 2.5 hours in the morning and then about another 1.5 hours in the evening. We went for a stroller run this morning on the beach and saw a very big jellyfish stranded on the sand. It was so entertaining to field Corbin's questions. "Mama, is that fish just going to stay there in the sand? Why doesn't he get back in the ocean? Did a wave put him here? Does he have legs?" Though I'm never engaging my brain much in our conversations, I'm totally engaging my heart. It's so amazing to have a little buddy to chat with all day long. It's comical, no doubt, that we speak about potties, electrical boxes, fire hydrants, Chili Cat, and other such shenanigans ALL DAY LONG.

Motivational slump. That is how I'm describing my state of mind lately. I have had NO desire to do any blogging. No desire to follow through with resolutions (by the way, probably the last year I will make any). BUT, I have been taming my inner beast. What I mean is I have been tackling my restless nature over the past few weeks- meditating, doing Yoga practice a little more regularly, giving in to the whims of my heart and mind. For instance, I just did not feel like running today. And so, I didn't. I took a nap instead. I sat on a park bench at the reservoir after Corbin rode his tricycle (TWICE) around the lake. I contemplated the geese. I stared at the water. I enjoyed doing nothing. I enjoyed doing nothing?! For the past decade I have berated myself in my own head for not being/doing more. I should write a book. I should be more musical. I NEED to learn to sew or knit. Wouldn't it be cooler if I could speak Italian? Spanish is boring. I never should have dropped out of pre Med studies. So, for the first time. I am recognizing that we generally, as humans, do exactly what we are inclined to want to do. I enjoy playing with Corbin, running, cooking meals that take a while to prepare, reading, surfing the net, tending to potted plants, stretching, and drinking wine. Yep. That's it. If I feel so inclined any time soon to add anything else to my life, I will. Now THAT, my friends, is progress.
So, for the newest Corbin update- he continues to be so inquisitive. "Why" is his favorite word. I don't mind answering it. I like that he asks questions. He also has a better memory than I do, and he corrects me all the time. I will remember a clip from Sesame Street but ascribe it to some other kids' show, and he'll just look at me and sigh, "you said it wrong , Mama. That was not from Grover. It was Cat in the Hat."
Way to keep me on my toes, buddy. Maybe together we can keep Alzheimer's at bay. He has shown interest lately in my friends' babies. When we had the pleasure of playing with Nathan twice last week, Corbin would help me with the chores. He grabbed the baby wipes when I was changing Nathan and he encouraged Nathan to eat his barbecue chicken so that the two of them could enjoy a strawberry cupcake after dinner. :) So sweet! He also rubbed Micah's feet and gave Micah Chili Cat when we babysat sweet little 3 and a half month old Micah. I love watching Corbin develop compassion and tenderness. He asked me if his transformer was going to scare Micah before he brought it out to play with it. He didn't want the baby to cry. If only Corbin could always be so sweet. There have definitely been days lately where he says hurtful things and I have to remind myself that he's just 3... i.e. - on Mother's Day he told me he was ready to get a new mom that had my hair and my voice, but that was new. I guess I had stuck him in timeout too much that day. He redeemed himself though when I picked him up from "school" Friday and he gave me a hug and said, "I love you mama. Let's go home and play." Melted my heart. Right there.

Is that Corbin on a "carnival" ride? Yes! I had a date with my little man Saturday morning to the Spring Fest street fair in downtown Southern Pines. He had a great time, but kept telling me how hot he was. Poor guy is as heat intolerant as his daddy. I, on the other hand, did not mind the weather at all. Bring on the sunshine! We bought some tickets and rode this generic version of the teacup ride. It was literally called something like Bucket of Fun. I'm not joking. Then Corbin went through a fun house for kiddos. The slide at the end was hilariously fast and his facial expression assured me we would not be having the argument about him wanting to do it again but mama not having enough tickets. I immediately flashed back to Aunt Gaycie and Uncle John tricking me into riding the Grizzly at Kings Dominion one summer. "No problem. Just stand in line with us. You don't want to ride, that's fine. We understand you're scared. When we get up to the roller coaster car, just step on through to the other side." Unfortunately when we got up there the ride attendant told me that I had to ride! I'm still not sure if he was joking or if my aunt and uncle put him up to it?? Either way, I cried most of the ride. So pitiful. I was unwilling to admit at the end that it was actually fun. I rode all roller coasters from that day forth. Hopefully Corbin will go through the next fun house we encounter. Next he wanted to get in the bouncy house. Can I just say that these things totally gross me out?! I swallowed the phobia and allowed him to play on one condition: his socks remained on his feet. After witnessing one kid with toenails caked with dirt and another girl's slimy feet being pulled out of her crocs before entering, I just knew I couldn't let him go in sockless. Imagine the fungus! Imagine the crud! Imagine...No. Don't. ANYWAY, we shared an ice cream and a lemonade in front of the dunking booth. Corbin kept saying, "Why is that lady getting dumped into a fish tank?" He is just the best little companion to have around. So much unintentional comedy. I can't possibly keep up with it all on this blog.
The jumpy house reminded me a lot of the book club book we just finished- Water for Elephants. I found myself staring at the carnival workers. I secretly wondered if they had drama behind the scenes in their caravan of trucks and RVs. It's not quite as intriguing without a train.
Can anybody in the blogger.com world tell me how to insert photos midway through a post? I don't want all the photos to be lumped together before the text. I'm too impatient to fish around for the solution. I just want somebody to tell me what to do. How's that for lazy?
Well, friends, it's Sunday night and to borrow one of my moother-in-law's favorite expressions: I'm turning into a pumpkin.