Night. Night.

Chase went to bed tonight with an Indian corn and gourd - one clasped in each hand.

Banking Mee Mee

Today Chase opened a savings account with $20.00 - she loved being in the bank and didn't want to leave. She kept saying, "mee mee, mee mee."

She can't have a checking account until she is 12 years old.
Unless she passes the checking account class they offer.

I can just see her at age 3, explaining it to 12-year-olds...
"You put mee mee in, you take mee mee out."

Mole

I had a mole. Until this morning. Now it's gone.
But it didn't just disappear. I went to a dermatologist.

I was a little concerned because it had (I believe) been scratched by Chase (or Taggart), and become a bit red and puffy. Gross, I know. More information than anyone needs. I know.

Anyway, I have never been to a dermatologist before - and I really hope I don't have to go back anytime soon. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the doctor. But the office had pictures of people with skin cancer. And I am a worrier. There was one image of a 19-year-old girl who looked perfectly good, great skin, and then another picture showed her skin under a special light. And all the damage that had already been inflicted. Egads.

So the doctor took a look. He said, "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, but we're going to take it off and send it to a lab." And just like that, my little friend - which has been attached to me at the hip, was gone. He just took it right off. And now I have a big ole owie instead. Fingers crossed it isn't anything serious- and hopefully it leaves only a little scar.

I hope to have many more bikini days left in my future - even if I'm sitting in the shade.

Start Saving...Mee Mee

I came across a bank today.
A bank dedicated to teaching children about money.
It's called Young Americans Bank.

I think I'm going to have to take Chase down and open an account for her.
And then pay her a penny (I knew pennies were handy for something) for her art work, or for helping out around the house (today she cleared her table after her meal).

Following are the bank's customer statistics:

Number of Total Accounts: 14,762
Number of Depositors Reached Since Inception: 54,417
Customers in all 50 states and 9 foreign countries

Savings
Number of accounts: 12,363
Average balance: $800
Average age: 11
Most common reason for saving:
College, Vacations, iPod, X-Box

Certificates of Deposit
Number of accounts: 969
Average balance: $1,388
Average age: 12
Most common reason for saving:
College, Car

Checking
Number of accounts: 1,430
Average balance: $510
Average age: 16
Average check written: $35
Most common reason for having a
checking account: Experience
Accounts used most often for:
Entertainment, Shopping, School Fees

Loans
Number of Loans: 27
Average Balance: $2,394
Average age: 17
Most common reason for borrowing:
Car, Auto Repairs, College Textbooks

Credit Cards
Number of Credit Cards: 248
Average Balance: $143
Most common reason for having a
credit card: Experience

I voted today. Did you?

It was remarkably difficult though. The first place I went to vote told me I could only vote (because I had not received a ballot by mail) downtown. So Chase and I went downtown. Only to find out the DMV had misinformed us, and that we were not already registered to vote.

It was at this point that Chase became little miss whine and wiggle - and stayed that way while I filled out paperwork, waited for my ballot to be printed, filled out the ballot (I hope I did everything right, I had all of two seconds to concentrate on things - like instructions - and issues - like should police move marijuana possession to the bottom of their list of things to watch out for and spend their time combating violent crime?) and submitted it.

Oh it feels good to be an American.

People Keep Asking

How is "re-entry" going?

It's going well.
Hubs and I are loving Denver.
The air is clear; the sky is blue.
The grass is green.
The playgrounds are clean.
The parents are nice.
The sun is out. All the time.
Found a local dairy that delivers milk.
Taggart has not made a "mess" in several days (knock wood).

But I miss China.
And Switzerland.
And even London.
I miss the crazy, exhausting travel schedule.
The people we've met from all over the world.

I miss the awe that overtakes your soul when you stand in front of the Pyramids. I miss enjoying a glass of wine at a rooftop cafe in Shanghai, scaling the Great Wall in Beijing, taking in the view at the base of the Matterhorn - to name a few.

The food - the fish in China (albeit toxic), the fondue at Chasealp and the full English breakfast.

But I don't miss the plane rides. Not at all.

For The Love Of The Game

Taking careful aim...




















Slam dunk!




















Yah, you know it...

Day Light Savings

I tried to explain day light savings to Chase. We'll find out tomorrow morning if she understood.

All I Want For Christmas Is...

As Walmart has moved-up it's Christmas efforts, I am following suit. Not for me, but for Chase.

And, as everyone lives in a different state, I wanted to make sure you have up-to-date information to ensure we get (1) clothes that fit her, and (2) toys that Chase will play with...

I will keep a running log of what has been purchased (as far as I know) so that there aren't duplicates. Is that terribly tacky? I dunno.

I like to think it's no worse than bridal and baby registries, right? So here goes...

- Child Easel (Thanks, Karla & Joe!)
- Tobaggon (Thanks, Dad!)
- Dress-up clothes (Thanks, Karla!)
- A music box (with something that moves or dances)
- Art supplies (paints, crayons, pens -all washable/non-toxic)
- Musical instruments
- Anything money related (like a piggy bank she can empty and refill)
- Chinese books/DVDs (found on Amazon.com)
- Clothes (size: 2T. Shoes: size 7)
- Books (she loves language books, like 1,000 words in Chinese - which she already has. French & Italian would be fun)
- Anything with Curious George
- Anything that teaches numbers, textures, colors
- Anything that would be fun to play with in a bath tub
- Memory games

Please no...
- Candy

Updates

I took Chase to the pediatrician yesterday. She came in at 60% for weight, 90% for height. Shocker. The pediatrician reported her development was very good.

His questions included: can she run? (Yes) How many words does she have? (About 60) Can she string two words together? (Yes) Can she stack 4 blocks? (She stacks 5) Can she show the doctor where the eyes, ears, nose and mouth are on his grubby teddy bear? (Yes) He was noticeably impressed that I already took her to see a dentist. (I got a big mommy gold star for this!)

I declined the flu shot. Controversial, I know. I just can't bring myself to inject Chase with more stuff. Plus I think the flue shot is bogus, anyway. The pediatrician said that since she wasn't in day care, he wasn't worried - plus she was probably exposed to "all kinds of good stuff" while she was in China (which is where the flu comes from he said - I don't buy it). He was impressed with how healthy she's been - as have I. Knock wood.

And, with the tetanus shot she rec'd today, she's up-t0-date, until age 2, when she will receive her second dose of Hep A. And then she's all good until age 6 (I think). Awesome. With all our travels I was really worried about ensuring her "jabs" were on track.

I asked him questions about her dry scalp (he suggested Selson blue, twice a week for a month), about her face - near her mouth (which has been covered with little red dots due to teething - he suggested a little cortisone cream).

In other news...

- The Greek yogurt was very good, but not very thick. I could drink it out of a straw. And it used whole milk and whole yogurt - so maybe I need a yogurt maker after all. Plus, it is appealing to think I could make six different flavors at one time. Oh the things that excite me these days.

- I popped into the Denver International School yesterday - and joined a tour. Chase had the chance to sit in on a Mandarin class for 5-year-olds. I was interested to learn that at age 3, 4 and 5, the kids are in full immersion programs - so there is no English in the classrooms. They were learning colors, animals, sizes, and fruits/vegetables - all of which Chase already knows - and while she can't really say all the words yet, she recognized what they were saying. Of course the bonus is they are being taught by a native speaker, whereas Chase has to suffer through my miserable pronunciation. So after much thought (and a discussion with Hubs) we decided to pour our money into private lessons/tutor/Mandarin play for Chase, rather than into a full-blown International school. We figure we'll do enough travel with her to supplement the "international" part of her education.

- Speaking of which, I met a lovely German woman in the park. She speaks only German to her little girl, who is Chase's age. So Chase will soon have a little German in her life again - only suiting. Perhaps she will learn some German, too!

- The Halloween decorations are down. And I'm pretty sure that Starbucks is serving my favorite coffee drink of all time - the Eggnog Latte - which is only complete with a slice of pumpkin loaf. I might just have to go check it out today. I'm thinking if Walmart moved its Christmas sale up a month, Starbucks must be keeping time.

Many Thanks To Nana Banana

Chase was SO happy to receive this lovely care package from Nana Banana.

She loved the strange squeazy thing, the flashing wand, the mask, the corn, the gourd, and the pumpkin. She was a bit scared of the costume pieces (fake nose/glasses) and flashing teeth.

Happy Halloween!

We were invited to join in a tiny tot parade in Stapleton (a new, very Desperate Housewives neighborhood), which used to be the location of Denver's airport (and is about 15 minutes East of where we live). When they moved the airport further away from Denver, there was a large amount of unused land, which they decided to rebuild as a "new, trendy (read: very white) " neighborhood. The houses are all brand new - and huge. But they are all right next to each other. And the yards are tiny.

Going there always makes me feel like I need a manicure and a perfect haircut.














The parade...













Kermit...













Go, Kermit. Go!













After an hour of running around, there's no place like Dada's arms...













From there, we headed home to trick-or-treat.

Chase got the hang of it after the first house. And, although she didn't get to eat any of it, she still enjoyed the process. She was so super sweet, and said Thank You (dah-dah) and Happy Halloween (Hah, Hah, Hah, Hah, Hah) to everyone who gave her candy.

Greek Yogurt

I found a housekeeper. A little, old, Greek woman, who cleans other houses on our block. She is pretty good at cleaning, too! When I first met her, I asked her if she knew how to make Greek yogurt (one of my favorite foods of all time). She said she'd teach me.

So she showed-up today, to clean. And teach me how to make Greek yogurt. And brought home-made baklava. SO FABULOUS.

First she warmed a quart of whole milk, until "the milk come up." (I'm still trying to figure out what this means). Then "let it cool until you can stir it with your finger 20-times." And then she added three, large spoons of plain, whole yogurt to a small bowl, mixed it up and added it to the milk. Then she said "cover it in a blanket and leave to tomorrow." So she wrapped-up my bowl of yogurt-to-be, in a fleece blanket, very carefully, like a baby, and patted the top lightly, saying "good luck" - to the yogurt, not me.

Star Light. Star Bright.

Chase actually hummed "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight," this morning. By herself. Unprompted. And with perfect tone. It was amazing.

And then, while she was in the bath, she took a small pitcher - put it down into the bath, so that the bottom rested flat on the bottom of the tub - and water filled it up - right over the top. When she realized how it worked, she took a small foam number, put it into the pitcher (while it was empty) and submerged it - watching the small foam number float to the top. Then she took the pitcher out, poured out the water, took the foam number (from wherever it landed), placed it back in the (now empty) pitcher and did it again and again.

I am so amazed by her development.

Chase also notices things. And names them. Like the moon. It's pretty wild to be driving along and hear the word "moon," come from a little voice in the back seat.

Another big surprise - she makes sure that every last one of her stuffed animals gets it's own verse in "Happy Birthday" (one of her favorite songs of all time).

Happy Halloween!

Introducing... Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird and Kermit The Frog.

Have You Noticed?

I have found a pattern. A pattern in the way parents answer the question, "do you know of a good baby sitter?" They pause and say either:

(a) "Um, yes, but she's really busy. She really doesn't have time. She's the only person we use."

- or -

(b)"No, we don't." Which means they are lying.

Now let me just say - I am not looking for someone full time. Not even part time. I just want two-friggin-early-evenings-(2-hours-max!)-dinners-out-without-chasing-a-toddler-around- the-restaurant-and-let's-not-forget-the- -adult-conversation-with-my-husband. That's four hours a month where I don't have to worry about picking poop up or changing diapers. Is that too much to ask for? Seriously.

Les Dents

"Start saving now for braces," the dentist told me.

Apparently, Chase doesn't have much space between her baby teeth, which means that when the big, adult teeth come in, there won't be enough room in her mouth.

The dentist also told me I should be brushing Chase's teeth, 2x per day - real brushing. And flossing her teeth. Are you kidding me? At present, she chews on her toothbrush, once per day.

Snow

Yesterday it was 80 degrees. Today, it snowed.
By the time I woke up, we had nearly three inches- on the ground.
This, of course, means the mountain resorts are o-p-e-n.

A funny story - we were in the grocery store today.
I was holding Chase. She started saying "mee mee, mee mee."
I turned to look - and she was pointing at a change machine - the kind that turns coins into dollars. She had a big smile on her face. "Mee mee!"

So I guess a trip to the United States Mint in Denver is in order.

Go Sox. Go!

Pumpkin Patch

Our local Methodist Church has a pumpkin patch. As Halloween is right around the corner, we decided it was about time to pick out a pumpkin. So we arranged a play date with one of Chase's friends, Jordie. The girls moved pumpkins around and ran themselves until they were too tired to stand up.

It was a warm, beautiful day. Tomorrow it is supposed to snow.














Chase and Dada...




















Chase and her friend, Jordie...