Aurora Wells

It’s hot this summer. Real hot. Two days ago Vancouver had an all-time record-breaking hot day (33.8 C), and our house has been getting more and more unbearable each day, as we start off in the morning still warm from the evening before. Getting out of the house and getting cool have been our goals most afternoons this past week.

Twice now we’ve been to the Killarney Community Centre’s big pool, which has a toddler wading area, bubble jets, a small yellow slide, and floaty mats and things for kids. It would be nicer if it wasn’t so crowded, but we’re not the only ones who think swimming is a good idea these days.

Yesterday Aurora and I ran off to Metrotown Mall, the biggest mall in BC, so we could walk around in relative comfort. They have a big Dinosaur exhibit going on right now.

These real skeletons (this one of a pre-stegosaur type) were interesting but not too scary for Aurora.

The loud, moving animatronic ones, however, were a definite fright. The big Tyrannosaurus Rex (behind) was about 2 stories tall, but the baby one (about 10 feet tall) had a control panel that let you control its head, arms, mouth, eyes and voice. Not sure what’s up with the weird lighting, though. The exhibit was pretty educational, and well worth visiting this summer, especially since it’s free and all.

Afterward, we shared an Orange Julius smoothie, and I took pictures of some funny faces:

Aurora has to get every last drop, even when there’s a straw in the way. You go, girl!

For months now, Daddy and I have been trying to get Aurora to say, “Yes.” First she just said “No” all the time. Then “No” went away and she either said “All done” (negative) or repeated the last word we said (affirmative).

Then several weeks ago we noticed “Mm-hmm.” She says it very softly; you might miss it if you’re not listening closely. But it’s there, all the time now. An all-purpose affirmative answer. She will obediently say “Yes, Daddy” (or Mommy) if we insist, “Say, ‘Yes, Daddy’,” but if we ask the same question (i.e. “Do you like ice cream?”) a moment later, she’ll answer, “Mm-hmm.” It’s kind of cute, and seems to get the job done, but not as nice as a polite, “Yes.”

Where did she get this from? we asked ourselves. That’s when we noticed it. About 80% of the time, I say “Mm-hmm” instead of “Yes,” “Okay,” “Sure,” “Yeah,” “Roger, Wilco” or any number of other positive responses. It’s like I’m a beer-soaked, worn-out, emotionally vacant schlub who never really listens to their family because they’re always watching TV. Except that I’m not! Really!

So, since I seem to be the only one this really annoys, I’ve been trying to catch myself and correct this oafish language quirk. So now if you hear me say, “Mm-yes,” you’ll understand what it’s all about.

With Daddy home for the time being, we’re getting a lot more done on the garage during the week, so we can have more fun on the weekend. Last Saturday afternoon we took a look at the sky and said, “Well, even though it’s sprinkling a little, it’s still warm enough that we should go to the beach.” So off we went, to wherever we could find the first parking space between here and Wreck Beach. We ended up at Spanish Banks.

While Mommy got our dinner ready, Aurora got used to the feel of nice sand on her toes and fingers.

Daddy helped Aurora walk in the shallow water. Mommy was not thrilled with the murkiness of the water and slimy squishiness of the sand, but hey, it’s cheaper than flying to Hawaii.

Almost like swimming, eh?

Learning to walk on sand was fun, and running was even more fun! We left just as the sprinkles started up again, and watched a lightning and thunder show the rest of the evening.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Samuel Zeitsman’s 1st birthday party, out in Coquitlam. Aurora got impatient with us and decided to put on her own shoes. Not bad for a first attempt!

The Zeitsmans had set up a baby wading pool, and this deeper one (an ingenious repurposing for a rowboat) for the older kids. Splash!

Barrett made good use of both. And look! He wears a hat!

Hardy, Korena and Samuel work on blowing out the candles.

Then the big news: baby number 2 is on the way. Congratulations, guys!

I really enjoyed getting a chance to hang out at a great party, with good friends, good food, and plenty for Aurora to do. It’s too bad she got sprayed in the face twice, accidentally, by the water hose.

But two half-slices of cake (Mommy’s chocolate and Daddy’s vanilla) did wonders to improve her mood. Bon appetit!

Usually when Aurora and I go to the library (once or twice a week), I scan the shelves and pick out any title or author who catches my eye. Last week, however, I deliberately signed up for the first book in the Curious George series, so we could see how George met the Man in the Yellow Hat (TMITYH) and got to the big city. I vaguely remember that I liked the book as a kid, and the illustrations seemed familiar. But, boy! What a different viewpoint I have as an educated adult! (By the way, I am not referring to the movie or cartoon – I don’t know much about these).

First, there’s the paternalistic White Man who comes to the jungle to capture the natives. But it’s okay, right? Because George is a monkey, not a person, right? But then on the boat he sits George down and explains that A) he’ll have more fun living in a zoo and B) he should run along and be a good little monkey. There’s a strange monkey/boy dualism going on here that gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Then there’s the negligence and danger factor. Any adult who takes the responsibility for a monkey (or boy) should not let his charge out of his sight. George almost drowns, crank calls the fire department, gets arrested and thrown into prison, walks across telephone wires, flies over the city holding onto a bunch of stolen balloons, and nearly falls into the middle of a busy street when the balloons finally touch down. Where was his guardian? I know, “It’s just a kid’s book,” lighten up, right? Well, Aurora empathizes so much with book characters, even kissing the Gruffalo. She worries about the poor prison guard who got knocked over when George escapes!

I especially love the ending. It’s a picture of George in the zoo (really the best place for him considering TMITYH’s practically psychotic neglect) having a grand old time with all the other animals, each of whom have a lovely balloon thanks to the generosity of TMITYH. I don’t know about you, but I’m trying to keep balloons out of the mouths of sea turtles, not in them! Oh, and did I mention the smoking? If anyone can find a less PC book on the market, I challenge you to send me its description!

without a big hunk of brightly coloured, industrial strength, plastic recreational equipment.

I found ours last weekend on Craigslist and drove out to North Burnaby to get it. Still in great condition after being used for a few years already. It’s the same model her little buddy Caitlin has, so I knew she’d like it. But honestly, she was just as occupied by the paper airplane Daddy made while I was out! I like the way it matches our garage, but that was purely coincidental.

Aurora’s soaking up everything these days. She repeats phrases like, “Daddy’s crappy shoes”, so we’re trying to be careful about less innocent derogatory terms (”crappy” is okay by me). Everything is a learning experience. Going out to dinner at Trixie’s Crepes with Selena & Barrett, whom she calls “Deena & Boort”:

provided Aurora with the opportunity to learn swordfighting with a level and a square from the play workshop. She also is getting better at eating what the grownups are eating, so I don’t have to bring as much “baby food” with me when we’re eating out.

Gosh, her hair’s getting pretty long. Due to budgetary restrictions, Mommy trimmed her hair a couple of days later. Check the next post for the results of Mommy’s efforts.

Daddy’s off work for the next few weeks, so we get to see lots more of him. He’s making good progress on the garage, with a little help from Mommy and Andrew-Bruce. Aurora wanted to help, too, so at Grandpa Larry’s suggestion, we tried this:

Brilliant! I asked her what colour she’s painting the fence, and she replied, “Brown!”

Her latest most-fun-thing-to-do is drawing. She’ll scribble with a pencil on any slip of paper she can grab, and Daddy asked me to post her first not-totally-random-looking magnadoodle drawing:

There are definitely some deliberate thought processes going into this creation, although I don’t think we’re dealing with representational imagery yet. The beauty of the magnadoodle is that it wastes no paper, she can’t eat it, and I haven’t had to clean up any out-of-bounds markings. Thanks again, Daddy, for bringing this colour one home from Japan!