She'll be TWO on Sunday. Our baby! After almost a year of answering "ONE!" when you ask her how old she is, this morning we taught her to say "Two!" and it stuck. At least for the morning. It does appear to be much easier for her to hold up just the one finger instead of the two, though. Instead of the "peace" sign of TWO, she crosses her fingers or spreads out all 10. Ha.
She got a hair cut last weekend at Cool Cuts 4 Kids. We took her there for her first cut last September, and they did a great job. This time, they chopped her hair like it was some kind of punchline to a really bad joke. The worst part is her bangs. Our litte beauty has chopped up bangs. I saw it when it happened and it was too late. I couldn't stop them. I wanted to kill them before walking out, but I instead thanked them, paid them, complained the whole weekend, and curse them every morning when I'm doing her hair. It's bad. I laughed to Paul that now when she's being a brat, she's just not as cute so I will have less pitty on her ;) But the NEXT TIME, she will be going to my hairstylist like a big girl. Terry's been doing my hair for the last 8 years. I love her. Anna will too. But it will take like another YEAR to grow those bangs out. I mean really. GGGrrrr....
She planted grass this week in a little pot at school. Her teacher told her that it's to remind us that God made everything himself. Including us, the animals, and the grass. And as her teacher told this to me, it was obvious that she had conviction and belief. Almost such that I'd swear she were lecturing me against what I was thinking in my own mind right in front of her:
Oh you mean that great energy source that we call God? Yeah, that...well, I could agree with you if you just added the word "INDIRECTLY" before "created". But this is a Luthern school so this is what they teach. Anna is learning the fundamentals. It pops up more and more here and there as she gets older. It's OK. She needs to learn common and traditional fundamental religious beliefs somewhere. Because mommy and daddy have a little different beliefs, but our beliefs build nicely off of the fundamentals she's learning right now. So when her teacher tells me things like that, I support it. One day we'll have talk about it. Just like we'll have a talk about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
Last week she made toothpaste. And then play dough. She's making all kinds of stuff at school. They had a class on brushing your teeth.
This building smells like a BLT sandwich. Like all the time. I mean the new building I'm in at work. It's 6 stories high (astronauts on top floor) and there's a handy snack shop right on the first floor (I'm on the third). I swear they're always cooking bacon. They make sandwiches and breakfast burritos and even sell drinks and yogart and FROZEN yogart and fruit and cookies. It's pretty convenient. And then right next door is the Cafeteria and a gift shop. One of 2 here at JSC. After having worked in a peripheral building here at JSC for 8 years, I was never really near a cafeteria OR a snack shop (I was an engineer and thus had to rough it out). It's interesting being in a building in the heart of the action where astronauts and big-wigs work: They get a snack shop AND a cafeteria? Geeze. Talk about high life.
I have moved into my new office and I really like it. It's a comfy atmosphere and my cube mates are just as OCD as I am or worse. So they're organized, smart, and clean. It's sweet. My walls are no longer tan with tan concrete tile. I have carpet with soft grey walls and nice grey, speckled furniture. It's not an engineering office. It's a program office. It's kinda nice. It's also nice to walk up and down 3 flights of stairs daily. More exercise. And the walk from my car is actually super cool. Especially this time of year when the weather cooperates.
And it couldn't hurt to be reminded daily of my goal that sits on the 6th floor.
That my obvious next step after a few years here of learning all about the science process on the ISS is to actually be the one on-orbit
implementing the science. OK, now I'm starting to see this...
This morning I realized how secluded I actually have been for the past several years, even though I have been working here at NASA. Sitting on the periphery of the center, immersed in developing NASA's flight hardware, down in the daily details, I was secluded from the big picture of Space...especially the happenings on the International Space Station (ISS). Even though my hardware was used ON the ISS! Now, every morning I sit in a high-level staff meeting where I learn about what's happening daily with the shuttle launches, ISS science, and Operations. I am actually immersed in ISS life, instead of burying myself in trying to solve team/hardware problems in engineering. I am just now overall more aware of what's going on in the space world. As an engineer, it just wasn't part of my job to know the fun stuff because I was too busy with the "real" stuff that mattered.
I've learned that Stephen Colbert is coming to NASA to do some taping. That's super cool.
Anyway, so far I like my new job.
Oh, our trip to DC Headquarters was cancelled. JR's daughter got a bad spider bite so we stayed in Houston. Just as well because of the big snowstorm up there anyway. We'll reschedule for April or May.
This week I met some new people here in the office who commented that they'd heard of me before with regard to previous good work I did as an engineer. Apparently, my reputation has preceeded me over here to ISS, which is really nice. I kinda knew people knew my name, but it means alot to me to be complemented on my work in EA. I'm not much for the whole social networking and "happy hour" scene...it's much more cool to be known for the work I've done for NASA.
My calendar is getting full with requests for me to be keynote speakers again all over the country for the TRIO programs. I did this last year too and brought Paul and Anna everywhere with me. So far I'm scheduled for Houston this weekend, then later Albany, Indiana, and Niagra Falls. And back to Clarkson too. I'm having to turn down others because of schedule constraints. Paul and Anna will come with me to Niagra Falls in July. It's so cool when people request me to come and speak based on the motivational speeches I've given in the past. It's an honor.
I got a new phone this week. The Pantech Matrix. I like it lots. I hated my old phone.
Anna is saying all kinds of stuff. Stuff like "I like this song! Don't DO that! I like this XXX, I don't like this XXX! I don't know what this is! What IS this?" and so on. When she asks "where'd daddy go?" she says it with much more inflection than ever before...eyebrows furrowed, shoulders lifted. Her sentences and questions are more animated. We can hold little conversations and she'll tell you a little about her day. She
burped a sentence to Paul last week, which pleased him and gave us a good giggle. She gives kisses willingly and hugs when asked instead of running away like it's a game. This morning she kissed me good-bye and then asked for a hug. Screw the nice shirt I had on...those jelly-covered hands around my shoulders were too much to pass up. Following the hug, she asks for high fives and fist bumps. She got that from Paul.
SEND MONEY. Paul and I EACH have to raise $450 for the MS150 in April. Come on, friends, this $$ goes to a good cause and we don't bug you for anything else really for the whole year. So support this cause! My donation link is on the top right of my website. Or send me a check. Please help. I'll post Paul's link later too.
Which reminds me, I gotta get back on the bike. The weeks are so busy. I don't exactly know where the time goes but I wish it at least involved TV. Then I'd know what to cut out to fit in bike riding. But my DVR is backed up with stuff to watch. Right now the only thing I can see is getting up at 5:30am again to ride. When I'm not going to bed till midnight, that's just not cool. We'll see what I can do.
For Anna's birthday this weekend, we are taking her camping for one night at Brazos Bend State Park. It's about 45 min from here. It'll be a quick trip. Just enough to introduce her to camping. I think I have a feeling for how it will go based on the activities of this week. Paul set up the tent in our back yard to clean it out. He is so excited. He invited Anna in, thinking that most toddlers love this stuff.
He was wrong. We coaxed her into the tent but she was freaked out about it. She maintained her composure as long as possible, but ultimately eased out of the tent semi-gracefully. She didn't like the movement and sound that the tent made as the wind blew it and we were inside. So it could be a looonnnggg weekend at Brazos. Paul reminded me that we've broken camp in the dark before. So you see where the worst case is going here.
For the record, if we did have to bail once we got there, I think that'd make a hilarious 2-year old birthday story. So it's a win-win. Except for the whole sleep-deprivation thing.
Last night I asked Paul what Anna has taught us in the last 2 years of parenthood (she did choose us as parents, afterall. What did she come to teach us?). I told him she has taught me empathy and a little more compassion towards others. Paul couldn't give me an answer as to how he was affected. He didn't know. He thinks he'll figure it out when she's older. Paul is the type who loves hard and gives it all to us. So he'll probably learn the most from her when she's grown and leaves us. OR maybe she came to
teach me, but to
learn something from Paul. I told him he should be prepared to answer this question again next year. I think it's a good thing to reflect on for each of Anna's birthdays. If we remember :)
Her tantrums are now based on weird things. But it's OK, people, don't panic! I've read the books so I know what it's all about! ;)
Yesterday she ended up on the floor because she wanted the white cheese instead of the yellow. You see where I'm going with this. Though not everything induces a tantrum, some stuff gets an exhaggerated reaction from her: Little piece of fuzz on her hands...a dead bug on the floor...milk when she wanted OJ...God forbid pants with a snap lately. She doesn't like messy hands yet she doesn't want to wash them when YOU ask her to. Yet she's content to sit in a poopy diaper. Booger.
Stuff has to be her idea if you want it done.
But really, Toddlerhood is super cool. Loving it.
Now SEND MONEY, PEOPLE! DONATE!!!
