Retrogression

Last week I explained Avey's discovery and consequential exercise of my decline down the pecking order around the home; I had been demoted from "Daddy" to "Eli". So for most of the week, Avey and I were on a first-name basis. However, another interesting development (or perhaps a more appropriate word would be "recession") has arisen in the past few days.

Avey watched and fell in love with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I will call your attention to the scene near the end where Beast transforms into a human. We tried to explain this phenomenon to our toddler by categorizing humans. "Mommy and Daddy and Avey are all humans," we elucidated. She liked that explanation, and so for the remainder of the night desisted calling me by my first name, and instead commenced referring to me simply as "human". I put her down for bed and heard her over the monitor saying things like, "Human, I want some water," and other such gems.

At this rate, I'll be known only as "Hey you" next week. I hesitate to predict what she'll call me when she's a teenager...

And now, by (we assumed) popular demand, here is our superstar with her own arrangement of another classic. Click here for the original, "Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon.

Demoted

When I was a kid, I called all the adults I knew by their last name, preceded by the appropriate "Mr." or "Mrs.", or whatever else. I did this because it just seemed strange to me to use adults' first names. I recognized that there was a difference in authority and respect when calling someone by their title. It was interesting, though, around my 19th birthday. Around then, it began feeling strange to address adults using their titles. I felt as if I were transitioning into an environment of peers. I was no longer an older child, but a young adult.

It was the same in college. As an undergraduate, it felt awkward to address my professors as anything but "Dr." or "Professor". As a graduate student, however, it feels much more natural to use first names with my professors. I have advanced from a mere student to more of a colleague, perhaps.

In any case, it hit Avey out of nowhere on Friday that she and I are now at the same level, apparently:

That's just a brief sample I was able to catch of about 45 minutes of talking about whatever she could and throwing in "Eli" at the end of the sentence. I heard my name probably 200 times in those few minutes.

On the one hand, I thought it was really cute, and a great thing to learn. On the other hand, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened; did she just rise up several levels of social status, or did I fall?

Thankful

It was a much-needed long weekend, with my whole family in town. I was very happy to have my siblings here, and Avey giggled so much around the boys that we had a very difficult time bringing her down from the high to take naps (she actually didn't nap at all a couple of the days - not for lack of trying).

We all stuffed ourselves silly too. I wish I were talking only about Thanksgiving day, but that statement pretty much sums up the whole weekend [nervous laugh]. Changing the subject, here's a video of Avey:

We've got a lot to be thankful for this year; we're both employed, we're all healthy, we have relatively small debt, we've always had enough to eat, and we've got wonderful friends and family all around!

November Blues

It's getting to be that time again; the semester is winding down, but final projects are looming. Christmas is on its way, but the pressure's on to come up with good gift ideas. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but I'll have to force myself not to do homework and not feel guilty at the same time. I'm nearing the end of my graduate program, but I've still got a lot of ground to cover on my thesis. Avey wants to practice her running, but it's been icy and cold outside. It was my job to do Avey's hair yesterday, but I just couldn't get it to lay down:

Well, I suppose what keeps us trudging on through is that there is indeed progress. I'll get those projects done, gift ideas will manifest themselves, family will keep my mind off of homework, I've got great advisers for my thesis, ice eventually melts (in Colorado anyway), and Avey's hair will eventually dry:
In the meantime, we just keep thinking Pie! Pie! Pie!

New Tricks

One of Avey's favorite story books before bedtime lately is actually a beginning piano book of traditional nursery rhymes. So we just sing the songs to her. She's been picking up on them really fast too, as she demonstrates here:

While Avey has had a productive week, Kira and I were both so busy that I have a hard time recalling what we did. I have vague recollections of lots of homework, probably some classes in there somewhere... I wonder how Avey stays so chilled out with two high-strung adults around her all the time...

We've got big plans coming up, though. My entire family will be in town for Thanksgiving, and I'm very much looking forward to an entire month out of school for Christmas break!

...And Wiser Too?

I know. Look at all those candles. It makes me sick to my stomach. Or maybe that's just due to the fact that I ate half of that cake before their wicks had cooled. Twenty eight years...

Luckily, I have a lot of support around to help me through this tragic time. Kira and Avey visited me on campus this week:

I got some great gifts, of both material and service. I got a gift certificate to a professional hair stylist, so that I could learn some fancier ways to cover up my receding hair line and try to look as stylish as all the youngsters on campus, like this freshman:

Ha! Just kidding - this is actually Avey wearing a wig. I know, it's hard to tell, but take a closer look. I don't have any pictures of my haircut yet that I am willing to post to the world, but perhaps in time... looking at all those candles, I don't have much left.

Seriously though, it was a good birthday. I have a beautiful, caring wife and a clingy munchkin who adores me. Who could ask for anything more?

Among the celebrations, we went to the best German restaurant in town, and then saw A Christmas Carol in 3D. Don't take kids to that one - the ghosts are actually very scary!

Spooky Week

The week started out pretty typical (meaning busy beyond belief), and then Wednesday night we were hit with the first big snow storm of the season. This was met with mixed reactions. On the positive side, my morning class on Thursday was cancelled, giving me a few extra hours to study for the GRE on Friday (I finally decided to retake it, again). I stupidly braved the roads, but got to campus in one piece. Around noon, I discovered through email that my afternoon class was also cancelled, meaning I had the rest of the day to continue my much needed study!

It turned out being a real blessing because Friday the test came and went, and I came out with much higher scores than the first two times!

Saturday was a blast for Avey again - she got to dress up and go to another party! Here she is in a hybrid of her own and Daddy's costumes:

She will greatly miss the Halloween holiday. She has all these new toys to enjoy! She has been all about the plastic jack-o-lantern buckets, the green kitchen towel with a witch on it, and this annoying little cackling witch doll:

Me? I'm counting down the days to pie. Er, um, Thanksgiving. That's what it's called.