Big Man Jerry!

Meet our excellent painter, Jerry Frost. Heretofore known as "Big Man Jerry."



The first day Jerry arrived, Claire began moving from window to window, watching him and saying “Big Man…..Big Man…..HI BIG MAN!!!!”

Eventually, we taught her his name. But the nickname stuck. And the two merged.

“Big Man Jerry.” “Big Jerry.”

“HI JERRY!!!!”

“HI BIG MAN!!!!”


Soon, Claire began calling for Jerry at night, well after he'd quit for the night.

“Jerry home,” she’d say. “Nah, naht Jerry.”





On Saturday, I pulled up to Sherwin Williams to buy our last gallon of porch paint. Claire pointed to a poster of a paint can in the window and said, “Jerry paint.”
Je
rry always acknowledged Claire’s greetings but generally kept working, which probably intrigued Claire even more.




When we said good-bye to Jerry for good Sunday, Claire waived to him too. Saran and I felt sad. Not because we'd struck up an intimate relationship with Jerry, though he was friendly. We were sad because a key influence in Claire's brief life was disappearing, and she didn't really know it.


"BYE BIG MAN!!!!""

Pictures by Charlotte

Dana's daughter Charlotte took these wonderful shots of Claire on her digital camera. That's their dog Mo, who lets Claire ride, boss and generally abuse him, yet anxiously awaits her arrival each morning. Enjoy, and thanks Charlotte!

YAAA-HOOO! Yipeee! Three Cheers! Hooray!!!!

If you blow up this picture, you might see what we're celebrating.







That's right.

Claire peed in her potty.

All by herself.




OK. So it's a bit more complicated than that. Let me explain.

On Thursday, when I picked Claire up from Dana's house, Claire greeted me saying "Dad!" Then she pointing behind me and yelled "Potty! Claire potty!"

"I think Claire used her potty," Dana said.

We both bent down and looked. In the bottom of the round tray were a couple drops. A kiddie pool sat nearby. Claire had been playing in it all afternoon. Given that, it was hard to tell whether the drops were urine or just splashed water. But Dana insisted she saw Claire's expression change as she sat on the potty.



Friday night, after I got home, Claire yelled "Potty! Potty!" She again was diaperless and grabbing between her legs, seeming to need to go. I brought her potty out to the back patio and set it down. After a few minutes, she sprang up and yelled "Pee-Pee. Claire pee-pee." We looked inside. There were a few drops, together amounting to about a nickel-sized drop of pee. This time, I'd checked beforehand to make sure it was completely dry. And it was definitely yellow.

A while later, we moved the potty inside and left our girl sans diaper. As Saran and I finished up eating, Claire disappeared. Sarah and I talked for a while until we heard from the kitchen Claire declare: "Potty. Claire potty!"

Sarah got up to look. Inside, the entire bottom of the bowl was covered with a centimeter-thick pool of pee.

Claire had done it all on her own, without any urging or oversight from us.

Claire hovered over her accomplishment, touching it with her finger and declaring it "warm."



We celebrated by letting her dump her sample down the toilet.

Of course, an hour later, still diaperless, she totally soaked a comforter and our couch.

We've got a ways to go.

One drop at a time.

Colorevolution

This is what our house looks like at this very moment. Jerry ("big man," as Claire refers to him) has taken the last three days off.



Quite inviting, if I may say so myself. The colors are all Sherwin Williams:

Bronze Green
Bird's Eye Maple
Copper Red



We'd debated whether to color the roof supports like the one in the corner of this photo red or yellow, but I think we're going with yellow. The windows will be framed by a ribbon of red as well.

All credit goes to Sarah. If this house had been painted in October before the rains, it'd have different combinations and shades. Sarah first saw these colors on a house in Portland. She drove by it every chance she got. She could never quite let it go. In the morning sun, Bronze Green looks greener. In the evening shade, the bronze surfaces.


Claire, meanwhile, has been busy testing dad's socks for holes.

When mascara meets child...

...this can happen....







Hey. At least she aimed for her eye and lips.

Painting house a home

This was the view we found of our house last Sunday when we rolled in from the coast:



Things have changed since then, but we'll introduce you to it a step at a time, much as we're getting to know it. Our painter works at his own pace, but so far, it's been good work.



You can imagine what the rest of the house will look like by looking at these house numbers. That's our primary trim color, which looks like a great choice all the time. Our third color is a vibrant red. You'll have to wait for the next post to see that, along with how Claire grew infatuated with the painter.

Ella Mauren Claire

Who needs narration? Why not just enjoy photos of our trip with Matt & Sonya and girls to the beachhouse on the coast.



Forget that M&S nearly got a room in McMinnville, worn down by the traffic snarls and potty breaks. Or that Claire threw up on herself in her car seat. Or that the adults were so tired, they crashed when the kids did and missed a night of heart-to-heart.




We'll remember the tidepools, the kites, the sunsets, Matt's chile, grilled salmon, Sarah's blueberry pancakes, Matt & Brent's run, the outlet mall, two monkeys jumping on the bed and the beachhouse's bizarre CD collection.









Sure is a long way from Goshen.