All grown up, haven't been a child in quite some time.

Plumbers. We have a bad case of plumbers. If I wasn't so full I would waddle into the bathroom and take a picture.  It's a bit Dexter-esque in there. I'll try to get pictures for tomorrow.

Suffice to say, we will be getting a completely new (granite?) shower and new walls and new sink and fixtures in the main bathroom.  The landlords want to "keep the house up" and they know they have ignored it for a long time.  So, there's the bathroom. And then maybe some work in the kitchen plumbing; and well, some new doors.  And a freshening to the downstairs (not really used) shower so we can use it during construction.

I'm fairly excited about the new shower stall - I can't even properly clean anymore with the amount of bowing of the wall, and grout falling from the tiles.  And there's obviously wet behind by the edge of the tub and ickiness which I can't even get to.   So all of that being resolved will make things much nicer and easier.   I would love an exhaust fan in the bathroom to keep the mildew down but that's  probably not gonna happen.

Got a lot done in the office - my clerk is an organizing fiend (a bit ocd maybe?) and we went through old boxes of stuff and weeded out old files.  You can tell this stuff makes her happy.  She's a quiet one though, makes me seem chatty.

Dad Report: Our conversation was a bit ridiculous today.  He's got the new hearing aides.  He's pretty convinced he can't use them with the phone as they prevent him from pressing the receiver all the way to his ear.  I suggested that with the hearing aides he might not have to, but either he can't hear good enough even with the aides to make this possible; or with no "reference" point, he doesn't keep the receiver even close to his ear -- and then can't hear.  In any case I was unsuccessful at convincing him to just leave it in this one time so we could see if he heard better with them on the phone.  We spent a lot of time going back and forth with me repeating things multiple times for him to hear (with and without the hearing aides) -- and then he would forget we just talked about it and take it out again.

He said he struggled a bit getting them in this morning and getting them turned on, but thinks with practice this won't be an issue.

 

 

 

That's Dad in the back and HB in the front - all who wander...

So tonight we celebrated the girl's birthday... looks like this birthday will linger...  I firmly believe that the girl (and Z and boy-o) are blessings in my life.  They are my kids, whether or not I birthed them.  The only kids I have.   They are in my heart and as they grow I have that parental mixed saddness joy inside me -- of leaving the kid-ness behind but enraptured by the growth and challenges and changes yet to come.

We had a late dinner (for us) and ate a ton of sushi which is our habit on special occassions.  The family at Wa's -- knows our family -- knows we come there for these specials nights -- and always welcome us warmly.  [the momma had to corral me as we went to leave, to have us sit 'for the birthday party, please' - as we almost escaped without the singing and gong and moshi ice-cream with candle]

Chopstick wall at Wa's

Birthday Princess

Boy-o just set that on fire with his mind

VHM awaits much sushi

The girl gets blind lemon blues album-- yah some girls want silly things, our girl wants vinyl.

Best card ever.

We traveled to Henry's (cafe) for some chai latte, and conversation drifted to our absent Z.  Doing well in Santa Fe, but missed by all of us here at home.  He too has grown up so much in the last year; working now doing "odd jobs" - but really construction and electrical work from the sounds of it.  He called his Dad to complain about other guys not "pulling their weight on the job."  It makes us so happy to hear him complain about such things.  A moment of recollect to dark days in the hospital just over a year ago - a somber moment - which kicked us out of celebration; out into the cold to head for home.

Haven't been this content, not in quite some time.