I've started and abandoned countless blog posts since returning from Europe three and a half months ago. It seems I can't find the chunk of time to devote to the writing that I'd like to do, and if I'm interrupted I lack the motivation to pick up where I left off. Winters tend to be quiet in our house with not much to report, but then I realize that, with a little girl who's just about to turn three in a couple of weeks, there's actually lots to say!
Currently we're in the throes of potty-training which is going really well. We held off on it for a long time, even though a small potty has been sitting in our bathroom for nearly a year and a half. I stocked up on some underwear for her to give her an incentive to use it and so far she's really taken to it (she used it successfully five times yesterday and had two accidents - a pretty good ratio, I'd say). I don't expect a full transition anytime soon, however. All in good time.
She's really mastered her recognition of the United States - I honestly can't think of any that she can't answer at this point - and has moved on to countries in Africa and South America. It's so fascinating to watch a child at this age and learn what interests them the most. She's also taken a liking to Legos so Rob and I have been on the hunt on eBay for more sets so she can expand her collection and possibilities for building. Her favorite part is dismantling the structures but really, whatever suits her is fine with us.
We've let down our guard on the movie watching a lot lately, too. We held fast to the no-watching-before-two policy but lately, especially with her accompanying me to work at least one day a week, it's nice for her to have a distraction. She really favors Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, a gift from Mimi and PopPop, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and sings songs and quotes lines from both quite a bit. My favorite? "God bless us - every one!" She once blurted this out at a party while friends, bowls of soup in hand, gathered in a circle to eat.
Last month Rob started a filmmaking class through Pittsburgh Filmmakers which he attends every Tuesday evening. He's long had an interest in film so I'm pleased that he's able to take advantage of what's offered here in our city.
My extracurricular weekly activity has been, for the last year now, Pub Quiz night at Brillobox, a bar a few neighborhoods over from where we live. It's extremely challenging and, thus, that much more satisfying when our team places in the top three (last week we came in third with only two of us present! 3rd prize is a free appetizer which, in our opinion, is the best deal of all). Friendships here have continued to deepen and are, by far, the best part of living here.
I've been running a bit more in anticipation of marathon #5 on May 5th. Though this has been our coldest and snowiest winter since living in Pittsburgh, I've still found some breaks in the weather to go out. Last week we had a couple-day warm spell where we enjoyed temperatures in the 60s! It's difficult to not run when it's that unseasonably nice outside. This year I'll be running to raise funds for a different cause: The Maya Organization, a local nonprofit founded and run by our landlady, which allocates funds for adoptive and birth parents, facilitating the process for families seeking to grow through adoption, something that is so meaningful to me after my parents' adopted my brother Roma from Russia nearly eleven years ago. I encourage you to donate to this charity by clicking on the link:
http://www.crowdrise.com/TeamMayaOrgPittsburgh2013/fundraiser/heathercramer
We're still working on plans for an upcoming - hopefully springtime - move for the business. Nothing's yet been signed and set in stone, so I'll hold off on making any official announcements, but it's an exciting, and often anxiety-inducing, process. But after two and a half years in what has been sort of an incubation location, we feel like our business is ready to stand on its own two feet (four feet? six feet? It's hard to say). We've been scouting storefronts closer to home that would make walking practical and have had some pretty encouraging leads. Having close friend who is a contractor also gives me peace of mind as far as the necessary renovations are concerned.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more on the move and the marathon!
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