Bye, Grandma. See you soon!

This past Tuesday, my grandmother passed away.  She was 98 years old.  We will miss her, but she had been having a very rough last few months.  It had been very hard to watch and hear of her slowly succumbing to old age, but still hanging on.  However, with confidence in her salvation, she went home this past Tuesday to be with the Lord.

Oddly, I had a dream about her and Grandpa the day before.  In the dream, both were happy and were glad to see each other again.  In the dream, they were back in their old mobile home, the irises were blooming, and my family was there greeting Grandpa as though he'd been gone on a long trip, but was safely back and very glad to see Grandma again.  

Knowing that heaven is a fact is such an assurance.  Grandma (and Grandpa as well) is without a doubt happy, whole, and rejoicing at having a new body that is free from the ailments she experienced here.  Truly, death has been swallowed up in life!

Yoga-meisteress

So, here's what happens on crazy Sunday nights at the Hausmeister household when Mrs. H leaves out books of yoga poses, and Baby H is feeling spunky . . .

Just for the record, Baby H picked the shirt out for me.

Last game of the season

So, this week concluded this year's soccer season.  I was a little shocked that I haven't posted anything since the beginning of the season over a month ago, but in my defense, there have also been two trips to the Midwest in there, and we're currently hanging out with my parents for a week.

Today, we all went to see Baby H's last soccer game.  Well, all of us, plus the pet t-rex, who sat on the sidelines to keep an eye on things.  It also shared some of the halftime snack, and was petted through most of the second half.  Games for Baby H really only consisted of the first half anyway this season.  Once the snacks came out at halftime, it was time to socialize.  Today, the halftime snack was donuts. Baby H wasn't happy to find out that her donut had several bites missing (by several members of the family) by the time she got back from a run out on the field.

As before, enjoy the photos!

Cut 'em off her!

Mrs. H and I have different approaches to potty training.  Her method is far more direct than mine.  She proposes putting on underwear with no diaper and hoping that will teach her not to wet herself.  The phrase, "I wish we could just dress her in saran wrap," was part of this conversation.  I prefer the wait and see method, partly because the mess that results from the direct method becomes my problem after Mrs. H leaves the house to go earn more diaper money in the morning, and I don't like the idea of dealing with underwear-strained poop.

On one particular day recently, Mrs. H decided to try for a compromise, underwear underneath Baby H's diapers, thinking that it would help her realize she was wet.  Unfortunately for everyone, Baby H didn't really care if she was wet or not, or more importantly, poopy.  When it came time for a diaper change, we were in for a tough decision - what do you do with a diaper under underwear?

While I was considering the nastiness that would ensue (and the many ways that this was Mrs. H's fault), Mrs. H suddenly exclaimed, "Cut 'em off her!" and raced to the kitchen to get some scissors so that she could cut off the underwear and diaper.  The thought passed through my mind that it was likely that those scissors would also be going through my pizza in the next day or so, but the deed was soon done.

We're still in disagreement about the best approach to potty training, but it's certainly not been without adventure!

First game

Last weekend was the first game for Baby H.  I think we lost by something like 13 - 1, or maybe it was a complete shutout.  I don't really remember.  Baby H was as large as all the other kids in her U-6 team (6 and under), so could probably have held her own, but didn't understand how the game was supposed to work.

After chasing the ball for a while, she came off the sideline in tears telling me that the other kids wouldn't share the ball with her.  Since she's naturally so aggressive and physical, this is probably the first time we've encouraged her to compete.  After the game, we tried to explain it to her.  We'll see if it stuck tomorrow, when she plays again.

The field they're playing on is astroturf, with a drainage system underneath it.  The "dirt" seems to be shredded rubber.  All last Saturday it was pouring, but when it was time for the games on Sunday, the field was completely dry.  The facilities are great!  I don't think I played on a field this nice until I was in college.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

Aggression

Last week, while Mrs. H was doing her contortions on the floor, Baby H got tired of sitting on the sofa, and decided to go on the attack.  She growled, "I'm gonna get you little fella Mommy," and pounced.  It was hilarious, once we figured out that Mrs. H didn't get too squished.

Baby H is now 3' 8" tall, and over 50 pounds.  The days of her sleeping on my chest for a nap are long gone.

Wet pants? No problem!

Here's a tip from the Hausmeister for all you parents who have found their child with a wet backside while you're out, and no replacement pants.  

Find a high-velocity air dryer in a bathroom, hoist the offender up, and use it to dry out their pants.  It's fast, it's easy, and according to Baby H, it tickles.  It also saved our trip to the science museum today.