Memory

Two years ago today my Grandma died. She was my last living grandparent. I was lucky enough to know all of my grandparents and they were all very special to me and countless others. But today, I am thinking a lot about my Grandma.

She was my Dad's mother. Her name was Evelyn (Richard) Sorem. She grew up in Chicago and then moved out to San Diego with my grandfather, Hjalmar Andreas Sorem, when my dad was just 5 years old. Trust me, it's a long time ago...:)

They bought a little house in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego. A picture of that little house is below. Grandma lived in that house the rest of her life. That house has been in my life as long as anything. And as dated as it became, it was a part of me. From the frontroom (really the family room/living room combination that you entered into from the front door of the house) to the back bedroom (the former garage that my Grandpa converted into a bedroom that also required you to walk through another bedroom in order to reach it) to the icebox (I only heard that is what they used to be called) to the one bathroom shared by everyone, the place stays with me. The greatest part about it was its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Just 7 long blocks my Grandma would say to my "boyfriends" when we came over to ride our skateboards down to the ocean with our surfboards tucked under our arms.

I think about Grandma pretty frequently and this morning a special memory came to me. Back at my parents old Sam's Ranch house (by the lake in El Cajon), Grandma and I used to play catch on the flat grass area just down from the house. She would take our big catcher's mitt (my Dad was my little league coach so we always had lots of extra gear around) and go about 60 feet away from me. She would hold the mitt down at about the level that the catcher would crouch to and I would throw ball after ball after ball to that mitt. Of course I could hit the mitt with regularity in our sessions. The same is not true of actual game situations (just ask Rich Hedgpeth (happy birthday today Rich!) or Jason Sherr (Go Bears!)). But I don't think I remember a time that Grandma ever tired of that game. She'd stay 'til I was done. I had no idea at that time why she would do that or what that meant. I now know. She loved me. I am so lucky to have shared so much with her.

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The family is well. We leave for Washington DC tomorrow (September 23, 2005) and there is a LOT of packing to do. Travelling with two little ones is not an easy task.

We did not post a picture of my Mom (Charmy) and my Sister (Karin) in the last post. So here is a good picture of the both of them. Karin is on the left and Charmy on the right. They both looked no worse the wear after their return from the spa. And they had lots of new information to share about their visit.

Andrew is making great strides in his potty training. He even went at school yesterday. Very very cool.

Noah is doing super. He is showing signs of teething - fussy and swollen gums. He was uncharacteristically fussy before bedtime last night. But he still went down by himself and slept great last night.

The funniest thing happened yesterday. Robin was feeding Noah in his little bouncer when Noah decided he needed a little break. Robin went out of the room to clean some things up in another room and came back to find Andrew feeding Baby Noah. Robin of course ran with lightspeed to get the camera and take a few photos. The below is the best picture of the lot. So darling to see Andrew taking a keen interest in Baby Noah's well being. What a sweetheart.

Hopefully we will have some funny/interesting/happy stories to share about our trip east. And most importantly, hopefully relaxation will find us!

Potty

There is absolutely no way around this one. On Thursday, September 8 at about 3:48pm, I am sitting in my office, minding my own business, when I get a call from home. As usual, my office door is open and there are people milling about just outside. I pick up the phone and say hello; all the while enjoying my great view of the Coronado Bay Bridge, Petco Park and the Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego. It is Robin. She says that Andrew has something really big to tell me. I am excited; it sounds like it could be good news. Robin puts Andrew on the phone and I can hear her in the background asking Andrew to tell me what he did. Andrew then exclaims, "Daddy, I went poo poo in the potty!" I then yell out, with no regard for those in earshot, "Good job Andrew, you went poo poo in the potty!" Several people outside my office laugh out loud. The rest of the day, I am the guy who yelled poo poo! I am embarrassed. But hey, my first born went poo poo in the potty for the first time. It is good news! (Despite Carl's request in his comment to the last post, I have exercised my editorial discretion and not included photos of this event...Sorry Carl!)

Miraculously enough, my mom, Charmy (aka Nana), was there to witness the event. My sister, Karin (aka Auntie Karin), flew in the next day and heard way more about the event than she ever wanted to. Notably, Charmy and Karin were coming into town in advance of their visit to a Palm Springs holistic health spa. For several days before, they were both on a strict fresh fruit and vegetable diet, to be followed by a liquid only diet once they arrived at the spa. Let's just say that they are going to be EXTREMELY clean when they head back to Susanville and New York City (two very similar places...:)

Noah continues to eat well. We recently learned that peas are his favorite food so far. We thought he opened wide for squash, but that was nothing. It is impossible to feed him peas fast enough. We're guessing that GREEN will be his favorite color (at least that is what his diaper changings are showing us).

The other big news is, thanks to Francie Sorem (known in some parts as Favorite Aunt Francie), Robin's hair lost about 10 to 12 inches on Saturday, September 10th. She is now a shoulder length redhead. I think it is adorable and it is now far easier to manage. She donated the locks to Locks of Love, a charity that makes wigs for kids in need. That is my favorite part!

We also finally made a decision on a vacation. We are going back to Washinton DC from September 23 through October 1, 2005. We will be staying with Joe and Krisztina Goodman in Alexandria, VA (thank you very much Joe and Krisztina!!). Uncle Howard and Aunt Stacy and Auntie Karin have indicated that they will make it down from the New York City area. It will be great to see them. We are also very much looking forward to seeing Jeff Collins (my goodness how long has it been) (and possibly Randy and April Greene), Muir, Wendy and Robbie Macpherson (and possibly Jordan Lichman) and Sean, Andrea, Grant, Daly, Faith and Grace Gates. It will be great fun. I've already warned Joe and Krisztina to be ready for Hurricane Andrew!

For those of you who demand pictures, the best one we have ever seen of Andrew is below. This picture was taken just before Uncle Howard and Aunt Stacy's wedding ceremony on Sunday, July 17th by their wedding photographer. It truly shows Andrew's personality. I think he was playing with Uncle Howard's keys at the time. We cannot wait to get our hands on an 8x10 of this one! It is proof that you cannot go wrong with little boys in tuxedos.


And here are a few more shots from the wedding to please the picture hungry. The first shot is of the glowing bride and groom - Howard and Stacy Rosenbaum. The second is of the Sorem family with Sam Rosenbaum (aka Papa).