What's new? oh, you know, the usual...

Isn't it every week you say goodbye to the people you've been in grad school with for many years, half-move to another city, move back in with your parents (or in-laws), move stuff into your new office for your first real job ever, have a house inspected that you are going to buy in September, clean out your new lab space that was filled with 30 years worth of someone else's research and who never had the custodians clean, try to get your fish lab set up and not kill your fish, and work on writing lectures for the classes you'll teach next fall, er, in ~6 weeks! Anyway, I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff that's happened, but it has been busy.

But on to the important stuff... Claire. She is doing just fine. I don't think she really cares where she is, as long as Mom and Dad are there. And actually, even if we weren't, if her 'Ma' and 'Pop' are there instead, that might even be better.

She's still a bit shy around her Grandpa C., but she enjoyed some time with him the last time we were here.

(The Office fans might want to take special note of Pop's shirt.)

Then, this time, a few weeks later, she was sitting out on those steps again. This time her Grandma was out playing with her. Claire sat down on the step and patted beside her and said, "Pop!" She remembered sitting there with her Pop. (Her big thing these days is to tell us stories about what happened in the past. Here is an example of one that happened the other week at my going-away party at a co-worker's house (Thanks, Sarah!!)

Sarah: My next door neighbor has lived there (and not fixed up his house) since there were cows kept right behind us. (it's not a brand new neighborhood)
Claire: (moos then frantically starts making the sign for 'milk')
Me: yes Claire, cows make milk.
Claire: Ow
Me: Yes, did you go out and see the cows? (at her g. grandma's house)
Claire: Doos!
Me: You wore your shoes?
Claire: (making milk sign)
Me: You saw the cows giving milk? And then what did you do? (can you tell I've heard this story a few times in the last month???)
Claire: (waves)
Me: You waved bye-bye to the cows after they were done giving milk, didn't you. Was Mama with you?
Claire: No. Ma.
Me: Grandma was with you. Thanks for the story!

This is only one of the stories in Claire's repertoire, but it may be the longest and is probably her favorite.