Aria's first bus ride

Aria had her first bus ride today! I think. Well, the first one she (or I, apparently) can remember. I know we took her on the Max when she was 10 days old (it was her technical due date, on Mother's Day, and we met a bunch of friends at Saturday Market for Cayleigh's birthday. And what gave birth to this little adventure was not her incessant (not really, but at times it felt like it) nagging to ride on a bus. It was the fact that come the Fall, Joe will have to take the bus to school downtown at PSU, so we were doing a trial run.

It's been a bit hot lately--by Portland standards, anyway--so I wanted to go before the heat really hit, and before nap time. So we set off around 1:00, after Aria was done helping Nonna garden. We walked down the gravel pathway at the end of our dead-end street, coming out near where Nonna works. The bus stop was not far away, and we had about a seven minute wait for it. Aria entertained us by singing Ms. Mary Mack. She just learned the song last weekend. When we finally got on the bus, Aria became fascinated by everything: the people on the bus, where we were sitting, what was outside the bus. When we went over the Ross Island Bridge, she sat up on her knees and looked out the window. She loves bridges these days. She was a very good girl, sitting next to me, talking about everything she saw. She kept being entertained by the bus "throwing"

We got downtown and Joe figured out where he had to go. By the time he had his bearings, I ended up with two very tired, hungry, and cranky people on my hands. When it comes to some aspects of food, Aria is totally her father's daughter. They both get irritated to the extreme when they need food. So I led them to this restaurant on the park blocks where I used to eat on occasion when I worked downtown. Joe and I had French Dips, Aria had a plain ham sandwich. Well, mostly she just ate the ham out of the middle, then nibbled on the bread. But this is how I know that they were both "shocking" from lack of food: about three minutes after the food arrived I stopped wanted to kill both of them. Of course, that could also be because I needed food. Whichever.

The trip home was hampered only because the bus was more crowded, and Aria was needing her nap. But she was equally excited, sitting next to Daddy and making funny faces to me across the aisle.

I consider this trip a success, and see further bus rides (many, if Aria has her way) in our future.

The Daddy vein

The other day, Aria, Joe and I were in the car. He was driving. And I still thought there was a good chance he was going to jump over the backseat and throttle her. Here's what happened.

It was one of the hot days we've been having recently. Our heat pump has been working admirably, and my migraines have been few. But still, just going from the house to the car seemed to take a massive amount of effort. We went to Office Depot to get some stuff to organize the mail. We walked in the store..and it was like walking through a veil of chilly goodness. I was almost cold...almost. We got what we were looking for, and Aria had been pretty good, so we agreed to buy her a treat: an insulated Hello Kitty lunchbox. Remember the good behavior I mentioned? It vanished as soon as we got to the cash register. She had a freak out because Daddy--whom she had given the lunchbox to a few moments earlier so she could play--put the lunchbox on the counter instead of her. I'm sure she was tired, and I know she was hungry, but still, it was rather extensive. We went out to the car with the fit still being thrown, doing our best to ignore it, as she wasn't attempting to hit us or break anything.

Move forward perhaps five minutes. Aria in the backseat, holding her new lunchbox. Joe and I up front, explaining our unhappiness at her behavior. One of us says that next time she gets a treat it will be for the entire trip. After all, I didn't want to take away something I had already given her, upon previously stated stipulations (that she be good in the store). It would not be fair, and she'd be unable to trust further deals we made with her. So I said that if she acted like this again, she wouldn't get another treat. And this is the statement that made Joe's Daddy vein (you know, the one in his forehead, near Fredrico*) begin to bulge in his forehead: "But I already got my treat." Her voice, so sweet and innocent. Joe couldn't even talk. I tried not to laugh. Definitely better outlined goals before the next outing-related treat.

*Fredrico is the name I have given to the face the appears in Joe's forehead when he's angry. It's awesome. Two slitty eyes and a mouth.