Once Upon A Time I Bought An American Car

Once upon a time (December 2007) I bought an American car (2008 Saturn Vue).  It has not been a good experience.en,

While it was under warranty, the following were replaced/repaired: heater, remote  start/keyless entry transponder, O2 sensor, heater again, radio, and probably a few things I'm forgetting.

Then, I got new tires. Normal.

Then the power steering went. $800 later and a furious me, we replaced the power steering shindig and then discovered the battery was bad. Also replaced that and vowed to never return to that awful dealership in Plymouth even if they were the last place on the planet to have fresh water after the apocalypse.

The check engine light came on a few months later. It was repaired (another $400) and then came on again a few weeks later. I gave up. The noises got louder - the clunking in the front, the squeak when I drove through a puddle, the way the heat goes in and out.  The battery randomly dies so the car won't start. The radio doesn't work. For 6 months you had to jiggle a fuse to get the dash lights to work, and then suddenly everything worked (minus the radio) one day. I lived with it all.

In December of 2011 my car had less than 80k on it and I decided to get the light fixed. They figured out the clunking noise so we fixed that too at the tune of $600.

A week later that damn check engine light was on again. New problem. The dealership humored me and fixed the car for free, saving me another $200.  I still have the radio to repair, to figure out why the heat smells like burning plastic and is going in/out, and to figure out the underlying major electrical issues of the car.

So no, another American car isn't high on my list of desires unless someone else vows to foot the repair bills for the first five years. Because the honda I almost bought in 2007? It's 5 year repair estimate is $500 total.  I'm at almost four times that in four years with more to come.  I think it's time to trade this baby in.

Dear Griffin: 19 months

Sweet boy:

You're 19 months old now - officially closer to two than one! Each day you learn an amazing amount of new things. Your favorite book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear and you read it before bed and first thing when you wake up; we've read it so much you can say much of it with us. Speaking of talking: you're solidly into 3-4 word sentences now and your comprehension is through the roof. You can easily follow 2 step directions. You can jump, dance, and sing.

Right now your favorite foods include bananas (there's a dance for that!), apples since you can eat them whole, and pasta (also has a dance).  Christmas lights have been a big hit with you, and I'm sad to see them go for your sake since you love them so much.  I'm thinking about finding a way to keep some up in the house for awhile, just for you.

Other cool things you do: eat with a fork (be careful with how you say that word though, buddy!) almost exclusively, jump, sing along with me, give great hugs/kisses, use your imagination, and love. It is absolutely adorable when you demand "HUG ME!" or say "love you".  Speaking of love...you've developed quite an affinity for monkeys. In fact, just the other day you discovered the joys of your monkey hat and how it turns you into a mono.  Super cute.

I thank the universe every day for bringing you to us.  You have brought so much sunshine and joy to our lives that it feels like we'll forever be in debt to you for these amazing feelings. Thank you, my sunshine, for being you!

Love,

Mama

Dear Griffin - 18 months

Dear Griffin:

You're now 18 months. I've missed a few monthly letters to you, I'm sorry - we are just so busy these days! You have really been keeping everyone on their toes and keeping us all entertained, that's for sure.

Almost everyone who meets you comments on three things: 1.) how happy you are; 2.) how cute you are; and 3.) your amazing personality. It takes a stranger maybe 20 seconds to realize these things about you, and they are so essential to the core of who you are these days. They are right on!

With very few exceptions, you are an extremely happy toddler. You happily feed yourself if we go out to dinner, and you happily find someone who will engage in a conversation or activity with you. We joke that you find a "victim" and do whatever sweet thing you can to get their attention. It almost always works. My favorite thing about it is to see the joy you bring to these people's faces; you really have an amazing knack at making people smile.

The second thing strangers notice, how cute you are, is obviously very true. Your eyes are still blue/green and change depending on what you're wearing or what the light is like. Sometimes I've even seen them a super light golden color (I joke that's your hungry color). They are very expressive, too.

And of course a key element to who you are is your speaking. I'd guess you have about 200 words now, but honestly I can't keep track at all.  You're pretty solidly into two word sentences and have a few three or four word sentences thrown in. It all seems so normal to me until I see other kids older than you who are hardly talking - you are literally talking up a storm! At daycare you're known as the greeter because you say good morning or hello to everyone as well as saying goodbye.

Some of your favorite things these days include identify objects, trains, planes, mandarin oranges, Christmas lights, Christmas trees, babies and animals.  You are not a fan of diaper changes, leaving toys you are happily playing with, and teething (molars just came in).  Daycare is a very happy place for you, and you are sometimes sad to say goodbye to your friends (Kuh-en, Set, etc.) and teachers. But you are always delightful and bring joy to someone's life each and every day.  I couldn't ask for more, honey bear. I just  couldn't.

Love,

Mama

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Another Trip to Florida

IMG_8327, a photo by jessikajessika on Flickr.

There are a lot of things I like about going to Florida - the warmth, our trips to the ocean, the feel of sand running through my fingers, spending time with Ryan's mom and extended family. I also love that we have excuses to go to new places and Griffin gets to enjoy these trips more and more each time.

Here we are at Siesta Key during a sand castle festival. My MIL snapped this photo of us and I think it's my favorite Griffin and momma pic in a long time. My hair looks so well behaved! He looks pensive but fairly content riding on my back. I don't know how much longer he'll handle those kinds of rides, but I'm enjoying them while I can.