By melissaw, on April 16th, 2012 Below follow a little series of recent photos shedding a little light on what Gus has been up to.
Each evening we read a bit, and Gus loves to cuddle beside us on pillows and rub his chest. Above is one of our favorites: Goodnight Gorilla.
I need to get some photos of the other g-parents up here to represent, but for now here is Grandma Sandi who introduced Angry Birds to Gus on her Kindle.
While I spent an additional day down in the Keys with my folks (lucky me!), the Meltzers trekked back to Miami. Grandma Angie took hold of the opportunity and gave Gus a good scrubbing in the tub, and a little trim to his front bangs.
We have had messier meals, but Gus’ little table suits him well. He has also claimed total independence using his utensils on his own (or hands when it comes to sweet potatoes).
So it’s a calculator, but still seems to do the trick in helping Gus connect with his buddies.
The nightly round-up of cars and traffic jams before heading to bed.
By melissaw, on April 14th, 2012 As I write, Gus is doing laps around me on his Radio Flyer car- he is fast. and has gotten really good at maneuvering the little wheelie-bob. He is coming off of a week with both sets of grandparents in town, and is not receiving nearly the amount of attention he had last week at this time, but seems to be faring okay. We sure miss them all.
Josh’s and my folks have only previously spent time together when Josh and I got married, which was 7 years ago in July, so it was really terrific having them all here. As I mentioned in my previous post, we rented a house and spent time down in the Keys, and also had a few dinners together back up on the mainland. I feel pretty grateful that our kiddo has two sets of such supportive and loving grand folks (as well as two great-grandparents we will see again this summer). Gus has reached an age where he really is starting to understand how cool they are.
And now back to reality. I do still have photos to post, I promise. My increased workload has affected my photo-taking and uploading drive, and I was hit with a pretty nasty cold, and my first sinus infection. Youch! I am hoping to get back into a rhythm of sorts this week.
By melissaw, on April 9th, 2012 
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After a number of months living in Florida, we have finally made our way down to the Keys– Big Pine Key to be exact. It was a beautiful drive down, where the main views off of Highway 1 are the piercing blue Gulf of México to one side, and the Atlantic to the other. We have come down with both sets of parents and are staying in a little house next to Wildlife Refuge and canal leading out to the ocean. This island is inhabited by a population of endangered deer, which we have seen a number of already.
It is a laid-back culture here, where many get around by bike and the dress code anywhere you go is relaxed. We headed down to Key West the other night and into the historic section of the Key, where there is a collection of beautiful old wood homes and fun restaurants. We ate at a place where roosters (who are free to roam the island) were strutting about and mingling between the outdoor tables. We all had different varieties of sea food, which was delicious, and split a couple slices of world-famous Key Lime Pie, with meringue topping that was at least 6, if not 8 inches high.
Yesterday we hit Bahia Honda State Park, where they claim to have one of the state’s (and perhaps country’s) most beautiful beaches. Josh and I had the chance to snorkel a bit, and saw huge conch shells, iridescent blue fish, barracuda, flounder and crabs. Gus absolutely loved every aspect of the beach, from splashing and trying out his back float in the ocean, to playing in the fine white sand.
I hope to return with some photos- I have not been so good about taking them, but Josh is bound to have a few to pass along, including video from our time snorkeling yesterday.
By melissaw, on March 30th, 2012 … It pours, and though I had a dry spell back in September and October, I have been slammed with work these past few weeks. And at the height of it all the logic board on my computer died, which required a loaner for a week while it was being repaired. The laptop is back, but sits to the side for now as Josh surprised me with a purchase of a new desktop computer. This thing is beautiful, and larger than our TV, and I feel that just by using something so nice and new, my designs are bound to be even better. I am back to feeling very lucky.
With a small break from the work, I thought I’d post a few photos from a few weeks ago, when Gus and I visited the Miami Zoo. It was a nice escape from the city, and the variety of landscapes were beautiful. And it really was incredible to be up close to so many animals that are the subjects of so many of Gus’ books.
I took the one above because the tree was so pretty.
There are smooth stones bordering the deck (or used to be), and Gus gets a kick out of bringing them up onto the wooden planks and hearing them thud, and then works on arranging them this way and that. A few renegades always end up in the house somewhere, displaced from all their friends.
By melissaw, on March 27th, 2012 
The other night Josh, Gus and I joined the neighbors and their twin boys and walked down to a nearby park for an outdoor screening of Despicable Me. It was a balmy night (like every night here in Florida) and we sprawled out on blankets and let the boys run around. There was a food truck with Cuban fare, along with nearby stands with free popcorn and ice cones. People also brought their own picnics and adult beverages to enjoy while watching the movie (that had enough adult humor in it to appeal to all ages).
It was a sweet night, and though we are living in a big city, the event had a small town feel, and reminded me of the potential a small community has in organizing and making a place feel even more like home. Photo above by Josh
By melissaw, on March 22nd, 2012 
This is a daily scene at the Meltzarp house- Gus’ trucks, cars, airplanes and occasionally a milk cup all set up in a row. I think he has sat through too many traffic jams in Miami!
We are making our way very through spring semester very quickly- nearly down to one month of classes left! I have really enjoyed teaching my class, which is composed of some really terrific students. That helps, of course. And the freelance design work is still going strong. Lately I have spent a lot of time designing for a gelato-pop truck (the stationery, postcard, menus, booklet, ads and the design for the truck itself). I will link to much of that work once it has gone “live.” Along with that, it’s been the whole gamut, from designs for a steel company, a dentist, real estate groups and a weight loss program. All of this work keeps me on my toes, as I am learning daily about new industries and how best to design for them.
Gus is doing great at his school. He has a great group of 6-8 little friends and he recites his names daily: O-lee-via, Lay-la, Maddox… Apparently he also has his first “crush,” which we bring up with him often. He is repeating everything, which has led to Josh and I censoring a bit of our language, and we have even begun spelling the things we don’t want him to hear. Swimming lessons have been really something to experience, and as promised a few weeks ago, I still have a post dedicated to that topic on the way.
It is still spring-like here in Miami, though I realize that the intense heat of summer is weeks away. We have not had to resort to AC yet, which I like. It is wonderful to hear the palm fronds waving against each other in the wind.
By melissaw, on March 17th, 2012
By melissaw, on March 12th, 2012 
Gus is growing faster than we imagined, and we have forgotten from time to time that he may be growing out of things… like his highchair. After about the twentieth time dumping his plate off the side of the tray we decided we needed to get him lower to the ground. Though this has no promise of easier clean-ups, Gus’ new little table and chairs suits him well. The table is only a day old and he has already made his mark with crayon and cottage cheese.
We have resorted to hiding the IPad, as the moment Gus catches sight of it he wants to sit and watch his shows. The latest favorites are some Russian version of Bob the Builder (he found this one on his own), and an annoying rendition of “The Wheels on the Bus” by an ultra-enthusiastic woman with guitar. It amazes me how quickly Gus has figured out how to navigate on this device, which causes us to keep a more careful eye on him in order to avoid extra app purchases.
Something has gone terribly wrong with my plantings on the back deck… Within days after planting seeds I had tiny sprouts, but that is all the larger they have grown. My neighbor on the other hand has had great success with his raised beds, and the other day he shared a few items with us. Now we are eagerly anticipating the mango crop!
By melissaw, on March 7th, 2012 This video was from last week, when Alison and her kiddos were visiting. Gus was completely absorbed in his popsicle-eating, while Garrison Keillor sings in the background and Eleanor rides the Radio Flyer.
By melissaw, on March 6th, 2012 We loved having our friends in town, and though I did not take as many photos as I would have liked, below are a few moments from our time spent with Evelio, Kate and Ole. Evelio was visiting after shooting videos on spring training, NASA and Dara Torres (unrelated, but taking place in the same state) for The Washington Post. Kate you should recognize, as she has been featured here a number of times (she has her own blog you can link to from my blog roll, titled “One Point Seven Acres”). This is a cameo for Ole, her 7-month old son, who has to be one of the mellowest babies I have met.
After arrival: Ole and Evelio snooze.
Rather than hitting the clubbing scene in Miami, our night time fun entailed watching “Potty Time with Elmo.”
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