to my health

Height: 42.75 inches
Weight: 41 pounds
BMI: 15.77
BP: 104/62
Vision: 20/20

Had my annual check up and everything checks up perfectly. I'm in the 99 percentile for height and weight as usual. Best part was I didn't have to get a shot this time, not until kindergarten time whenever that is. My appetite is still huge and I'm eating healthy. All in all, I'm feeling pretty on track.

BALANCE

I've been learning about the two sides of the bed, which has been a hard thing for me to understand because I really only get up out of one side, but it turns out one is the right side of the bed and one is the wrong side. Some days I get up all happy, thinking happy thoughts, like about the easter bunny coming soon:

And sometimes, and I just can't figure out why, no one can, I wake up all crummy and crappy and out of sorts and it takes me like a whole half hour to get right:

These are the two sides. Mama's trying to teach me about the yin yang, the two sides to the coin, to every story and to my bed. But why can't I just only have the happy sides? Can't anyone answer me why???

SO LONG PAL

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder but I was already fond enough of Himal so he didn't really need to go away to try to prove anything. And he didn't have to go as far as Nepal. And he didn't have to go for as long as two months. I mean, geez! What the heck am I going to do around here? So lame! We said our bitter good-byes yesterday.


Sharing one last cherry yogurt. Being brave.


One last teeter totter on Himal's teeter totter that I won't be riding for a while.


And one last long loving look into the sweet little eyes of baby Kai who is also being taken away from me.
Dang, I really miss these guys, and its only been one day!

total eclipse of the moondoggie

Many of you may not know this but my dad was a star surfer as a kid, like they would fly him to Hawaii for contests and things, he could've gone pro if he had not become disillusioned with the surfer dude mentality. Perhaps he knew then that he was destined for even greater things. Like being my dad. We are all so grateful for this and for keeping him out of the dangerous seas:

Birthday Beauties

Today is Bobby's birthday! I won't tell you how old he is because if I did you would freak out. I made him this card with a portrait of him. I drew this all by myself, not a lick of help (except with the word writing). Do you see how I captured his very essence? Those are the eyes of Bobby when you wake him up out of a sound sleep.

And a few days ago it was Mamop's birthday. She is exactly half of Grandpa's age, isn't that remarkable? Mama and Daddy and Nicky took her out to the nice restaurant for a filet mignon wrapped in bacon and topped with onion rings and then creme brulee. Tonight we get cake with curly cues that I picked out for Bobby's special night and I will tell you a secret. I already had a slice!!!


Happy happy birthdays to my grandparents who I love even more than I love birthday cake which is a mind boggling amount of love.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Sorry this is a day late (Mama got jiggy with the audio). I had a totally terrific day, my namesake day, Gustavo VALENTINE deWitt, right? It wasn't a school day for me but Mama and I went there anyway to exchange valentine cards with all my mates. It was awesome:

painting the town beige

Over to Seattle for a date with D and Zollo. My parents' road dogs.


Pete came along for good measure. He's a cave singer you know. Totally cavey!


Onto an art thing at The Ann Bonny which is pretty much what they always do over there.


Got to finally meet the beautiful and amazing Coco, Spenser's lady.
Then onto a couple more cocoa's at the ole bar. Mom and Dad put in all their effort to whoop it up.


Whoop.

the ole banjo

Another hit from Gus Sings The Classics.

Miss U Corner

Once you let yourself get into the missing of people, you can just keep on missing with no end to it. We haven't seen or talked to so many of these old pals which Mama takes a lot of the blame for because of the strange irony that at a time in her life when she needs friends the most she stopped being able to talk on the phone to any of them. This is a strange phase that should be ending fairly soon. In the meantime:


Salami and Asif.


Our girl Diaz.


The Paz that refreshes.


Farmer.


Mama's old college posse, Jason, Howard and Dave.


Jefferson Boulevard.


Kime and all of the Echo Park gang.


Aska and Camilgula.


Bebel of my dreams.


Charley John and Dave.


Dawn and Toonces.

Okay that's it for now! It's not healthy for my mama to pine over all our distant friends when we are in the middle of the woods surrounded by water in the dead of winter. Just know that we haven't forgotten any of you. You are still in our hearts and minds. And guess what? We are going to be breezing through your town in one months time Los Angeles! Batten down the hatches!!!

The Missing

Miss U Corner


Uncle Brad, Aunt Cari and the Baby Ondine when she was one day old.


Nana!!! Full time resident in Miss U Corner.


Aunt A.L.Stein and Addie. They live in Massachusetts now but I miss them just as much as when they were living in New York.


Clare and Ruby. Ruby is 3 now too. I missed her last two years. Thus, the missing.


Nathan Thelen, sounds like I'm lisping doesn't it? Long lost Nate the great.


The AntiJen. Rad.

This is making things worse I think. We all try to go along and not think too much about all those that we left behind, those that are far away and so out of reach, but we still think about them very much and all the time.

It's raining men and I'm not wearing a hood!!!

Maybe its was all the masculine juices flowing on Superbowl Sunday, but I started missing all the other men from my family and then I remembered Miss U Corner, the thing I used to do way in the beginning to show everyone who all I'm missing. So, I'm bringing it back. For starters, The Men Miss U Corner:

Papa. Look how much I admire him.


My great Uncle Bob. Doesn't he look like Papa? That's on account of their being brothers. He is a doctor.


Just a couple of dudes taking a nap together. So? Cousin Patrick and Uncle Ed. (And a young Don Rickles)


Uncle The Chief. Miss him. Wish he'd call me sometime.


And sure I see a whole lot of deWitt men but not as much of Uncle Mike as I'd like and actually I could spend even more time with Nicky if he'd want to go hang out some night, and even Grandpa I still don't get enough of, believe it or not.

Superbowl Sunday

The family settles in for the big game. Mama and Bobby root for New York, Daddy and I want New England. But I am representing Seattle still with my Tatupu jersey.


This is my new silent pouting technique, used when Mama won't play basketball with me when the game is on.


Halftime: Running down a dream. The dream of eating an entire bag of tortilla chips.


And when the game slows down you tackle Bobby. Face mask penalty!


New York won!!! Big upset!!! Pretty boy Brady is defeated!!!

WARMTH

I had to go back in the photo books and look at pictures of summertime to remember how it feels to be warmed by the sun. The sun is shining brightly these days but it still doesn't make you warm. The outside air is just too cold, even for that big powerful sun. I looked at these picnic pictures for a long time. T-shirts, bare feet, popsicles, green grass and the warmth of the sun soaking into your skin and warming your inner insides which include your heart and mind which cannot go without this warmth for too long. It's February now, closer to March, which is closer to April, which could bring the beginnings of all this that I am talking about. I really promise not to complain about the hot sun making me hot this year. I will not take it for granted!