As some of you know, I’ve been involved with a group in Rochester Hills working to preserve the remaining green space in the city. The main focus up to this point has been in getting a millage passed so that the city may collect money to purchase and set up conservation easements on private undeveloped land.I’ve been involved with the group since January when they regrouped after a failed millage proposal in last year’s election. I initially joined the Communications subcommittee with the intent of stepping outside my bounds and learning something new. Eventually, I also joined the steering committee that was formed, designed the logo and letterhead, worked extensively on the ballot language presented to the rest of the steering committee as well as much of the Frequently Asked Questions [PDF].I’m happy to report that all of the group’s hard work paid off, as the proposal passed in yesterday’s primary election [PDF] ! The hard work doesn’t end there, though. An oversight committee will need to be formed to determine how exactly the money will be used: applying for matching grants from sources such as the Trust for Public Land, determing which properties to focus on first, determining how much will need to go toward upkeep and improvements (nature trails) if any, etc.

Jennifer and I woke up at 7 AM this morning to a bright flash of lighting and instantaneous clap of thunder followed by a downpour of rain. We had half heard the muted rumbles of the approaching storm minutes before, but the lightning took us both by surprise. We both sat straight up in bed as soon as it happened and rushed to the windows to close them before the rain could come in. The discharge was strong and close enough that it turned on the touch-sensitive lamp that we have by our bedside, reset the microwave clock in the kitchen and knocked out the power to the elementary school just down the street (which we found out later from a neighbor with grade school age kids). Goooooood Morning, Rochester Hills!

Kaija’s other recent development milestone has been the exciting world of potty training. This wasn’t really on Jennifer’s or my radar, though we had started reading up on various training techniques from books that Jennifer’s mom had given us a little while back.Soon after Kaija was born, some friends of ours brought to our attention something called Elimination Communication. We purchased a Baby Bjorn infant potty to try it out. I don’t know if it was us who weren’t perceptive enough or Kaija’s body language not being obvious enough, but we didn’t have much success with it.As most parents can attest to, using the bathroom and having privacy are sometimes just not possible while raising a toddler. They also like imitating what grown ups do. So as Kaija has become increasily conscious of her bodily functions and started letting us know what she’s doing, we asked her if she wanted to use the toilette. Though she was eager to try it, the first week or two were trips to the bathroom after the event. This and her not-so-complete-grasp of the English language led to an exciting parental moment last week… Kaija told me “pee” but in actuality it was the other potty type and I didn’t quite handle the diaper removal as cautiously as I should have.But this past weekend she successfully starting going both Number One and Number Two in the potty when she tells us she needs to go. I can see the light at the end of her diaper changing tunnel! There’s still a lot of work before she’s self sufficient, though. Getting her clothes and diaper off, getting up on the toilette, wiping, flushing, putting a diaper back on, etc. Parenthood continues…

Kaija’s latest obsession has been brushing her teeth. It started when Jennifer and I took her to the dentist’s office when Jennifer had a check-up and we wanted to have the dentist take a quick look at her teeth. Kaija wouldn’t have any part of it, but ever since they gave her a tooth brush to take home, she’s been all about good dental hygene. “Brush!” she’ll say. “Brush, brush, brush. Ooth! Brush!” while running to the bathroom about 10 times a day. I don’t know what makes her think about brushing, but it doesn’t take much. Recently we were playing with a little bucket and plastic “tools” for beach. She picked up the little sand rake and after a few seconds of playing with it, dragged it through her hair (she also likes using Mommy’s hair brush to brush her hair). She then said “brush”, followed by an expression that was the epitome of a light bulb turning on above her head and an exclamation of “ooth brush!”. She then raced toward the nearest bathroom with a toothbrush in it… which always happens to be the nearest bathroom regardless of where she is in the house since we’ve found it much more pleasant for each of the bathrooms to have one close at hand.