On Tuesday, October 5, 2010, I checked in at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. while Kenyon parked the car. We were scheduled for an external cephalic version, or rather rescheduled, since they'd canceled our appointment the previous Thursday. Our baby boy was breech, footling, and given my history of being oblivious to early contractions, we were getting more nervous by the day. What if he never turned, and I didn't have warning he was coming until it was too late to get to the hospital? I'd already been worried about the baby being born in the car; now the equation was even riskier, with all of the added complications that are possible with a breech birth.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Missing
I have a lot I've wanted to write about, some of which I'll catch up on, some of which is gone forever, lost in the swiss cheese of what remains of my mind. This, sadly, is my most organized medium, and the back=ups and print-outs of the blog have to fill in for a journal or scrapbook.
I missed writing about Clara's birthday and insane birthday party, a trip to Idaho, Easter in Grants Pass, a trip to the sheep barns, various preschool activities (including William's flat refusal to dress up for preschool prom and Clara's excitement before and grief after the end-of-year potluck), and countless hilarious or touching little moments with Clara and William.
For example, about a week ago, the kids got up earlier than normal - for some reason, both of them were up before 6:30 when they usually sleep until 7:15 at the earliest. I heard William in his room calling for me. I went in, followed shortly by Clara, and William told me about a bad dream that had upset him, about a "black thing" and Will didn't "like his face." Clara immediately stepped in ("I have to tell you something," which is how they both often begin speaking). She wanted to show Will something, then settled for telling him about "something [she] read in a magazine" - it was a little snippet in The Friend I'd just read with her a few nights previously by a little boy who liked his mom reading him The Friend before bed, in part because it helped him not have bad dreams. So Clara naturally proposed that William read The Friend right then, as well as any time he goes to sleep.
They love each other. It amazes me how much and how obvious it is. Sure, they're occasionally competitive or squabble and fight, but really, it's amazing how well they get along. When William gets upset about something, I tend to get a little impatient with the whining and crying, but if Clara's there, she's just do something silly to distract him or make him laugh. I've seen him do the same with her. And there have been so many times when one of them wants something the other has, and I think, "Oh, boy, here comes the screaming tug-of-war," only to hear the other one voluntarily offer up whatever they have. They're truly friends, and I'm so grateful that they have each other. I'm sure there will be times in their lives when they'll grow apart, and even now they have their tough times, but I hope and pray they'll always have each other in the end.
I missed writing about Clara's birthday and insane birthday party, a trip to Idaho, Easter in Grants Pass, a trip to the sheep barns, various preschool activities (including William's flat refusal to dress up for preschool prom and Clara's excitement before and grief after the end-of-year potluck), and countless hilarious or touching little moments with Clara and William.
For example, about a week ago, the kids got up earlier than normal - for some reason, both of them were up before 6:30 when they usually sleep until 7:15 at the earliest. I heard William in his room calling for me. I went in, followed shortly by Clara, and William told me about a bad dream that had upset him, about a "black thing" and Will didn't "like his face." Clara immediately stepped in ("I have to tell you something," which is how they both often begin speaking). She wanted to show Will something, then settled for telling him about "something [she] read in a magazine" - it was a little snippet in The Friend I'd just read with her a few nights previously by a little boy who liked his mom reading him The Friend before bed, in part because it helped him not have bad dreams. So Clara naturally proposed that William read The Friend right then, as well as any time he goes to sleep.
They love each other. It amazes me how much and how obvious it is. Sure, they're occasionally competitive or squabble and fight, but really, it's amazing how well they get along. When William gets upset about something, I tend to get a little impatient with the whining and crying, but if Clara's there, she's just do something silly to distract him or make him laugh. I've seen him do the same with her. And there have been so many times when one of them wants something the other has, and I think, "Oh, boy, here comes the screaming tug-of-war," only to hear the other one voluntarily offer up whatever they have. They're truly friends, and I'm so grateful that they have each other. I'm sure there will be times in their lives when they'll grow apart, and even now they have their tough times, but I hope and pray they'll always have each other in the end.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Math and Morals
File this post under "S" for, "So sue me, I think I have cute kids." Clara, this morning, was reminding me of one of the library books we checked out recently, describing it as:
I also get a kick when the kids mention stuff we've talked about in family home evening. So far, the topics that have (unintentionally) made the biggest impact have been modesty and the Word of Wisdom. This has led to some rather interesting exchanges. Clara has announced rather worriedly that the toddler daughter of some friends of ours was "not modest," while examining her sleeveless play suit. Both of them have been known to make hysterical comments about coffee and alcohol, which Clara is especially concerned about and pronounces in a very amusingly careful way. William will occasionally make a play for attention by announcing something scandalous along the lines of, "I drink COFFEE!!" And this morning, when I offered to draw a picture of a sun on a toy that had lost its sticker, William asked me to draw, "a BLACK sun, like the tea we don't drink." Oy.
I'll also update this with a photo from yesterday when I find the camera. I've been bribing the kids - er, I mean, rewarding them - for getting their teeth and hair brushed on their own by putting a little treat in their preschool lunch boxes. It really has worked well, and yesterday when I went to put my coat and shoes on, they were already by the front door with their shoes, jackets, and lunch boxes all ready to go. Clara had even put on a hat. They looked posed, and, sure enough, they asked me to take a picture of them. So, I now have a picture of my sweet babies all ready to go on a random preschool day in March. It makes me smile.
The dog has only one thing that his old owner knitted for him [a blanket] but there are five others [cats] that each took one of his things, and so that means he used to have six things.Get it? She made the book into a math story problem! And she got the answer right! It's been a while since we read that book [Rocky: The Cat Who Barks] and I'm fairly certain we didn't talk about that part of the book in quite those terms. My girl does math! On her own! She even analyzes story problems! I'm sorry, I just really get a kick out of that.
I also get a kick when the kids mention stuff we've talked about in family home evening. So far, the topics that have (unintentionally) made the biggest impact have been modesty and the Word of Wisdom. This has led to some rather interesting exchanges. Clara has announced rather worriedly that the toddler daughter of some friends of ours was "not modest," while examining her sleeveless play suit. Both of them have been known to make hysterical comments about coffee and alcohol, which Clara is especially concerned about and pronounces in a very amusingly careful way. William will occasionally make a play for attention by announcing something scandalous along the lines of, "I drink COFFEE!!" And this morning, when I offered to draw a picture of a sun on a toy that had lost its sticker, William asked me to draw, "a BLACK sun, like the tea we don't drink." Oy.
I'll also update this with a photo from yesterday when I find the camera. I've been bribing the kids - er, I mean, rewarding them - for getting their teeth and hair brushed on their own by putting a little treat in their preschool lunch boxes. It really has worked well, and yesterday when I went to put my coat and shoes on, they were already by the front door with their shoes, jackets, and lunch boxes all ready to go. Clara had even put on a hat. They looked posed, and, sure enough, they asked me to take a picture of them. So, I now have a picture of my sweet babies all ready to go on a random preschool day in March. It makes me smile.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Electricity
With the bout of beautiful weather we've enjoyed this week (ok, so it was a couple weeks ago and this didn't get posted...), the kids have had a chance to become reaquainted with their old friend, the trampoline...and that old fiend, Static Electricity.
Clara obviously had some fun with it; William was so scarred by the constant shocks he woke scared to get out of his bed because, as he told me, he didn't want to "be shocked!" I think he actually dreamed about getting shocked. Poor kid!
Clara obviously had some fun with it; William was so scarred by the constant shocks he woke scared to get out of his bed because, as he told me, he didn't want to "be shocked!" I think he actually dreamed about getting shocked. Poor kid!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day
Here's hoping your Valentine's Day was full of love and sweetness!
We had some fun - stake conference! Plus some other stuff. I got to make and deliver some treats with Clara to some of her friends and my visiting teachees. Kenyon and Will were taking a nap, and I was nearly regretting the whole endeavor by the end, but at the end of the day, Clara said that was her favorite part and that washed it all away. Who cares about disastrous kitchens, honking drivers, and rainy doorsteps at empty houses if she remembers it being fun? Her other favorite part was waking up and seeing the treats and decorations I'd left on the kitchen table. She was so excited, even it was just some rearranged decorations, mini rice krispies treat hearts, and a couple boxes of cookies from the new Trader Joe's in town (ha!). I was really glad I'd taken the time to make it look fun, at least.
**Whoops! Just noticed this never got posted. Well, here we go anyway...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Krauss the Ladybug and Missed Sunshine
It's raining today - again, some more. I don't think it would bother me, but yesterday it was GORGEOUS, blue skies, a little warm...and the only time I saw it was running from the house to the car as I took Clara to gymnastics. I don't even know what I was doing all day. Such a shame.
Clara, at least, got out for a bit in the afternoon. She ran out back while I was putting Willie down for a nap and cleaning up after lunch, and when I went to check on her, she was standing by the back door so quietly with her hands cupped together. Over in her little patch of earth, she'd found a ladybug on one of her plants. We got a little jar and put a scrap of wet paper towel over the top of it and we watched the bug crawl around. She asked a few questions about it, so we looked up ladybugs online and talked about them for a bit. Later, on the way home from gymnastics, she decided that the ladybug (a boy, she decided) was named Krauss. Hee! Love that girl.
Clara, at least, got out for a bit in the afternoon. She ran out back while I was putting Willie down for a nap and cleaning up after lunch, and when I went to check on her, she was standing by the back door so quietly with her hands cupped together. Over in her little patch of earth, she'd found a ladybug on one of her plants. We got a little jar and put a scrap of wet paper towel over the top of it and we watched the bug crawl around. She asked a few questions about it, so we looked up ladybugs online and talked about them for a bit. Later, on the way home from gymnastics, she decided that the ladybug (a boy, she decided) was named Krauss. Hee! Love that girl.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Birthday Train, Part 2
We had Willie's first-ever birthday party with friends a couple weeks after his birthday, which is probably what we'll have to do in general; because who's in town and ready for a party two days after Christmas? Poor kid.
I...went a little nuts with this. Two nights before the party, I couldn't sleep, and spent several hours looking at youtube videos and questioning my decision to make Will another train cake. There are some AMAZING train cakes out there, including one that looked more like a toy, complete with fondant animals. Ridiculous. As you can see, mine definitely did not turn out in that category. But, on to the party!
We had the Brady's staying with us that weekend, thank goodness, because I never could have pulled it off without their help in the morning. They basically took care of all the cleaning and most of the decorating for me, which left me enough time to finish the cake and take a shower (but not do my hair or change my shirt before the party - whoops!). Thanks, Betsy! You're awesome.
We'd set out Will's train table, a couple giant abc/123 train puzzles, and a couple other themed toys. Five kids came to the party, and they played with the toys and puzzles while their parents chatted (and I cleaned up the cake mess and fixed up a veggie platter). After 25 minutes or so, I rounded up the kids by forming a birthday train. I told Will he was the engine, and we choo-choo'd our way around the house, gathering up kids until they were all part of the train. (I couldn't believe how well it worked! The kids loved it.)
We went into the living room and talked about trains for a minute, then I read the kids exerpts from Atlas Shrugged. Just kidding! It was the beautiful new copy of The Little Engine That Could that my mom gave Will. The kids decorated their own cabooses, then we played Pin the Caboose on the Train, and Lucy won the prize!
Another birthday train took the kids into the kitchen, where we sang to Willie and the kids helped him blow out candles. The train cake was a hit in the 3-5 year-old crowd. I spread out blankets in the living room, and after opening presents there, I put on a little video about trains that I got from the library and the kids watched while they ate cake and ice cream. The cake, by the way, tasted pretty darn good - it was an almond flavored wedding cake recipe (a gussied up cake mix) with my mom's buttercream frosting. Yum.
I had animal crackers with little playing cards tied to them for party favors; am I the only one that doesn't get party favors? I'm always surprised when people have them at parties - I never expect them, and even though they're often fun and well thought out, they often feel superfluous at the end of birthday parties. But, because everyone else does it, I find I do it too, purely out of a fear of offending other parents. So, hopefully these were ok, and I did think they were kind of fun decorations.
So, that was the party! Willie may not remember it long term, but it was awfully fun, and the kids talked about it for weeks. In other news, we finally got a new camera! So, these should be the last of the fuzzy dark pictures. Yay!
I...went a little nuts with this. Two nights before the party, I couldn't sleep, and spent several hours looking at youtube videos and questioning my decision to make Will another train cake. There are some AMAZING train cakes out there, including one that looked more like a toy, complete with fondant animals. Ridiculous. As you can see, mine definitely did not turn out in that category. But, on to the party!
We had the Brady's staying with us that weekend, thank goodness, because I never could have pulled it off without their help in the morning. They basically took care of all the cleaning and most of the decorating for me, which left me enough time to finish the cake and take a shower (but not do my hair or change my shirt before the party - whoops!). Thanks, Betsy! You're awesome.
We'd set out Will's train table, a couple giant abc/123 train puzzles, and a couple other themed toys. Five kids came to the party, and they played with the toys and puzzles while their parents chatted (and I cleaned up the cake mess and fixed up a veggie platter). After 25 minutes or so, I rounded up the kids by forming a birthday train. I told Will he was the engine, and we choo-choo'd our way around the house, gathering up kids until they were all part of the train. (I couldn't believe how well it worked! The kids loved it.)
We went into the living room and talked about trains for a minute, then I read the kids exerpts from Atlas Shrugged. Just kidding! It was the beautiful new copy of The Little Engine That Could that my mom gave Will. The kids decorated their own cabooses, then we played Pin the Caboose on the Train, and Lucy won the prize!
Another birthday train took the kids into the kitchen, where we sang to Willie and the kids helped him blow out candles. The train cake was a hit in the 3-5 year-old crowd. I spread out blankets in the living room, and after opening presents there, I put on a little video about trains that I got from the library and the kids watched while they ate cake and ice cream. The cake, by the way, tasted pretty darn good - it was an almond flavored wedding cake recipe (a gussied up cake mix) with my mom's buttercream frosting. Yum.
I had animal crackers with little playing cards tied to them for party favors; am I the only one that doesn't get party favors? I'm always surprised when people have them at parties - I never expect them, and even though they're often fun and well thought out, they often feel superfluous at the end of birthday parties. But, because everyone else does it, I find I do it too, purely out of a fear of offending other parents. So, hopefully these were ok, and I did think they were kind of fun decorations.
So, that was the party! Willie may not remember it long term, but it was awfully fun, and the kids talked about it for weeks. In other news, we finally got a new camera! So, these should be the last of the fuzzy dark pictures. Yay!
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