Hot Days = Water Fun

Jonah with his good pal, Dietrich



A little grass never hurt anyone!

Cheese!

Little Miss Lydia has decided she wants to talk. She has a rather extensive vocabulary for a ten month old: cheese, kitty, doggie, bye-bye, all done, and hi. Perhaps she's following in the footsteps of Thelma, Ginny, Linda, and Traci....

"CHEESE!"

Jonah's Race

Jonah "competed" in the Highland Festival's annual Kids Fun Run. He had to run about 50 yards to a cone, circle the cone, and run back. It was a big deal. We coached him beforehand, explaining that it was important to run in a straight line. He did well. And he was so proud of himself. You can click on the pictures to see his face close-up.

Our Little Fairy

Dentist Disaster

I go to the dentist today during Mike's lunch hour. I expect to be gone an hour. I'm at the dentist for 1 1/2 hours-- chatty hygienist, chatty doctor, chatty receptionist-- time flies when you're having fun.

I return home. There's a message on Mike's phone from the receptionist. "Traci, please call our office immediately."

I'm alarmed. I payed my bill before leaving the office. I didn't leave my purse. Hmmmm. I call.

My hygienist is on her way to the occupational health clinic. She had an accident involving a tool that was used on my teeth. Because my teeth enamel were on the instrument, I must have my blood drawn at the clinic to show that I have no diseases.

What? Are you kidding?

I call the clinic. "I have two young kids. I'll come and give my blood, but I will not wait, and someone must tend to my kids while I'm in the chair."

They oblige.

The office is filled with bleeding workers. I guess that's what "occupational health" means. Jonah is good. He's dumbfounded by the blood. He keeps staring and saying something about the "bloodstream in your legs" that he no doubt learned from the Magic School Bus video we rented from the library last week. A teenager from church works there and holds Lydia-- with her dripping nose and fever.

It shouldn't be a big deal, but when does one dental check-up ever take 3 1/2 hours to complete?

Note to Self

When you are of childbearing years, people will assume you're pregnant if wearing the style pictured below:

Pardon me, I better do some sit-ups...

Update

It's been a whirlwind. Here's a list of what we've been doing:

- We bought a house yesterday. It's a spec home. We met with the builder on Friday to sign papers. I was able to pick out a few things: the color of the wood floors, faucets, and door knobs. Everything else is finished. I guess that's a good thing. It would have overwhelmed me to choose everything!

- We've had three showings at our house while it's been "For Sale by Owner." We're listing it with a realtor tomorow. Our stress will decrease dramatically when we sell our current home. The housing market is terrible in this community.

- We've worked on improving our current home every night since we knew we were moving. It has been consuming.

- I've been working on paperwork, medical history forms, etc., for Jonah's transition to the special ed. program in our new town. I just finished emailing his new teacher. I've been told over and over and over again that I am my child's advocate, and although it's not in my nature to be aggressive, I know I must be proactive so that he gets the services he needs. I believe wholeheartedly that this will work out in the end. I've said repeatedly that "God isn't going to forget about Jonah in this moving process."

- Speaking of Jonah, he's good. He's obsessed with the tire swing on the playground and will spin on it continuously until someone tells him otherwise. He has the computer skills of a 4th grader-- printing, minimizing, pulling down the Bookmarks menu, and typing his name, my name, and Pop's name without any prompting from me. He's enjoyed watering the flowers, finding "secret treasures" in the yard (pinecones), and Dr. Seuss books. The phrase I hear him say most often is "What's that say?" He ALWAYS wants me to read words to him. I, of course, don't mind a bit!

- Lydia is, well, she's getting older. I turn my head, and she's climbing the stairs. I turn my head again, and she's stuck under the table. I turn my head again, and she's trying to lift the toilet lid. I tried to firmly tell her "no" the other day. She just grinned. It made me smile too. She loves throwing her pacifiers out of her bed, watching Jonah play with his friends, looking at simple picture books, eating tahini sandwiches, and removing everything from my wallet.

Happy Mother's Day!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

It should be no surprise to those that know me well-- my daughter doesn't like to touch anything outside.

Home Repairs

We've committed ourselves to home improvements for the next couple of weeks. I will post periodically, but for now, I must concentrate on this old house.

No Way!

Is she really this big already?

Friends

Here's Lydia with her friend, Vivian. She really likes her.

Spring?

Look what we did after dinner tonight:

No-Pain Boy

I didn't know I was raising a superhero.

It appears that my boy has a very high pain tolerance. This was confirmed a few weeks ago when we visited the allergist. I assumed his allergies weren't bad because he didn't even try to scratch the large welts on his back. The doctor was amazed. That same visit, the doctor poked at least 16 needles in Jonah's upper arm. Jonah just looked at me around #13 and said, "That hurts, Mama." No tears. No screaming. No need to physically restrain him while the doctor was completing the test. The doctor shook his head in disbelief.

We went to this same doctor today for a checkup now that he's on some allergy medications. We were in the office for three minutes. He looked at his eyes, his ears, and his throat, and immediately said, "He's got strep throat...He must have a high pain tolerance." He obviously didn't remember us from before-- but that's not the point. The point is that Jonah has a pretty nasty throat right now and has acted normal-- never once complaining that his throat hurt. I know it's all part of his sensory issues that I've talked about before.

So I've nicknamed him No-Pain Boy. This "condition" does have its benefits. He rarely cries if he's hurt, and I know if he comes running to me on the playground with tears streaming down his face, it's serious. He's not afraid to try anything, and even if he falls, he stands up and keeps running. He's brave. He's a risk-taker. He's all boy.

Yet there are some problems that arise too. Yes, that's right--he could be sick and I wouldn't even know it. He'd leap tall buildings in a single bound if I'd let him. He can't really comprehend the word "gentle."

I imagine he'll be in the Guiness Book of World Records someday-- for walking a mile over cut glass or something like that.

For now, he's my little superhero.

Epiphany

So I've decided I don't like the decorating style of my home. It's not really "me." I know, I know. This is an expensive epiphany.

While looking at Pottery Barn magazines this weekend, I found myself drawn to the airy, feminine rooms. And in those rooms, I found myself looking at items that weren't being sold in the catalogue. My eye was drawn toward unique pieces that could only be found at antique stores or flea markets.

I think back to cleaning out my in-laws' home. I wanted to keep all the table linens because I love that "old look..." I've admired my grandma's quilt for years and can't wait until I can use it in my home... I'd love to display my paternal great-grandmother's china in my dining room... My favorite part about Lydia's room is an old window frame that I adorned with my great-grandmothers' handkerchiefs.

I shared this revelation with Mike. I don't think he's opposed to it. Since our house is pretty simple, it shouldn't be that difficult to change.

So after a conversation with my personal decorating consultant, a.k.a. Molly W., I'm excited. I'll start with the living room. It's where the biggest transformation will need to take place. I want to paint the fireplace, move the television armoire, distress the coffee table, paint the rocking chair, etc. I won't begin the project until June-- just to let it simmer in my mind, collect ideas, shop, etc. It's something to look forward too, though, if I'm feeling stuck in this town.

Thank You

Thank you, Pop and Grammy, for everything you do. We love you!

Are you kidding?

Yesterday, the Schwan's man came to my home. We were perusing the catalogue, and he says, "And since it looks like you're pregnant...."

I didn't hear the rest of the sentence.

"I'm not pregnant," I say, "I have a nine month old."

Now I know my stomach sticks out disproportionately to the rest of the body, but hey, I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I'm back to my pre-pregnancy size-- my proportions are just a bit different. I accept it. I'm okay with it. And I know with a little running this spring, my stomach will probably be a little more normal too.

So my self-esteem was fine, but the part of myself that just wants to make everyone feel comfortable wondered what I should say next...

"Moron."

That's what I should have said.

"You're a moron."

My New Friend

While leaving Wal-Mart today the greeter says to me, "My, she's really getting big, isn't she? How old is she now?"

I see this man almost every time I'm in the store, but I've never given him more than a friendly nod. "Almost nine months," I reply.

"Oh, that's right. She was a summer baby, wasn't she?"

Wow! Either he's that good....or I shop at Wal-Mart way too much.

Snack Time!

Every evening we look forward to our nightly snack. It always, without question, includes a fruit smoothie. Mike is the expert smoothie maker. His recipe is simple:

a little orange juice
a little plain non-fat yogurt
a handful of frozen strawberries
a handful of frozen mixed fruit
a banana

Mmmmm, good!

Deep Thoughts by Jonah

Jonah decided to count freckles on my arm tonight. This is what I heard:

"...seven, eight...Mama, you're soft...Daddy's hard...you guys are bumpy."

Hmmm...perhaps he's been studying textures in school???

Mom my Ride