THURSDAY, MAY 20:
The day I got back from New York, I worked from home...and it happened! Derek, Ella and I all witnessed four tiny steps that represented the beginning of a great journey for our sweet little guy. I didn't videotape that day, but here's a video we took over the weekend.
Monday, May 31, 2010
The hibernation ends
WOW: May ROCKS!
Today is Memorial Day—the last day of the month—and I'm counting my blessings as I look back on May.
After a horrible winter and a rainy spring, May brought blue skies and mid-70's. Ella found freedom from her goopy eye, Derek's ankle healed, and Carson Ellis Sands took his very first steps.
We had all the grandparents home from Florida, Andrea and Chris were in town, and we got to see Cindy, Ben and the boys after a long winter.
It started with a Mother's Day that involved getting seven (7!) cards from our sweet girl and a sloppy kiss from Carson. I had a wonderful day of flower-planting with my tiny assistant by my side. We discussed water levels, theories on the best way to plant (digging holes in the dirt that's there vs. placing flowers and filling in around them...very important topics on which to take a stand) and color balance.
The next weekend, we celebrated Amblen's 6th and Parker's 10th birthday on the lake with family and friends.
I had a great trip to NYC for the National Stationery Show...and prayed the whole time that I would not miss Carson's first steps.
Miss Ella got to celebrate her birthday with Montessori friends before the school year ends this week.
Today is Memorial Day—the last day of the month—and I'm counting my blessings as I look back on May.
After a horrible winter and a rainy spring, May brought blue skies and mid-70's. Ella found freedom from her goopy eye, Derek's ankle healed, and Carson Ellis Sands took his very first steps.
We had all the grandparents home from Florida, Andrea and Chris were in town, and we got to see Cindy, Ben and the boys after a long winter.
It started with a Mother's Day that involved getting seven (7!) cards from our sweet girl and a sloppy kiss from Carson. I had a wonderful day of flower-planting with my tiny assistant by my side. We discussed water levels, theories on the best way to plant (digging holes in the dirt that's there vs. placing flowers and filling in around them...very important topics on which to take a stand) and color balance.
The next weekend, we celebrated Amblen's 6th and Parker's 10th birthday on the lake with family and friends.
I had a great trip to NYC for the National Stationery Show...and prayed the whole time that I would not miss Carson's first steps.
Miss Ella got to celebrate her birthday with Montessori friends before the school year ends this week.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Under the knife: Part 2
When ella was only a few months old, we noticed that her left eye always appeared tearful. It would get goopy in the morning and bother her all day, especially in the cold. Her pediatrician referred us to a specialist for this issue, which is evidently quite common. It's a symptom of an underdeveloped or clogged tear duct, which a small percentage of children outgrow. When the specialist said the words "wire probe" and "anesthesia," my knees buckled. We decided to wait and see if maybe she'd be in that small percentage.
Fast forward to age 4. There is a chapped area under Ella's eye because her winter colds cause natural congestion...and while most kids are wiping their noses, she's wiping her eye. Finally she asked, "Mommy, people always think I'm crying. Can we PLEASE get my eye fixed?"
I realized it was time for us to get rid of the fear and just go do it. We had a second meeting with the specialist in March, and the procedure was scheduled for May 5. Derek's parents kept Carson for us, so Derek and I could take her in at 6:00am. Here's what she looked like after donning her lovely surgical gown:
Then after the shot of tylenol and Versed, a sedative: ("Mommy...why do you...have four eyes? What are all those floaty...things...in...the air?")
Then they wheeled her away. I smiled and waved to her, then promptly grabbed Derek and raced to the double exit doors. We crashed through them, and I buried my sobbing face in his chest. There is nothing—NOTHING—more heartbreaking than watching Strangers In Uniform wheel your firstborn child away when she's out of her mind, and they are armed with very sharp objects. There's something maternal that kicks in...a blend of worry and warrior.
Over the next 40 minutes she was under gas and a breathing tube as they they probed the tear ducts in her upper and lower eyelids, then fed a small tube into her upper eyelid and into her nasal cavity, where a small angio balloon filled with liquid and eight pounds of pressure to open the passage where tears drain.
S stands for "surgical site" to mark the correct eye.
She came out groggy and more aggravated than I have ever seen her. I can't say I blame her. We all spent a quiet day at home with the company of her sweet grandparents. As of today, she is back on her feet again. We should all remember to be thankful for the thousands of systems in our body, as small and seemingly insignificant as this one, that work just as they should. I know one little girl who very thankful, indeed.
Fast forward to age 4. There is a chapped area under Ella's eye because her winter colds cause natural congestion...and while most kids are wiping their noses, she's wiping her eye. Finally she asked, "Mommy, people always think I'm crying. Can we PLEASE get my eye fixed?"
I realized it was time for us to get rid of the fear and just go do it. We had a second meeting with the specialist in March, and the procedure was scheduled for May 5. Derek's parents kept Carson for us, so Derek and I could take her in at 6:00am. Here's what she looked like after donning her lovely surgical gown:
Then after the shot of tylenol and Versed, a sedative: ("Mommy...why do you...have four eyes? What are all those floaty...things...in...the air?")
Then they wheeled her away. I smiled and waved to her, then promptly grabbed Derek and raced to the double exit doors. We crashed through them, and I buried my sobbing face in his chest. There is nothing—NOTHING—more heartbreaking than watching Strangers In Uniform wheel your firstborn child away when she's out of her mind, and they are armed with very sharp objects. There's something maternal that kicks in...a blend of worry and warrior.
Over the next 40 minutes she was under gas and a breathing tube as they they probed the tear ducts in her upper and lower eyelids, then fed a small tube into her upper eyelid and into her nasal cavity, where a small angio balloon filled with liquid and eight pounds of pressure to open the passage where tears drain.
S stands for "surgical site" to mark the correct eye.
She came out groggy and more aggravated than I have ever seen her. I can't say I blame her. We all spent a quiet day at home with the company of her sweet grandparents. As of today, she is back on her feet again. We should all remember to be thankful for the thousands of systems in our body, as small and seemingly insignificant as this one, that work just as they should. I know one little girl who very thankful, indeed.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
A Mother's Mind
3:00 a.m. and there I lay, head spinning
strategy meetings, immunizations, diaper rash
empty college funds, unpaid bills, endless laundry
bad brakes, school enrollment, five year plans, denied claims
eye surgery, meal plans, refinance packets, two little lives
am I old or wise enough to be in charge
this heavy blanket won't let me breathe
I toss back the covers and my feet hit the floor
creep toward the back door in my oversized t-shirt
I turn the knob and open it wide, just to see the night
the night air smells like fresh earth and honeysuckle
I move across the damp grass that glistens in the moonlight
her swing hangs still between two great oaks
the only sound is a cricket chorus as the
silver silhouettes of the treetops applaud in the night breeze
It's perfect.
I sit down in the swing to rock and breathe
slowly my momentum builds, feet leaving the ground
hair blowing behind me as I gulp the fresh air
extended, toes pointed, I lean back and laugh at the stars
my cotton shirt bellows in the wind
flying so high I could kiss the moon
I am ten again
strategy meetings, immunizations, diaper rash
empty college funds, unpaid bills, endless laundry
bad brakes, school enrollment, five year plans, denied claims
eye surgery, meal plans, refinance packets, two little lives
am I old or wise enough to be in charge
this heavy blanket won't let me breathe
I toss back the covers and my feet hit the floor
creep toward the back door in my oversized t-shirt
I turn the knob and open it wide, just to see the night
the night air smells like fresh earth and honeysuckle
I move across the damp grass that glistens in the moonlight
her swing hangs still between two great oaks
the only sound is a cricket chorus as the
silver silhouettes of the treetops applaud in the night breeze
It's perfect.
I sit down in the swing to rock and breathe
slowly my momentum builds, feet leaving the ground
hair blowing behind me as I gulp the fresh air
extended, toes pointed, I lean back and laugh at the stars
my cotton shirt bellows in the wind
flying so high I could kiss the moon
I am ten again
Monday, April 5, 2010
Happy Birthday, Leif!
In one year, they go from sweet little helpless lumps to curious, unstoppable trekkers.
Leif has no fear...eats like a toddler...and barrels over (or through) any obstacle in his path. Look out world!
Cheers to your first full year, my sweet nephew!
Leif has no fear...eats like a toddler...and barrels over (or through) any obstacle in his path. Look out world!
Cheers to your first full year, my sweet nephew!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
To the Sun
We get spoiled, having all our parents nearby. They are so involved in the kids' day to day lives. They babysit, drop off the occasional crock-pot dinner, and do things like send letters in the mail—even though they all live within 10 miles of our house—because they know how much little kids love things with their names on them. In the winter, we lose two sets of parents to warmer temperatures as they head to Florida for a few months. We miss them and the kids do, too, so we headed for a long weekend to visit Mimi and Papa in Naples.
It took us nearly two days to get there, thanks to our aircraft being struck by lightning before we boarded. I opted to get a hotel by the airport to 1) ensure we'd be closeby for our 6am flight the next morning, and 2) to avoid going back home and watching the suitcases explode. (The job of packing in infant, a 4 year old, and two adults into 3 carryons was no small task. I was not about to do it twice.)
Ella would tell you she was a "lucky duck" for getting to color with Papa...shop with Mimi...and ride a camel with her Dad at the zoo.
And Carson? He cruised around the whole condo, smiling and showing off his new toothy grin.
We have a tradition of collecting seashells every day throughout the week, then the last day we go to the shore and throw each of them back "to their mommies and daddies." Ella practiced her overhand pitch and clapped as each one hit the water.
The pilot let her fly the plane home! Ok, not really...but I suspect she could have done better. It was a long, turbulent flight and we were seated in the back row by the engines and the restrooms, with no food and a cranky baby. We were pretty crabby until we deboarded and the pilot offered his seat to our tiny gal. What a way to end a great trip.
Thank you, Mimi and Papa!
As Ella would say, "we love you to the moon. "
It took us nearly two days to get there, thanks to our aircraft being struck by lightning before we boarded. I opted to get a hotel by the airport to 1) ensure we'd be closeby for our 6am flight the next morning, and 2) to avoid going back home and watching the suitcases explode. (The job of packing in infant, a 4 year old, and two adults into 3 carryons was no small task. I was not about to do it twice.)
Ella would tell you she was a "lucky duck" for getting to color with Papa...shop with Mimi...and ride a camel with her Dad at the zoo.
And Carson? He cruised around the whole condo, smiling and showing off his new toothy grin.
We have a tradition of collecting seashells every day throughout the week, then the last day we go to the shore and throw each of them back "to their mommies and daddies." Ella practiced her overhand pitch and clapped as each one hit the water.
The pilot let her fly the plane home! Ok, not really...but I suspect she could have done better. It was a long, turbulent flight and we were seated in the back row by the engines and the restrooms, with no food and a cranky baby. We were pretty crabby until we deboarded and the pilot offered his seat to our tiny gal. What a way to end a great trip.
Thank you, Mimi and Papa!
As Ella would say, "we love you to the moon. "
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