Summer Olympics

Watch out 2024 Olympics - she's already training!

Sunny weekend

This last weekend was awesome. Sunshine on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, temperatures getting up to the low 70's - perfect weather. Saturday we went hiking with my grandparents and just enjoyed relaxing at their home. MaryP loved playing in their back yard. They also have a lot behind their yard with trees and little paths to walk on - as a kid I remember feeling like it was a mini-forest. She was in heaven being able to run around and explore and we had a fantastic time just relaxing and visiting.

That evening we met up at Alki beach with one of Wood's HS friends that he hadn't seen in 10 years. We even managed to get a good parking spot - parking was nighmareish, so it was nothing short of a miracle to find one! The friend and his wife have 2 little girls and we enjoyed socializing near the beach where the girls could play. The only bad part was that the restaurant we chose to eat dinner at was not kid friendly (at all) but we made up for it with ice cream cones afterward. Next time I think we'll stick with fish and chips. We didn't start heading home until 8:00 but I had no idea how late it was because it was still light out. I love summer.




This comic made me smile because it is cloudy and rainy again today and I am anxious for summer to really be here, but it sure made me appreciate this last weekend that much more!

Evening the Odds

It appears that things will be evening up a bit around here - our little boy was very cooperative for our ultrasound and we were happy to find our the gender - I like having a "he" rather than an "it" or "the baby". We are excited to have a boy, and no, we don't have a name chosen. Although Wood has thrown some fabulous ideas out, like Alfonzo or Leonard Nemoy. Our boy seems very healthy, which is fabulous, and very active, which I guess is fabulous. I have a hunch that he and his sister are going to keep me on my toes! He was quite wiggly during the ultrasound and now that I can feel him, he is pretty active. I liked this picture the best because it is a good profile but more than that you can see his little hand just above his head pushing up on my uterus. And I feel like he is saying "hey, I need a little more space to move around here - I have places to go!" which makes me smile.


MaryP doesn't really understand boys vs. girls or the fact that we have a baby joining us in 19 weeks. She loves baby dolls and our neighbor's little baby boy, so we'll see how she deals with the new addition.

Preparing for a primary singing time a few weeks ago I needed a car or truck or something as part of an object lesson/teaching and the only thing I could find was MaryP's ABC's bus her grandparents sent her. We have a serious lack of cars, trucks, and heavy equipment - though we do have a puzzle with an assortment of vehicles that MaryP can identify. I guess we'll have to get a little more manly around here!

Our busy girl

A while back I posted about some fevers MaryP had been having. They were gone for the entire month of March and I thought maybe we were in the clear. But this last week she had another stretch of fevers (only getting up to 104 this time, so not so bad) that were otherwise symptom-free. I was frustrated by this but we just watched her and by Friday the fevers were gone. Woo-hoo! Then on Saturday she started acting sick again and the fever was back on Sunday. Nuts. To add to that, on Sunday you could tell she was feeling miserable and she would stop mid-playing and just stand there and start crying an "I'm hurting" cry. No mother likes to see their child hurt and it is hard when you have no idea why. Is it your thoat, your ears, your stomach, what???

So, we took her to the doctor today (of course she was feeling better) and thankfully this time the doctor we saw suggested a blood draw and catheter. Neither of which were very fun for MaryP. But she was really a sweetie about the whole thing and even talked to the nurses (between sobs) while they were taking her blood. It didn't help that we had to swaddle her and pin her down. Anyway, long story short, she is healthy as a horse, everything looks normal which means ..... she is just one of those kids that gets fevers. Your kid and my kid may get the same thing and yours may act a little whiny for a day or two, and mine will spike a fever. Go figure. The pediatrician said she would probably grow out of this, which is good. Maybe around the same time she can eat peanutbutter, and we'll just have a big party. In the mean time I am so grateful they did those tests - it gives me such peace of mind to know that there isn't something else going on - it's just her.

On another note, MaryP is a delightful, busy, busy, busy little girl. Busy getting into things she shouldn't be. Busy eating the toothpaste, some paint, stuff like that. Seriously though, she is a lot of fun. She is talking so much more, is extremely social and rarely shy. She is very good at being polite and asking "please" with most things. She LOVES the fies and sings (slides and swings) and asks for them every day. Sometimes when we get her up in the morning the first words out of her mouth are "fies, sings" followed by "coat, shoes!" She is ready to go. 6:30 in the morning is too early for me to go to the park, so she has to wait and hope it is not a rainy day. I plan on spending a LOT of time at the park this summer. I think it will be good for both of us.

*A note about the bag picture - she put this on her head and thought she was soooooo funny.
She also loves all things baby. She loves real babies and wants to hold them. And if she ever sees a vacated baby car seat she makes a b-line for it. She can be content for an hour playing with a baby car seat.

MaryP is such a spunky little girl. She loves people and will yell "HI!!" to as we pass them. It often gets a smile. A few weeks ago in the grocery store the lady at the fish -counter yelled "HI!!" back to her and so they went back and forth yelling "HI!!!" as I pushed her through the store until she was finally distracted by something else. One of the things I love about her is how excited she is about the little things. She has great vision and often picks out birds and such before I see them and will excitedly point them out to me.

MaryP loved hunting for Easter eggs, so Wood hid them for her over and over again. Dying eggs was less exciting to her. It sure was exciting for us when she accidentally dumped the red dye on Wood's lap and carpet. Whoops! We were able to get the dye out of his pants and somewhat out of the carpet. And a big thanks to Lysol for removing the dye from our kitchen table! I think she'll enjoy it more next year, and we will be more prepared!

She loves to pretend to read and will often end her stories in "bye". Here is a short clip I caught of her - she had been "reading" before I got out the camera. Also note that she pulled the chair over to the counter ... I am running out of safe places to put things!
She is just such a delight and blessing to our family!

A few good meals

It seems like we always eat the same-old, same-old, so I've been trying to spice up our eatin' around here. The following are three recipes we've tried recently and love.

Autumn Soup: *Thanks Bea for showing this to me. Credit goes to ward member MG for the awesome recipe! I love that it is so simple, affordable, and ridiculously delicious. Great with rolls too!

1/2 lb ground beef. Browned and drained - set aside
2 C. water or stock (Chicken or beef - I used chicken as per her recipe)
3/4 C. celery (* we didn't have any but the soup was still good)
3/4 C. potatoes cut into small pieces
1/4 C. chopped onion
3/4 to 1 C. chopped or shredded carrots

Combine everything except meat with 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp basil. Add a small bay leaf. Add the meat and boil 10 minutes. Add 1 med. can diced tomatoes and simmer 20 min. more.

I know this sounds so easy (because it is) but trust me, you will love it!


Cream Cheese Enchiladas:

1 Onion chopped
1 Green pepper chopped
1 can sliced olives
1 lb mushrooms (*I don't like mushrooms so we omitted this)
1 sm. can diced green chilies
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
12 corn tortillas
1 lb cheese (grated)
2 sm. cans enchilada sauce

Spread some enchilada sauce on bottom of a 9x13 pan, set aside.

Saute onion, green pepper, olives, mushrooms, and chilies together. Add cream cheese. Put mixture in shell* and top with cheese. Roll up, put in pan, cover with sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min. Serves 4-6.

*For corn tortillas you want to cook them briefly in oil so they are golden, but not crispy, before using them. This was my first time, but you probably knew that.


Spaghetti - a meatless variation

My friend made this for me and it was soooo good. Just a variation on your typical spaghetti.

Spaghetti sauce (1/2 - 1 can)
Canned tomatoes
Vegetables of choice
Can of garbanzo beans (chick peas)
Black olives

Basically it's spaghetti sauce with the canned tomatoes to thin the sauce and veggies like carrots and peppers, etc for flavor. The garbanzo beans are in place of the meat and are surprisingly delightful in the sauce. I would never have thought to try them. And the black olives make the whole dish. We had this tonight and they were definitely our favorite part. Don't add the olives until the sauce is mostly done heating. We really enjoyed this change of pace for our spaghetti and will be having it again soon!

Protein

You may remember that MaryP is allergic to peanut butter. Thankfully not scary anapylactic allergic - but just an inconvenient topical rash allergic. The pediatrician thinks the allergy should go away in a few years and we're keeping our fingers crossed. Meanwhile, we haven't been eating a whole lot of peanutbutter sandwhiches around here.

Yesterday we were at Costco when we spotted samples of their Almond butter on cracker. (Don't you just love free samples?!) Anyway, since I already knew MaryP was not allergic to almonds (or any other nuts) we gave it a go. And she LOVED it. Woo-hoo! So of course we had to buy a jar of the stuff. I have to say, I like my processed, sweetend PB better, but the almond butter isn't too bad. Now she can have AB&J and I'm so excited because lets face it, PB, or AB, is a staple for any household. Right?????




As long as we're discussing protein I should mention that Wood and I got a little extra protein today as well. We were eating our oatmeal when Wood stops and starts closely examining his food. A tiny brown bug to be specific. I stopped eating and looked more closely at my bowl. And yeah, the little brown flecks I assumed were from the oats were actually weevils!! Blech. I don't know, between lint and weevils I think I've had enough food excitement for one week, thank you very much.

Gross

MaryP came up to me a few minutes ago saying "Yummmm". At a quick glance I thought she had chocolate around her mouth and I wondered where she'd found a piece of chocolate. Closer inspection, however, revealed that it was not chocolate but black lint around her mouth and on her hands. Gross!! I don't know if there had been a piece of food in there too or not, and I don't think I really want to know. There is a plastic grate that has been loose on the bottom of our refrigerator. She was playing with her magnets and must have gotten it off. The lint underneath was thick and has been collecting for who knows how many years. She'd shoved a bunch of her magnets under there as well. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised she ate lint seeing as how she also eats dirt if you're not watching her. Maybe there is a deficiency in her diet? I'll have to have Wood see if he can fix the grate tonight before she gets another hankering. Yuck!

"Bring on the Beef" or "Great Expectations"

So lately I have really wanted to eat beef. Lots of it. Not chicken or pork. Beef. Doesn't matter if its jerky, roast, hamburger, or steak.

Also, MaryP has been saying that there is a baby in my belly, her belly, and Dad's belly, or leg or whatever comes to her cute little mind.

I guess what I am beating around the bush trying to say, is that we are expecting a new addition in late September.

I have some morning sickness, but it is much better than with MaryP. Wood thinks it's because it is a boy. I just hope that this is a trend that will continue independent of the child's gender.

Well, there you have it. We're expecting, and we think it's great!

Paying the Piper

Yes, all the heady giddiness at the prospect of getting hand made things from others is almost gone, but I still have something left to fulfill my half of the bargain. So here goes!

---- ATTENTION SHOPPERS ----

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!

My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It’ll be done this year. {translation: you may be waiting a little while}
4. You have no clue what it’s going to be … it may be cards, a poem, a bookmark, something yummy or a complete surprise to you (and me!) … who knows? not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
6. Most importantly, you must offer the same deal on your blog - the first 5 people to comment on your blog (or if you do not have a blog, facebook) get something made by YOU!

The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me …

---- THANK YOU ----

OK, I also have to share a picture of MaryP and her best friend for those that may not jump on this First Five band wagon.

MaryP is learning a lot of new things right now. Among other things she is putting things away, saying many more words, building rudimentary block towers, climbing more than ever, and showing love to most everybody she meets. We were waiting to be seated in Olive Garden the other day, and she saw a girl that was probably 3 years old. She just walked up to her and gave her the biggest, gentlest hug. Then she did it again about 3 minutes later, as well as hugging the girl's little brother. She is very good about showing love to others and being gentle (most of the time). She is a real cutie pie. I'm glad she has friends to play with and that she enjoys being with them.

Fashion

MaryP is definitely developing her own sense of style. Just look.

(Left) Admiring her hat in the oven reflection. (Right) She put the turtleneck on herself and accessorized with the swimsuit.





(Left Top) Cutie. (Right) She wanted to wear the sparkly pink shoes - thank you Piper!
(Left Bottom) She is really into shoes these days. I think the black church shoes offset the oven mitt well, don't you?





(Left) Hat from Great Grandma. (Right) A little help from Dad with the coat.
(Left Bottom) A daring look: one boot and one Sunday shoe. I was impressed...she got the boot on all by herself.

A Memory of Aunt Betty

I was driving home from Woodine's Grandparents (who taxied us to and from the airport) following a wonderful trip to San Diego. As I drove, I was reminded of my Aunt Betty. She passed away this last year, and is buried in a beautiful cemetery that is just off the road we take to drive home from the Seattle-Tacoma area.

In particular, I was reminded of her funeral and the comment that was made that, "Betty never said a mean thing about anyone - ever." I think that can be said about her two sisters as well. I am lucky to have one as a mom. I wish people would say that of me. . . and be truthful. Right now I don't think it would be, but after this evening I have more motivation to live and act like my mom and aunts and watch what I say (and think - because that's where it all starts) more carefully. Thank you Aunt Betty.

. . . with mint frosting

Ever since MaryP was very young (about 2 weeks old), we have said that her favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh. We liked listening to Don McLean's song Vincent because not only was it a nice song, but Elaine would quiet down and listen to the whole thing as content as a bug in a rug.

I still like the song, though we don't listen to it nearly as much.

Now Woodine is taking a cake decorating class. She brought home a

beautiful cake on Tuesday with white dots and pink flowers. I was reminded of a time when Gertrude and her "Sweethearts" date Hhil Punter made a cake resembling the namesake of MaryP's favorite song. Gertrude, do you have any pictures of that cake?

My family and friends are so talented, creative, and fun to be around. I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for blessing my life and lifting me up in big and little ways all throughout my life.

And for all those that get the title of this post, I'm still trying to get my Masters in Biochemistry Wife to make a cellular peptide cake for me (with mint frosting of course.)

Fever Gone

Well, the fever is gone for now... I hope it doesn't come back! The pediatrician said it could be viral, but the real verdict is, we don't know. I felt justified in my confusion that he too was a little perplexed by the duration of the high fevers. I actually really like out pediatrician here and we talked about different possiblities of what it could have been, but on Friday for her well baby exam she was back to her normal, happy, busy self. So, I don't have any great answers which is frustrating and I'm just hoping we don't have to deal with this again anytime soon. And I'm so grateful to have my happy girl back. *This picture is from before Christmas - but I haven't downloaded any recent ones!

Fevers

I'm a novice at this whole child/sick thing. I'd like to consider myself to be a reasonable person. I don't rush my child to the ER with a fever of 101. I don't freak out over a stuffy nose. But we've had three fever episodes recently that have me baffled. All right you veteran moms - I need affirmation that what we're dealing with is not crazy.

So MaryP in the last 4 months or so has had 3 episodes of high fevers with no other symptoms. Zero. Not a stuffy nose, sore throat, ear problems, cough, vomiting, nada. The first time it happened she was in the 103.something range, I gave her some tylenol and her fever jumped up to 104 - so yeah, we went to the ER. And they did all of those horrible tests and found - nothing. The fever lasted a few more days, and she did eventually get a cough/runny nose, so maybe that fever was a prelude to the cold. Fine, I can accept that.

Then a few weeks ago she spiked a high fever again - and I wondered if she had an ear infection - I could tell she didn't feel great, who does with a fever - so I took her in to the doctor. She checked out clean - no ear infection. Nothing wrong. That fever hovered between 102.5-104 for about 5 days. Two doctors visits (we had to go in a second time since it was persistent) confirmed that she was hunky-dory, minus the fever.

Yesterday Wood noticed she was acting sick so we took her temp - 103 and sent her off to bed with some motrin. He stayed home with her while I went to church. She was sleeping when I got home and woke up shortly after we finished dinner. She was burning up and shaking so we took her temperature again - 105.7 (rectal temp). Um, what?! So, off to the ER we go. And after a whole lot of waiting, some tylenol and motrin, and a catheter later we head home. No UTI. We did skip the chest X-ray since we'd already been there so long (don't get me started) and we were pretty (very) confident it wasn't pneumonia since she doesn't have any other symptoms. Zero. Nada. Zip. So it's the next day now. She is sleepy and not as energetic, but I wouldn't classify it as lethargic. Her fever is hovering between 101 (much, much better) with tylenol and motrin, and 103. I think for today we're just going to keep a close eye on her. This one also appears to be symptom-free (minus the aches and pains of the fever). I'd almost feel better if she got a runny nose or something like after the first one so that I'd have an idea of what is going on. I'm grateful that she is otherwise fine, but how do I know when to get worked up about it (ok, I'll get worked up about 105.7 every time) and when to say "hmmmmm....just another high fever."

Anyone? Thoughts?

Late pictures just because

I don't have tons of time to write, but here are a few pictures from the past month or so. As you can see we've been working on self - feeding. MaryP is improving significantly with both the spoon and fork, though I don't have any recent pictures to prove it. She does demonstrate that if the spoon* is too slow, using your hands or drinking the yogurt is more effective.

And here are some pictures from Thansgiving (yes, I know Christmas is in 4 days). We had the opportunity to visit my family. I haven't been with both of my brothers in several years, and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I love inside jokes and family stories you'd forgotten, and of course singing jingle bells in a minor key. I loved that when we played Taboo obscure references were used to help people guess the words - references that brought back funny memories. I wish we could have stayed longer but I should be grateful for the time we had. MaryP enjoyed her cousins B and K. My mom said a few days ago when he came to visit B was walking around the housing saying "MaryP? MaryP?" I'm glad they had a good time together too. I also got to catch up with some old friends, all in all is was a fabulous trip.

My grandparents graciously drove us to and from the airport so we got to spend some extra time with them too. (She's mad about the picture, not the people.)

Top Heavy

We finally put up our Christmas tree today. Woo-hoo! Note that the tree is looking a wee-bit top-heavy. All the better to keep ornaments out of little hands. MaryP is excited about all of the 'balls' on the tree. I love homemade ornaments and we have some from both Wood and my growing up years - maybe the tree doesn't look too sophistocated, but I love all of the associated memories!

MaryP clearly thinks box lids and baby dolls to make good tree decorations. Whatever works!

Hiker at heart

MaryP is a hiker at heart. A few weeks ago when Wood had a rare day off we headed off to a nearby trail. As we got out the child carrier MaryP giggled with delight and stomped her feet with approval. She found two leaves she loved carrying and though she would get temporarily distracted, she would always come back to those two. She also loves leaf collecting on our regular walks.We had a great time as a family and she even got to do a little of the trail by herself!

I love the size of some of the leaves here!

Tolerance and Proposition 8

As election day nears (thankfully) several issues have been weighing heavily on my mind. One of them is California's proposition 8.

I am not a resident of California. Some people say Prop 8 - a proposal to amend California's constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman - does not affect me. I believe it does. Deeply.

Unfortunately we live in a world where some claim that if you stand up for any belief - if you assert that there is such a thing as right and wrong - you must be intolerant and hateful. For some, there is no tolerance for morals. There is no tolerance for religious beliefs. There is no tolerance for those who believe there are still some sacred things in this world. I have found that those most loudly shouting for tolerance have very little of it to give.

Tolerance is not the acceptance of another persons beliefs or conduct. Tolerance does not condone or support another persons actions. Rather, tolerance is a love for the individual, despite differences. I have friends whose beliefs differ greatly from my own, and yet we remain friends because of our love for one another. I do not compromise my views and they do not compromise theirs, but we are still friends. That is tolerance. That is love.

On the issue of Prop 8, those opposed to it suggest that anyone who seeks to protect that which they hold sacred, those who won't compromise on what they see to be a fundamental institution of our society, must be hateful, intolerant, homophobics. The labels are ugly and untrue. I do not wish to deny civil liberties to anyone. In the state of California homosexual couples are granted the same civil rights and privileges as married couples. Then Prop 8 is not about rights, it is about redefining marriage. It is not about being "homophobic". It is about protecting a time-honored institution.

I have often thought that it is like a group insisting that they have the "right" to paint on the Mona Lisa. "No!" others insist, "It is beautiful, one of a kind, irreplaceable. There are many other canvases on which to paint. We would never deny you your right to paint. But please not on this canvas that we hold sacred!" "Ah-ha!", the opposition screams, "You want to deny us our right to do as we please. Da Vinci had the right to paint on that canvas. Why not us? You must hate us. You must be afraid of us. You are intolerant of us!" And so the arguments go until they are granted them the right to paint on the Mona Lisa and that masterpiece is changed forever.

Prop 8 is not about denying homosexual couples their rights. But to say that one group has a right to redefine an institution that has existed since the beginning of recorded history is to suggest that any group has the right to redefine the definition of any institution if it does not meet their desired specifications.

Furthermore, in the state of Massachusetts where same-sex marriage has been legislated as legal, students are now taught this concept in schools - and it is deemed mandatory curriculum that parents do not need to be informed of prior to their children's instruction and that the children may not be exempt from. That state government has seen fit to regulate the moral education of its students with complete disregard to parental consent is both infuriating and frightening. Often when we speak of separation of church and state it is in reference to churches not being involved with state affairs. But as we have seen in Massachusetts with the closing of Catholic adoptions since they would not support same-sex couples, the state has decided that it has the right to regulate the churches.

Where do we cross the line? How far will this go?

What are the rights for those who wish to protect marriage? Must we watch everything we hold dear be changed in the name of tolerance?

Cute as a bug

We didn't actually end up going out trick-or-treating but we did go to a Haunted Forest put on by the youth from our church - and she dressed up for that and a photo shoot with her friend N. It's fun to have that little pumpkin so close by for play dates and baby swaps and get togethers where the girls can entertain themselves so that the grownups can talk.

That's one cute little lady.