Magnolias, Blood, & Childbirth

From Shav's window, I spotted a flash of white:  a blossom on one of the magnolia trees Jeff got me for my birthday a few years ago.  They're still spindly trees, and they don't blossom profusely--not yet, at least--so every single blossom is cause for rejoicing.

I wanted to see it closer so I carried my littlest son on my hip, beckoned the next two oldest sons to accompany me, and set off, still feeling the coolness in the morning air and the dampness on the grass.

There it was.  High enough above my head that I couldn't get the picture of it I had imagined in my mind, I simply held up my camera and pushed the button.  

A view of a magnolia blossom from below is still worth seeing.

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You might be a mother of little ones if...

...an afternoon excursion to give blood while Grandma watches the children (and one child spends time at the barbershop with Daddy) is the most relaxing thing you've done all week.

That's how I felt this afternoon anyway.  Despite the tourniquet around my arm and the needle sticking in my vein, I thoroughly enjoyed my time and--for once--didn't regret the fact that I'm a slow bleeder.  I had a book to keep me company, of course (The Autobiography of George Muller, that my dear blogging friend, Margie, sent me), and was easily transported from the mall corridor where I reclined as my blood dripped out to Bristol, England, in the days of Muller.  That George.  He ALWAYS challenges and inspires me.

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On Tuesday evening, we had Sally and her family over for dinner; and we loved having time with them and seeing (and holding) their sweet little three-week-old Marie.  As Sally and I were talking about Marie's birth and swapping details of our other birth stories, it dawned on me again that I sort of fell into natural childbirth through default.

Before Josiah was born, I thought it would be great to have a natural childbirth.  I also thought it would be great if the pain wasn't very bad so that I didn't need an epidural.  :)  Wishful thinking, I know.  At that point, I had not even heard of women who delivered naturally without pain and used the incredible power of the mind (and God's Spirit) to take away fear and pain.  Regardless, without taking the time to write all the details of Josiah's birth story, I'll just mention that I ended up getting an epidural when I was 9.5 centimeters dilated; and although it provided some initial relief, it also slowed my progress and made it extremely difficult for me to push.  The pain returned, the baby still wasn't out, and I nearly went out of my mind before he was finally born two and a half hours later.  Four months later, Jeff's sister had her first baby; and we were at the hospital, waiting to welcome our new little nephew into the world.  At one point near the end of her labor, Jeff was in the hall outside her room; and when he returned to the waiting room where I was playing with Josiah, he said in amazement, "She had an epidural, and she was laughing!"  Even with my epidural, I certainly didn't laugh when I was that close to delivering Josiah--not until after the birth, at least.  :)

So I didn't accomplish my goal of a natural childbirth, but I was just fine with that and didn't feel bad about how my labor had gone (well, I felt bad that the epidural didn't work better, but that's all).  :)

When I was pregnant with David in Israel, I again thought it would be neat to have a natural childbirth--if the pain wasn't too bad.  I was such an optimistic second-timer.  "Surely this birth will be easier than the first, right?"  And it was.  Easier, and shorter.  But even still, if I could have gotten an epidural, I would have.  The only problem was that when we got to the hospital, I was already dilated to 9 centimeters, and there was no time for one.  (The rest of his birth story is here).

I vividly remember that after David was born, I had the strongest sense of relief I had ever had up to that point in time.  I can't overstate how deeply the word "relief" became real for me, as I sank down onto that beanbag on the floor and held my newly-delivered son on my chest.  Besides the obvious relief of "the baby is out of me!", there was also a strong sense of accomplishment because I had done it naturally without pain medicine.  "Now I'm a real pioneer woman," I thought.  "Now I've reached that goal I've had ever since Carolyn Fields started influencing me.  :)  Now I can check that off my list.  Now I've proven myself.  Now I'LL NEVER HAVE TO DO THAT AGAIN!"  :)

Before Tobin's birth, I wasn't opposed to the idea of getting an epidural; but I had done some reading about childbirth without pain and my mental preparation was the best of any of my deliveries.  As I've written about here and here and here, I felt GREAT up until the very end.  However, once again, I hit the wall of "I can't take this, and I'd rather be dead"  :)...but it was short-lived, and Tobin was born soon after, and life was BEAUTIFUL.  Another birth without an epidural!

And then with Shav, I've documented (here, here, and here) how I wanted an epidural.  Really, really wanted one!  But the nurses couldn't get my IV started quick enough; and before I could get the epidural, I was completely dilated and ready to push.    Yet another birth without an epidural!

I don't feel like I should get any kind of Hero Award or Strong Woman Medal...or Woman Crazy Enough to Deliver Without an Epidural Badge.  If circumstances had been different, I would gotten an epidural each time - for sure!  However, I am EXTREMELY grateful that my deliveries went the way they did because--this is the best part--in my experience, you just can't beat the recovery from a natural childbirth.  I have loved the ability to get up right away, shower, walk, be normal, etc.  That, to me, was the major difference between my epidural birth and my natural ones.

And all of that is why I feel like I fell into natural childbirth through default.

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My latest post for The Foodie Spot is up - a perfect meal for when it's 5:57 PM and you suddenly ask yourself, "What are we having for supper???"  :)

Around the House

Two of the beautiful things I've noticed recently...

~ rhododendron in the front flowerbed (planted when my parents lived here, subsequently ignored by me after we moved in, but still managing to bloom gorgeously!)

~ a perky cardinal, our flashy state bird

Lots of Links...

...and some lilacs, too!  

We are blessed to have two varieties of lilacs in our backyard: a lighter kind that blooms first and, according to Josiah and David, has a nicer, stronger scent, and a darker kind that originally came from my mother's Aunt Ruth (I think).  I always look forward to our lilacs blooming and always cut some to bring into the house for bouquets.  This year, however, their season almost got away from me.  Because of the rain we've been having, I had not gotten out to the bushes to cut any until today.  When the sun peeked through, Josiah and David and I eagerly went outside; and as they raced around the yard and played all kinds of imaginary games, I examined the lilac bushes.  To my dismay, all the lighter ones were well past their peak, and the darker ones were almost too far gone, too.  Regardless, I did cut two bouquets of the darker kind

 (which are my favorite anyway) and brought them indoors to beautify our kitchen and living room and to continue one of my springtime traditions.  :)

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Every so often, I run across something on someone else's blog that I want to remember--a post to return to in the future as the subject comes up again or as my mind revolves around the theme another time--something that makes me think.

Mostly for my own benefit, I'm going to list some of these links here, just so I can find them the next time I'm scratching my head wondering where in the world I read, for example, that insightful article on birth control culture!

Facebook - Kate's blog included this post in which she linked to some others' writings on the subject.  Jo Ann wrote this list of reasons she doesn't do Facebook, many of which I feel like I could have written myself.  I'm not anti-Facebook; I think it has a valid place in society and can be a tool for good and--face it--it's a part of life for the younger culture, a part that we'll never totally get rid of.  Jeff is on it, and occasionally he emails things to me that people have written to him there, and I'm happy about that.  But I'm also happy that I'm not on it because if there's anything in life I don't need, it's yet another time-waster having to do with the computer!  :)

Family issues - So much interesting stuff I've read recently!  Where to start?  Let's see... Crystal linked to this post from Jess which quotes Alistair Begg (a preacher I first heard--and quickly grew to respect--when I worked on staff at Camp of the Woods) discussing the topic of caring for our parents as they age, specifically addressing the expectations of parents that their children will care for them in their older age, but those same parents put their children in childcare at a very young age and weren't able/willing to make the sacrifice to care for them at home during the early years.  I agree with Alistair's point, but wouldn't have expressed it quite like he did!  Anyway--food for thought!  Kristal posted this letter, "Dear Fruitful Vines," :) originally written by Jeff Pollard, and subsequently posted by Doug Phillips on his Vision Forum blog.  I was especially encouraged by this line: "Waddling, as your body bears the children God gave you, is holy."  Although I haven't hit the full-on waddling stage of this pregnancy, I know it's coming, so I plan to keep this quote in mind to encourage myself that I'm engaging in God's beautiful plan as I waddle through the last weeks of pregnancy!  :)  Relating to pregnancy, this short video on Muslim population demographics was a sobering look at how the birth rate has declined--beyond recovery--in Europe, and the same trend is happening in America as well.  This directly affects the world in which our children and grandchildren will live, a world in which Islam will almost certainly be the major world power.

Latest favorite quote - Amy B.'s comment in this post from Margie.  From a book called Little Boy by Alison McGhee and Peter Reynolds comes this gem:  "Little boy, you remind me how so much depends on days made of now."  I haven't read the book, but I like this quote!  "Days made of now..."  Yes, that's what I want to keep in mind as I go through each day.  Each once-in-a-lifetime, irreplaceable day in the lives of my precious, no-one-like-them-in-the-whole-world sons.

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Lastly for tonight, before I turn my attention to other things (like sleep!), I was honored recently by Kristen who gave me this blog award! :)  Thank you, Kristen!!

This is an award for gratitude, and it honestly took me a little while to figure out what the graphic had to do with anything.  Finally I realized that it must be referring to the whole make-lemonade-out-of-lemons thing.  I'm quick like that.  ;)

One thing that truly helps my level of gratitude is this blog!  First, as I write about the events, big and small, of my daily life, I find myself much more able to process them and gain a healthy perspective about them, even about the hard stuff.  Second, as I read back through former posts, from recent days or from several years ago, I find my gratitude rising as I am reminded of the multitude of joys I've experienced...and sometimes my level of thankfulness increases simply from reading about difficulties that I previously endured but no longer am confronted by (for example, one of the boys being in a hard stage, but now he's matured out of it).  :)  Third, the community aspect of blogging helps me to be grateful as I'm constantly reminded of the other women out there, often in similar positions.  I feel like my arms are lifted daily by the encouragement I receive from those who read and comment on my blog, as well as the inspiration I gain from reading others' blogs .

Ah, there is so much more to say about gratitude!  Ultimately, it comes back to my relationship with God, and I often think of the verse (Nehemiah 8:10), "The joy of the Lord is your strength."  I would add to that: the joy of the Lord is my gratitude!

Mother's Week

I'm a big fan of stretching out holidays to make them last longer. BirthDAY? Nah, birthWEEK! Just December 25 for Christmas? No way, let's have several celebrations on different days with various people and thus extend the joy!

So let's do that with Mother's Day...I mean, Mother's Week. :)

In honor of that quickly-approaching holiday, here are some random mother-related items.

First, I had to take some pictures of these cheery pansies this evening, even though a light rain was falling. I thought the raindrops on the flowers made them look even better. When I see pansies, I think of my Grandma Winters who used to call them "monkey faces." And when I see these particular pansies which beautify my front flowerbed, I think of Jeff's mother who planted them last fall during her most recent visit with us; they wintered over and sprang back to life this spring, and I'm so glad and grateful for her gift to us.

Second, I had to post a video clip of the entertainment of the evening, found in our very own living room. After supper, Mother and the boys started playing a little "b-ball" as Josiah calls it: balloon ball. I was finishing my supper in the kitchen, but the hilarity drew me into the living room to see what exactly was going on. After I took this video, I decided to just sit down and enjoy the fun, too...the dishes could wait. So I did, and ended up laughing and laughing and laughing. All of us were in silly moods, I guess; but we laughed until we cried, and I delighted in the simple, pure, unquenchable laughter of my children. At the very end of this video, it actually looks like my mother got hit (which she did, but only by a balloon) and possibly injured...but trust me, she was fine. Her laughter burst forth, and all the rest of us joined in. :)

Third, I received an email a few days ago with this touching poem, excerpted from a new (to be released in July) book by Geri Laing and her daughter Elizabeth Laing Thompson. The book is called The Tender Years: Parenting Preschoolers and is available here. This is the poem...

I Like You Best

Elizabeth Laing Thompson

After dark, I like you best:

Day fades to gray,

Moonlit fingers paint stripes across your bed, your face.

I tiptoe in and rest a palm across your back

to feel you breathe--

up and down, the rise and fall;

I lean in close to breathe the sweet clean milk of you,

to feel the warmth of life

flowing in and out, in and out as you dream.

You sigh.

And I smile--serene, content--

This is my sunset.

When you're asleep, I like you best.

At day's first light, I like you best:

Dawn brings a gentle scratching,

the swish-swish of chubby elbows and knees and button nose

scrabbling against the sheets.

Then one little grunt, and soon another;

soft coos and squeals crescendo to a chorus

of joyful babbles to salute the day--

my alarm clock.

I shuffle in,

eyes bleary, all-over weary, heart warming--

and peek around the doorframe.

Two bright chipmunk eyes, two black buttons

peer up at me between the slats.

Eyes twinkle, cheeks crinkle, nose wrinkles;

rosebud lips send fireworks sparkling across the morning--

This is my sunrise.

When you're awake, I like you best.

From my good-morning sunrise to my lullaby sunset

and my every hour in between;

from your first cry to my last breath,

until the echo of us fades, our souls' footprints blow away--

That's when I like you best.

Abundant Beauty

We are making up for winter.

The past few days have been gorgeous, with temperatures steadily rising through this week until today hit the low 80s--perfect!  We've been seizing every opportunity to be outside, reveling in the sunshine and fresh air.  I love this season!

Last evening, we were spending some family time outside; and I couldn't resist grabbing the camera to get some new sidebar pictures for each of the boys.

~ Josiah - 6 years, 10 months old

~ David - 4 years, 1 week old

~ Tobin - 15 months old

The word that has come repeatedly to mind recently as I've contemplated the unfolding beauties of springtime is ABUNDANCE.  This is a word that I primarily associate with the fall of the year (as I did in this post); but here in 2009, I've been struck by the abundance of delights that are springing forth from the earth.

Take these daffodils, for example...

...when have we ever had this many blooms from these plants?  I've used some for cut bouquets and given some to our neighbors, but the flowerbed is still full of these bits of sunshine.

And these tulips!  Sigh... 
...I can't get over how lovely they are.  The shades of color seem particularly beautiful to me this year.

If God put so much beauty into a flower, how much more beauty resides in our souls as we draw our nourishment from Him as naturally as flowers draw nourishment from the earth?

Tobin's Nine Month Birthday

Isn't it great how babies get to celebrate their birthday every month for a whole year? :)

So, yesterday, Tobin turned nine months old...but before I get to that, I want to share the beauty of nature around our home that drew me in yesterday afternoon. I had gone outside to feed the animals, thinking to do it as quickly as I could so I could hurry back inside...but before I had gotten my chores done, I was captured by the unique beauty of a late afternoon in the fall. I did hurry back inside, but only to get my camera so I could hurry back outside to take pictures. :)

The first thing that caught my eye was this tree...
...every year, it astonishes me to see the leaves change colors. Such a gorgeous transformation!
And then I noticed how, if the sun is shining just right, even the watering trough shines brilliantly...

As I walked over to the woodshed to shut the doors, I noticed the pleasing sight of a tall stack of wood, ready for winter fires...but then I noticed my shadow against it. Even though Morning did a wonderful series of "Shadow Shot Sunday" posts, I would never have thought of planning to take such a picture (finding a place, waiting for the right light, etc.), but the strong light shining behind me created the perfect opportunity...and for that, I was grateful.
Then I walked by the garden and noticed the bright red peppers still hanging on the vine, shining in the late afternoon light. Although frost will soon be nipping at these plants, I plan to have the peppers safely harvested and tucked away in the freezer before then.

Across the garden, in the fencerow between our land and the neighbor's field, stands this crimson column of leaves that has been intriguing me. I don't know what it is, but I admire it every day.
After my sojourn with the camera outside, I returned to the house and opened the door of Tobin's room to find this:
A happy, smiley nine-month old boy, awake after his nap, surrounded by his stuffed alligator and bear and a special blanket that Millie from the barbershop made for him. Only recently have I felt comfortable even having anything in his crib, but he seems to enjoy the toys and at least the blanket has a lot of holes in it so even if it got on his face, it wouldn't cause too much trouble. Actually, where the blanket normally gets is under him...so much for keeping him warm!

Here are some tidbits about Tobin at this stage of his life:

~ he weighed 16 pounds and was 28 and 1/2 inches long yesterday at my dad's office...he also received two shots, and cried a little but recovered fairly quickly...I was a little concerned about his light weight, especially after holding a baby in the church nursery yesterday morning who is about half Tobin's age but weighs 18 pounds...Dad said, "I think if you look at what David weighed at 9 months, it would be about the same as Tobin's weight"...sure enough, I looked in David's baby book; and at 9 months, he was 16 and 1/2 pounds...that was comforting :)

~ Tobin has no teeth yet; and once again, I had to look in his brothers' baby books to compare...Josiah got his first tooth when he was 9 months old, but David didn't get his first until he was 13 and 1/2 months old--quite late!...when they did come in for David, the top front ones came first, rather than the bottom front teeth which is normal

~ recently I've gone through Tobin's clothes, packing away the ones that are too little and getting bigger clothes out of the storage boxes...I discovered that he has very few sleepers in the 12-month size, and I wasn't sure why--until I remembered that Josiah was 12 months old in the summer, in Israel, and didn't need many sleepers there in that heat...even for David, by the time he reached that size, it was spring; and apparently he didn't need that many either...usually I have plenty of clothes for Tobin from the things that his brothers wore, but I'm thinking that this winter baby of mine just might need a few more warm, cuddly, 12-month sleepers!

~ Tobin continues to be a pretty good eater...I think his favorite food right now is probably yogurt, but he's also been thoroughly enjoying finger foods, like Cheerios and the fruit and veggie baby food puffs that are made these days...yesterday was the first day that he seemed able to very consciously move his hand to pick up a puff and then get it into his mouth...he didn't succeed on every try, but was surprisingly consistent...it's a huge blessing to be able to put those on the highchair tray in front of him and have him feed himself part of his meal!

~ he seems to be in a period of extremely rapid development...my parents keep commenting on how much he's changing in just a very short amount of time...he's so social: vocalizing as if to really express what's on his mind and even moving his arms as if he's waving...of course, this is the period of wondering "did you really mean to do that, or did you just accidentally say "mama" and wave goodbye??"...but even if it's mostly accidental, it still shows that he's on the path of learning how to communicate in those ways

~ he very easily rolls over and can scoot himself around that way, but he's definitely not crawling or even showing any signs of being near that skill...he's not sitting up by himself either...I'm not the least bit concerned because my babies always tend to be quite late in reaching those milestones...we have noticed, however, that when he's in the circular farm toy, he spends a significant part of the time actually standing up and supporting his own weight...with crawling or sitting up or walking, I have the attitude, "he'll get there...no worries...I'll keep enjoying this pre-mobile easier-on-me time for a while!" :)

~ Tobin very easily goes to sleep at night (and at naps, for that matter), and is usually more than ready by 8:00 p.m...I've been trying to keep him up a little later the past week or so because he's been waking up in the morning a little earlier than I'd like...maybe it's because the sun hasn't come up yet by 6:00 a.m., but I tell ya, when he wakes up in the 6:00 hour, it's tough on me (even though I'm incredibly grateful for the 10 straight hours of sleep he's just had!)...I'm so completely not a morning person...if only it were light outside when I first heard his wake-up sounds, it would be so much easier!...oh well, what can you do?...he still takes two naps which are usually a few hours each...if he hasn't gotten his normal amount of sleep during the day, once in a while he even needs a short third nap in the early evening...he's an excellent sleeper for which I'm continuously grateful

~ Tobin LOVES to watch his big brothers play...in fact, in the afternoon when Josiah and David are having quiet playtime (each in separate rooms, of course, or else it wouldn't exactly be quiet), I'll often put Tobin in the bouncy seat and set him where he can watch one brother, then I'll move him after a while so he can watch the other one, and then I'll tuck him in bed for his nap...he is so entertained by them, and both Josiah and David have learned how to do things to make him laugh...they are great with him, and often come running with a "I want to give him a hug and kiss" when they hear me starting to sing his lullaby before I put him in bed

~ I'll end with a Tobin first: today was the first day that he--drumroll, please--took off his own pants...none of my children has ever been the kind of chronic undresser that I've heard about from other moms, so I was very surprised to enter Tobin's room after his afternoon nap and find him pantless...Tobin was at one end of the crib, and his pants were at the other, and he looked mighty pleased with himself...silly goose :)

Tobin, you are an unspeakable treasure and a beautiful reminder that God is indeed good. We give heartfelt thanks for the past 9 months. What would we ever do without you?

Monday's Mirth

Some things which brought me joy today:

~ stepping on the scale and seeing 154.8 this morning...yippee! 2.2 pounds lost!!! 14.8 more to go :)

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~ see the flowerbed below? isn't it beautiful? what??? not really? oh, that's because you don't know about all that I planted there this morning...33 gladioli bulbs, plus seeds for larkspur, zinnias, and pansies...in my mind's eye, I can already seem them blooming; and if all goes well, later this summer, you too can see the beauty! :)

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~ taking some time between Josiah and David's lunch and quiet time to sit outside on my birthday swing and read books together (one book we particularly enjoyed today was Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt)

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~ Jeff brought home a treat for us tonight: 6 chicks from one of his co-workers...we've been interested in having chickens for a while now, so when Monica was getting overwhelmed by her chickens' fertility and offered us some, we were eager to take her up on it...I had forgotten how incessantly chicks peep--they're really quite noisy--hence the name "peeps" or "pee pees" (which always cracks my boys up because that happens to be our euphemism for a certain...ahem...body part)...but the chicks really do go, "pee pee pee pee pee pee pee, " constantly

~ Josiah holding a chick the way the chicken farmer suggested

~ Josiah wanted to take a picture of me holding a chick, so I handed him the camera and gave him my biggest smile...too bad you can't see it because he didn't manage to get my head in the picture...oh, well, you can take my word for it about the smile :)
~ even Tobin got to check out a chick...this was, by the way, Tobin's first time in this highchair...I brought it up from the office basement last evening, thinking that Tobin would surely enjoy sitting in it while we eat supper; but alas, he isn't strong enough to really sit up in it so he quickly slumped over and, not surprisingly, grew discontent in it...in a few weeks, he'll probably be ready for it...speaking of Tobin, I put him on a blanket on the ground outside while we ate supper on our patio (we've been doing that a lot recently in this beautiful late spring weather)...when it was time to bring him in, Josiah and David were with me; and we started playing peek-a-boo with Tobin by putting the ends of the blanket lightly over his face and then uncovering it...he laughed and laughed...between that little game and the gentle tickles I gave him on his tummy, he just cracked up...it was the most sustained time of laughter I've ever had with him...and of course, when he laughs, it makes all the rest of us laugh, too :)

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~ the only pet I was really looking forward to having when we moved here was a dog, but Jeff had even higher aspirations...because of him, we now have fish, chicks, and rabbits (and calves in the pasture...and, yes, a dog)...a few years ago, we had the pleasure of watching a litter of rabbits grow up; but eventually all of those were given away or died, so over the winter we didn't have any rabbits at all...a few nights ago, however, Jeff and the boys went to get some free rabbits that were advertised locally, so now we have cute little bunnies again...they got 3, but the golden one escaped within the first day, I believe...I'm really glad we have them: not only are they as cute and soft as can be, they also are great "garbage disposals" for kitchen scraps :)

~ David feeding them some grass

~ hello, beautiful! aren't you sleek and shiny?!

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~ we are fortunate to have 4 calves in our pasture...they keep the grass down, we feed them some grain (provided by the farmer who owns them), and in the end, we even get a little money (pasture rental)...it's a sweet deal...it's also a fun experience for the boys to be involved with their care; they have their own little cups that they use to scoop up grain to pour in the feed trough and they also help me fill the water trough by getting the hose in place and turning on the spigot...one of the calves in this bunch is blind...we call him Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46) and were initially quite concerned about him, but it's amazing how he's learned to make his way around the pasture...he always finds the food and water with no trouble (even if he is the last of the calves to get there); and although he's still scrawnier than the others, he's doing surprisingly well...David has the habit of, as we walk up the hill to feed them, calling out "Bartimaaa--eus" in a loud sing-song voice...if Bart is far from the feed trough, it seems to help him find his way better if he can hear our voices :)

~ after we watered the calves this evening, Josiah started to wind up the hose...when I told him he didn't need to do that but could leave it out on the ground, he said something like, "But I'm doing this as a gift for you!"...smart boy...did he already figure out that one of my primary love languages is acts of service? ;)

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Ah, the joys of life. The simple life. The country life. For this period of our life, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Lily of the Valley

A while back, New Mom mentioned in her blog about the lily of the valley (in reference to a song). Ever since then, I've been extra impatient for our lilies of the valley to bloom this year. And now they have. I love these delicate, graceful little beauties!

~ lily of the valley in the kitchen
~ lily of the valley in the guest room, where my sister Donna stayed last night...she was greeted by the typical enthusiastic adoration that my boys lavish on her :)...the picture above is of her sometime in the 80s...I always looked up to her so much and really, really, really wished I could have her nose! :)

The Bible mentions lily of the valley in Song of Songs 2:1, although I'm fairly sure it doesn't mean the flower we now call lily of the valley. However, it does indicate that the lily of the valley is something really special...so I want to jot down some things that are really special to me. (How's that for a seamless transition?) ;)

Josiah:

This morning, he and David were getting ready to watch The Wind in the Willows movie. I overheard Josiah say to David, "If you get scared, I'll just snuggle with you, OK?" :)

David:

Big news from yesterday: he had a nap (a long nap, in fact) in underwear and didn't wet the bed, for the first time. I'm thrilled!!! :)

A few days ago, we were talking about various cousins, and the boys were trying to figure out what last names they all have (since obviously, they don't all have the same last name as us). Then David said, "What are their front names?" (instead of first names); and I just had to smile.

He's been so interested in word and letter sounds recently. Once he asked, "What does 'fan' start with?" When I asked him what he thought, he sounded out, "Ffffffff..." and then announced proudly, "F!" He did the same with "paint" and probably other words that I didn't write down and have now forgotten. He's also tuned into rhymes and told us the other day that "Reena rhymes with Sheena." Sheena is one of David's cousins, but I don't know who Reena is--a sound in David's mind, I guess!

Tobin:

Before I'm done with the nursing stage with Tobin, I have to write down a few things about it. Sometimes when Tobin is beside himself with hunger, he will try to "latch on" to whatever exposed skin he can find, while I'm fumbling around trying to...well, arrange my clothes. ;) Most often when he's in this state, he'll start sucking vigorously on my arm before I can make other "more productive parts" available. It cracks me up!

The other thing that makes me laugh is how sometimes when he's so completely focused on sucking that he's almost oblivious to anything else, he'll occasionally pop off suddenly and look up at my eyes in surprise, as if to say, "What? Are you here, too? What fun! Isn't this a great party???" Then sometimes it's back to sucking...and sometimes it's time to gaze happily into each other's eyes.

At this stage of life, I LOVE breastfeeding. In the first few weeks of my babies' lives, it drives me to tears (literally) from the intense pain. But now, I can sit back, relax, soak in the sight of my little one, and enjoy the special moments of togetherness. At this point I can say--and really mean it--that I'm so blessed to be able to breastfeed.

Playing in the Dirt

Some people call this gardening. I call it playing...or renewing my springtime soul...or dirt therapy.

With the eager assistance of our two young helpers, my mother and I planted 24 tomato plants and some herbs (basil, cilantro, and dill) today. We originally planted 18 tomato plants; and after I finished pounding the stakes into the ground to hold them up as they grow, I and my aching arms were DONE. And then I walked back onto the porch and saw another 6-pack of them staring me in the face. I had completely forgotten that when we were at a nearby greenhouse to buy plants a few days ago, I had been unable to resist the "Mr. Stripey" tomatoes, so they came home with us, too, and needed to be put in the ground. In the late afternoon, after the boys had quiet time, we again went outside and finished up the job. What a good feeling to look outside and see our rows of young tomato plants...although if they all grow, we'll be having tomatoes coming out of our ears this summer!


~ "The Professor" getting ready to mark out a row...if only he was a little taller and stronger and could actually move this contraption! (for the past few days, David has been thoroughly enjoying this pair of silly old sunglasses with the lenses popped out...he looks so hilarious with them on that I can't keep a straight face when I look at him, which is not a good thing when I need to correct him or comfort him but crack up instead!)
~ my painted toenails in the dirt...sometimes I love being a girlie girl drinking tea in a flowing skirt, but other times I love getting my hands (and feet) dirty in the soil
~ our friends, the earthworms...according to David Kline or David Alleman--and now according to David Fisher as well--it's such a good sign to dig up a shovel of dirt and find a few of these squirmy fellows crawling about~ these are NOT our friends!...I couldn't believe how huge some of the rocks were that we found today...I don't think they were there last year...I was reminded of how the earth beneath us is constantly changing and pushing up new materials to the surface...now I know why my parents joke that we grow a good crop of rocks!
~ ah, yes, a newly-planted tomato plant...I can almost taste a tomato sandwich: two slices of wheat bread spread with mayonnaise on either side of a thick slice of tomato sprinkled with salt...that, along with fresh-from-the-garden corn-on-the-cob and just-cut peaches from the nearby orchard, is the taste of summer

Best Load of Laundry All Day

Guess what we brought in from the clothesline in our laundry basket today? David was delighted by it...
...in fact, both big brothers were thrilled...
...by their baby brother Tobin, who got to relax on a blanket under the shade of our backyard maple while I hung out a load of laundry, then had his first laundry basket ride ever. Soon Josiah was clamoring for a ride of his own. Sorry, my boy, you're way too big for that. :)
And look who's peeking under the lilacs on our kitchen table while he eats a slice of orange?

The lilacs are in full bloom these days, and we cut a bouquet of them to fill our home with their heady fragrance. I absolutely love lilacs. I'll take a home-grown bouquet of them any day. Too bad their blooming season will soon be over...

Beauty in the Guest Room

With so many beautiful flowers in bloom at this season of the year, I knew I wanted to add a bit of color to the guest room before our guests arrived last weekend. But what flower(s) to choose? This orange-pink tulip caught my eye as I wandered outside, scissors in hand; and between the beauty of that (compliments of God Himself), the beauty of the vase (a woman with a jar on her head; Jeff bought it for me in Israel), and the beauty of the painting (done by Jeff's father who was an enormously-talented artist), I was well pleased.

Signs of Spring

Today was a spectacular spring day, and I took advantage of the warmth and sunshine to walk around outside and take some pictures.

~ daffodil in the front flowerbed
~ vibrant tulips
~ it's so interesting to peek inside these softly-colored tulips and see such dark, contrasting "insides"
~ hyacinth near a fringe tree
~ this was my favorite picture: October Glory maples sprouting little leaves...but more interestingly, the seed pods are developed (the upside-down V-shaped things)...they look like little helicopters to me, and I remember my brother David and I flying maple helicopters often when we were young
~ look what else I found outside today!...one more sign of spring: someone enjoying an afternoon nap on our new swing...isn't it great that Jeff can enjoy the birthday gift he got for me? :)

And speaking of birthdays, someone really special is having one tomorrow...

Monkey Faces

As this past summer drew to a close, I was so eager to fill our front flowerbed with fall pansies -- or monkey faces, as my maternal grandmother used to call them. However, as the time came when they were available at local greenhouses, I found myself seriously lacking in time, energy, ability (bending over to plant stuff doesn't exactly sound like fun now), and initiative. Fortunately, my dear mother bought some for her home and my dad's office, and she got some for me at the same time...which is a good thing, because if not for that, the flowerbed would still be completely bare. My dream of having it filled with these pansies went up in smoke when I realized how much that would cost...so now as I drive around town, I appreciate other's full beds of pansies. Incidentally, purple and gold are the school colors of our local university, and they have gorgeous plantings of these flowers. I wonder how much they spend per year on landscaping???

~ it does add a bit of cheer to see these small but extremely hardy flowers marching up the hill to our front door
~ such cheerful little faces!