We must be Parents ... or something!

If we hadn’t already realized we are parents, what we did on Saturday confirmed it in our minds. We walked four blocks downtown in the rain and joined a throng of other weary parents and exited children just so Meredith could meet her beloved Elmo. When we got there we had to stand in line for thirty minutes.

Kevin kept looking at me like, “I can’t believe we’re doing this. We are crazy.”

We nearly missed Elmo since he and Grover took turns, each doing a thirty-minute rotation. We’re glad we squeezed in on time because Grover just wouldn’t have been the same experience for Meredith. We thought she might be scared of Elmo—which is how she has reacted to large stuffed animals in the past. But she loved him! She walked right up to him and gave him a high five. Then she sat on his lap and gave him a hug and a kiss.

In the end we decided it was totally worth it. Even Kevin said, "It's worth it" after Meredith got so excited when she spotted Elmo in line and started talking it up ("I hug Elmo! I give him a kiss!"). And, when she asked to "hug the pig too" after spotting "Piggly Winks" (another PBS character), Kevin said, "Let's do it. The line isn't quite so long." Sigh ... the things only parents do.

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Today I did another “parent thing” with Meredith and went to the Children’s Museum to meet up with Sarah and Nora. It was so great getting in a conversation with Sarah while the girls played—we haven’t seen each other for more than a year. It's fun because our first-born children are weeks apart and our second-born children will likely be days apart.

Common Food Art

I must have been bored last night while making dinner. Who says taco salad has to be monotonous?

Me at the "Y"

Last night I signed up for a water aerobics class at the local YMCA.

Yes, I know that water aerobics is stereotyped as the lazy person’s exercise. Come to think of it, this classification is probably deserved. After all, I’ve never seen a really buff person doing water aerobics. All of those people are pumping iron in the next room.

But, regardless of the stereotype, I feel like it will do me a world of good in the final six weeks of my pregnancy. So, there I was last night with all the other lazy exercisers, most of them gray haired and at least 100 pounds overweight. It cracked me up … some of them had flotation devices strapped around their midsections and some of them weren’t even doing the exercises at all. Ha!

But, seriously … I feel like it will help me meet my personal goals for exercise right now. After 90 minutes in the pool, I truly got a decent workout. I was able to stretch and use muscles in my body that I wouldn’t have been able to outside the water because of the pressure on my joints, which are already in pain because of the baby weight. Rather than being exhausted after the class, I was refreshed and had renewed energy.

So, I think it’s worth it. And maybe I’ll make some new friends from the local AARP in the meantime.

Camping

This past weekend found us roughing it at camp. “Roughing it” is a relative term since we were about as close to a bathroom and warm showers as is possible at a campground.

It was a church function and the main reason we went was for Meredith’s sake. We figured she would get a kick out of it and she truly did. On Friday night she was covered from head-to-toe with dirt. Unfortunately I never got a decent picture of her!

Honestly, I think camping can be enjoyable. Being surrounded by nature is good. Hanging out with friends at a campfire, roasting s’mores is just about as fun as anything. Since I’ve had some really fun and pleasant camping experiences in the past, I would never completely discount it. But, for the most part, I think it’s overrated, especially if the weather is bad. I think that priceline-ing a hotel is generally a much better option. But like I said, we did it for Meredith. Every kid deserves to go camping now and then.

We came, we saw, we conquered. And I think that this eight-month-pregnant body should get some sort of a medal for going (getting ready for it took the biggest toll) and sleeping in a tent on an air mattress. I’m not sure I’d ever go again under these same physical circumstances.

Twirling, Needs, and Customizing Drinks

Meredith has landed squarely in the little-girl-twirling stage. She wants to wear the same purple dress every day and she spends a large part of her free time spinning in circles watching said purple dress floating around her legs.

Who ever told her she is a girl and she should twirl? No one.
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Lately Meredith has started telling us that she “needs” things. She’ll start off by stating that, for instance, “I want a pen.” When we tell her no, she’ll say (with urgency in her voice), “But I need one.”
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Meredith has finally caught on to the fact that I dilute her fruit juice. After tasting the full strength juice, she has become quite irritated at the fact that hers gets watered-down. She has started telling us, “No water in it!” when we pour her juice.

This morning I offered her some chocolate milk. As I got out the milk and the Hersey’s syrup, she yelled, “NO milk in it!”

Nice try, Meredith!

Videos of Mer

Here are some videos Aunt Shannon took last Wednesday. I tried to get the video screen up on the blog but I guess I'm just not that techno savvy.

S'up Girlfriend?

Quoting her bible verse.

Singing You Are My Sunshine.

Book Club #3

Last night the book club—I’m thinking we should probably get a proper name at some point—met and discussed Thrity Umrigar’s The Space Between Us.

Other than the fact that the ending was a little bit contrived, I thought it was a decent read. Not my favorite but definitely something that made me think and broadened my horizons a little bit.

The book is a novel set in modern day Bombay and is written from the perspective of two different women, from different classes. One woman is a wealthy Parsi and the other woman is her downcast servant who lives in the slums.

As the author states in the back of the book, “The novel deals with a relationship that, despite all the good will in the world, is ultimately based on the exploitation of one human being by another.”

This brought up some interesting discussion about the existence of class inequity in the modern world and whether or not there are any parallels in America. There were also some sub-issues that were interesting to discuss including abortion, women’s rights, failed marriages, choosing denial over truth, etc.

Of course, food is an essential ingredient of any book club. I made naan bread for the first time and bought some spicy mango chutney to go along with it. Since I wasn’t sure if anyone would care for the bread/chutney, I made an old favorite, orange ice cream cups. Oranges grow in India, yes? Yes. So, therefore, that was appropriate too.

Exorcism

Neither Kevin nor I are into horror films. I don’t mind suspense movies with jump scenes, when I’m in a certain mood and up for a scare, but I generally would rather not see depictions of ghastly evil constantly portrayed for two hours. I was, however, glad that we watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose last night.

Several months ago I got the film from the library and started watching it. By myself. At night.

After the opening scene, showing an eerie pumpkin patch, I turned it off and decided to wait until I had more company. Last night Kevin’s sisters and our pastor came over to watch it with us. I'm glad I waited.

It was very interesting to see a film where Faith vs. Reason was on trial. The film also brought up a host of questions about exorcism and demon possession. Apparently Emily Rose is based on a true story. Some of our discussion afterwards centered on how common or real is demon possession and can it happen to a true believer with the Holy Spirit residing in them.

If you’re up for it—and have people to watch it with you—I would recommend seeing it, if only for the reason that it will make you think. And if you’re into horror, you might also be entertained.

“In many of the documented cases [of demon possession], there are good explanations for [why a person is singled out for it]. There seems to be a pattern of people who get involved in the occult, or people who have been literally placed under spiritual curses. It does seem like there are certain warnings that ought to be avoided. But at the same time, as I read the New Testament, it seems like some of the people who are possessed just are. That they are victims of this fallen world.” –Scott Derrickson (writer/director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose)

A Marriage That's Good Enough

I’d love to hear what you guys think about this article (below).

This article made me smile. I think there’s definitely a grain of truth to it. Contentment is a great place to be and always searching for something better can only lead to misery. I like this article and I agree with it. But I guess I can’t relate to this woman entirely because, after nearly five years, I still think Kevin is a saint and he IS my best friend. Either I’m just a lucky girl or my rose-colored glasses have a lot of mileage on them.

A Marriage That's Good Enough
by Corinne Colbert (June 4, 2007)

My husband is not my best friend. He doesn't complete me. In fact, he can be a self-absorbed jerk. We're nearly polar opposites: He's a lifetime member of the NRA who doesn't care for journalists, and I'm a lifelong liberal with a journalism degree. On the other hand, he doesn't beat or emotionally abuse me. He doesn't drink or chase other women. He's a good provider. So I'm sticking with him.

Some people would call that "settling," like it's a bad thing. But I believe in settling.

The Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines "to settle" as "to place in a desired state or order; to quiet, calm or bring to rest; to make stable." In short, it means that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Alas, too many of us buy into a different adage: that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. From movies to magazines to commercials, we're told we should demand more from lives that are, for many of us, pretty good. We're supposed to look better, eat better, find better jobs, be better lovers and parents and workers. A stable marriage isn't enough; it's supposed to be a fairy tale. Perfection is the goal.

But at what cost? Would I really be any happier if I took up yoga and ate more soy? If my spouse wasn't just my partner, but also was my soul mate? I doubt it.

Settling, in my sense, is about acceptance. I'm a pretty happy person, in large part because I'm honest with myself about what I have. My body isn't bikini-worthy, but it's healthy. I'll never write for Rolling Stone as I once dreamed, but I am making a living as a writer. I yell at my sons and let them play too much GameCube, but I'm still a good mom.

Of course, some situations are worth improving. If your weight jeopardizes your health, exercise and change your eating habits. If your job makes you truly miserable, find a new one. If your marriage is toxic, end it. Chances are, though, you probably have what you need: a roof over your head, food on the table, a job that pays the bills, and family and friends. If you're unhappy, ask yourself: Am I unhappy because I really don't have what I need, or because I just want more?

So, yes, I'm settling. Sure, I wish my husband would kiss me more often, tell me he loves me every day, and get as excited about my accomplishments as I do. Emptying the dishwasher without being asked and giving me unsolicited foot massages wouldn't hurt, either.

All that would be nice, but it's not necessary. I'm happy with my husband who, despite his flaws, is a caring father, capable of acts of stunning generosity and fiercely protective of his family. Thinking about him may not set me on fire as it used to, but after 17 years and two kids, our love is still warm. And I believe that's good enough.

A New Park Find

We have enjoyed exploring new parks since moving to this new corner of the world last year. Last Friday we found an amazing park! I saw something online about a kids' movie night being held there. We packed a picnic dinner and headed off. We ended up not staying for the movie but we had a blast eating dinner by the lake and letting Meredith run wild in the squirt park and on the playground equipment.

The squirt park was incredible. It had two large “mushroom” water contraptions that squirted out water and made it flow into a man-made river. The river was shallow but pooled in several areas so kids could splash around. There were natural-looking rock formations and Meredith enjoyed jumping off the rocks into the water. At the end of the “river,” were more water spray features. It was so much fun for us to see our daughter having such a great time.

Then we spent some time drawing chalk art on the sidewalk. And daddy helped Meredith catch several fireflies after it got dark. It was such a great Family Night Out. I love my family!

Whirlybird

The other day I spotted this outline Kevin made and thought it was cool. Apparently it’s called a “Whirlybird” outline, something new he learned to organize your thoughts on paper without having a rambling linear outline. Does anyone else out there use this method? I couldn’t really find much info about it online. But, anyway, like I said, I think it’s cool.

Celebration

Megan is getting married. Soon. We had a fun girls’ night out last night to celebrate—with dinner at Bazbeaux Pizza and then dessert and more good times back at my house. Some of Megan’s friends from China put together a DVD with KC answering questions about him/her/their relationship and we watched it in segments with Megan answering the same questions beforehand. It was a total crack-up!

(Sorry to Heather and Stephanie—the retarded waiter apparently can’t take pictures without cutting off heads!)

Smile, Please

Here is something noteworthy I came across this morning. The first item on the list, “smile,” is something that I appreciate about how my parents raised me. They were always good examples of treating other people positively and greeting them consistently with a good attitude, regardless of what mood they were in or what was going on in their personal lives.

If you think about it, being cheerful toward other people (regardless of how you feel that day) is essentially about loving them. When we are a drag around other people, or are gloomy, we are just pulling them down too.

The ABCs of Family Civility

Adapted from Pier Forni, Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct.

1. Smile. People respond better to those who are positive.

2. Be considerate. Ask yourself, "Is what I am about to say going to encourage and build up the other person, or tear him or her down?"

3. Practice restraint and don't yell or raise your voice.

4. Have the courage to admit it when you are wrong. Avoid ridicule and don't humiliate or demean the other person. You can express your anger without attacking the other person.

5. Accept kindness from others and let others be nice to you.

Alligators, Crayons, and Pink Golf Balls

Lately there has been no question about what is on our nearly-two-year-old daughter's mind. She tells us exactly what she is thinking. This can be both good and difficult. Either way, her fresh perspective often makes us laugh out loud.

“Go on alligator!” said Meredith, at the mall last night. She then pointed to the “escalator.” (Close enough, right?)

“I ate a crayon,” explained Meredith as I was furiously trying to brush a chunk of brown that was stubbornly clinging to her tooth. As I was brushing the tooth, I was puzzled by the brown substance. I asked out loud (more talking to myself than to Meredith), “What on earth is stuck on this tooth?”

“Get mine pink ball!” said Meredith as she watched her daddy get his golf clubs out of the garage. I had no idea what this meant. Later I found out (from Kevin) that he often lets her knock around a hot pink golf ball with his putter. She just wanted to be part of the action.

Betcha Got One!

As we were driving along a major road the other day we noticed a run-down apartment complex with six or eight units. In each of the balconies of the apartments, there were little charcoal grills.

It made me reflect on the home and garden show we attended several months ago. At the show we were dazzled with numerous high-end, built-in grills featured in various displays.

These ponderings made me realize how much grilling is a part of every American’s experience, regardless of your socioeconomic status. Whether you spend $20 on your grill or $20,000 on your built-in grill patio, if you are an American you likely have one.

And, seriously, who can blame Joe American for reveling in the delicious summer ritual of a smoky, juicy piece of semi-charred meat?

Links are Back Up and World Rejoices

The links are back up (in no particularly logical order) thanks to the fact that someone whose name begins with an "M" took a long nap today. The links' order will likely change in the near future but, in the meantime, maybe you'll discover new links, and perhaps even new friends, because of the randomness ... you never know.

I learned my lesson that I need to save them in one document, html format, before I decide to give my webpage another facelift. Thankfully they were at least all saved in my favorites folder. (I know a lot of you folks out there are thankful too since I got a lot of e-mail requests and complaints when I originally took them down!)

Happy blogging,
Amy

Recent Family Quotes

“That wife picked it up!” –Meredith (in response to a very obese 20-ish woman who picked up a bag of chips she took from our cart and threw in the aisle at the grocery store. She gets confused about the whole mother/wife/woman thing and will randomly call people whatever role she chooses at the time).

“How about some fishy crackers?” –Meredith (to her grandma as they were grocery shopping and she spotted a bag of them in the check out lane).

“Some people are miserable and don’t even know it.” –Amy (referring to a very interesting neighbor of ours whom she is still trying to figure out).

“You are worth a whole head of gray hairs. Maybe even two heads.” –Kevin (to Amy when she asked him if she’s worth the four gray hairs she’s given him this past year).

“I thought it tasted different.” –Kevin (this morning after Amy asked him if he realizes he is using her toothbrush).

What's Up

Kevin is working every spare moment on a writing-competition-thing for school. Poor guy is still waiting for his summer to begin. To make matters worse, he really hasn’t had much time to adequately work on it, either. It’s just been a busy week with various personal commitments.

Amy is trying to be a good mom and failing most days. The “whining toddler” phase is very trying for her. She seriously thinks it’s worse than the “fussy newborn” phase. Do you realize how difficult it is to deal with a toddler who simply cannot be pleased, regardless of what you do, and whines about everything? Amy wishes she had a nickel for every time she tells Meredith, “I cannot hear what you are saying when you whine. You need to ask nicely with a smile and then I can hear you.” Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Meredith is enjoying being a kid to the fullest extent possible. Every day brings some new fun thing in her life. This week she went to Brown County and went hiking for the first time without being carried or riding in daddy’s backpack, she went to the park twice including the water “squirt park” by our house, went swimming in her pool, went to the Children’s Museum, and on Wednesday was thoroughly spoiled by every member of Kevin’s family while mommy got her work deadline done. Yes, she has a good life, despite her quite imperfect mother.

Tonight Kevin and Amy are going to dinner with friends—yes, it’s an adults-only event. As much as we all love our children, a break now and then is nice too.

Two Long Days

Yesterday and today have been two very long days. Actually, yesterday was probably the longest day of my life—or at least it felt like it—with numerous activities crammed in from sun up to sun down.

Yesterday I took Meredith to the OB with me. It was the first time I’ve taken her. She was surprisingly good. She stared with wide eyes as the nurse took my blood pressure and she held onto my foot the entire time I laid on the exam table. She glared at the doctor and absolutely refused to share her fishy crackers when he asked for one. I gave her three jelly beans as a reward for being good. Unfortunately I did not have an orange one (only green, purple, and red) and she was very upset by that.

The day ended with friends coming over—most of them were at our house to talk about starting a movie-discussion outreach program with our church, which Kevin is going to be involved in.

Today I took Meredith to our MOPS group’s end-of-the-year picnic. In addition to the playground equipment, “fun stations” were set-up for the kids—drawing with chalk, “fishing” for magnetic fish, bubbles, beanbag toss, face painting, balls and bikes, etc. Needless to say, Meredith had a grand old time.

Midway through the picnic, the Chick-fil-A cow showed up. Meredith liked the idea of the cow but was terrified of him when we got closer.

The funny thing is that, turns out, I am acquainted with the young man who was inside the cow costume! Such a small world! Of course, he was not allowed to speak to me or anyone else since cows aren’t supposed to talk. [Note for future reference: I would never make a good Chick-fil-A cow since I can never shut up for very long.]

Tomorrow should be much calmer. My weekly work deadline is over and I think me and the kidlet will be hanging out at the pool for a few hours with Aunt Megan.

Beauty and Serenity

We decided to be tourists in our own town and visited the Lilly Mansion grounds on Saturday. The property is so lovely and serene. Because of the formal gardens and French Chateau mansion in the backdrop, I told Kevin it felt like we spent the day in Europe, except that it was only a ten minute car ride ... and free.

Because of the numerous stairs throughout the gardens, we chucked the stroller and let Meredith walk (except that she preferred to run). She had a blast with her newfound freedom. By the time we put her in her stroller again, she was so tired that she fell asleep instantly. This worked out perfectly because we went to the art museum next (also on the same property) and Meredith slept the entire time, allowing for uninterrupted art-viewing by the adults. Nice!

What is really nice—the new director of the Indy art museum decided to make admission free. So we didn't feel pressure to "get our money's worth." We look forward to going again soon in order to explore some other exhibits.
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Conversation with my daughter:

Me: "Where is baby sister?"
Mer: "Mommy's tummy."
Me: "When is she coming out?"
Mer: [silence]
Me: "Remember? She's coming after your birthday."
Mer: "Cake!"
Me: "Yes, what kind of cake do you want for your birthday? Chocolate or Strawberry?"
Mer: "Strawberry. Um, no ... cinnamon cake!"

What is amazing to me about this is the fact that I don't think Meredith has ever had cinnamon cake. Nor do I ever really give her other cinnamon things. I have no idea where she learned that cinnamon exists in cakes. We’ll see if she still wants one for her birthday, come July.

Don’t let your summer go by …

… without fun!

Here are some fun ideas to do with kids this summer that are free or nearly free. If you guys have any ideas to share, I’d love to hear them.

Have a theme for the day: A “color” day where everything is green, for example. A “backwards” day where everything is done backwards (wear your clothes backwards, walk backwards, eat dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner and, of course, eat your dessert first).

Have a family hunt to find the best chocolate milkshake in the city.

Have a special craft day.

Have a campout in your backyard or living room, with a tent, etc.

Make a list at the beginning of the summer of all the fun things your kids want to do before fall and work at checking them off (make a fort in the basement, make chocolate chip cookies, etc.)

Give each child a day of the week that’s their day to choose a special activity.

Take a trip to the dollar store and fill up a bucket—kids can choose one item each on those days when boredom starts setting in. Apparently, from what I'm told, a roll of scotch tape can provide hours of entertainment.

- Go berry picking
- Free concerts in the park
- Free movies in the park (a lot of cities have kid-friendly movies)
- Splash Cinema (swim and watch movies)
- Squirt parks
- Library reading programs
- Bike rides / rollerblading on a long walking trail
- Vacation Bible Schools
- Free museum days

Reality Strikes

Behind on everything. Trying to keep my head above water. And then …

A dose of reality.

My life is going to be so much more hectic come August. I just finished reading a book about having a second child. At the end of the book are all these testimonials of women who explain—with no holds barred—how much more difficult it is with a toddler and a newborn and how tired they were all the time after the birth of their second child. I almost wish I hadn’t read it. Ignorance is bliss, right?

And, here’s the worst part. All the women in these testimonials were SAHMs who don’t have a side job (like me) and a husband who is absent evenings and weekends with school and study, in addition to work (like me). If they could barely survive those first months, what are my prospects?

If I’m already feeling behind with just one kid, how am I ever going to do it with two? “What were we thinking?” I asked Kevin last night, only half joking.

Not to mention that the book also mentions that, statistically, the most difficult year in a marriage is the year following the birth of a second child. [Pause for further dark meditations.]

I really don’t want my fears to get in the way of me fully enjoying the welcoming of my second child into this world and relishing every moment of her precious babyhood.

I know it’s only a temporary time. It’s only one more year and then life will become less complicated as far as our family schedule is concerned. But can I survive this coming year? Is there any hope that I can be a good parent and make good memories with my kids in the midst of the sheer chaos?

(Yes, I know … God’s grace.)

Speaking of which [making memories with your kids] … today’s MOPS topic was on having fun with your kids. I’ll write more about that later …

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day 2007 came and went. Honestly, it still feels somewhat awkward to celebrate it. Mother’s Day (no offense) is for older women. It’s really weird to have a holiday that I never celebrated—until just two years ago—suddenly thrust upon me.

I did get breakfast in bed, though. That was nice. And Meredith rushed into the room to wake me up, with a homemade card in her hand, yelling “Happy Dirth-day.” (That’s how she pronounces “birthday.”) Kevin then burst out laughing because he had coached her for the last five minutes to say “Happy Mother’s Day.” In her excitement to wake me up, Meredith forgot the right thing to say. Hmmmm … I love my family.
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Earlier I asked Meredith, “Who is your mommy?” She said, “Mommy.” Then I asked, “Yes, but which one?” She then yelled at the top of her lungs, “Amy!!!”

The other night Kevin was going to take Meredith to run errands. They were going to look for exciting things like ink cartridge toner. When I told Meredith she was going to go shopping with daddy, her eyes lit up, she gasped, and she asked, “New shoes?” She has learned early in life the meaning of true shopping.

Lately Meredith has been referring to herself as a dolphin, her new favorite animal. She always says things like, “Dolphin’s knee is hurt. Kiss it.” And “Dolphin sit on daddy’s lap.” And “Dolphin eats chicken. Yum!” It’s so funny that she imagines herself to be a sea creature. She also pretends to be a puppy and a lamb, at various times. Cute.

Planting Time

I wish I could say that I have a garden full of a variety of things but, while in our rental house, a bunch of potted flowers—and hopefully a few herbs—are going to have to do.

We got some flowers planted over the weekend and it makes such a big difference! I love it!

We are trying to enforce the "one finger rule" so Meredith can enjoy touching the flowers without destroying them. She picked a Gerbera daisy today so she's not always very obedient.

Kevin gets the credit for this "arrangement" and I get the credit for keeping it alive (presuming I can).

“Elmo is so proud of you!”

Aaaaaahhhhhh!!! The potty talks!!! It says things like “Elmo is so proud of you!” and “You did it! Way to go!” and “It’s potty time with Elmo!”—in both English and Spanish.

We finally went out and bought the Elmo potty for Meredith—the one that she has been asking for about ten times per day for the last two months. She was ecstatic, of course. She hugged it tightly to herserlf in the car on the way home.

Since I am totally unprepared to begin potty training—and I have my doubts as to whether Meredith is even READY to start potty training—I started reading a potty training book in the car on the way to Toy’s R Us to buy the potty. (I know … I can’t stand it either … I’m such an advance planner.)

My suspicions were confirmed that Meredith probably needs a few more months. I hope we didn’t jump the gun. It would be ideal for her enthusiasm over the potty to peak around the same time that she is ready to begin her training. Oh well.

Kevin and I both had a big chuckle over this paragraph in the book—which our experience shows is entirely untrue!

[In speaking about the tools you will need to purchase to begin potty training, the chapter starts with the obvious one, the potty chair itself.]

“New chairs start around $10.00 and go up from there depending on how many bells and whistles you desire. The ‘you’ in that last sentence refers to Mom and Dad because your child really doesn’t have a preference at this early age what her potty chair will look like or what fancy sounds it can make.”

Ha, ha, ha!!! Very funny.

Okay, well maybe not when I'm hearing the “Elmo is so proud of you!” mantra in my sleep.

One Year

It suddenly dawned on me, as I was sitting behind the steering wheel at some nondescript intersection waiting for the light to change, that today is our one-year anniversary of moving to Indiana. It was one year ago today that we left our hotel in the Wisconsin Dells, drove through Illinois, and crossed the border into Indiana to begin this most recent chapter of our life.

Like many things in life, it’s hard to believe it’s only been a year, yet, at the same time, it’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year. Do you know what I mean?

When I remarked to Kevin that today is a one-year marker for us, his first reply was, “Can you believe you still haven’t been to the BMV yet to get your driver’s licensed changed over?”

Some of us, unlike the Kevins of this world, aren’t perfect. Some of us don’t rush in the week we move to take care of all the necessary business transactions.

Also, to be perfectly honest, I’m kind of scared to take the test. I don’t want to do it cold turkey but, at the same time, I haven’t felt like reading the driver’s manual. There are so many more interesting things to read, don’t you agree?

Isn’t that ridiculous? I took the California bar exam without batting an eye but every time I think about having to take the BMV test, I run and cower.

I know I’m going to have to do it eventually ...

My California driver’s license expires in 2009.

[Just kidding—I’ve already promised Kevin that I’ll take it next week.]

Spontaneity

My friend Kristi called this morning and invited Meredith and I to go to the zoo with her and her three kids. I took a speed shower, got Meredith ready, packed a lunch, and we flew out the door. We had a great time, except for the fact that a lot of the animals were missing from their cages! I felt sorry for little Levi who talked excitedly about seeing the kangaroos … until we got there and they were mysteriously gone. Fortunately Kristi has a pass and we all got in free! But we still had fun visiting and seeing the animals that we did see. Meredith was very happy to see the giraffes, elephants and monkeys. She’s getting to the age where she really appreciates the zoo.

I think spontaneity is important. It’s important to be willing to chuck the prearranged plans at the last-minute and do something new. If you always stick with your Plan A, life rarely has any surprise or adventure to it.

It was fun to hang with Kristi because she is the type of friend who inspires me with her endless energy and love for life. She has twins who are three and a 15-month old, yet she never allows having three toddlers to get in the way of family fun! Everyone needs a “sure-why-not?” and “let’s-do-it” friend. I’ve found that in Kristi.

Irrational Fear

Meredith has suddenly—overnight—decided that she is afraid of her diaper changing table. Whenever we put her up there she kicks and screams and claws at us with sheer, authentic terror in her eyes. We cannot understand what has gotten into her. Whenever we approach the table, she starts crying, “No! Fall off! Change on ground! Change you floor!” If we set her on the floor, she runs over to where the carpet is, in the hallway, and lays down to wait for us to join her.

She’s not the type of kid who is ordinarily fearful. She normally doesn’t mind heights. Like I said, we cannot understand her sudden fear of being up on the changing table.

We wonder if something happened that we don’t know about. Maybe she fell off the changing table at the MOPS group or at the church nursery. I’ll have to ask around to see if anyone knows about this. Until then, I’ll just be puzzled by it.

Maybe potty training time will come sooner than I thought. She refuses to let us put her on the fold out table in public restrooms and I’m certainly not going to change her on the public restroom floor!

Another reason potty training time might come sooner … Meredith spotted an “Elmo potty” in the Babies R Us catalogue (she loves to look through this catalogue whenever it comes in the mail) and daddy promised he’d buy it for her if she was good to sit still in church for four Sundays in a row. Every time she hears the words “good girl,” “church” or “shopping,” she pipes up, “Elmo potty!” How could we forget? It just so happens that this coming Sunday is the fourth Sunday.

Pasta, Procrastinating, Dating, and Finals Begin

Today I ordered “Cooking Light Pasta” on Amazon. Although I enjoy cooking I rarely buy cookbooks because there are often only 5-6 recipes in a particular book that I think I would really try out and likely enjoy. (So, I’m cheap and I copy them by hand instead!) But after browsing through the “63 essential recipes to eat smart, be fit, and live well” in “Cooking Light Pasta,” I thought to myself that I would likely try at least 52 of them. So, I bought it for only six bucks, including shipping, online. Nice! I think it will truly be worth the money. The book features everything from family favorites to casual entertaining to world cuisine.

Today I also procrastinated (only for a short time) in getting my work-work (as opposed to household work) done. My favorite way to procrastinate doing work these days is to look at homes for sale online. It’s not that we’ll be able to buy any time soon—not at least until Kevin is done with school which is Summer 2008, but, hey, it’s nice to dream. Plus, it’s very wise of me to get an idea what the value of homes really are. Right? Right.

Today I also went on a date with my husband. He took a break from the books—and we took advantage of Meredith being at her grandparents’ house—to walk across the street and go to a restaurant we’ve been wanting to try for eight months. I can’t believe that we live in this “hip” part of town with lots of young people, restaurants, and night life and we never go out. Today we tried to remedy that a little bit.

Final exams begin for Kevin tomorrow. He’s taking five of them in the next two weeks. He was really happy on the last day of class (Monday) when he could fill out one particular professor evaluation form. He felt like this was the worst professor he’d ever encountered and said it was "the day he was waiting for all semester." He took all of his frustration out on that poor little form!

So far Kevin seems pretty stress-free about final exams. I hope it stays that way. We can’t wait for summer to begin! May 9th, finals are over and summer begins for the Koons household! Yay!

Glimpses

This weekend we tried to spend as much time outside as possible because it’s been simply gorgeous here—warm with cool breezes.

Here are a few glimpses of our weekend …

Before we got to fly the kite, the guys had to figure out how to put it together.

It was purchased in China with no directions.

Meredith thought she was such a big help! She kept yelling things like,

“Me do it! Here. Help you! Hey, Uncle Colin! Oh!”

Finally, Soaring! Success!

Laughing

Me and My Girl

Hot Momma (don't ask me how far along I am because it's my second pregnancy and, frankly, I can't remember anymore--I think I'm due some time late summer??)

Brothers and the Tag-along (I can't remember what they're enamored about. Maybe grandpa is flying the kite).

Family Circus, er, I mean, Circle

Meredith went to a birthday party for a boy at our church turning two years old.

She didn’t understand why he got all the presents.

She loved every bite and lick of cupcake!

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Okay, one cute Meredith-ism. I don’t mean to go on and on about my child but, I guess that’s my prerogative, right?

Last week it rained one morning so I sang her the song, “Rain, Rain Go Away!” I probably sang it three or four times throughout the day. Several days ago it rained again. She asked to go to the park and I told her, “No, because it’s raining.” She then burst out singing every single word of the song:

Rain, rain go away!
Come again some other day.
Little Meredith wants to play.
Rain, rain go away!

The “little Meredith” part is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard coming from her lips. She loves to sing and songs really make an impression on her. She remembers songs that she only hears a few times because she really, really loves them. In the next few years I have to find a choir for her to join because it seems to be her passion.

Me and the Cheese Case

Lately I’ve been tired of the same old, same old cuisine. I tend to cook a lot of the tried-and-trues for a few weeks and then I get sick of it all and want new things to explore with my taste buds. So, this week I’ve planned for a week of dinners that I’ve never made before.

When I went grocery shopping to buy the ingredients, there were naturally many items that I wasn't sure where exactly to locate. It took me forever-and-a-day to find stuff. And, to make matters worse, I didn’t head out the door until 11:00 p.m.

I’m convinced that people who grocery shop until midnight are either crazy or desperate, and definitely tired.

So, there I was, a crazy, desperate, tired person moving my cart through the aisles, trying in vain to find things like Kahlua for coffee crème brulee, lemon grass and fish sauce for Thai soup, and gruyere cheese for a Panini recipe.

It wouldn’t have been so bad except for the fact that, as I was standing over the imported cheese counter, squinting my eyes to find the gruyere, my grocery list (which included the planned-out menu for the week) fell through the slat of the cheese display. The slat was only about a half inch thick and my grocery list must have been just vertical enough to easily fall through it.

What are the chances of that?

At first I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t move on without my list because I had spent about an hour putting it together and had only just begun my shopping. I found a lady sweeping up behind the deli counter who looked to be about a hundred years old. I asked her if she could help me, presuming that she would call some robust man to come take the display apart and find my list. Instead, she started moving cheeses and attempting to dismantle the display herself.

The worst part is that I couldn’t remember exactly where I was standing when I dropped my list. So, we moved a bunch of cheese, lifted up a large slat in the case (it took both of us to do the lifting), and the list wasn’t there. We rearranged the cheeses, moved more cheeses, and lifted up a second slat. It wasn’t there either.

By that time, the lady looked at me like I was on drugs or something and asked, “So, you don’t know where you were standing?” I told her that I thought we should try one more area of the case and fortunately it was there—my little grocery list written on yellow legal paper! Relief!

The cheese case was a mess by the time we got through. We tried to put everything back but it was obvious that it had been sorely tampered with. The previously neat little rows of overlapping cheeses were now in complete disarray.

To my surprise, the elderly worker lady said, “Ah, as good as new!” Then she added, “I won’t be here tomorrow. No one will know.”

I seriously doubt I will ever let my grocery list near a cheese display ever again.

Hidden Forms of Exercise

Over the weekend I was inspired to do some Spring Cleaning. I got online, took a look at Martha Stewart’s spring cleaning checklist, and quickly became uninspired.

Who has time to vacuum all their mattresses and dust every single book on their shelf?

I was lucky to get my windows clean! It took about two hours and I figure that I burned 400 calories. I found this handy-dandy chart online that tells me I’m exercising even when I don’t think I am. I love it!

Staying Fit—Hidden forms of exercise

Ever wonder why you're huffing and puffing after vacuuming? It's because you're burning about 200 calories an hour! Here are some other daily activities that can get your heart going and make your body stronger.

• Kissing: 58 calories an hour
• Playing with a toddler: 216 calories an hour
• Washing windows: 200 calories an hour
• Walking the dog: 238 calories an hour
• Gardening: 324 calories an hour
• Heavy cleaning: 432 calories an hour

Second-Born

My aunt, who is a second-born child, recently sent me some advice about second-borns:

“As a second child, speaking from experience, let me tell you: don't forget to set time apart separately for each child. Us middle/second-born kids tend to always feel overlooked. The oldest and youngest children tend to get all the attention. Especially when it comes to baby/childhood photos.”

I remember my second-born sister always complaining about how every baby photo of her also had me in it too. She hated the fact that there weren’t any baby photos of her just by herself.

Are there any other second-borns out there with any advice?

Honestly, I’m somewhat scared about being a mom to a second-born. When this child is born she will enter a world of first-born people. Everyone else in her immediate family will be first-borns. And even all her grandparents except for one (my dad) will be first-borns.

I feel that I don’t have very much understanding or wisdom about second-born children. In fact, come to think about it, the amazing, overwhelming majority of all my friends growing up and currently are first-borns too!

Probably the best thing going for me is that I was a first-born daughter with a second-born sister and I can learn from the mistakes I made as a first-born. So, I will have A LOT to say to Meredith about what to do and not do. I have some regrets about how I treated my second-born sister. These regrets are mostly related to how I shunned her and wouldn’t include her with “my friends.”

So, maybe the best thing I can do is try to follow my aunt’s advice—to make this one feel as special and distinct and unique as possible—and then spend lots of time telling Meredith how to love her sister better and do the first-born thing right.

Easter

I love Easter. It’s my favorite. I know I say that about pretty much every holiday but (trying to be objective here), Easter is at least in the top two. The Resurrection means Victory in the Christian faith. I love celebrating this victory. I love celebrating new life. I love spring! And, okay, I admit. This year it was especially fun to make Meredith’s basket and get her all dressed up. The best thing about having children is reliving the newness of something—seeing excitement in their eyes, which is contagious.

Happy Family

Mer got these glasses in her basket from grandma.

She wore them nearly all day.

It was obvious she thought she was a rock star.

With Uncle Colin, looking fabulous in pink.

Or, did he say it was "egg shell"?

Huggin' cousin Cole.

Once she figured the eggs were supposed to go IN the basket, she really got into the hunt. She loved it! (Especially when she realized there was chocolate inside!!)

I think this picture is great! Kevin took it—of the paparazzi surrounding Cole. It captures on the faces of the adults the joy that a child can bring.

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Seven ladies, a good book, and tea to go around.

We had our first book club meeting last Thursday and it was great fun. If any of you out there have thought about joining a book discussion group, I would encourage it. Either that, or start your own. One thing I love about this club is being able to discuss views and opinions on a book with other people who have the same frame of reference. I’m excited about being able to get together with these ladies once a month to delve into a new plot and new topics. It's a great group of people—I consider myself blessed to have such quality, thoughtful friends.

To kick off the club, we had Chinese treats. Heather thought of that idea, since the setting for the book was 19th Century rural China. I made fortune cookies and almond cookies and Heather brought egg custard tarts. Shannon brought some yummy authentic tea. And, best of all, we had authentic China from China. It helps to have a SIL living in Beijing who can get you stuff. This set of China was a gift from Laura, purchased via Megan.

I can’t wait for our next club meeting, in May! We’re going to try a non-fiction book and see how it goes. I have mixed feelings about this. It will be nice to try a variety of things but I did really enjoy reading and discussing a novel.

Lipstick

Typically I have Meredith watch a video while I take a shower to keep her distracted. This morning I decided to let her play by herself. That was a mistake.

As I exited the shower I noticed that she hadn’t taken all her clothes out of the dresser and strewn them across her bedroom, which she is prone to do. That made me glad. Then I noticed that my bedroom door was shut. She doesn’t know how to work door knobs yet, so I figured she was trapped in my room playing. I opened the door to discover what she had been up to. She had pulled my purse off the dresser and had gotten into the forbidden lipstick. She had been looking at herself in the mirror, attached to the back of the door, while doing the job.

Nearly every day Meredith watches me put on makeup. I usually let her put on powder and Chapstick so she can feel a part of it. I should have known she would attempt a self-application at some point!

The lipstick had gotten all the way up her nostrils. Have you ever tried to clean lipstick out of nostrils before? Only a mother of a toddler would know I guess. The things I never expected to experience ... and now I have.

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This week has flown by. Things have been really busy here. I can’t believe Easter is coming up in a few days.

Over the weekend we took Kevin on a trip down Memory Lane—we went to a cool park he used to frequent for little league games. The weather has been so glorious! It was great to be outside. (We went to several different local parks with trails over the weekend.) Then we went to this hole-in-the-wall pizzeria called “Pizza King”—a place Kevin also went to as a boy. He had fond memories of it because they have video games at every table and a little choo choo train comes down a track to bring your drink order to your table. It was a hoot! And the pizza wasn’t totally bad either.

Okay, now I need to go get Meredith out of her bath, which I’m sure is dyed red with lipstick by now.

Blogs are So Cool

Okay, I’ve always thought blogs are cool … why else would I have one, and read so many blogs on a weekly basis, if I didn’t think that. But recently I’ve decided they’re even more cool than I thought they were before, mainly because of two recent comments left on my blog.

The first comment is from a girl I was in church nursery school with at First Baptist Church Long Beach! Aaaaahhhh! Even though Rhonda and I were like five years old, I have distinct memories playing with her as a child, along with two other girls, Jessica and Katie. I distinctly remember her large backyard and swing set, kitchen, dining room, and another big room upstairs in her house that was full of toys and a TV set. I also remember all of her red-headed and blonde siblings. Crazy! She still lives in Long Beach and has recently realized her lifelong dream of becoming a zoo keeper.

The second comment is from a student in India—a total stranger to me. He randomly came across my blog while doing research for a book review. He apparently told some friends about Meredith and now several of his friends, also from India, have left sweet comments on the Toddler Days post. They have all made me smile, and even laugh. Then I checked out Shrikant’s blog, and found it to be very entertaining, with lots of great quotes that made me think deeper about life. So, I’m glad to have found his blog too.

Blogs make the world smaller. Blogs bring people together. Blogs enrich life.

Pacifier Funeral

We are alive! The weekend I was dreading for months, if not longer, has finally come and gone. We had designated this past weekend as “the” weekend to finally take away Meredith’s pacifiers. I cannot believe how emotionally attached she was to her passy. It had become her total comfort and joy. She wanted to have it either in her mouth or by her side at all times. She was upset when she lost it and overjoyed when she found it again.

Because of her extreme love for and attachment to her passy, I felt like a total villain for taking it away. But then I also knew I had to administer some tough-love because her passy was starting to mess up her teeth. I could already tell its affects on her bite. So, this past weekend was THE weekend.

We started with a “Big Girl Ceremony” on Friday night to inaugurate the big weekend. The ceremony was complete with eloquent speeches, a passy gathering (the "pink one," "white one," "monkey one," etc.), a trash dumping (done by Meredith herself), a final prayer for all of Meredith’s dearly departed pacifiers and grace for her to get through the first couple days and nights, plus ice cream to celebrate.

First let me say, I cannot believe how much time I spent dreading this compared to how much of a problem it really was. Meredith clearly understood what had happened so, whenever she asked for her passy, we reminded her: “Meredith, what did you do with your passy?” “Trash,” she would reply. She wept a few times but never cried herself to sleep, like I expected she might. As the weekend progressed, she asked for it fewer and fewer times. Today, she’s only asked for it once so far.

The hardest part was that she got the flu on Saturday morning (of course, the weekend we were going to take the passy away, she would get sick). Several times I was tempted to give in but, since Meredith had already emotionally said good-bye, I knew I had to hold my ground. In the end I’m glad that we staid course. She’s now feeling better and, with the passing of her pacifier, it seems she has officially entered big girlhood.

Monon Workout

Yesterday I, who rarely exercise despite my best intentions, walked nearly eight miles! Catherine came over with her daughter Hannah and us two pregnant ladies, with our daughters in their strollers, set out on the Monon Trail. The Monon is just a few blocks from our house and is an old converted railway trail.

The great thing about walking/exercising with a friend is that you start talking, get caught up in conversation, and don’t realize how far you’re actually going. So, in other words, exercising with a friend is good! We walked nearly to the border of Hamilton County. Kevin couldn’t believe it when he heard it. We’ve biked that far but never walked it.

I ended up with a few blisters and sore hips, legs, and feet. But all that will go away soon, right? It was good to get out and exercise—and I hope to start walking more regularly now that the weather is nice.

Super Size Me

I love the library. It’s always a good thing, but it’s especially good when you’re on a student’s budget and regularly frequenting Borders and Blockbuster is prohibitive. I love being able to walk into the library knowing that everything is free and available to me. It’s wonderful. I’ve always been a liberal library-user but lately, with no cable TV (and desiring to watch something while I’m ironing shirts), I’ve been stocking up on lots of videos in addition to books.

Last time I was at the library I saw the documentary Super Size Me sitting on the shelf and took it home. I’d read some of the reviews on this documentary when it was released but was unprepared for its persuasion. I won’t say that I’m ready to give up all fast food (not that we eat it very often—maybe once a month) but Super Size Me was a good reminder about the fast food industry, junk food in general, and the overall threat of obesity to health.

For those of you unfamiliar with Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock goes on a 30-day McDonald’s-only diet under the supervision of three physicians and two nutritionists with shocking results. The film was very eye-opening, informative and even entertaining. I highly recommend it.

Ironically, the day I watched Super Size Me, I had already planned on having grilled burgers and homemade onion rings for dinner that night! Ha!

Toddler Days

Here are some cute Meredith-isms from the past month—little things I’ve jotted down as they’ve happened. I’ve only just now found the time to post them!

This picture of her is a VERY typical Meredith expression. She likes to look at people sideways. She is now 20.5 months and such a joy!

Mer’s new thing is getting in and out of her booster seat by herself and then fastening the buckle by herself. In fact, she pretty much wants to do everything by herself lately. When I try to help her, she says, “Self!” When she doesn’t get her buckle fastened on the first try, she’ll say “Almooost” to encourage herself. Lately, though, she’s gotten really good at it—she buckles herself into her booster, stroller, and grocery carts.

Speaking of grocery carts, going grocery shopping with her is crazy! She loves to identify all the objects she knows and yell out the names of food she sees. When she’s not yelling “Banana! Grapes! Bacon! Pasta! Cookies!” at the top of her lungs, then she’s loudly singing one of her favorite songs. We couldn’t sneak up on anyone if we tried.

She has learned how to pray, repeating prayers after daddy: “Fa-der, tank-you … for our food. For mommy, daddy, and baby. AMEN!” It’s so sweet to hear her childish voice saying prayers.

Speaking of prayer, when the pastor said “Amen” at the end of his prayer at church last week, Meredith loudly asked, “All done?” She was tired of being confined in the pew. Children are so honest!

She knows all of the colors of the rainbow, plus more. She loves to identify everything by its color: pink shirt, brown bear, grey shoes, etc. Her favorite color is pink, of course.

She has become a backseat driver! Totally! “Red stop! Green go!” “Turn!” (We wonder what she’ll be like when she’s three!)

Mer is constantly pretending. The other day she picked up a piece of scrambled egg on her plate and said, “Dinosaur. Rooooaaaarrrrr!” Every time she sees two of something where one thing is bigger than the other, the big thing is always the “mommy” and the little thing is always the “baby.” For instance, “Mommy grape, baby grape.”

She wants to be included in everything. When I kissed Kevin hello the other day, she said, “Mommy, daddy kissing. Mer-mith kissing?” We quickly gave her a kiss too.

She copies nearly everything we do. She must always spit in the sink when she brushes her teeth, despite the fact that she’s already swallowed all the toothpaste. :-)

The other day she picked up a semi-transparent blue Tupperware lid, held it to her eyes, and said, “Dark outside!” She loves to tell everyone when it’s dark/night vs. light/day.

We went shopping the other day at Macy’s. We were walking through the underwear aisle when Meredith spotted the most hideous pair of granny underwear in the whole store—big, white, and plain. She reached for it and said, “Awww, cute!” I just about fell to the floor laughing. As we left the mall on another trip, she cried, “Shopping! Shopping!” We asked her if she wanted to do more shopping and she said, “YES!”

Meredith was upset that I wasn’t paying more attention to her as she slid down her plastic slide in the living room—I was reading a book at the time. She looked up and me and said, “Book down! Mommy watch you! Book all done!”

She finds excuses for her finger to be hurt just so she can have it “kissed all better.” When I kiss one finger, she holds up the next one, and then the next one, saying “this one ... this one ... this one.”

Meredith is such a toddler! She has recently gained so much confidence in herself. She chatters and sings nonstop. She understands how everything works and has definite opinions on what people should do, not do, say, and wear. She will be such a bossy big sister! But she is also kind and obedient. We love our little girl!

Serenading Birds

This morning we woke up to happy, tweeting and chirping bird sounds. Kevin noticed it first. We hadn’t realized how much we missed bird sounds until we realized (this morning) that they had been absent for a long time.

Winter had silenced the birds. But, thankfully, winter is not forever.

And then there are the flowers. They’re starting to pop up here and there, just a little bit. On a walk yesterday afternoon, Kevin noticed some blue wild flowers sprouting up in someone’s yard, along with daffodil and tulip leaves too.

All those years I lived in California I never really appreciated birds or flowers because they were always around. Here, I appreciate every little sign of spring that I get.

I also appreciate the fact that I appreciate it.

I think the changing seasons teach us things about life, time, and various forms of beauty.

Floods and Sales

On the worst day possible, as I was rushing around like mad to do laundry and pack stuff for Kevin to go on a men’s retreat, our (unfinished) basement flooded. I spent about three hours on my hands and knees mopping up water, and trying to dry things as much as possible.

From what I can tell, the room was filled with about an inch of water (based on the water line on a cardboard box). The water must have receded quickly down the drain, though, because it was mostly dry on the concrete where I stepped. I wouldn’t have noticed it had flooded (as soon as I did) if I hadn’t picked up one of Meredith’s toys to find water rushing out of it. I realized how bad it had flooded only when I stepped onto an area rug and water seeped all over the place.

We don’t use our basement very much—just for some furniture storage, pantry storage, laundry, and I have a scrapbook table down there. Fortunately nothing of sentimental value (e.g., pictures) or other value (e.g., furniture) was damaged. An area rug and some stuffed toys were drenched, but easily dried out. Probably the worst thing was a box with Kevin’s sheet music, but I think those will dry out fine too.
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On Saturday morning I went to the Mother lode of all garage sales. A local Nazarene church hosted 200 private garage sales—selling kids’ stuff only. All of the toys and clothes were presorted and organized by gender and size. I hear that a week of work goes into this sale; with massive volunteer effort (25% of the proceeds benefit various charities). They hire two accountants to manage all the numbers.

It was crazy! I got there 45 minutes before the doors opened and there were already at least 150 people in line, ahead of me. When the doors opened everyone rushed in like mad. It was probably the most insane thing I’ve done in a long time. But I did come away with some cool wooden puzzles, books, and nearly all the clothes Meredith will need for the spring/summer. None of the clothes had any stains on them. Most of them look like new and there were quite a few name-brands. So, I guess in the end it was worth all the insanity—and setting the alarm clock about three hours earlier than I wanted.

Peeking Inside the Package

The idea of “sisters” has been on my mind a lot in the past day because we just found out that Meredith is going to get one! We are very excited. I’m already envisioning a double stroller loaded with pink stuff.

You’d think that our life would be destined for sugar-and-spice and frilly things, because we’ll have two girls. But then I remember that my parents had daughters who were interested in things like politics and hockey. So, you never know.

It was so cute—baby #2 was sucking her thumb vigorously when her profile popped up on the ultrasound machine. You could clearly see her little fingers and her mouth opening and closing. Ultrasounds have to be one of the coolest things ever invented. We’re really glad we found out the gender of this baby. We didn’t find out last time. That’s great for some people, but I think I prefer knowing. It gives me more time to be excited about the specifics of what our family is going to be like and helps me to bond better with the baby.

The ultrasound tech also told me that they will push my due date up a week. This is good news, as far as I’m concerned. Meredith came a week early too. So maybe I’m just a 39-weeker. The new due date is July 29.

Here’s an ultrasound pic of the new baby. We haven’t picked a name yet but, after finding out the sex, our list of choices has been cut in half, which is helpful.

Making Cookies with a One-Year-Old

I’ve tried to make cookies “with” Meredith on several occasions and the result has usually been a disaster—either resulting in a huge mess, her crying when I limit her contribution to the effort, or even (one time) a complete abandonment of the project.

Just when I started to think she’s altogether too young to help make cookies, I found a way to make it work. The answer: give Meredith her own bowl, her own ingredients, and her own spoon. Mommy gets the “real” (big) bowl. Meredith gets the little bowl. Everyone is happy.

Actually, Meredith was more than happy. She had a blast! I gave her a very small amount of each ingredient (except for eggs and extract). In between stirring the ingredients with her spoon, she managed to eat most of each ingredient before I could put the next one in. But she didn’t care. I didn’t care. It was great. (Side note: why is it that kids love eating things like shortening and plain flour? Gross.)

I look forward to many more memorable cookie-making times with my daughter. Maybe someday soon she’ll be able to stir the ingredients in the “real” bowl. But for now, we found something that works.

Book Club!

I’m so excited because I’m starting a ladies book club, with the help of Shannon and Catherine. Both of these gals have inspired me with their love of books, so I’m really glad they’re involved. After researching how to start a book club, figuring out logistics, and deciding on a few books to start with, the details are now ironed out and we have our first meeting in another month. We will be discussing a mix of both fiction and non-fiction. Next month it’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

The book club will encourage me to read more, to think more, and to develop deeper bonds with friends through discussing important life issues and sharing in plots, characters, and adventures.

I think it will be an enriching, rewarding, and fun experience.

Dad & Daughter

Here are four ways Meredith is just like her dad:

1) She can roll her tongue like a taco.
2) Her feet are extremely ticklish.
3) When she loses something, she looks everywhere but the obvious place.
4) She has an amazing memory. (She definitely did not get this from her mom.)

My Kev

I’m so proud of Kevin. He wouldn’t volunteer this information himself but, despite a full class schedule, working 20 hours a week, and being a good father and husband to a very distracting toddler and a high-maintenance wife, he just learned that he made it into the top 5% of his law school class of 260 people. He’s worked very hard and has been such a good example to me of saying “no” to things he’d rather be doing and “keeping on” even when he’s burnt out.

Frankly, it hasn’t been easy to go from practicing law in California, representing his own clients, and arguing his own cases in court, to being a student again. Despite this setback, he has always faithfully stayed the course, working hard and providing for our family. He has been a tremendous example to me of someone who faces challenges head-on and walks humbly before God.

I love you Kevin!

Has anyone tried garlic oil for ear infections?

Note: I've received e-mails that "comments" are not working on my blogger. I have no idea what the deal is. Sorry! Hopefully they'll work soon!
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Question: Has anyone tried garlic oil for ear infections?

We think Meredith might have an ear infection. Yesterday she had a fever and she told Kevin’s mom, while she was changing her diaper, “Ear hurt” and then she pointed to her left ear.

This morning I asked her once again if her ear hurt. She said, “Mmmm, hmmm. Grandma! Beep!” (She was referring to when her temperature got taken yesterday by grandma and she had to wait for the beep.) Since Meredith is only 20 months we don’t consider her veracity very reliable—it’s probably more likely that she remembered yesterday’s events than that her ear continues to hurt. Today her fever is gone and she is acting like her normal, chipper self again.

So, basically, I don’t know what to do. Let me know what you think of this article (excerpt) below, written by Dr. Lynne Paige Walker and taken from “Nature’s Pharmacy: Break the Drug Cycle with Safe Natural Treatments for 200 Everyday Ailments.”

I’ve never been much into natural remedies but I’ve read a lot of stuff online that garlic oil works to eliminate pain from ear infections. Then, just this morning, I read the information below. If even half of what they say in this book is true, I find it compelling.

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Ear Infections

Despite aggressive treatment, otitis media, or middle-ear infection, has reached epidemic proportions in American children. Called the bread and butter of the pediatrician, its treatment grosses at least $1 billion annually.

Standard drug treatment for ear infections is with antibiotics, but the ailment often fails to respond even to repeated courses of these drugs. The majority of ear infections are caused by viruses, for which antibiotics don’t work; and the widespread use of antibiotics has led to the widespread development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

A landmark Swedish study involving 2,145 patients shows that for the majority of ear infections, antibiotics may do more harm that good. Not only did ear infections not go away any faster when treated with the drugs, but children treated with them were 30 percent more likely to have a recurrence of the infection. For those treated with antibiotics from the first day of the disease, recurrences were 40 percent more likely. The chance of repeat infection within a month of the previous one was more than twice as great in children treated with antibiotics as in those not treated. And in those treated with antibiotics from the first day of the disease, it was nearly three times as great.

The researchers noted that ear infection recurrences are on the increase and concluded that routine early administration of antibiotics may be responsible. The drugs depress the immunological response to bacteria, preventing the development of natural antibodies and interfering with the development of natural immunity. That explains why the earlier they’re given the more frequent are relapses of the disease. Antibiotics also permit overgrowths by resistant Candida microbes, which then produce toxins that can weaken the immune system and further reduce the child’s resistance.

Results of the Swedish study were confirmed in a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1987. Over 500 children with middle-ear infections were given either (1) an antibiotic alone (the popular amoxicillin), (2) that antibiotic along with a decongestant-antihistamine, or (3) a placebo. After four weeks, no significant differences were found in the children’s conditions. Neither drug provided any advantage over no drugs at all, confirming earlier research. Other studies of children with otitis media with fluid in the ears have found that the majority of cases resolved by the following month without treatment.

That doesn’t mean you have to ignore your suffering child who is screaming and pulling at her ears. Effective natural remedies are available to ease pain while the ears heal.

One is Mullein Oil Ear Drops. Mullein has narcotic properties. While it’s a strong painkiller, it doesn’t produce the lightheadedness or psychological aberrations of narcotic drugs. Applied directly in the ear, it quiets irritated nerves, relieves pain, and soothes inflammation. Other helpful herbs are Echinacea and elderberry.

Home remedies when you can’t make it to an herb shop include a few drops of plain fresh onion juice, squeezed in a garlic press right into the ear. Cotton can be applied afterwards to hold the juice in. Fresh-squeezed garlic oil, warmed on a spoon over the stove, is also good.