Lucy at 8.5 months

Yesterday, I took Lucy to the pediatrician's for a well-child check and realized that I have a severe case of denial.  First of all, here is the raw data on my girl.

Weight: 14 lbs. 5 oz.  (2nd percentile)
Height: 27 inches  (60th percentile)
2 brand new teeth

After the doctor had listened to her heart and lungs and checked her eyes and ears, he started asking me about developmental milestones.  It was the first time I fully realized how much I "baby" this baby of mine.

"Can she sit by herself?" he asked.
"Yes, " I responded and then thought to myself, "As long as she is on the bed and I am next to her and she is surrounded with pillows in case she falls over."

"Can she get herself into a sitting position?"
"No, " I said.  (Of course she can't - she's is a tiny infant after all.)

"Can she pull herself up to a standing position?"
"No." (She sleeps in a bassinet next to my bed.  Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be if she could!?)

"Does she say mama or dada?"
"No."  (Good grief doctor, this is a newborn we're talking about here!)

And then it dawned on me:  although Lucy is almost nine months old, I really do think of her and treat her like she is a newborn.  I have a total mental block about her growing up - at all.  A few days ago, I was looking at some pictures of her taken a week after she was born, and I was shocked at how much she had changed.  (It's only been 8 1/2 months, how could she have changed that much?)

I thought about this as I drove home from the appointment and laughed a little as I contrasted that to the appointments I used to have with Abby.  Whenever I took Abby to the pediatrician, I would work with her to make sure she met and easily exceeded every milestone I knew the doctor would ask about.  I looked forward to each new phase of development with determination and excitement.  I wanted Abby to be ahead of every curve - an intellectual and physical specimen - even at a young age.  Granted she didn't walk until she was sixteen months old, but it certainly wasn't from my lack of trying.

Since then, I have become less concerned with developmental milestones.  Isaac didn't talk until he was almost three.  Henry didn't walk until nineteen months.  Peter wore a helmet until he was sixteen months old.  But for the most part, my kids are all happy and well-adjusted and doing just fine in the milestone department.

However, when it comes to Lucy, I don't know if it's because she is so small or because she is my last, but I am totally content to let her stay the baby as long she's willing.  Not that I intentionally keep her from learning new skills or anything, but I am in no hurry for her to grow, change or reach any of the developmental milestones that are typical for a baby her age.  In fact, the longer she stays a baby, the happier I will be.

Dear January,

I know you and I have never had the best relationship.  It has, in fact, been tenuous at best.  You are boring and dreary and punishing, and as a result, I have been known to say mean and nasty things about you behind your back.  I understand that we have poor feelings toward each other, but really this year, I think you have gone too far.

In the past 24 days, there has been a dark cloud hanging over our house that I truly believe we don't deserve.

-Lucy and Henry have both had miserable ear infections.
-Abby, Isaac and Peter have all had strep throat.
-Sick kids have missed school and been miserable, bored and grouchy.
-I spent ten days suffering from inexplicable back pain that left me lying around on a hot pad for 1/3 of the month.  (Not as dreamy as it sounds.)
-Poor Andrew has been the lone man here, left to care for all of us, administer antibiotics and run the house - while still working crazy hours at the hospital.

And then January, as if that weren't bad enough, on my birthday, the one redeeming thing about you, I came down with strep throat myself - an ailment I haven't had since high school.  There we were, out to lunch as a family, when suddenly I was hit with a fever, chills, body aches, swollen glands and of course, a sore throat.  It was miserable.   Really January - on my BIRTHDAY? That seems a little low, even by your standards.

So January, I am ready to call a truce.  I know you and I will never be friends, but if you will leave me and my family alone for the rest of the month, I promise I won't say another mean word about you.  Seriously,  we only have a week left.  I think we should be able to manage that.  And then January, you will be gone and we won't have to deal with each other again for a whole year.

Let me know.
Elizabeth

"We did not doubt our mother knew."

Tonight as we were part way through the most exhausting part of every day (post dinner, bedtime processional,)  I looked over at Elizabeth as she read out loud from the Scriptures to the family.  At first I was unfazed by the scene, it did not seem the least bit unique, remarkable, disturbing, or out of place.  I would say it seemed fairly routine, if anything in our lives can be called routine.

Actually that is not fair to say, because Elizabeth runs an amazing kid routine, but with my schedule bouncing around, my days never seem to follow a set routine.  In fact some nights it is quite convenient to leave for work at 7PM and have a pleasant drive to work and face the calm, peaceful soothing environment of the ER, rather than face the shrieks, battles, wrestling matches, teeth brushing, diapers, homework, one last story, one more bedtime kiss etc at home.

Anyway I looked over at this scene and decided I had to capture it on film because it said a million things about my life and what I love, even though it exhausts me at times.   Seriously, Elizabeth is reading, crouched near Isaac's racetrack, of course, when Henry, then Peter decide to take up residence on her back.   I'm not sure she even paused.  Except to respond to one of Abby's comments.

First, please take the opportunity to choose which you think would be the most fitting caption for this picture:

            A.  Establish a House of Order

            B.  I can't seem to figure out why I have been having severe low back pain.

            C.  The sons of Helaman: they had been taught by their mothers.

            D.  Is there really a small Hippo on my back?

            E.  A little help here, Andrew?

            G.  Does everyone feel the spirit?

            H.  Are you sure no one else wants to get on?

Now,  I would like to just take this time to share some very helpful points of how to have effective regular scripture study with young children:

1. When reading scriptures to children, always try to have at least one extra boot very nearby, because hey, free boot.
2. Just keep reading, don't let anything distract you.  The messages will sink in.
3. A bow will keep a child's attention for up to 35 seconds, even longer if there is an arrow available.
4. As anyone knows, close proximity to a racetrack helps with reverence, but  may we recommend the Darda Ultra-Speed Sidewinder Speedway.
5. Yes, that is a rubber snake on Henry's head,  because its time to read scriptures.

Is this worth the effort? What is the point of all this?  Ask Abby:

After reading about the Resurrection, "the spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame... and we shall be brought to stand before God,"  She said wishes she could share this message with the people of Haiti right now, so they will know they will see their families again.  A message of  eternal hope in time of tragedy.

I had to take this picture because these are the moments that make up life.  I love Elizabeth, and she loves our family, and this is who we are.  These kids will never doubt their mother knows: if they doubt not, God will deliver them. (Alma 56:42)

Escape

As anyone who lives in Utah will tell you, the worst thing about January is the inversion.  According to our local meteorologist, as high pressure builds, cold air and pollution get trapped in our lovely valley.  As pollution builds, the air turns a putrid shade of brown.  Sometimes it gets so thick you can actually taste the acrid air.  Only a really strong storm will get rid of the inversion.

So, when inversion hits, there are really only two ways to escape it.  One, is to go up to the mountains above the brown air that sits in the valley.  Or, my personal favorite way to deal with inversion is to get out of town, preferably to Mexico.  There is something about sitting on the beach by the ocean, eating a little guacamole that makes the inversion in Utah a lot easier to survive.

Well, today Andrew had to go up to Alta to pick up some ski equipment.  We had nothing going on this morning, so Henry, Peter, Lucy and I went along for the ride.  If nothing else,  I knew it would be a good way to escape the smoggy air if only for a short time.

When we got to Alta, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and it was a gorgeous day.  As we stood there soaking in the sun and surveying the spectacular surroundings, Andrew said, "This is as good as Mexico for me."

Andrew surveying "his Mexico."

I took a deep breath, not sure how to respond to his statement.  Standing there in the sunshine, looking up at the blue sky, it was a little hard to argue - but c'mon - it was 23 degrees up there.  There's nothing Mexico about that!

We were only there for a short time - just long enough for the boys to play in the snow and to take some great pictures - but it did do me a world of good just to sit in the sun and breathe some clean air.  And since we have no trips planned anytime soon, Alta may just have to become my Mexico too.

At least the fish tacos we got on our way home helped it feel a little more like the real thing.

Snow Day

Yesterday was one of those amazing days that reminds me that it is okay to live in the Northern Hemisphere during the month of January.

The sky was blue, the sun was out and the snow was fresh.  To help my kids burn off some energy, I sent them out to play in the snow right before lunch.

Two and a half hours later - after the kids had shoveled the snow from our front walk onto our driveway and made a luge in our front yard, after Peter had split open his lip then begged to go back out, after several wrestling matches in the snow and after dozens of snow angels had been made - their energy was spent and they were starved for lunch.

.

I love watching these cute kids play together and entertain each other.  These are the good days.

Happy 2010!