A book and an article

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World. I just finished this book this morning. I found it an interesting read with each chapter as the three friends took turns writing about the trip--each from her own perspective. As single career women in their late 20's in New York City, they start out with feeling lost in where they are supposed to go next in life, so decide to travel the world in hopes of an epiphany. While they don't have huge epiphanies about what they are supposed to do with the rest of their lives, they do forge a life-long bond and take away lessons about maintaining balance between work, friends, and other passions in life.

Celebrate Valentine's Day on a 'Blind Date with a Book'. In New Zealand, there is a library that on Valentine's Day will check-out to each patron a book from a grab-bag of books selected by the library staff and gift-wrapped. Sounds like fun to me!

Thoughts on TGM

It has struck me several times lately how quickly TGM is growing--physically, in coordination, in communication, and in other ways.

Physically is the easiest to measure. I haven't measured her with a yard stick, but I have been watching how her clothes fit. I picked up some size 18mos pants for her back in October at a consignment sale. When I tried them on her back then, the legs of the pants completely covered her feet. These days, those pants fit perfectly and I'm weeding the size 12mos clothes that don't fit anymore.

As she has grown physically, her list of physical accomplishments has also grown greatly--both gross and fine motor skills. This afternoon, she was out playing in the backyard with the melting snow and ice. As she was walking, she slipped a bit on the ice, but caught her balance and continued on without falling down. Six months ago she hadn't even taken her first steps yet. She likes to go up and down stairs with minimal help. Among fine motor skills, she has taken a liking to scribbling--markers on the white board at clogging, crayons in her coloring book, pencils on any piece of paper we'll leave in her reach.

Meanwhile, her vocabulary and her ability to express herself continues to grow as well. We've done a fair amount with TGM using sign language. It's something JM and I both know pretty well, his sister is deaf, and we found that TGM likes the Baby Signing Time and Signing Time videos through the library. And there are times when we look at each other and ask, "How do parents who don't use sign language manage?!" She's not going to carry on a conversation through sign language any better than through speech at this point, but with both systems going simultaneously, we have a much better chance of catching the subtle difference between "Daddy" and "Tati" (Tabitha) and remembering that "che" means she wants cheese (even when we aren't in the kitchen and Mom and Dad aren't on the subject of food).

Her interests are developing and becoming more apparent to those around her. She loves music (what toddler doesn't?), dancing, and animals. And she enjoys books about these subjects. She has a growing list of books that she enjoys reading and having us read to her. They include such titles as The Monster at the End of this Book, Disney's Alphabet A-Z, Whispering Rabbit, Animal Sounds, Little Book of Poems and Prayers, Farm Board Book and cards, and many more.

Books

Books I've read recently include:

- Inspirational Romance's "After the Storm" series. Set in Kansas following a tornado, I found it interesting the authors' takes on life in small-town Kansas. Some hits. Some misses.

- Another series, "Weddings by Bella." Lots of laugh and fun in this light-hearted series about an Italian young woman running a themed-wedding business in Texas.

- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. HeLa cells are the most widely used human cells for medical research. They originated from cervical cancer in a black woman back in 1951(?). Despite the fact that her cells have become a multi-million dollar business and have been instrumental in practically every medical development since that time, her children didn't even know her cells had been cultured until 20 years after her death. This is the author that has researched the life of Henrietta Lacks and her family. Definitely got me to thinking about issues such as tissue rights as I was reading it. (Did you know that if you've ever had tissue removed--mole, biopsy, etc--it's probably being stored for possible use in research?)

- Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files. by Jim Butcher. This is an author that JM follows closely, but I generally don't get into the books which are fantasy and adventure based in Chicago. Since these were all short-stories, I found them easier to enjoy without getting my life distracted by a full-length adventure.

7 Quick Thoughts

1. We are back from vacation in Florida! We had a wonderful time visiting with David and Linda. The weather was warm and the beach was picturesque. I'll have to see if I can get some of the pictures posted soonish.

2. The flight down gave us a bit of adrenaline. As the plane was headed down the runway about to take off, the brakes were suddenly locked. As the plane turned around, the captain announced that he had "rejected the takeoff." There was apparently a large bird in the runway that hit the wing of the plane as it tried to fly out of the way. (The pilot said it was an eagle that was waist high, but I didn't know eagles got that big.) After returning to the gate to check for damage, we took off about 50 minutes late.

3. TGM continues to add words to her signing vocabulary and somewhat to her spoken vocabulary. But at this point, I rely on her signed vocabulary to cue me as to her spoken vocabulary. Does "-a-" mean "hat" (patting the head) or "cat" (rubbing the cheek)? Though cat usually has a bit more "ca-" sound to it.

4. I think TGM is starting to put some signs together. This morning she pointed to the crackers and then signed "please." I can't remember what it was yesterday, but she pointed to herself and then signed something else.

5. TGM has appropriately signed "thank you" a few times without prompting!

6. I'm wondering if I saw TGM step up one of the steps along our front sidewalk without holding onto anything. I was unlocking the door on the way into the house and looked back just as she was pulling her second foot up onto the step and she was still standing.

7. I'm blown away by God's blessing and provision! JM called this afternoon with the news that he has just been given a promotion (same job, different rating) with a pay raise. That's the third pay raise he's received in less than a year!!!

National Punctuation Day

Friday, September 24 is National Punctuation Day.

This week I caught up on a couple of the punctuation-oriented blogs I follow:
Apostrophe Abuse
the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks

So many Prayer Needs, So much Life

There have been so many serious prayer requests in the last couple of weeks, that I've decided to take the time and share a few of them on my blog.

Dan. A young man (20 yrs old, I think) who was struck by a car on Sunday almost two weeks ago now. He and his parents and siblings had spent the afternoon on the river and he was returning to the car when he was struck. He has extensive bleeding in his brain along with other injuries. He has a long road to recovery. How far that road will take him back to the life of health he knew is still very uncertain. He was recently moved to a hospital that has better rehab resources, but is farther for his family, so they aren't able to visit as often. Additionally, less than a week after Dan was struck, his maternal grandfather died. This is a young man who is very blessed to be alive at all and to have a very supportive and loving family, but he and his family have much to deal with. His sister is currently using her blog, Undaunted for Love, to share updates on his progress.

Jeniffer and Liam. Liam is the new grandson of a clogging friend. He was born with strep and with some symptoms of pneumonia. The pneumonia seems to be mostly cleared, but he is still on oxygen in NICU. He also has a heart murmur. They are praying that the murmur is due to a valve that didn't close properly at birth and that it will close and heal on its own in the next few days.

Pamela and Lydia. More of a praise than a prayer request, as Lydia is D's new niece--born Tuesday morning. Birth was normal and mother and baby are both doing well, as far as I've heard. Of course, prayers for health and adjustment to a new family member are always appreciated! Lydia is the fourth of four girls in the family.

Ty and Toby. Toby is the new grandson of a friend on the PHC staff. He was born on Wednesday. There were complications with the birth that involved the rupture of the placenta. When Toby was born, he was initially completely dark blue from lack of oxygen and trauma from the birth. He now seems to be doing ok, but there is still concern over long-term affects from the lack of oxygen. It will also be an extra-long healing process for the mother, Ty, and the very real possibility of complications and difficulties for any future pregnancies. This is her first child.

Joanna and John. Another praise birth. John is the new grandson of another friend on the PHC staff. John was born two days before TGM's birthday.

Grandma. My grandmother continues much has she has been--very weak with limited use of her limbs. She had been on a catheter for several months, but have had problems with it recently, so does not have one currently. At the suggestion and support of my dad's siblings, she was moved to the nursing home for the summer. This was to allow my parents an extended break from her care while they are working the farm for the summer and fall. There is discussion as to whether she will be moved back to my parents' home after the wheat is planted in the fall. My parents believe they are able to and are very willing to continue to provide the assistance and care she needs. However, the siblings are all considering what is best for Grandma in the long term.

How good it is to have a God of love, grace, and power to meet all of these needs and so many more!!

One Year

TGM turned a year old earlier this month. It's been amazing to think back over how much she's grown and how much she's learned to do in the year since she was born!

The night before her birthday, while we were with all of my family, TGM walked back and forth (3-6 steps) between two aunts for more than 15 minutes. When she as tired of that, she picked her own direction and walked to me (instead of her aunt) and climbed up onto my lap. Other than isolated steps, she hasn't tried walking on her own since then. But I have every confidence that she'll take it up again someday soon. She does love to walk-around while holding onto fingers. That includes walking up and down our stairs--as many times in a row as you will let her. If the gate isn't up, watch for her to go crawling up the stairs without any help. Crawling back down hasn't been figured out yet, but she works at it.

TGM been sleeping more this week, so I think she may be growing as well as cutting her 4th tooth. Her 1-yr check-up with the doctor is in a few days. We'll see how big she is then. :-)

TGM loves to bounce and clap in time to music. There are nights at clogging when Mary says she has better rhythm than the dancers!

TGM is a trooper. She doesn't spend much time crying over hurts and injuries. Shots don't get more than 30 seconds of crying; pinched fingers and hands are fine as soon as they are released (as long as she isn't tired); even a finger-tip sized scalp wound from a broken mirror didn't warrant more than a couple of minutes of tears.

"No"s are a bit harder on the feelings. Not being allowed to climb the stairs, having a particularly messy "play" thing denied (the potted plant, the mop water, etc), or just being tired can result in wailing cries that can last for minutes. (And can include throwing herself down to lay on the floor on her back. She used to like dropping her face to the floor in a tantrum, but doing that a couple of times on the sandy beach seems to have reduced that drastically.)

For the most part, TGM loves to go and travel. Walks in her stroller seem to be welcome at anytime. Traveling in the car is fine, for about the first 3-4 hours. Then it is a bit tiresome. Unless, of course, she can sleep most of the way, then she does better longer.

TGM sleeps pretty well at nights. At one point she was sleeping 8-10 hours a night. For the last few months, she's waking up a couple of times a night--usually about 12:30 and 5:30. I think the early morning wake-up might be due to the sun rising, as it seems to be getting a bit later with the shortening of summer days. But I haven't gotten any heavier curtains up in her room to try to help her sleep longer. Her naps during the day are generally pretty short--seldom more than an hour and often less than 45-50 minutes. Again, it could be related to the amount of light in her room.

She loves her brother Jer; he can make her laugh like no one else can. When he puts on a silly act for her, she goes into gales of giggles. She is still pretty easy-going about separations and letting others hold her. That is especially good for the number of young girls at church that love to hold her and play with her.

She is also beginning to pick up some words. "Mama" and "Dada" are not uncommonly heard. She has an "A-da" or "A-me" that is generally heard at the end of prayers. There is also a "dye-dye" or "bye-bye" with a hand wave that she will use when prompted (and in the mood). She has a sign that we think was derived from the ASL sign for "more" but is just the right index finger poking the left palm. It gets used for "more", "nurse", "want", and "food/drink"...and sometimes a bit randomly. She was also starting to use "please" this evening, but we'll wait to see if that lasts and transfers beyond tonight's treat.

Aside from all the milestones and accomplishments, I feel blessed beyond measure to have an easy-to-care-for baby. A toddler who is generally content and happy. A girl who enjoys laughing and making others smile and laugh. And while walking may not yet be her primary mode, she is definitely getting to be more toddler than baby. As her hair grows and is now long enough to get in her eyes, she is looking more like a girl and less like an infant.

She's outgrown being a helpless infant. We've encouraged her to begin rolling, crawling, and walking--becoming mobile and independent. Now we are beginning to face issues of tantrums and fights with friends--helping and leading the emerging girl to continue to explore her independence and to temper independence with developing other qualities, such as understanding, compassion, love, and respect for others--from family to friends to strangers.

7 Quick

TGM is down for a nap and it has been way too long since I posted, so let's see if I can put 7 quick thoughts together for any possibly remaining blog readers.

1. TGM is fairly regularly waking up to song 13 out of 17 on the CD that we play when we put her down to sleep. That means that her naps are currently only 35-40 long.

2. TGM is gaining new skills quickly. She is now able to stand with only something to give her balance, such as a wall, rather than needing a chair or something on which she can pull. She is occasionally standing for a bit without holding onto anything. And she will climb our stairs if she knows there is someone upstairs who might play with her. (I try not to let her tackle the stairs on her own and trying to get in the habit of using the baby gate.)

3. TGM now has a tooth that came in just a week ago. She has a second tooth that is close under the gum, but doesn't seem to be pushing to come in right now.

4. We are looking forward to lots of family this summer! SR and Andrew will be visiting us over the 4th of July weekend as part of a longer trip of theirs along the east coast.

We will take a week to visit JM's family in Pennsylvania. We will only miss David on his side, as David has taken a job and moved back to Florida.

We will spend a week at the beach with my family, except for SR and Andrew.

We are hoping that most (or maybe all) of JM's family will visit us in Virginia to help celebrate TGM's first birthday.

5. JM's project at work has decided to have most of the work done by telecommuting. This means that JM is working from home 2-4 days a week. Friends gave us a small desk that we've set up in Jer's room, so that we aren't constantly distracting him while he's working. That just started this week, so we are still working on adjusting to that.

6. TGM just woke up. I think that was a less than 30 minute nap.

7. I'm enjoying being a stay-at-home mom. At least, most days. I haven't had any days that I was ready to give it up. Just some where I feel incompetent trying to get anything accomplished.

Christmas Letter Correction

Last week, we finally mailed out our "Christmas Letter." For those who actually read it, I'm sure you noticed that there was an incomplete sentence at the end of page 3. We did notice the problem before mailing it, but couldn't come up with a way of correcting it that wouldn't delay it even longer. So, here is the full text for those who received the print version and for those who didn't.

--------------------------------------------------------

February 2010

Dear friends and family,

Welcome to the World’s Latest Christmas Letter!

We have had much happen since our last letter went out in 2007—most significantly, we are now homeowners and parents! In the last eight months (June 2009-January 2010) we have flown to Kansas three times, to California three times, and driven to Pennsylvania four times.

New House!
In November 2008, we closed on a townhome—we are now homeowners for the first time! It is a 2 story home with four bedrooms. A short move, as it is in the same neighborhood where we were renting for almost three years. Jesse’s family came down over Thanksgiving 2008 to help us move—something I very much appreciated as I was experiencing fatigue as an early symptom of pregnancy, though we hadn’t announced the news yet. We now live at 304 Roanoke Dr SE, Leesburg, VA 20175, but for mail we still use our PO box.

New baby!
At Christmas 2008, we announced that we were expecting our first baby. As the first grandchild for my parents, the news was especially received with excitement and anticipation. On August 6, Tabitha Grace was born healthy following a relatively short (~9 hour) labor. My parents arrived the day we brought her home from the hospital and stayed for 10 days, including for her dedication. Jesse’s parents have visited several times since the birth; the first time was just before Tabitha was two weeks old. Jeremiah is proud of his little sister, though (as is typical) he finds her crying annoying and can be jealous of the attention she receives. I resigned my librarian position at Patrick Henry College following her birth, in order to be a full-time mom. Tabitha is now a healthy six month old—drooling, sitting up, and rolling over. I find it very easy to care for her and a joy to be with her everyday!

Travels!
Kansas Trip #1. My sister Susan moved her wedding date six months earlier--from January 2010 to June 2009. I flew out to be in Kansas (and Missouri, for a library conference) for two weeks around the wedding. Jesse just flew out for the weekend of the wedding.

California Trip #1. Jesse, Jeremiah, and I (at 7 months pregnant) flew to California in June for the Bryant family reunion. We had a great time catching up with aunts, uncles, and cousins in the swimming pools, around games, and over meals! We were very glad to be able to see Grandma Bryant again, especially.

Story from the moment: While at the reunion, several of the kids were curiously touching my belly to feel the baby move, but one of the 4-year-old cousins hung back from the crowd. It was only after several minutes of coaxing that she tentatively reached out her hand. When she felt movement, she looked up at me with huge eyes and asked, “Did you really eat a baby?”

Pennsylvania Trip #1. Immediately after arriving home from the family reunion, we made a last minute decision to immediately drive up to Pennsylvania with Jeremiah for a long weekend. (We pulled up to the house from the airport, proposed the idea of a trip to Pennsylvania, and were back on the road in two hours.) The drive was especially tiring after the early morning flight from California, but the time with family that didn’t make it to the reunion was well worth it.

California Trip #2. In July, Jesse flew to California for 5 days on a business trip to a software user conference. He is still working for Northrop Grumman as a computer programmer and as help desk support.

Pennsylvania Trip #2. In September, Andy (Jesse’s sensei and groomsman at our wedding) was celebrating his birthday and the completion of a master’s degree. We made a very quick trip to Pennsylvania (up and back in the same day—10 hours of driving) to be a part of his surprise party. Tabitha was one of four girls under 2 months at the party—Tabitha had just turned 5 weeks, a pair of twins were just a couple days shy of 6 weeks, and another girl would be two months the next week.

Kansas Trip #2. My sister Dorinda got engaged in the spring and set her wedding for November. Tabitha and I again flew out to Kansas for 10 days around the wedding while Jesse and Jeremiah flew out for the weekend of the wedding. Tabitha did very well on her first flights—for which I was very thankful! Before we left, we made Tabitha the fourth generation to wear her Great-Grandfather Gates’ baptismal dress and took some pictures.

Story from the moment: Arriving back in Virginia, Tabitha was asleep when Jesse arrived to pick us up from the airport. She woke up rather fussy as I moved her to her car seat, but as soon as she saw her dad, she instantly quit fussing and started grinning at him!

Pennsylvania Trip #3. Traveling to Pennsylvania with both Jeremiah and Tabitha for the first time, we visited Jesse’s family for Thanksgiving. It was great time, as all his siblings were able to be home and the four cousins were able to get better acquainted. Dance Dance Revolution was a popular game for the weekend, with Jeremiah and Jesse particularly working to improve their skills.

Kansas Trip #3. Jesse, Tabitha, and I went to Kansas for about 11 days for Christmas with my family. After having all my siblings home for both weddings, not everyone made it to Kansas for Christmas, but we did get to see Dorinda and her husband for the first time since the wedding. It was also great to visit with Tabitha’s Great-Grandmother Gates. She has been declining for the past year and is currently living with my parents. While still completely healthy in her vital functions, she has suffered nerve degeneration in her limbs and muscles that has left her with virtually no mobility.

Pennsylvania Trip #4. The New Year holiday found us once again in Pennsylvania. We had a wonderful time with the family up there. The cousins all played very well together for the weekend. Grandpa McConnell, as is tradition, performed magic tricks during the new year party.

California Trip #3. At the end of January, Jesse and I flew out to California with Tabitha for a weekend to introduce her to her Great-Grandmother Bryant. Grandma Bryant very much enjoyed holding Tabitha and we enjoyed visiting with her and Aunt Pauline and Uncle Norm and even cousin Shar. It was my first visit to their home, so I was introduced to their kennel.

Jeremiah is now seven years old and in the second grade. He is doing well in his studies and is learning to better direct his energy (sometimes termed hyperactive) and his leadership qualities (primarily bossiness) when he is in the classroom. He is active in Boy Scouts and has enjoyed some camping trips, a visit to the U.S. Capitol, and other events with them and Jesse. Having given up firefighting as a potential career, he is fascinated by police and army.

Jesse also continues to nurture a variety of interests outside of work. He is working closely with the church youth group (primarily 7-13 year olds). This involvement includes driving a 15 passenger van each Sunday morning to provide transportation for several of the kids. In his spare time, he is battling with a neighbor friend through Warhammer games or physical contests (karate, boxing, etc) or story telling.

Jesse and I are both still active in our clogging group. I was able to attend practices (with limited dancing) up to the week of delivery and have worked my way back up to fully practicing and performing with the group. Tabitha has been adopted by the clogging group and has been provided with her own playpen at the clogging barn where she can spend practices (when she isn’t being held by someone!).

There is so much more that we have done in the last two years, but it doesn’t all fit into this letter and our lives are not interesting enough for a book! We love to hear from our friends and family.

May you have a blessed year!

JM and C
Jer (7) and TGM (6 months)

The Tire and the Blessings

Yesterday afternoon ended up being a much bigger adventure than I'd anticipated. JM had experienced a slow start with his car a day or so earlier when leaving work. It was time for an oil change anyway. The car also rode a bit rough since we bought it a couple of months ago and we had been talking about trying a tire rotation to see if that solved the problem. So, the time had come. JM scheduled an oil change and tire rotation and asked them to check the battery, starter, etc for any obvious problems.

He took my car to work and at 12:30, I had his car at the repair shop less than a mile from our house. (To add to this story, please remember that he has a manual transmission in his car, I've only driven this car one other time, and I've never driven a manual transmission in Leesburg.) The appointment went largely as expected. The head of the drain plug had been partially stripped some time previously, so I gave them permission to go ahead and replace it. The battery, starter, and alternator all checked out as fine.

Around 1:50, I was headed back home. I started picking up speed (getting up to 25 or so in town) after the first stop light just outside the repairshop. I was thinking, "Well, the tire rotation certainly didn't help the rough ride. This may be even worse with extra noise." I stopped at a second stop light and as I began going again I decided, "Something is definitely not right." And then I felt and heard the left rear of the car hit the ground. Pulling to a stop in the right-hand side of the lane, I watched the tire roll past and come to rest in a lane of traffic heading the opposite direction. (This is a 5-lane road--2 lanes in each direction plus a center turn lane. No shoulder or parking space.)

Before I made it out of the car, a lady (who saw what happened while fueling her truck), headed across the street to retrieve the tire for me. She then called the police to get help with traffic while I called the repair shop to get help with the tire. Within a few minutes, there was a deputy there who parked her car behind mine and turned on her lights, to make my disabled vehicle more obvious. About the same time, two guys from the repair shop arrived with a jack. They had to call for someone to bring them some lug nuts, so another vehicle arrived in another couple of minutes. TGM and I rode back to the repair shop in one of their vehicles while one of the guys drove our vehicle back to inspect it more closely for damage and why the tire came off.

Shortly after we all got back to the repair shop, the owner arrived. He had been called from Round Hill where he had been attending a program at his daughter's school. He was very apologetic, making sure that TGM and I were ok and working with the technicians to try to figure out what happened. They found that there was some rust on the inside rim of the tire, so they believe that the rust kept the tire from mounting properly on the hub. Thus, even though the technician believed he tightened the lug nuts, when the car was driven the tire slipped on the hub and the lug nuts loosened and fell off.

The owner and the technicians worked to do what they could. The rust was polished off and a lubricant applied to the rim. They took the car out for a test drive before turning it back over to me.

As difficult as the afternoon was, there were several points where God obviously was protecting and taking care of us.

• The second stop light that I stopped at is one that is practically never red--it's strictly a pedestrian crossing that I've only stopped at a handful of times in the entire time I've been driving in Leesburg. But because of that stop, I was probably traveling at less than 10 mph when the tire fell off.
• The lady who was there to retrieve the tire and call the police has spent 19 years with the rescue squad and knows many of the officers in the area, including the one who came to the scene.
• Even though I was stopped not too far around a curve, no other vehicles hit our car or were hit in trying to get around us. There were also no accidents caused by the tiring rolling across the road and sitting in the other lane of traffic until it was retrieved.

And I don't know what it's worth, but I believe this is the second time I've been in a vehicle when a tire was lost. The first time being when I was much younger and was riding with Dad (and a couple of other people) in a wheat truck.

When I'm around, beware of explosions and check your tires.

Sleeping Babies

The other day I saw a short piece on "Ferberizing", which aims at teaching infants to self-sooth, so that you can put them to bed without them being completely asleep. The short piece I saw specifically stated that the Ferber method is not recommended for infants younger than 4-6 months. This caused me to start recalling our own experiences with putting TGM to sleep.

TGM was less than two months old when we started to put her to bed without her being completely asleep. And while I expect that our case is the exception rather than the rule, it was a sanity saver for us!

We have been wildly blessed with a daughter who started sleeping through the night at less than a month old--even if her "night" started after midnight...sometimes 1:00 AM or later. I think the turning point on moving to an earlier bedtime was to give up on putting her to bed asleep. It was some "night" at 1:00AM when it occurred to my groggy, sleep-deprived brain that TGM wasn't crying--she just wasn't sleeping. And in a fit of desperation for sleep, I walked out of her room and headed to bed, fully expecting to hear her crying before I made it to bed or (perhaps worse) in 10-15 minutes just as I was getting to sleep. But when I heard her crying and checked the clock, it was hours later and I could only presume that she had fallen to sleep just fine without me.

We have friends and family that used and recommended using recorded music (tapes or CD's) when putting young children to sleep. Since (for our own sanity), we were putting her down before she was completely asleep, we pulled out a CD we'd received of classical music for babies and began turning it on when we were leaving the room. As we were no longer feeling the need to see her to sleep before we went to bed, we were then able to move her bedtime to earlier in the evening by putting her down at progressively earlier times. We have settled into a bed time around 9:00, but that can be pushed back to closer to 10:00 when we aren't leaving clogging until after 9:00.

We are extremely grateful that she continues to sleep very well. She has her nights--usually when we are traveling or when she isn't feeling well, but even those tend to be few and far between. I won't be surprised if I have some future child that doesn't sleep nearly as well. And then I will look back and realize that I don't appreciate this fully....but I'm trying to appreciate it as much as someone who doesn't know any differently can.

Valentines

The latest Facebook status meme is encouraging people, "[t]o celebrate Valentines Day, change your Profile Picture to you and your spouse/significant other and make sure to tell how long you've been together!" I started to do this in my status but decided I had too many significant people in my life that I wanted to remember on Valentine's Day that they just wouldn't all fit in my status. Blog to the rescue!!

JM and I have been friends for 9+ years (Oct 2000), started dating 4.5 year ago (Aug 18, 2005), and just passed our 3-year wedding anniversary (Dec 30, 2006). Additionally, Jer has grown into my life over the last seven years and TGM arrived full force 6 months ago.

And then there are the very significant other couples in our lives--our parents. My parents have been married for 36(?) years while JM's parents have passed their 31st year of marriage. And while I'm thinking of parents, Happy Birthday, Mother!! (on the 15th).

And we are also happy for the newly married--especially my siblings who are celebrating their first Valentine's Day as married couples--SR & Andrew and D & Greg!

Valentine's Day is also a day that I remember another friend--Tom. Somewhere between 1st grade and 3rd grade, he and I became friends. In junior high, while the other girls may have gotten flowers or balloon bouquets from their boyfriend-of-the-week, Tom would have something small for me for valentine's day. And when the flowers had wilted and the balloons drooped and the other girls and changed boyfriends, Tom was still my friend. We talked about everything and nothing during recesses, sometimes literally nothing. When his family moved 45 minutes away, then through high school we would see each other at music competitions or maybe games when our schools competed. The only high school formal I attended was his senior prom. Our relationship was never defined as boyfriend-girlfriend. Before other kids our age even thought about having boyfriends or girlfriends, we were already warding off the questions of older kids on the buses with the response, "He/She is a a boy/girl and he/she is my friend, but he/she is not my boy/girl-friend." Our lives have taken different paths. I went off to college, finished my degree, and moved across the country. As the youngest in his family (that has more kids than my family), he commuted to college and took jobs (paper routes, local retail work) that allowed him to help care for his parents in their retirement. After his father passed away, he was the primary caregiver for his mother who fought Parkinsons for as long as I knew her, until she passed away a few years ago. And so Tom has been a friend for many years, but I especially think of him at this time of year because Valentines Day is his birthday. Happy Birthday, Tom!!

My Status

C had a good birthday day, even though it didn't have a specific birthday celebration to it. Being (a) out of the state and (b) flying across the country didn't leave many options for celebration on the day. I figure a trip to California probably was my birthday celebration! :-)

C enjoyed a weekend in California with family. It was very enjoyable to visit Aunt Pauline and Uncle Norm in their home and get an introduction to their kennel. It was wonderful to see Grandma B again and introduce her to TGM. Cousin Shar also was able to drop-by to see us before we left.

C traveled safely to California. On Friday, we made it out of Dulles before the snow moved in on Saturday. The security line was rather long (though not anything like when we went through before Christmas)--taking around 30 minutes to get through the line. We rode the new train system in the airport that just started operation earlier in the week. The train was nice enough, but not sure it was any quicker, as the drop-off point was SO far from the gates it felt like a lot more walking. We arrived just as they were boarding our 4:00 flight. An on-time 6-hour flight to SFO. Then an 1.5 delay for our flight to Ontario. TGM flew well. She took a couple of short naps on the first flight and slept the entire second flight (which was 12:00 AM-1:30 AM by her body clock).

C traveled safely back from California. We were dropped us off at the airport at 1:00 PM PT for a 2:17 flight. NO line at check-in or security, so made it to the gate in plenty of time. TGM had a 30 minute nap before we boarded to make the short flight to SFO. She was fussier than normal during the flight and then produced a very dirty diaper during final descent. She was immediately much happier. We were scheduled for a 40 minute layover, but the flight was delayed and took off 2 hours later than originally scheduled. That put take-off at 9:30 PM ET. There were available seats on the flight, so we were able to put TGM in her car seat for that leg. Since we had tried to keep TGM on Eastern Time, she fell asleep during take-off and slept the whole flight. She was awake when I checked on her as we were beginning descent, but she hadn't made any noise, so I'm not sure when she'd woken up. (Possibly it was the same end-of-flight announcements that woke me up.) We caught a shuttle to our car in economy parking and were leaving the airport grounds at 3:00 AM.

C is amazed by and happy for her husband! After flying from California and getting to bed around 4:00 AM, he was at work by 8:50 AM. And after more than a week of uncertainty about his position at work, he's received encouraging news about another potential position in the company.

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Trip to Kansas

Traveling between northern Virginia and Anthony, KS ended up taking much longer than originally anticipated, but the opportunity to see so many friends made it worthwhile.

The original plan: On Sunday, Dec 20, JM's local family takes us to the airport after church, leaving by 2:00 pm. Catch a 4:20 pm plane out of Dulles arrive in Kansas around 9:30 pm after an hour layover in Dallas, TX. Be met at the airport by my mom or sister for trip back to Anthony. Arrive by 11:00 pm. Total expected travel time: 9 hours.

The actual event:
Pre-travel. Weather on Saturday is snowiest day the area has seen in years. 16" of snow at our home. Dulles experiencing severe delays with numerous flights canceled and the airport closes at 6:30 pm. Church is canceled. We decide to leave a lot more time for ourselves at the airport

Sunday, Departing Dulles. We leave the house about 30 minutes later than planned--about 11:30 am. Stop at the mall to pick up the pictures of TGM that we want to take with us to Kansas and grab some lunch. Arrive at the airport about 1:30 pm. While JM stand in line to check the baggage (about 45 minutes), I feed TGM. She then has a dirty diaper blow-out, which I'm cleaning up in the bathroom when JM has gotten the luggage checked. We then go stand in the line for security (another 45 minutes). At 3:13, we arrive at our gate to find that two flights are scheduled to depart "on-time" at 3:15 out of the same gate and neither flight has boarded yet. This isn't looking good for us getting out on-time. When we board our flight an 1.5 hours later, neither of those planes had boarded yet. (One had a plane sitting at the gate, but the flight crew was coming by car from Reagan. The other had a plane and flight crew, but no gate.) After hearing the stories of others, we felt good that our flight was getting out of there only 50 minutes late.

Sunday, Arriving in Dallas. We know we have less than 10 minutes to make our connection, so have only a slim hope of actually making it. Our plane arrives at the gate only to be informed that because we are late, we will now have to wait 25 minutes to get to the gate. A gate change is requested. D and Greg are monitoring our progress live by internet and call us to confirm the gate change only a minute after we get the confirmation from the pilot. With their encouragement, we make the dash to the next gate. By the time we arrive at the gate, they already know what we find out--the flight has departed on-time and we are stranded in Dallas for the night.

Sunday night in Dallas. D has already called a cousin--Fred and Luci--in the area and confirmed that they can host us for the evening, but learns they are unable to pick us up at the airport. While we confirm that we are booked for the morning flight, D calls another cousin--Stephen and Jen--to arrange transportation from the airport. As an added bonus, Stephen and Jen have a baby just a few weeks older than TGM, so they are able to lend us an infant car seat for travel and a pack and play for sleeping. We arrive at our host home around 9:30 pm (central time).

Travel time for Sunday: 11:30AM ET - 9:30PM CT. 11 hours.

Monday morning in Dallas. Our alarm goes off at 6:30 AM. After breakfast with our hosts, we leave at 7:30 AM to catch our 9:20 AM flight. Luci has confirmed our gate before dropping us off. Despite DFW security having one of the longest lines I have seen there, we are at the gate by 8:00AM. (DFW is the best airports I know for getting between the drop-off/pick-up areas and the gates!) Everything runs smoothly and we have an on-time flight.

Monday, arriving in Wichita. JM and I had previously made plans to visit SR and Andrew in Arkansas two days after arriving in Kansas. Since we were arriving a day late in Kansas, it was suggested and agreed that we make the trip to Arkansas a day earlier--straight from the airport. My parents arrived at the airport with two vehicles. We grabbed some lunch at a local fast-food place while they showed us some maps and we discussed the best route for the trip. My parents returned home in their truck while we took their van and headed for Arkansas.

Monday, arriving in Arkansas. The drive went very well. We only made a couple of short stops along the way and made excellent time in the sunny weather. We arrived at SR's home about 5:30 PM.

Travel time for Monday: 7:30 AM - 5:30 RM. 10 hrs.

Visit in Arkansas. We enjoyed relaxing with SR and Andrew. He came home less than an hour after we arrived. SR made us a wonderful chicken supper. We were all tired, so called it an evening fairly early and got some sleep. Tuesday, SR arranged for a small-world lunch: My friend Suzanne from graduate school had moved down to that area a couple of years ago and had met Andrew and SR in that area. After lunch, SR showed us some sites in the area, including a trip by the library where Suzanne works. An evening of pizza and guitar hero rounded out the day of visiting and relaxing.

Wednesday, home at last. Wednesday morning, we took our time pakcing and saying good-by. We pulled out of the drive around 11:30am. The drive was a bit more interesting, with rain showers a good bit of the way. Heavy rain was encountered at two different points in the drive. But it didn't slow us down much and with only a couple of stops along the way, we pulled into home in Anthony about 5:30 pm.

Travel time for Wednesday: 11:30 AM - 5:30 PM. 6 hrs.

Total travel time: 27 hours. 4 Days. We could've driven from Virginia in that time--but we wouldn't have had wonderful visits with our cousins in Texas and my sister in Arkansas and we wouldn't have experienced the tactical and logistical support from my sister in Kansas.

When we arrived home, it was to another marked reminder that Grandma is continuing to decline in her health. Prayers for her are much appreciated!

Praying for safe travels to everyone traveling this holiday season!!

Random Pieces

1. At Grandpa and Grandma's in Pennsylvania. We had a great time over Thanksgiving up in Pennsylvania. All the siblings were home. TGM got to meet Aunt K and cousins for the first time. All the cousins did very well at playing together. They even played with TGM a bit, though most of their games were a bit above her current skills. :)

2. Unclear writing. I started an audio book the other day and just about didn't make it past the first CD. In the first chapter, the author compares the clearing of his mind as he wakes up to the clearing of the fog "on an imaginary sunny morning." Did that mean the fog didn't clear because an imaginary sunny morning isn't really sunny or was it imaginary in contrast to the morning in the story--cold and still dark? Not too much farther in the story he describes one of the younger characters as having "a pierced right eye." Now I've never heard of anyone piercing their eyeball, so is he referring to a very fringe practice or is he using a shortened form of referring to an eyebrow piercing? I'm now into the second CD and haven't been bothered by anymore such descriptions, so he either improved or I'm not listening as carefully. I'm guessing the latter, because at some point this morning, I suddenly realized that he was talking about a bird flying between two characters and I just decided to chalk it up to a metaphorical bird since they were in a veterinary clinic that I think only deals with dogs and the bird's presence didn't seem to impact the story.

3. TGM's feet. TGM has discovered her feet in the last few days and likes to grab her toes now. I think I've only seen her actually grasp her right toes, but the left foot and hand are right up there too. She almost put her toe in her mouth this morning, but seemed to lose interest before she actually tasted it.

NOTE: The above post was written 12/1/09, but was not made public until 1/26/10....probably because I was hoping to add more or polish it, but at this point, I will post it as is.

At Grandpa and Grandma's in Kansas

Just arrived home from 10 days in Kansas. It was amazing how much TGM attained in just those few days. I think I noticed it more because I was trying to keep track of it all so I could be sure to tell JM when he visited and when we got home.

She started sucking/chewing on her thumb more. She's chewed almost exclusively on her fist since she was born. While we were visiting in Kansas, she began favoring her thumb more often. At this point, she chooses her thumb only almost half the time, but still chews on her fist a little more often.

TGM's grasp and reaching for toys has definitely improved. She is also trying to support her weight on her legs more.

A cousin loaned my parents a Bumbo seat for the visit. TGM definitely improved in her ability to sit up in the seat during her visit. We also tried her in a Johnny JumpUp a couple of times. She didn't seem to dislike it, but her enjoyment of it was short-lived. I'm guessing she may like it a bit better when she can sit up easier.

TGM is still working on rolling over. Grandma and aunts were very eager for her to roll over and spent much time encouraging her to keep trying. She still has her arm in the way when she rolls over onto her side, so she doesn't go on over.

The last evening we were home, there was a bunch of helium balloons at the house. We attached the balloons to one of her ankles. She entertained herself and adult relatives for most of an hour as she kicked her leg and watched the balloons bounce. At one point, we moved the balloons from her right ankle to her left ankle and laughed at her look of puzzlement as she had to re-figure out how to make the balloons move. While she was doing this, she was also pivoting herself around on the floor and turned herself around more than 180 degrees one way and then headed back the other way.

TGM did very well flying both ways--a total of four airplane rides with a layover each way. She was asleep in the front carrier when JM arrived to pick us up in Virginia. He put the bags away as I was taking her out of the carrier and putting her in the carseat. This operation, understandably woke her up and put her in a slightly fussy mood. But when JM crawled in the other side of the car to say hi to his girl, her face immediately relaxed and lit up!

It is good to be HOME!

Wedding Speech

Saturday, D and Greg were united in marriage in a beautiful wedding ceremony surrounded by friends and family! As the Maid (Matron) of Honor, I had a chance to say a few words of encouragement at the reception. I was thinking about it at various times through the week and all morning. Various random thoughts had been coming to mind. About fifteen minutes before I was expected to speak, it finally occurred to me how to pull all the thoughts into a cohesive speech. Below is what I intended to say, though I'm not sure how close I actually made it during the reception.

As D's older sister, I have known her for all of her life. I even remember helping Mom with her bum leg in the weeks after D was born. We shared many experiences together growing up and have been good friends. As we got older and began thinking about what we wanted in a husband, there were a few qualifications that I knew the man for D would need.

From when we were very young, we have teased each other and joked together. D may say I was the one that taught her to pull pranks, but she is much better at it than I am. I knew that the man for D would need a sense of humor and fun in order to be happy with her jokes. I know Greg knows how to have fun--he even squawks at my sister.

As we got older and became involved in 4-H and church activities, including Bible quiz, D was my sincerest and most determined competitor. She did even beat me at times. I knew that the man for D would have that same determination to pursue what he wanted. A courtship story that stretches over six years and culminates in a 10-month, long-distance, skype-based relationship has to be based on determination. [D put in the comment, "His determination."]

As we went through high school and college, the faith of our parents became our own faith. In college, D relied on her faith while encouraging and helping those around her. She prayed regularly and with those in need as an RA in the dorm and in other leadership roles. I knew that the man for D would also take his Christian faith seriously with a heart for helping others. I first heard about Greg when, as a friend, he took time from his trip across the country to help D move. One of the first things that D told me about Greg was how much he had prayed for her and for their relationship before she was even considering a relationship.

For the last seven years, D has worked for Gospel for Asia and shared with churches and groups about the work that was being done. She always was passionate when she would share the stories of how the gospel was spread and she would challenge others with the numbers of how many people die without ever hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. By that passion, I knew that even if she left GFA, she would not turn away from doing what was in her power to help reach people who are lost. I knew that the man for D would need to also have a passion for missions. Greg has founded his own mission organization with the vision for supporting the reaching of the lost.

In all these ways and others, I can only conclude that Greg is the perfect man for my sister.

Week of acomplishments

Last Monday, TGM started rolling from her back to her left side. It was a whole week later--today--before I saw her roll from her back to her right side. At one point today, I wondered if she was going to get the momentum to roll on over to her her front.

On Saturday, TGM flew to Kansas for the first time. She did very well. She slept about 30 minutes during each of the 1.5 hour flights. (We changed planes at O'Hare.)

Mom and D met us at the airport when we arrived just after 2:00. We then spent the rest of the afternoon with shopping and errands for the wedding. By the time we got home, TGM was very fussy. She protested anyone else holding her and wasn't particularly content or happy with me. Once I took her away from everyone else and we went upstairs to get her ready for bed, she was much more relaxed. She was even cooing and kicking contentedly while I did some unpacking to find what I needed to get her ready for bed. After some good sleep and a couple of days to get accustomed to the new people and routines, she seems to be doing wonderfully!

While we were out shopping on Saturday, I wondered at one point if TGM laughed at me. I haven't heard it again, so we'll have to see when she might repeat it or really start laughing.

Fast Notes

1. Lifting head. TGM has practiced a lot at lifting her head and pulling it forward when she's in her car seat or rocker seat. In the last week or so, I've also noticed her lifting her head off the changing table just as I'm ready to pull clothes off over her head--she seems to be helping me undress her.

2. Arching back. In the last week, TGM has started arching her back more. Primarily, this mean that we have to be more diligent in buckling her into her rocker seat or other such chairs. If we don't, we'll find her about ready to slide off the seat of the chair as she's worked her way down.

3. Applesauce. I made applesauce today! It was my first attempt at homemade applesauce. JM approves and pronounced it a success. The apples came from clogging friends. Next I'm thinking I'll have to work at canning or apple butter. For the time being, I made less than a gallon of applesauce and put some of it in the freezer. I expect it will come back out of the freezer relatively shortly as I have two guys that love applesauce.

4. All Saints Day. We attended the Jones' annual All Saints Day party this evening. We were able to learn about St. Perpetua and took "baby in a blanket" (meatball in a biscuit), since she was a nursing mother. We also got to introduce TGM to several of our friends who had not yet seen here. All the food was delicious (including salmon and rice, chicken, cheese balls and crackers, chips and dips, and chocolate gold coins)! The traditional quiz and compline were completed during the evening amid much fellowship and great conversation! Looking forward to next year!

5. Hands. TGM has started to open her hands more and working on trying to grasp objects. Earlier this week during bath time, I placed a rubber duck on her belly. In the past, she pretty much ignored the duck on her belly. This time, while she was looking at it, she reached for it with her hands and tried to grab it.