Is This Winter Ever Going to End??

This isn't breaking news to anyone living here in Wisconsin, but it's a long, COLD winter. This persistently sub-zero weather has translated into long days indoors, for Leila and me.

But Leila isn't hibernating, so neither am I. She's constantly on the go-- reaching for toys, talking and squawking. She finds little specks of miscellaneous fuzz on our carpet, and carefully picks them up between her thumb and forefinger... before sticking them in her mouth.

I usually notice this after the fact, when I see fuzz on her cheek (I think her tongue pushes it out when she finds it doesn't taste good).

She doesn't crawl yet, but stretches and scoots effectively enough for me to have to keep a close eye on her. If I set her on a blanket with a pile of toys, she plays with the toys but somehow ends up several feet away from the blanket. I think a lot of her movement at this point is unintentional... but who knows!

I can tell she's getting frustrated with limitated mobility-- the drive to "move" is building in her. So last week I bought her a walker so she can pad around and chase after me a little. She doesn't move very fast in it yet, and can't seem to move it at all when the walker's on carpet. But she can slide around on the kitchen floor while I'm cooking.

Before Stephen came to visit at Christmas, Jon installed a gate at the top of our basement steps, as well as lattice around the railings. So we have some baby-proofing in place.

The new walker has buttons and gadgets on it that make funny noises-- nothing too loud or obnoxious. One of the sounds is like a car horn. It's kind of fun to hear her honk as she scoots by underfoot. I sometimes give her a handful of baby cereal on the walker tray. We keep each other company.

But that's NOTHING like the excitement of when the bigger kids come home. Michael and Emma are usually gone before Leila wakes up in the morning, so the first time she gets to see them each day is afternoon, when they get off the school bus. That's a pretty big moment for her. She's very entertained by the things they say and do, and likes to be one of the gang.

Emma is a big help with Leila, but I do have to limit their interactions somewhat. Emma's great with the baby, and is comfortable picking her up and handling her. However she's a little more casual about it than I would like. There have been a few minor incidents (droppings), which Emma was very remorseful over after the fact-- but she forgets her bad experiences pretty fast (and I'm a worrier).

Michael was always more awkward in his attempts to handle Leila, but seems to be getting better at it lately. He's learning how to be big brother to a baby. It's funny to say that, because he's obviously already a big brother-- to Emma. But he was so little when she arrived, and Emma seemed to quickly catch up to him in size (not to mention overpower him with her spitfire attitude).

Well, enough motherly musings for now. Take care!

Sweet Comfort From a Tiny Angel

Yesterday morning the sweetest thing happened.

I had just given Leila a bottle and was patting her back, waiting for a burp. And what did she start doing? She began patting my back with her chubby little hand. So, for a brief moment, as her head rested on my shoulder and my cheek rested on the top of her head, we hugged and patted each other on the back, in silence.

Such a simple little gesture, but so touching to me! Her little pat was comforting and natural and infinitely dear.

It was one of those moments when I realized that this is what it's all about, this is why I'm home making zero dollars (when we could always use more).

This moment between me and Leila has as much meaning as any revelation achieved from hours of "deep" conversation under the stars or over cups of coffee, as during my college years. It is more significant than reading a good book that someone else wrote or even listening to somebody's brilliant observations, whatever they may be.

It's just a simple, loving moment that passes between people. It comes and goes very quickly. An outsider looking in at the scene (as in a movie) wouldn't even notice that something significant had happened.

But there it is... it happens, and suddenly the world is a happier place for those involved. Things make sense. The day takes on a magical quality, a richer texture.

It's the kind of thing that gets spoiled as soon as you try to put it into words. As I write this, I realize that many would find these comments trite and sentimental. Like a Hallmark card. Emotional blather.

So I better quit before I ruin the experience entirely, in my attempt to verbalize it. But it was a happy moment, and I feel compelled to share.

Chilling Out... and Looking Back

Here's a picture of our latest method of cleaning up Leila... the kitchen sink.

The little tub we used to bathe her in requires her to recline, and now that she sits up so well she doesn't like to be leaned back.

So I spread a clean dish towel down on the bottom of the sink, fill it up with water, and hand her a cup to play with. She loves it!

No baths this morning, however; it's downright frigid. This morning the outdoor thermometer by the kitchen sink read 24 BELOW zero, and there's also a bit of a wind. I decided to check for school cancellations before sending the kids out to the bus stop, and sure enough school was cancelled.

Of course, the kids were already up and ready to go for the day, but they gave a little whoop of delight when they heard the news and have been keeping themselves (and Leila) happily occupied ever since.

I awoke to a nice fire in our wood stove this morning. Jon had stoked it for me at 2:30 a.m., before leaving for work.

He surprised us Tuesday by pulling into the driveway around the time the kids got done with school; his boss had sent the crew home because it was simply too cold to work (remember, Jon works near the Canadian border).

He hung around home yesterday, too, before heading back for work today. It's still nasty out, but at least he won't have to work outdoors; they're having the guys do some required safety and CPR classes (indoors) today.

While home Jon helped me move the exercise bike inside (it's been collecting dust in the garage ever since we moved here). Time to insert a little physical activity into my daily routine! We set the bike up in our basement family room, so I can watch TV while I pedal.

(The photo at left is Jon eighteen years ago, holding baby David. I'm going to be posting a few of the pics that Susan gave me copies of over X-Mas break. More on that later...)

As some of you know, we haven't had satellite or cable for about eight months now. So we had to order one of those digital converter boxes for our antenna, to continue getting reception. With the antenna, we typically have access to six channels (the 3 major networks, plus two PBS channels and Fox), but some of them are barely there and not very watchable.

(At right: baby David next to a doll... does Grandma Jane remember this doll?)

I hooked up the converter box a couple of days ago, and we now get eight channels... all crystal clear. There's a new PBS channel that's kind of like HGTV, along with a 24 hour a day weather channel. The best part is no more noisy static or snowy image. We pay nothing for the eight channels, get to use our old TV, and only ended up forking out $10 for the converter box, after using the $40 government coupon we ordered over the internet.

So now we love the digital conversion!

(At left: lovely little Susan, now 20, in her more tender years).

The pictures that Susan gave us are from 1990 to 1993. The one of all three kids, below, looks like it was taken in their Grandma Sue's backyard in Cornell, probably a little before when I first met them. I remember those big bows that Susan used to wear in her hair!

Speaking of big bows... here's another:

Susan has been scanning her mother's old family photos and burning them onto CDs, to help preserve them but also to share them with us. We really appreciate her effort.

This is the first time that I've seen many of the pictures, and they probably bring back a lot of memories for Jon. It's interesting to see resemblances between our own kids and the older three... and just to remember how they used to look and act, of course.

Jonathan always seemed like a big boy to me, but when I look back at these pics I can see how small he was then. Not big at all.

I remember that four year-old Susan was wary of me, when we first met. I had to work to win her over... by being consistently patient and by letting her know that I was not trying to replace her mother.

And when she first heard that her dad and I were engaged, she expressed concern to me about whether I would become an "evil stepmother" after we were married, as in the Cinderella story. I promised her that I would not-- and I think I kept that promise (right, Susan?).

David was only two when we met. He spent lots of time on my lap, and I did what I could to make things easier for him... Jon and I were always aware of how young he was to be away from home overnight, during our weekend visits with him. I tried to keep him comfortable and happy. He was given lots of kisses and hugs and my lap was "his" whenever he wanted it.

Now that I have kids of my own I have a keener understanding of what my three stepchildren must have gone through in their earlier years, when their mom and dad were no longer together and new people (like me) entered their lives.

A step-family is never ideal.

But we all did the best that we could, under the circumstances. And we became a loving family. I guess that's the most anyone can hope for...

More X-Mas Pics and News from Colfax

There are so many good pictures left over from the holidays, I just had to update the blog and post a few more.

Here's a shot of our family at Pat and Ann's cabin, taken during Grandpa Bud's birthday party.

As much as we enjoy December's festivities (the kids and I consider it our favorite time of year), it's always nice to get the tree down and drag it out of the house, vacuum up the last of those pine needles, and say goodbye to all the excess for another year.

Jon always props our used Christmas tree outside by the bird feeder, where it sits until spring. When we lived in town this struck me as a bit of an eyesore; but out here, an extra tree fits right in. Song birds like to perch on it and use it as cover from more predatory birds.

Just now, thinking of that, I glanced outside at our discarded tree and spotted a red cardinal nestled in its branches. It looks like a Christmas ornament! This is the best picture of it I can get (if I get too close to the window it flies away). Can you spot the living jewel hiding in our old tree?

Another positive feature about the end of the holidays is having the kids return to school, of course. After almost two weeks off the kids start to crawl the walls, and no amount of new toys, books, and games is sufficient to occupy them once the holiday is over and the visitors are gone.

So we ALL looked forward to the start of school this week. And we had one "perfect" day of it. But Monday night, after her first day back, Emma discovered that her back and tummy were speckled with some suspicious looking spots. Sure enough, it was chicken pox.

Emma's been vaccinated, but it is still possible to get a mild case of chicken pox, despite the shots-- and that's what she has. She doesn't have any on her face and they aren't spread all over her body like pox typically are, but she has about 25 of them (resembling bug bites) on her back, stomach, and underarm.

There's been mild itching, but no fever, and overall she feels pretty well. But what might be a mild case for her could be more severe in an unvaccinated child, and her school's policy on contagious conditions is pretty strict (as it should be). So she's stuck home another week.

Yesterday Michael brought home a folder full of school work from her teacher.

Leila likes having her around. Hopefully our little un-vaccinated Leila doesn't get them (I checked with the doctor, and that was NOT one of the shots she's received), but she probably will. I called Hope in Arkansas to give her a head's up, and she said Stephen has already had that shot, along with the booster. So hopefully we haven't spread illness to the folks in Arkansas.

Here's Leila holding a doll she received from Grandma Jane this Christmas. We were given many thoughtful, well-chosen presents from family members this holiday-- including this special doll. It's hand-made: the porcelein face and limbs were forged from a doll mold by long-time Hurlburt family friend, Virginia Spletter.

I met Virginia only once before we were married, but Jane assures me she always had a soft spot for Jon (Jon and her son were about the same age and very good friends). Though she wasn't invited to our wedding in 1995 (it was a tiny wedding with only immediate family present), she gave us a beautiful afghan and pillow set that we still have and use almost 14 years later.

Virginia passed away shortly after our wedding, so the afghan stands out as particularly special.

Jon's mother was Virginia's friend and had been given the unfinished doll Virginia made. Jane recently had the doll finished, and gave it to Leila as a Christmas present. We like to think that Virginia would have been pleased.

Here's big sister Susan holding a living doll.

I was going to mention to Hope that we had fun playing Pictionary on the day before the kids left. We played "Girls Vs. Boys", and the Susan-Emma-Lisa team WON (but not by much). It was a lot of fun.

We've also been working on the 1000 piece puzzle that someone gave Michael. Right now it's spread out on the dining room table and probably 10 hours away from completion. But we're not giving up!

Our holiday guests had fun fiddling with the metal link puzzle that Uncle Bill gave Michael. It looks easy, but figuring out how to un-link the two pieces will drive you nuts.

We've been enjoying our holiday reading. I like my stained glass books from Mom! Leila likes her little books, and is starting to turn pages and make noises like baby Michael used to do.

My brother Don gave me shells and petrified wood he'd collected with father-in-law Rich Pruden on one of their canoe trips down the Saline River in Arkansas. Since Michael's social studies class is talking about archaeology, yesterday I let Michael bring a potsherd (piece of broken pottery), petrified wood, and arrow head chippings to school, to share with his class. These were all things given to me by Don (he participates in archaeological digs as a hobby, and is president of his state's archaeological society).

Here's Don and his little guy, Stephen (who seems to be putting his newly acquired teeth to use by chomping down on a good book-- another future scholar?).

Well, I still have enough decent pictures left over from Christmas, I'll probably post more later. But that's it, for now!