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Sunday, December 31, 2017
Monday, December 25, 2017
Friday, December 15, 2017
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Monday, December 11, 2017
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Friday, December 8, 2017
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Charlie Brown Christmas
Dear Kidlets,
It was 1978 the other night. Eating grilled cheese and soup on trays a little too close to the TV after decorating our Christmas tree watching a Charlie Brown Christmas. It is without a doubt on the melancholy side. Poor Charlie, but fortunate us. Christmas 2008 is the first time I spoke with your birthmom Jo Jo, Henry. You know this. Not a one of us will ever forget. Special season for many reasons.
Daddy and I kept nudging each other.
Love you,
Mama
It was 1978 the other night. Eating grilled cheese and soup on trays a little too close to the TV after decorating our Christmas tree watching a Charlie Brown Christmas. It is without a doubt on the melancholy side. Poor Charlie, but fortunate us. Christmas 2008 is the first time I spoke with your birthmom Jo Jo, Henry. You know this. Not a one of us will ever forget. Special season for many reasons.
Love you,
Mama
Arm in Two
Dear Peach,Each night we take you to your room and you settle comfortably in your bed snoozing, and we leave you to your rest. By 3am you're creeping into our room each night because you need snuggles and Mama and Daddy. We welcome you in, you need us, we are there for you and your poking arms, pushing legs and whines for, "more water, Mama!" We are there for you when you twist and turn upside down in bed wedging your stinky feet under my nose. This particular night, the 21st, you fell out of bed, you have before, but before carpet greeted you, not uncompromising solid bamboo floors. At the thud we shot up in bed and did the regular pull of the lamp cord, the customary once over to make sure you're fiiii....uh, no...you are most certainly not fine. Your arm looks like a noodle. I told Daddy that we need to go to the hospital, your arm is without a doubt broken. He was trying to see but the situation with your noodle arm was intense and I had to get you moving. I woke up poor Henry, who was in the deepest sleep I've ever seen him in, with screams to get in bed with Daddy. You weren't crying, you just breathed through it and said you felt a little afraid. I got my coat and wrapped the blue cheetah print scarf Heather gave me from France around your shoulders and your wilted arm to secure it.
Leaving a couple of red lights behind and deserted early morning streets, we arrive to the ER and I can feel your body tensing backward while each step goes forward, increasing the tension until you break a little squeak about how you need your arm and you don't want it cut off. Getting to your eye level I stopped in the parking lot to tell you that in fact you would keep your arm and the doctor would fix it you breathed in between clinched teeth and said ok freely entered the slow ER. We got in immediately and with glazed eyes you'd occasionally hold out your arm to the nurses or doctor like, "can you believe it?!" X-ray come in and you had broken both your radius and ulna near the wrist. The doctor would have to give you a sedative so they could pull your bones back into place and then manipulate them as close to normal position as possible. They left and a tech came to take more information. As he was collecting your name, address and size I looked over at you to find your color had changed to a weird green pale, lips were white and you started in a panic that your tummy felt very funny and very hot. Shock had taken you and you stopped responding to me, your pulse and blood pressure had dropped and I called in a nurse quickly. You were passed out and we set your head back and you came back around. They started an IV that any big person would struggle with the 5 minutes of digging the needle into your tiny arm. You fade out with eyes rolling about. You overheard the staff say that to come home you would have to wake up first so they could make sure you didn't get sick. This caused you to struggle against the sedative.
You are one tough and brave kid, and you can do anything you put your mind to. I am super proud of you. It looks like another 5 weeks of an elbow cast and then a shorter cast. Poor thing is a little unhappy you won't get to use the hot tub at Grandma P's and Bahboo's this weekend. I just want you to heal well with a powerful arm. I love you sweet pea.
Love, Mama
Friday, December 1, 2017
School Days, Drool Days
Dear Hazelita, Big days have passed in your life and I was buried under a ton of photography jobs and have neglected our blog, which is a theme of all the most recent, not truly so recent posts. Part of the photography I have been doing was at a sweet little nursery school, pre school and kindergarten extravaganza place I have done for 3 years now. Each year the amazing director has encouraged me to enroll you, and finally a day came when I had a couple of loose ends to tie up at the school and you came with me. You were quickly embraced by the kids in the play yard. I started chatting with the kindergarten teachers. You played and giggled and played. When the kids were called to snack you were hanging in the playhouse and a buddy came and invited you to come for snack, too. You joined their table. You declared, "I'm 5!" Which received a chorus of, "Hey! I'm 5!" "Me, too!" "I was 5 in August!" As we were leaving, the director stopped me, she had been seeing you in the play yard. All it took was a side head tilt and a, "Lisa!" and I was making the plans to have you start school November 1st. You did start school. Full of nervous vibrations, sturdier by your relentless self confidence, your hugs goodbye were brief. You have attended about 2.5 weeks and are in love.
In love with signing in, saying hello to Ms. Robin the lady who floats around playing her harp, with the girls, with the boys, with bringing home crafts you made, with daddy coming in the talk about his wheelchair, with speedy steps to embrace me when I arrive for pick up. I love that I only am giving up 3 hours with you each day. Next year's full day is going to be tough for you, but I know you'll make it after having such a lovely introduction to school.
Love, Mama
Friday, November 3, 2017
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Friday, September 8, 2017
Monday, August 21, 2017
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Thursday, August 17, 2017
I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was (eight). Jesus, does anyone?
Dear Hen, Last school year you developed quite a strong bond with a little buddy, E. You keep your emotions and thoughts sometimes as close as your skin but with this buddy you've opened up and let more of yourself out, rather than following along with what they want. You've found a voice and when I asked you about it...the friendship, how close you will let him get to you when others you shrug their touches you told me about how you're weird, he is weird and you can be weird together. That hit my heart so deep. I hope you are always good friends but at 7 and now 8 I am grateful you've found someone you don't feel judged by or the need to be shy with your personal inclinations and quirks. We all need to find someone to be weird with.
Mommy has Daddy, thank goodness. With E you relax, you don't dig in, you don't get frustrated, you don't get bothered; you just are. You can find a flamingo at the zoo and name it Bryan and talk about it for months after. You can visit him while sick at the children's hospital and get close on the floor and bring your spinning disco light to take him away from it for an hour or two, playing games only you two are in on.
You can wait all summer to go to the fair to ride crazy rides because you know you'll meet every height requirement this year and be okay with the fact that you decided to ask him to be your fair buddy, even though he would rather not ride a single ride. But your magic rubbed off on him and gave him courage to ride his first big ride, The Sizzler.
Feeling braver with my fearless boy by his side you road the pirate ship, a real stretch for him. I asked E after he got off the pirate ship, on scale of 1 to 10, 1 being not at all and 10 being super pumped, how much did he want to ride the ship before he got on it. He said, "A 3!" I said, "I thought so (he rode this first right with a hat and sunglasses all pulled in close)..now that you're off of it." A shouting fist pumping, "10!!!" Thus, the rest of the day was racing from ride to ride pushing limits, laughing together and enjoying each other. When E wasn't ready he gave you the space to ride on your own, until he was ready to try it too. You gave him the same respect by taking breaks between the big rides to jump through the maze houses on repeat x20. You were both so excited about your day together when I dropped off E you had me ask Daddy if we could go back to the fair that evening. We did and an excited E and his Dad and soon to be stepmom were there, too. Ready to experience the excitement all over again. You have been good for each other. I can't think of anything I'd want more for you than seeing you have a close friendship with someone, full of hidden jokes and goofy behavior and consideration of each of your needs.
Being that you are at the same school and will be in the same class for the next 6 years, at least, I hope that friendship continues to grow and support each other. I consider this a major milestone for you. Opening up and letting someone in to our weirdness can be really risky and hard. I am proud of you that you have.
Love, Mama
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