I love my first-born girl!

6/29/09

At the splash park

This June Houston set records for having the most 100 degree or over temperatures…  The splash park was our antidote to all the heat and Clara enjoyed it whole-heartedly!

6/19/09

Bathing Beauties

After swimming/splashing at Abigail’s house

Clara: I think this swim suit might look better if I filled it out more.

6/18/09

Dancing Queen

06/14/09

A family (of four) night

The day after we found out that we were expecting another baby, we spent the evening at the Children’s Museum and then had an ice cream treat at Chick-fil-a.  Thursday evenings at the Children’s Museum are free and this was the first Thursday that school was out, so the museum was packed.  We were happy to see that the toddler area was less populated and less chaotic.

   6/11/09

Dandelion Delight

We visited Michigan at the end of May and Clara discovered dandelions.  Grandma and Grandpa do a good job at keeping a weed-free lawn, so we had to search deep in the flower beds for specimens that had eluded them. 5/29/09

A short walk

5/24/09

With only one car and a busy toddler, walks around the courtyard of our apartment are necessary on days that Nathan has the car in the afternoon. I think that May was probably the last month that we took a short walk without my feeling like I needed to eat an ice cream cone and take a shower as soon as we got back inside.

Quick trip to Orlando

Nathan had a conference in MA and rather than spend two nights by myself, I flew out to Orlando when he left for Boston. Clara enjoyed the pool, having her first Happy Meal with Grampy, and being spoiled by Grammy, Grampy, Nana, and Papa.

5/21/09

A new ladybug towel for Grammy's house

Pensive

5/16/09

Hives

5/14/09

In mid-May Clara had the hives for about 5 days. Poor bug! We never figured out the cause of the reaction, but we tried to make her as comfortable as possible. I documented it in pictures because I was sure it must be something other than just a simple case of the hives, but my mom, a nurse, assured me it was a pretty typical case. As you can see, Clara was really upset by it.....

'Up on the countee?'

5/7/09

Making bread

5/11/09

Making strawberry freezer jam

5/26/09

Cutting up watermelon

She is a girl... (part II)

5/4/09

....and her mother is not a trained hair-cutting specialist.

Our bug

5/3/09

Doing what she does best - removing her hair bow.

Coming in February of 2010!

Alternate title: The first trimester is over, so I hope to begin posting again!

To my Mother

My mother’s scent is Lavender.

It wasn’t always so. When I was growing up, she wore Pheromone by Marilyn Miglin. None of the department stores in Orlando carried it, so when we visited family in Chicago, my father always made a special trip to Marshall Field’s on State St. to purchase some cologne, powder or Liquid Gold, as the lotion was called, for whatever gift-giving occasion was imminent. He had it gift-wrapped at the counter and it was always the prettiest present under our Christmas tree. It was so exotic and romantic to me as a little girl, and it only added to my perception of my mother being the most glamorous woman I knew. When I watched her dressing up to go out with my father and spraying her perfume, I hoped that I would grow up to be just like her.

Pheromone was soft and feminine. When she arrived home from an evening out and came in to my room to kiss me goodnight, the perfume still lingered; and when I went into her closet to retrieve empty hangers or the sewing basket, I smelled it faintly on her clothes. It was her scent; it smelled like ‘Mommy’ and the warmth and security that a young child, in particular, associates with her mother.

My mother had always been a one perfume woman, so we never purchased any other fragrances for her. In particular, she told me once that she disliked lavender because, she remarked, it smelled medicinal. Consequently, nearly five years ago I found myself at a complete loss, standing looking at pillow spray in Bath and Body Works. The whole situation was undesirable, really. I had flown from graduate school in Indiana to Orlando to be with her as she underwent surgery to remove breast cancer. My dear sister, who was unable to be there, and I had discussed getting her a gift and had decided that I would pick up some things to make her recovery more comfortable – a armchair pillow; soft, cotton, button-up pajamas; healing body butter; and pillow spray. All of the pillow sprays were aromatherapy – eucalyptus spearmint smelled like it might be used to cure a cold; orange bergamot was part of the Awake line, and seemed rather inappropriate for surgery recovery; ylang-ylang and jasmine were labeled Sensual, which lumpectomies certainly are not; and so all that was left was Lavender. I purchased it and qualified my choice. “I can exchange it,” I told her. “Oh, I love lavender now,” she told me. “My sense of smell must have changed during menopause,” she laughed.

And love lavender, she did. In her embrace of all things lavender, she acquired lavender body wash, powder, lotion, hand soap, hand lotion, and even dish soap. One day, shortly after my engagement, she called me. “I have a recipe for lavender scones,” she exclaimed. “It might be like eating potpourri,” I responded. “Oh no,” she replied confidently, “they’ll be good.”

And she was right. They appeared on the menu for my bridal tea. She made them when Clara was born. In the 30 minutes left between my round-the-clock, two-hour-apart, new born nursing marathon sessions, she would bring me two warm scones, split in half. One would have butter and the other raspberry jam. I would savor them, welcoming both the nourishment and her nurturing.

Most recently she brought me lavender scones when she came for a short visit to occupy and love on Clara while I put in some earnest work on my dissertation. Sprawled on the floor with sheets of music and analytical graphs in piles around me, a plate with scone crumbs sat next to my laptop.

Lavender scones are feminine but also grown up. I don’t know if I would have particularly liked them as a young girl, but tastes develop. Scents change. And mothering evolves as a child grows. But a mother’s love is constant.

I love you, Mommy. Happy Mother’s Day.

17-month vocabulary

Monkey, Zebra, Frog, Fish, Horse, Goat (goak), Bunny, Mouse, Neigh, Meow, Oink, Woof, Peep, Banana (mema), Apple (Ap-poo), Raisin, Kiwi, Pea, Noodle (doo-doo), Outside, Inside, Blow, Pop, God, Sip, Bite, Block, Wagon, Bowl, Milk (mak), Water (wa-wa), Pray, Church, Car, Choo-choo, Micah (Minah), Mimi (character in a book), Nap, Sleep, Sheet, Home, Knock, Park, Socks, Bow, Elbow, Knee, Eye, Nose, Mouth, Belly, Hand, See, Sticker (Stick-ee), Flower (Flow-wee), Shower (Show-wee), Boo-boo, Yogurt (Yo-week), Egg, Slide, Song, Raining, Dance, Yellow (Ye-wee), Green, Blue, Comb, Brush, Powder (Pow-bee), One, I know, I don’t know, Boat, Yum, Tractor, Noise, Bug, Rock, Airplane, Glasses, Buckle, Fan, Bean, Beads, Toothbrush (too-tuc), Heart, Star, Oh my!, Kiss, Go, Chair, Grammy (Ammy), possessives (Daddy's, Mommy's), Potty, Shirt, Fork (Feek), Hair bow

Resurrection Day

“Happy then this day to us; happy we that this day came, which opens to us a door of hope—have reason, therefore, to remember it, and with joy to keep it, as the first dawning of a better hope, the day-spring of all our happiness. This day our head is risen, and with him our hope has enlarged its borders, and made a prospect into the other world, sees some comfort there for our sorrows here. This day’s bright -shining beams have lightened our eyes, that now we shall not sleep in death; a Sunday indeed, the first true Sunday that ever shone, wherein the Sun of righteousness arose out of the chambers of the grave, to guide our feet out of misty darkness into marvellous light–out of the paths of the dead into the land of the living–out of this miserable into a blessed life by Christ’s resurrection.”

- Mark Frank (1613-1664)

I have a greater hope, dearest small one, now that you are in this world, a deeper love of the Lord's gifts, a more gutteral hate of sin and a more trusting faith. May there never be a day that you do not know Him as your Risen Savior.

She is a girl...

Easter morning monkey-doodle

(4/12/09)

Easter Basket from Grammy!

(4/11/09)

What can YOU do with a blanket?

(4/10/09)

College roommates and cutie pies

My college roommate Kelly and I met at an open house at Stetson University. Neither of us thought that we would be going to Stetson, but we exchanged phone numbers 'just in case.' When I decided that I was going to go to Stetson (incidentally on the day that the deposit was due - my long-suffering father drove it to the University), I called her and we decided to room together, rather than leave our roommate selection up to the powers that be. We lived together for all four years of college, got married to our dear husbands four years after graduating within two weeks of each other, and had our babies 7 months apart.

We were so happy to be able to spend time together when I was in Orlando.

Elizabeth Ann

(3/30/09)

Travel to sunny climes...

We met Nathan in the Houston airport and continued our travels to Orlando. The weather was beautiful and we had a wonderful time with family and friends.

Here is Clara modeling a pink polka-dot number from the Summer 2009 swimsuit line:(3/27/09)

It isn't all about fashion - function is important, too!(3/30/09)