remember me?

Clearly, I've been gone too long.

I've quit my job, joined facebook, and become a true stay at home mom. I'm going to try to reenergize my blogging efforts.

I apologize for the long absence, my adoring fans, but I'll try to post something interesting soon.

Weekend at the Lake

Big brother is fast, and wears only the best racing gear:

Little sister hates her hat:

We're all a bit pink in the cheeks, but it was so wonderful to feel the sunshine.

With needle and thread my soul is fed

Sew, for Christmas I got a fabulous new sewing machine, and sewing room.

Isn't it beautiful?

Sew, then I started making a quilt for Jewel. I made one for her brother when he was roughly her age. This time I have better tools and equipment, though.

Sew, this is the back ground (laid out sideways - sorry):

But, this is what all the pieces look like laid out. Last night, I sewed the tree trunk on. The rest will have to wait a bit.

Some of my earliest memories are of standing at my Grandma's side as she sewed for me. I would pull pins from the pin cushion and replace them for her. I pushed the pins deep into the cushion, thinking that I was helpful, but I know now that I was making it harder for her. I remember standing stiff as a board while I tried on dresses in progress, afraid to move lest I be stabbed by an overlooked pin. I still remember the hard and fast rules: 1) NEVER use the sewing scissors for anything else, and 2) you MUST WEAR SHOES in the sewing room - stray pins lurk about. I'm sad that none of those clothes she sewed so lovingly for me have survived. What has survived are the sewing lessons I gathered along the years. Because of the time spent, literally, at her feet, I can now sew for my children - and hopefully, my grandchildren, too.

As I sew, I think about my tools, my thread, the pins and needles I use. Many of them were castoffs of my Grandmothers. But, most my quilting supplies were a gift from my other Grandmother, Kathy. And most of my thread came from a lady I never, knew, named Wyzee (aka Fuzz). Fuzz never had children of her own, but as I was using her pins to hold pieces of Jewel's quilt together, I thought about how her blood (literally on the pins - ouch!) and sweat and devotion is being sewn into a blanket for the next generation. I quietly thanked her for so many of the tools that made my work easier. Although my children may remember my Grandmother, they will never know her. But, Liam already spends time at my side watching me sew, pushing the pins waaaay down into the cushion to help me. So, I'm hopeful that the skills and tools of my foremothers will continue to be used long after I am gone.

Ringing in 2009

May this be a happy, safe, prosperous and healthy year for us all. Liam seems to have a head start!

God bless Dr. Ferber

Thanks to Dr. Ferber and my own mother, I have had three nights of uninterrupted sleep. I think it has been at least two years since I've had a run even close to that. Mom kept Jewel overnight on Friday, her first night away from us. And the last two nights she has slept soundly all night long!

In certain parenting circles, Dr. Ferber is demonized as a let-your-baby-cry-it-out villain who is partly to blame for the moral decay of our society. But, when I was nursing a nearly-one-year-old all night long instead of sleeping, I knew that we would both be happier people if we were getting better sleep. So, I actually read Dr. Ferber's book, and discovered it was not authored by Lucifer nor published by the Hades Press, in fact, I think Dr. Ferber is considerate, and non-judgemental - allowing us to define problems ourselves. So off she went to her crib in her room. We were down to two wakings a night, and -- knock wood -- no wakings for the last two nights.

Thank you, Jewel, for my early Christmas present. In the words of Tiny Tim, God bless us everyone, and you too Dr. Ferber.

Outlasting a greyhound

Here is one of the only pictures I have of myself on the Breast Cancer 3 day walk:

Also featured in the photo is my personal support crew. It was an amazing event, that I think I will participate in again in 2009. Obviously Breast cancer is a personal health concern to me, as well as something I council patients about on a daily basis. I met a great friend on the walk, who is keeping up with her own training and putting me to shame. So Jennifer, if your reading, we're still a team!

So in order to improve my own health, and to appear less hypocritical to my patients, I went for a run with my dog today. I estimate that I ran half of the distance and walked the other half. My greyhound, Stella, came along for emotional support and did well in her role. By wearing herself out she made me feel that perhaps I wasn't as out of shape as I feared. (Of course, greyhounds are sprinters, not distance runners, and granted I'm not a cat or a bunny) Although it wasn't a marathon, it was a start.

Anyway, I'm proud of myself, and I'm hoping to keep it up.

One year ago today . . .

I gave birth to my darling Jewel at 3:02 in the morning. I did it without medication, without medical technology or prying eyes or hands. I did it with dignity and courage and love and the assistance of a few other loving family members. I did it in the privacy of my own home. It was just the way I wanted it to be.

Then, we had the most wonderful snuggle in our own bed, followed by a feast of a breakfast with the entire family in attendance to help us celebrate. I sat at the table, with my new babe in my arms, feeling a little tired, but mostly in awe of the wonderful new life among us. Thrilled to feel physically well after such an amazing travail.

Today we sang to her and I held her close. She has a cold today and doesn't feel well. Saturday we will have a small celebration of her first year earthside. I'm so grateful for her and so happy to be her Mommy. It's wonderful.

Tonight's bedtime snack:

Sleeping belle: