In springtime, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding; Sweet lovers love the spring. — Shakespeare Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh, what a beautiful day. I’ve got a beautiful feeling everything’s going [our] way! — Curly in Oklahoma! [the way I sing it with the kids] Wake up buttercups and daisies, wake up violets dear, see...
Whitney made a friend at an appointment this morning. A six-year-old girl with Down syndrome entered the room and zeroed in on Whitney, coming over to proclaim her “sister” and sat forehead-to-forehead cupping her face, whispering secrets, and looking into her eyes lovingly. It was precious. I soaked in this beautiful moment of kinship. I’m not usually one to try to make best friends...
Today, one Signing Time: Family, Feelings and Fun DVD = one outdoor pillow for our deck! The kids learned how to say/sign things like “sister” and “grumpy” and I got to get my creative on. Win-win! I am very proud of my little square. And grateful for the sewing machine my grandma gave me years ago. Glass raised to believing in the ability to...
Little dude is part Tasmanian devil. I have been mommy-trained to assume the triple threat position when he starts giving off his crazy cues: his brow furrows and his jaw thrusts forward, clenched. What’s next is unpredictable but has recently been any combination of shrieking, throwing, running, jumping, climbing and tackling. Here he is balancing on the seat of Whitney’s horsey, which promptly turned...
We took a little drive up the Eastern hills this Friday for a fun family adventure. This time of year the hills are a lovely green and there’s mustard blooms proclaiming spring all over the place. It is trips like this one that make me well up with pride to be a native Californian. When we actually take the time to explore I find...
Whitney’s homecoming from the hospital was a week ago yesterday. We are thrilled with how “normal” our life is already…the surgery successfully closed up the hole in her heart and her resilient little body is recovering quickly. Here’s a recount of the day-by-day… The night before the surgery…bath time with Gramby. Day 1: Daybreak arrival. Happy drugs. Emotional parents not wanting to let...
We’ve been home from the hospital for just shy of a week now, and life is just about back to normal, a wonderful new normal. Whitney is a superstar, happily playing and dancing and chatting away. We are weaning her off the little bit of Tylenol she was on since she appears to be pain free. Amazing. Praise God. I’m brewing up a post...
We miss Daddy. …and school …and Gramby …and Lady Dog (who visited us for the weekend recently) …and in general everyone and everything else. We’ve been cooped up with a virus this past week, and will be keeping Whitney at home the next two weeks to protect her from the germs of the outside world until her surgery. I’m forgetting...