bruised but not broken

Poor little Linus had a rough day yesterday. He fell off the "rocket ship" he and Gwendolyn had constructed in the back yard and busted his lip open. Later, while playing with Todd, he got poked in the eye with a stick. The thing about Linus is, he doesn't make a big deal out of his injuries. After a popsicle and a few "magic pills" (arnica), he was ready to go again. He's got a hard head, that one.

"straw paper chain necklace"

Gwennie models one of her creations -- a necklace she made using bits of straw she cut up and then hooked together. If she's not creating and crafting, she's got her nose in a book. Sound familiar?

thirty-four

We hoped to get a good birthday photo of me with all the children, but these were the best we could do. They're appropriate though -- I'm always at the center of chaos.

children's museum with auntie tiffany

Auntie Tiffany came into town to spend a long weekend with us. All the kids love her, and what's not to love? Linus especially has a big ol' crush on her, but with the way Casper's been flirting, Linus now has some stiff competition.

gnome home

I took the children to a nearby park to search for acorn caps, where we found a tree with a hollow opening and a large toadstool at the base. Gwendolyn and Linus were convinced that this was the entrance to the home of a forest gnome. Gwendolyn sent the rest of us away and spent a long time talking to the little gnome before she joined us in our acorn search. We later found a similar tree (but with cobwebs instead of toadstools) that the children decided was the home of an old troll. We're still looking for fairy houses.

our happy little lark

Linus, while looking up at Mama: Your mouth is way up high. So is your head. It’s big.

Linus: I wish I had a lot of mouths.
Mama: Really? Why?
Linus: So I could eat everything at the same time!

Linus: I’m happy as a lark!

We recently had a family movie night and let the kids watch The Iron Giant for the first time. This morning Linus was walking around pretending to be the giant and reenacting the scene in which the giant begins talking. Linus, holding up Nougat and using his best deep, rough voice, “Rock.” And holding up a plastic tree, “Tree.”

perspective

While Hurricane Ike seems a thing of the distant past for most people, I wanted to take a minute and write about some of the things I’ve experienced over the past week and a half.

Our church building is currently being used as a shelter, and has been since Thursday the 11^th. All of the people who came here seeking refuge are from Galveston or Kemah and they now have nothing left. Nothing. Last week, four of the men went down to the coast and visited all four of their homes. The one and only thing they came back with was a motorcycle, which doesn’t work. If their homes were still standing, they were missing roofs or walls, and everything had been completely flooded.

Currently, there are about 60 people staying in the building (down from 120), and many expect to be here until Saturday the 27^th. The women have been making big cafeteria-style meals for breakfast and lunch while the three family wards in the area bring in dinners on a rotation schedule. Each family has a classroom and share the showers in the font dressing rooms; the children are attending nearby schools; laundry is taken to a local washateria or is being done in the homes of members of the Spanish branch; pets have been farmed out to the homes of ward members. Many of these people brought only a little bit of money, and since they haven’t been working (and don't know if their places of employment are still standing), they are running out. People from our ward have been asked to sign up if they have any jobs for hire in their homes, and these refugees have been going out everyday, repairing people’s fences, cleaning homes, doing yard work, and the like.

This whole experience has been so very humbling for me. My heart goes out to all our Houston friends who have had damage to their homes, or are still without power and clean water. I think about you every single day, worry about you, check your blogs, and pray for you. I also think about these sweet families living in our ward building, these good people who have lost everything, and my heart nearly breaks. While I firmly believe that the worth of a person is measured by what she creates and not what she consumes, I cannot imagine losing all of my earthly possessions and having to start completely over. It makes me slow down and count my blessings a little bit more carefully, makes me think about more ways that I can serve my fellowman, makes me grateful that this one time, I am one who can offer service instead of stand in need of it.

I'm thankful for my parents who sent a large check to our ward's disaster relief fund. We do not have a wealthy ward and I've seen how their donation has been needed and appreciated by so many. I’m so thankful to the people in my ward who are so willing to help our friends from Galveston and Kemah. I am currently serving in the RS presidency and have seen first-hand the outpouring of love, concern and service. I’ve stood in awe of my local leaders, especially our Bishop and Relief Society President. Since ours is the only family ward which meets in our building, most of the responsibility has fallen into their laps. Our Stake (which had 4 other buildings being used as shelters during the storm) has responded with such love. The Stake Relief Society President called me this afternoon and told me that when she offered a list of items needed by the evacuees, it looked like ants swarming as the sisters in her ward rushed to snatch up these additional ways to help. I witnessed the same thing in my ward. I’ve once again been impressed by the organization of the Church. Last Sunday, about midnight, a truck-driver from the Bishop’s storehouse arrived (he had been driving all over the region all day) bringing four pallets of food, water, and hygiene kits. Today, the leaders from the Stake in the Galveston/Kemah area were in our building meeting with our Stake President, our bishop, and the Priesthood leaders of the evacuees’ branches.

The past 12 days have really put things in perspective for me. I know that we all have problems, but it is hard to have a pity party for myself when I spend my days serving others who are going through the biggest trial of their lives. I'm so thankful for the gift of the Atonement of our Savior, which helps us overcome our trials, no matter what they are. I'm thankful for a loving Father in Heaven who knows us and answers prayers in simple and sometimes miraculous ways. Please pray for these sweet families who are now trying to pick up the pieces and figure out the best way to start over.

boxmobile

Our entry for this week's cutest-thing-ever competition.

shower games

Tomorrow, I will be hosting a baby shower for a friend of ours. We met this couple immediately after moving here, and the impending mother, Jenn, subsequently began working at the library with Todd. They're great folks, and we're looking forward to the shower (as much as being descended upon by a horde of mothers and mothers-to-be can be enjoyed).

Here is the get-to-know-you game we'll start with (and the only one we'll be playing), a bingo-like game where each box must be filled in with an individual name. Maybe we'll post some pictures -- like a shot of Todd's almond and blueberry jelly roll -- tomorrow.

nekkid

Honestly, I'm normally able to get Linus to wear pants, but sometimes though against his will. Casper also loves to be naked and will try to take off his shirts (and this morning succeeded in getting his arm out of a sleeve). I guess it's in their genes -- as toddlers, their Daddy was known for stripping down and lying in the gutter, and their Granny was known for stripping down and burying her clothes in the backyard.

moves

Gwendolyn: Mama, you’re not so much smart. I mean, you’re not as smart as me.

stop motion

linee bear

On a recent trip to Target, I bought Linus a bear mask which he had found in the dollar bins. He hardly took it off that first day and announced to me, “Now I’m an old bear. In my younger days, I was quite the traveler.”

the aftermath

So it rained all day, there was a lot of wind (reportedly hurricane-force gusts), some damage around town, and many people in our area without electricity, but we fared pretty well (with the exception of a shingle which got pulled up in the wind, leading to a little leak in our hallway). We stayed home all day and cleaned and played and ate and napped. This evening, after it was all over, Todd and the kids played in the rain-soaked yard to celebrate the end of Hurricane Ike. Good riddance.

hunkering down

Watching Hurricane Ike barrel toward the Gulf Coast has been so emotional. We lived in the city for 7 years and I always dreaded the start of hurricane season and celebrated the end of it. Three years ago, we evacuated during Hurricane Rita – Todd and I each drove a car (since the cat, kids and adults wouldn’t all fit in the same vehicle) – and it took us 27 hours of straight driving to reach Dallas. A nightmare. I still get emotional thinking about it and feel very panic-y if I’m stuck in traffic too long. I grew up in Houston and am old enough to remember Hurricane Alicia and all the damage and flooding (and fear) associated with that storm.

We left the city less than a year ago and though we’re expecting plenty of bad weather here in our new town, I don’t have the fear I lived with for so many years. Today I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve the families taking refuge at our church building and to help people who are evacuating. Last night some friends arrived from the city (it took them 6 hours to reach our house) and spent the night. The kids had a great time playing with friends (and their puppy) and it was wonderful for me to renew old friendships, catch up on things and to serve.

We’re praying for the safety of all our city friends who are hunkering down.

six

Happy birthday my sweet angel girl! I can’t believe how quickly these first six years have flown past. To think that your childhood is ending and your youth beginning -- what a transition.

I’ve always said that you are my firecracker and it’s true – you’re feisty and strong willed and we’ve had many ups and downs through the years. You are also one of the kindest, friendliest, most tender children I know. Though you will do anything you can think of to manipulate Linus to do or give you something you want, the two of you are also the best of friends. You nurture him and Casper, you lead them and lecture them on the proper way to behave. It is so fun to watch you mother them (and of course, Baby Pillow). You are growing up and maturing and all the little child in you rapidly disappearing.

I love your imagination. You and Linus come up with the most elaborate games and you tell him detailed stories about his favorite thing, bears. You love to create. I know I could sit and do crafts with you all day and you wouldn’t tire of it. You have a “craft drawer” in your room stuffed with odds and ends and you are continually making things for friends and neighbors.

You’ve always been a bookworm and are starting to develop a love of the scriptures. You love to look at picture books, listen to audiobooks and have longer chapter books read to you at night. I must say, you are very well-read for a girl who can’t read. Just the other night you expressed frustration that you didn’t know how to read and threatened that when I taught you, you were going to stat up all night long reading. I’m sure you will, too.

You have a way with wildlife. If it creeps, crawls or walks, it’s your friend. Just today I was clearing the kitchen table so you and Linus could play with playdoh and found a bucket of water on the table – you had brought a new froggy friend into the house so he wouldn’t be lonely outside (the only problem with your plan was that frogs jump and the bucket was empty when I found it. Even thought it was a tiny frog, I’m still a little grossed out.). I really enjoy watching your excitement over and affection for living things.

Thank you for being the sweet, sensitive, loving, and intelligent human being that you are. I am so thankful to have you in my life; you make me a better person. I adore you, sweet Gwennie.

sweet dreams are made of freon

How people lived in Texas before air conditioning, I'll never know. It feels so good to have cold air circulating through our house again. I briefly considered putting the kids in footie sleepers tonight and setting the thermostat to 58, just because I could, but feared that they would then wake up in the middle of the night because they were cold. Here's to a good night of sleep.

hot august (okay, september) nights

Our air conditioner is blowing air, but not cold air, so we spent our school day going on "field trips" and running errands to escape the 90 degree heat inside our house. Salvation comes tomorrow afternoon in the form of an HVAC guy named Ronnie.

stepping over stepping stones

Casper took some steps all on his own on Saturday, and actually realized what he'd done. On three separate instances, he took three consecutive steps. New walkers are always fun to watch, but I was especially thrilled that Granny and Grandad were here to see it. I don't think Casper will give up crawling for a couple more weeks, but walking before 13 months of age?! A new record in our family.

tea time

Gwendolyn’s birthday party (which I’ve been stressed out about, even though pleasing a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds isn’t that hard) was a huge success. There were six little girls including Gwennie, and all were decked out in their tea party finest. Auntie Tiffany was here and Granny and Grandad arrived just as the festivities were getting under way.

I had a couple of children’s tables set up in the living room and as the girls arrived, they each made an “Autumn Fairy.” This was a fairly simple craft and the little dolls turned out quite well. I bought old-style wooden clothespins which Todd drilled a small hole in, right through the side where the arms would be. The girls inserted a 3 ½-inch piece of pipe cleaner for arms. Then a felt dress which I’d cut was pulled over the doll’s head, and the girls used needle and thread to sew the dress’ sleeves around the arms and the dress around the clothespin body. We used craft glue to attach little wooden beads to the ends of the pipe cleaner to make hands, and added a bit of wool roving to the doll’s head for hair. Of course, no Autumn Fairy would be complete without a little acorn cap to use as a hat (which we’d had to hunt down from last year’s acorns, looking through the humus under some oak trees in our neighborhood park to find the few caps which had been spared by the squirrels and composting).As soon as the fairies were complete, we went into the kitchen for the tea party proper. We had finger sandwiches, mini muffins, crackers and fruit. I had all sorts of plans for “tea,” but ran out of time, so the teapot contained apple juice. Todd also made a foamy pink “fairy brew,” which was a hit: pineapple juice mixed with ginger ale and sherbet.When lunch was through, we went out back to beat at the piñata. It was a cheap piñata (which wasn’t even paper mache – it was cardboard connected with masking tape; where are Stephen and Shawna when you need them?) and didn’t take long to crack, which Gwendolyn did with a massive blow, just after everyone had taken a turn.With bags of candy in tow, we went into the kitchen to sing happy birthday and enjoy the cupcakes Auntie Tiffany had made. As the girls were finishing up, they noticed little bits of paper stuck to the bottom of their plates – puzzle pieces which turned out to be the first clue in a series which led them on an elaborate treasure hunt. The treasure? The goody bags: Little purses I had sewn which contained flower seeds to plant, some stickers, handmade hairclips, bouncy balls (Linus’s contribution), and a ringpop.

The party ended right on time and I think everyone had a great time – I know the birthday girl was very pleased. Afterward, we opened presents (we had specified “no gifts, please” on the party invitations, so most of her friends brought lovely handmade cards). Gwendolyn got lots of new clothes, hair bands and clips, a new ensemble for ballet class, a jump rope, dress up jewelry, a tutu and her favorite gift – a rock tumbler. We all had a great time celebrating this sweet little girl.

party ready

We spent the day putting final touches on all the items needed for the big party. More details tomorrow.

sixth birthday crafts: letterpress cards

We're preparing for another birthday celebration this weekend and wanted to document the handmade side of the festivities before we document the actual festivities.

Gwendolyn has been busy hand-coloring her birthday tea party invitations: letterpress printed cards featuring an original linocut of teapots by Todd.

the mind of our three-year-old

Linus: I think we should name Mama Cat “Whiskey.”
Todd: Why, Linus?
Linus: Because she has the same name as whiskers.

Mama: Holy mackerel, that was a huge bite, Linus!
Linus, later in the meal: Daddy got a huge mackerel of chips!

Mama: We need to teach Casper not to bite.
Linus: Yeah, by throwing him on the ceiling.

Linus: Can you make this for us?
Mama: I’m sorry, I can’t. Daddy does that.
Linus: Only Daddy can?
Mama: Yep.
Linus: Just pretend you’re Daddy!

Linus, upset with Mama, threatens, "Then I'm never going to hurry to the potty ever again!"
He really has a sense of what's important to me, I'll give him that.

annual check-ups

Casper, who seems like a pretty big kid to me, is 31 ¼ inches tall (90-95^th percentile) and tips the scales at 22#, 12 ozs (50^th percentile). I don’t want to compare, but just to add a little perspective: at Linus’s 1 year check up, he was an inch and a half taller and nearly 4 ½ pounds heavier than Casper is now.

Gwendolyn is 46 ¾ inches tall (between 75^th and 90^th percentile) and weighs 44 pounds (50^th percentile). The poor kid also had to get blood drawn for allergy testing (I’m hoping to be able to feed her mango and peanut butter one day). She was very, very brave, though she did cry when they stuck that big needle in her arm. I’m sure it made her feel better when she got a sucker and Linus didn’t.

one!

Oh my little Casper! I can’t believe you are one. ONE! How did you get so big? Those first few weeks of your life were pure chaos – packing and unpacking, moving, cleaning, painting, adjusting – and I feel I missed some of that new baby bonding and enjoying. It makes me a little sad, but we’ve made up for it. You are the first baby I’ve been able to stay home with full-time and I love it. I love being with you every moment of the day and because we are together so much, I feel I know you and understand you more than I did your brother and sister when they were babies.

You have so much passion in that little body of yours. Even at this young age, if you are upset about not getting your way or getting a toy swiped from your hands, you will often let the world know by wailing and arching your back and literally throwing your little body down on the floor. Now these tantrums don’t last long at all, but they worry me – you may be the child that finally teaches me how to be a parent. Your passion goes both ways -- you will also throw your body down in a fit of joy and excitement. At the same time, you are so easygoing. Relaxed and cheerful, happy and content to be dragged along for the ride.

You are also a bit of a clown. You love to laugh and giggle and play games. You like to do silly things to make your siblings laugh, a well as laugh at their antics. You always want to be right where the action is and truly believe you are one of the big kids. You aren’t afraid to jump right in and play with (or take toys from) your brother and sister. Linus has knocked you down a number of times, but you often will try to tackle him or yell at him and let your presence be known. You are also quite athletic. You are my earliest crawler and a very proficient crawler you are. You climb like a champ and I suspect you will be walking within the month (which is early for our family).

You love to cuddle and from birth, you’ve wanted to be held and rocked and nuzzled. You’re already growing up far too fast and are always on the move, so I rather enjoy the brief moments you still allow me to cuddle with you.

I love you, sweet Casper. What a joy and blessing you are to our family.

Casper's birth story

Dearest little Casper, it’s been a year, and I feel like I’m finally emotionally able to write your birth story, so on the eve of your first birthday, here is the story of your birth:I was very cocky going into this birth. Since this was my third labor and Linus’s birth was such a breeze and I was using the same group of midwives and hospital, I honestly believed that the baby would come within a day or two of his due date and my labor would last less than three hours. Casper had different plans for me.

The weeks around the birth were very stressful. Days before my due date, Todd left town to interview for his job at the university library. The due date, August 17^th, came and went. The week following the due date, Todd was offered the job and went through salary negotiations, and we started packing up our house in the city. The week after the due date came and went. I did everything I could think of to try to jump-start labor, but nothing. We continued packing and waiting, unable to go look for a house in our new town, fearing that I would go into labor as soon as we left the city limits.

Finally, the midwives started talking about induction. On Monday the 27^th I went into the hospital to receive a dose of the prostaglandin gel and leave a urine sample for a suspected urinary tract infection. Todd and I went to lunch later that morning and I began having regular and intense contractions, but they quickly petered out. My next appointment with the midwives was on Wednesday the 29^th and the prostaglandin gel had only caused me to dilate to three centimeters. I felt so confident that I would still go into labor on my own, but at almost 2 weeks past due, an induction needed to be scheduled. I would have been allowed to wait until I was 14 days late, but I really wanted to deliver with a midwife I knew and Titi Otunla, the midwife who assisted at Linus’s birth, was on call the next day, Thursday the 30^th.

Of course, with nerves and excitement, I didn’t sleep very well on Wednesday night. We were instructed to start calling the hospital at 5.30am Thursday to check for an empty L&D room. Our first call landed us 3^rd on the list, with instructions to call back in an hour. We called back and found that we had been bumped to 12^th on the list. The head nurse was certain we wouldn’t get a room before lunchtime, so we were told to call back then. The farther along in the day we went, the farther down the list we moved. The hospital nurse told me that there were a lot of “sick” babies who needed to be delivered, but when Titi called about 2.30 that afternoon, she had talked to a number of hospital nurses who reported that the doctors were lying to the hospital to get their patients in (likely so they could deliver on the Friday before the three day weekend). Titi was just as frustrated as we were and told us that our strategy was to play the game as well. So about 5pm, she called the hospital and told them I was in labor.

We arrived at the hospital at 6pm and though I was dilated 5cm, I was not in labor – no contractions, no pain. I again told the nurses that I had a UTI, so once again, they took a urine sample. Titi arrived about 8pm and had us do some walking and squatting and nipple stimulation. Still nothing. We decided to “induce” labor by breaking my bag of waters, believing that full-blown labor would immediately follow and we would have little Casper in our arms before the night was through.

Little Casper had other plans. Though breaking the amniotic sac at 10pm did send me into active labor, the baby’s head never dropped. I squatted and walked and breathed through intense contractions for hours and hours, got in and out of the tub, on and off the birthing ball, threw up a couple of times.

My body finally got to 8 ½ cm and then labor stalled . . . for about 3 hours. I was in intense pain because the baby’s head was pushing right on my bladder and we learned that none of the urine samples I had given throughout the week had been sent for testing. We started antibiotics in an IV, but it didn’t help much. We began pitocin in an effort to help the baby move lower and past my bladder. The pain from the UTI mixed with the intensity of the contractions mixed with my complete and utter exhaustion was just too much for me. So at 9am on the morning of August 31^st, after being awake for more than 29 hours and being in active labor for 11 hours, I decided to get an epidural.

It was a very hard decision for me, very humbling and certainly something I never want to have to do again. Due to hospital policy, Todd was forced to leave the room during the administration of the epidural. But thankfully, the epidural did help. I still had pain from the bladder infection, but without the pain from the contractions, I was able to rest some. The pitocin was put on max, and after half and hour of rest, I was at 10cm.

I felt the pushing stage of this labor was my most difficult (even with Linus’s big head and huge body). Although the medication from the epidural was turned off, I still had to push the baby down before I could push him out (the pitocin hadn’t helped him drop very much). Finally, after about half an hour of hard pushing, we welcomed Casper George into this world at 10.04am on August 31st.

Titi went above and beyond the call of duty. She also thought this birth would be a walk in the park, but even though it kept dragging on (and she delivered two other babies while I was in labor), she stuck right there with me. She stayed four full hours past the time that her 24 hour shift ended, just for me. How I love and respect that woman.

Todd was an amazing coach through the whole thing. It’s like he knew what I needed before I could speak the words. This birth was easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done and it was such a comfort to look over and see my best friend sitting next to me the entire time.

Here is the email Todd sent out to announce the news:

Parlance seems gorgeous

You can imagine my anxiety as Jennifer's labor, active for eleven hours, stalled due to excruciating pain from a bladder infection. Because I knew that the name we'd chosen for the baby was an anagram for "Cesarean's Gruesome Glop" and -- even more terrifying -- "Cesarean's Morgue Gospel," I imagined that the worst was coming to pass. Jennifer, who had been awake for twenty-nine hours at this point, was entirely incapacitated by the onset of this exponential degree of discomfort. Fortunately, blessedly, after some pitocin and an unanticipated epidural -- and just another hour of labor -- Jen was able to move past the pain, and succeeded in delivering our little boy. He may be belated (a full two weeks past due), but he's charming, handsome, and healthy. Jen's recovery is also coming along.

Here are the much-anticipated details: Casper George Samuelson was born
shortly after 10 a.m. on the morning of Friday, 31 August. (The "George" is a family name, taken from Jen's maternal Grandfather, who was born -- as we found out on Friday afternoon, after the name was decided -- also on August 31; the "Casper" is the name which fits him best. Both, please note, are cartoon characters. Feel free to continue to refer to him as "Gargamel," and we'll see if the nickname sticks.) At 9 pounds, 9 ounces, he's exactly a pound lighter than Linus, but is still referred to as "giant" and "massive" and "how did you do that?" by all the postpartum nurses. At 20 inches, he looks relatively lanky.

We got Jen and Casper home early this afternoon. The latter, in particular, is basking in the affection of two adoring older siblings (for a little visual proof, see the attached photos.) We're all thrilled to have him with us after our long wait, and are excited to get to know him a little better. We hope to be able to talk to each of you in more detail over the next few weeks.

this is what misery looks like

August 29th, 2007
41 weeks, 5 days pregnant

imaginary

Nougat the bear, Linus's lovey, has his own imaginary friends. There are three of them. I'm not sure if they are also bears or what their names are, but lately they go everywhere with us and Linus simply refers to them as, "Nougat's friends."

waterfight

Mama: Not right now, guys.
Linus: We’re not guys, we’re children!

While shopping earlier this week, Linus was not following the rules of the store, so he had to ride in the back of the cart instead of walk. Very loudly, he protested, “I don’t like the way I’m being treated!” When we got up to the check-out line, the cashier asked him, “Are you the child who was being mistreated?”

Linus: What’s for dinner tonight?
Daddy: Fricasseed tomatoes.
Gwendolyn: Ew, fricasseed tomatoes! Disgusting!
Linus: Yeah, ew, frickin’ seed tomatoes!