True Story

Today was a very strange day for me. I felt energy in the air; a sort of enlightenment occurred. I was surrounded by new life.

This morning, my dear friend Pam, gave birth to her second child, a daughter, Ruby Sue.
While she was laboring, birthing and cuddling her new daughter, I was visiting with her mother and father-in-law in her living room.

An hour later I was doing some graphic design work at a coffee shop and exchanged emails with another expecting friend. She had agreed to encapsulate Pam's placenta in exchange for a henna tattoo on her swollen belly, but in the last few days had been experiencing early signs of labor, despite her due date being nearly 2 weeks away. I offered to encapsulate Pam's placenta and stopped by her house to borrow some supplies. It was lovely to see her as I hadn't in a while. She mentioned watching Otis' birth video for inspiration. I was so moved, I didn't know what to say.

Within 30 minutes or so, I arrived at the birth center to retrieve Pam's placenta. My timing must have been right, because they were amazingly accepting and invited me in to meet their hours-old, sweet girl. I held her and immediately had an overwhelming desire to be with Otis. There is unexplainable energy surrounding new life.

On my drive home I remembered, vividly, Otis' birth and how I felt in the hours after. Today I felt similar things. It was very spiritual in a sense. Rare.

After preparing Pam's placenta to dry this evening, I learned that my friend who loaned me the materials to do so, gave birth to her fifth child, a son.

Wow. True story.

Spring Babies

Two Spring seasons have passed since I last held this:


Here's my baby on the moment of his birth in the place of his birth, two years later:
Otis is so cute! However, he is also two years old and he is intense. We've entered the tantrum stage and I just keep repeating my latest mantra, "This to shall pass". He is amazing talker with an extensive vocabulary and he is rarely quiet. When he stopped using the pacifier a few months ago, he began going to sleep at night on his own. Despite the challenging days we frequently have, most of our time together is very darling.


Spring is a good time to have a baby and I have about 5 friends with big, round, beautiful bellies right now! It is so much fun to be around women creating life.

I was hired by a friend to photograph her and her family in the weeks before the birth of her second baby. She looked amazing and it was such a joy.
Here are a few of my favorites:
I was also able to give my dear friend, Pam, a mother blessing.
It was a wonderful afternoon. She wrote about it in detail on her blog, with photos and all.Pam is a true kindred spirit and I just love her.

You know Spring has arrived...

...when you find...

treasures hidden from the winter, reappear on the patio;

and little boys digging in the dirt;
peas being planted;
and cold frames created...
...and then planted (lettuce and spinach);
and little hands as dirty as this...
...we are a happy, happy family these days.

New Year Tree

We have had one hell of a winter here at the homestead. Cold temperatures, coupled with illness and buckets of snow have really kept us indoors. The real challenge falls on the mama, who has to plan snow days in such a way that everyone maintains sanity!

We've been making lots of art to help with this and trying to work some sort of education into the mix....thus, our "Tree of Thanks" evolved with the seasons and became our "New Year Tree".

Each of the boys made a snowman and we collaboratively collaged and helped our tree shed it's autumn leaves and grow a blanket of snow. All the while we talked about the new year and what we hoped it would bring. Sam spoke of playing with his friends; Arlo wished the new year to bring Legos, and Otis just whined as I kept pulling him away from the hot glue gun.

It was a very fun project for all of us. The boys posed for these pictures, dressed for the snow and all (Sam's idea). I think that our tree will continue to change with the seasons and Spring is just around the corner...

Sick Muffins

This afternoon while trying to get Arlo to take a nap with me in our bed, I had this conversation with him:

ARLO: "Why do we need naps, mama?"

ME: "Well, we've both been sick and our bodies need rest to heal."

ARLO: "Hmm. Why do you keep getting sick?"

ME: " I don't know. We have doctors trying to help us figure that out."

Quiet for a moment.

ARLO: "I think I know why you got sick. Do you want to hear why I think you got sick?"

ME: "Yes, I'd love to hear what you think."

ARLO: "You ate a sick muffin because you like muffins and the sick muffin made you sick."

ME: "Mmm, I do like muffins."

ARLO: "The sick fairy left you the muffin and you ate it."

ME: "I don't like the sick fairy very much."

ARLO: "I don't like the sick fairy very much either."

ME: "Well, if you see another sick muffin sitting around our house waiting to be eaten, please point it out to me so I won't eat it."

ARLO: "Actually, I just made all of that up. It is a story...all make-believe."

The crud has hit our house once again. Despite the number of times we've all been sick this winter, I know it is not just our family. I hear about illness creeping into everyone's home, especially a most recent influenza that is wreaking havoc on all ages. I had a flu shot last week for the first time in eight years and I feel good about it.

Our first ick of 2011 was a round of bronchitis for me, then a puking flu that hit everyone in our house (plus a few unlucky outsiders that were visiting or caring for a sick one).

After about 10 days of that Arlo had a terrible allergic reaction that included snot coming out of his eyes (yeah, I didn't know that could happen either) which evolved to a nasty chest cold putting him on breathing treatments 3 times a day.

Otis caught it as well, though hasn't been as sick as Arlo was.



I managed to catch that cold and now have bronchitis again.
A few weeks ago I visited with an infectious disease specialist, as suggested by my thoracic surgeon at the Univ. of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. This new doctor seemed to have some intuitive ideas and referred me to a lung specialist. I'll have some more tests done during an all-day visit to the hospital in early March. At this point adrenal malfunction has been ruled out, which is very good, and my immune system seems to be functioning within a normal realm, despite the reoccurring lung infections.
We're getting closer and I am keeping my spirits pretty high, most of the time. Occasionally, (when I get sick, especially) I start to feel sorry for myself worry about ending up in bed for months again or dying young. Matt has been a great calming source of comfort and support.

I've been meaning to share these photos from my 8 weeks in bed last fall.

Arlo turned 4!

Arlo had big ideas about turning four....
He wanted all his friends to have capes to wear at the party and he wanted a "snowball" cake, "because it is winter time, Mama".

So, I indulged his requests and made 7 or 8 capes from scrap fabric (they were a big hit) and I made this delicious snowball cake, fashioned after the Hostess Snowball Snack Cake.


It was actually very easy to make, thanks to "Cook's Country" magazine and it was so yummy! Though I wasn't sure we'd have enough with all of Arlo's buddies at the party, so we bought some cupcakes, as well and I made little "4" pennants to make them a bit more festive.


The cake was a big hit....for everyone.


We blew up balloons with helium and they were also a big hit.


Arlo was given some amazing gifts including this "Arlo" doll hand made by Matt's mom. He was thrilled, as you can see, and "Arlo doll" is present every night in amongst Arlo's menagerie of bedtime "buddies", as Arlo calls them.


The kids received these silly glasses as a party favor...but as you can tell, the adults (and dogs) had just as much fun with them!


Lots of dress up and running around and even a special movie with popcorn...all in all a great 4th birthday!


At age 4, Arlo:

:: still requests cuddle time every night and I oblige. It is a special time where he and I talk about whatever he wants to talk about. Last night he "spelled" words and I told him what the "words" were. it was sweet.

:: weighs about 45 pounds and is about a head taller than Otis and a head smaller than Sam. Specific, I know, but we never measure the kids...we did just start a wall with their head heights labeled.

:: asks some pretty deep questions, such as, "Where did people come from?" and "If we are on this planet, could there be other people on other planets?" Intense.

:: is becoming quite helpful with Otis and in general around the house...and I mean helpful in a real way

:: still sleeps with his menagerie of "buddies" including, but not limited to, baby, ducky, blankie (a scarf Matt bought me on our honeymoon in Mexico), "Arlo doll", Twilight (his turtle that makes stars on the ceiling), Gooey doll (a home made "ugly" doll), purple dinosaur....

:: loves to play with Sam and looks forward to play time every day.

:: LOVES singing and knows all the words to all the songs on the Pete Seeger live children's album we play in the van everyday. It is a great album.

:: still uses the "w" sound in place of the "L" sound and the "R" sound. It is vewy, vewy, adowable.

:: will show up in our bed 4-6 nights a week and loves to cuddle with me on my side of the bed...never in the middle.

:: is becoming very compassionate and is learning to express his emotions verbally, very well.

:: does not like the cold and has expressed to me a number of times that winter is his least favorite season.

:: LOVES being at home all the time wearing his pajamas playing with his brothers...he'll choose this above all other activities.

Remembering August 19th

Matt and I shared three days alone on the Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City, MI in August in celebration of our tenth wedding anniversary. It was very romantic. More later...