I Remember

Leaving for college on the other side of the country was scary and exciting and a great adventure, but it was heartbreaking in one way. I felt like I was leaving behind my two sisters who I had just barely met. Olivia was three years old and Elise was still learning to talk at just 18 months old. I didn't know what would happen four years down the road when I finished my degree (It ended up being five).  There was no guarantee that I would be back to the same town or state or even that I would return to the East Coast. Maybe I would have a job and stay in the West or maybe I would further my education at another school -God knows where.  Maybe I would marry someone who I'd follow to Texas or California (but I was pretty set on marrying my boyfriend from down the road, so that wasn't a big concern).  I looked at these sisters, one still in diapers, the other just barely out, and worried I would miss their whole lives. I wondered if they would remember me and all of the fun we had had in just a few short years.

It was a tearful goodbye. The van was packed to the gills and I was anticipating the arrival of two of my driving mates. I remember those moments in my parents' bedroom clearly though it happened almost fifteen years ago. I was sitting on the bed still wearing my church clothes that Sunday afternoon, the sun streaming through the west facing windows, my mom and two sisters giving hugs and frantic advice (just Mom in that case), my dad possibly videotaping (I'll have to look into that ). Then Livi told me she had something for me. It was a pink plastic piggy bank, a blue and white gingham kerchief tied around its neck. "So you can save up to come back home".  She had put a few pennies in to give me a head start. 

Pooka Turns Nine

We actually call him Gerret.  The name Pooka went out of style around the time he started attending school. He's a unique boy and sometimes has a tough time socially because of it. While most boys in his grade are rough, rowdy, and hyper-athletic, he is gentle, quiet, creative, and kind. 

He loves to read, build with Legos, collect rocks, draw comics, and play video games. He also adores a YouTube show called "Good Mythical Morning."  Gerret is Sam's number one fan. He is always eager to hold his new brother and rushes to see him after he gets off the bus in the afternoon. 

He's spent most of his life avoiding water, but bravely faced his fear this year and chose to be baptized by immersion. 

He has expressed interest in learning piano, but I haven't followed through in teaching him, so he jumped at the chance to learn to play a recorder in music class. It's been fun to watch him so intent on learning to play. 

He invents games and gathers or creates the materials to play them. He has a card game that is a bit like Magic the Gathering. He created every creature, potion, spell, and mana amounts on invdividual cards and then went a step further and illustrated a board and built game pieces out of Legos.  He also brought to life an outdoor game called Delano Ball, patterned after Calvin and Hobbes' "Calvinball". 

Gerret also got the idea from Calvin to form a club which he dubbed The Great Club and made hats for all of its membership. 

I'm so proud of my boy with the adventure bag and shelves of rocks. What a kind heart and inventive mind he has. What a treasure he is to our family.  

Sam: the third month

In the past month, Sam has gained a noticeable amount of control over his hands. He can grab objects and pull them to his mouth. Mostly, he's pleased that he can suck on his fingers without many fumbles. He smiles and babbles quite a lot and laughs some. 

He outgrew his bassinet when we stopped swaddling him because now he sleeps with his arms outstretched.  So he moved out of our room and into his crib. He graduated from the swaddle to Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit, which consumers tout as being a gadget beyond your wildest hopes when it comes to getting your baby to sleep for long stretches. I can anecdotally tell you that it has not helped this baby sleep any longer than he already was (which was 3-4 hours at night).  But he looks more comfortable in it than he did swaddled. Sammy enjoyed his first Christmas. He received lots of toys and clothes and diapers. He stayed awake long enough for his siblings to enjoy a raucous morning unwrappping gifts without having to temper it to accommodate his nap. 

He started attending church this month, which consists of a lot of time in the mother's lounge. Of particular interest was church on New Year's Day because that was the day he received his baby's blessing given to him by his dad. He wore a bonnet during his blessing; made and given to him by some kind people in our branch for the occasion. The bonnet can be turned into a handkerchief to give to his bride on his wedding day. 

He continues to be adored by his older siblings who give him lots of attention, offer their help in caring for him, and call him all sorts of names like "Sam-i-samerson" and "Super Sam".