Surf, Sun and Sand

In early May we spent a weekend with my folks in Cayucos. This was Cadence's first real experience with the beach. I have to say she seemed to like it. She definitely handled it a little better than dear old dad...Eric is actually not a big fan of sand and the places it seems to travel too. He also is not a fan of cold water. So while he danced in place as the icy waters caused his toes to tingle, our daughter babbled with delight at the new sensations that each wave brought with it. Cadence also got to see and taste a hermit crab for the first time. Fortunately she spit out the bewildered crab, still nestled in its shell, before I decided to put my first aide skills into action. Unfortunately for Eric...good sport that he is...to add insult upon injury, there was something at that particular beach on that particular day, that he was highly allergic too. I never knew eyes could get that red and puffy! Let's just say its a weekend we won't soon forgot. Maybe Eric will be ready to give it another go next year.

Easter

Better late than never they say. Here are some pics from Cadence's first Easter:

Basket time:



With grandpa at Granny Mouse's house:

A fountain!

"Live long and prosper"

Splish-splash!

Glug, glug, glug...

Cadence also has a nice bunny family now to keep her company in her room. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

Lessons in First Aide

I've been CPR/First Aide certified a few times in my life. Mainly just as a requirement for a job, and all with the hope of never having to actually put to practice any of what was learned. As a parent, even just of one small person, those skills suddenly take on a new kind of importance.

So maybe I might have over-reacted just a little, first-time mom and all, but my daughter does tend to put anything...and everything...into her mouth to eat. I've become pretty attuned to the too silent silences, and the pauses taken in a bounding crawl across the floor. I've learned to recognize the cues that she's carrying something small in the pocket of her cheeks by these certain little noises she makes or the way she sucks her lip. And yet, even with all these newly acquired skills, I honestly couldn't begin to guess all the things my daughter has probably ingested.

One day I was playing with Cadence outside. We were looking at a fish pond we have in our back yard and she reached for a dry leaf. I saw this, with my ever-watchful eye, and decided it would be a good time to head inside, proud that I had averted a leaf-eating catastrophe. As I headed back to the house, child on hip, to my surprise I see the small brown tip of a leaf poking through her fingers. I quickly removed the offending shard of nature and continued up the back stairs looking intently at my child's countenance. Sure enough, the telltale signs were there...soft grunting, small lip smacks, and faint sucking sounds....she had something in her mouth!

Horrified at the thought that she might eat this mysterious object, I attempted to fish the thing out with my finger. In protest she met my finger jabs toward her mouth with arm flails, clenched jaws, and head swerves. I then placed my child, ever so gently, on the floor and used one arm to keep her arms out of the way while I attempted to execute the Red Cross approved finger-sweep technique. Again met with some resistance, I finally managed to maneuver my finger past her lips and into the pockets of her cheeks, and finally deeply towards the back of her throat...a little too deeply.

What came next was not anything my first aid classes had prepared me for. The unmistakable sounds of someone about to hurl. As my little one began to make retching sounds I quickly scooped her into my arms and ran to the kitchen sink, where I tried to hold her waiting for the inevitable to come. With each heave she tried to cling to my chest, a bewildered look on her face and small tears beginning to stream from the corners of her eyes. Needless to say, a tiny shard of dry leaf did produce itself from her mouth, along with the entire contents of her stomach from the past two hours.

The moral of the story...do not attempt first aide skills except for in actual emergencies. Small amounts of yard debris, dirt, paper, or carpet fuzz have probably never harmed any of us. And if you do intend to actually practice being a hero someday, it might not hurt to be prepared with a spare change of clothes for you and the victim, I mean recipient, of your bravery.

Say "no" to pot

Cadence has discovered the toilet. Actually, she's discovering many things these days. First she discovered that she likes water. Bathtimes are a great opportunity for me to get the floors clean as a result. Nothing like multi-tasking as a mom who works full-time outside of the home! Since our home is small and has one bathroom that connects our room to Cadence's, she's in the bathroom frequently when mom or dad are doing whatever they need to do in there. Well after months of careful observation, she has figured out that the toilet must be an important and fun part of the house. Now that she's getting around quite well, we must always remember to close the lid as she can make a pretty quick go for the pot when the opportunity presents itself. Of course the real fun of the toilet is that it is filled with water...water that can be touched when one stands on tip-toes and reaches one's whole arm down into it. And like everything else within her reach, Cadence decided the toilet was also worth tasting...yes, you may take a moment to shudder if you must. And finally lately, she has decided the toilet can still be quiet a lot of fun even when it's shut because there's this shiny metal thing that will make strange and curious sounds when toggled just right. I'm just glad she cannot yet lift the lid on her own, who knows what might go missing when she learns to do that!

The latest..

Cadence is on the move! She got the crawling thing down probably a couple days after my last blog. What she really likes is pulling up on anything and everything...not a good thing when mommy is wearing sweatpants or a stretchy skirt! She ends up on the floor and I end up...er...exposed! Along with pulling up she has also begun cruising along funiture...it may be slow going for now but I think I dont' mind that. She's also getting her first tooth. It's on the bottom, front and center. We've handled it pretty well...a little irritability all around, we'll get through it! She enjoys her messy meals and "helps" us get the spoon to her mouth. Sometimes the spoon makes it but the food doesn't. She also is a big fan of Cheerios and gets her milk from mom in the mornings and then mixed with cereal in a bottle throughout the day. Speaking of the little darling...she's now wailing after waking up from her post-immunization nap. Gotta run!

Er...Sleeping Beauty?

I thought I would snap some shots of our little sleeping beauty during her morning nap...except she had already woken up. I guess even little guys aren't too fond of a camera in their face right after sleeping!

Weekending

Red light, green light

The little one is becoming mobile! She's up on all fours and scooting around. She doesn't quite have the hang of crawling, but can inch herself around, and climb all over us! Pretty soon our little world is gonna change. She is also trying her hardest to pull herself up to stand, and can do it sometimes. She's got just enough strength and coordination to be dangerous since she can pull herself up, but can't maintain it too well. I think her crib is getting lowered this weekend since she has figured out how to use the bumper pad and rails to get up. It's all so fun though. She keeps us laughing as she explores more and more of the world around her. Lately she's been fascinated by the black and white round wall clock hanging in the kitchen. Whenever we take her in there, she peers around to watch the clock. So silly!

Today she got her first experience of grass. Since the weather is nice, I took her out on the front lawn and showed her leaves and grass and some flowers. As she reached for a leaf the first couple times she would pull her hand back once it was brushed by the taller blades of grass. Soon she was touching it all and trying to taste it too! Well, I suppose"dirt don't hurt".

Is it made of...wood?

Cadence loves to chew on wood. No teeth yet, just a lot of drooling and gnawing. She prefers tables and chairs. She also loves to pretend to drink like a big girl and pretend to eat when we have dinner. This entails her sitting in her highchair while we eat and gnoshing on her spoons.

What else...it's fun as she discovers more of the world around her she is also discovering more of herself. She seems to love her own reflection. She is adept at the art of yoga, often pulling her feet to her chin, and yes, into her mouth. She is mastering the art of rolling. While before she usually rolled over by chance, she has recently figured out she can roll when she wants to. She attempts to scoot forward when on her tummy, but she's gonna have to develop some muscles in order to keep that belly from dragging! So far she gotten pretty good as using the ol' tummy as a pivot point and can turn herself on it. And she is really finding her voice, now her coos are mingled with squeals, grunts and babbling. It's pretty fun! Sometimes she lets out a noise that surprises us both.

I was surprised to learn this weekend that she has already developed some problem solving skills as well. While on a long road trip this I gave her a wad of paper to play with (she has real toys too, honest). She pawed at it and crinkled it but eventually it ended up by her feet in her car seat. I looked on as she started kicking her legs and bringing them up toward her chest (remember the yoga thing) and sure enough, she got the paper wad within range of her hands and grabbed it to play some more. I decided to test this out to see if this was an accident or done with intention. I put the paper wad back by her feet and sure enough, she brought her legs up towards her chest and brought the paper within reach again. Amazing how fast kids learn and grow. I am so fascinated by it all!

Art

Eric and I painted a picture for my parents for their Christmas gift. I havn't picked up a paintbrush in a while...it felt good. We thought we would share the results!

Renewal

I once read in some literature that when first having a baby, one might not immediately fall in love, but one will have the instinct to protect and care for the baby. I think I can understand where that writer was coming from. I know the first couple months of being a new parent had its ups and downs for me. I knew I loved my little one, but was not too often overwhelmed by the warm fuzzy feelings. Now that a few months have passed, I'm more rested, the mood swings are mellowing out, and my child is continually growing and changing. I can feel the waves of love for her surge through me with a greater frequency and intensity than ever before. What a joy it is becoming to be a mom!

A new magic was put back into Christmas. I can remember the excitement and anticipation that bubbled up from within me around Christmastime. As the years have passed I have only sensed vague glimmers of that magic. Try as I might to capture it, the magic seemed to be confined to slivers of memories whose sparkle remained as fleeting as that of tinsel on a tree. For some time now, the experience of Christmas had become little more than something ordinary.

But now, something has happened. A "deeper magic" has been sprung. Once trapped impressions have been released from their icy cocoons and melted by the warmth of a parent sharing Christmas with their child for the first time. My memories now mingle in a brew that is to become the magic in the memories carried by my daughter. Something child-like has been awakened in me...a curiosity, a renewed belief in the magical, a joy for the simplest of things, a greater hope even. Excitement.

When I first learned I was pregnant a little over a year ago, I felt a surge of emotions. While I somehow thought I was about to step into one of the most grown-up things I would ever accomplish, I simultaneously felt so much like a small child myself...vulnerable, unsure, fragile. Now it is amazing to see the juxtaposition of two such driving experiences continue to dance and weave themselves throughout my life. By entering into what I consider a very adult role of raising a child, I also can't help becoming more child-like. It's amazing! May these two partners within me continue in a long embrace that I might dance the dance of a lifetime filled with magic, with joy, and with the extraordinary.

Bookworm

Already Cadence has picked up on her daddy's love of books...although she hasn't quite figured out exactly what they're for.

Leaves

Here are the results of Eric's yard work last weekend....

A child is born

I recently narrated our Children's Christmas program at church. It was a very simple production in which the children enacted the story of the birth of Jesus as I told the story. It is so strange how such a familiar story can still be experienced from a new angle. A simple story that is as nuanced as a fine wine. A story one can savor over the course of a lifetime.

I suppose there are many things we encounter in life like this. As time passes, as circumstances in our life come and go, we gain different perspectives and insights. These create new meaning regarding such familiar stories, regarding our own memories and regarding the people we know. I still think of myself as very young, yet already in awe of the way the passage of time seems to reveal new facets of what was once thought to be so concrete and true, adding a richness to joy, and helping bring healing to pain. Perspective. Insight. Experience.

I'm reminded of the legacy that can be told by one who is familiar with reading the rings of a fallen tree. Are our lives not too unlike these trees? If there were a way to peer upon a cross-section of our spirits would there not be a legacy of the droughts, the fires and the years of abundance and growth? Would there not be a wonderful and mysterious story to be told of how those times mingled together, touched one another and made way for the next to come, ultimately creating the plane for the present and the days yet unannounced? I would not be who I am today if it weren't for what has already passed. Yet does not the present just as much inform the past?

Long ago, a young woman was visited by an angel. She was terrified at this holy apparition but the angel somehow spoke soothing words that brought a peace beyond understanding to the core of this young woman's soul. She humbly accepted her role. She forsook all claim to dignity and pride as she carried a child she could not rationally explain. And when it came time, and the pains of labor were at their height, she and her husband were still searching for a place for her to lie. Finally, they crept into a stable where amidst the animals a small babe cried out into the night, filling his lungs with air he had long before once breathed. As she peered intently at this small being and brought him to her breast, the words that soothed her months before faintly echoed in the stillness of that moment, again flooding her soul.

In this I am reminded that for every moment of confusion, of pain, of disappointment, are words that transcend their own boundaries, that speak at a soul level, and that enter into and forever alter the experience of that time.