August 8, 2010
Dear Family,
2 weeks from school, and I'm so happy to be sad about summer ending! (I've almost felt guilty before w/ how anxious I've been for school to start in the past, thinking my heart was cold). It will be great to have a routine back, but after a summer of nauseating bedrest last year, this one has been SO fun! I've been meaning to get pictures of the children since Lucy was born, and 6 months later, we finally set up our "studio" after church today (a sheet over the couch in front of the sunny deck door--Maddie's nearly too tall now!) and got a few fun pictures. I think I was waiting for Anne to not be so scabby and crabby, and today was a good day--about the 10th day straight that we've enjoyed the "Real Anne." I told Brian today, it's almost like having just given birth--she's so totally changed now that she can sing her sweet songs, tell her funny stories, join in w/ EVERYthing, and yet do so much more on her own, it really is like having a new member of the family!!
BUT...
almost immediately after posting my miracle blog a few weeks ago, Anne really took a plunge, and her skin was awful, and her mood deplorable, for almost a week!--and I had no explanation since we had been SO strict w/ her diet--I still don't know if she ate catfood, snuck someone's nursery snacks (would that be a snucksnack?), or was just still going through the process of healing?? I was SOOO discouraged, and b/c I had nothing left to try, I kept at it (and Brian's earlier blessing for me had used the phrase "patience and diligence" to lead to success, so it seemed a safe direction). AFTER battling another infection on her foot from the eczema, and a week of general agony, she IS doing so much better again, and for even longer stretches! I was so panicked about another infection, got the Rx for the antibiotic, but didn't fill it until we tried garlic, epsom salt soaks, wrapping it in raw bacon, and even some magical mud from Auntie Stacey--having had her on 4 or 5 doses of antibiotics this year already, and w/ white spots already covering her teeth, plus the fact that my great exclusion diet efforts would've been totally delayed, I was REALLY trying to avoid all that medicine again, and blessed day!--she did fight it off w/o them, and was quickly back on track!
AND...more good news--we have a "diagnosis"!! She appears to have lactose intolerance coupled w/ an egg intolerance. We fed her 2 bites of egg, she woke up from a nap 2 hours later, SAYING, "Owie hands Mom, Owie feet!" It was such a relief to have such a direct signal!! I even found an article that night saying the most prominent symptom w/ infant or childhood egg intolerance IS
ATOPIC DERMATITIS (aka. eczema). It is also almost always coupled w/ a milk intolerance, so though I haven't officially tested milk yet, she has been scratching after an accidental encounter w/ the milk in Honey Bunches of Oats (yes, in the dry cereal--who'd've thought?), AND she did begin improving back when we cut out just milk and gluten, so I'm going w/ it. Maybe by her 3rd birthday, we can attempt re-introduction. Still, the best part to me, is that it's ONLY milk and egg!! We tried wheat a few days after egg, and it was like waiting for a pregnancy test result--except that it can take from 2-72 hours, but she was fine and did great, and we are all so wheatfully happy, b/c that was definitely the hardest one for us. So here she was at the Duncan reunion yesterday, GLOWING from having participated in "RACING, MOM, RACING!!"--She still can't stop talking about how fun it was--maybe she's our track runner in the making!
She is SOO much fun, so we're trying not to dwell on the recent realization I've had that Lucy's had diarrhea for the last month or so, is now projectile spitting up (she RARELY spit up before), and just ornery here and there, even just after eating, which all coupled w/ her earlier colicky days, may add up to ANOTHER lactose intolerance!! To be safe, I've gone lactose free for the last 10 days (it feels like a month w/ no nightly ice cream!) to see if it will help... I was hoping these girls could be close, but I never meant for them to share EVERYTHING!!
Other main events have been:
-Brian and I celebrated 13 wonderful years of marriage!! We went out last weekend, bought a romantic tile saw (to help finish the basement bathroom), really enjoyed a dinner at Olive Garden (I soaked up what was my last day of cheese for a while), saw the very exciting Inception w/ the free tickets we've been waiting to use for 18 months, and topped it off w/ blizzards on the way home (they're buy one get one for $.25 after 10PM, so who can resist?). It was very fun, and Maddie was great to babysit everyone for such a long night! In fact, she made a killing just that weekend, w/ 2 other babysitting jobs, and a watering job for some vacationing neighbors. Brent got in on a little action too, taking care of some other neighbors' plants.
-Free Ice Skating!! For 2 hours one Saturday, the skating rink (one used for the Olympics!) had free admission, so we HAD to take advantage! The kids have always thought it would be such a blast, and at Seaworld, they felt so badly we didn't make time to do it there (hadn't realized it would be an option?), so off we went, and this is how it fell out (and why there are no pictures):
12:00-12:15-stood in line
12:15-12:35-laced up everyone's skates
12:40-Brian came off the ice to stay w/ Anne and Lucy (Anne had been terrified at first touch) since his skates were UNBEARABLY uncomfortable
12:45-Spencer finally peels himself off of the plexiglass (on the outside), and tries to follow Emily along the side, where he ends up collapsing in panicked tears about 40 feet later
1:10-I (Mom) finally start to get the hang of it again (ice skating is actually my favorite skating--I still can't handle wheels), and convince Emily to hold hands w/ me and Maddie since moving forward is much easier than sideways, and Spencer regains enough amazing courage to start shuffling along forward, "like w/ roller skates!" for one victorious lap
1:20-Emily is done, Spencer's one lap JUST finished, and he is done, and I keep skating by w/ Maddie and Brent, who DID pick up pretty quickly, wondering innocently why Brian is holding Anne up for me to see
1:45-even Brent's ankles are sore, Anne is ready for a nap, and so Maddie and I cave in the last 15 minutes and we leave.
---I think we'll be okay not ice skating for a while :)---Brian and I both kept saying, "Good thing we went while it was FREE!!!"
We had a blast at the Duncan Reunion w/ nearly 200 people there yesterday. Just a (contained) park full of kites, bubbles, sackraces, "Olympic" events, including a 5K Brian and I did, and a 2K for the children, the famous "Sawdust Pile" they've always done, yummy food, and such great company! Such an uplift to catch up w/ others' lives, and hear the amazing stories of how the Spirit has led them to where they are, or carried them through tough patches (Brian and I also attended the memorial service for his cousin's little baby--#13, who died after his 5 short weeks of life, the night before). The weather even cooperated, and we had clouds and a breeze, keeping everything pleasant and comfortable!
Brent came in first in his division (I did too--in women's!--though I was the ONLY woman, but I was proud of my 32 minutes!), only they got the names crossed and gave the prize to Spencer, but no worries--it was a pinwheel, so Brent could gracefully not even acknowledge the error :). I also won a large jar of cashews (YUMM!) in the candy jar guessing game--also a long-running tradition.
Anne w/ Makaela and Spencer, w/ Emily and Makena in the background. The game behind them was a fun "Quidditch" game going on, w/ everything but broomsticks!
That's Maddie, Makaela, Spencer, and Anne in the middle there. (and Grandpa, who started it all years ago, just behind them) Anne would gingerly pick things off of the sawdust pile, but didn't get the "digging" bit.
I also had a blast getting together w/ Kristy (West) Anderson & Amanda (Blackham) Jones for lunch last week, while Kristy was in town. We got to see Amanda's new house and baby, and had such a heart-healing time just visiting. I hadn't seen them for so long, I almost got nervous on the way over, wondering if I'd measure up to these great women I grew up w/, but almost instantly, we were comfortably together, w/ the same old priorities and joys that made us fast friends in the first place.
Speaking of company, we just had sweet G&G Mildenhall over. They had brought some TREASURES of books that were used by Grandma Dorothy (including a 1909 edition of
Anne of Avonlea!!!!!--laugh all you want boys--this is the good stuff!) for my girls to read. SO fun! I remember seeing these books in their basement as a kid, and being pretty awed! We had them stay for dinner, and it was so pleasant having company, and letting the children enjoy G&G a bit!
I taught RS last week, since the whole presidency was gone, but one counselor who just taught, and is days away from having a baby. I focused on softening our hearts (since I still wish I'd softened my heart to my sweet crazy brothers years ago, so I could've picked up on their vast people skills, flexibility, and good, I mean, easily-found, humor, instead of secretly feeling like they'd sabotaged my "perfect family" image). It is a constant struggle for me, so I was glad to have input from so many great women in my ward. I ended up using the story of Ruth and Naomi as a pattern for how WE need to be able to leave behind our old ways (like our frustrations, blame, anger, bitterness, etc.) and turn in faith to follow the Lord, and when we do,--even when we have NO idea how things will work out or how they can ever be fair, we are blessed BEYOND our expectation. Naomi kept telling Ruth there would be no guarantees for her if she followed to Bethlehem, that her chances of re-marrying would be slim, and yet she ended up w/ Boaz who could more than provide (even a footnote that calls him the Redeemer of their family line) because of "under whose wings [she] had come to trust" (Ruth 2:12). I've felt that in the temple, how the Lord's love and the power of the Atonement fills up every gap, every injustice, every lacking we think must be righted, and it is powerful. Now to keep remembering it in the day to day!
Just last night, I had nearly lost it, burning my fingers while making zucchini fritters (we've been eating zucchini nearly every day!--in omelets, bread, cake, brownies, and plain!), and trying to quiet many crying children who needed baths, dinner, and bed all immediately, while poor Brian was nursing a headache--so frustrated that I wouldn't have things calmed down in time to relax and watch "Monk" at 9. Once I DID calm down (after the oil was mopped up and all kids in bed), I kept trying to plan how to do better next time. What a great sacrament meeting today then, where our Scouts, of all people, spoke about what they learned at camp, and ALL applied spiritual principles to the activities they participated in. Our scout master introduced me to the 7 steps of Wilderness Survival. I, of course, perked up, knowing I live in a bit of the wild, and w/ steps like,
1-STOP, step back, assess the situation, and make a plan
2-provide SHELTER to be SAFE
3-build a fire for FOOD and to BUILD MORALE
4-send out and S.O.S. for help
5-take care of any first AID needs
6-water
7-food
I could easily apply them before his talk did! (I may have mixed them up a bit, or shuffled the order). Boy, was I upside down last night, worried first about food, and lastly about stopping or safety! It was a kind reminder, and I'm still a bit stunned that I'd never heard these in all those years w/ those boys! Anyway, I'll try to do more of stepping back and providing safe shelter, and less of screaming over burning myself in a mad rush of filling 37 needs at once! Because, look at these lovies!--could I really give them any less!?!
