Live Free

Finally, it's final!

 

Well, it's all said and done!  She's ours.  Irrevocable. Nothing could make us happier. 

 

We celebrated quietly with good friends and family.    

Holding her own

 

 Beatrix has been attempting to drink from a glass for a couple of months now. Mostly, she's been dribbling, intaking very little actual water.  Last night though, I let go of my need for situation control and I let her take hold of her own glass. She's been trying to drink the bathtub water with her plastic cup at bathtime. So I knew her awareness was peaking.  At dinner time, she uses tiny tumblers that I found at Ikea. I think each glass holds between 1 to 2 ounces. Still I pour less than the glass's capacity so that it really only has a tablespoon or so of water. I have to admit, I cringed at the thought of her pouring the water everywhere on her and the thought of the glass dropping (flying) to the floor.  I held my breath and let her go. She did great. Like she was perfectly ready for this new level of independence.  She sipped every last drop with no dribbling.  She was "emphatic" that she wanted more. Protested when I took the glass to refill. And pleased with her new skills when she saw her glass full with water again.  

My Little Helper

She pulls herself up now. And is already on her way to conquering her environment. So many practical life activities are awaiting her participation in our little home. 

What a little helper she's becoming. This week, her favorite chore is taking the laundry off the line.  

A Thanksgiving to Remember

I've been feeling quite reflective these days.  It's hard not to be after a year like this one. Words can not express how grateful and blessed I am at this point in my life.  

We hosted our first real Thanksgiving dinner. Both of our parents came. We felt so grown up. And so ready to begin our own family traditions. The food was delicious. The company - just right. We hope this is the first of many dinners celebrated at our table.  

Our family has returned home. The leftovers are just about all gone. Thank goodness another big holiday is just a few weeks away. We will all get to be together again soon enough.  I hope your day was just as warm and memorable. 

 

 

 

 
  

A Quilt for Bea

I've been out of the sewing habit for quite some time now. There's a few reasons for this. I won't divulge, but I will say that I'm trying to rectify my excuses for so little crafting these past few months. Slowly, I feel some rhythm reoccurring and my days are beginning to fall into a calmer groove.  Therefore, I think it's time to make a quilt for Beatrix. She's lucky that she hasn't really needed another hand made quilt from her momma. She already has a few lovely ones passed down from her great grandma's. Worn in and perfectly soft for a little babe.  I love them. Having those quilts passed on to Beatrix were the most special of baby gifts to us. Tucking her in at nap times or at bed time, I can't help but imagine all the babeness and love that those quilts have cuddled and paid witness to. 

There's so much great inspiration on the web for quilt ideas. It is so hard for me not to become overwhelmed. I've enjoyed  this book and have gotten lots of ideas from flickr. And, oh gosh, this blog is just filled with beautiful quilts that I adore. So, I think with the help of such inspiring resources out there, I hope to create something special for Beatrix. 

I plan to make it twin size even though her mattress is crib size since I want her to get many years use out of it. In September, I drooled over fabric on a couple of my favorite fabric web stores.  And then after weeks of holding my shopping cart, I committed to placing the order. The fabric sat in my fabric stash for over a month.  Until yesterday. I followed Denise's introductory directions and I trimmed the edges with my pinking shears. Gave all of the fabric a good wash. Line dried, ironed, and folded. It's all ready to be cut. I'm determined. Wish me luck! 

 

 

Julia, soup, and a pressure cooker

I admit it.  My least favorite household chore is meal preparation. Oh, the horror!  How can I be a good mother and good wife without a complete adoration of fine ingredients and my kitchen. Well, I do love to bake. That counts for something? My husband said it best once: "There's love in what you bake, just not in what you cook." He's right. The good thing is that Byron loves to cook. When he has the time. When he gets home before 6:30 in the evening. Which isn't very often. 

But sometimes, I like to cook. I just don't like it on a daily basis. If only we needed healthy, wholesome meals on special occasions or when we were in the mood, or when the weather was inspiring us, huh? Well, a few days ago, the weather was inspiring me. And so was the pressure cooker that has been taking up what seems like 40 square feet of kitchen space this past year. It was our Christmas gift from my mom last year. I requested one because I had big plans to use it to can all of the vegetables I would grow in my front yard garden...We've used it twice -- to steam a carrot and a sweet potato for Beatrix. So much for my big plans of a pantry full of summer's abundance. Next year,  I declare! 

Byron planted the pressure cooker bug when he mentioned that beans could be cooked in five minutes and so could chicken for that matter. I'm not ready to test the chicken idea, but I figure it could prove some use with vegetables. 

So I took out Byron's good ole standby cookbook and got to work. I had a great time and was very impressed with the end results. So yummy and nourishing for the body as we fight off the germies of the season. No photos of the end product due to my short attention span for documenting meals in poorly lit small kitchens. 

 

 

On Motherhood

Beatrix is eight months old today. Her newest discovery is waving. She waves at everyone and everything. Today the front door was open and the breeze was blowing. She waved at the swaying branches. Gosh, I just love that little sack of sugar. 

The other day while grocery shopping, I saw a woman who looked as though she were  near the end of her pregnancy.  She had no other children in her cart. I assumed she was pregnant with her firstborn. And I didn't think about being pregnant. Or how I wished to be pregnant. I didn't wonder what the experience was like. I didn't feel sad. I didn't think about it really.  What I did think about (as Beatrix was nuzzling my shoulder) was all the new, wonderful life chapters that were about to begin in this woman's life. All the good stuff.

When I look at Beatrix, there's no way I can yearn for a child coming into our life any other way than the way she did.  How could another birth story be any sweeter? A love deeper? A joy more complete? Not to say, that giving birth is any less special. Oh no, I know it is just as sweet. And not to dismiss the loss involved in adoption. That's real too. But maybe I've come to terms with the idea that the path of meeting your child and becoming a family is special no matter how.  There's just something about this blossoming end product that makes one lose focus on the process!

Folliage Flop

The little family took our annual drive to Lost Maples State Park this weekend.  This would be our third year.  The years before, we always hiked in and camped.  This year, since the wee one's main mode of transportation is the army crawl and her favorite hobby is stuffing her mouth with all sorts of non-edible materials, we thought a day hike would suit our rhythm best.  

So we drove and drove.  A little over three hours. Just to see the most vibrant patch of tree color in our land. Yes, quite a hike for maples don't you think? Oh, I'm a determined Autumn enthusiast. Beatrix napped on the way there. And I was so ready for a nice, long walk along and over streams and river stones, down into canyon areas, up into higher elevations. Admiring the color, listening to the birds, crunching through leaves - and perhaps even collecting a few so that the children would be able to make leave collage placemats...  

We arrived near the park entrance only to be stopped by bumper to bumper traffic. Cars lined up for a hundred yards. We dutifully waited our turn to enter the park. Once we made it in, we approached the welcome building. Another long line of people maybe 50 or so deep - waiting for their park entrance pass. We both looked at each other.  Neither one of us enjoy being around large groups of strangers. We knew what the other was thinking. "Stand in line to go hiking?"  "Wha?"  So we left.  That's right. We escaped all those people and cars and slow moving lines and made our way back home. We picnicked at a road side rest stop that had cell phone towers built up right behind it. That was the extent of our day in nature. We saw some really big ants there with a seemingly sophisticated colony and trail system.  Beatrix rolled around in the grass for a bit (but not near the ant colony). 
 

Sometimes it's hard to maintain this blog the way I'd like to. Our seasonal calendar in these parts just isn't always in sync with those who live north, east, and west of us. Yesterday, the weather felt more like late summer than late fall.. Our leaves turn mostly brown and then whither to the ground sometimes near the beginning of December. It's difficult to explain to preschoolers as we read through seasonal books. We work real hard to observe the ever so subtle changes in nature around here. This town has lots going for it - just not vibrant seasons.  I was reminded of that last night as I watched this Texan band perform on Austin City Limits.  Boy, that was just what I needed to get me out of my self pity for not experiencing a true autumn for yet another year.  

My October

The weather and this month have been just about perfect.  Nothing makes this time of year so enjoyable as crisp, cool days.  And for the first time since we moved back South several years ago, October feels as it should. Not another month of extended summer temperatures. Hooray! 

I already have so many great memories collected from this past month. And photos to share of course.  

Pumpkins everywhere!  It's harvest time.

I'll want to remember:

This girl's cute backside as she glides across her home. Discovering corner after corner and the front door too.  

And sweet, lazy mornings. Enjoying the morning sun light as we have a little warm cereal together. 

Perfect days for hiking in the woods.

Be still my heart, her kisses are the best!

Going home for the first time in almost three months.  The last time Granny visited with her, she wasn't even sitting up yet. And now...she gets anywhere she wants to with little help.  

Watching these two fall in love with their newest great grandchild. 

Being at my best friend's wedding. I'm so proud of him. 

And the good times with family.

A sweet little Halloween party thrown for the little ones at The Natural Child Learning Community. 

And a night out for the grown-ups too!

How will you remember October? 

 

Boo

We carved our pumpkin today.  Beatrix participated fully.  What fun it is to see her explore the pumpkin as it was transformed into a jack o' lantern.  

First she felt the rigid and bumpy skin. 

And then the rough stem. 

Daddy carved. 

The pieces of pumpkin became intriguing objects in which to explore: to touch and to taste. 

I have no costume photos of Bea to post. I had a great idea for a costume.  But my long list of to do's for the week dictated that the costume stay behind. But honestly, I was okay with not being able to make her one.  I consoled my failed attempts by reminding myself that baby costumes are all about photo ops.  She goes to sleep before trick or treating starts. She has no understanding of the holiday. She has no older siblings to tag along with. She can't even eat the candy.  And -- I got my Halloween photo op even without a costume.