Hello, Springtime

This morning, I am sipping my coffee from my favorite place in our house: Norah's room. The Northern Utah snow has finally given way to warmer weather, and little signs of spring are here. Little birds are playing outside of Norah's window. If Norah were here with me, I would do my best to tell her what the birds sound like, since her naked ears wouldn't be able to hear them... And a current favorite activity of hers is dismantling her hearing aids.

Norah is the happiest kid I've ever known. She's content to play by herself. She laughs at her movies. She laughs at her goofy family. She plays silly games, makes funny faces, and knows how to artfully deliver sass with a playful smirk on her face that makes it impossible to be angry or annoyed. There has always been something about Norah that draws people in. She has a sort of intangible magnetic quality to her that most everyone feels immediately. She is intelligent, beautiful, and so very brave. How did we get to lucky to have this amazing girl as our daughter?

On Saturday, we went outside to soak up some sunshine. Norah was a little freaked out by the bright devil ball of light and the fierce 1mph breath-stealing breeze in her face, but we protected her from the elements. We were out there a good 45 minutes, and we all loved every moment of it.

Time to process some vitamin-D.

Norah gives her Uncle Jared the stink eye while
he and almost-Auntie Sarah read to her

The World Outside

There's a whole world out there that Norah doesn't know about. She doesn't know about winter snowflakes or cool spring breezes. She hasn't been to the park, the beach, or even grandma's house. The hospital is her world. She plays with her oral syringes, ballard suction catheter, EKG leads, and hearing aids. A wagon ride restricted to within the unit is a big deal... And she hasn't even known that for months since the start of respiratory illness season. Even rhinovirus reminded us that something as minor as the common cold can be sort of scary.

We live in the hospital, and it shows. But someday we'll get to enjoy outdoor fun of all four seasons. It's difficult to stay positive sometimes. And even more trying is maintaining a superhuman level of patience.

Left: The 12 mL syringe is the perfect size for her little hand. She fought sleep so hard, but eventually gave in. When she snoozes, she covers her lips with her hand and makes the cutest sucking sound with the tip of her tongue. It's my absolute favorite.

Right: The ballard suction catheter is the perfect size for her perfect little mouth.

That balloon-looking thing on the left is called a lung... but her favorite toy these days is her stethoscope

She is so lovely in the dress that I knitted for her. These photos have nothing to do with this post, but I couldn't resist.

Sweet sweet Harper, looking longingly at the world outside of Norah's hospital room. This photo sums up how we've all been feeling these days. 

So This is Christmas...

It was indeed a Merry Christmas, though it wasn't a white one. We spent our holiday at Jeff's parents house, which is always a great time. On Christmas Eve, Mr. and Mrs. Claus made their annual visit. Even though they brought him a Buzz Lightyear straight from Santa's workshop, Harper reacted exactly as we anticipated. Hmm. Maybe next year.

Christmas morning was mostly quiet. Harper woke up around 8:30, so we had a lazy, slow start. Once he opened the "vrooms" from his Auntie Shelly, he wasn't too interested in opening other gifts. You can even see his new cars in this picture, which he has scarcely put down since he received them. He made out like a bandit this year, and he's since been playing with all his new loot. A big thanks to my parents, Jeff's parents, and all of his aunts & uncles (including his Auntie Kristen) and of course good ol' Saint Nick.

So what did Jeff and I get? Well, in these last few years since tightening our budget, we always set a monetary limit on Christmas that we've been good about keeping. This year we had a bit of a difficult time staying within that limit. Let's just say that I sure have been enjoying my new goodies from Knit Picks. I also have to mention that my in-laws got us our very own dehydrator, which has already been put to good use. It was quite possibly the most thoughtful gift of this season, as my mother-in-law Carol likely knew that these three (and a half) vegetarians wouldn't want to borrow anyone else's meaty dehydrator. :) And yes, there is tofu jerky in our very near future.

But more than any consumeristic gift that we could give one another, we celebrated all of the things we're thankful for including love, health in our family, and the happy life we share. I know, so cheesy. But it's difficult not to be with this kind of fun in your life:

I hope everyone had a great holiday, and I wish you all a happy, prosperous New Year.

Knitting, Snow, and Doggies

I can strike a couple of things off of the UFO list I included in my previous post... Including Harper's new black knit hat with a red stripe. He was a wiggly worm while modeling it, so the shot to the right was the best (which is quite blurry as you can see). I'm happy with how it came out, and ready to go onto the next knitting project! See, I get too excited to finish the UFOs that I should work on instead of something new. Oh well, I just can't help myself!

In other news, it snowed yesterday. Snow is still a bit foreign to me, though I'm sure I will become accustomed to it after a few more winters in Utah. It inevitably melted, so it will be fun once it starts sticking with some sort of permanence. I can't wait to take Harper out to play in it for the first time (last year hardly counts since he was so small).

I also LOVE playing with Dexter in the snow. He goes into some sort of puppy-mode when he plays; he loves to jump to catch snowballs in his mouth. It warms my heart. Poor buddy had a rough time during his racing career - he was overworked, obviously physically abused, and mistreated overall. I love seeing him so happy. It's hard to believe that my big buddy is considered a senior.

Just for fun, below are some pictures from some of our walks to the nearby park. I'll miss these long walks when it will be too snowy and cold to take them regularly. Note that I do not take both of the hounds at once. They are just too big (Dexter is about 100 lbs, and Dottie is usually between 55-60 lbs depending if she is currently on a snobby hunger strike), and I am only talented enough for one hound and one stroller!

Dexter unsure of why we've stopped (for me to take a photo). He's so pleasant to walk. He doesn't stop to sniff, and pays no attention to the other dogs - even if they bark or whine at him. He does, however lose focus and run into the stroller once in awhile. Greyhounds tend to bump into each other when the walk or run together, so maybe that is why he runs into the stroller. I take him out a bit more than Dottie mostly because he's the only chubby greyhound I've ever known.. but I love him dearly.

Our "Skinnie Minnie" Dottie who (unlike her brother) always insists on stopping to sniff EVERYTHING and whimper at every dog we pass. Regardless, I love her SO SO SO much.

Our little dude, laughing (as always) at Dottie. It was an unseasonably warm day - in the mid-70's. And of course, I LOVE LOVE LOVE him! How cute is that face?!

Autumn Begins

The dramatic drop in temperature tells me that Autumn is finally here. Is it pretentious to say "Autumn" instead of "Fall"? If so, I don't really care :) I love Autumn. The chill in the air makes me want to knit a hat for Harper, make a comforting cup of tea, and cozy up to Jeff while we're bundled up enjoying the evening air. The hat is in progress, I'll put the tea on later tonight, and Jeff and I enjoyed the crisp Autumn air the other night while taking the dogs out. This is definitely my favorite season of the four - which probably helps explain why I love the weather in Seattle so much.

Speaking of Seattle weather, we had a steady, gentle drizzle yesterday in Utah that reminded me so much of the Pacific Northwest. Sometimes I miss it there (and the SF Bay Area) so much. However, the old saying that "Home is where the heart is" couldn't be any more true. For now, my heart - my two men - are in Utah... so my home is here.

Halloween is right around the corner, which is one of my favorite Holidays. I love the costumes, the playfulness, loads of goodies, and spooky silly fun. We're planning to go up to Logan to trick or treat with Harper's cousins. Below is a sneak peek of his costume. I can't wait!

Seattle Springtime Snow

Most of western Washington has seen snow during these past few days. Friends in Phoenix have told me that they are seeing temperatures in the high eighties. Though that kind of weather does sound refreshing, I am still captivated by snow in the springtime. Not only is this the first place I've lived with snowy weather, but the first time I've ever experienced snow in the spring. My favorite thing to do in the snow is throw a snowball at Dexter. He excitedly catches it in his mouth and eats it! However, we haven't had quite enough snow for that. I'll try to snap a picture of it next winter.

I am now about 17 1/2 weeks pregnant. I try not to gripe about my unpleasant symptoms too much, but sometimes they get the best of me. Jeff is fantastic, and takes great care of me. Also, I feel fortunate to have a decent amount of knowledge about pregnancy. My studies and time as a massage therapist probably gave me the most background on the subject. Not only did I learn about the symptoms themselves, but also why they are present. It is a nice relief to know that my experiences are "normal", and that they are a result of purposeful cause and effect within my body. Of course, no matter how much anyone reads or hears about it, there is no substitute for the experience itself.

Jeff and I have discussed a mini-vacation this summer. We may look for a small cabin on the Washington coast so we can spend a long weekend there with the dogs. It will be a nice, inexpensive getaway for just the two of us before the baby comes. We haven't been to the local coast yet (shame on us), so I'm really looking forward to the prospect.

Sundays are quiet now with Jeff's new schedule. I mostly laze about with the dogs and put off doing homework as long as possible. I've become a huge fan of afternoon naps, and think we should start a petition to introduce siestas into the American culture. Admittedly, that is the pregnant-me talking, but I truly think we would be a more productive, energized society! Think about it!

S