nope

Remember that freckle Ziah had on top of his head at birth? The one I so loved, figuring it would eventually be covered by hair but then uncovered by old age for someone else to enjoy as much as I, his mother, had? Well, when we first got to North Dakota, I kissed that freckle right off his head. One day I was just kissing it and loving it when suddenly I noticed it was a different shape. I rubby rub rubbed it, and off it came. A couple people had suggested at the beginning that it might be a tiny blood splotch or something, but after it survived several baths and two weeks' worth of kisses, it was looking like I was right.
    Nope.

Ziah's most common look: baffled

Remember how I thought for sure he was teething early, what with the drool and period of restless nights and seeming discomfort?
    Nope.

*
Based on Zoralee, we, Jason and I, thought we produced skinny-legged little things. My favorite cloth diaper combination for her had been Kissaluvs' Size Zero fitteds with small Thirsties covers. Since the Kissaluvs go up to 15 pounds, they worked for Zora from birth until she was totally diaper free. So while I was pregnant with Ziah, I bought 10 of those jokers. I even got them as "seconds" for a discounted price, meaning they were new, just had aesthetic flaws that wouldn't affect performance. How happy was I! Even better, the Kissaluvs website said the "seconds" tended to be skinnier legged. Hoorah hoorah! Because I pop out skinny-legged babies!!!!
    Nope.


Also based on our experience with Zoralee, we feared we produced children who would rather stay bitterly and groggily and whinily awake, NO MATTER WHAT, rather than succumb to slumber.


    Nope.
When he's tired enough, we can actually lay Ziah down on his tummy and he'll go right to sleep. I am aware of the Back To Sleep thing, but I tend toward the theory that SIDS is caused by mattress toxins, so we've taken precautions that direction. Hope I'm right and it's not another "nope," cuz he sleeps way better on his belly. :o? He also sleeps for several hours at a whack in the night, several times 6 or 8. Once 10.


We kinda thought babies must need soothing intervention for every possible life hiccup.



    Nope!
This guy is a champion thumb-sucker when he's ready for sleep. Not only is it undeniably one of the most darling sights I've ever beheld, but so far that's all he uses it for.






You might think a mama would tire of kissing her baby boy's face all the day long, that there would be days she'd think of him as ordinary, rather than super handsome and super charming. You might assume she'd stop taking such delight in fat rolls, wide eyes, and gurgled utterances.

    Nope, nope, and nope.

conference

mama vs. papa: friendship

Zoralee's big pretend world right now is Madeline. She's Madeline, and either the dog or I is Miss Clavel. Often "Miss Clavel" is knocking at our front door, and when Zoralee opens it, in walks a waggy-tailed Kaladi. Ziah is either Pepito, the little boy in the stories, or he represents the other 11 girls who live with Madeline at the boarding school. So if Ziah is sleeping, the other 11 girls are sleeping, and suddenly Zoralee takes extra care to be quiet. Since Madeline has a Papa, Jason is still just Papa. (But as a side note, she has taken to calling him Pops lately.)


today


Zoralee: Mama, can you ask me, Madeline, what's wrong?
Me: What's wrong, Madeline?
Zoralee: Pepito doesn't want to be my friend anymore.
Me: Oh really? Did Pepito say that?
Zoralee: No. 
Me: Well, maybe you could talk to Pepito. Ask him why he doesn't want to be your friend.


5 minutes later, when Jason enters the room


Zoralee: Papa, can you ask me, Madeline, what's wrong?
Jason: What's wrong, little miss Madeline?
Zoralee: Pepito doesn't want to be my friend anymore.
Jason: Well, you can tell Pepito to suck your big toe.
 

eavesdropping

These are the best years of your life. Remember that.

Everybody with older kids or grown up kids says things like, "They grow so fast," and "Enjoy every minute, because time flies." I didn't necessarily agree with those sentiments (at least, regarding parenthood) until after Zoralee had turned one. Honestly, her first year totally crept by. Not that I didn't enjoy much of it, but there was so much adjustment, so much to learn, so little sleep, that it felt a lot longer than a single year. But her second year and now Ziah's first couple months are really starting to fly, and it's giving me that sobering sensation that this is it, this is life, this is my children's childhood, and I don't want to let it slip away uncherished.

For the past few days, Ziah has been drooling like crazy, fidgeting a lot during sleep, and sucking his fingers more. Barb (mom-in-law) suggested that though it's early, he could be teething. Well, tonight I felt his bottom gum line, and sure enough, there is the slightest hint of sharpness! What a slap to my sense of time! That was actually an impetus to blogging tonight and inspiration for the myriad other tasks I have in mind for improving our quality of life and getting down in writing, video collage, or what-have-you the things I want to say and remember.

"These are the best years of your life. Remember that." When Zoralee was six months old, I was holding her in my arms, and a kindly bearded gentleman looked me in the eye and said that. Ever since, I've given so much thought to that line. I understand the truth in what he said, and I try to revel in each day's light, but I also believe (without proof) that there is beauty to be encountered in nearly every season, and enlightenment about yourself and those you love, and closeness to God, and other things that would deem a year "best," even years without young children, even whole lives lived without young children. I want to think that we go from strength to strength, one best year to another best year, even when some of the best years are awful. Thing is, that man might've been right, and I won't know until it's nearly over, until I'm sitting there looking back on my life. And so, for now, I'm considering this one of the best years of my life, and I have two kids who do a pretty good job of reminding me how true that is.

"I refuse to read this book until someone turns it upright."

"Thank you. Now then, is that a simple silhouette
of a white bird on a black surface?! Genius!"

smokin' hot anniversary

We celebrated our anniversary this year with a simple but delicious dinner out. The kids both zonked, which was great, because Jason and I were able to visit in the fashion of completing entire sentences without interruption. We also enjoyed guessing about the lives of the locals and eavesdropping on the conversation going on behind us between two old couples, also out for their anniversaries. Our favorite line was by one of the men to his wife. She was talking about their niece and great-nephew, but because of the sentence structure, it sounded like she was calling him (rather than his mother) their niece. To be sure the other couple wasn't mistaken, he said resolutely, "HE'S not our niece." She agreed in all seriousness and continued with her anecdote.

Anyway, Jason and I made googly eyes at each other, nothing between us but a table, two children, and some amazing prime rib, finishing with an ice cream sundae that had rum and cinnamon encrusted pecans. DELISH. And then, though Jason was ready to leave, since he was holding the heavier of the children, he indulged me to order a decaf coffee, and we extended our date by a good 20 minutes. Funny how your standard of quality time changes.

It's always something different, my love! Happy 12th!

My fingers have been too big for my wedding band since mid-pregnancy,
so lately I've been wearing my adjustable engagement ring.
It says, "Love," but depending on the light can look like "rove,"
appropriate since it was purchased from a machine for 25 cents.

reunion in MT pics

Here are some shots from our early August Lautaret reunion in Montana. I posted a bunch more to a facebook album, for those who prefer that format. And if you aren't my facebook friend but want to see those, I am sure it would be easy to set up access. (My mom-in-law is here to love babies and wash dishes, so wee-hoo for internet time!)

Jason and I and the kids drove 14 hours to the Flathead Valley over night. What a golden way to travel with kids. I could hardly relax, just figuring one of them would wake up anytime and hate us and life from their (disad)vantage points in their Torture Devices for Children, a.k.a. car seats, but they did great. A DVD player got Zoralee down the road after the sun came up and sleep was no longer on her mind (just like home life, despite big thick curtains - grrr), and Ziah was pretty content until the last 1/2 hour.

We started off at my folks' place for a few days, the highlight being to celebrate the first year of life for my nephew, Bennett David. He is such an awesome little bundle of energy, as you're about to witness a sliver of during his cake eating: 

the reunion proper - -

Just a picture of people playing volleyball, you might think. But look again.
Isn't it also a picture of a darling pigtailed child in a pink inter tube,
a toy she stole mercilessly from her cousin, Bennett?

my dad reading excerpts from Patrick McMantus at the campfire

delving into joke-telling, mostly your classic "a nun walks into a bar" stuff

a family favorite - softball

our Kaladi hanging with the Ertz herd

Uncle Ralph actually caught a fly ball from this left field position.

most of the gang

old timey serious

outdoor game prep

indoor games

Cousin Lonita and her Percherons

all of the emotions one might expect to feel at a concert of Marshall Catch
(Unkin Luke's band) - surprise, glee, and confusion

I notice Rachel didn't post this shot over at her own blog.
I bear the burden then of keeping it real.

my immediate family and grandparents on Mom's side

grandfather and grandson in matching straw hats,
which were recovered from the dump by the boy's father
(and duct taped for maximum frugality / coolness)

a 3 hour tour (echo in a minor key: a 3 hour tour) of Flathead Lake

first injuries of the camp - bloody nose and hornet sting

at the summit of a little family hike
(south of Troy, Montana)

Mom, scaling a cliff or so

Cousin Lisa posing whilst I played with camera color settings