Something to Try if You're Really, Really Bored

While Mommy is in the kitchen, cleaning out the tank from the steam cleaner, start by pulling out several boxes of scrapbooking embellishments and spraying them around on the (newly steam-cleaned and therefore damp) floor.Then, crawl over to the back of the empty steam cleaner machine and climb on.Finally, when Mommy comes around the corner to see what you are doing, stand up and grasp the "handle bar" and try to ride the cleaner. Rock the machine a little, as though you are rattling the bars of a cage. Exclaim "aya, ayay, ah!" as if you are saying "giddy up."

Two Steps!

I cannot believe, even given my pensive mood yesterday, that I forgot to post this immediately.

JILLSON TOOK TWO STEPS YESTERDAY!

Finally.

So here's how it happened. After her afternoon nap, I was getting Jillson and the dogs ready for a walk. Jillsie was standing in the foyer holding onto the BOB with one hand. Then, I looked down, and she was just standing there not holding onto anything. (She's been doing this about every other day now.) This time, she looked happy and confident and as though she was going to stand there for a long time, so I put my hands out to her and said "Come here, Sweetie...", and she did. First the left foot took a step forward, then the right foot. Then she was at my legs and she stopped and held onto them.

Two steps, little girl, good job!

Of course there were no witnesses (the dogs were already leashed up and therefore were staring obsessively at the front door), and there was no camera ready because it all happened so quickly.

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, her first steps at 14+ months, which means I do not have to get an EDIS appointment (developmental screening for babies who do not walk by 15 months). PHEW!

WAY TO GO, JILLSIE! Mommy is proud of you.

In Memoriam

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Eric Blair (George Orwell)

On Tuesday, a co-worker of my husband's was killed. He was not in the same group as my husband. In fact, I do not think my husband ever met him, but he was on the same business trip.

Today, I attended his memorial service. As always, it was tough and terrible and necessary. I will tell you that there was not a woman there who wasn't imagining what it would be like to sit through the service for her own husband, and not a one of us who didn't think "there, but for the grace of God..."

His eulogists quoted George Orwell (above) and Psalm 144 (you can look it up).

This is what I learned about him. He was young--twenty-three--and had only been married a year. His wife is in nursing school, so she stayed back in the States. They last saw each other in July, when he went home on vacation, and they celebrated their one-year anniversary. They never lived together.

He had a tattoo on his back that said "Real Men Love Jesus." He sometimes got the giggles so badly during times when he was supposed to be serious that he would fall over laughing. Literally fall over. His parents are both pastors.

I wish I could remember more.

I do remember this. (I always remember this.) At the end of the service, they called his name out loud three times the way they always do. And three times no one answered.

Recent Projects

For a section of my survival guide dedicated to things I love (duh). After taking this picture, I actually redid the title. I removed the pinked letters, mounted them on light green cardstock, cut them out again, and reglued them on the page. They stand out much better; I was just too lazy to take another picture. Getting my hands on a decent latte has been a priority for years; leaving the land of espresso (the pacific northwest) has meant making that decent espresso at home. We acquired this lovely machine during the previous RLBT.
Anyone who has visited has seen me devour one of these. I've written several verses about the dressing alone. This is the opening spread for a section of the survival guide called "The Gift." I will have to explain this separately; it is a long and wonderful story.
While I have been working on paper crafts, Jillsie has had other things on her mind.

Happy Anniversary

Recently we celebrated our 6th anniversary of Wedding #1, and my smart husband sent me these gorgeous flowers. He also "gruessed" me with a new handbag. What a guy. I suppose he deserves that new laptop! I'll get on that, honey.

When we walked down the aisle six years ago, so many things in our country and our world felt uncertain. What an incredible blessing it was (and is!) to have felt so certain about something at a time like that. To the Gutsy Dad, thank you for these six sensational years. I love you.

Sense of Humor

This is the picture my husband sent me when asking for a new laptop. It is his office. To his credit, one of these screens is solely for the purpose of viewing videos of Jillson.

Milestones

A few things to say:

1) According to the Donut of Hope, we have made it 10% of the way through the RLBT.

2) The Gutsy Dad and I have been married for six wonderful years. I love you, honey!

3) Jillson can say hot dog ("tot-tog") and book ("buh") and poo poo ("poo poo"). She also pretends to blow her nose on any paper towel, tissue, or other piece of paper lying around.

It's Not Just Play, It's.... MEGAPLAY!

Today, after a great morning run with Jess and Marion (4 miles), and a nice nap ( = mommy got to take a nice shower) we went to MegaPlay to help Briana celebrate her 2nd birthday. The last time we were there, Jillsie couldn't crawl, she could only sit amongst the toys and enjoy them. She had a TON more fun being on the move. There were a few moments of free standing, one long spell during which I think she was oblivious to the fact that she was standing on her own, and another fairly long spell during which I think she knew what she was doing and was psyched. But then, in her happiness to have realized she was standing, she tried to dance, and that ended in boomies. Anyway, I could tell she was eager to walk. Maybe soon?

The Pushy-Walker Thing

So this is from before the standing up incident, but it's pretty cute. Sometimes she does a few laps around the downstairs, sometimes she gets distracted... Also, check out our awesome government-issued linoleum.

Two Hundred Miles

Just a quick note-chen to say that this morning's run put me over the 200-mile mark for the year.

All It Took Was Styrofoam & Enchiladas

It happened, on Sunday. We were all gathered at my friend Josselyn's house for Mexican potluck. Jillson was distracted by all the Styrofoam cups lying around, and was crawling back and forth and all over the place to pick up and chew on any Styrofoam she could find. All of a sudden, surrounded by a bevy of onlookers, she unpropped herself from the coffee table (the better to focus on the eating of the Styrofoam) and was standing unassisted.

The nice thing about being surrounded by a bunch of moms is that they realized right away (perhaps due to my overexcited voice) that this was a first, and my friend Jess grabbed her camera.

We carefully recreated the scene to catch it on film, and after a few rounds of "spaghetti legs" Jillson obliged us all. See the progression to standing, below. First, Mommy offers the Styrofoam cup. Second, Josselyn offers a bite of enchiladas. Third, Natalie lets go!




Please take note of a few details that warm a Mommy's heart:
- Jillson's dress is tucked into her panties to make crawling easier
- Jillson is only wearing one shoe (the way she likes it)
- The contents of a Styrofoam cup are dribbled down the front of Jillson's dress