We just finished an epic road trip last night. 30+ hours in the car in 4 days from Irvine to Park City, Utah. I don't know who feels more accomplished about what: Adam for doing a bike race that was pure torture, or the Bird for sitting in a car seat that long. Check out Adam's commentary and my photos here:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2283627&id=17812138&l=ad24232799.
Sienna is mistaken for a boy all the time. I try not to be too sensitive about it. But guess what? I am. Okay? I am. She's a girl. So when she's wearing purple, don't ask if she's a boy. And if she's wearing a yellow dress that you can barely see because she's swaddled, don't ask if she's a boy. And if I dress her in grey, um, just don't try to guess.
I spent my first day back from vacation despondent: staring at the wall and surfing the Internet without my brain intact. Second day back from vacation I did a lot of origami. I'm happy to say that today, my third day back, I'm ready to face real life and routine and all that jazz. So, here's what I did in Utah last week:
*Took Sienna on her first plane ride. The trip there entailed lots of green poop oozing forth out of diaper and onto my hand and down the lavatory walls. That's what you get for not having a changing table, Delta. Green poop left on your lavatory wall. You're welcome. The trip back entailed sleep. That's it. Just sleep. The Bird and my arm - ASLEEP! And me reading a book. It was glorious.
*Saw lots of old friends. Old friends are the BEST! Heather and I met up in Provo with our sister soulmates, Mim and Eirene, at Cafe Rio. I ate the entire pork burrito in one sitting. And I LIKED it. We took the party to Eirene's house and chatted our heads off. We still didn't cover all we needed to. Between the four of us we have six kids! SIX KIDS! I tell you, it was trippy. Seems like just yesterday we were barreling through town in Mim's car to Blink 182. By the end of the day I'm pretty sure there was a point when everyone in the house was screaming at the top of their lungs. That's what adults get for having a day of fun and forgetting to enforce naps: nightmarish children. It was worth it though, right girls?
*Next stop: MUDDY'S! (Only Heather will appreciate this one.)
*Really, though, next stop was the homefront: Roosevelt, Utah. A place where you'd think nothing would ever change, but in fact has attracted many fine folks since I have left, what with the new hospital and all. So now they have tons of great stuff I never got to enjoy like modern dance lessons for kids and movies in the park and a walking path. Amazing stuff going on here people. Modern dance! I shiver when I think how much my life would be different if only I had learned to love modern dance as a wee little one.
*In Roosevelt the boys enjoyed a fishing trip while the girls watched chick flicks. And by chick flicks I mean "Marley & Me." What was I smoking? I hate dogs. I was bit by one when I was 17, right before junior prom (the nerve!) and have despised them ever since. The very next day, wouldn't you know it, I went for a jog and got bit by a dog. One decade later. It was like an anniversary of sorts. But, yeah, there are so many stray (and not stray) dogs in Roosevelt and NONE of them are on leashes. It should really deter me ... but, no. I just had to go. This dog was a little, yappy house dog (the biters are always the little yappy ones) that had just been let outside. It wasn't a bad bite, so I kept going. I got chased by two other dogs and got so scared I tried to hide behind a bush. It quickly became clear that they could still see me so I knocked on the neighbor's door for help. She was able to intimidate the dogs long enough for me to escape. I went back to the biting dog owner's house and told her about the dog bite. She said, "Oh, they've been checked for rabies. You should be fine." Thanks. I drove myself to the ER and got the second tetanus shot of my life. Those things hurt worse than the bite. That's the end of that. I'm fine. No agressive behavior of foaming at the mouth so far, so I feel good. When I got home from the hospital, animal control was at my door getting all the details. The next day I walked VERY slowly past Misty, Molly and Mandy, three unleashed weiner dogs who licked my ankles. GRRRRRRR. I HATE DOGS!
*Ate at two Roosevelt institutions and one up-and-comer: Marion's Variety, Round Robin and China Star. Marion's hasn't changed one bit since I ate my last BBQ burger there. Except they got rid of the penny candy. Round Robin is open only when the owner wants it to be and, when I was younger, no one knew when that would be. It would just suddenly be open, word would spread, and people would show up. The owner doesn't let some people in because of personal vendettas and may or may not yell at you, depending on how much noise you're making in the dining area. True stories, people. Best food in town. Seriously. China Star has Chinese food, Italian and Mexican. Who knew? We just go there for the Chinese food cuz for some reason that seems like what they do best. I don't know where I got that idea. It's where I discovered cream cheese wontons. Mmmmm.
*Learned a couple new words from my niece, Haven, and went to the rodeo. Not on the same day, though. That would be WAY too much fun for one day. "Pip" and "Woggely." Go ahead, try to use them in a sentence. Here's how she used them, "Hey, Mom, just pip it for me!" ??? "I don't want to get my hair wet because then it will be all woggely." You heard those words first here, folks! When they make it in the dictionary, just remember that. I think I should use FOLKS again. Because this IS a post about Roosevelt, after all.
*Also saw my wonderful old friends Shanna and Tyra and their kids. Is it just me or do kids just grow up suh fast! I love connecting with old friends. I really should make it a point to do it more.
*About that rodeo, Sienna was as calm as a clam throughout it. It was truly a sight to see. She hated the Dodger's game, oh yes! But a rodeo? She MUST have some of my Roosevelt blood. She must!
I'm a natural birth junkie. Even three months after giving birth, I get giddy when I learn something or hear something on the subject. I have mentioned more books to Adam that I want to read on the subject and he wonders out loud, "Dude, you gave birth. What more do you need to know about birth?" I was as skeptical as anyone before I converted to giving birth hippie-style, so I'm proud as punch to be spreading the word a bit by having some parts of my birth story included in two recent posts on the blog Birth Faith. It's an excellent online resource devoted to all things natural birth by "Busca," a mother of three, who's sharing her own experiences and research to help others become more informed. If I had pom-poms, I'd be waving them in the air right now cheering for this blog. It's great. And it ties in the concept of faith, which was the only thing that kept me afloat while I was preparing to give birth naturally in a hospital with a 98% epidural rate, a 30% c-section rate, and with a 100% unsupportive doctor. My birth story reminds me daily that miracles do happen. I had a wonderful, happy birth and I owe it all to God, the worker of all miracles.
Here's part uno of my birth story - The Conversion.
Here's part dos of my birth story - D-Day ... I mean B-Day.
Thanks, Busca, for including me on your fabulous blog. It was fun for me to read about Sienna's birth again ... and I think I'm excited to do it again! Woot!
The Bird, me and Ariana ventured to the beach today. It was a success all around! Ari carved out a little seat in the sand for my lady and she enjoyed it right fine.
She had a lovely view of the ocean. I explained she was born about 2 miles down the road from this here ocean. She liked that news.
We had a double umbrella day. Gotta take care of that translucent Bird skin.
Ohhh, just chattin' it up mom/daughter style.
A kiss for my Bird.
And ... ZONK. Being outside - the waves, the breeze, the gulls - really tuckers a Bird out.
Children are a blessing, aren't they? I am loving my life with our sweet little Sienna and am really trying to do as everyone and their dog advises to "enjoy every second cuz they just grow up suh fast!" (if I had a penny for everytime I heard that...).
We started her life off right with a beautiful blessing given to her by her father a few Sundays ago. In it he said some things that still bring tears to my eyes. He blessed her with some gifts of the Spirit, he blessed her to have a testimony of Christ written on her heart and mind at a young age, he blessed her to use her spritual gifts and knowledge to bring others to Christ, and - my personal favorite - he blessed her that she'd remember her special memories of childhood.
Afterward, I had our friend Tara do a little photo shoot of the darling little morsel in her blessing dress. Is she not such a pioneer in that bonnet? Killing me with cuteness, that child. My sister Heather and I wore that same dress and bonnet when we were blessed as infants, and Heather's daughter Haven also wore it.
You've GOT to check out some of the other photos of Sienna from the shoot in all their glory at Tara's photography website.
I was introduced to one of life's great food items recently: the Dodger Dog. Mmmm mmm! I could have eaten five.
Here are the 'rents about to enjoy their Dodger Dogs. Apparently the Dogs have been around even since the days my dad used to go to mortuary school in Glendale. Ahhh, mortuary school. The good ol' days.
The only way Sienna and I can both go back to sleep after the 5 a.m. feeding is to pull her into bed with me. It's so fun snuggling up together and she looks so small and cute in our big person bed. Love it!
I think this was on a Saturday after Adam's 5 hour (!!!) bike ride. They had a nice afternoon zonk together.
Tummy time cracks me up. There is much grunting and struggling and resorting to a fierce fist sucking. But she's holding her head up on her own more so maybe it's doing some good ... and isn't just purely for our entertainment.
We just finished an epic road trip last night. 30+ hours in the car in 4 days from Irvine to Park City, Utah. I don't know who feels more accomplished about what: Adam for doing a bike race that was pure torture, or the Bird for sitting in a car seat that long. Check out Adam's commentary and my photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.
