Well, yesterday Cedric and I made our second trip to the nursing home. We got to visit with Ruth Larsen again and her roommate also, Erma Greentree. Erma was able to hold a conversation, so it put me a little more at ease. Yes, I'm American, sitting in silence is not usually comfortable. : ) Cedric was a little shy at first but soon warmed up and had a good time fiddling with their wheelchairs. Ruth has the sweetest smile and really seemed to enjoy Cedric. After 15 minutes or so, Cedric and I said good-bye and slowly made our way down the hall. The various ladies sitting in the hall were delighted to see Cedric. Every nurse, including the men, seemed to enjoy seeing him as well. I think they need more children around that place. That's why nursing homes seem so sad to me... Rarely do you ever see a visiting child. I think the very old and the very young belong together. The very old need the very young, even if some don't know it. : )
Today I am at work, covering the Satuday shift at Havillah Road Printing & Graphics, the same place where I worked full-time the year before Cedric was born. I normally work only 1 Saturday a month for 4-1/2 hours, but this month I'm working 2 Saturdays. Cedric is with Nammy at her house. Every time I leave Cedric, even with Nammy & Grandpa (with whom he is happy to go), my heart aches a little. That feeling has diminished quite a bit from when Cedric was very little, but it's still noticable. That invisible rubberband between us is stretching uncomfortably. : )
I thank God for the opportunity and a husband who is willing to allow me to stay home and tend to my top ministries, my son and husband. Sometimes I consider the possibility of something happening to Tim, either debilitation or death, that would require me to work ouside the home. I realize how much my dreams rely on Tim. Without him and his capabilities, my dreams for my life would completely fall apart. Though my dreams seem suspended by a single strand, they are in fact supported by God Himself. If that strand should break, hope is not lost, for this life isn't what it's all about anyway. The hope of what is to come for us as believers makes the suffering here on earth, no matter how unfathomable and horrendous, manageable. The losses experienced here will be made up for in the Beyond. Whatever cup God gives to me to drink, I will drink.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Food
I’ve been using a color chart to help in choosing fruits and veggies for Cedric’s menu. There are 5 colors on the chart, and I make sure that he gets at least 1 serving from each category every day. Here’s the chart:
Blue/Purple: Plums, Grapes, Blueberries, Prunes, etc.
Red: Tomatoes, Beets, Red Apples, Cherries, Strawberries, etc.
Yellow/Orange: Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Carrots, Oranges, Mangoes, etc.
White: Potatoes, Bananas, Pears, Cauliflower, etc.
Green: Spinach, Broccoli, Green Beans, Peas, Zucchini, etc.
I make all his food at home and my little manual food grinder is getting tiresome. I need a good food processor. What’s the difference between the results of a blender and a food processor? I do have a blender. Hmm.
I have just finished making the 2nd batch of my first try at making jam on my own. We have a peach tree in the front yeard that provided the fruit. I found a delicious recipe for Vanilla Peach Jam on www.recipezaar.com. The first batch, made a week ago, has not yet set, so this batch was boiled a bit longer. I’m keeping the first batch as Vanilla Peach Syrup. : ) It’s fantastic on pancakes and icecream. A little chocolate also drizzled over the icecream and it’s nearly gourmet. : ) Here’s the recipe link:
Vanilla Peach Jam
Blue/Purple: Plums, Grapes, Blueberries, Prunes, etc.
Red: Tomatoes, Beets, Red Apples, Cherries, Strawberries, etc.
Yellow/Orange: Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Carrots, Oranges, Mangoes, etc.
White: Potatoes, Bananas, Pears, Cauliflower, etc.
Green: Spinach, Broccoli, Green Beans, Peas, Zucchini, etc.
I make all his food at home and my little manual food grinder is getting tiresome. I need a good food processor. What’s the difference between the results of a blender and a food processor? I do have a blender. Hmm.
I have just finished making the 2nd batch of my first try at making jam on my own. We have a peach tree in the front yeard that provided the fruit. I found a delicious recipe for Vanilla Peach Jam on www.recipezaar.com. The first batch, made a week ago, has not yet set, so this batch was boiled a bit longer. I’m keeping the first batch as Vanilla Peach Syrup. : ) It’s fantastic on pancakes and icecream. A little chocolate also drizzled over the icecream and it’s nearly gourmet. : ) Here’s the recipe link:
Vanilla Peach Jam
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A typical day at our house
Here is a typical day and routine at our house when we aren’t going anywhere:
On a typical day, Tim works 6am-3pm. Cedric wakes up at about 7:30, which wakes me up, and we usually first sit on the futon in his room and nurse and take a few minutes to really wake up. Then it’s time to change his diaper and get him out of his PJs and into some real clothes. We head next to Tim’s and my room so I can get dressed and make the bed. While I’m doing that, Cedric just plays in his room or ours. The bathroom is next where we brush our teeth and I freshen up. We both head out to the living room to “wake up the house” and open the shades. I usually check the e-mail and news for a few minutes and then it’s time for breakfast. After breakfast, Cedric always heads outside to play in our little fenced yard while I clean up the kitchen listening to the Christian radio programs. I like to spend a little more time on the computer when the kitchen is clean and then we usually fill the time with things such as laundry, various house cleaning, and playing. I almost always have the Christian radio playing in the background. Cedric usually will play by himself very well for a fair amount of time but he does need periodic check-ins and pit stops as well as to have somebody else to play with for a while. Around 10:30 he is usually getting tired so I tie him on my back with my Storchenweige wrap and we go for a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. He usually falls asleep during the last 10 minutes of the walk and doesn’t wake up as I put him down when we get home. Sometimes I’ll do 20 minutes of pilates while he sleeps. Every other day instead of going for a walk and doing pilates I usually nurse him to sleep and then do 45 minutes of Tae Bo during his nap. Of course, this exercise routine happens on good days (which are the majority) but other days I’ll nap while he naps. : ) Cedric sleeps for about an hour and we have lunch very soon after he wakes. The rest of the afternoon is spent doing more of the chore/play combo. We like to spend as much time outside as possible. Tim usually works an hour overtime (until 4pm) and then calls to say he’s heading home. That phone call is nice because the 30 minutes it takes him to get home gives me time to straighten the house and clean Cedric and I up. I like to look nice when Tim comes home and I know a clean baby and house are very welcoming to him as well. It's got to help encourage Tim's appreciation for what I do, too. I am a "homemaker", so I make a home. I am a "family manager", so I do my best at managing. : ) Cedric is always very excited to see his daddy when he gets home. We usually sit for 10 minutes or so sharing anything interesting about our days and then I usually begin school work. Tim plays with Cedric and often takes him for a walk in the stoller. I get in about 1-1/2 to 2 hours of work in before 6 or 6:30 and then I stop to make dinner. Cedric usually eats right before our dinner is ready and then sits with us while we eat, nibbling from our plates. At about 7:15 Tim takes a shower with Cedric (he hardly takes baths anymore) and I dry him and get him in his PJs. Tim helps Cedric gather his blanket, binkie, and to pick out a book and then reads to him. When they are finished, I take Cedric to nurse him to sleep. He’s usually asleep by 8 or 8:30. Sometimes Tim and I watch a movie together after Ced’s in bed but other times Tim plays World of Warcraft while I make his lunch for the next day (if I hadn’t already made it while also making dinner), take a shower myself, and read a book in bed. I can usually count on Cedric waking up at least twice during the night.
So there is a typical stay-at-home day for us. I try to keep a schedule for Cedric's sake since I've heard it's especially beneficial for little boys to have a predictable schedule.
On a typical day, Tim works 6am-3pm. Cedric wakes up at about 7:30, which wakes me up, and we usually first sit on the futon in his room and nurse and take a few minutes to really wake up. Then it’s time to change his diaper and get him out of his PJs and into some real clothes. We head next to Tim’s and my room so I can get dressed and make the bed. While I’m doing that, Cedric just plays in his room or ours. The bathroom is next where we brush our teeth and I freshen up. We both head out to the living room to “wake up the house” and open the shades. I usually check the e-mail and news for a few minutes and then it’s time for breakfast. After breakfast, Cedric always heads outside to play in our little fenced yard while I clean up the kitchen listening to the Christian radio programs. I like to spend a little more time on the computer when the kitchen is clean and then we usually fill the time with things such as laundry, various house cleaning, and playing. I almost always have the Christian radio playing in the background. Cedric usually will play by himself very well for a fair amount of time but he does need periodic check-ins and pit stops as well as to have somebody else to play with for a while. Around 10:30 he is usually getting tired so I tie him on my back with my Storchenweige wrap and we go for a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. He usually falls asleep during the last 10 minutes of the walk and doesn’t wake up as I put him down when we get home. Sometimes I’ll do 20 minutes of pilates while he sleeps. Every other day instead of going for a walk and doing pilates I usually nurse him to sleep and then do 45 minutes of Tae Bo during his nap. Of course, this exercise routine happens on good days (which are the majority) but other days I’ll nap while he naps. : ) Cedric sleeps for about an hour and we have lunch very soon after he wakes. The rest of the afternoon is spent doing more of the chore/play combo. We like to spend as much time outside as possible. Tim usually works an hour overtime (until 4pm) and then calls to say he’s heading home. That phone call is nice because the 30 minutes it takes him to get home gives me time to straighten the house and clean Cedric and I up. I like to look nice when Tim comes home and I know a clean baby and house are very welcoming to him as well. It's got to help encourage Tim's appreciation for what I do, too. I am a "homemaker", so I make a home. I am a "family manager", so I do my best at managing. : ) Cedric is always very excited to see his daddy when he gets home. We usually sit for 10 minutes or so sharing anything interesting about our days and then I usually begin school work. Tim plays with Cedric and often takes him for a walk in the stoller. I get in about 1-1/2 to 2 hours of work in before 6 or 6:30 and then I stop to make dinner. Cedric usually eats right before our dinner is ready and then sits with us while we eat, nibbling from our plates. At about 7:15 Tim takes a shower with Cedric (he hardly takes baths anymore) and I dry him and get him in his PJs. Tim helps Cedric gather his blanket, binkie, and to pick out a book and then reads to him. When they are finished, I take Cedric to nurse him to sleep. He’s usually asleep by 8 or 8:30. Sometimes Tim and I watch a movie together after Ced’s in bed but other times Tim plays World of Warcraft while I make his lunch for the next day (if I hadn’t already made it while also making dinner), take a shower myself, and read a book in bed. I can usually count on Cedric waking up at least twice during the night.
So there is a typical stay-at-home day for us. I try to keep a schedule for Cedric's sake since I've heard it's especially beneficial for little boys to have a predictable schedule.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Daycare playdates
Every Thursday for the last 4 weeks Cedric and I have been spending an hour or so playing at a small daycare. It is a little ways out of Tonasket and run by Linda Fowler, an older lady who goes to our church (she was at our wedding). She is the mother of Tim’s long-time friend Janis. I think they’ve known each other for something like 14 years and went to school and youth group together. Janis was going to the same bible study where I met Tim, so I met Linda not long after. Linda was a confidant to Tim and gave him good coaching and advice through that first year after we met when I kept rejecting his offers to take me out. : ) Tim has called Linda “Mom” for years and she’s a real prayer warrior who “adopts” many kids. I remember seeing my picture up on her prayer wall. : )
There are usually 5 or 6 kids there. One is a 10-month-old boy who just learned to walk and then there is a 18-month-old girl. The rest are 4- to 7-year-old girls, I think. The 18-month-old girl is a little pushy (or pull-y :), she likes to try to drag Cedric around by the arm, so he hasn’t really hit it off with her. He hasn’t hooked up with the newly-walking 10-month-old either because they’re just at different stages. The older girls, however, really have fun with him and Cedric enjoys himself too. It’s good for Cedric to watch how older kids behave.
Linda is just tickled to have Tim’s baby there. : ) Tim used to be at their house all the time during high school and she has claimed him as “one of her kids”, so I think Cedric is kind of like a grandchild to her (she doesn’t have any biological ones yet).
We haven’t returned to the nursing home yet. I have intended to every week since that first visit but I only like doing 1 outing a day and something else important always comes up. I hope they don’t think I was scared away or something. : )
I think Tim is hooked on shaving his head. He really likes how it looks and so do I. He looks very macho. :P Also, I think he likes not having to be conscious of his receding hairline. That always bugged him a bit, though I couldn’t have cared less.
There are usually 5 or 6 kids there. One is a 10-month-old boy who just learned to walk and then there is a 18-month-old girl. The rest are 4- to 7-year-old girls, I think. The 18-month-old girl is a little pushy (or pull-y :), she likes to try to drag Cedric around by the arm, so he hasn’t really hit it off with her. He hasn’t hooked up with the newly-walking 10-month-old either because they’re just at different stages. The older girls, however, really have fun with him and Cedric enjoys himself too. It’s good for Cedric to watch how older kids behave.
Linda is just tickled to have Tim’s baby there. : ) Tim used to be at their house all the time during high school and she has claimed him as “one of her kids”, so I think Cedric is kind of like a grandchild to her (she doesn’t have any biological ones yet).
We haven’t returned to the nursing home yet. I have intended to every week since that first visit but I only like doing 1 outing a day and something else important always comes up. I hope they don’t think I was scared away or something. : )
I think Tim is hooked on shaving his head. He really likes how it looks and so do I. He looks very macho. :P Also, I think he likes not having to be conscious of his receding hairline. That always bugged him a bit, though I couldn’t have cared less.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Weekend at the Hollenbecks
We had a good time this last weekend. On Friday night Cedric and I drove with Mom to Josh & Amber’s new house. It was a good drive. Cedric slept the whole way for the first time. That was a relief. : )
I really love the neighborhood that they are in now. What a cool world it is there on base. You wouldn’t ever have to leave the base if you didn’t want to. Most everything you need is right there. Nothing seems cramped and there are plenty of lawns and trees everywhere. I think it would be so nice to have basically every house in the neighborhood the home to someone who would be in your social group, whether young marrieds or young parents. Very cool. Their house is beautiful too. I love the setup.
Kadin does so well with Cedric. Much more patient than I would expect from a young boy. : ) He was so good about keeping a protective eye out for Cedric, even whisking him away from potential dangers before we had a chance. Thank you, Kadin!
Easton is so cute. I love his little halfmoon smile. It’s not often that a baby will smile at me every time but this little guy does. I love it. : )
Tim joined us on Sunday morning and Mom left later that afternoon. It was so fun to stay up late that night with Josh and Amber talking and laughing. Just like old times. : )
Next day we shopped at Wal-Mart, using our 10% employee discount, and ate out at McDonalds where Cedric got his first Happy Meal. McNuggets, milk, and apple dippers, plus a super hero toy. It was so weird to say with our order, “…and a Happy Meal.” : )
Then, because I had been wanting to for so long, we stopped by Starbucks. Yummy! I got a iced caramel machiato. Very, very good. I can’t wait for the Starbucks to go in in Omak.
Tim and I left Monday afternoon. We took Cedric along with us too of course. : ) It was a very good drive. We made it home with only one 60-second stop for me to find the sippy cup and switch to the back seat. Cedric did so well! I think we’re over the hump of the long-drives-with-Cedric-whoas. I guess we need another one to keep things exciting. : )
Here is a short video I took of Easton and Cedric with Nammy. I thought it was cute enough to send along.
http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/fighterflyy/Ced%20Video/?action=view¤t=CedricEastonNammy8-07.flv
What a great weekend.
I really love the neighborhood that they are in now. What a cool world it is there on base. You wouldn’t ever have to leave the base if you didn’t want to. Most everything you need is right there. Nothing seems cramped and there are plenty of lawns and trees everywhere. I think it would be so nice to have basically every house in the neighborhood the home to someone who would be in your social group, whether young marrieds or young parents. Very cool. Their house is beautiful too. I love the setup.
Kadin does so well with Cedric. Much more patient than I would expect from a young boy. : ) He was so good about keeping a protective eye out for Cedric, even whisking him away from potential dangers before we had a chance. Thank you, Kadin!
Easton is so cute. I love his little halfmoon smile. It’s not often that a baby will smile at me every time but this little guy does. I love it. : )
Tim joined us on Sunday morning and Mom left later that afternoon. It was so fun to stay up late that night with Josh and Amber talking and laughing. Just like old times. : )
Next day we shopped at Wal-Mart, using our 10% employee discount, and ate out at McDonalds where Cedric got his first Happy Meal. McNuggets, milk, and apple dippers, plus a super hero toy. It was so weird to say with our order, “…and a Happy Meal.” : )
Then, because I had been wanting to for so long, we stopped by Starbucks. Yummy! I got a iced caramel machiato. Very, very good. I can’t wait for the Starbucks to go in in Omak.
Tim and I left Monday afternoon. We took Cedric along with us too of course. : ) It was a very good drive. We made it home with only one 60-second stop for me to find the sippy cup and switch to the back seat. Cedric did so well! I think we’re over the hump of the long-drives-with-Cedric-whoas. I guess we need another one to keep things exciting. : )
Here is a short video I took of Easton and Cedric with Nammy. I thought it was cute enough to send along.
http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/fighterflyy/Ced%20Video/?action=view¤t=CedricEastonNammy8-07.flv
What a great weekend.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
A new friend for Cedric
Yesterday Dawndie and her son, Alex, came over to play. Dawndie is TimN’s cousin so Alex and Cedric are something like second cousins-in-law. : ) Alex is 1 day older than Cedric. Here is a picture of them together at the Okanogan County Fair when they were 2 months old.
See their difference in size?! : ) They’ve evened out a bit now.
They stayed for 1-1/2 hours and we all had a good time. Alex doesn’t have any kids his age to play with so this was great for both of them. The boys enjoyed sharing crackers and juice cups with eachother. Sharing those important germs, ya know. : ) Periodic hugs and balls bounced off of heads and we had a great afternoon.
I really enjoyed Dawndie as well. She’s my age, I believe, and graduated from Tonasket. She “supposedly” had a crush on Tim in highschool. : ) Her and her long-time boyfriend are living with her grandparents right now about 10 minutes south of Oroville. We’re going to try to get together every week or so. Maybe next time we’ll meet at the park or at her place. I'm looking forward to it.
See their difference in size?! : ) They’ve evened out a bit now.
They stayed for 1-1/2 hours and we all had a good time. Alex doesn’t have any kids his age to play with so this was great for both of them. The boys enjoyed sharing crackers and juice cups with eachother. Sharing those important germs, ya know. : ) Periodic hugs and balls bounced off of heads and we had a great afternoon.
I really enjoyed Dawndie as well. She’s my age, I believe, and graduated from Tonasket. She “supposedly” had a crush on Tim in highschool. : ) Her and her long-time boyfriend are living with her grandparents right now about 10 minutes south of Oroville. We’re going to try to get together every week or so. Maybe next time we’ll meet at the park or at her place. I'm looking forward to it.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Recent cuteness
Cedric suddenly started dancing last week. Tim turned on “Way Down South” by Josh Turner and Cedric started bouncing and then stomping and flailing his arms. : ) He seems to like all Josh Turner songs. Follow this link to see a video of him dancing with Daddy last night.
http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/fighterflyy/Cedric/?action=view¤t=100_4103.flv
Cedric has also recently discovered backing up. He gets this glazed, concentrating type look on his face and starts shuffling backwards. It’s so cute. He looks very proud of himself when he’s backed up all the way across the room.
Just one more cuteness including pictures. : ) Cedric after he found and put on one of my tanktops. He’s such a ham.
Admiring himself in the mirror.
http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/fighterflyy/Cedric/?action=view¤t=100_4103.flv
Cedric has also recently discovered backing up. He gets this glazed, concentrating type look on his face and starts shuffling backwards. It’s so cute. He looks very proud of himself when he’s backed up all the way across the room.
Just one more cuteness including pictures. : ) Cedric after he found and put on one of my tanktops. He’s such a ham.
Admiring himself in the mirror.
He finally did it
Tim has ‘Bic-ed’ his head! For those of you not familiar with that term it refers to using a Bic razor (or just a razor in general). : ) I think it looks great. His head is not tanned yet in the pictures. : ) I hope he does it more often. I love it when it’s buzzed short and this ain't bad either.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
The bee sting
Cedric got his first bee sting yesterday. : ( He and I were up at Mom and Dad’s place spending the day with Mom (it was Dad’s “Friday”). The three of us had taken a long walk up past the Lone Pine and all the way to Rainy’s far gate. On our way back I put the tired little guy in the sling on my back. When we were almost back to the house a bee stung him behind and below his right ear on his tender little neck! The poor guy. He was a trooper though and didn’t cry more than a couple minutes. :-/
His body seemed to handle the sting well because it never got any worse than a small swollen white bump with a red dot in the middle. A little baking soda seemed to do the trick and it was nothing more than a red dot by bedtime. I’m glad he doesn’t have his daddy’s response to bug bites. Tim will swell up pretty good just from mosquito bites. His bee stings are quite a sight. At least we now know that Cedric is not allergic to bees.
His body seemed to handle the sting well because it never got any worse than a small swollen white bump with a red dot in the middle. A little baking soda seemed to do the trick and it was nothing more than a red dot by bedtime. I’m glad he doesn’t have his daddy’s response to bug bites. Tim will swell up pretty good just from mosquito bites. His bee stings are quite a sight. At least we now know that Cedric is not allergic to bees.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Our first trip to the nursing home
Yesterday Cedric and I made a trip to the nursing home here in Tonasket to visit the old folks. I’ve had it in mind to do this with Cedric and finally got around to it. I’m glad I did. I hope to go at least a couple times a month. I arranged it with the “activities lady” and she introduced me to a lady named Ruth Larsen who was alone in one of the cafeterias. She wasn’t able to hold a conversation with me but she was alert enough to comment on everything that Cedric was doing around the room. I just sat with her while we watched Cedric play, and she had a sweet smile on her face the whole time. Once, I asked her if she had any grandchildren and she just looked at me with twinkling eyes and such a smile. I took that as a “yes”. :)
After about 20 minutes or so we needed to leave so the room could be mopped, so we said goodbye to Ruth and told her that we’d be back. On our way down the hall we were stopped by several more of the residents to oo and ah over Cedric. He was quite a hit. I realized what an easy but huge gift I can give these older folks by letting them enjoy my son. So we’ll keep up the visits.
Cedric did very well and was happy to give a big smile to most everyone who said “hi”. I hope these visits to the nursing home will instill a comfort with and enjoyment of older people in Cedric. I also hope this spills over into an easygoing-ness about meeting people who don’t look like the younger white people he is most often around. Hopefully, tools for a lifetime.
After about 20 minutes or so we needed to leave so the room could be mopped, so we said goodbye to Ruth and told her that we’d be back. On our way down the hall we were stopped by several more of the residents to oo and ah over Cedric. He was quite a hit. I realized what an easy but huge gift I can give these older folks by letting them enjoy my son. So we’ll keep up the visits.
Cedric did very well and was happy to give a big smile to most everyone who said “hi”. I hope these visits to the nursing home will instill a comfort with and enjoyment of older people in Cedric. I also hope this spills over into an easygoing-ness about meeting people who don’t look like the younger white people he is most often around. Hopefully, tools for a lifetime.
My new blog site
Well, I have decided to try blogging from a more personal angle. My MySpace page is public enough that I don’t feel comfortable posting stories about our days. I’ve gotten to thinking how important it is to keep a journal of Cedric’s early month and years. And I would love to share them more with all of you. So I hereby present my personal blogging page. Keep checking MySpace for topics or posts that I’ve found interesting or that are important to me. See you all around! :)
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