Heart Baby

My blueberry was born with two  tiny holes in his precious heart.  His little heart murmur was very faint, but there.  When he had his first round of test he was one month old. He was such a good newborn for his test. He was calm and still.

Today was E's six month follow up with his cardiologist.  At seven months he was quite the good baby again for his round of test.

We received the news that a new parent prays for: that her baby is healthy.  That her baby's heart has grown strong and healed.

E was in great capable hands at the children's hospital.  I am blessed that he is well today with the light of autumn shining in his eyes.   My heart goes out to all the families and their children at the hospital faced with challenges ahead. That they too may walk away from the hospital with their babe healthy and happy in their embrace someday soon.





Blueberry Apple Baby

My little guy had his first stay over at his Auntie L's house.  While I was out of town for a few vacation days, our blueberry was on an adventure with his auntie. She did an amazing job with E. Every picture we received while we were away was filled with sunshine smiles---on E's face and on his auntie's. As a special treat she took E and his cousin O to their first apple orchard.  They even went on a hay ride.

My aunt was fundamental to my development as a child.  She exposed me to art, gardens, music, and different life philosophies.  I loved every summer minute I spent on special trips to my aunt's home. I hope my E and his aunt grow the same happy memories together.

And on a side note....I now know how hard it must have been for my mother to send me off for a visit with a relative. Your heart aches when your baby is away from your embrace. And your heart overflows with joy the very moment that they return.

Swing Baby Swing

Oh, the simple joy of a good swing.  Daddy put the swing up for our little blueberry ( a gift from Baba). It was difficult to choose one picture that captured the happiness of my baby as he took his first swing in our cottege's quaint front yard. He was just full of sunshine in all the pictures. 

Fair Baby

My fair baby. He was an excellent fair baby. The best. He smiled at the rabbits. Surveyed the cornucopia of fowl. Met a beautiful hay eating horse named Maximus. Showed his Baba and Mama which quilts he preferred. Casually enjoyed the fine art building with the occasional yawn.  Several grey haired people stopped him to say hello.  Ate his lunch and his snack at the Rotary dining hall.  Put up with over 90 degree weather and a bright brilliant sun. I do believe he loved every new minute. And so did I.

Good-Bye City House, Hello Lake Cottage

The entire month of August I have been on the move. The baby and I have been transplanting our little life from the city to the country.  In the past I embraced a semi-nomadic life and tended to move every two years. Someone mentioned to me that the lifetime average of homes a person will make is around seven.  With this move I have reached home number 11.  And my little blueberry is already on house number two. 

My family was very concerned when I moved to the city.  Worried about crime. I lived on a nice street where the other houses maintained better lawns than I did.  Most people worked or were retired on my little city street.  People on my street looked out for each other and their homes.  Was there crime around us? Sure.  But on my street the hub-bub was the family of raccoons that made a home in my garage.

I will miss my first house. My first home for my baby.  I went kind of crazy trying to make everything perfect for his home delivery. His nursery had the imprints of several family members that pulled together to make it just right.  My father painted a free crib ( and left his finger prints and smudges in the paint---which I feel is endearing), my mother made the curtains, E's dad painted the room ( cutting it with a tiny paint brush), my sister found the most beautiful mobile ( and made sure that the new baby would have everything he would ever need), and I painted eight paintings for his first room. Six of them were based on the story and illustrations of Charlotte's Web (you can see the portrait of Goose in the corner). I read E.B. White's classic while my blueberry floated and kicked within.

And now we are almost moved into our small cottage. Living together as a family with my blueberry's father.  Giving it all our best to live among  my mountain of books and art supplies in order to create a place of love for my blueberry heart.

Trust me---we are all tired from the move.
And ready to let our little family's roots grow.

Runny Noses

My blueberry is a joyous little guy.  Even when he is a bit on the runny nose side he still puts forth the effort to be a happy baby.  This week his nose has been giving him some issues.  He rubs and rubs his nose trying to make it work better.  True frustration creeps in when he is ready to sleep and his nose is ready to run.  Poor thing.  A few times he cried real tears in his sleep.  And a few times he has cried himself to sleep.  Even though his nose drippings have been pooling on his bib with the rest of endless drool---still he wakes with a smile in his eyes---still he giggles and plays with his toes. Amazing.

Baby Book

I am a reader. I adore books.  The worst part of when I move from place to place is the transporting of my massive collection of books.  My family would gladly pay someone else to hull my library load to my new abodes.  Fiction, art books, pop up books, graphic novels---a cornucopia of nerdy delights. For years every payday guaranteed a trip to the book store. My budget was spent on eating books instead of filling my refrigerator.  I even have a nice eclectic selection of children's picture books.  All purchased over the years when I thought I would never be a mom only maybe an awesome aunt.

It has been almost a year since I have spent quality time in my preferred local book store.  A place where they knew me by name and what tasty hot beverage I preferred at the store cafe. There was even more than one time that I had helped customers looking for a book that the employees had difficulty locating.

It was my hobby. My home away from home.

For my blueberry's six month birthday I ventured back to my beloved store. As soon as I entered my old stomping grounds my agenda became skewed.  Instead of E's present my hands became full of other necessities: two feminist magazines that I miss, a discounted art book, a book on organic gardening, and a travel guide for Washington, D.C.

My arms began to ache from the load as I stood in line at the cafe waiting to place my order with whipped cream and chocolate shavings on my mind.

But before the barista asked me for my order----something caught my eye. Primary colored board books for babies.  As I waited I put down my load any began flipping the pages and felt my world come back in to focus.

I left the line before I place my order. I put each of the desired pieces of reading back in there home to await someone else to pluck their goodness from the shelves.

My destination was the children's book department.

For two hours I savored all the books for little ones.

And I thought about my mom.

My siblings and I always had new shoes at the start of every school year.  My mom?  She wore the same tired dusty blue Nikes for years and years.  In the summer she pulled out the same pair of flip flops again and again. For all special occasions  her bright red dress with the white piping would appear. My mum always put us first.  Even though I had disdain for years for her Nikes she made us feel special. Loved.

And so for E I found books that I hoped he would love.

In fact we read the book about Elmer the patchwork elephant three times on his six month birthday. 

I have the precious board book memorized....as well as the look on my blueberry's face every time we open the book.

I am thankful that I put my stack back and left the coffee line in order to make my E smile.

I am thankful for my mom and all the sacrifices she made to make me smile.