Expectations

My husband often tells me I need to manage my expectations. He says I am too hard on people. Maybe set the bar a little too high for most. But in my own head, I set the bar no higher for anyone else than I do for myself. Therein lies the problem. In my own head.

I am a control freak. I will be the first to admit it. So when my life doesn't go according to my plans, well...there's fret indeed. So far nothing about baby number 4 has been predicable or controlled. At the first ultrasound, there was no baby. At the second ultrasound there was a little seahorse who had yet to sprout arms and legs, but had a wonderfully strong heartbeat. But the doctor let us know there was a bleed. Not a large one, and it had shrunk from the first ultrasound, but it was there and we needed to be aware of it. At the third ultrasound, everything had healed and a little person with a heartbeat of 169 was already kicking at the ultrasound machine. Is it too early to say I think I saw a tongue being stuck out at me too?

Fret has become a constant already with this kid. So has the learning (and the morning, noon, and night sickness). I didn't know how scared I could be to lose something I didn't know I wanted so badly. I didn't know how much I could love someone just by seeing their heartbeat. I also think I realize that I control very little in life. I have put off letting the world in on our little creation for fear it will somehow be taken away. But my pants don't fit anymore and the lady at the bank is starting to look at me with the wondering eye of "is she gaining weight or is she pregnant." Having faith in the world and people around me needs to play a larger role in my life. That's what baby number 4 has already taught me. There are surely more to come when we meet in the spring.

Seven

A year in the life of Curly

*She loves her animals, especially her little puppy she dresses and sleeps with everyday

*She reads like a 2nd grade pro and whizes through math, but art will always be her first love

*Nothing excites her more than seeing a peace sign or heart design on cakes, shirts, art projects, just about anything

*She is quite competitive with her brother (we hope she out grows this one)

*She sings to the wee one when she cries at bedtime

*She loves to shop and looks adorable in just about anything

*Her second front tooth is finally almost in so we are just about done with the Nanny McPhee look

* She loves to get her nails done, well she loves just about any kind of pampering

*She might just have the purest heart I have ever seen in a person

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! We sure do love you!

A Field Guide to Fish Lake

photo courtesy of Aunt Debbie

Day One

Our ten hour journey is complete. We have arrived at the site to observe and respect nature from for the next several days. We discover we are the first in our party to arrive. The land is quite desolate. There are rocks, sage brush, a fire pit, a picnic table, and much wildlife. No showers, and running water is scarce. Upon inspection of the sites we determined the best place to set up the nylon and mesh temporary dwelling unit. We determined that to be in a flat grassy area approximately 50 yards from the building of discretion, yet not down wind from it. We wait for the others to arrive.

Day Two

I awoke from a fitful night's rest atop a twin air mattress with the wee one to find that Hollywood and The Man are missing. In the daze of sleep, I pray Sasquatch has not taken them. I search for my phone to call The Man, and discover in this vast remoteness, we have no contact with civilization. However, upon further examination of the site, I find that several others and the boat are missing. I learn that hunting upon the great Fish Lake began early. All of our party has safely made the trek in as well. A member of the party has discovered a tick on my left shoulder. She removed it before it's head could burrow. I am then given brief instructions on how and where to check for ticks. I find it displeasing to say the least. The littlest of the party are eagerly chasing chipmunks and finding their weapons of choice upon the fallen branches. Curly has taken a twist and has used the fallen branches and a few strips of toilet paper to create homes for the creatures in the unlikely event of rain.

Day Three

It is three am and this night The Man and I have decided it is better for the wee one and I to find sleep in the more permanent dwelling unit made of steel riding on wheels. I have left my chair in the soft pallet and nasal symphony to find the unit swaying. I believe my space inside the nylon to be safer than that of a place surrounded with coolers full of meat, fish, and vegetables. We have not yet seen any wildlife of significant size and stature, however there are signs posted to warn us. This is indeed brown bear country.

A large doe made her way into camp. At first I mistook her for a large pit bull having only seen her hindquarters. When she revealed her face, I was quite embarrassed by my mistake. The matron of our party informed us about sunrise that there are indeed protective measures we should be taking. Bears are attracted to sunscreen. The sun is intense at 10,000 feet even if the thermometer shows a steady 80 degrees. We must forgo the risk of skin cancer and brave the elements if we are to withstand the wildlife. I don't believe I have ever faced such risk.

Day Four

We have survived our field study. Part of the party broke down camp last night and made their journey north. We will break down our camp and clean up all evidence of our presence after breakfast and a few games of red light green light. The remaining members of the party ask if we will return to the field study next year. With the successful study we had this year, perhaps we will.

Scissors

We have a rule about scissors in this house. They must be hidden at all times. If they are not, this is what happens...









Good thing Sweet and Sassy could fix this mullet into a cute little layered bob.



Not pictured is poor Oliver who also received a side swipe haircut while I was in the shower.

Other things the scissors have been used for:
- Several doggie haircuts
- Curly's hair
- Three other self hair cuts by the wee one which did not require the same level of intervention.
- A few books
- More than a few homework assignments
- And this morning my mom called to let me know the blinds at her house had received a few alterations the other day.

I hear precociousness in children is a sign of intelligence. If that's true, I have a genius on my hands.