Dandilion Gardens

My friends in New York had their baby this week. Welcome Baby Charlie.

I spoke with them this evening and was reminded of how chaotic and intense those first days with a baby are. Everything is scary and overwhelming, and each moment feels so critical. On top of all the regular scary things that happen in those first days, little Charlie has given them some very real scares. They are all doing fine, but it's a reminder that even though we sometimes scoff at the over-medicalization of life, we are quite fortunate to have access to good medical care when we need it.

I remember speaking with other moms last spring when I was having a rough time about how no one tells you, really, how difficult those first days (weeks? months?) can be. But really, would any of us have listened? I think some people tried to tell me, but I honestly didn't really get it. It's only once you're there, with a tiny little human entirely dependent on your every move and demanding every ounce of your love, compassion, patience, energy, and strength, 24 hours a day, that you get the intensity of it all.

This reminder of the early days with Molly comes as our little girl is in the throes of another sickness. This time its a pretty high fever - the nurse recorded it at 104.1F when we went in this afternoon, which is enough to send them scurrying for Tylenol, pronto. I knew something was up when I got home yesterday and was greeted by quiet indifference rather than her typical jumping out of Zach or Paz's arms to say hello to me.

She's going to be fine. The NP gave us one of four diagnoses to pick from: The Flu, Roseola (another Viral infection), a reaction to last weeks MMR vaccine, or a reaction to last weeks Chickenpox vaccine. It may become clear in the next few days which it is (depending on the presence, or lack of presence, of a rash), but the treatment in all cases remains the same: treat the fever when it's over 102F, keep her comfortable, and keep pushing fluids on her.

Photos: a day at the Rose Garden

Let the sun shine in

More pictures to share from Rhea's visit last week. We saw BIG trees, funny farm animals, and generally had a good time.

It's been a while since I've gotten to spend much time with Rhea, which is a shame. As far as I can tell, she's my oldest friend that I keep in regular touch with. We tried to figure out just how old we were when we met, but the closest we could get was "about 8", since that was when you could start riding. We met at the barn and were "barn brats" for many years. We always laugh about how she was actually taller than me when we first met. We even have a photo (somewhere) to prove it. Notice how I politely try not to tower over her too much in pictures. ;)

Molly had a great time with Rhea when she was here, and Rhea did a really great job of helping her feel comfortable - she spent the first hour or so here just hanging out with me and letting Molly observe.

In other exciting news, I talked to my east coast pregnant friend today, and, well, by the time you read this she may no longer be pregnant! As of mid-day today she was well into labor and seemed to be doing fantastically. Of course, her partner was a little perturbed by my enthusiasm, but soon enough they'll be parents and I'm so so excited for them. Here's some positive thinking for the DeBoyd's!


above: Rhea teaches Molly about picking other's noses ("You can pick your nose, and you can pick your friends, but best of all, you can pick your bear's nose!); the Terrific Trio pose in front of a big tree, not doing justice to our height differences; Rhea & Molly make silly faces; Molly makes a sneak attack on an unsuspecting goat; Baa, baa black sheep have you any wool? (random sheep shot).

picture catch-up

I'm still catching up with some of the lovely photos from my parents visit for the birthday party. We've been pretty busy over here - last week we had our 12 month checkup (just a little anemia, apparently common with toddlers who would prefer to drink milk rather than sit still long enough to eat) and our semi-annual check-in with the neurologist (everything looks great - we'll check back in two more times to be sure though).

Whoa there! did someone call Molly a "toddler"!?? oh-mi-gosh I guess it's true. I've been having these moments recently where it just hits me what a little person she is becoming. Moments like when she discovers how to make the swivel chair spin (and spin, and spin, and spin), or her recent fascination with lids (on? off? on? off?). And just in case we weren't totally convinced about the whole sign language thing, she made me pretty certain the other morning while we were eating breakfast. First she frantically signed "baby" (and whispered "bay-bee"). Thinking "this kid's crazy, there are no babies here" I did what any adult would do and challenged here. "Where's the baby, Molly?" I asked. And she pointed. At the pictures of all the friends' babies that we have on the fridge. Well, there you go, miss M. Right as always.

Speaking of signing & speaking (not that you were), this weeks trick involves energetically saying "meh-meh" while signing "milk" with both hands. It worked when she did it in conjunction with grabbing my boobs. And we even got the message when she used it to ask for food. But now she's expanded her use of "meh-meh" to, well, we're not quite sure what she means by it now. Perhaps she had sucess with it in one arena (food) and is now using it to demand a lot of things?

Above: Molly plays the liar; Molly gets cleaned-up; Molly & Opa enjoy the slide; Molly & I enjoy rolling around on the new rug; and Molly & Nona enjoy a moment together.

PS. more babies in our life: little Lucy M. joined us a month early. Her & her family are all doing well. And of course, she's gorgeous.

First Steps!

So, last Monday Molly decided it was okay to stand, and on Tuesday, just 10 days after her birthday, she decided it was okay to walk! Yahooo! Luckily our lovely neighbor was there to document the moment with video clips. Ahh the joy of technology.

All the experienced parents out there are shaking their heads and saying in unison "enjoy it while you can." I think every veteran parent (besides Molly's grandparents) has smiled and warned me that it only gets more exciting from here. Of course, as new parents, we're thrilled with each milestone and find each stage more fun then the last. Knock on wood, but so far we haven't been overwhelmed by her mobility. I think a large part of that is due to her personality: she's so cautious by nature. Don't you worry, we're still careful not to become complacent.

And, yes. Molly will hate me someday for posting a photo of her drooling for all the world to see.

All together, now!

More pictures from the Birthday party:





("Happy Birthday To Molly"; "Hands in the air!" or "How many adults can you get to do silly things?"; Zach, Molly, & Uncle Gabe; Molly, Charlie, & Zach; the family; Molly, Sofia, & Mary)

It's raining babies!

In the last few weeks, there's been a rash of babies being born. Ok. I guess, technically, the birthrate in the last few weeks hasn't changed, but the it's the birthrate amongst our friends and relatives that has. So, here's a shout-out to Molly's future comrades: From west to east we're welcoming Audrey & Lucy in the West Bay, Isaac in the South Bay, Miles in the East Bay, and Michele on that next continent over. We're also expecting news of two more East Bay babies in the next two months and an East Coast baby any day now! It's pouring babies in our lives! Yay!

Which brings us to Molly (who loves whispering "bay. be." while furiously making the baby sign). Molly is doing wonderfully, as usual. She's settled back into a mellow routine, and, while still clingy, she's not as panicked around new people as she was for a little while. Last night we took her to a Beatles sing-a-long (to benefit our friend, Eve's amazing non-profit, FLI). Not only did she love it (she's already got all the moves and makes an amazing groupie) but at one point when we had wandered away from the band for a moment she grabbed another persons leg and steered them to the middle of all the music making. What a ham.

She's also started standing on her own. Well, she's been able to stand for a few weeks now, but she's been super cautious about it. Before today we'd seen her stand a handful of times, but as soon as she realized what she was doing she'd immediately sit down or grab hold of us. Today, though, she's apparently gotten comfortable with the standing thing and now does it fairly openly, clapping along to her favorite tunes, showing us toys, and pointing out all the interesting things she sees (signing "light!", and "cat!" like mad). I suppose those first unassisted steps are really just around the corner now!

Zach & I are also doing well. Zach is really enjoying the sign language class and was telling me tonight that he feels like it's opened up another level of communication with Molly. I'm enjoying the new job at the Park District. I got my benefits & union orientation today. It's amazing what a union can do for you - in all the places I've worked, I've never seen benefits like this. I've also enjoyed going on all the site visits and learning about parks I had no idea even existed.

And now, here are some photos from a few weeks ago - I've gotten a little behind on the photos here, but I'll try to catch up!

Happy 1st Birthday

Dearest Molly,

It was a big weekend for you: not only did you have all 4 grandparents cooing over you, but you turned ONE YEAR OLD!! Yes, that’s right. One year ago this past weekend, you made the difficult journey out of my body and into this world. It was amazing. You are amazing.

Even after one year (or especially after one year?) we’re both having difficulty with that transition into separateness. Me, with letting go of you and trusting that you will be okay. You, with letting me out of your reach. Ever. Fortunately, you feel similarly about Zach, but recently you’ve just had issues with anyone behaving as if they are going to walk away from you. Sometimes, when Zach and I are both there, you can’t decide who to cling to harder. My poor dear, we have absolutely no intention of leaving you permanently. I may leave for a few hours, but I promise that I do rush home to see you as soon as possible!

My parents flew out for the weekend to be with you and we all drove down to visit with Zach’s parents for your birthday. We enjoyed a break in the rainy weather, a nice walk with the red wagon, and some yum-i-licious carrot cake, courtesy of Charlie (aka Pa).

At one year of age you are doing ridiculously well. You’re still studying the standing/walking thing, but we’re all convinced that any day now you’ll just start doing it. Actually, technically you can stand and walk now, but you’re not admitting to it yet. We’ve seen you do it, but as soon as anyone notices you sit right down. It seems like that’s your style: study until you can do it well.

I think you’re also doing that with the talking – I hear you whispering sweet nothings to your daddy (da-da, da-da, da-da) or to Sadie the cat (cah, cah, cah… a-die, a-die). Zach has also been taking you to a sign language play group (when you don’t fall asleep in the car). You seem to enjoy mimicking the hand gestures, and you’ve even gotten a couple of signs down (such as “hat” – your buddy Nate’s favorite – and something that might be “water” or “food”).

All in all, it’s been an amazing year. A wild ride. The beginning of what promises to continue to be an incredible journey. I’m absolutely looking forward to watching you grow and learn about yourself and the world around you. Keep studying, we’ll be here to applaud all your first steps.