Lately

We have been up to tons of fun lately and I just had to post a few recent pics. DD will be seven months old tomorrow, if you can believe it, and there is much to document.


First, it should be noted that Daddy is way fun. Typically he is busy doing crazy things that thrill her, but here they are simply being in love. So sweet and precious--Dia is teaching Daddy to be gentle. :)


Two of her favorite things--bottle tops and painted toe nails! (Don't worry--this is a ROOT beer bottle!) She is in love with bottle tops (great on the gums) and thankfully Rory drinks a lot of bottled beverages (Oogave and Izze, anyone?). And I can't even make the girly stuff up--she just loves all things girl. Just wish my feet didn't get so dirty...she really wants to play with my toes!


Again, no need for alarm! The car is, obviously, not on. But if we are out, I tend to nurse her in the car--front seat, of course. Which is how she found the steering wheel...watch out, world! She'll also try to poke every last button and gadget. I'll often have to try to figure out how to turn things off once the car starts! Lol.


In other big news, Dia went to her first pool party! The kids were a bit older (around 3 years) so they weren't too into a baby, but Dia loved loved loved watching them play. Plus it was a great chance to show off her summer figure!


The real joy, though, came when we got this big blow-up crayon as a party favor. It is still one of her favorite toys!


And, that's right, folks! We're eating now! Granted, it's just a few bites here and there, but she really likes eating. She not only loves the spoons, bowls, sitting in her very own high chair and all the fun talk and singing, but she actually enjoys the food. You have to keep that food coming, which is why we usually use at least two spoons.


Did I mention that she likes to have fun? :)


And the other great things about baby food...it lends itself very easily to the artistic ones. :)


I believe I am mandated by law to post at least one "Aw" picture of Dia sleeping with daddy. This one is pretty sweet.


And here is just one of Daddy's aforementioned "crazy things." This box usually sits on her shelf holding toys, but Rory put her in it with her giraffe Gerard and they rode all over the house like this! She was pretty thrilled at first, but after a bit, just sat back and took in the sights. :)

I know they say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case, no camera, not even in the hands of a professional photographer, comes close to capturing even a bit of how great India has made our life. She is an absolute delight who changes and grows and even teaches me and Rory everyday. I made a conscious choice a few years back that my chosen career path and confirmed best path to the change I want to see in the world meant, for me, becoming a mom. I am only seven months into it and had no idea how truly right I was. This is the best choice I have ever made. Hands down!

Better Than a Bunny

Easter was indeed true to form: holidays are just plain tons more fun with a baby!

And it's also fun coming up with creative twists on what are usually high-sugar, high secular celebrations. Easter was kind of a no-brainer for me: skip the candy and hunt for Resurrection Eggs. My mother-in-law stopped in at a local Christian store and the guys hid them around my parents' backyard. Great idea and tons of fun.

But then, my always outside-of-the-box mom came up with an idea that Rory and I instantly took on as our newest family tradition: a book hunt! We both loved it the minute we heard it. My mom and mother-in-law bought all the books (big, colorful board books) at Half-Priced Bookstore (a great place to buy books for all ages, especially little ones because they are so affordable to replace) and then Rory took Dia around to collect them. My mom even gave her this great basket big enough to hold all her new goodies. She found some great titles for Easter--one was a kid's New Testament and a Max Lucado bead book about John 3:16. And several weeks later, we are still enjoying those books! Don't you just love creative moms?

It was a great holiday--beautiful AZ weather, too--and now we have a great, educational, new tradition. Unfortunately, I left my camera sitting in its case the whole time. I was too busy enjoying myself! But my sister Jessica took some great pics that you can see on Facebook.

Passion, Passover and the Big Two-Seven

Ah, it's Passion Week. How I love Passion Week.

I remember my second semester in Bible college when Dr. O (still one of my favorite teachers of all time), opened my world with the book "Jesus Christ: The Greatest Life." I had never before even imagined a blending of the four gospels, much less such a complete narrative of Jesus' life. It blew me away. I still keep that book on the shelf and refer to it some ten years later. That book introduced me to the real power and purpose of Passion Week.

And because I am completely vain, I love that my birthday is always somewhere near this most holy week. This year, it's smack dab in the middle.

But wait. It gets better! PASSOVER (my favorite holiday of the year--yes, more beloved than even Christmas) actually began on none other than March 30 (my birthday). So at sundown Monday night we enlisted all the family that could make it to join us for a Rory-led seder. And it was so personal, so meaningful hearing Rory read and lead us through the traditions that hold my heart still. We found a new Haggadah that we hadn't used before and this one really emphasized family which was special for us. And we sat Dia in her travel high chair right next to Daddy and everyone couldn't help but laugh and giggle as she spoke up every time Rory did. It was adorable. Gift of gab, she has!

Plus, can I tell you how much fun I had pretending to be Jewish! I had to stop by Whole Foods for some matza and charoseth ingredients and a mom and her daughter ran up searching for something especially kosher for Passover and we ended up chatting and then at the end I said, "Happy Passover!" Just like a real Jewish mom! :)

And Tuesday morning we went out for breakfast (my most favorite meal to eat out) and simply had a beautiful day. It felt like a day out of a vacation--you know, those days where everyone is relaxed and the day just kind of takes care of itself? It was just perfect. My first birthday as a mommy went beautifully. We even stopped by Chapparal Park (where Rory and I used to hang out for Park Days as kids!) to show Dia the duckies and try out a jungle gym (including the toddler swing) for the first time. Let me just say that, true to form, the swing, slide and ducks had nothing on all the people she saw! She is literally energized by people--seeing them, smiling at them, talking to them. She draws people to her--even teenage boys and other surprising humans who don't usually do baby-talk! If anybody out there is single and needs to borrow a people-magnet, just let me know. DD is your ticket to making friends!


Yeah, yeah. Swing, schming. There are PEOPLE over THERE, Mom!


Slide. Up, down. I get it, but there are PEOPLE just over THERE!!! (She is in love with people--big, small, young, old, short, tall, doesn't matter! And there just happened to be a little boy and his dad right next to the slide--way cooler than any slide, let me tell you.)

So another year older, hopefully wiser and bountifully more passionate and grateful to be here. Happy Passion Week! And a big thank-ya'll to all those beloveds who made it out to dance with us at Harrolds. Yeehaw!

Super Mom

So, what does it feel like to be Super Mom? You know, the svelt and trim (baby? what baby? my flawless body has never nurtured a human, or so it's supposed to look like), house-orderly, cook in the kitchen and free woman in the bedroom with all kids neatly dressed (scratch that--adorably dressed in designer wear that you bought on sale) kind of mom? Well, clearly, I have no idea!

Can I be honest? I loved my post-baby body. Don't get me wrong--it did NOT look like the Victoria's Secret models' bodies. It didn't even look like a plus-size model's! A post-baby body is a unique creation. It's a transition figure...it had held the most precious gift once and now it nurtures it through milk. It's ownership is still somewhere between mama's and baby's. And there is nothing else like it in the world.

We don't see much of naked anymore. Don't get me wrong--we see plenty of smut. We see risque. We see inappropriate. And we see airbrushed. But we don't see much, if any, true naked bodies of real women. I remember the first time I used the "community" dressing room at Last Chance. I was shocked. I had never seen so many different bodies! I had honestly, and ignorantly, swallowed the lies that underneath everyone's body is much more perfect than mine. To be honest, that's all I had ever seen--the bare bodies of models or actresses. Not WOMEN.

I had a heart-to-heart with my/Dia's doctor today (have I mentioned the phenomenal Dr. Swan before?!). I asked her how to lose the baby weight. Her response brought tears to my eyes. I can't possibly convey it all in black and white, but her words brought peace over my physical being--literally.

I had loved my post-baby body....but kept waiting for it to return to the pre-baby body. It's as if I, and most/all of society, wanted to erase the miracle that took place in my physical being. It's as if I wanted to trade in the nurturing figure of a new mother for that of a 12-year-old boy. Gross. And yet, everyone else would call it successful weight loss.

Don't get me wrong--you know I am 100% for healthy. But a post-baby body is not an obese body. It is not a problem body. It is not a small boy's figure with implants.

It is a woman's body. And I love it. And I love the small, little, trusting baby it single-handedly brought forth. It is a body of victory and like all battlefields, it's a little rough right now. :) But every fading stretch mark and pouch of skin are part of what made my miracle possible.

And whether or not you have birthed a child, your body as a woman IS beautiful. It is a unique temple whose esteem lies within. You may hate it (which I doubt--the hate is usually transposed either by another feeling or by accepting worth based on someone else's view, not truly your own--maybe a mother, sister, friend, television, etc.), but you would be wasting your God-given time. And besides, there are other little people looking up to you, like my daughter, to see how she should value her body. Do me a favor and at least act like you like yourself. Do it for me. Do it for her.

Butterflies!

There are so many wonderful new things going on with us these days (a certain lovebug is 6 months old now! And eating pureed carrots!!!! And waving!!!!!), but I just have to jump on here and encourage everyone to run to the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the butterflies before they go. I believe they are here until May 9th.

We went today and Dia was literally shrieking with glee (it's a funny sound she makes by breathing in really fast; Rory is semi-concerned she is choking but so far, it seems to be just for fun)! She first fell in love with the little people there (aka kids) and then all the nice friendly snowbirds, but once she caught on that there were beautifully colored wings flying everywhere, she was in heaven. It was a delight. And you are somewhat forced to take your time and take it easy, so it's a very calming experience--even with a mover and shaker like D.



.
And remember those flowers that I stick in her hair every chance I get? Well today was no exception, and we all know what butterflies are drawn to...


Her eager hands and fearless heart were ready to touch everything in sight (a personality trait I consider a true gift)! And thankfully those who witnessed her tearing leaves off of the trees (only 2 I promise!), promised not to tattle. ;)


She was enthralled!


I just had to add this one...notice anything different? I went back to blonde.... :) AND Ror had just bought DD The Hungry Little Caterpillar for her 6 month birthday (don't even start with us...we know we spoil....we're dealing with it ;), so Dia also had reading material to re-inforce the butterfly "concept." Can you say, "KONOS co-op"?

Whadd'ya Think?

So for a while now I've been impressed with several home-school families and their children. After having Dia, I am now desperate to pick their brains! So Rory and I have been tossing around the idea of holding a Parenting Forum where we invite said impressive home-school parents to let us pepper them with questions. It'd be open to anyone who wanted to come and the parents we'd invite (I already have a list!), would be there not based on perfection or unattainable success but based on a few criteria: they home-schooled their children, their children have all completed/are in the process of completing college, their family has remained close and tight-knit. And it's actually the reputation of their children that has impressed me the most--which as you know is saying a lot!

I am not on Facebook any more so I don't have access to everyone's thoughts like I used to, so I'm putting it out here. What do you think? Are you a parent--would you attend? There may be only a minimal fee due to renting a location if necessary.

If there's not enough interest, I'm just going to have call up each couple and take them out to dinner myself! :)

My Signature Color

I can't even tell you what a treat it was to find this at the nail salon today. It's not just any pink nail polish. No sir. I picked up the bottom of the bottle to read its fancy schmancy title and found this on the sticker:

"I'm Indi-a Mood for Love"

Are you kidding me?!?!?! And it couldn't be more pink or more fitting.

What an absolute treat!

You can thank me later

For any AZ ladies (and even gentlemen) looking for a good deal, I recently found Luminous Skin Studios in Old Town Scottsdale. Suzy is the owner and she is offering amazing deals!!! Let's just say I am getting a series of microderm abrasion treatments for...wait for it.....$37 a piece (normally $140 in a doctor's office)! I can't even get a normal old facial for that price! She is offering special pricing during the economic downturn and the prices are unbelievable. She is also one of the nicest women I've ever met in my life, and I can't tell you how great my skin looks after just 3 treatments (I have a few more to go....blasted acne scarring!!).

So if you're looking for a good deal on skin care, skin products, photofacials, make-up (she carries Jane Iredale, among others, for 25% off!), microderm, laser hair removal, etc., check out Luminous!!! I don't think you can even come close to these prices any where else.

Please please please tell her I sent you. Not only do I get a free treatment for every three referrals, but I'd just love to send a bunch of friends her way!

You can thank me later. :)

It's a Wedding!

There are so many glorious things to write about my sister-in-law's wedding. Rachel Starks became Mrs. Parker last Saturday and it had the mama in me planning outfits and timing schedules weeks in advance. I searched high and low for a yellow dress (Rachel's colors were yellow and gray and since Daddy was an usher we wanted to color-coordinate) for a nearly 6-month old and ended up being saved by Etsy. Have you Etsy-ed? If not, you are so missing out. If so, well, you know! :)

At any rate, in all the planning and thinking ahead, I was stunned when I saw the bride coming down the staircase. How did this funky girl become so glamorous? She was absolutely stunning. It was such an honor to witness her take vows and begin her married life.

It was also a thrill to introduce Dia to a lot of Rory's family who live in California and had yet to meet our Bugs. The big shocker for Rory and I was that Dia ended up introducing herself....How did a mere baby do this, you ask? I still don't know! All I know is that we got to the wedding a second before late (too late to meet and greet before the ceremony) and then were rushed through pictures and dinner so that we ended up doing a lot of our greeting on the dance floor. But before we could take DD around, Ror and I decided to cut a rug and left DD with my sister for just a second. Before I knew it, I looked over and there was D--in the arms of an uncle she had never met! Cool as a cucumber, she stayed and cooed with this strange man for quite a while before being passed on to another new family member....and another...and another....and another. And I am watching, stunned, from the dance floor, waiting for her to cry out to me and Daddy to save her. Yeah, well that never happened!

It never happened! She went around and around without hesitation or fear. At one point, she even reached out for one of Rory's California aunts, grabbed her face with her hands and planted a kiss right on her face! I am telling you, this child of mine is the charmer of the ages! She had the entire wedding in the palm of her hand in a matter of seconds. I met Rachel's mother-in-law, the wedding planner, the Wright House staff and others simply because they wanted to say hi to Dia. And what did Dia do? Well, first of all, she was the one who smiled at them from afar and lured them in. Once there, she held their eyes in hers and smiled and cooed until they were grinning from ear to ear. Public relations specialist. I am telling you, she has a future in dealing with people!

I am still processing this blossoming moment of hers. It is a real answer to prayer as I have been beseeching the Lord to show me more of who she is and who He designed her to be. Let me tell ya right now, it's a social butterfly and charmer. I am so proud of this little Bugs. We thought we'd stay maybe an hour or two to dance. This girl closed the party down!! The dance floor was indoors, dark with a strobe light and blasting music. D never flinched! She was in her element! At one point, Rory even took her in the middle of the dance floor while everyone circled around. He held her standing on the floor while crowds of people clapped and cheered this 2-foot dancer on and she just smiled and smiled!

Par-tay girl! It also gave her Daddy and I a chance to dance. We danced a lot, actually! Something else I hadn't planned on with a 6-month old. What can I say?

Here are some pics of our yellow dream girl and the wedding:


It's hard to see, but this is Dia first entering the dance floor. This child is thrilled with the dark, loud, crazy room!


Aunt Alli, always a favorite!


More proof of the girly-girl I mentioned before!


Big brother and stunning bride


Is it possible she takes after Daddy?!


Daddy's first dance with Dia--Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody" AW!!!

There are not words enough to describe these last few months. Sometimes I have to remind myself to exhale...I am so often in awe I think I subconsciously hold my breath!

India June will be 6 months as of the 18th of March and everyday is new with her. She is constantly learning, taking in and moving forward! And she is a LOT of fun. Lately I've noticed that at some point just about every day, she just wants to laugh! She'll look at me kind of expectantly with a big grin and just about anything I do makes her crack up! Which of course makes me (and anyone else around) crack up, too! We're just a couple of silly monkeys sometimes. :) My mom and sisters have also found that being loud draws big grins from our girl. Hint: think Daddy. Rory is not a soft-spoken guy and Dia apparently loves her daddy's booming voice and playful demeanor.

Our bug has absolutely no fear, knows almost always exactly what she wants and will smile at anyone and everyone (although sometimes she checks my face first to see if I approve a stranger!). We see a lot of the gift of exhortation in her. I have been re-reading (for the third time?) a great book called Prayer-Saturated Kids by Cheryl Sacks and Arlyn Lawrence. In it, they encourage parents to seek out God's original design for the children in their lives so that's a big prayer of mine right now. I love watching the person who is Dia unfold before me.

Tante (that's aunt in Dutch) Sheena stopped by my mom's house several weeks ago and took a few snapshots of Dia (not posed, mind you--these are just a display of Sheena's raw talent), so I thought I'd post a few. (I wish they were a bit more recent--they were taken over a month ago and she already looks so different! But they are simply too beautiful not to display.):

*DISCLAIMER: My daughter is exceptionally beautiful. You may want to take a few breaths before viewing the following as it could cause loss of breath. ;) You may also want to contact the highly talented photographer, a woman I am blessed to call family, who took these shots (again, these are not posed, just raw talent as I changed a diapey). Check out the photographer's website here. Ok, it is now safe to go on... :)


We really do love each other. A lot.



Speechless...


LOL.


Masterpiece of the Creator and daughter of our dreams. Those eyes!!!


Bonded. Forever and ever.

All Things Girl

Let me preface this post with the truth: Rory and I agreed that we would not force our daughter into a life of frilly pink things. That is a true statement.

The other side of the story: I changed my mind!

Growing up, I had floor to ceiling floral wallpaper. Every where you looked were tiny roses and a border of girls in white bonnets. Ugh. I can honestly remember counting the roses and wondering why, oh why did there have to be so many little flowers all over my wall? Alas, being the open-minded mother that I am, I envisioned giving my daughter a white palate with which to paint her own images on.

Until I stopped in a baby clothes store and saw the hot pink tutu! At about 2 months of age, she needed to have it, no question. You have probably witnessed the photographic evidence of said tutu...she tends to wear it a lot. I originally bought it just for our family photo shoot, but since then, it's just been too much fun not to wear.

And then we went to Kid-to-Kid and saw the headbands...and the flower clips...and the sunglasses.

And that is how Dia learned to accessorize:


DD at one of Aunt Jessa's favorite spots, Sola Cafe in Old Town. (She is clutching Gerard, the French Giraffe. We have Monkey, who is a monkey, Bunny, who is a bunny, Bear, who is a bear, and Sophie and Gerard the French giraffes! We like to think they hail from the Paris Zoo....)


All Girl--All Beauty


Stylin! And it should be duly noted that all accessories are never attempted to be removed by India. She has never once even remotely appeared bothered to have things attached to her head or even her face! In fact, as the picture shows, she'll push them back up so they don't come off! You go, Girl! :)

Dusty Shoes

In case you didn't know, shoes actually get dusty--especially boots. So that phrase about dusting your boots off can still ring true even if you aren't a cowboy out in the wild. In fact, my boots had gotten dusty from sitting unused in my closet.

See my boots are these great faux leather 3-inch heeled zipper-up-the-side boots that I used to wear everywhere. Jeans and a shirt? Great, put on the boots! Fun evening dress? Add the boots! Sight-seeing around Times Square on foot? Yep, boots will work for that, too! (And that's how you know you're young--my feet didn't even hurt after hours of walking!)

But there was something about carrying around precious cargo in my tummy that didn't feel right about standing, let alone walking, on three-inch toothpicks (not to mention that my pregnant fullness extended to my thighs so it was maybe just a tad tight when--read "if"--I could fully zip them.)

Last night, however, was a fun night and a special occasion. I got to introduce Dia to my BFF from junior high and high school, Nikki. I don't know exactly how Nikki and I got together when we were younger other than the home-school Park Days and TEC, but I do remember my nerves the first time I dialed her house, imagining that she had the biggest, most beautiful and sophisticated house in the world. (Isn't that funny how when we're nervous we tend to aspire our most enviable qualities to strangers?! "I bet their marriage is bliss on earth," or "I just know that their career, etc, etc, etc") Anyway, as it turns out, while her house and family have all always been glorious and simply beautiful, Nikki was just another girl surprisingly a lot like me and we hit it off.

While there have been few (if any, really) people I don't like, I have never had groups upon groups of friends. And growing up, if it was a weekend or summer in either AZ or CA, you would have been safe to bet I was with Nikki. Nikki has four sisters and I have two and both of our moms are great versions of humble hippies, but over the years we lost contact and through, you guessed it, Facebook we got back in touch.

Nearly 6 years of marriage, my college career and the birth of my beautiful Dia all adding to who I am today, I am not who I used to be (does anybody else miss the blonde Stephanie of yesteryear????), while Nikki, with a marketing degree under her belt and years with an adoption agency, has never looked more beautiful and is engaged to a great Italian man who clearly loves and enjoys her. It was so surreal when I saw her--she is the same Nikki, just....grown up! I sure felt like she was the adult, but I know she felt the same about me--I mean, I have a baby!

It was a lot of fun and I was happy to find out about all the things we still have in common--and some new things, too! So while I am extremely happy to be off of FB and texting, I will forever be grateful to the new fangled contraptions of the millenium for re-connecting me with Nikki.

And even though I was slightly nervous while holding Dia, I dusted off my ol' boots and added some heighth to my bella-band covered jeans for our dinner last night. It seemed like it was time to re-introduce an old favorite.

A Healthy Dose of Spinning

Have you ever felt yourself spinning on His pottery wheel? Not spinning out or spinning your wheels or even feeling your head spinning, but rather aware that He's working? Aware that things are changing and you, against all odds and common wisdom, are changing?

That's how I am feeling lately. Of course, for me, it includes food. Which is why I can say that on Saturday morning, Rory and I did something a little crazy......we bought MEAT. I know, I know. We have been avoiding four-letter words for so long and now look what we've done! But we have been processing the pros and cons of veganism, locavorism, and the SAD (Standard American Diet) for a while now and have been willing (even eager) to give local, "healthy" meat a chance. I know I hinted at this in my last post in reference to Kingsolver's glorious food tale "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," but while at farmer's market on Saturday, we happened upon Abby Farms (unfortunately they have no website as of yet that I can direct you to). A helpful guy and stay at home dad, sold us some free-range, local beef from happy cows. I was thrilled. (We also bought some of their apples--organic and smaller than the store-bought ones; they are DELICIOUS!) It is one of the best prices we've seen around ($4-$8/lb depending on the cut) and tonight Rory stuck his hands in some ground beef and we ate PATTY MELTS! What is going on here....

Truth be told, it was one of the best sandwiches we've had in a long time. (Rory claims the best in his life but he does tend to exaggerate...) The meat really did taste different. I have eaten meat a few times during my pregnancy and once or thrice since D was born so it wasn't just that the taste of meat was new to me. This really tasted different. GOOD different. We bought a pound of ground beef and got four patties out of it (we only ate two tonight). We also put the yummy beef on some local rye bread we also bought at farmer's and for me, the bread was so the best part! I love bread.

At any rate, we are attempting to find a balance here. Our menu for the rest of the week is meatless (and heavy on veggies--we ate a delicious green salad bigger than our burger with dinner tonight). I'll keep you posted on our thoughts as we continue to spin--in a good way, of course.

And our life is also changing audibly as well. Namely, we now live, eat and breathe with a soundtrack; Dia has started singing! I nearly fell over and very nearly had to catch my heart as it leaped out of my chest when I first heard her. I had placed her on our bed with some pillows so I could make a little pit stop in the restroom, and when I came back in, I saw her on her tummy (unaware that I was there) singing. No understandable words were formed or anything, but she kept a beautiful little tune of "aaaaahhhhh....uuuhahhaaaaahhhuhahuhah...oooooooohhohoh" It is hands down my favorite thing in the world. She is so sweet and very thoughtful (you can see her lips start forming sounds and her eyes get an intense look right before she makes her first sound).

She is also talking, talking, talking--again, no words I know yet, but we're listening intently nonetheless. For a while she was speaking primarily in raspberries and other beautiful noises made with spit, loose lips and a little tongue, but now it's a series of sounds and intentional lip movements. I die each time she shares her thoughts verbally! Her most talkative times tend to be around diaper changing, but she has also been known to start up when someone first starts to hold her (especially with her Grammy and aunties). And of course, she does every so often mumble these sounds in her sleep! I eat, sleep and drink joy all day. Endless endless joy.

So I'll end this with the joyful face and gleeful sounds of D herself:

Good Times

OK! I have sat down to blog several times these last few weeks but the fullness of life beckons and I willingly follow. Thus, I now have tons to say and yet, life is beckoning again. (This time for a last minute massage from Massage Envy--never been but excited to try.) So, I'll recap what I can as best as I can as quickly as I can and hopefully finish up the Christmas post so you can see adorable DD!

Let me start off here with a great book recommendation: "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver has quite the following, I understand, however this was my first read of hers. She normally writes fiction but this book chronicles her and her family's vow to eat locally (mostly from their own farm) for a year. It's a beautiful story with lots of practical information (even yummy recipes!) and plenty of laughs. I've enjoyed it immensely--as would, I imagine, anyone, not just hippies like me. :) I'm only about half-way through the book but it really has me thinking and evaluating my lifestyle and priorities. She's clearly unaware of how much God loves her, yet she does get the importance of family and the quality of time and food she gives them. She even cites a study of National Merit scholars wherein the only common thread among these brilliant students is nightly family dinners. Wow. I never would have guessed that. I know how important it is (and just how much I enjoy it), but I am impressed with the dedication of that many families to their children. Anyway, it also has me re-thinking the vegan thing. I am not convinced that all meat is bad for us--rather, the work of doctor and scientist of T. Colin Campbell highlighted how casein (animal protein) can trigger cancer cells. (VERY interesting read, by the way. His book is "The China Study.") The questions that remain for me are what about organic and is it all meat or just the overabundance of meat in the Standard American Diet (SAD)?

Anyway, little Bugs and I have been thinking lots these last few weeks. We are still processing (she is one of the BEST listeners). I have also been inspired to make use of the beautiful bounty of citrus on our backyard trees, so on Friday Aunt Alli came over and we made delicious gluten-free Orange and Walnut muffins. Oh wow. So good. Sweetened only with honey and agave and using rice flour, these little bites of sweet and tangy heaven are wonderful and Auntie Jessi (she's allergic to gluten) can even enjoy them.

In other news, we have now entered the "Move All Objects At Least 2 Feet From Dia's Hands" stage. No porcelain casualties to report so far, but there have been lots of close calls. I am sad to say that we are now missing Proverbs 10 from our Bible....little hands act fast is all I can say about that.

Dia is growing and growing and growing and if you happen to look closely around dusk, you can actually watch her little body lengthen and expand. It happens just that fast! :) We are now in 6-12 month clothes and two little pieces of shiny white can be seen just below her bottom left gum. Which brings me to very sad news....we had to give D Tylenol. It's not Tylenol that I dislike as much as all the additives and high fructose corn syrup! Gross. But it does do the trick on rough days/nights when the teething tablets just aren't cutting it.

And to end our short and fast recap, let me just say that Dia has reminded me of the value of two things: hair and puppies. I have often wanted to chop off my hair these last months mostly for the sake of ease, but Dia is enthralled by my meager brown locks. She sits on the bed (propped w/ pillows) and smiles and smiles and gazes as I brush my hair. She is the sole reason I have avoided the stylist's!

She also cracks up at the site of our two Golden Retriever mixes, Roxy and Depot. It's hilarious. She has reminded us both to not forget the pups and we often call one or both of them over for some loving (aka fur pulling and hugging). She sits in her exersaucer and mostly watches and laughs (out loud!) at them. It's hilarious!

I wish I had more time to post pics of all our antics, but alas, Massage Envy is calling! Here are some highlights:


This face says, "Is that ROXY?!?!?! I LOVE Roxy!"


Depot and celery (for her gums)--what a great day!


I understand if this is honestly the cutest thing you have ever seen before. Aunt Alli bought shoes for Dia for Christmas--little baby moccasins!! ADORABLE.


Her new fav past time: biting down on glasses. Her poor little gums! But doesn't she look cute with the big girl glass????


And how sweet is this? Dia fell asleep to her daddy playing the guitar. Sweet sweet LOVE.

Just say NO

The thing about me most people may not know (and my husband still denies) is that I am horribly undisciplined. It's true. I have a very hard time saying no to things--especially things that are bad for me.

I know, I know. I am a healthy eater (high raw, no sugar vegan). But you may not know why. I ended up very sick at a very young age (Eppstein Barr--an auto-immune disease--at age 15). Dropping to around 80lbs before my sixteenth birthday and not strong enough to hold a glass of water on my own, I was in bad shape. And while it may be hard to know exactly how or why I had it, I do know what beat it: diet. Cutting out sugar, wheat and dairy and taking a crazy amount of supplements (somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 vitamins 3x day), my immune system bulked up and made me healthier than I had probably ever been in my short life.

I know it can be a hard concept for a lot of people. I hear a lot of concern over extremism or depriving myself. But it's not difficult math--cut out the junk food and feel amazing or eat a balanced American diet and slowly lose energy, functionality and vitality. For me, it's not depravity or extremist. It's health.

Before my illness, I lived off of biscuits and jelly for breakfast, sandwiches and Taco Bell for lunch and would often skip dinner. I was a busy girl and took myself for granted. I am learning more and more to keep the basics of life central to my day. So now, making meals and shopping for food are easy priorities and eating well is something I make time for.

Which brings me to television. If you think I am disciplined, it's probably because you've never seen me in front of a tv. I can watch and watch and watch and watch and watch and....well, you get the idea. I am a true veg queen. I also knew that I can tune the world out with a few well-timed sitcoms, which is why Rory and I chose not to own a television.

What I didn't expect, however, were things like Facebook and Hulu. Before we knew it, our evenings (and weekends) of talking and spending time together were slowly eaten up with checking Facebook and scouring for our favs on Hulu. The very reasons we were committed to not owning a tv were completely lost on us.

Now to top it off (and this is where the crazy takes a sharp turn into straight-wacko-ville), laptops and cell phones give off more EMR/EMF radiation than is safe. I told you I was heading for wacko-ville... But it is something I am seriously concerned about.

So, as if I needed any more motivation anyway, I am just saying no to my laptop and keeping my cell in the car for emergencies. With the little body attached to my mama one, I am especially convicted over the amount of radiation I am exposing to her--daily.

I plan on using Rory's laptop as necessary and hopefully keeping an semi-updated blog to help keep in touch.

In the meantime, I have to brave the Christmas crowds in search of a hard-line telephone to plug into our new landline...Who woulda thought?!

The Power of Family

Wow. Where to start?

I'd like to start with the small stuff: the sweet smell of her milky, pure baby breath, how she turns her head to look at EVERYTHING, that she finally noticed the dogs, how she holds my hand and/or shirt while nursing, how she rubs the small of my back with her little tiny perfect hand while nursing, that she cries less and now has more of a one syllable "waah" as if to say, "Hey, don't forget about me!", that her gigantically beautiful blue eyes still light up every single room she enters, and how she does not like to sit, but must be moving, going, exploring and she will wriggle her way to where she wants to go as fast as she can....although, her body hasn't quite caught up with her mind yet, so she often ends up face down....on the bed, on the couch, on the floor, etc.

You know, just those little things we notice as we spend our days with India.

To be honest, I blog all the time about her--well, in my head at least! Rory and I are always noticing even the smallest change, the slightest advancement, the tiniest of growths. She is beautiful to watch and inspiring to be around. And yes, there are many times I still find my face dampened with tears just at the sight of her.

We are especially enjoying "wearing" her. Babywearing is a pretty common practice--every where but in America! I think it's probably more common than we assume (I know my parents had different kinds of carriers), but we love it. And our mover and shaker D sure loves to be included. We have that mei tei wrap I've mentioned before, but we also use a sling given to us by our friends and former LP leaders the Tripkehughes'.


You can see how comfy she finds it!


And the other day at Farmer's, D was in the mei tei wrap when I realized she had been holding my finger the whole time! My heart totally melted.

One of the most fun things about life with D now is how she interacts with people. If you're on Facebook, you may have noticed my latest update: she gives kisses! To be fair, there isn't much of a pucker yet--it's just an open mouth coming right at you with the occasional tongue ready to lick away! And I can't tell you what a thrill that is! It is pure delight! And there's nothing like shrieks of joy from her aunties and grandma and grandpa to make mom and dad feel absolutely normal in their obsession!

I know my parents (and even Rory's parents) raised their children primarily on their own--grandmas and grandpas were for special occasions but not necessarily there for the day-to-day stuff. I don't know if it's a generational thing, but it's certainly not how we are doing things. I depend on my mom constantly! And we absolutely love love love sharing our Joy with our sisters and parents. And Dia seems to like it, too! She is starting to recognize them and is working on a special relationship with each one. Her Auntie Jessa is like a second mom. I am so amazed at how natural Jess has been with her. The other day D had her first "explosive" poo-poo situation and who was the first to run and grab hand towels? Jess! She went right to her, wiping her legs off and entering into the "mess" with us. I know D feels safe and loved with her sweet Auntie.



Aunt Alli has been a blast from the get-go. Alli started talking to Dia about buying books (Auntie Alli has an amazing ability to hold the most fascinating one-sided conversations with incredible detail!) and India went ga-ga for her! Smiling and grinning up a storm! They have become fast friends and I know their bond is special. D lights up when she sees her Auntie loves.


D has also found special bonds with her Grandpa and Opa:

With Grandpa, it's football! Dia loves the colorful little jerseys running all over the big screen!



And Opa and she share a special love of all things jazz! (I have a video of them dancing, but it's not working correctly right now.....hmm....)

I remember reading once about a famous and accomplished scientist who referred to himself as having stood "on the shoulders of giants." He recognized that his feats could never have happened were it not for the great minds who came before him. And that's exactly how I feel about mommyhood. I am standing on the shoulders of some amazing women (and men!) whose feats of love and selflessness empower and inspire me in so many ways. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to be able to look back and confidently ask what they would have done or recall what they did do. I am more confident for Dia knowing that we both rest on their work and love.

Thank you, Lord, for families that pray and stay together.