The Blessed Smell of Poo

Yesterday, Kitty choked on something. She was holding Raccoon's piggy bank (which I didn't think she knew how to open, very bad mistake on my part) after a trip to the plant store. When we arrived at the mall a few minutes later she was sitting on a pile of pennies in her car seat and choking on something. I grabbed her out of her carseat and turned her upside down, squeezing her and whacking her on the back. She threw up, but only liquid came out.

She seemed okay after that, but it was one of the worst days I've had. The guilt. The worry. Realizing - again - just how fragile life is. And how scary-much I love my kids. How afraid I am of something happening to them. Thinking that in my life, daughters don't stay. Freaking out.

The pediatrician said to make sure she was eating and not throwing up, and to examine her poo for the penny.

So we waited. She's normally pretty regular, but this morning there was no poo.

Finally, this afternoon while we were out on a little walk, she did her business. I have never been so glad to smell poo in my entire life.  We rushed inside, probably the only time I'll be that excited to change her diaper.

Lots of smelly poo, but no penny.

We think that, maybe, she never swallowed one after all. I'll be keeping an eye on her for the next few days for sure, but we are all very, very relieved.

I am so grateful for the lives of my children. So grateful that Raccoon and Kitty are still here another day to drive me a little crazy and to fill me with amazing love.

Thank you, Lord, for everything.

Reflections

As I was looking though my pictures tonight for Raccoon's poo project photos (more about that on our homeschooling blog soon), I suddenly realized something. I have several, maybe even a half dozen, happy pictures of Raccoon. Given his temperament and my frequent worries about happiness, this was comforting. I'm definitely not getting everything right, but choosing to come back to this house was a good decision, I can see it in my children's faces.

Fitting into Life

"Maybe as artists we are always seeking ways to transform our art, and a medium to fit the season in our lives." - Franchesca

This season of having little kids means, for me, that there isn't much time for anything else. The days slip past and there are still so many things I wanted to do. I have a feeling that most of my creativity for the next few months is going to be poured into homeschooling my son, and involving my daughter as much as possible.

I am a daydreamer by nature, and days filled with endless doing are difficult for me. I am not: an efficient person, an organized one, good at balance and moderation. I wander from task to task, leaving a half-finished trail behind me. I like to dive deeply into things, and it often takes me an hour or so to warm up and find my flow. Only having a few minutes here and there to concentrate is frustrating, so instead I attempt nothing.

A medium to fit the season. I like that. First of all, it reminds me that my now is not my forever. Kitty said her first phrase the other day, "Bye bye bow wow." She hasn't been as quick to talk as Raccoon, preferring to use gestures and her own made up signs for communicating. But she will run and talk and in a year or so we'll even be tackling potty training. Raccoon just the other day was a dependent baby and now he happily spends the morning engrossed in projects of his own, only asking for help getting out the "big hammer" and when he needs more nails.

Investing in my children, in myself, in my marriage, these are all things that need to fit into my life. They are my medium, for now.

La Vie en Rose

What should I say? We are settling into our home on the land. Hopeful little things are growing. Next Monday starts our first real week of routine and perhaps some school. I have this weekend to pull things together. Raccoon and Kitty are learning to play together. Kitty wants to run so badly. Our dogs and kitties are fattening up from their neglected states, and playing joyfully. Things are marching along on our little half-acre. We're looking forward to a possible building project (a second floor) and getting involved more in the community.

This rosemary is a little more than three years old. 

I planted a skinny little shoot when we moved out 

to the land the first time in 2010.

Wordless Wednesday (Mostly): Us at Home

Me in our front yard, digging out a geranium that I planted three years ago.

 

Raccoon the gardener (our side and back yard)

 

Raccoon climbing a guava tree at my friend's house

 

Our new adopted dog, Jewel

 

Our new cats - Tiger Lily and Sunflower

 

Kitty in Raccoon's room

Kitty in a park by my mother-in-law's house

 

Kitty trying her first guava

 Kitty in our front yard

Kitty playing with our rock pile

Kitty sharing her chicken bones with the cats

Raccoon playing with his cousins

 Water fight!