New Additions - Odds not Evens

Some people who know me might comment on the fact that I like to have things a “certain way”. My desk may be a mess, but under it all, I love to organize, and I am constantly sorting or resorting. I am also constantly looking for patterns in anything I see. For example, today’s date is 4/19/13, is one of my favorites for this month. Why, because four taken from nineteen is thirteen.

Cami and Baby Monster

This obsession with numbers, sorting, and organizing has led to a Noah’s ark sort of situation at our house. We have a male and a female dog. We have a male and a female cat. We had a male and a female sheep, and we even had a male and a female fish. Where things start to get a little skewed is the two female chickens. I accept this aberration because male chickens don’t lay enough eggs to compensate for their ridiculously annoying vocal performances. I have even expanded our count to include our neighbor who is close enough to be family. She added two cats, and with her, there are a total of four people on the property. I love pairs, and even numbers! They make me so happy.

Weird and Baby Q-Tip (Kitten)

So what is the catch?  The time finally came that the numbers at our house are once again unbalanced. Our white Tabby-Siamese mix, nicknamed “Kitten” gave birth on April 2^nd to three healthy baby kittens.  I am thrilled that two of the baby kittens are nearly identical, and somewhat annoyed that the third has no match. It reminds me of putting four socks into the wash and only getting three back. Even numbers are so much better! I am only consoled in the fact that there were not 6, 8, or 10 kittens.

Kitten and her three little newborn kittens

In all reality I suppose I should also find solace in the fact that these kittens are not a burden to us as Kitten is doing such a good job in caring for them. She is diligent about feeding them and cleaning up after them. Thankfully, she is still a very loving cat to her humans. She is showing the same affection and patience she had before the birth of the triplets, even for Phoenix. Further, while she fiercely guards the kittens from the danger of her brother, Weird, when they are both in the house she showers him in affection.

Such a good Mamma

Phoenix talking to the last kitten in the box.

This addition has been a great pleasure for Phoenix as well. She was already chasing the cats around the house, shrieking at them.  She, of course, believes that the kittens have arrived as an even better form of entertainment for her. Phoenix loves the kittens, and that is an understatement. She will sit by the back door and peer out at the kittens in their box, banging on the door. Whenever we open the door to feed the cats she tries to sneak out onto the porch. When we bring the box in she sits by the box doing an “up and down” dance in front of the kittens. Talking to them, and occasionally petting them.  Meanwhile Kitten is walking around the outside rubbing against Phoenix.

So, I suppose that while I am annoyed that our critters are no longer evenly paired, I am grateful that they are a positive addition in every other way. I am also grateful that when they are weaned, in about 3 more weeks, our house will once again be back to evens in the critter world.

Phoenix, Kitten, and the Kittens

More of the Kittens

Continual Change

With each month that passes I think back at the way our life has changed in just 30 short days. Most of these changes are directly related to Phoenix’s social and physical developments. While I knew before she was born that she would change our lives forever, I didn't really expect our lives to be in a constant state of adaptation.

This month Phoenix has dramatically improved her physical capabilities. She has completely mastered bath time. A few months ago she graduated from the small bathroom sink to the kitchen sink. When she first started using the kitchen as a bathtub she wasn't able to hold herself up in the water. Now she is not only able to keep herself in a sitting position, but bend forward to get toys out of the other basin and sit up again. Last night I got upset with her because she was grabbing the side of the sink attempting to stand up!  She was able to get her legs straight, but because her hands were on the sink she didn't get her back inline. Thankfully we have the good habit of ALWAYS staying with her when she is bathing. 

I am a dinosaur! Grrr!

Bath time is the Best time!

She has also improved her ability to get around the house. Last month she was rolling over and turning clockwise circles. That was a big change for us since it meant that when she lost interest in a toy she could turn her body to discover a new one. It also meant that hiding something behind her was no longer a valid way to remove it from her reach.  Now she is able to army crawl, pushing off with her toes to get where she wants to go. I understood that her crawling would mean that we would have to baby-proof the house and that her toys would start being scattered all over instead of just in the living room.  What I didn't expect was that it would mean that I am no longer out of reach, regardless of where I am. For example, Phoenix was happily playing with Daddy. Then she saw me leave and sit in a chair in the entryway to go paint my toenails. So, she army crawled right over to me. Now whenever I leave the living room she will leave and follow me. Following me doesn't always mean that I have to entertain her; she will discover that the new location has a smorgasbord of fun things to play with.

An illustration of this occurred one Saturday morning. I left her in the living room with her toys so I could sneak off to use the restroom. While I was gone she discovered my water jug, scooted across the floor dumped it over. When I returned I found her splashing in the puddle. This has now become a favorite game of hers. Thankfully I am able to use this to my benefit. I needed to get some hot items out of the oven, and she wouldn't stay where I put her. So, I dumped a cup of water on the floor and let her splash around. Jack noted that it had the added bonus of mopping the floor since eventually she will lie down on the floor and pull herself through the water.

Added to this new found freedom of movement and water play, our sweet girl is drinking from cups, eating pre-chewed food from our plates instead of baby food, dancing, laughing at funny things we say, and patting us on the back. I love my sweet girl, and I am excited for the new things that happen each week, even if it does mean constant changes in my life. 

Meeting the nice goat. She is sure we should take this one home.

Please, Daddy, lets not leave yet! I want to stay!

"How did I get here?"

Sometimes it is hard to remember that two years ago today I was planning a wedding, and that one year ago I was slogging through the second trimester of my pregnancy with Phoenix. Now here we are with a seven and a half month old. I sometimes wonder "How did I get here?" This is the story of how I got here and how our journey continues.

I was born in North Dakota, the second daughter of Peter and Paulette, and as time progressed I became the second child of six. I grew up in Minnesota, and attended the University of Minnesota, Morris. After four years I finished my first bachelors degree in Biology and Chemistry. At that point I served a mission for the LDS Church in Fresno, California. This mission changed my life. I am not just talking in the spiritual sense of "it helped me find who I was", but it really did change the course of my life. I met the Blackburn Family and through them my life took direction.

I was able to live with Keith and Jennifer as an adopted sister, during this time Keith convinced me to double major at Utah State University. I had already planned to pursue a Master's degree, so I just added on a second bachelor's degree in Secondary Education. After finishing up at USU, I again met up with the Blackburns, but this time it was in Hawaii. 

During the time that I was serving a mission and subsequently living in Utah, Jack was living in California. He was working at a tow yard for family. Unfortunately in early 2008 he suffered a back injury and needed to fly back to Hawaii to be at home for time to recover. This is when his life changed for the better!

Although we didn't know it at first, our lives were already becoming entangled. His niece attended the school I taught at, and she was in my Sunday School class at church. I had seen him at church a few times, and was caught off guard when he came to our school's May Day celebration.Our first day was the 4th of July and happened because I called him and told him what a good idea it would be for him to come and get me and take me out. We went and saw a movie and that was the beginning of the end. 

After a year of dating, we were engaged, and a year later we were married. Just a few short months after tying the knot we found out we were expecting. It really wasn't much of a surprise to me. I had calculated when the best time to be pregnant was for my school schedule and told him that the end of September was the time to get pregnant so the baby would come at the beginning of summer. Like all good husbands, he complied with my wishes. 

The pregnancy was without complications until midway through the last trimester. Phoenix was breech and every time she tried to turn around it caused contractions. I was hospitalized for a day and put on medications to stop the contractions. I was prescribed a modified bed rest schedule. At 35 weeks they took me off the medication and told me to "proceed as usual". 

When I was nearly 36 weeks pregnant I had the urge to finish preparing all things. This meant a 2.5 hour trip to Costco, over the mountains on a rocky, windy road. It was the winding that did me in. My water broke as Jack slept in the passenger seat. He swapped with me and drove like a maniac while I talked to the nurses and my sister. I was told to finish the drive to Kona. Phoenix was born Thursday, May 24th, 2012 at 4:46 pm. We stayed in the hospital until Sunday and then went home. 

Summer passed much too quickly and before I knew it I was back at school, Jack was back at work, and Phoenix was in day care. While we are still running on less sleep than we would like, we have found a pattern of life that works for our little family.

I look forward to all the future brings and expanding on our story.