Category Archives: Melody

About our middle child

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Warm Hands are Misleading

A few nights ago Melody was using the potty after bedtime, so all the big lights were out.

Responding to her call for assistance I could see well enough that I didn’t turn on any new lights.

Melody reached out and took my hand, feeling it like clay in the dark, trying to recognize it. Finally she asked, “Is this Daddy?”

“No, it’s Mama,” I told her. “Why did you think it was Daddy?”

“Your hands were warm…”

I could hear the confusion in her voice when she first asked the question.  It was so unusual even the familiar size and shape couldn’t overrule the temperature element.

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A new food

Isn’t this sad?

The girls didn’t even know what cauliflower is.  Shopping yesterday I bought some, and the girls’ reactions were great.

“What’s that?” (distrustful) “What do you do with it?”

I explained it by saying you can do anything with it you do with broccoli. One of the girls gushed, “You can make soup with it!”

So that’s the plan for dinner.

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Catching up

Well, it’s been a while so I wanted to write something 😉

We spent a lovely week up North with Jim and Teena, half of it also with Aaron and Autumn, allowing me the rare opportunity to talk with them and especially to get to know Autumn better. Very special.

If I haven’t said so before, Elisha is definitely not a baby anymore. He is done nursing, plays with the big kids, and knows his own mind. He is picking up quickly on new signs, loves his animal-noises book and when he uses an English word it can be surprisingly distinct– once you realize he’s saying a word.

(“Stuck” was one that debuted at Grandma Teena’s house. And he was.)

Melody has been nearly dry for two days– that is to say, I think she had two wet diapers yesterday, and only one today. She was also dry all night.

Still doesn’t seem to care much though. I praise her when she’s dry but she *hates* to be “reminded” (nagged) so this is still very much going at her pace. This is the same progression that happened with Natasha a little bit earlier age, even, so I’m content just riding along for a while more.

The less I rush it the less trained I have to be.

Natasha has been very snuggly lately. I mentioned to Dad tonight that if I didn’t have snuggly kids I might be mourning more the growing up of my babies. But since they all are still little starfish– desiring to be with and on and attached to me– I have nothing to miss except their smallness, which I only miss when I’ve been holding them, standing, for way too long.

Natasha is, I think, more ready for focused, orderly, school work, but that is currently on-hold until I learn a new way to provide her was the structure she needs and shelter that order from her siblings who do not currently crave the same type of order.

All the Children love to dance– at home– all it takes is putting on one of their favorite recordings and they are instantly into it. Natasha will sing along too, sometimes, when encouraged. Mom is hoping we can get all the kids to sing together when her other grandkids are in town for a few days.

I have my doubts about its chance for success, but maybe having older models will be enough to surprise me.

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Pictures!

elisha-18-months.jpge-helping.jpg

Elisha has to be told to sit on the opposite side of the kitchen (against the cabinets) if I’m trying to take someting out of the oven. Otherwise he’s hovering right by the door, signing hot! hot! excitedly. Here he’s heard the timer go off and he knows what’s supposed to come next.

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This beautiful quilt was a gift from one of the ladies at our church. It’s awesome he has his “own” quilt now– since I’ve not been doing that since before he was born.

finishing-desk.jpg

Here’s the crew measuring out the last details for the new computer desk.

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Melody mugging for a picture. It’s really hard to catch one of her spontaneous smiles. I’m really praying for understanding about this one. She has such a capacity for love and delight, but she seems sullen and resentful too, sometimes, in a way the others aren’t.

the-good-life.jpg

Jay has been reading in the evenings, lately, and I just love this picture as a collection of some major pleasures in our lives (that’s ice cream he’s eating, in case you needed to ask).

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Weekend Nuggets

Twice as we were driving to Wasilla and passing roadwork Natasha shouted, “Daddy!  Look!”  Both times there was the quick glacing about for the source of her delight before she pointed to the side of the road and said, “Dirt!”

We couldn’t help laughing.

On the way home the girls were asking something about clouds and where they come from and where they go.

Melody shared her content analysis matter-of-factly :  “Don’t you know– that snow and milk make clouds?”

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Admiring Daddy’s Work

Jay did a fantastic job cleaning up the house Saturday while the kids and I were visiting a friend.  He’d picked-up all the floors so I could see most of the living room.

I was complementing Jay again on how nice the new floor looks, thanking him again for his hard work.

“Isn’t it great?” I said to Melody.

“Yes!” said Melody, enthusiastically.   “I like the new floor.  Daddy made it all slippery and stripy.”

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Gotta love what they take away…

We read the story of Adam and Eve last week from the girls’ bible.

I read the part about Eve’s creation and reminded the girls what ribs are (Natasha’s favorite book for a while was the Eyewitness Skeleton book, so that pleased her).

Incidentally, I loved that, since I don’t see any reason to encourage the idea (perpetuated by the Halloween marketers) that skeletons are something to be afraid of. I think they are marvelously designed, and it’s good to appreciate that.

Anyway, the girls were talking on their phones to each other, playacting being other people, when this exchange took place and I had to drop everything and write it down.

M: How are you doing today?
N: Not so good. God just took a rib out of me to make a woman.
M: Oh my.
N: Yes. And When I woke up, it was awful! I went to feel my bone and it wasn’t there– it was all mushy.