Snapshots: Taft and the Garbage Man

Taft loves the garbage truck and the garbage man. Every Tuesday and Friday morning when the truck comes, Taft runs outside and waves while shouting "Hi!" over and over again until he gets a wave back and even a few honks of the horn.

Taft decided a week or two ago that he wanted to do something for the man who drives the garbage truck. His original idea involved 3D printing an actual garbage truck he could fill with something. We worked it down to an ornament in a bag filled with candy. 

Taft drew the garbage truck and wrote "thanks" inside of it. He also drew himself on the back of the garbage truck and the garbage man is inside. He thought about it for 2-3 days before actually starting his drawing and he drew it 3 times before he got it just right. 

Tuesday morning was an exciting morning as we all waited for the garbage truck to come! He eventually did come and Taft was ready. Erik lifted him up and Taft handed the goodies to the garbage men (there are always 2)! Taft got lots of honks from the garbage man that day! Unfortunately it wasn't the normal guy, but Taft has already started printing more so he can give one to his normal friend!

 

Slow Down

I felt joy bubble up inside of me as we sat on the couch while Erik read Winnie-the-Pooh. The narration of the novel is magically simple. It brings joy to the young listener and nostalgia to the aged. In that moment of imagining Winnie floating as a cloud in the sky trying to avert the suspicion of a hive of bees, I felt grateful for my motherhood. I felt happy to know that the toys littered around the house and the pile of paraphernalia necessary for proper imagination games meant that my children were happily engaged today. I saw that the time I spend with them is fleeting! I just want to soak it up and never forget.

How much longer will my sweet girl ask me to color with her? How many more times can I kiss my bouncing baby boy's soft chubby cheeks? When will afternoons cease to be passed in restful slumber by all members of the house? Will my baby lose his sweet smell that makes me want to eat him up?

I love to see Alyssa learn and grow. She is starting to read and do math. She can unload the dishwasher and collect eggs. She whips up a mean batch of pancakes and she can put her clean clothes away by herself. She is playing the violin and the piano and can swing so high she kicks the top of the carport entrance. Somehow her opportunities just keep increasing and as a mother I want to see her meet her potential!

But I am starting to fear that all this learning and growing is taking my little girl away and turning her into a smart kid who will know more and imagine less. Independence is exciting, for mother and child. It relieves some of the burdens on the former and grants the latter more opportunities. Yet it is also terrifying. Independence gives street cred to the kid and smothering the innocent flame of the child. I'm not ready for that. I know it's not all bad...growing up and all, but I just want my baby, though she be five. I don't want her to grow up too fast (though she has reassured me she will chat with me everyday) and I definitely don't want to look back and see that I was the one that forced* her to grow up!

And so I relish in the moments we share with Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh. I'm grateful for the songs we sing together at night and the afternoons we spend napping on my bed. I'm grateful she still needs me to read her a story and color with her. I'm glad that sometimes she wants me to wash her hair or help her pick her clothes. She is still my daughter and I am still her mommy.

"Sister Crimm dressed like this on Sunday. I'm going to dress like this every day."

You know...5 year olds and primary teachers...they have the same style!

*Lest I look back or you read and think that perhaps I already am forcing her to grow up...two instruments for a 5 year old?! I am really just trying to follow her interests and I do it all with great caution.

Freeze Frame

There are moments that are beautiful. Today we experienced one of those moments. Alyssa asked for Taft to lay next to her so she could play with him. She loves her brother and he loves his sister. It created a memory and a picture that puts little flutters into my heart and fills my soul with joy. Look at his eyes and his hand clutching her shoulder. Look at her smile!

Where do these kids come from? I can hardly believe them are mine!

Taft Lawrence

 Taft Lawrence joined our family on December 10, 2015. There is so much I want to say, so let's walk through some pictures and then I will sum up.

Taft was due December 9th. I had supposed I would naturally go into labor like I did with Alyssa and this time I had a plan. Me and the shower were going to be good friends and I was going to be strong, yea, even mighty and in control. 

Yet my mistake was in the assumption that this labor would start like Alyssa's. It didn't. December 8th came and I still had no signs of contractions. After consulting with my doctor combined with some incredible fears I had concerning the well being of this baby, I was convinced to be induced on December 10th. 

We went in at 6 AM. Emily Stephens kindly came over to watch Alyssa. I ate a bowl of oatmeal even though I wasn't supposed to and then we were off to the hospital! I was wearing my pregnancy uniform - Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt and stretchy pants! It was a foggy, humid humid morning.

By 8:30 AM the petocin had begun and the epidural was on its way. Erik and I engaged in a good game of Scrabble, which we finished before I gave birth. I won 272 - 260. By 11:30 AM or so the epidural was wearing off and I could feel the contractions. This was fine with me because I didn't want to be a 100% wimp. I was smooth and in control. I did manage to master that part of my plan. No shower though...darn. 

At 12:39 PM Taft entered our lives in this air breathing world. They put him on me and he was BIG and swollen but alive and I was so happy and so relieved!! He weighed 11 lbs, 1 oz and was 21.5 inches long. His head was 15.75 inches in circumference! His weight made him famous in the medical world here in Vicksburg for a few weeks after!

Alyssa came to visit shortly thereafter. The adjustment didn't seem traumatic, but she was a little weary of her new little brother.

After two days in the hospital we finally got to go home! I love home and I was so grateful to be taking my little man with me!

Now let me sum up by sharing an excerpt from an email I sent Claire:

"My heart is so full of gratitude and appreciation that Taft is here safely. I have had a really hard time being totally excited because if he hadn't made it, I would have been devastated. But he did make it and I see that God's hand has been in it. I also feel such a strong appreciation for the Savior and His Atonement. It is important and related to everything. He strengthens us through His grace. He is real! And our Heavenly Father is real too. It is a feeling that goes with knowing that the conception and birth of Taft is a manifestation of His love for me and the desire He has that I be happy!

So I wanted to go natural for awhile. That seemed to be the most exciting thing...ya know, the drama of sudden pain and anticipation ending because the time to work was finally here! But after seeing the doctor on Tuesday, which was an ordeal in and of itself because she was delivering babies during my appointment and I had to go back later, I realized scheduling to be induced would be smart. That and I felt as I prayed about it that Heavenly Father knew my desire to go natural...at least start that way, and if there was a reason I shouldn't, then the induction would be set up. 

His heart rate was fine during labor. It was all uncomplicated and I'm not totally sure why God helped me be induced...but he also helped me have a wonderful experience. He blessed me with a great nurse, he blessed Taft's hand to be by his face so she could pull it out and it allowed the rest of him to slide out without complication or c section. He blessed us with a giant, healthy baby! I am thankful for that."

I really did and do have an overwhelming feeling that God wants us to be happy. The blessings we desire do not always come the way we want them to, but they come. I haven't been unhappy in my waiting for Taft. These last couple of years have been magnificent and we have had wonderful and joyous experiences. And now I am even happier with my wonderful children and the joy and light they bring into our lives!

Unexpected Acts of Love

When someone knocked on my door Sunday afternoon, I was surprised. It's always fun to have someone come to my door. It gives me a little rush. When the person on the other side of the door was my visiting teacher bearing apple cider donuts, I was flabbergasted! 

She told me that she ran into another member of the ward somehow on Saturday and mentioned she was buying apple cider to make the heavenly creation. The other lady said she had never heard of the donuts until she read my blog.

My visiting teacher felt she could help satisfy some of my nostalgia by letting me partake of the fruits of her labor! The donuts were o, so delicious for my belly and my spirit. I felt grateful for her unexpected act of love and my taste buds couldn't have agreed more!

It was such a simple thing to bring me donuts but it reassured me that God does answer prayers - even when we don't know we are praying them!

mmm! Soo delicious!