It's funny 'cause it's true . . .

For those of you without the blessing of daughters, here's a tiny glimpse into what you're missing . . . . 

And lest you be concerned, yes, I love my daughter.  Immensely.  I just wish she would take a breath every now and then.

Back to School

So Quincy, despite his protestation, headed off to 2nd grade last Tuesday. You can see by the photos just how thrilled he was.

Adelaide, on the other hand was just beside herself with excitement over starting Kindergarten.  We do half days here in Oregon, so in addition to having to wait until Wednesday because her last name begins with "Y", she also had to wait until 12:00 before we could head to the school.  She requested the time left to wait no less than every 30 minutes from about 8:00am.  We finally went ahead and went a little early where we had to wait in the hallway and finally were the first ones in the classroom.  We were thrilled that Addie was able to get Mrs. Thetford -Quincy's amazing Kindergarten teacher - who she happily calls Miss Feffurd.  My only hope now is that she actually grows into that backpack before high school.

That time of year again...

So Milo, how did you like your first trip to the berry farm?

A little glimpse into our world . . .

Not a bad place to be stuck

There is nothing like a little vacation time showing guests around to remind me of what a gorgeous place I live.  My sister and her family came for a visit a couple of weeks ago and with only 2 days to give them their very first taste of Oregon, we hit the usual high points.  I have never stopped appreciating the beauty of this locale, but seeing it with first timers who just could not come up with enough adjectives made it all fresh again.  Although we may feel a little confused as to where our life is going at this point, at least we get to live in this lovely place as we try to sort it out and await further direction.

The Columbia River Gorge scenic highway.

Bridal Veil falls -- my personal favorite of the several falls we visited.

Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood.  This was taken the same day as the photos above - June 8 to be exact.  And they got fresh snow just a couple of days later.  Summer has been a long time coming this year.

Low tide at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach.

Cape Meares just outside of Tillamook (where we watched them make cheese and then ate some yummy ice cream.)

Staying Put.

Isn't there some little saying about how man makes his plans and God laughs?

Quincy's last day of school is this Friday and up until just a couple of months ago I had no doubt that at this point in time we would be packing up boxes and preparing for our semi cross country move to wherever it would be that Erik would be completing his doctorate, perhaps even with an extended visit with my family in Arkansas (because of course all of our financial woes would be over).

This is where you would cue the laughter.

I can say that now. Back in April we weren't taking it so lightly. Three schools, three states, three rejections. All the momentum we had going over the last 3 years came to a screeching halt as we struggled to just accept this new reality. For a very short time we danced with the idea of pursuing my career for awhile which included a potential move to Anchorage, AK. We realized in time, though, that would have been an impulsive move and would not alleviate any of our current stresses at all and in fact would likely add to any current depression what with an even darker winter than what we have here. In all honesty, my selfish hope was that this next step in our life would actually be a chance for me to step out of the work world at least for a while. My less selfish hope was that my husband would be one step closer to that niche where he can get paid for all the readin' and writin', and discussin' that he likes to spend his time on anyway. He loves his children, really he does, but truly he is not wired for the whole 'stay at home Dad' thing. I, on the other hand, would love to give it a shot but instead I am the one with the full time job. That's why I think we both took this so hard. Aside from the blow to Erik's confidence, I know that we both feel stuck in these roles/positions we would gladly trade out with one another and right now it's hard to see any way to make that happen. It is also really lousy to see someone you love so dearly and are so proud of and have every confidence in get knocked down like that when you have absolutely no ability to do anything to change it.

On the upside, we got the news somewhere in the midst of Lent so for me the continuing journey of our conversion to Orthodoxy brought me this window of joy and contentment during a very down time. If nothing else I can see staying here being worthwhile simply because of the new start we have had at St. Nicholas. We are by no means strangers in the congregation, but after being baptized and chrismated it was like all of our existing relationships went to a deeper level and a variety of new ones began. We have felt comfortable there all along, but all of sudden I now knew that we belonged. It would have been terribly difficult to leave so soon after.

So instead of moving to another state, we are instead moving to another apartment. It's not a big change, though -- same complex, even the same floorplan only the new one has a small loft area above the kitchen/dining room area. More important than additional space was a place where Q & A could stomp their feet freely. It bugs me a little that we are unable to offer our kids a yard to play in, but for now this will have to do.

I can't speak for Erik, but I know that I have now accepted this latest turn in our road. Not the route I had been planning on, but all I can really do at this point is trust that God does have our best interest at heart and He is somehow in control.

When He's done laughing, of course.

Milo vs. the cake

I'm just not exactly sure who won......

I Stand Corrected

Last night Quincy's school had their end of the year open house.  While reading one of his poems about dinosaurs I read the line "no dinosaur could fly".

Says me:  "What about Teradactyls?"

Replies Quincy:  "Mooomm.  Teradactyls are Pterosaurs!"

Geez, parents can be such idiots sometimes.  

Almost forgot the eggs . . .

And finally, after everyone has gone home and gotten a decent amount of sleep (everyone without small children, that is.  I got about 2 1/2 hours) we gather once again in the afternoon for a very casual, very light hearted, very joyous, (and very short by Orthodox standards) vespers service.  This is followed by another 'family' meal, this time hot dogs, sausages and other picnic fare.  I think I enjoy this one even more since everyone is pretty much rested and relaxed after the very long service the night before.  The kids, of course, have their egg hunt, there is music and drink and much, much laughter.

Not sure how many more years Quincy will do this, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts

For some reason, I always seem to be chasing the kids for this hence all of the shots from the rear. : (
Surveying her haul.  This was Addie's best year yet.  We've got candy to last until next year.

Addie and the wine

Adelaide's reaction was so classic, she gets a post all to herself.

So far, so good . . . .



Uh-oh . . .

A little touch and go here . . .

Not only did she swallow it down, but she remembered to kiss the cup. I was really proud of her.

An overdue taste of Spring

After endless days of clouds, cold temperatures, rain, (and even SNOW over spring break!), I would say we here in the NW deserved the glorious respite we received this weekend.  

Say hello to "spud"

 I don't know that I have posted many pics of Milo, but for those who knew my 2 older children in their infancy, we are in a whole new league with this one. I'll just say this -- 8 months, 20 pounds. Holy flippin' cow. And as you can tell, the hair has a mind of it's own.

     

It Is Finished . . . sort of

When we began this journey to the MA, it was actually an MDiv and it was at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Erik was a full time associate pastor, and I was an event coordinator at an office building downtown. Shortly after enrolling, we found out that we were pregnant with our 2nd child. About the same time we learned that I was about to be laid off. Fortunately, I was able to line something else up right away so we did not miss a paycheck beat. Unfortunately, while I was on maternity leave they decided they did not want me back. We tightened the belt strap and soldiered on. At the beginning of the new year, Erik's job - how shall we say - went away. School was put on hold. We dragged our sorry butts back to retail and began to explore our options outside of Texas which landed us in our current location. And then we had another kid. So 2 pregnancies, 5 jobs, and 1 relocation later, we finally have degree in hand. Until I looked back, I didn't really realize what a long road this has been. Can't wait to see what happens in the course of the next one.

Sorry the picture is sideways. I'll have to sort that one out later.

HELP!

Okay all of you professionally trained elementary educators, and mothers of small children who are older than mine. I have a 6 year old who can not tie his shoes and I have no idea where to even begin. I am soliciting any and all tips, tricks, rhymes, songs, whatever you've got to help us accomplish this goal.

Baby cryin'. Gotta go.

Farewell Summer

I like living in a place where school starts after Labor Day. I also like living in a place that experiences 4 distinct seasons that largely correspond with their start and end dates on the calendar. There seems to be this large communal deep breath as we all take in the last bits of summer over Labor Day weekend. Even the folks without kids are winding down their summer travels, camping trips, etc. And those of us with (school age) kids are of course enjoying our last hurrah before going back to that educational grind. The days here are growing a little milder and a little breezier and a lot shorter. Some of the leaves are even starting to change. So instead of just one more sweltering day, Labor Day was actually a perfect day for a family trip to the zoo. The only condition we imposed on ourselves was that we would go first thing in the morning since lots of other people would have the same idea. We arrived around 9:15am and had a really nice time. By 12:30 or 1:00, the kids had had their fill and we headed out just as it began to really get crowded and a little warmer. The timing really was perfect.

Here are some pics to commemorate the Young family's last 'unofficial' day of summer 2007.




The sea lions and sea otters at "Stellar Cove" are a mandatory stop for me.





Betcha didn't know how important it is to keep your volcanic peaks adequately hydrated.






Yeah, when the kids faces look like that, it's time to go.






It's an eagle's nest. Get it? They're being eagles. Humor them.

The Perfect Storm

On May 30th Erik received an email from a prof at George Fox who was looking to hire a student or 2 for a project he would be working on in southern Oregon for about 4-5 days. It is work that Erik has done before with this prof and he enjoys it. To get paid for it would be a bonus particularly considering it would be about the same amount that he would make in a month of work at REI. Seems like a no brainer, right? Here's the catch. The trip is to take place June 10 - 14. I believe it was just the day before when Erik and I had been discussing how huge my belly was and how neither of believed I would make it to week 40. When we agreed to select a date, he actually chose the 13th. I went more conservative with the 17th thinking how charming it would be to give birth on Father's Day. The overall point being, we both were confident the baby would come early, so how much of a risk would we be taking with him being gone for 5 days this late in the game. But we also knew that if he didn't go, and the baby did not arrive we would totally be kicking ourselves for passing up the opportunity not to mention the $$ right before I start maternity leave. So we discuss and agree that he will take the trip and if the baby comes, it comes and lots of fathers miss it, but life goes on.

The following week on June 4th, I have my regular weekly appointment and when the nurse takes my blood pressure, she looks at me and says "you're not usually high, are you?" To which I promptly reply "no, never". She takes it again and again I am in the 140/90 range which is not horrible, but for someone who hangs around the 120/60 area, it puts up this big waving red flag. Great. So in a nutshell, they send me home with this jug to collect a 24 hour urine sample, tell me to take the next 2 days off of work and come back on Wednesday the 6th to check the bp again. I have never missed a day of work for anything pregnancy related so I don't like this one bit, but I follow the orders. Let me just say though, how difficulat it is to go home with the instruction that 'we have some concerns, so we need you to go home and relax'. Sure, no problem. I'll just relax. Go back on Wednesday and the bp is now 167 or 176 over something ridiculous. They take it again and it drops down to 158 over something - still too high. Oh yeah, I failed to mention that Erik also had a retreat coming up on Friday and Saturday for the class he had been teaching. Not as far away as the other trip, but 2 full days of class regardless. So I of course then burst into tears over the fact that we have one day until he is gone for a full week and I am now considered a moderate to high risk pregnancy. I have never been any risk, in fact, I tend to be a downright boring pregnancy! This is not right at all! They start talking preeclampsia and induction and all kinds things that terrify me. Ultimately, the decision made was to admit me for 24 hours of monitering and then determine what the risk factor truly is at this point. I'm a little relieved though none too happy about spending the night in the hospital. They get me all set up in my room and Erik goes to make arrangements for the kids and work and such so he can spend the night with me. Meanwhile, they hook me up to the monitor to take my bp every 10 minutes and lo and behold it begins to drop down to the 130's range. Amidst the variety of folks talking to me we go from checking to see if I am "favorable" for an induction to the possibilty of being sent home. Finally, I was discharged with instruction to once again 'take it easy', no more work, and twice a week visits to the clinic for bp and urine checks. I promise Erik that I get the message and I will not worry one bit about any of the dishes in the kitchen or laundry to be done. I will absolutely chill out until he gets back from his trip, and then I will breathe a huge sigh of relief and probably have the baby soon after he gets home once all the stress is gone.

So we decide to leave Q and A at the neighbors place overnight so we can just get a good night's rest. The next morning I get up and decide to do a little of my prenatal yoga to help me start the day nice and relaxed. It was working just fine until my water broke. And we're off again! Only this time we know we will not leave the hospital again without a baby. What I did not expect was that my labor would never really get started on it's own despite the water breaking. I called the midwife just to let her know we would probably be in sometime, but she quickly corrected me and let me know that under my current circumstances they wanted me to head right in to the hospital so I could be monitored there. Lovely. Again we do as we're told all the while waiting for some kind of regular contractions to kick in which they never do. That monster Pitocin is there just around the corner lying in wait for me, I just know it. My midwife checks in with me, we talk again of what some of the risks are that we are looking at with my water already broken and my bp still running on the high end of the spectrum. She said she would give it about 12 hours before she really starts getting pushy about moving things along. After she leaves, Erik and I talk and agree that if we end up with Pitocin, we really don't want to start the process at 8:00pm just as I'm really starting to get tired. So we set 2:00pm as the deadline.
Again, because of the stupid bp, I have to be - at the very least - hooked up to a fetal monitor along with periodic bp checks so I am not allowed to leave the room and wander the halls in an effort to get things moving.



They were kind enough to let me have some kind of wireless fetal monitor so I could at least pace around my room and we did have windows with a halfway decent view. Still nothing. 2:00 comes and goes. Around 2:30 Maggie - my midwife - and her student show up to discuss. It still takes me awhile, but Erik and I both know this is what needs to happen. We all have our vision of what our birth experience should look like, but I really did not want to be foolish either. So we give the green light to get the pit drip started. It takes awhile to actually get all that stuff going I guess, so it was actually around 4:30pm when they actually got me hooked up and they did still allow me to have some mobility instead of making me stay in the bed. I have to give a big kudos also to my L&D nurse whose name actually escapes me now, or Maggie who wrote the orders, but the Pitocin was not nearly as horrible as I had prepared myself for it to be. For the most part I still got breaks to rest a little in between contractions and to be honest the pain of my first 2 kids is lost in the fog of the past so I can not really say that the pain of these was significantly worse. Labor is labor. It hurts. Period. Finally, though, at 9:17pm, our second son was born.

So all of that to say we are pleased to introduce you to Milo Jude Young.




After a few minor issues that kept him in the NICU for about 4-5 hours we were finally all together by about 3:00am on Friday morning.

It truly did feel like one of those situations where a lot of undesirable factors and events came together all at once just to make things more complicated to navigate, but ultimately it worked out for the best as it removed the stress of trying to spend a week NOT having a baby. Erik did miss the first day of the retreat, but was able to be there on Saturday to wrap up as well as make the trip to southern Oregon and earn some money. Yeah, it wasn't entirely easy to be home without him, but I definitely felt far more confident doing that than the thought of going through the whole delivery without him there especially with the various decisions to be made. It is so true that every birth experience is just completely different, but it just helps to remind me that so are each of my children. I can't wait to see what new dynamic and joy and surprise Milo will bring to our family. Stay tuned . . . .

Sisterly love

Not too long ago Erik and Quincy were talking a bit of trash to one another about how their wrestling match planned for the next day was going to go. At one point Erik says, "well, maybe I'll string you up by your toes like a pinata". To which Adelaide - who had been sitting quietly on Erik's lap the whole time - pipes up with "YEAH! And get some CANDY out of him!!

Nice to know the girl has her priorities straight.

Spring Break

Fortunately, Erik and Quincy's spring breaks fell on the same week so, miracle of miracles, we had one day where none of us had to be anywhere. So we took off for the coast, this time to Astoria. For you movie folks, this is the charming seaside community that was the location for 2 80's favorites, "Goonies" and "Short Circuit". We didn't spend much time actually in town except to eat lunch, but Erik did promise that next time we go he will be doing the 'Truffle Shuffle' in front of the Goonies house. But for this visit we headed out to Ft. Stevens to play in the sand and taunt the sea. I look forward to the time when we can spend more days like this . . . . .

Another year older . . . times 2

And then we had birthdays. The kids are 2 years and 12 days apart and this is the first year that we did a joint birthday party. I kind of hate to do that, but there were circumstances - one being duplicate guest lists - that made it seem just more practical. I gave them the option, and after a little thought they decided it was okay to have one shared party. Fortunately, since the advent of Belleville Lego sets, they were also able to agree on a single "theme".

I hesitate to post pictures just in case Gayla still checks in here. My efforts seem just a little less than pitiful when compared to the pirate extravaganza she put together. Oh well, we all work with the skills we have right? The kids seemed to have fun.

So here's a little bit of what it looked like . . . .



The kids hung the streamers themselves.










And yes, I know he needs a haircut. . . . .