CHOO CHOO! *warning, breastfeeding picture

We had deliveries in Boone so I reserved tickets to the Scenic Valley Railway and packed a picnic. Blueberry Girl was SO EXCITED. She loves trains, cars, planes, and tools. This day was HERS.

I love homeschooling. Mine were not the only children on the train, but they were the only ones who struck up conversations with folks, including a midwife from Oregon and a couple from South Africa.  

What? Mama wants us to smile? At the same time? Ha ha ha ha. 

Blueberry Girl is saying, "Trains! For the win!" 

I love love love the way Blueberry Girl runs. 

1920's passenger train. Blueberry Girl touched and admired everything about it.  

No AC! Of course!

Like her nature, she watched and listened the whole trip. In awe. 

See? Totally obscene right? Take that facebook. 

Iowa is beautiful. Every single time I am blessed with viewing her vistas, the fullness of the blessing of living here takes my breath away.

And true to her nature, she talked non stop the entire train ride. Didn't even notice when a truck clipped the train.  People, do NOT try and go around closed barrier arms when a train is on the tracks. 

Beautiful too.

Baby Zap is ONE

One year ago. Birthday.

He was so impossibly small. 4 lbs 7 ounces when we brought him home. Lil'Bug and Blueberry Girl were both 9+lb'ers. Premie clothes are HARD to find. The 2 days he spent in the light box was impossibly hard. I cannot imagine having a NICU baby. I cannot imagine not being able to even hold your baby's hand while he sleeps. That light booth was heartbreaking enough. I have spent a lot of time praying for NICU babies this month. 

One Year LATER......

Zap is thriving. Tripled his birth weight, grown 7 inches. Sometimes this year was hard. He was diagnosed with failure to thrive because he gains weight slow and grows slow, that diagnosis changed to 22Q11 Deletion Syndrome 7 months ago. You know what that means to me? So much. It means that the impossible happened again. Most children diagnosed with 22Q11 need open heart surgery. Zap's heart is perfect. Most children with 22Q11 have a cleft palate. Nope. Not Zap. He's also got his thymus, kidneys, and parathyroid. We have gone to specialist after specialist trying to check off all the things that 22Q11 can mean for a child. So far, God has blessed this child in so many ways and blessed us too. We do not know what our path holds, but we keep walking it, thankful everyday for the health and joy that Zap brings to our lives. 

So. No. He's not crawling yet. But he will. He's not walking yet either. That will come too. He has not yet found his voice. I will be his voice for now.  Every time someone curious or aggressive starts criticizing his progress, I will be his voice. I will carry him. I will teach him what love looks like, sounds like, and feels like.

 

Happy Birthday Baby Zap. Mama loves you.

Lil'Bug's Birthday Seven plus birthday action for cousins and Zap too

Baby Zap. He's quite somber sometimes. Lil'Bug thinks he is Harry Potter because of his birthmark. Love that girl. 

Unless he has something to drum on or a book in hand. Then he gets chatty!

Uh Oh....Baby Izzie moving in! 

You know what's cute? First time moms. Just sayin. She should write a book from all the things she knows. I say that because I have been there. And I would have gotten just as mad if someone pointed that out to me. Mostly she's just cute and adorable and her baby is too. 

It won't be long. Soon all the cousins will play tag outside. The big girls ran around while waiting for cake. 

Then cake happened. The pretzel sticks for the baby to eat instead of candles were not a big hit. Everyone thought I was a big party pooper lam-o for that idea. Whatever. They were YUMMY.

Zap's favourite new toy. Honk honk!

Best present ever? All she wanted was a stuffed horse and I could not find one (locally, not made in China). So , we went to hy-vee to get party food and I surprised her by letting her pick out a balloon. But then when we got there and she said purple, I interrupted and said ONE OF EVERY COLOUR please. The look on Lil'Bug's face was priceless. Blueberry Girl too. Best. Present. Ever. 

I might add though, if the party is going to be at someone else's house, check to make sure that their ceilings are not made of balloon assassinating texture bumpy stuff. Just sayin', in case you noticed that there are only six balloons left by the time we took pictures. There were 14 to begin with, 1 got loose while loading the car, one escaped to the clouds while unloading at grandmas house. All others died from the ceiling kiss. No matter. The purples lived and that's really all that matters to Lil'Bug. Viva la PURPLE!

Happy Seven Sweetie. 

Things I learned on Friday

• Hauling 6,000 lbs of acorns across the state in a horse trailer makes the truck pulling it rock like a boat. 
• I get sea sickness in boats
• acorn dust hates my face
• That Bruno Mars and Eminem song is viewed by my 6 yo as ruined by the "fussy cussing" part. 
• Even after listening to top 40 radio all day, I still have yet to hear or at least recognize a Justin Beiber song. 
• I am a pretty confident grown woman, married to a smoking hot guy- but drunk sorority girls buying more booze at a gas station still have the ability to wither me with their scorn. What's up with that?
• Detours don't always lead you back to the road that was 22 miles from home, sometimes they take you to Oskaloosa in the pitch black night (an hour away from home).
• Acorns are heavy.
• The Iowa City Children's Museum is what the Science Center should aspire to be when it grows up. "Way more better," says the three year old who was the happiest she's even been ever in their flight simulator. We may just have another blue sky warrior in the family. 
• Cedar Rapids. 
• That I can, with the kids, haul 6,000 of anything across the state AND maneuver through a fast food drive through to get smoothies. 
• That many gravel shoulders cannot support pulling over with that kind of load.