A blog about farming, unschooling, feminism, 22q deletion syndrome, cooking real food, homesteading, permaculture, and motherhood.
Thursday 12 January 2012
Physics
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
Sunday 11 December 2011
New Traditions
Real tree. Surprisingly I am not actually allergic to pine trees. |
Lil'Bug carefully hung each one, on the right side of the bottom of the tree. |
I pointed that out. She called me a grinch. I wore my elf hat, she wore her elf hat. |
Cousin J. The artist! |
Watching Annie. The room always gets like this mid afternoon. |
Is it just me or is it hard for other people to see their little brothers all grown up? |
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
Wednesday 16 November 2011
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. |
Beautiful too. |
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
Tuesday 8 November 2011
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.
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
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