Welcome Mika

Dear Mika,

Once you were just a little bean in my belly . . .

But before we knew it, you grew,

and grew,
and grew.

I'm not sure what the sudden rush was when you decided to come out and join us, but we're so glad you arrived.

Thank you for giving us an extra fifteen minutes so Daddy didn't have to deliver you in the minivan.
I'm fairly certain that his three greatest fears are spiders, clowns, and the prospect of delivering his own children in automobiles.

Your birthday is August 29, 2011. At 6:27 am, you practically leaped your 7 lb., 6 oz. body out of mine and into this world. The first hands that caught you were those of a nurse, standing in for the doctor who didn't arrive until several minutes later.

After your birth, I sat in awe for quite some time at your complete little frame, disbelieving that you were actually out of the womb.

But more than anything, I felt humbled and grateful to have received such a beautiful gift from heaven.
Your sister Ramona has been anticipating your arrival, too. For a few weeks now she always includes your name when she talks about our family. You two met for the first time today and exchanged gifts in the hospital room. I think you'll be good for each other.

Thank you for making our family bigger and better than before. We love you, Baby Mika!

-Mommy

Ramona Speaks

During her short 28 months of existence, the skill that Ramona has developed far beyond any other is undeniably her ability to talk. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of having this little two-year-old right now is our memorable conversation, some of which I started writing down since last March:

(While I am giving Ramona bed time cuddles and kisses:)
Ramona: Mommy taste pretty good
Ivy: I taste pretty good?
Ramona: Yeah!
Ivy: What do I taste like?
Ramona: Mmm...applesauce.
Ivy: Applesauce?
Ramona: Ohgurt.
Ivy: Applesauce yogurt?
Ramona: Yeah! Taste pretty Ummy.

(Ramona is trying to put on a pair of mommy's pantyhose)
Ramona: Crocodile eat that.
Ivy: Crocodiles eat pantyhose?
Ramona: (gravely) Yeah.
Ivy: What else do crocodiles eat?
Ramona: Shirts.
Ivy: I didn't know that.
Ramona: Crocodile eat my blankie.
Ivy: Crocodiles eat your blankie? Oh no!
Ramona: What we gonna do?
Ivy: What are we going to do? I don't know.
Ramona: Crocodile far away.
(Yes, Ramona. Crocodiles live far away. Your blankie should be safe for now.)

(Ramona is on the potty, just having delivered her #2 goods.)
Ramona: I smell them!
Ivy: Do they smell stinky?
Ramona: No.
Ivy: What do they smell like?
Ramona: (smiling) Flowers.

Ivy: Ramona, what are you doing?

Ramona: Coloring on my leg.

(Sure enough, she is coloring on her leg with a green marker. I appreciate the honesty, dear.)

(Ramona snatches a can opener from a kitchen drawer.)

Ivy: Ramona, that's not very safe. I need you to put that back.

Ramona: Okay. In a few hours.

Ivy: Ramona, do you need a time out?

Ramona: No, I'm fine.

(Upon having an accident on her bed during naptime, as I am stripping the sheets off of her bed)

Ramona: I'm sorry 'bout that. I don't mean to pee on the bed.

Ramona: Crocodile's coming (in a whisper)
Ivy: Is he going to sing?
Ramona: No. He's going to play the piano.

Ramona: I have chipmunks in my shoes (trying to take off her sandals)
Ivy: Do you mean woodchips?
Ramona: (a little sheepishly) Woodchips.

(After passing a dead deer on the side of the road)
Ramona: Was that a deer?
Ivy: Yes, that was a deer.
Ramona: Is he cute?
Ivy: Yes, it's cute.
Ramona: Where's mommy deer?
Ivy: I think that was the mommy deer.
Ramona: Where's daddy deer?
Ivy: I don't know where daddy deer is.
Ramona: (shrugging) I don't know either!
(pause)
Ramona: Is she lying down?
Ivy: Yes, she's lying down.
Ramona: Is she sleeping?
Ivy: Yes, she is.

(At dinnertime)
Ramona: I don't like spinach. I spit it out of my mouth.
Ivy: Someday you'll like spinach.
Ramona: Someday I'll like it. When I'm 22.

About a week ago we went to a friend's wedding in Nauvoo. Before attending, we explained to Ramona that Gavin and Kristen were getting married in the temple, and that Kristen would be the bride and Gavin would be the groom.
I ended up waiting outside the temple with Ramona during the ceremony. As we walked around the temple grounds, she pointed up at the building and said: "Mommy, I'm going to go in there someday. I'm going to be a bride."
Apparently, she later told Paca that he was going to be the "broom."
You certainly know how to speak your mind, don't you? We love you, Ramona.

the power of nesting

There's nothing like an approaching due date to encourage parents to speed along their house projects and prepare for the new arrival. These past few weeks, we finally put the finishing touches on our kitchen make-over, which technically began a year ago. For some reason, the two tasks of replacing a part on the light fixture and repainting the ceiling got neglected for several months. Apparently, the third trimester nesting instinct was required to bring the project back to our immediate attention, and voilà! A finished kitchen. Here are the much-delayed before and after photos:

BEFORE:

AFTER:
In addition to repainting the cabinets, Forest did a simple tile backsplash and we added a new over-the-stove fan, which was non-existent before.

We hung up our Dixon "D" to cover up a hole in the wall from an unused electrical wire.
Antique brass hardware was switched out for brushed nickel.

And we also replaced a dreary fluorescent light with a sparklier halogen fixture.
A huge thank you to Aunt B for her design suggestions! We've been thrilled with the new look.

What else has the power of nesting done for our home? Well, it has inspired Forest to dig this huge trench along our driveway in an effort to improve a less-than-perfectly constructed retaining wall.
It also may have influenced us to purchase some dressers that we've talked about getting for the master and guest bedrooms. We did this the craigslist way and paid a small amount of money for a decently large amount of restoration work. I ended up staining and coating a new set of wooden knobs for one dresser, while Forest completely sanded down the other 0ne, repaired a large hole, and began the process of repainting.

The deck has also been re-stained since we hit trimester #3 (do you see the cantaloupe vine that poked through the boards?)
And a couple of sets of curtains have been sewn for some windows, as well.
It is almost baffling to me to consider our sudden boost of productivity these days. At the same time, it still seems like there are a lot of things that need to get done before I pop . . .

The Cello Lives On

Upon moving to Cedar Rapids last summer, one of the things I missed most about Illinois was my old cello students and small performance opportunities. At the time I wondered if I would ever find new students to teach or a willing accompanist to play with.

Now that we have been in Iowa for a little over a year, I've run into more teaching opportunities than I would have imagined. I currently have about ten students of various instruments (violin, viola, or cello) at Cedar Rapids School of Music, as well as two private cello students and one private viola student. I've had a chance to arrange for, rehearse, and conduct a small church youth orchestra on two different occasions, and last week I got to do a little cello demo for story time at the local library.
I played the kids a little Bach, a little Smoke on the Water, and of course Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Old MacDonald.

In an effort to keep up my personal playing, I applied to be a sub for the community orchestra last year, but never heard back from them. I wish I had more to say about performance opportunities, but for now my audience is mainly children, parents, and the congregation at church. When I do play, however, the audience is always so appreciative--it makes me realize how worthwhile music has been in my life, and how blessed I am to be able to share it with others, however simple and non-glamorous the venue may be.

D is for Dixon

Aunt "Ramia" and Uncle Josh flew out to Illinois for Fourth of July weekend, so we took small roadtrip back that way to spend time with them at Paca's house.
Much of the weekend could be summed up in two activities: tennis and swimming--both of which Ramona was eager to join.

By the time we left, Ramona could "swim" by herself, as long as she had the floaties on her arms.
Pool frogs--yummy.

For nap time on Saturday, Ramona chose the carpet at the foot of Paca's bed . . .
. . . but only after she had reached up to dump out Teresa's entire jewelry box, as evidenced by the trail of necklaces and bracelets leading from the dresser to where she fell asleep.
After she got re-charged, she was ready for more swimming and a ride on the lawnmower.
Sunday morning as we were getting ready for church, Ramona kept asking where her tie was. Paca let her wear one of his so she wouldn't feel left out.
Maria and I are both expecting, with due dates only about three weeks apart, so we had almost matching bellies on display that weekend. We snagged some obligatory (but fun!) baby bump shots before church.
We are thrilled that the little cousins will be so close in age.
After church we went to Grandma's house and then to the hospital to visit Forest's grandmother Rosanne, recovering from a stroke. She looked amazingly good and even had a present for Ramona: a princess nightgown that she insisted on wearing right away.

On the car ride back to Paca's house, we successfully got Ramona to fall asleep for a much-needed nap. For some reason, taking pictures of sleeping children never gets old for me.
That evening we all participated in the creation of another giant Dixon apple pie, baked in a 12" cast-iron skillet.


Monday morning we dropped the boys off to do some canoeing on the Sangamon River
In addition to the tennis and swimming that happened that day, we also heated up the old Dixon brand from Grandpa Dixon's farm and made some decorative wooden plaques.


Oh yes, and Ramona played with some bubbles from Aunt Cheryl, too.

Thanks for coming, Maria and Josh! And thanks for having us, Paca and Teresa!

On the drive back we stopped by my parents' house in Bloomington for a few hours, where Ramona enjoyed some more rice mounds with flags on top. Perhaps not the most patriotic flags, given that it was Independence Day weekend, but festive, nonetheless!
Happy Fourth of July!