For the Fan Club

Figaro

I once had a school teacher comment that she would rather have an interesting day than a perfect day because you rarely learn anything in a perfect day. Perhaps this is true. Perfect moments rarely teach us anything, they don't make for good stories, and they don't often make for juicy blog posts. They do make for beautiful memories though, and my date with Gabe last night to see "The Marriage of Figaro," is certainly one I want to remember.

I want to remember:
Gabe's warm hand upon the small of my back as he leads me gently to the car,
The lacy black "Jane Austen" dress that I can only wear on date nights without Persy,
Devouring a creamy risotto and tender salmon at a fancy restaurant before the show,
The joyful anticipation I feel whenever the lights go dim in a theater and the overture begins,
Whispered conversations in the dark,
The funny guy sitting next to us in top hat and monocle glasses that looked like Mr. Peanut,
Holding hands throughout the performance and tapping our fingers to the music,
Strolling outside and kissing gently during intermission,
Laughing with the crowd when Figaro sings, "(It's Susanna.)"
The way I still feel a secret thrill when I don't have to say "good-bye" at the end of a date.

Knit Happens

I'm learning to knit! I finished my first project this week. What are you learning to do these days?

Road to Recovery

Persy is feeling much better. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.

A Night in the E.R.

We've had a stressful weekend taking care of Persephone. She started to get sick on Thursday afternoon, and by Saturday she had a really gnarly little cough. I took Persy to Insta Care where they listened to her lungs and checked her oxygen but told me there wasn't anything they could do and sent me home. By Saturday night, Persy's breath had become labored and she had stopped eating. After much deliberation, we took her to the Emergency Room where they told us she had the dreaded RSV disease, (adults get RSV too, but it just feels like a bad cold. When babies get it their small lungs become inflamed and it is very difficult for them to breathe.) We spent half the night in the hospital with tests and inhalers. They sent us home with a nebulizer treatment. We let her breathe steamed albuterol a couple times a day and also have her taking steroids for a few days. I am just so relieved that she is starting to feel better and is eating again. Watching your child suffer needlessly is the worst part about being a parent.

(Side note: You may remember me mentioning a couple of weeks ago that I was worried about RSV and was keeping Persy home from play group and other social activities. Oh, the irony . . . At least I'm not beating myself up for not being more careful.)

Forget the Zoo . . .

Persephone was unimpressed with the zoo, but the pet shop? Oh, yea baby! She kept trying to snatch the fish and I think that those guppies are lucky that her determined efforts were thwarted by the thick aquarium glass. Thanks to my friend Alyssa for this baby friendly activity. It was a huge hit!

Baby Blessing

Gabe gave Persephone a blessing in church on Sunday. He blessed her that she would come to know her Heavenly Father and that she would always be able to look to her parents for advice. We were pleased to have several of our family members present at the event.

(Doesn't she look like a porcelain doll in this picture?)


My brother and his family also attended, but snuck out before any pictures.

Pillow Fort for a Snowy Day

Stay at "Home" Story Time

After hearing that RSV, (a potentially deadly disease for young babies,) has been at a record high this season I made the decision to avoid groups of kids for the next few weeks until Spring comes. I'm not really a stay-at-home kind of gal, so I still thought it was important that Persy and I go outside. My girlfriend and I nixed our plans to go to Story Time last week, and opted for the zoo instead. I decided to do my own zoo themed story time with Persy that day as well, (realizing of course that "themes" are entirely lost on babies!)

Books:



Song: "Going to the Zoo" by Raffi (We danced along with the music.)

Finger Play:
5 Little Monkeys Swingin' in a tree
(Hold 5 fingers upside down and swing)
Teasing Mr. Alligator "Can't catch me! Can't catch me!"
(Wag pointer finger back and forth and point to self)
Along comes Mr. Alligator quiet as can be
(Put hands together and swim them like an alligator)
And SNAPPED that monkey right out of the tree!
(Clap hands on SNAPPED and repeat song 5 times gradually decreasing your monkeys.)

The Elephant goes like this and that,
(Hold arms wide and move back and forth like a big elephant)
He's terribly big and he's terribly fat.
He has no fingers; He has no toes,
(Pull in fingers to make a fist)
But goodness gracious oh what a nose
(Show a giant elephant nose with your arm)

Activity: Go to the Zoo