Sunday Spinning

One of the fun parts of being a girl is spinning around in fancy Sunday dresses. This is a dress that was my favorite as a little girl and my mother saved it to pass on to Persy.

Highlights from a Year of Passionate Reading

As most of you know, I am a very passionate reader. I keep a detailed list of what I read each year and like to catalog and review each one in an on-line account. I think this must mean I have some serious nerdy tendencies, or perhaps that I am just a former librarian turned mom. Anyhow, at the end of the year I like to see what general themes I've been drawn towards. Out of the 38 books I completed last year, here are the highlights of those that I would strongly recommend. The items with an asterisk are non-fiction titles.

1. My Life in France by Julia Child *
Oh Julia, after reading your book I really feel like we would have made the best of friends . . .

2. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

3. A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman *
I've read this book at least three times now. I have favorite passages highlighted. I don't think it will resonate with everyone, but I just love Ackerman's writing style.

4. Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations by Georgina Howell *
Why don't we learn about bold women explorers like this in our history classes?

5. Catching Fire and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I couldn't put either of these down. I can't wait for Collins to complete her Young Adult trilogy.

6. They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The true story of three lost boys from Sudan by Alephonsion Dena and Judy A. Bernstein *


7. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner *
Part travel writing, part psychology, lots of humor . . .

8. The American Revolution: A History by Gordon S. Wood *

9. The Forgotten Garden: A Novel by Kate Morton
This is the type of book I long for but rarely find. It is infused with mystery, romance, adventure, strong female characters, and fairy tales. Sometimes multigenerational novles can be confusing, but Morton's book was easy to follow. I especially recommend the audiobook format for its superb narration.

10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

11. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I know it's shocking, but this was my first time to read the classic. I love Austen's wit.

What are you reading? I'd love to know your recommendations!

Christmas

We put all of Persy's presents into an igloo tent on Christmas morning. She had a lot of fun playing inside. We spent Christmas in Logan with extended family and had a great time that weekend hanging out, bowling, running, going to "Sherlock Holmes," and even playing laser tag.

Persy and her cousin with their new Mongolian princess hats.


Gabe, exhausted after all the festivities

Twas the Night Before Christmas . . .

There is something about being in a children's hospital at Christmas time that is very humbling. Persy ended got sick last week with a cold and then ended up in respiratory distress again. As we took care of her I couldn't help but notice the other weary parents there with children much sicker than our own. I felt sad for them, and so grateful that Persy was able to leave on Christmas Eve so we wouldn't have to spend our holidays at the hospital. I also felt grateful that we have some new medications to try with Persephone and also received additional counseling regarding her peanut allergy. We are so very fortunate to be near to excellent medical care.

Nativity Cast and Crew

Every Christmas my family gets together to act out the Nativity. There's always a festive dinner of clam chowder and Christmas candies. There's always the somewhat rambunctious group of cousins running about dressed as angels, shepherds, etc, and there's always the stern warning against lighting house and hair on fire as we each light a candle and sing "Silent Night." It's always a fun event that everyone enjoys!

Our Little Angel

The Wise People

Mary, Joseph, and a Shepherd

The night ended with Persy getting to open gifts from her Grammy and Grandpa.

Scary Santa

I can't stop smiling at these pictures of pure terror we caught on Gabe's iphone . . . I hope this doesn't reflect poorly on me as a mother.

More Medical Adventures

Sometimes I wish I had a medical degree. It would certainly be more useful in my role as a mother than the anthropology degree that I currently hold. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to expand my medical knowledge yet as another crisis unfolded with Persephone.

We were sitting at dinner and Persy was picking at her meal and whining about the nuisance and eating when I decided to give her some peanut butter in hopes of enticing her appetite. We had her 18 month appointment earlier in the day and the doctor had cleared me for introducing this new food into her diet. Within seconds of her first lick she began rubbing her eyes and sneezing. I hurried and snatched her from the high chair and immediately ran to the car as hives began to spread across her face.

Even though we live close to medical care, it always seems a long drive to me when I'm fighting traffic and I can't see her from the rear view mirror. Persy was coughing a little and I was quite worried that her respiratory problems would worsen during my drive to Instacare and she might go into anaphylaxis shock.

Fortunately, she remained stable through the drive and with a dose of benadryl her condition improved after a couple of hours of monitoring. I think the benadryl made her a little hyper because she spent the long evening at Instacare running around, saying "hi" to every entering patient, and delighting in the otterpops and suckers that the enamored nurses were supplying. The poor girl looked all swollen like Quasimoto, but she couldn't have cared less.

So, short story long, it looks like we will need to visit an allergist to confirm the peanut allergy. We also have to keep Persy away from any products that may contain peanuts, (which are a lot,) because any additional exposure greatly increases her risk for anaphylaxis shock. This child certainly knows how to keep things lively and expensive!