Goodbye 2010!

It is a cloudy wintry day in Minneapolis. And, on this last day of 2010, i leave you with this chewable thought:

"Life is ultimately a string of moments gathered into hours, days, weeks, months, and years. If, in a quiet moment, we ask ourselves what we really want for our children, and our answer has something to do with them being truly content throughout their lives, then one of the most important gifts we can offer them is the ability to be present, so they can experience all the joy and richness available to them. The sense of peace and fulfillment that comes from quietly and genuinely appreciateing each day may not come with a flashing neon sign, but it is our best bet that we're going to end up with a life full of deeply, fully, and passionately lived moments."
~Parenting Without Power Struggles

Off to the Land of Snow We Go!

We leave bright and early for Minnesota tomorrow morning. We are very excited to see the Sawyers and have a little R&R! So, i wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, as i'm not sure if i will be posting while we are gone. We get back January 1st. FYI, Una is doing really well. Her leg seems to only hurt when it's being messed with or the dressings changed. Today, they cut off the dead skin, and i swear, she handled it better than i did. She's an amazing little girl. I'm really proud of her. Tonight, while we had dinner guests, Una walked back to the bathroom. i heard the toilet lid open, so i went back to see what she was up to. i found her sitting on our toilet, as if she was going potty. I'm surprised she didn't fall in. I think she heard us talking about potty training and decided to take matters into her own hands. She looked pretty cute.

Merry Christmas!

Pink Kitty

I don't remember when my mom made this, but it just isn't christmas without the pink kitty. This ornament is very special to me. i have always been in love with the pink satin and the green star-shaped sequins. I mean, what's not to like? Pink Kitty was actually my inspiration for attempting to make my own ornaments. My mom had made a bunch of felt ornaments that were a staple on our tree growing up, and they were just darling. i miss them. So, i thought, it was my duty to start our own little ornament tradition for Una. I only made it to mod circles this year, but at some point, i hope to tackle more cuddly types like the one above. I heart you, Pink Kitty. And thank you, Mom! I bet you don't even know what a rad gift your ornaments have been to me each year.

Today's Lesson

When you have a child, you do every thing you can to keep them safe. You try to out think the train wrecks. You instill a sixth sense to avoid dangers. And sometimes, no matter what, it's not enough. Accidents happen. This morning, Una received 1st and 2nd degree burns on her left leg between her knee and her ankle. Ted was holding her when his thermos of boiling water knocked over and spilled onto her. He doesn't even know how it happened. Did he bump it? Did she? Point is, it spilled. Ted, of course, is mortified, and it was by far the most awful thing for all three of us to go through.

We immediately put ice and then ice packs on her leg. It was 7am, so we got our stuff together, wrapped her up, and drove to our urgent care. Weirdly, urgent care wasn't open and they told us we need to go to the ER on the other side of town which was not what you want to hear. But, just when i was about to lose complete faith in Kaiser, a supervisor took us over to Pediatrics and had a doctor do triage. Dr. Cohen was awfully sweet and reassured us that Una was going to be just fine. There were 2nd degree burns and it looked god-awful, but she was going to be fine. He sent us up to the ER at Dornbecker Children's Hospital so that we'd have the best care, as they didn't treat burns in Pediatrics. We made it up "the Hill" and did receive very good care. They gave Una some pain relief medication and a lovely young woman blew bubbles while they dressed the wounds. Una was so good. She hardly made a fuss. She was really very good through the whole ordeal and was remarkably calm for a 20 month old. She'd cry and look at her leg and say, "Oh, no! Oh, no!" We all felt a lot better once she had the bandages on, and Una fell asleep in the car for a good long nap as we went to 4 different pharmacies looking for her medication. Once we got home, she was definitely knocked down a notch, but basically back to her chirpy little self. She just wanted both of us with her. As the day went along, she got stronger. Even with more medicine that was supposed to make her drowsy, she seemed only to have more energy. She's a trooper, really.

As for mom and dad, we are both a bit traumatized. I just keep thinking, if this happened, how can we keep her safe? How are we going to do it? Well, we are going to do the best we can, that's for sure. However, it's also a reminder that as much as we'd always like to be in control, we simply are not. And that's a hard lesson to learn.

Christmas Ready-Made

We did a lot of christmas prep this weekend. Up went the lights, the tree (delivered by bike to our house), and the paper ornaments i made for the windows. i also made some felt ornaments for the tree. i had grand plans of making lots, but only accomplished 5...but, i like. we baked cookies on sunday. here is una eating her first Berliner, a christmas tradition in the sawyer house. the recipe is from Grandma Olga, and it's a little bit of norwegian heaven.

Happy Birthday Nana!

We are thinking of you today on your birthday. Hopefully, the weather has settled down into a warm beautiful blanket of sparkling snow and sun. We love you!

Oh and yes, for our virtual birthday card. please click here. it's a howler. we hope you enjoy.

Photos by Michael Schmitt Photography

A Moment in the Sun

because all we really have is a series of moments...

Uncle Timmy

Uncle Timmy stayed with us and on his first morning he and Una played with Grimmy, the funny little yellow doglike toy. So then, each morning Una would say, Uncle Timmy! Grimmy! Grimmy, Uncle Timmy! Una misses her Uncle Timmy. Thanks for making the trip to Portland, and come back soon!