April Album II: tu y yo

 

Our Texas adventure led us to my grandparents’ ranch in Kenedy, “tu y yo”, about an hour and a half outside of San Antonio.  Kenedy has always been a quiet, humble little town of around 3000 people.  My granny used to say it wasn’t rich enough for two “n’s”.  They’ve owned this ranch since the year I was born, and it used to hold around 20 cattle and my Aunt Boots’ horses.  In the past ten years or so, my grandfather stopped keeping cattle and his sister bought her own ranch in Pleasanton for her horses, so the ranch has been dedicated to hay production - until most recently.  The introduction of a new technology called “fracking” has allowed oil and natural gas extraction from the shale that covers most of this area in South Texas up to parts of North Dakota, including Kenedy.  Tu y yo now has an oil pump and natural gas tanks, with large trucks entering and exiting all parts of the day.  Ranches all over Karnes County have sprouted this new crop, along with new houses and fences, gates and roads. 

For Tu y yo, it’s a dramatic change, but it’s not in most ways.  It’s still a place to visit, drink a cold beer, work on a project outside, and wait for the best-tasting, mesquite-smoked-anything to be ready – Polish sausage from Falls City if I’m lucky.  My dad remarked, why is it that I can sit here and do nothing when there’s so much to be done?  Huh.  Maybe this is the only place you can really just be, and that’s always been part of its charm.

For me and the kids, it was a pure dose of Vitamin D.

Mom drove us out on the “Emily C” (named after Grampa’s late cousin) to see the oil well.  We were a circus!  A baby, two kids, Maybee-dog, Granny, Mom and me all rode this thing together.

We went on many treasure hunts.  Our findings: a large feather, an old wasp nest, small egg shells, cactus blooming, and three deer running! 

The kids enjoyed picking wildflowers.

We worked on potty-training…

Dean and Fiona got to ride in a red cart behind the Emily C – they couldn’t stop giggling!  They were bouncing around, and Granny kept hollering at Grampa to slow down!

It was a relaxing visit, lots of time spent outside under the mesquite tree, waiting for that Falls City sausage, enjoying each other’s company, just like always.

On to the coast…

April Album I: San Antonio

Oh, what a wonderful birthday month!  It started in San Antonio, where we basked in the sunshine with tons of playtime outdoors.  Before we arrived, I needed to buy shorts, short-sleeved shirts, and sandals for all of us.  It was strange not to be wearing our raincoats (or socks).  April in San Antonio is definitely the month to visit.
   
   
Leo got to meet his great-grandparents and great Aunt Mary - he enjoyed cuddle-time with everyone.  I loved taking these multiple-generation photos:
   

In the mornings, Leo liked to read the Express News with Nani and Gramps over coffee.

We also experienced a bit of San Antonio living: lots of trips to HEB (especially during sample Saturdays), visiting the zoo, and getting together with my old classmates from Texas A&M Landscape Architecture – Studio 99.

By the way, Dean was REALLY interested in looking at the animal pictures in the zoo map – we had to ask him to put it away so that he could enjoy the real animals.  He agreed to keep it in his pocket until lunchtime.  Here he’s planning our next route.

The night I met my friends from A&M, I realized in a panic that I needed Mom and Dad to accompany me.  I actually had thought I could manage my three kids at this restaurant/play-place on my own until about an hour before we got there.  I’m so grateful that my parents came with me… Thanks, Nani and Gramps! 
Look at us, twelve years and nine kids later.

One of the best events this month: Fiona became potty-trained!!  She had many cheerleaders to encourage her.  Mom and I giggled that she often declared from the potty, “I want Gramps!” 
More great events: Leo and I squeezed in as many naps as we could. 

We missed Matt terribly, but we made up for it with FaceTime phone calls almost daily. 
 
Our adventure in Texas continued on to my grandparents’ ranch in Kenedy and Padre Island…

March Album: Leo

What a whirlwind since Leo's birth!  The last day of the month of March, this is where we found ourselves...

   

Mom and me, plus three kids, on our way (with a 2-hour layover in Phoenix), to San Antonio – to begin our April adventure.

But let me back up… Here’s Matthew and I, at six in the morning, the day that Leo was born.  We’d spent the evening before walking down to Alberta Street to indulge some cravings – crawfish cakes and fried okra.  We’d had our eye on some cheesecake, but Jenn and Scott invited us over to their house for some of Jenn’s birthday carrot cake.  Their kids were in bed, and Rene and Tracy were over.  Since Matt’s parents were in town, and Dean and Fiona were in bed, we decided to head over – it could be our last stop before the hospital.  I was having some contractions and although they were irregular, they were fairly noticeable.  We were there until 2 a.m. or so, playing games and telling stories, but alas, my contractions fizzled out, so Matt and I headed back home.  The next morning, I woke up at 5:30 with a strong contraction.  Five minutes later, it happened again.  Five minutes later, same thing.  I woke Matthew up and told him I was going downstairs to take a shower, and I thought we should probably get ready to head to the hospital.  The pattern continued.  After my shower, I came back upstairs to find Matt, sprawled across the bed, and he said, so I can sleep for another hour, right?  To which I replied, no, you’re going to get dressed and get a cup of coffee and we’re heading to the hospital.  Then I had a big contraction, and he saw my point.  Matthew’s parents were awake (and so was Dean, our early-riser), so we asked them to take this photo – it was still so dark outside!

Leo was born at 11:32 that morning.  I was so fortunate that my midwife, Karen, who had delivered both of my children, had told me to have her notified when I checked in to the hospital.  Even if she wasn’t on call, she said, she’d come in.  Since it was a Sunday, she had no other patients and she stayed with me the entire labor.  What a blessing.  It was a short, but intense labor; Leo was sunnyside-up (both Dean and Fiona had been, too) – which causes tremendous back labor, but since I was so far along I decided to bite the bullet and go without meds.  Matthew was an amazing coach and he did everything he could to make me comfortable.  Karen said, the only way to get around it is through it, and so we did, and Leo was born.

   

That afternoon, Charles and Suzanne brought Dean and Fiona up to meet Leo.  It was incredible to see all three of them together.  Here’s the next day’s visit…

   Leo charmed everyone.

When we got home, Fiona wanted to help care for baby.  She burped her baby while Daddy burped Leo.

Leo, one week old, poses with the lion that Dean and Fiona gave him when they first visited him in the hospital.

  

Here’s Leo after he rolled over at one week old, from his tummy to his back.  He did it twice!  I couldn’t believe it. 

Daddy and Leo wear matching clothes, Nani puts Leo to sleep, Leo finds his thumb, and Mommy and Leo go for an outing.

  

   

After my in-laws left, Nani came to visit and help out before we five flew to San Antonio.  The kids enjoy being read to and cuddled!

I’ve enjoyed sharing moments with Leo and his older siblings, and they’ve enjoyed him…

Such a snuggle-bug!

One humorous Sunday morning, we could only get Fiona to let us change her diaper because her baby brother was also getting his diaper changed.  Dean squatted near us to read a story, and voila!  Family portrait.

Fiona loves her baby brother.

And now I’m a mother of three.  New adventures await.

Our current adventure started when we left Portland at the end of the month.  We are in San Antonio, and we will be “on holiday” until Mother’s Day.  Our route includes Corpus Christi, Dallas, and Oklahoma City.  We miss Daddy, who is busy in Portland making our home more livable, but we have been enjoying our “FaceTime” via iphones to talk to him during the day.  He’ll meet us after Easter in Dallas.  Phew.  More updates to come.

Leo Oscar

A long overdue post...

Leo Oscar Lillard was born on March 13, 2011 at 11:32 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz.  and measured 21 inches long.

His name derives from Matthew's family (Leon is Matthew's father's and grandfather's middle name; we dropped the "n"), and my family (Oscar is my father's middle name and great-grandfather's name).  He is a beautiful, sweet baby boy! 

Dean and Fiona met their baby brother a few hours after he was born.  It was the first time Leo became alert - at the sounds of his brother and sister's voices.  It was an unforgettable moment.  

More on Leo's birth and what's been happening these last three (!) weeks to come...

still waiting for baby

tick tock.

A book review: Raising Cain

I recently finished reading Raising Cain for one of my two(!) book clubs - this book club focuses on mamahood and raising children (my other book club is focused on current fiction, mostly).  It was a pretty sobering book:  the premise is that boys aren't receiving the "emotional literacy" to respond to the situations and changes that they face throughout boyhood - instead they often resort to stoicism or solitude.  The topics of sex, alcoholism, depression, suicide, and violence, for this mother-of-a-four-year-old-boy were a bit alarming.  I definitely became more self-aware and probably self-conscious of everyday interactions with my boy...  maybe even paranoid.  Unlike the other books we've read for our book club, Raising Cain didn't include a "how to" or guidance to prevent such horrible outcomes that were presented as case studies... until the very last chapter.  I am so glad I stuck with it, but WOW.  The book could have been more instructive throughout.  At least to prevent some hyperventilating.

Despite my apprehensions with this book, it was truly enlightening.  Other books we've read, such as How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk (which I strongly recommend), also emphasize the need to encourage our children to express their feelings by gently expressing our own.  Raising Cain offered the same advice, only it was not shy about presenting some consequences for not doing this.  And the consequences took many scary forms.

The authors' emphasis on the importance of "emotional literacy" - for which moms and dads play unique roles in shaping - was really eye-opening.  I have so much to be thankful for in that my DH of 10 years has a tremendous capacity to love and express love to our children, and he has had a significant role in their childcare.  Which is apparently a huge deal anecdotally and statistically.  How lucky is this mama?

The other part that really resonated with me, especially because I have a hard time relating to it, focused on the unique behavior of boys that can, well, sometimes drive me crazy - the constant activity, movement, fiddling with everything, impulsiveness, not thinking-before-acting...  This is all pretty new to me, and according to Matthew, the apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree - not his tree, anyway.  I've found myself overwhelmed at times by my need for more order and control (the enfj in me?  particularly the "J" - I knew those project management classes would come in handy).  What?!  A losing battle, clearly.  The book encourages us to embrace this behavior and not respond with too much outright negativity (unless it's entirely appropriate).  Basically, give boys a safe place to express their high level of activity.  Now, that may have seemed obvious, but what a relief for me!  I should not only expect it, but I should celebrate their exuberance.  Celebrate exuberance!  That actually sounds like fun - and just the nudge I needed as I am about to become a mother of two boys... What great advice for me in the year of JOY.

sprinkle dancing

We have found a new playtime activity to beat the cold and rain that simultaneously cleans carpets!  It's called "sprinkle dancing", and it was invented at our house on Saturday.  What a sensation!  Matthew sprinkled the living room rug with my favorite carpet-freshener of baking soda + several drops of lavender essential oil.  The kiddos took turns sprinkling a little more, and then danced, danced, danced on the rug, stomping in all of that lavender goodness.  The whole house smelled beautiful, and I think the kids wore themselves out.  It was pretty fun to watch (but loud).  Matt vacuumed the whole room, and voila!  Clean rug, tired kids.