Acorn Wreath

I made this. I think it is beautiful.

A Quick Update

PT is sleeping 8 hours at night!

Two Months Old

This month I continue to grow really fast, continue to be happy and loving, and my personality is beginning to show/develop. My mommy has discovered even though I have serious attitude about some things (being burped, being ignored, and falling asleep on my own) I am very good humored. The other evening when she was burping me I was spitting up and choking quite a bit and I made a noise I thought was funny and so I started laughing.

Speaking of spitting up and choking, I have serious reflux. It has gotten a lot worse and some of my spit up is projectile. My doctor says that as long as I am gaining weight she really does not want to medicate me. And my mommy agrees that even though medication may make her life better (less laundry and clean up) I am not bothered by it other than when I burp right after I eat.

My daddy blessed me this month. My mommy was planning to have me blessed in February but I grew so quickly she was worried I would outgrow my blessing outfit so we had to hurry and get it done. I didn't cry at all! My brother was wondering what me and daddy were doing during church though and kept asking mommy about it so she didn't really get to hear much of my blessing.

I have become interested in toys. I really like this turtle I am playing with in this picture. My mommy thinks it is interesting that this is also the first toy Hip liked. I show a lot of interest in my brother also. I think he is fun to watch. I can't wait until I am big enough to play cars with him.

I have almost outgrown the bassinet in which I have been sleeping. My mommy is anxious about my move to my crib and so we have been practicing taking my naps in it. I don't care for it much but I have become interested in my mobile; my mommy caught me cooing at it today.

I coo a lot. I engage my mommy and daddy by talking to them first.

I love to get my diaper changed. My mommy says this is really funny. If I am uncomfortable after I eat she changes my diaper to get my mind off of it. This is usually just what I need to relax enough to get my burps out. I spend the time, while getting my diaper changed, wiggling, laughing, smiling, and cooing.

Another thing my mommy has picked up is that I get pretty irritable when I am tired. She says she is glad I let her know so she doesn't have to guess.

My mommy found me in my bassinet out of my swaddler today. She said that I might take after my cousin Sambo.

I still like my mommy best out of everyone, but I am not choosy about whom I will smile, which has made me pretty popular at church with the ladies.

Despite My Great Efforts To Convince Them Otherwise...

My family is under the false impression I like:

-Cleaning up after them

-The smell of poop, especially while I am in the shower

-Doing their dishes

-Doing their laundry, especially when they leave pens and lip balm in their pockets

-Listening to them yell, cry, whine, and complain; and beg, and beg, and beg for candy

-Putting their coats away; and shoes, and gloves, and winter hats

-Making them healthy meals which they refuse to eat, or refuse to eat the leftovers

-Seeing lougies in the bathroom sink when I go to brush my teeth

-Skid marks, pee on the bathroom floor, and a sopping wet shower mat

-Saying the same thing 100 times (aka talking to myself/a brick wall)

-Being spit up on, peed on, pooped on, snotted on; being a human paper towel or wash cloth

And my family is under the false impression I do not like:

-Reading for 5+ minutes straight without interruption

-Eating the treats I have spend hundreds of man hours making and baking

-Sleeping for more than four hours straight

-Watching any sort of television programming I may pick out, especially hearing the dialogue

-Getting away from this house all by myself

-My clothes without spit up/snot/pee/poop/someone else's food

All of this is beginning to lead me to believe my family likes:

-An irritable wife/mother

-A wife/mother that tunes out anybody's complaints/crying/whining/yelling/screaming/crying

-A wife/mother who is yelling/screaming/crying

The Incident of The Missionaries and The Cheesecake

We have this really cool missionary serving in our ward right now. He comes from a troubled family background and has an amazing attitude despite this. He and his last companion will have baptized three people this month, which is unprecedented in this area of the country. He was just asked to train a new missionary even though he himself has only been "out" for four months!

So, since I like them so much I invited them to dinner this Wednesday. I always ask them what they want instead of stressing out about it (because I stress out about things like that). He told me he didn't care so much about what for dinner but requested a cheesecake for dessert. Done, I told him, and come hungry.

I researched cheesecake recipes, for a really long time.

I bought the fattening ingredients Monday night despite sub zero temperatures (with the wind chill), a HUGE snow storm, and exhaustion from a long night with the baby. I only slid through one stop light on the way home.

I took out the cheese and the eggs to bring them up to room temperature in plenty of time.

I started making the cheesecake Tuesday morning to give me plenty of time to go slow, to cook it thoroughly, and to chill it appropriately. Mixing the ingredients took about two hours--going slow, making sure to scrape down the bowl and my beaters after each ingredient addition.

When I poured the batter into my spring form pan I wondered how I could wait until the next night to eat it up while noting the amazing smooth consistency. It was perfect, I knew, and I had done a really good job.

I slid the sheet pan, with the spring form pan on top, into the 500 degree oven very carefully. I watched as the top baked into a beautiful golden brown. I turned it halfway through the baking time and began checking the temperature at the end of 100 minutes. It wasn't coming up to temperature and after 5 or so checks I began to worry (my oven does not come up to temperature I've discovered and an oven thermometer has helped greatly). The rack, positioned in the middle of the oven, wasn't gliding out smoothly during each check and so instead of pulling it out I began just sliding the sheet pan out slightly.

While conducting what would be the final check the sheet pan began to teeter. I only had one gloved hand and it was occupied. I watched my cheesecake topple over the side of the rack and spill out on the oven door.

There was no screaming since my children were asleep in their afternoon naps. So I laid on the cold tile kitchen floor with the oven still standing open and cried. And cried and cried and cried. I cried all afternoon. And into the evening.

When L came home I asked him to take Hip to the store to replace the ingredients. I could make another the next day, though that would mean I would be cooking all day long.

While L and Hip were gone there was a knock on the front door. It was the missionaries and there I was in my pregnancy sweatpants, puffed up eyes, and greasy hair holding a fussy baby.

"Uh, are you here to eat?" I asked.

It was discovered there was a miscommunication. They had down Tuesday as meal night. I told them they had to stay because it was probably L's mistake (turns out it was mine! He told me later he thought it was Tuesday and since I am "never" wrong he didn't think to argue with me).

The missionaries were uncomfortable because I was home alone, and Poquito apparently does not count as a suitable chaperon for the missionaries. They left in a hurry. And I felt terrible.

I called L in a frantic and he called them and they waited across the street until he got home and I fed them the enchilada casserole I had made. Unfortunately this is what I fed them the last time they came for dinner. I showed them the pile of cheesecake and explained the disaster. But, since I had more ingredients for a new one and since I still had the ingredients for the dinner I was going to prepare, we agreed they would come back Friday and have the "real" meal. I have another cheesecake in the oven right now. Pray I don't screw this one up, or else I'm gonna give up, permanently.

P.S. We ate the ruined one, and shared with our neighbors (and forced the missionaries to take some) and it was DELICIOUS, like restaurant quality--no kidding.

Happy Holidays 2010

Happy Holidays from The Hemphills

The year Two Thousand Ten will go down in our family history as one that changed nearly every aspect of our lives.

In January we decided that Luke would choose to attend Oakland University for graduate school in Michigan. He was accepted to more prestigious schools but for some reason we felt compelled that OU was the place for us.

In February we found out we were expecting our second child, turns out it’s a boy. Finn Sajovic Hemphill was born in an accidental all-natural delivery October 14^th. He was HUGE (at least to me) at 8 lbs 11 oz. He is incredibly sweet and loving.

We sold our house in April, which was like amputating an appendage without anesthesia. We loved that house and have special memories there including our wedding reception, Henry’s baby blessing, and many family gatherings. Leaving our house has left a huge void we don’t expect to be filled any time soon. We know we are mourning it because the holidays don’t feel the same in a new place and we find ourselves thinking and talking about our old home often.

We moved from our beloved home to an interim rental house in May. There we began to prepare ourselves emotionally and physically to move to Detroit, Michigan and to alter our lifestyle significantly. It turns out nothing could have prepared us…

I resigned my position as a youth therapist in Ogden, Utah in July, which was like receiving a lobotomy without anesthesia. Leaving my wonderful job, my co-workers, and my clients was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

In August, few days before we were due to move, Luke was bitten by a Hobo Spider which caused a necrotic response and turned into a staph infection requiring a PICC line to his heart administering antibiotics. This gave us a huge scare and we made us doubt every decision we had made this year thus far. He is fine and an outpouring of support from our friends and families helped us pack up and move 1600 miles across the country.

We arrived to tiny rental home a few days later. We are certainly grateful to be in a home and in a wonderful neighborhood but we are cramped and it is hard for a two year-old to run around and play on hard wood floors (the whole house’s flooring). We spend the remainder of August exploring the Detroit Metropolitan area. It was unbelievably humid which added difficulty to my pregnancy.

Luke began graduate school in nursing (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) in September. It has been a very difficult program including coursework and practical work, taking him out of the home a good portion of the day/week. This has been hardest on Henry as they are best friends.

I have spent my time, since moving, organizing our household, raising children, and managing our family’s temporal needs. It is such a change in pace and lifestyle from anything I have ever done that I feel like a fish out of water most of the time.

Henry is a high-energy two and a half year-old. He has struggled with the many changes in our lives including the move (away from friends, family, and all things familiar), adding a new brother (whom he adores and with whom he is wonderful), and the fact that I am around 100% of the time! His personality has blossomed into something that is engaging and enthusiastic. He has made several friends and looks forward to playing with them daily. He enjoys learning new things, cars and trucks and trains, preparing and eating food, books, and music. His favorite thing to do, besides playing with friends, is to go to Costco and eat samples.

And The Winner Is...

I left hints...

1. Poquito--the hints here are a) the lanolin cream (no need for Hip) and b) the Mam pacifier. Hip used the Soothie, when he used one.

2. Hip

3. Poquito--the hint is the Halloween outfit in the top left that he is wearing in the Halloween post.

4. Poquito

5. Hip--the hint is that this is in our old house's office, you can tell if you look really close.

6. Hip

7. Poquito--the hint is the mosaic tile (upper right in photo) in our rental house.

8. Hip

9. Hip

10. Poquito--the double chin and expression are the giveaways here.

Tahsha got them all right! Did you pick up on the clues?

Oh My Hip

Dear Hip,

These past few months have been ridiculous haven't they? Even though I have not lost sight of how hard moving has been for you I have been distracted by my own hardships to be the mother of my dreams to you. How would you guess that you light up my life by the way I have been acting? You do.

You are perfect in all of your two and a half years. You are a marvel to me, always.

There are a things you should know about yourself on this day:

You are kind-hearted. Yesterday at the doctor's office you heard a baby crying and you knew the baby was distressed. You told me, "Mom, go get that baby. He's hurt." Since that was not possible I told you stories to distract you, the crying really hurt your heart and I could tell you were worried. Your brother cries when he is hungry, when he is tired, when he needs a diaper change, and when he is bored; you ignore it unless you can tell he is hurting. When that happens you abandon what you are doing and begin pacing around him and me with urgency saying, "Mom PT is crying, Mom PT is crying, MOM PT IS CRYING! Go get him!"

Obviously, you love your brother. You like to talk to him, play with him, touch him, show him interesting things (today it was a balloon), help me bath and change him, read to him, and teach him things. Whenever I ask PT if it is time for tummy time you say, "Tummy time?! I love tummy time!" and you lay next to PT offering him encouragement and showing him what to do. Everyday you talk to him, "Mom, I want to talk to PT for a minute, okay?" You are patient when he interrupts you and your time with me. You make sure to put his pacifier in a place that I can always find it.

You love your daddy. You would rather spend time with your daddy than do anything else, except maybe go to Costco (and not just for gasoline). You are content to sit on his lap watching a movie while he studies. You like to play with his IPhone and you access the games you want all on your own. You also like to pull up the pictures on his phone and scroll through them. Sometimes you will show me the pictures you like the most, and sometimes the pictures you see will remind you and you will tell me the story of the picture. The other day a lady came to our house and she pointed to my phone and asked you what you do with it. You said, "Take pictures." I loved that.

Simple things make you happy. You still love to shop with me. I love to shop with you and am sad that I've been going grocery shopping late at night, lately, when Daddy can watch PT and you are already in bed. But the other day we were able to go to Walmart, just the two of us like old times, and it was so fun. We stopped at all of the toys you wanted to see and I watched you pull the levers and push the buttons. You asked me for all of them and my heart broke that I wasn't able to buy them for you. You settled on a $.75 Hot Wheels race car that hasn't left your side since.

Friday is garbage day on our street and this makes Friday mornings happy. You are also excited to see the street sweepers clean the street on Thursdays and the various delivery trucks that you see pass our front windows. You can point out a UPS truck versus a FedEx truck.

You love your friends. You tell me all of the time, and you told Dane you love him on Thanksgiving. The other day when the kids, whom you could see through the front window, went inside before we could get ready to go outside you cried tears of sadness for a really long time. I didn't know what to do, so I held you and remembered how much it hurts to be left out. You ask me about once a week if we can make treats for you friends.

You are excited. You get excited about everything which makes life for those around you so much more fun. You will even yell it, "I'm excited!"

You are super smart. You talk to me about things other kids your age are clueless about. You understood Thanksgiving is a time to gather with friends and feast. Because you love to eat, and you love your friends, you looked forward to this all week and gave me a list of the friends you wanted to be there, which were all of them. You also are interested in real-life situations so much more than pretend. You would rather cook with me than pretend to cook. You would rather fix the car with daddy than pretend to fix it. You would rather ride a real tractor or sit on a real fire truck than pretend. When you do pretend, it is just as awesome as doing real-life things with you--I love to hear you talking for your cars and imagining what is going on with them.

You are energetic. When we go to Toddler Time at the library, you and your best friend are the most active and enthusiastic kids there. You are able to pay attention to the story too, though, because you love books. Even when you are disruptive I know the librarian adores you because your name is the only one she remembers and she always takes special notice to talk to you and I. You recently taught yourself to jump on the furniture and the beds and even though part of me wants to tell you to stop it, the other part of me wants to jump with you.

I am working really hard to manage myself better so you can be happier. I think that despite all of the new fun things we do you are very sad to have left all of the fun things we used to do in Utah. I also know you miss your grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, roxy, and the gym a lot. This move has been really hard on you and no little boy should have to go through all of the things you have had to go through these past few months.

On this day I want you to know that I am excited about watching you grow up. You have such special capabilities and qualities and it will be a cool to see what you do with them as you get older. I hope you know you decide what you are and what you will be and I will support you in figuring that out.

Love,

Mommy, Momma, Mom

Snow

It's the first day of December and it's snowing outside. I don't know if it's romantic and cozy or obnoxious.

Oh Yes I Did

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Someone posted on Facebook today that it is pathetic to complain about having too many Thanksgiving leftovers. She noted people say they don't know what to do with all of the turkey.

WHAT!?

Turkey Stock--boil the picked turkey carcus with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsnip, salt, peppercorns, leftover herbs (anything goes), and bay in a large stock pot for 3-4 hours.

Turkey Sandwiches--I think they are good with stuffing on them and a side of gravy for dipping.

Turkey Soup--make dumplings with leftover stuffing.

Turkey and gravy over rice.

Turkey Pot Pie--add broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, and cheese to turkey and gravy for the filling.

Turkey Enchiladas, Tacos, Burritos

Turkey and Vegetable Omelets

I made a 22 LB turkey this year and served 14 adults and 10 children on Thanksgiving day in addition to having all of the above for leftovers. It fed our family for one entire week. By the time I was done with it there was nothing left except well-boiled bones.

I agree, why complain when we should feel lucky--er, thankful--to have food on our tables? We certainly are thankful for this blessing this year.

Happy Baby, Pt. 2

Happy Baby

Which One Is Which?

Is it Hip or Poquito?

Post your answers in the comments section.

Answers will be revealed in a few days.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.
6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Detroit's Eastern Market

I survived my first trip to downtown Detroit. We went to the city's huge farmer's market, Eastern Market, because we have heard it's pretty awesome. Unfortunately we were too busy having a cultural experience to remember to take pictures. We are planning to go back for a special holiday market in December and so hopefully we will get pictures then.

I don't think there were as many vendors as usual since it is fall and produce is less varied and available but it was still amazing. Farm fresh everything in season was available--things I've always wanted to cook with but knew I could never find in a regular grocery store: cooking pumpkins, fresh savory, fresh eggs, savoy cabbage, wild mushrooms, all sorts of chiles, more varieties of squash than you can imagine, etc. It's like Christmas in my head imagining what must be available in the summer months.

Here are some of the things we saw to remind us we were in the middle of Detroit:

-A suburban/rural rarity: the calf-length denim jacket

-A lot of razor wire

-Unconcealed weapons (which is legal)

-Coffee cans burning enough sticks of incense to fill the entire volume (Portlanders, Catholics, and Buddhists love their incense but I've never seen so much burned at once)

-A XXX rated novel booth which was attracting quite a large crowd

-Knock off designer sunglasses and handbags

-Gold-framed religious artwork

-People yelling at each other (I was confused at whether or not the yelling was friendly)

Today, Long Ago

A few years ago my mom gave me the last of my things--a box of scrapbooks and growing-up memorabilia--she had stored for me during my college years. One day boredom drove me to sift through the cardboard box and I came across a typed journal on formal scrapbook pages. I had never seen this before and curiosity drove me to begin reading.

It was a journal of my mom's thoughts about me beginning in the hospital just after I was born. I was born on a snowy/icy Portland morning. Unusual weather for November, resulting in my mom spending the majority of her/my stay in the hospital alone. She has expressed to me that she enjoyed this solitary time immensely. Moreover, this time alone gave her ample space to think and write.

Those thoughts, of hers, are precious to me above nearly all of my other earthly belongings (rivaled only by my 'bikie'). Though I was not a mother myself at the time I first read her journal about me, I am glad I was at the tail end of my twenties so I had the maturity to appreciate it.

Since I just had my second child and spent some time alone thinking about this new child of mine I realized how much I can relate to the person my mother was, alone with me, in the hospital 32 years ago. Those early moments, days in your new baby's life are precious because it is as close as one comes to the spirits in the world beyond and you are wrapped in peace, insight, and revelation.

My mom came to visit a few weeks ago to meet Poquito Tito, to play with Hip, and to help me. As we spent time together her words, 32 years ago, were fresh in my mind. I saw my mom with new eyes, with wonder. I was her, 32 years ago, in those moments. Did she recognize herself in me? Looking at her I felt confidence, because I am proud of the person I will become.

(But I've got a lot of work to do!)

Thank you, Mom, for writing about me. And thank you for everything else. It's been a lot lately, seriously.

***

I was in the best mood today I've been in for the better part of a year. I felt like me again. Maybe I won't need Prozac after all!

(But maybe I will)

***

Today Hip chased garbage trucks up and down our road with his BFF, it was darling. Friday=garbage day=happy 2 year-old=happy mommy.

***

Tomorrow I am making my maiden, possibly only, voyage to Detroit. Stay tuned to see if I survive.

(That's not a joke)

I'm One Month Old

My mommy keeps asking why the last month of her pregnancy didn't go as fast as the first month of my life.

I like being alive so much that I smiled today at my mommy. My daddy says I smiled at him a few days ago but my mommy didn't believe it until today. She says most babies don't smile for another couple of weeks. I also tried to coo at her today; she says it was really cute and told me I was a big boy.

I am working hard to strengthen my neck muscles. They get a good workout when I am complaining about swallowing too much air when I eat fast. It's just that big babies like me like to eat a lot.

Hip showing Poquito how to lift up one's head.

I took a bath with my big brother today, combining two of my favorite things. My mommy and daddy are surprised that my big brother's yelling and screaming, often in my face, really doesn't bother me much. It bothers my mommy when he wakes me up though.

I look a lot like my daddy and brother. My mommy says it is unfair since she did/does all the work.

My mommy says I am sweet. I think she is sweet too, except I throw fits sometimes when she holds me and doesn't feed me. So when my daddy takes over I don't throw the fit since he can't feed me anyway. My mommy says since I know the difference already I must be smart.

I have reflux. My mommy was in denial about it until last week when I threw up so much she had to go buy me some new, ultra absorbent, spit rags. I can soak her, a rag, the couch, my bobby pillow, and myself in a few seconds. Due to the reflux I sound a little stuffed up, especially in the mornings. I also choke and cough a lot. My mommy isn't too discouraged though because it doesn't really put me in a bad mood, except when it causes me problems when I am trying to eat...then I show a big attitude.

I HATE being burped. I REALLY HATE it, and mommy says it is hard to burp me because I am wiggling all around and throwing such a temper tantrum trying to get her to stop.

I poop a lot. When I say a lot, I mean like 12+ times per day. My mommy's friend gave her about 120 newborn diapers and she bought 100 and I went through them in two weeks. It's a good thing because newborn diapers really didn't fit me that well. My mommy thinks it is almost time to go to a size 2!

I am getting used to going outside and being in my car seat.

I love being held. My mommy says you can't spoil a baby; she is glad to hold me all day long even if it did spoil me!

My mommy put me in my swing yesterday for the first time and I'm not quite sure if I like it yet or not. My brother is very jealous of the swing and asks to go in it all of the time. I think that is silly because he just got a swing set outside!

I am getting up twice per night which is really good for someone my age, but my mommy really wants me to only get up no times...she says until I sleep through the night her days never really end.

***

P.S. Since I wrote this a few days ago a lot has happened!

1. My mommy got really, really sick. She got a referral to see a specialist about her sinus problems because this is the 5th sinus infection (which may actually be bronchitis) she has had since she got pregnant with me.

2. I have only gotten up once per night for two nights in a row!

3. I really don't have reflux after all. My mommy's "flow" is too strong for me. She did some research and we have a new plan which is working okay for my reflux but not that okay for how hungry I am. We'll see.