Thanksgiving Bedrest

I finally contracted the crazy fever, aches, cough, congestion, extravaganza that's been going around.  Both Dave and Philo were sick over the last couple weeks and I thought I had dodged the bullet.  Not so.  Thanksgiving week found me very grateful for my bed and for apple sauce, one of the few things that felt ok on my throat. 
      Thanksgiving morning we went on a hike with Philo and he loved it.  We ate and spent the evening with some friends who live across the street.  It was a lovely meal and a lovely group of people.  Unfortunately I could barely talk and when I did I sounded a little bit like a gremlin.  We made butterscotch pie, apple crumble pie, and a raspberry jello concoction to share.  When we brought all our leftovers home that night, I thought, "Wow, all we have are sweets, we are never going to finish all this!"  Au contraire, it wasn't as hard as one might think. By the end of the weekend, we had devoured it all.  Pie for breakfast, mmmmmm.
      By Saturday I was having a little bit of a melt down after having been sick all week.  I was determined to have some kind of a family outing despite the fact I hadn't slept in 5 nights and could barely breathe.  Dave and I packed up baby and headed to the Bronx Botanical Gardens for a picnic.  It turned out to be quite lovely and Philo loved getting out of the house.  Dave did get an awesome painting done over the weekend as well.  There were definitely many things to be grateful for over the weekend and some lovely moments despite my penchant for spiking fevers.

      Unfortunately I'm not very grateful for this lingering cough. Good thing Philo is being such a good baby in spite of his mom's waning enthusiasm.  It is time to be done now, ok, thank you, bye, bye...

The Westchester Young Women are Excellent

We had our Stake Young Women in Excellence Program on Saturday.  It is a night where we celebrate all the talents and accomplishments of the LDS young women, ages 12-18, in our church "Stake" which is a collection of church units (wards) from White Plains to the South Bronx.  It was a fantastic evening.  We heard two fantastic talks from young women about how the Personal Progress program helps them draw closer to Christ and prepare for temple marriage.  Victoria Boss played an amazing medley on the harp, we had another musical number by the New Rochelle ward, and Jenny Lara from the Olmstead 1st ward in the Bronx conducted like a pro.    Each ward displayed different things their young women had been working on throughout the year.  The theme of the evening was "Pointed toward the Temple." 
  

The media would so often have us believe that our youth are destined for drinking, drug use, pre-marital sex.  I just read an article today on the Washington Post Reader that the problem with American parents is that we aren't accepting enough of our teens sexuality.  It was so refreshing to be surrounded by this incredible group of teens, who are truly committed to living the Young Women Values of Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity and Virtue.  They radiate goodness and light.  They sacrifice so much to attend early morning seminary (going to a scripture study class at 6:00am) , avoid friends and parties that are not in line with their values, serve others, complete over 100 hours of goals, experiences, and projects to earn their Young Womanhood Recognition awards.  I don't think the problem is we aren't accepting enough, that we are too strict or unrealistic in our expectations.  Perhaps our problem is we are too accepting, we do not demand enough from this exceptional generation of youth.

Yes, making choices to wait to have sex till marriage, to abstain from harmful substances, to dress modestly, to be honest, these are tough decisions.  But the young women I interact with everyday consistently prove that living this way is not only possible, it is desirable!!  It brings true happiness, peace, and self-confidence.  It is indeed "Living after the manner of happiness."  This is what I want for my children, no less than a full measure of joy.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be involved with the youth.  If we set the bar high, these kids will rise to that bar. 

Just a couple of notes on baby Philo.  He has gone on a bit of a sleep strike this past week.  He suddenly hates his car seat as well.  He now realizes that when he goes to sleep or gets stuck in the back of the car, it is not nearly as fun as being the center of attention.  He had is 3 month appt and now weighs 15lbs and 13 ounces and is 25and 1/2 inches long.  Mr. 95% we like to call him.  His whole life has been a growth spurt.  He keeps trying to roll over but has so much weight to heft, he hasn't quite mastered it yet.  He does love the baby bjorn facing OUT.  He is always exploring and loves new adventures.  Well, as long as they don't involve mobs of strangers trying to hold him and squeeze him.  The sure way to get a smile is to speak to him in Spanish.  Works like a charm.  We love our little turkey!

Happy Birthday to Me

Aren't birthdays a great time to start blogging again??? My goal is to update this blog once a week. We'll see how that goes :) Philo caught his first cold and has had a little cough. His little hoarse voice is very cute, but in an effort to help him feel his best, Philo and I stayed in most of my Birthday. Dave did a great job at still making it a special day for me. He decorated our table beautifully and bought me new slippers and a new robe. He was also very sneaky and had my neighbor, Kim, put a new zipper on my very favorite fleece jacket. I've been wearing it for years with a broken, frayed zipper. Dave came home from work with a pint of ben & jerry's and we ate pizza and ice-cream and watched "Ballerina". It was a great day

And a little bit about life as a new mom...
Little Philo continues to be such a blessing in our lives. We had hoped and prayed to be parents for so long, not really knowing what the Lord had intended for us. We were so thrilled to get pregnant and have our little boy. It is funny though how sometimes, when you dream about something for so long, you think "the real thing can't possibly live up to my expectations." Having baby Philo in our home has been even more wonderful than I ever could have dreamed.
Yes, going from a dance career to being a stay-at-home Mom has been an adjustment and certainly taking care of a baby has its challenges (uh, can we say sleep deprivation) but I feel so certain that this is exactly what I need to be doing at this time and there is nothing on earth more important or more fulfilling than taking care of this sweet little guy. I also feel like I have more time to care for my awesome husband, our home, and more time to serve in the church and my community than I ever have before. I've learned so much already about being a little less selfish, managing my time, and creating a Christ-centered home. Obviously I'm still a total rookie, but every day is a new adventure.
I remember while I was pregnant so many people commenting, "Enjoy being pregnant, it is way easier having them on the inside than on the outside." I have to disagree with that one. Having him on the outside is a million times better than being pregnant. I will take cute baby and sleepless nights any day over feeling nauseated and tired for 9 months. Some days I just wake up smiling and thinking, "I'm not pregnant anymore!!".
I'm so grateful for all the wonderful mothers I'm surrounded by that are powerful examples in my life. And thanks to my own mother who sacrificed so much to help me grow.
A couple of notes about Philo. He is a mover and a shaker. He loves the baby backpack (much to his Daddy's delight) and loves to be in motion. He has turned into a great sleeper, goes down for naps happily and knows when it is night time. He is also a hungry, hungry, hippo so can't sleep for super long stretches at night without having to eat. His smiles are adorable, and we will pretty much do anything to get him laughing.
He does love a good cry as well, especially right before mommy needs to teach a lesson, during meetings, or pretty much when I'm trying to get anything done. He is not one to just lay down on a blanket and play contentedly.

I realize this was 3 posts in one, and a little jumbled, but hey, at least I did it....I promise more coherent posts in the future.