burton bradford

Rain, Snow and Growth

2010-01-26T18:41:00.000-08:00

Good times were had by all....

2010-01-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

Sunny California

2010-01-13T08:42:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm heading to Cali on Thursday to spend time with Kathryne (it's her birthday week). And guess what? It's going to rain the WHOLE time!!! Even the days we're scheduled to go to the beach. So I'm bumming.
And guess what else? It is going to be sunny here in MO! I can't believe it really.
Murphy is totally against me. Thanks a lot!

Snowed in and no place to go

2010-01-08T17:36:00.001-08:00

This was just the beginning on Christmas Day.

This is what we're living with now...and it's in the single digits!

The girls and I are staying inside most of the time...I am trying to accept our new
conditions and keep up the house. I'm also looking very forward to my visit to
L.A. next week to see Kathryne and do some fun stuff. Hopefully I won't be hitting
the rainy season there!

Update: We're in our new house and learning to love it.

2009-12-19T05:23:00.000-08:00

So we're in our new house. Darcy and I did not end up getting sick..YET. We've been in our new locale about 5 1/2 weeks I think. I am very lucky I have a sitter who comes in M, W, F and helps me out with the girls. She's a nice girl and a college student. I'm just dreading when she gets a real job. It has been a bit of a struggle for the girls to get used to Daddy going to work every day. They ask where he is all the time. It definitely puts more of a burden on me. But, with my sitter Kayla, I do have some free time to go shopping and to tea and meet up with people. My mom was here for a few weeks too...which I won't go into, but it was rather stressful.
Kathryne stayed in California...she's in her little apartment, college life and working at the Vietnamese restaurant seem to suit her well. She even has her own little Christmas tree!

Our house is pretty good...the wood floors and taking the wall out were very good ideas. This weekend I am hoping we will be working on the bar area, get that finished off. I also plan on doing a bit of priming on the paneling. I was gung-ho about covering it up and doing something "unique" with the paneling, and now I don't care...I think paint will do just fine. With Doug at work all the time, I am limited to what can be done...the girls love to get into everything, so I can't do much when he's not here.
I love all the space, it's very pleasant and liveable. The kitchen is okay, but not great. Not much counter space at all...things are rather awkward for baking etc. The cooktop is horrible. I hate electric, as I burn everything. I have read it is safer for people with allergies though. Hmmmm.
We also decided to put our bedroom in the front of the house where the living room used to be, it's a much more pleasant and airy space than our old room. Holland has the "master" bedroom, but this will double as a guest room as it has a small bathroom. (Will have to be gutted at some point - no bath, just a teeny walk in shower). Or if Kathryne decided to go to school out here she can have that room. It has a giant closet too...
One day we will have to address the lack of closet in our new master bedroom...we have our clothes in other closets. But it would be nice to have everything together.
The other thing that is nice is having an office/study area. I would love that to be done soon. I want to put a countertop along one wall for my projects, sewing etc. Underneath will be storage and I'll put a curtain across there to hide the clutter. Then have a book shelf (or other cute cabinet) to display stuff and put my decor/craft books on. Doug will have the other wall for the desk we found and he can put his computer there and the printer etc. He'll be at work most of the time, so it will really be a fun space for me. It smells like old cigars in there right now. Ugh.
The family room is great, we put the leather couches in there and the huge mahogany coffee table. We splurged and got a 40 inch flatscreen which we'll eventually hang over the fireplace. We will put book shelves along the back wall at some point and build a bar area and eating area along the kitchen wall. Right now that space has no purpose. Having a bar space for Doug to mix drinks and display his barware will be nice. The eating bar part will be great for the girls as they get older, they can eat breakfast there or do homework. I'll have to get some cute barstools of course. I'm also keeping my eye open for an office chair for Doug. And new dining chairs. Mine are falling apart.
The weather here is very changeable. I forgot how cold 20 degrees feels. I will have to find a good coat soon. I have only been going out on sunny days and wearing a hoodie. Holland also needs a coat, as she has sprouted. Darcy can wear all Holland's old ones.
I don't like not having a front garden. It's basically an oak tree with a patch of acorned grass underneath. There is gravel all around the base of the house...which eliminates weeding, ha ha. I miss my cabbage roses terribly. I knew I would. I also miss my potato vines. They wouldn't survive here I'm sure. I do have some bulbs that need to go in asap. I got them from a cute store down the road. (There are some super cute stores around here btw.)
Well, that's all for now. Time for more coffee.

Photos taken at our El Sol house...

2009-11-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

Empty House Syndrome

2009-11-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe our little life here is dismantled...gone in a puff...in a frenzy of activity...and then nothing. You can really see how fleeting is life. Staying here after everything is gone is also a way of prolonging the mourning...I'm really going to miss it here...this is where I brought my babies home from the hospital, where they all took their first steps (including Kathryne). So this is as close as I've ever come to having a "family" home. Nothing special by far, yet a place I will never forget, the bad memories will fade, but the good ones will remain. All the photos and events that have taken place here...we won't be able to forget.

2009-11-09T08:28:00.001-08:00

So, we're going through it here at the old Burton-Bradford former household. I've had one six hour stretch of sleep since Doug left for MO on October 23rd. Each night I pray that we will all sleep - but that prayer has yet to be answered. Darcy does the best at sleeping, she only wakes up every few nights. Holland on the other hand wakes up several times a night, her eczema rash has spread terribly and it's keeping her awake. Then two nights ago her sniffles turned hardcore and she had a fever. Last night it was up to 103. The heat coming off of her made her rash flare up and it was non-stop for about four hours. I feel so bad for her. And I'm petrified I'm going to catch something horrible. Holland got it from Kathryne, who has been in bed since last Wednesday night. I'm also very frightened Darcy will get it and I'm afraid of her getting a fever, especially after last April when she had the seizures and went to ER (which we're still paying for).
Here I am, I expected this week to be super fun and amazing and it's going to be crap. I was going to take the girls to the park and Descanso and go see people to say goodbye. Now we'll be trapped here in the empty house with no comforts.
I'm bumming. I'm more than bumming. If Darcy gets sick this week (I'm expecting it within the next 2-3 days) then we won't be flying out on Sunday. Another delay!
I guess I'm just disappointed that I won't get to enjoy my final days in the area. The weather has finally gotten beautiful, it's cooler and kinder.

My throat is getting itchy and my eyes hurt...does that mean anything?

MOVING ON UP

2009-11-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

This one is so cute!

Kathryne vying for title of donut-on-a-string eater!

Me as Julia Child, Kathryne as Lemon Meringue, Holland as Tinker Bell,
and Darcy as the cutest little punkin.

This is pretty funny, there's a "finger" dangling from Ian's hand,

right by Darcy's head...

Darcy's Second Birthday

2009-10-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

Happiest 2nd Birthday to my little sweatpea Darcy Rose! I love you so much, you and your sisters bring so much joy (and work) into my life!

2009-10-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of our new house!

2009-09-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

S. Belview, Springfield, MO

WE'RE MOVING AND WE'VE GOT A NEW BANNER!

2009-08-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

OKAY, I'M TYPING IN CAPS. YES, WE'RE MOVING BACK TO SPRINGFIELD, MO. NO, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
DOUG HAS TO BE THERE BY NOVEMBER 1ST. DON'T KNOW IF WE'LL BE THERE (I MEAN ME AND THE TWO LITTLE GIRLS. KATHRYNE IS STAYING ON IN CALI FOR A LITTLE LONGER...).
IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW OUR HOUSE SEARCH AND MOVING TRAVAILS YOU CAN FOLLOW MY BLOG AT DIFFERENTDOG.COM

We will, of course, update you with our new info as soon as we get it. It's definitely going to take some getting used to, but I think we'll have lots of projects to keep us busy. And that will be a whole other story!

Summertime

2009-07-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

Prettier color I never did see...

A pretty little sunshine sign

View from the front porch on a cool morning...

Darcy loves the water too

Resting after a long afternoon picnicking

First squash of the summer!

Doug and Holland in our new pool

Holland at her favorite place, the beach!

At Descanso Gardens...enjoying nature

Darcy isn't quite used to boys yet

Summer finally arrived a little after July 4th this year. We'd been enjoying a lovely balmy June and spending tons of time outside. It was so wonderful! Now it's gotten too hot to hang out outside, except in the early morning and late evening. I hung up some curtains out there to block the glaring sun, and I think it's helping keep the temps down!
We also splurged and got one of those Intex pools with the inflatable ring around the top, soft sided with a pump. That has been really fun. Holland is in there for several hours every day. She's also taking swimming lessons and doing really well at it! She might be swimming by the end of the summer!
Kathryne is hoping for a job...not really looking very hard, but it would be nice if one fell in her lap!
Darcy is just being 22 months old...wandering around and learning. She's such a sweet little thing, except for when she wants her bottle. She yells "bottle"! over and over.
Doug is working hard and I'm hanging on for dear life. There are a few sticks in the fire...and I'll let you know what is happening as soon as I know.
Have a great summer!

Let's enjoy some Grace Slick today.

2009-07-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Holland’s First Field Trip

2009-07-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

A big day for Holland, as her preschool class went on a field trip to the California Science Center. We got the dates mixed up and didn’t realize the field trip was today. When I took Holland to school at 9:30am, the kids were lining up to get on the bus. They got back about 4:30pm, so it was a long day for our 4-year-old.

She was fine, though. Came home and played until dinner time, then played more. She finally settled down to watch Jack’s Big Music Show and went to bed.

Here’s part of our conversation on the way home from school:

Daddy: “What else did you see at the museum?”
Holland: “We saw three airplanes and one rocket!”
Daddy: “Cool! Was it a big rocket?”
Holland: “It wasn’t too big. It didn’t break the sky.”

Our Girls

2009-07-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

test

2009-05-21T09:46:00.001-07:00

Okay, I feel terrible that we haven't been keeping our blog updated. But, I've been busy on my blog, differentdog.com, and it is keeping me busy. You can go there to get more updates.

Here are some recent photos of the girls and us. Thanks for checking in with us!

Any Updates?

2009-02-20T10:38:00.000-08:00

Ha! That's a silly question! Of course, there are updates to this blog. Doug has not been blogging as you can tell, although he is Twittering sometimes, and I have my own personal blog here if you'd like to get updates more often.

We're surviving here in California. It's not easy. The summer's were killing us, but we got central air last summer and that was a godsend. It was 100 degrees in May! So, luckily for Holland's birthday we were able to huddle inside in the cool air. We'd planned a pool party picnic...but it was horrid.

I did some babysitting, just finished that actually. It was some lovely pocket money. I'm now working for my friend Diana who sells Silpada jewelry.

Oh, Darcy started walking at 11 months. She would've been earlier but got really sick for a few weeks and it seemed to delay her. She's now 16 months and very busy and learning to say new words every day. Yesterday she said "Baby", and the day before was "bye".

Kathryne tested out of high school last June after homeschooling for two years. She started classes at our local community college. She's hoping to transfer in the fall to a four year and graduate by the time she's 20! We had a huge birthday party for her 18th. She's driving. She traveled a lot last year. It seems to be her "thing".
Doug's still working freelance. We're scraping by!

Oh, Joey went to live with some friends from church. I just couldn't take him anymore. So he's the king of their house now. Kirby is good, but mostly is outside and sleeps in the laundry room.

We've been slowly working on the house. There's not much more to do really. Just finish stuff. I've been waiting for the kitchen to be done for three years! Ha ha. My patience is wearing a bit thin. Maybe we won't have to do that anymore if we move...

The girls and I have been having some allergy problems. Sick a lot. I've stopped eating a lot of sugar and just a little wheat. I also did a colon cleanse for two weeks, which I have to go back on. I lost a few pounds somehow, as I can wear the cute pants I bought right before I got pregus with Darcy. Who'd've thought!

Can't think of anything relevant right now. The sun is shining and pretty today, we've had a few weeks of rain.

Thanks for reading. Keep in touch!

BTW

2008-06-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Holland potty trained herself about two months ago. Check out the pics at my Facebook page. It's pretty funny.

We're still here - Quick Update

2008-06-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

It may not seem like it, but we are still alive and kicking (just barely) here in sunny California. It goes from boiling hot, to cloudy and cool in a few hours here. We are continually getting a skunk parade through our back yard (peeeeuuuuuu!). We found a new home for Joey last week, he's the new prince at the Latshaw's. Holland is three years old now. No it hasn't gotten any easier. Thanks for asking. Darcy is getting dedicated this weekend at our church. She's almost 8 months old, she's sitting up, eating some solids, cute as a button, waiting for that first tooth to pop through and make her a bit happier. Kathryne had her last final yesterday, is riding her bike and swimming at the Rose Bowl w/ pal Soraya. She's also getting a bit of a social life. Yay! Possibly a job too, Yay! (see my blog for more info). Doug has been getting some freelance work, so we won't end up out on the street. Sarah is hanging on as best she can to stay sane each day, taking one day at a time, and praying for a few hours of sleep every night. That's it, pretty much in a nutshell.

Happy Easter Baby!

2008-03-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

2008-03-13T22:28:00.001-07:00

Sisters

2008-03-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken in December 2007

Welcome Darcy Rose

2008-03-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

Darcy was born October 22nd, and slept for seven hours the first night in the hospital.
She's been an angel from day one! Thank you, Lord!

Holland's Latest Catch Phrases

2007-10-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Some of Holland's current favorite things to say:

"No way, remember that!"
"Yes, of course, what was I thinking?"
"I'm gonna go to the Poopy Window and poop and pee."

Actually, she's only said that last one once, as far as I know. The Poopy Window is, as the name implies, where Holland goes to poop. She goes behind the curtain for privacy.

2007-09-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

So we have just a few more weeks till we get our new baby. I can't wait! And I mean that sincerely. I want this kid out asap!
I've been having intestinal issues for the past few weeks, can't sleep, can't breathe, can't relax. The heat nearly killed me. Luckily it's a high of 79 degrees tomorrow! Wowsers!
Holland is bored out of her mind now. She has nothing to do all day long. I feel so bad for her. But I can't do anything without feeling like I'm going to collapse. My doctor doesn't seem too worried. I just wanted a shot of somesort to make me feel better, but they don't have anything for pregnant women like that. So rude!
I also caught Doug's cold a few days ago. So I am doomed! Doug is down for the count right now (he had a little operation), and probably won't be feeling better till tomorrow at the soonest.
My mom got in to town, and then has left again for Washington, will hopefully be back by the end of the week. We need help here. We're all sick and bored! It really makes you realize that one doesn't have any friends to help out. It's also depressing.
I've decided I'd like to move somewhere nicer than here. It's so awful here. There's no room, and the quality of life it just sad.
Well that's my diatribe for the moment. If anyone reads this please pray for us to have our baby very soon. I can't take the pressure much longer!

Today is Doug's birthday

2007-08-15T11:18:00.001-07:00

Today is Doug's Birthday! Wow. I remembered for the longest time, and then this morning I forgot! Very silly.
He's 42! He doesn't like to talk about it. But I just wanted to mention it.
Thank you to everyone who called to wish him a great day.

I know, I know

2007-05-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

We haven't written anything in months, I'm so sorry. But things have been quite busy.
We're having another baby! How's that for getting busy eh? We found out today it'll be a girl, and we're very happy!
She's due October 19th. I've been feeling better the past few weeks, just tired now. I'm sure we'll talk more about this later.

Doug and I went on a short cruise to Mexico and Catalina Island for my birthday in March. Fun, but crazy. It was a Carnival Fun Cruise. You know what I mean? Lots of drunk and gross college students on spring break. Naomi kept Holland, and she slept through the night! She doesn't sleep for us, of course.

Holland turned two years old on May 10th. We had a little party with a few friends. It was very sweet. Although the "ducky" theme I was working on didn't work out at all.

Holland is growing and talking and learning in leaps and bounds. Her hair is longer too. She is now taking her diaper off when it gets wet. Hopefully she'll want to go in the potty soon.

Kathryne is doing great, although not sure what we're going to do for school next fall. It's a tough battle. She is working diligently on finishing most of her homeschool classes. She's going to VR at church and loving it. Not much of a social life though, poor thing. Next thing we want to work on is her driver's license.

I went to the CA women's retreat last weekend, it was great. Looking forward to next year already.

Doug is working a lot, and work and at home. He's great with Holland and looking forward to another little girl to love. hee hee.

So that's a quick update. Hope all are well that read this. We miss you!

Kitchen remodel update

2007-01-23T13:02:00.001-08:00

Well, as of today our kitchen is not complete, but still workable. Because we're doing it ourselves, we don't always feel like working every weekend on it. So we've been on a "break" for about four months. You know, we had the holidays and K's birthday to contend with, I am hoping we will soon get back into the thick of it.
What we've accomplished so far: installed the new cabinets (after putting them together), ripped out old moldings/trim, ripped out old vinyl floor (two layers), installed new 100+ pound farmstyle kitchen sink from Ikea (a bargain at $199), used some inexpensive desk tops for counters (we can't afford what we really want), installed new stove hood, and I started tiling the backsplash, but not grouted it yet. The sink took us all day to install and then the garbage disposal flange was too small, so Doug had to grind away a little bit of the porcelain and I was worried the entire sink would be ruined. We then installed the rubbed bronze faucet and hardware to cabinets. The handles are super cute and I got them at Target!!!! Much less was spent on that than was anticipated. We also put in the laminate floor a few months ago to match the rest of the house. It hasn't been easy because the kitchen has no standard measurements to speak of, so there are lots of gaps that need to be filled in, Doug is going to build some shelving also (don't know when). It is functional, so we have slowed way down on everything. I really want to get the toe kicks done so it is a bit cleaner, and the trim around the window, so it looks pretty.
I am going to do some more tiling this weekend, for sure!
Since we did all that, Doug and Mark built a laundry room off the kitchen for me. It is not complete either, but it does have a roof, a backdoor and two windows. Just no walls! Ha ha. It's a nice size, about 10ft by 10ft. When it's finished it will be a great place to put dirty laundry, recycling, hang jackets and store dirty shoes, and smelly dogs. By the way, Joey wants a new daddy!

2007-01-23T13:02:00.000-08:00

Louisiana Texas Photos

2006-06-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple shots of our trip: Tina & Sydney with Me and Holland, (Great) Grandma with Holland, and Holland making Sydney the Grand Poobah.

Traveling with the babe

2006-05-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Holland and I will be taking a trip on June 2nd to visit my grandma and aunt and cousins who live near Baton Rough, Louisiana. It's very exciting, but also a bit scary. Traveling with little ones isn't easy and you know I'm already near losing my mind with no sleep and all the tantrums and screaming. So...this will be an "adventure". After a week we'll be driving to Austin, Texas to stay with my cousin Tina Belle. She has a little baby too, named Sydney Belle. So cute! Sadly I will be gone for two weeks, away from my darling girl Kathryne and hubby Doug. Hopefully they will catch up on sleep and chores and get to do fun stuff without the tot around to make things crazy. Kathryne doesn't like that I will miss the last weeks of school, but I think she can handle it. Her second "mommy" Naomi will take care of her!!!!
I will post some pics of the trip at some point, and also a pic of Tina and I when we were little. We look the same as we did then. Glad to see some of us never change.
I also wanted to send congrats etc. to Doug and Nicole on their wedding day! Good luck and have fun on the honeymoon. Hope we get to see them soon.

Madness I say!

2006-05-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

You all are not going to believe it! After all my years of scheming and dreaming about putting in a new kitchen at our home on El Sol, it's finally happening! My dad and I went to Ikea in Burbank on Sunday and I thought we were just pricing/looking. He said "Get what you need." I almost had a heart attack, because I wasn't prepared. So this week Doug and I are putting together all the cabinets and drawers. We so lucky it's a three day weekend coming up, so we can spend a lot of time getting it done! yeah!
So, now I need to find a countertop product and a backsplash (the walls are kind of icky). My dreams seem to be growing, because all I can think of now is knocking down part of the wall between the kitchen and dining room, and install a nice big island in the middle, and banquette seating (built-in) and French doors and....
Wake up! Focus on the kitchen girl! I know...I'm losing my mind. This house could be really sweet one day, and I can see it's potential, so that's why I'm freaking out.
Poor Dougy. He'll bare the brunt of it, but he's used to it. Right honey?
Please wish us luck as we rip out the old and install the new. I'll post some pics of before, during and after so you can see how amazing it is. Yay to my Dad for being a trooper too. Love you!!!!

Ode to Mom on Mother's Day

2006-05-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Moms are wonderful. Moms are difficult. Moms worry. Moms make you worry. There's nothing like a mother's love. There's no love harder to extricate from. That favorite dinner mom made when I was ten cannot ever be beat. She made me eat my brussel sprouts, or mushrooms, or eggplant. Mom or mother is one of the sweetest words you can ever hear a child say. Except when it's included in a whine or I hate you kind of voice. Being a mom is a pretty thankless job, considering you don't get paid. Being a mom is priceless and beyond compare. Moms don't sleep much, even when their kids are grown. Thanks for taking care of us when we're sick Mom, and loving us when we are unloveable. Thank you for the tender kisses, and the helping hand that we didn't know was there propping us up. You are special in every way.
Moms make the world a better place everyday and we love you for it.
We love you Mom!

Having a bad hair day?

2006-05-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

Hair! It's one of those pesky subjects that we all have our opinions about. Some men have it, some don't! Some of us gals have great hair, some don't! Dr. Laura said that if you don't like bald men don't focus on the bald part of the guy. That makes sense. I on the otherhand have had problems focusing on other parts of myself when I don't have good hair. I mean, come on, have you not seen What Not To Wear (TLC) and they do this amazing transformation with just hair. It does make a difference how you feel and how people perceive you.
I just had my hair cut the other night, and colored too, a neat color called Brandy. And it made me feel better, even thinner! So I am posting before and after pictures to see what the world says about it. The hair is unstyled in both photos, but look at the difference in my face. It's freaky.

Oh, as you know, Holland is now a toddler. She's graduated to the next level, and boy is she tearing up the world around her. Nothing is any good, toys are boring, she only wants to be out seeing and learning new things. Being at home is just wrong! And there's no one to play with at home. She throws toys out of her toy boxes, throws cereal on the floor, opens cupboards, eats things that I'd rather not think about, and much more. The horror! She squirms and wriggles and writhes, even when nursing herself to sleep. I feel so inadequate to handle her after the angelic Kathryne. I wasn't prepared for the fact that I might have to call Nanny 911. Ha!
Well, at least I'll have pretty good hair.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2006-05-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Holland is one year old today. I decided it would be a good time to repost her birth story, since it was on the old site and not on the blog.

Holland was born Tuesday, May 10, and 11:09 am. She weighed 8lbs 10.5oz and was 21.5 inches long. Here she is in the hospital nursery, just after her first bath. She was less than two hours old.

Labor and Birth

Sarah went into labor around 2:30 Tuesday morning, May 10. She got up and had some tea and toast, waiting a bit to make sure she wasn’t experiencing false labor. At 3:30, she whispered, "Hey" to me. I mumbled, "What’s up?" Sarah said, "Contractions."

I attempted to spring into action, scurrying about like an expectant father on a sitcom. Sarah sat calmly on the couch and prompted me to please sit down. After putting on some coffee, I started timing the contractions. By 5:00, they were consistently 40 seconds long and 3:00 minutes apart. I called the doctor, who told us to go to the hospital. I woke Kathryne up and called Dave (Sarah’s dad). We were happy that something was finally happening; it had seemed like the baby was never going to come.

We got to the hospital at 6:00am and settled into our LDR (Labor and Delivery Room). Verdugo Hills Hospital has a comfortable maternity ward and really friendly people. They treated us well during our stay. Sarah was just under 3cm dilated. I put on a Sade CD and we started breathing through the contractions. I was feeding Sarah crushed ice at the end of each contraction and grabbing minute-long naps until the next one started.

The anesthesiologist came in to administer an epidural. Sarah was really looking forward to bypassing a lot of labor pain, and I was all for it as well. Why suffer if you don’t have to? The insertion of the catheter into her spine was, itself, a painful and uncomfortable procedure for Sarah. The worst part is that it didn’t work. Her right leg became numb, but that didn’t help ease the pain of the contractions. A different anesthesiologist came in around 10:00, pulled out the catheter, and poked a new hole in Sarah’s spine. This one also failed.

It isn’t easy to watch your loved one in so much pain. The contractions were now stronger, longer, and more frequent. Sarah was having a tough time. I used a technique from Lamaze class to get her through it. Sarah was doing the hee-hee-hee-hoo breathing method. I would hold up two, three, or four fingers to tell her how many "hees" to do. That gave her something to focus on other than the pain. When she started to cry or panic, I kept her focused on me. Somehow we made it through.

By 11:00, the contractions were coming right on top of each other. They were extremely intense, and Sarah felt a strong urge to push. She had only been at 4cm the last time the nurse checked, so I told her not to push and called the nurse. The nurse came in, checked her, and said, "Start pushing." Sarah had become fully dilated (10cm) in a surprisingly short time.

Now, if you’ve never had a front-row seat to a baby delivery, let me just say that it’s the most amazing and disgusting thing I’ve ever witnessed. I’ll spare you the detailed description of the things my wife’s body did. Even as Holland was emerging, I could not believe she was fitting through there. I was holding Sarah’s left foot, as the center of my universe was just inches away.

The top of the baby’s head became visible, and it was covered with dark brown hair. Sarah was pushing hard, but the baby didn’t seem to be moving forward quickly enough. To make matters worse, the baby’s heartrate dropped during each push, so we really needed to get her out. The doctor attempted to use a suction device, but it popped right off Holland’s head (probably because of all the hair). Another push and the doctor was able to pull her head out. Holland pushed her face out and turned it straight toward mine. I was ecstatic! "I see her face! There she is!" What I didn’t say out loud was that she looked like Edward G. Robinson.

Now the baby’s head and a shoulder were out. The doctor sucked all the goo out of her mouth and nose. She and the nurse untangled the cord, which was wrapped twice — loosely — around Holland’s neck and started pulling on her head. Babies can take a lot more physical stress than I realized. Dr. Parks was pulling hard on my daughter’s head and exclaiming, "She’s just too fat!" And then ... sphlorrt! She was out. They held her up, flopped her down on Sarah’s belly, cut the cord, then whisked her over to the little wrangling table so they could work her over. Holland was crying and kicking. Sarah and I were crying and kissing and laughing and praying. The doctor delivered the placenta, and Sarah sighed, "Ah, that feels better!" Doc stitched her up, congratulated everyone, and left.

Post Partum

Once things had calmed down, I got to hold my beautiful little baby girl. She no longer resembled any film stars from the forties. She was spectacular. I wasn’t prepared for how much I was going to love her. We called Kathryne and told her she had a little sister. She had been waiting at our friend Naomi’s house. Minutes later, Naomi, her daughter Soraya, and Kat showed up with Starbucks coffee and the greatest chicken club sandwich I ever met. After a day of recovery, Sarah and Holland came home.

You are so beautiful...

2006-05-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know we haven't forgotten Kathryne! She is still alive! This picture is of her and her dear friend Darlene on our way to Easter services. Pretty!

Doppelganger or Clone?

2006-05-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

As a mom you love to hear that your kids look like you. It makes you feel good! But when I look at Holland and Kathryne I think they are so uber beautiful, that I can't imagine that they look like me. They are an improved version of me maybe. But when I saw this picture of me when I was about a year old, I was convinced that Holland looks like me quite a bit. Kathryne looks like me sometimes, a much thinner version of me! Yeah! Let me know what you think??

Holland's Day

2006-05-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Well, Holland's first year has almost passed us. We had a party for her yesterday, and she really enjoyed herself. After the first few tentative looks around at the "crowd", she decided to grin from ear to ear most of the afternoon. She snarfed her cake (pumpkin muffins), ripped open presents and played in her new sandbox. Thank you to everyone who shared the day with us.

It hasn't been an easy year by any means. And yes, I would change a few things if I could. But overall it's been positive. Holland is healthy, intelligent, spunky, vocal, happy, and lots of fun. We won't talk about all the sleepless nights, breastfeeding pains, all the messy diapers and sticky hands. She is so much fun, a great companion to take around town and share the day with. I love taking her to Trader Joe's or Ralph's; she gets so many comments about her pretty eyes or lovely hair. I think she's going to be a tomboy though, she just doesn't seem very frilly yet. I wouldn't mind her being more delicate, she loves to slap things and hit drums and tables, she's very scratchy. Almost like a little lion cub. She doesn't know her own strength.

Predictions for the year: she's already walking, so I see running and jumping coming soon. She can follow directions already, so I look forward to having her help me pick up toys soon. Hopefully we will expand her menu, get her to eat more new foods, possibly nurse a little less (give me a break...), learn to hold her own sippy cup without spilling all the liquid and playing in it, and finish teething.

I'm going to post a photo of me when I was about her age and you guys can compare us. It's almost eerie how we look alike.

I love you my baby Holland, keep growing strong and healthy. I can't wait to hear what you have to say about us all!

Love, MOM

Easter Baby

2006-04-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Doug McCauley is Getting Married

2006-04-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

Email From Doug M.:

Dear Friends, I'm happy to annouce that Dr. Nicole Hubbell and I are engaged to be married! The date is May 27th 2006. It will be a small (family only) wedding, and then we'll be having a large reception Aug. 12th in Springfield after we return from our honeymoon. I'll have more details soon. Doug M.

Congratulations, Doug! We wish him and Nicole the best. I haven't gotten to talk to Doug for a while, so I didn't quite see this coming. Of course, that's what everyone said about Sarah and me, too! I also have not met the bride, but Sarah has and approves.

Cheers!

Ted Kilgore's Manhattan Perfecto

2006-04-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

If you're a regular reader of Malt Advocate (and who isn't!), you will see our friend Ted's Manhattan Perfecto recipe featured on page 22 of the 1st Quarter, 2006, issue. This cocktail (which I have not had the chance to try yet, but I'm gonna) is Ted's variation on the Perfect Manhattan. “What's that?” I hear you saying. I'll let the article's author, Gary Regan, explain:

See, the word perfect takes on a different meaning when you're talking cocktails. It refers directly to the vermouth in the recipe, and has no bearing whatsoever on how wonderful the drink happens to be.

This phenomenon rears its head most notably in the Rob Roy and the Manhattan. Order the drinks with no descriptors, and a good bartender will make them with sweet vermouth. Order a Dry Rob Roy, or a Dry Manhattan, and the bartender should reach for the bottle of dry vermouth, instead. And if you call for a Perfect Rob Roy or Perfect Manhattan, equal amounts of both vermouths should be employed in the drink.

The whisky in a Rob Roy is Scotch, by the way. A Manhattan contains rye whiskey, although the rye often gets substituted with Bourbon or even Canadian whisky (hmph). Note the different spellings: American and Irish — whiskey; Scotch and Canadian — whisky.

Ted's variation on the Perfect Manhattan adds Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur. I've never had this, but Regan calls it “dry, nutty, and peppery.” Sounds good! The recipe calls for rinsing the glass with the liqueur:

Take the glass in which you're going to serve the Manhattan Perfecto (hopefully it's chilled) add the half-ounce of maraschino, then tilt the glass so the liqueur coats it from lip to stem, and rotate it slowly until the entire interior is coated with the maraschino. Now discard the excess liqueur, give the contents of the mixing glass a quick extra stir, and strain the drink into the glass.

Here's the full recipe in all its glory:

The Manhattan Perfecto
2 ounces straight rye whiskey (Ted recommends Michter's, Van Winkle 13 year old, or Old Overholt. Gary Regan suggests Sazerac Rye.)
3/4 ounce Dry Vermouth
3/4 ounce Sweet Vermouth
4 dashes Angostura bitters
1/2 ounce Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, to rinse the glass
1 lemon twist, as garnish
1 maraschino cherry, as garnish
Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full of ice and add the whiskey, both vermouths, and the bitters. Stir for approximately 20 seconds, pause to rinse a chilled cocktail glass with the maraschino (see above), then strain the drink into the rinsed glass. Add the garnishes.

Mmm, I'm parched.

Four Point Oh!

2006-04-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

Kathryne’s third quarter grades came — straight A’s! GPA: 4.0. You rock, girl! It also looks like she might have a change of venue for school next year. More later.

Walking Talking Sleeping

2006-04-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

It is an exhilarating experience to see Holland developing and advancing. She began taking her first tentative steps a few days ago, at around 10 months, and now she is teetering her way around the house. I was a bundle of nerves at first, gasping and trying to catch the baby every time she fell. I still get pretty tense at times, but I am getting better. Although she still falls down, she is much better at catching herself, instead of falling head first toward the edge of the coffee table. The more steady Holland becomes, the less nervous I am.

We're having fun watching Holland get smarter, more playful, and more interactive. She imitates me when I clap or pat my knees. She puts toys together in ways that I show her. And she knows what certain things are, like "book". She says a few words, like "dog" and "hello". She has several teeth. She gives kisses and hugs. Amazing.

None of this sounds particularly impressive to anyone else, of course; it's all just normal baby development. When it's your child, though, it makes your heart soar when they learn something new. Sarah and I marvel at how God miraculously created us to learn and grow and love.

And now, for the big news: Holland is sleeping at night! She hasn't quite gone eight hours yet, but she has had several six to seven hour nights. Even when she does wake up, she doesn't demand to nurse. She normally goes right back to sleep in a couple of minutes with minimal rocking. That alone makes life much easier for Sarah. Whew.

Angel of Mommy’s Heart

2006-01-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

As some of you might have noticed, I haven’t written much. I just haven’t had a moment to spare, and if I do it is spent trying to catch a few zzzzz’s, or cleaning the house etc. It’s very sad. Right now Holland is watching tv (don’t tell anyone), and I am nursing my cup of coffee. Holland was doing a bit better before she got sick, as far as sleeping, but now she’s having extremely restless nights, waking up every hour, calling out while she’s sleeping, kicking and moving her head all around. It’s terrible! But I'm trying to be nice, and it’s hard to do!

It’s Kathryne’s birthday today, and I’m in shock to say the least. I remember when she was little and so angelic. She had wispy pale blond hair that curled around her little face. Ohhhh, what a sweety! I don't know how it happened but she had grown into a beautiful young woman, gracious and kind, quick with a smile and a hug, and industrious too. She’s been getting her homework done early! Yay!

I believe Kathryne to be my angel, I believe she saved my life when she was born, changed it for the better, so I wasn’t drifting around in this life, but anchored to her and her needs and her love. I’m so proud of her now, as I’ve always been. But now I’m doubly so. What a wonderful person to have in all of our lives! Thank you my darling girl, I hope we will always be this close, and that you continue on the glorious path you’ve chosen. I love you!

O Kathryne! My Kathryne!

2006-01-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

It’s Kathryne’s 15th birthday today! From the birthday girl’s perspective, 15 isn’t one of the milestone teen ages, like 13, 16, and 18. Kathryne shrugs and says, “I don’t feel any different.” To Sarah and me, it seems more significant, probably because it is a decade-and-a-half.

When you’re 40 (me, not Sarah), fifteen years is not long, yet the year Kathryne was born was another lifetime. I didn’t come into Kathryne’s life until about four years ago, but she has changed my life dramatically. If you know Kathryne, you know that she is kind, warm-hearted, hilarious, loyal, beautiful, and faithful. She inspires me, and I am a better person because of her presence in my life. My prayer is that someday she will be able to say the same thing about me.

Happy birthday, Sweetheart!

What I did on my Christmas vacation

2005-12-29T15:49:00.000-08:00

I’m taking the week off, and Sarah has got me helping her with some gardening projects. Now, gardening is not something to which I am naturally drawn. It really would never occur to me to go outside and dig holes in the ground. Standing around holding a watering hose is excrutiatingly dull to me. I’m fond of saying that the only thing more boring than watching grass grow is making it grow.

A few weeks ago, however, I had an experience that prompted me to take more of an interest in this hobby of Sarah’s. Sarah had asked me cut down a small tree that was growing next to the house. I misunderstood which thing she meant, and I cut down her favorite plant instead. It was a plant that had sentimental value to her. My cutting it down hurt Sarah.

I realized that I should have known that the plant was special to her, but I never took an interest in the outdoor (or indoor for that matter) foliage. It’s not that I don’t care how the yard looks — I do appreciate the beauty of it all and how hard Sarah works on it. I just didn’t want to do any of it myself, and I only half-listened when she talked about it.

So when Sarah asked me to help her with a few outdoor projects this week, I quickly agreed. Gardening is important to Sarah, so I want to participate. I laid some paving stones in front of the gate, dug out the flower bed in front of the deck, pulled weeds out of the rock garden, and transplanted two or three plants.

Once I got into it, it was actually quite enjoyable. Not because digging holes was great fun, but because Sarah and I spent time together being active, collaborating, talking, and laughing. And that was great fun.

Christmas 2005

2005-12-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Christmas, even though most of us didn’t feel well leading up to it. Holland is still recovering, coughing and sniffling, but at least she is happy now. She got some new toys and clothes, as did Kathryne.

On Christmas Day, we were planning to go to Laguna Beach. Unfortunately, it was too cool and overcast, especially with Holland not being completely well. So instead we went to see Narnia. I won’t attempt to write a review, except to say that we all loved it and thought it was great.

Our friends the Merthes came over for Boxing Day, and we had a great time with them, as always. We ate lamb and bread pudding, drank Sea Breezes and wine, and played iMAgiNiff. Naomi won. Fun!

All I Want for Christmas

2005-12-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

It’s been a rough month for us, healthwise. I’ve been pretty ill for the last couple of days (cold/flu/somthing), and Sarah has little sympathy, because she was much sicker for much longer. Holland has been suffering for the last few days, starting with a fever and turning now into a cough and runny nose. Being ill, I’m not allowed near the baby, so I can't help Sarah with her. That makes for long sleepless nights and difficult days for Sarah. She is holding on to her sanity by a thin thread. Kathryne has also been battling it; she missed two days of school this week and fun with her friends last weekend.

We’re all exhausted, and I still have Christmas shopping to do. The only thing we really want is for the family to be well. God bless us every one.

The Babys

2005-12-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

I listed to The Babys On The Edge LP this morning — it rocked! Thanks to Doug McCauley for turning me on to this, the best Babys album. As far as 80s music goes, this kind of crunchy guitar rock/pop is the stuff that holds up the best for me. I especially like the early Pat Benatar albums and a band you probably never heard of, Off Broadway.

I realize that there are a lot of new bands that feature buzzsaw guitars and catchy hooks. Kathryne's iTunes library is full of them. Some of it is pretty good, but I have two problems with the vast majority of what I hear these days:

Whiny, nasal, sneering singers. I can't take a guy seriously when everything he sings sounds like he's tattling on another kid.
Wall-of-mush over-multitracked guitars. A four-piece band should sound like a four-piece band, even in the studio. The guitars in some of these songs are simply a loud, constant din. Boring. The only quality they have is duration.

Getting back to the Babys, however, I did find myself wishing that singer John Waite had a bit more power in his voice. The album would have been even better with someone like Lou Gramm from Foreigner on vocals.

Good News from Home

2005-12-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

My dad learned Friday that his gastric lymphoma (stomach cancer) has not, in fact, returned. Several years ago, he endured six months of miserable chemotherapy to treat an egg-sized tumor in his stomach. We feared it had come back, as he had been feeling badly again lately. Surprisingly, my dad seemed to take the news much more in stride than my mom, who was pretty worried.

Early tests indicated something was there, but the final and best test showed only scar tissue from the previous tumor. All I can say is Praise God! I'm very thankful that he won't have to go through chemo again. Thanks also to everyone that was praying for him!

Long Week

2005-12-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

It was a long week. Sarah has been really sick with a severe cold. I had it too, but not as badly. Now Holland is sniffly and sneezy — the thing we were trying to avoid. We weren't up to going to church, so Holland's dedication will have to wait until March.

2005-12-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

Time is of the essence, and I don't have much time to write, but will try to keep up a nice timeline. Holland is almost seven months old, and I'm still in a bit of a fog. Kathryne is busy with high school and homework and her life. Neither Doug nor I are getting much sleep yet. I say yet, as I haven't lost hope that one day Holland will decide to sleep for eight hours in a row. Ha ha.
I've been able to do a few things for myself, such as jewelry making, organizing all my craft junk, and organizing our recent craft showcase (which was a great success). Haven't been able to do much reading, except a bit of Martha Stewart here and there. I'm missing my bible study on Thursdays at church too, we are on a break. I'm looking forward to January, WBS will start again, and it will be Kathryne's 15th birthday. Yay! You know how I love parties.
Although, coming up on December 10th is Holland's baby dedication at church.
Oh! Gotta go, the little one has decided to NOT sleep tonight. It's way past her usual bed time. Next time!

A New Beginning

2005-11-30T22:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, we’re blogging now. Why? A couple of reasons:

Convenience. The site had become an example of the cobbler’s children going shoeless. In this case, the web developer found little time to keep his own family’s website up to date. It takes all of five minutes to set up a Blogger account and start publishing. More things in our ultramoderntimestarved culture should be this easy.
We felt like it. We felt like blogging not because we want to be trendy; we just felt like writing about stuff. This is an easy and fun way to do that (see point number 1).

I might find the time to create a custom design template, but it is not a priority. And now that we have no excuse for not posting more often, we hope those of you that are interested will have a reason to browse our way frequently.