Hello all! We’ve had a good year here in the Payne household.

Juliana has grown to a staggering 20 lbs and 31.5″. What a big girl! She has started talking and says the following words regularly:
Mama, Dada, Nana, Papa, Meme (for Megan), Robby, yep, no, go, bye, hi, apple, baby, bus, bath, beep, hot, hat, bite, off, and she signs the words for more, water, all done, please, and thank you. She does the animal sounds for cow, dog, cat (kinda), sheep, lion, tiger, and monkey. She attempted something like “ama” for Grandma, and this morning she said Katie. She has loads of other words that would not be recognizable to a stranger, and many that are not recognizable to us. She is also getting more willing to repeat the words that we say. Yesterday she said “Memphis,” the name of the Herrs’ dog who is staying with us. She also sings, in tune, the alphabet song (although not all the letters are clear), and her own special bathtime song. Occasionally something will come out that really sounds like a sentence. “That’s my cousin!” (pointing at Ellis), “What is that?”, “No, I didn’t.”

Since her 2nd birthday in October when she received refrigerator magnet letters from her Nana, Juliana has been learning her letters. She loves it! She can now identify most of the letters of the alphabet, and she says about half of them. Her favorites are B, D, and E. Sadly, she hasn’t even yet attempted J, which is the official letter of our household. She also seems to have a fairly consistent grasp of all the colors. She can regularly identify them, although she doesn’t say any of their names yet.

She loves Christmas trees and lights and her latest obsession is the moon. Reading is her favorite past-time, and she still loves dogs and cats. She climbs up on her rocking horse all by herself and loves to rock it. She loves coloring and made her first craft this fall with her OT: a leaf with bits of red and orange tissue paper glued on to it. Of course it is up on our fridge. She has recently discovered sticker books and loves matching up the sticker with the pictures and then tapping it to stay down.

Her palate is still not very sophisticated. I’m afraid we stick to the following menu 99 times out of 100: mac & cheese, apples, bananas, oatmeal, cold cereal (Raisin Bran without the raisins), yogurt, grilled cheese sandwiches, grapes, frozen peas, and whole wheat Ritz crackers. She has however discovered that she loves hummus, so this gives me hope for a future of more exotic tastes. She guzzles water like it’s going out of style (I think she drinks more oz per day than I do!), and she loves orange and apple juice, although she gets these in very rare doses.

Juliana was sick for the first time on the nights of December 23-24 and 24-25, and for most of the day on Christmas. She threw up several times and was downright miserable. She was so quiet and sweet and endured her pain like a champ. Mostly she wanted to snuggle on the couch with me, which was fine!

Thanks to Monika Bliss Morris for a fantastic fall photo shoot!

We spent Thanksgiving in Michigan with the Paynes and Great-Grandma Kinyon. For Christmas, we traveled to Tennessee to visit with the Minner side of the family. We had a very happy holiday season, and we wish you all well in 2012!

Here are some Juliana-isms for you:

“Maaaaa” = I’m being gentle in petting the kitty / This feels so soft / I am deliberately NOT hitting you.

“Eeeessa doooggy!” = I love that random dog so much and it makes me so happy that I am going to squeal until you two break down and get me my own.

“Howoooo!” = I have just discovered how incredibly awesome the moon is, and I think that I will try to howl at it like a wolf.

“eee” = meow

“ahh, beee, ceee, dah” = Yes, I am singing the alphabet song.

“Mroo” = Please take me down to see the cows in the back yard before they disappear to their “happy home in the country,” because I love every animal so much, even if they don’t know I exist.

“Key-key” = I just saw Sophie run by as she was trying to escape from me, and she totally made my day!

• The small pleasure that I receive from eating meat requires the real pain of other sentient creatures.
• I don’t want to support the factory farming that supports the vast majority of meat production in this country.
• I’ve excepted fish and other seafood because I don’t think it meets the criteria of sentience and person-hood of the other most common forms of meat.
• This isn’t the final answer. As I think more about the ethical ramifications of my life, I may revise this in other directions.

I’ll be happy to answer any questions in the comments.

Hmmm . . . look familiar?

Juliana will be 2 this October. How time flies! We have had a busy summer: we went to the beach with friends, visited new baby cousin Ellis Mark Partlo and the Minner side of the family in Tennessee, visited Michigan to see friends and the Payne side of the family, went to the zoo with Nana and Papa, went to Lake Michigan, played in the wading pool and learned to run! Click on the thumbnails to see the large versions of the pictures!

For extra fun, match the captions with the photos:

1. Juliana and her own private yacht.
2. Juliana, Mommy, Daddy, and John Ball.
3. Juliana, Nana, and cousin Alex.
4. After a close taste test, Juliana decides that mint chocolate chip is her favorite.
5. Juliana pets a goat.
6. Juliana thinks that goats are just about the right size to ride.
7. Juliana, Nana, and Papa.
8. Juliana and Aunt Kelly.
9. Juliana thinks the dump truck is her own personal vehicle and Uncle Justin (favorite person of the year) and Grandma Minner are her chauffeurs.
10. Juliana finds that sheep are softer than she originally thought.
11. Juliana thinks the white hat makes her look really cute.
12. Juliana runs like the wind away from the corn. That corn is waaaay too tall.
13. Juliana can’t be bothered to look up for a photo because “this sand won’t just dig itself!”
14. And again.
15. And again.
16. And again.
17. Juliana takes a stroll through the John Ball Zoo with Daddy and Nana.
18. Juliana loves her Great-Grandma Kinyon.

Juliana’s days are spent playing with her gazillion toys, reading books, talking walks and playing with Baby Isaac Herr, destroying Mommy’s laptop keys, wishing for her own iPhone, chasing after (and sometimes catching) Sophie, crawling everywhere and getting ready to walk. She isn’t super interested in food at the moment, although she really wants to bite into an apple, and she loves flavored puff cereal. She is on the verge of saying her first words, and she has been working diligently to try to say “kitty-cat.” This will probably be her first word, as we seem to be hearing a cute little whispered “key-ca” coming from her. However, whenever Sophie runs by, Juliana is generally too excited to talk. She also says a lot of dadadadada, but we’re not yet sure if she is associating the word with Jason. She will point to the light or fan when we say the name, and her favorite thing is her mobile, specially made by Alban and Evan. She points at it as we rock in her chair or change her diaper.

At her most recent doctor visit she weighed 16 lb, 11 oz and was 28 inches long. To put this in perspective, most babies are expected to triple their birth weight by their first birthday. Juliana tripled her birth weight before she even left the hospital. She is now (at 15 1/2 months) 12 times her birth weight. She is still extremely small, but her physical therapists and neonatologists are happy with her development. She is following her developmental age really well, and she seems to be advanced in a few areas. For example, she loves to turn the pages in her books, which she has been doing for 3-4 months now and is an advanced skill.

She has been teething off and on for months, and she now has two bottom teeth and a side top tooth. There is no sign of where the next one will come in, but we are rooting for top front. Her teething also makes her rather grumpy at times. But in general, she is the sweetest, happiest baby.

We are working on sleeping through the night. She is currently waking up 2-4 times a night, but we’ve been trying some tips that might be working. Our main obstacle is that we do not want to let her cry, so the “cry it out” technique doesn’t work for us. The other techniques seem to take longer, but we are willing to wait. In the meantime, she goes to bed at 7:30 and (if we’re lucky) sleeps in until 7:30 with a few interludes.

As Jason posted on his Facebook page, this has been the best year of our lives. Every day we wake up to hear her precious little voice and clapping hands and we know that no matter what else goes on, we are blessed.

Thank you Daddy for the roses and ribbons for Eden and Zoe’s trees. It was a nice remembrance. And thank you to the Bauer family for the beautiful roses to commemorate Juliana’s milestone. Thank you all for keeping Juliana in your prayers.

The last few weeks have been packed full of activities, including: moving; a trip to Atlanta to visit Alita, Zach, Paul, Ansley, and family; the HVA Barn Party; Juliana’s birthday party; and visits with lots of friends. Here are some photos from the last few weeks, in no particular order.

She is starting to eat more solid foods, really enjoying her squash today. She is on the verge of either crawling or walking, or both. Her days are filled with reading books, playing with toys, going for walks, trying to chase the kitty, smiles, drools, and saying “ba-ba” for nothing in particular. She loves animals, playing the piano, looking at herself in the mirror, walking in the Baby Bjorn, and most of all: her mommy and daddy.

We got settled in our new house just in time to host some friends and family to celebrate her birthday on Sabbath. We will post pictures shortly.

This day will always be bittersweet for us. But the sweet grows sweeter every day that we spend with Juliana. God has given us such a gift in the blessing that is her life. We will never take that for granted. Juliana, we love you.

We also went for another NICU follow-up appointment recently. At that visit, Juliana weighed 13 lbs, 11 oz, and was nearly 25 inches long. She passed all of the developmental tests for a 7 month baby, and her physical therapists agree that she is doing very well.

She has started sitting on her own for a few minutes at a time, and her back is so strong and straight! Babies have such perfect posture! She still loves to stand, although she won’t be walking for awhile yet.

Her little laugh is so sweet. We’ll try to capture it on video soon since she has finally started actually making a laughing sound.

Also, we video chat regularly with her Nana and her aunties. Juliana has become so used to this, that when she hears the “dialing” sound on the computer, she starts laughing and lunging at the screen.

She also loves to look at herself in the mirror and look at pictures of herself and other babies. These are all normal developmental phases for a 7-10 month old and so cute!

Her separation anxiety has grown lately, and she doesn’t like me to put her down or to walk away (like to the bathroom or to get some food). So, that has made packing for our upcoming move extreeeeemly difficult, and Jason has had to bear the brunt of all the work involved in this move. He has been awesome, while Juliana and I rock in the chair and give orders. haha.

We will be posting before and after pictures of our new house fairly soon. The big move is on Sunday. Yikes! You know, we have lived in this house longer than anywhere I have lived in my entire life! We’ve lived here for 10 years, and I have lived on the HVA campus for 14 years! Almost half my life! So, even though we are moving only 3.9 miles away, it will still be a bit weird for awhile. I have loved living in the Mt. Aetna community. But, one of our new neighbors came by and introduced herself today, and she seems very friendly. I know there will be lots of good things about living in our new house, and I’m so excited to share the photos with you all!

In the meantime, here are some more photos of Juliana.

Juliana is now 10 months old and 6 1/2 months old developmentally. She weighs about 13 lbs and is 25 inches long, perhaps longer by now. She is an angel.

We have her helmet now, which will correct the asymmetry of her head. She only has to wear it for 3 months, thankfully, but she doesn’t seem to mind it too much. She wears it for 23 hours a day and then gets a break each evening for her bath.

We went to the eye doctor yesterday and he checked her eyes. He says that her retinas are looking great! (Retinal issues are prevalent with babies who have had ROP.) Her glasses prescription has not changed, at least for now, and we figured out how to keep the glasses AND helmet on simultaneously. This is a huge relief, because we did not want her to go 3 months without her glasses. She sees things so much better with them, and she is more animated and interactive with them on.

Developmentally, she keeps on trucking according to where she should be with her adjusted age of 6 1/2 months. She loves to roll all around but is not quite ready to crawl. She is just about to sit on her own, and actually loves to stand. She is very stable on her feet, but nowhere near ready to actually stand or walk.

She smiles all the time and makes a cute little laugh that doesn’t quite sound like a laugh yet. She sleeps most of the night and loves to play all day long, except for a few brief naps.

Juliana has been eating some rice cereal (didn’t impress her) and butternut squash (she kinda likes). She still isn’t sure about swallowing stuff, but seems to do okay with the squash flavor. Next up: sweet potatoes.

I have started back to school, but I am only teaching part time this year. Jason watches Juliana until I get home mid-morning, and then I spend the rest of the day with her. She goes to faculty meeting with me for now, and we take a lot of walks.

She looks like a little aviator with her helmet and glasses on together, especially when she sits in her exersaucer and she looks like she is manning a huge control panel. Her exersaucer especially inspires her to “talk” very loudly. She also loves to play the piano and listen to music.

We’re sorry that the uploading photos part of the website has become so time-intensive that we have fallen off our regular posting. We’ll try to do better! Maybe more pictures to come later today or tomorrow.

Thanks for following Juliana’s progress. She is so sweet and wonderful and we thank God every day for her precious little life. Parenthood is just absolutely wonderful, and we are loving every second.

Happy Father’s Day to Juliana’s favorite and most wonderful Daddy! Jason: you are a wonderful father in every way. Juliana is blessed to have you! (click for photos)

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A quick update for the readers: it appears that Juliana is going to have to start wearing glasses. Her check up with the pediatric ophthamologist indicated that she is extremely nearsighted. Unfortunately this will not improve as she ages, but will possibly worsen (as do most people’s eyes as they get older). Fortunately, she will be able to see clearly with her glasses, and when she gets older will be able to wear contacts. Her little (the smallest size) pink frames with prescription lenses will be arriving by FedEx sometime this week. We will post pictures when we are able.

All doctor visits have been great. Juliana is a very healthy and happy little baby. She is 7 months old, and nearly 4 months old developmentally (adjusted age). She is still not on the growth chart, but her growth is tracking according to the curve, so although she continues to be small, she is growing appropriately. She currently weighs about 11 1/2 lbs, and she grew a remarkable 2 inches in length in about 2 1/2 weeks! She is 23 1/2 inches long. She is eating well and sleeping well. Her nighttime schedule is rather interesting: she usually sleeps from about midnight to 6 am, eats, then sleeps again until 10 am. This works fine for my current summer schedule, but we will need to adjust before I start back to HVA (teaching part time) in August. Throughout the day she giggles and coos, plays with her toys, and really enjoys reading books and watching her mobile.

The physical therapists are still coming regularly, and they say that she is progressing very well. Each time they give us a skill or two as her goals, and she meets them within a day or two of their visit. Yesterday she surprised us by rolling over! (There was a small cheat involved, as the surface was not entirely flat, but she has definitely learned the skill!) She has started to drool all over everything, which indicates that her saliva glands are kicking in to gear to start some solid foods in a couple of weeks. We don’t think that she’s quite ready to teethe, but we are watching for that as well.

We are currently monitoring the asymmetry of her head, due to the enforced positioning on her left side while her right leg was broken in the NICU. It isn’t severe, and we are hoping that it will resolve itself, but there is a possibility that she may have to wear a helmet for a few months, later in the summer.

We went to Tennessee in May to celebrate my brother Caleb’s academy graduation. It was Juliana’s first road trip. She did pretty well with the experience, although I think it would be a fair assessment of her feelings to say that she thinks 10 hours in a car seat should be considered child abuse. The family enjoyed getting to spend more time with our chubby little bundle of joy.

In order to raise awareness of the tragedies of prematurity, the March of Dimes hosts walk-a-thons all over the country where individuals can raise money for this very worthy cause. My sisters and brother-in-law will be walking on May 2 in Chattanooga, Tennessee on behalf of Juliana, Zoe, and Eden, and we would love your support! If you would like to contribute to their walk and to saving premature babies, please visit their team site: Payne3. You can learn more about the March of Dimes organization, and even join an event near you at www.marchforbabies.org. We’re hoping that you will be willing to sponsor our family in this walk and donate to an organization that will help families everywhere.

Thank you, each one, for taking the time to come to our blog and post your comments in show of support. Thank you for your many prayers during our difficult time.

Also, to celebrate Juliana’s life and dedicate her to God, we are holding a special baby dedication at the Highland View Church on Sabbath, April 17 at 11 a.m. during the church service. We would be honored if you would like to attend and meet Juliana. It will be her first official outing into public, and we are so thrilled to be able to publicly dedicate her to God. Thank you all for being a part of our journey to this point!

Easter weekend was quite full. Grandpa and Grandpa Minner and Ansley accompanied Juliana and me on her first excursion to Washington DC, where we saw the cherry blossoms in full bloom, and Juliana had her first glimpse of the White House. (Well, I’m not sure she even opened her eyes.)

Our new camera has been very fun. I am learning the settings and playing around with different techniques. Stay tuned for many more fun pictures!

Also, the developmental specialists came to evaluate Juliana yesterday. She weighs 9 lb 4 oz, and she is now 21 inches long! They were very impressed with her. She is functioning right where she should be, according to her adjusted age of nearly 2 months. There are some areas where she is ahead, mainly in her social skills. She makes a lot of eye contact and follows people and voices. She has also started smiling a lot more. We look forward to some more coos and giggles in the weeks to come. Another goal for her is to increase her neck muscles and hold her head up for longer periods of time with more stability. We will be doing a lot of playtime on her tummy to help with this. We are also going to start working on rolling over. We will be helping her learn how this feels, and then hopefully she will start to do it on her own. We are very proud of her progress, as usual. She continues to be a super sweet baby who doesn’t cry very much and smiles more and more.

We’ve had a good week. Juliana enjoyed snuggling with her Grandpa and Grandma Minner, who visited last weekend. Then, the nurse who came to visit on Monday was not actually the physical therapist I expected, who will eventually evaluate Juliana’s development and put together a plan for her activities and exercises. Instead, it was just the case manager with a lot of paperwork to get us started. She was very nice, and she will be bringing the therapist back during the first week of April to do a thorough assessment of Juliana’s progress. So, stay tuned for updates in that area.

In other news, our weather has been gorgeous this week, and Juliana took her first walk! We didn’t have our stroller yet, so we just carried her around the neighborhood. She mostly slept.

Also, I have finally finished working on the nursery. My original design idea hinged on the concept of a “family tree” decal on the wall. Babies see the contrast of black and white better than colors, at least at first. So, I wanted to put up some black and white photos of her family’s faces, so that she can start to recognize people. Her grandparents, aunts, and uncles are on the family tree, and I put some more photos of Jason and me over her changing area. After much delay from orders gone awry, our tree finally arrived. Jason helped me put it up, and everything has come together. So many people have been helpful in assembling this room. My ideas have been carried out by my mom who made the beautiful curtains and crib skirt, my sister Katie who created and made a gorgeous quilt, my sister Megan and Jennifer Calhoun who spent hours helping me organize the many gifts from all of you lovely folks, and Ansley who helped me arrange photos. Mark and Jen Cook gave us their crib, which is beautiful and perfect for Juliana. A special thanks also to Sheri Tydings (and HVA) for the bookcase and for picking up our chair from the store and hauling it back to Hagerstown. Juliana is truly lucky to have so many people who care about her. She is enjoying being at home and snuggling with us in her rocking chair.

The Maryland Infants and Toddlers program developmental lady is coming tomorrow to evaluate Juliana and start her on her physical therapy course, which is a free resource in our state. We’ll see how she does!

I’m not sure if we’ve mentioned this on the blog before, but Juliana was born with a hemangioma underneath her left ear. This is a buildup of abnormal blood vessel growth that is quite common (occurring in approximately 10 percent of Caucasians) and often resolves itself. Apparently they are more common in premature babies and also in identical twins (which she is) than in other babies. Hers is between a nickel and a quarter in size. I was actually born with one in my eyelid which was surgically removed when I was 5 years old. The doctors believe that Juliana’s will go away on its own, but it has been giving us some problems recently. It is in an awkward location for the placement of her car seat strap, and it rubs on her clothes as well. As a result, it has broken open and bled a couple of times. She is currently taking antibiotics to keep it from becoming infected, and we have been referred to the pediatric dermatologist at Johns Hopkins, who is apparently the best.

Apart from this minor issue, Juliana is thriving and very happy. She likes to keep us up at night, particularly between midnight and 3 am, but she is generally a very sweet, content baby. It is wonderful to be home, and we are so blessed!

Grandpa and Grandma Minner are visiting this weekend, and they are enjoying snuggling with her as well. We hope you all are doing well. Thanks for your continued encouraging words and support.

We had a lovely weekend visiting with Megan and Katie. Juliana hit the 6 lb mark last week, and she continues to demand food regularly. She has even started growing out of her preemie-sized clothing. Amazing!

Upcoming appointments include another pediatrician visit here in Hagerstown, and then back to Baltimore for a surgical follow-up, orthopedic follow-up, and NICU follow-up. We will also be receiving home health care nurses and physical therapists regularly to make sure that Juliana is progressing as she should with her growth. So far, she is a superstar (as already noted).

We continue to be thrilled with our home experience: we love bathing her, feeding her, and snuggling with her all day long. We are blessed to be warm and cozy and together.

Juliana received her first Valentine’s Day rose (from Grandpa and Grandma Minner), and she is slowly being introduced to many new sights and smells here at home.

How can we possibly express how good it is to be home? Here are some highlights:

–holding her and cuddling with her WHENEVER we want!
–24-hour quality time
–no tubes, alarms, or other people around (although we loved our NICU nurses!)
–a lovely banner from the wonderful Class of 2012 on our garage, welcoming Juliana home
–4 feet of snow
–eating and cooking in our own kitchen
–sleeping in our own bed
–internet access

As the days go by and we get established into more of a routine, you can expect more pictures and updates. For now, we are learning how to sleep while constantly watching over her and enjoying just being together. Thanks to everyone for your many prayers and well wishes. We’ll keep you posted!

Monday

Today the Developmental Specialist came to evaluate Juliana. As an extremely premature baby, she has some challenges ahead of her because her “real” age is different than her gestational age. She should still be in the womb right now (38 weeks tomorrow), but instead, she is 3 months old. However, we can’t expect her to be doing what a full-term 3-month-old baby would be doing. So, it’s a tricky thing to analyze. Fortunately, they have specialists who can evaluate her progress and give us recommendations for how to help her progress and catch up to her gestational age by 16 months old, or earlier. The result of her evaluation? She is doing “amazingly well!”

The specialist looked at things like: eye movement and tracking with or without sound, hand, arm, foot, and leg reflexes, muscle tone, social skills (at this point that includes smiling–which she does!!), neck muscles, etc. Her leg and arm muscle tone is a bit tight, which is very common for premature babies, so the specialist gave us some massages and exercises to help her loosen up. However, with everything else she scored at 1-2 months!! This is amazing, since her gestational age is actually -2 weeks right now. Apparently she is a little superstar (but we already knew that). The specialist was very impressed with her and also credited the fact that she has had a lot of parent interaction from day one. We have already noticed that there are not many other parents in the NICU. It’s rather sad. For whatever reasons, the other parents are not able to be there, or else don’t want to be there. Juliana has benefited from our ability to spend hours, every day, with her. Her ability to smile ordinarily would not come in until 2 months after the due date, but she has had a lot of “face time” with us, so she has dramatically improved.

We are fortunate to live in a state where future physical therapy is free through the MD Infants and Toddlers program. We will be referred to our Washington County PT, and they will make house calls to continue working with her for the next 3 years, in addition to the University of MD NICU Follow-Up Program. This continued care should help ensure that she progresses well and catches up quickly to her “real” age. The specialist today said that she sees no reason to think that Juliana won’t continue doing brilliantly. The more we work with her, the more she will improve. We can do little exercises and massages with her every time we change her diaper, and we can work these in to other parts of her day as well. We are so excited to help her on her way. The specialist kept saying how impressive Juliana was. Of course I was beaming; I am so proud of her!

We are also going to begin a fun game called “The Sense of the Week.” Even though the specialist has never recommended it for a baby before the due date, she decided that Juliana is doing so well that she is ready for this exercise. Starting Monday we will get to bring in a different smelling item each day and give Juliana some exposure to the world outside the sterile NICU. Some interesting smells would be things like: perfume, marinara sauce, cinnamon, etc. We have to get approval for anything we bring in (some items might produce allergic reactions, for example, peanut butter), but the point is to have some fun introducing her to new things. Then we can move on to the sense of sound, or to visual stimulation or touch. We just aren’t allowed to work with the sense of taste. Obviously she is only allowed breastmilk. But we are looking forward to seeing her reactions to these new things! Maybe some fun pictures will result.

In other news, Nana Payne came to visit. She enjoyed holding Juliana today and watching the developmental tests. Juliana weighs 4 lb, 5.5 oz. She is slowly working back into her non-dairy milk feedings. Her hernia surgery is scheduled for early Friday afternoon. She is beautiful and sweet and the light of our lives.

It was a good day.

We met with Dr. Viscardi, one of the neonatologist attendings, to talk about plans for taking Juliana home. We went over the steps that she needs to take to come home. We will detail the steps more later, but we are very excited.

Her weight today is 1810 grams (3 lbs, 15.5 oz). So, she should hit the 4 lb mark by tomorrow, and she will likely be in her crib in the next 2 days. They didn’t want to move her directly into the crib today because she is still recovering from her eye surgery. This way, she doesn’t need to expend as many of her precious calories keeping warm.

Jason will be joining me back down here in Baltimore tonight. Juliana and I have both missed him very much. Now, Sophie has to go it alone for a few days.

Something positive: all of her medications have been discontinued except for her multi-vitamin and eye drops for 3 days following the surgery.

We didn’t try breastfeeding today because she needed to reserve all her strength for her surgery. But, we’ll try again tomorrow, twice!

Juliana continues to do well on the nasal cannula. She is still on very low settings, but she occasionally needs her oxygen turned up at the end of her bolus feeds, because when her stomach is full, it presses up on her lungs and she desats for a few minutes. As she gets used to having a full tummy, this problem will go away. Even with her oxygen turned up, she is rarely over 30%, and most of the time she stays around 23%, basically room air.

Her length is measured every Sunday, and she was 40.5 cm last night. Today’s weight was 1780 grams, basically 3 lbs, 15 oz. She has nearly reached the 1800 gram mark which indicates that her body is ready to self-regulate its temperature, and she will be moved from her isolette into a crib. She’ll probably reach that milestone by the end of this week.

She was supposed to have her follow-up eye exam this morning, but the eye doctor canceled all of his Monday appointments. So, please pray that at her Tuesday morning exam he will find good results from the surgery.

Jason is at home working this week, so I’m in Baltimore by myself (although I’ve had some wonderful visitors to keep me company. Thanks Ansley, Alita, and Zach!), and I haven’t been able to keep up with the posts as well as Jason since he can post from his phone. However, I’ll still try to keep you all updated as often as I can. I appreciate that you, dear readers, are still so interested in our precious baby girl. Every day that goes by gives me more and more hope and excitement for the day when we can finally bring her home.

She is also still doing well on her nasal cannula. Today her oxygen is hovering around 23%, which is fantastic. They have to turn her up occasionally during cares or during her eye exams, but she generally tolerates a very low level of O2. It is our hope that she won’t have to come home from the hospital with an oxygen tank, like some extremely premature babies do.

Yesterday Juliana received some packed red blood cells because her hematocrit was low. Even though her blood draws are few and far between, her little body still has a hard time producing enough blood to keep up. We hope that this will be her last transfusion; as she continues to grow, her body will be able to sustain itself better and better.

We also got an update from ortho yesterday: her leg is healing well. The splint has been off for a couple of days now, and she is moving her leg freely with no pain. We are so glad that it is doing so well. We don’t have to worry about it so much now, which is especially helpful now that we are dressing her. See photos below.

Today Juliana weighs 3 lb, 9 oz. She is growing so rapidly! Tomorrow she will begin her compressed feeds, the next step on the way to breastfeeding. She has been receiving 10 ml/hr for 11 hours at a time, but the compressed feeds will begin to simulate the “bolus” that a baby receives when they eat for 15-30 minutes. So, the goal is to make sure that her stomach can tolerate the larger amounts of milk at a time. Once that goal is accomplished, they will work on her sucking and swallowing skills. Very exciting!

She has also been doing very well with her breathing. She’s been on nasal canula for 2 days now and tolerates it very well. When we get home again we’ll try to upload some photos of her in her little outfits. So cute! Also, I think she’s been smiling at me. Probably just a muscle twitch.

The year 2009 had many ups and downs for the Payne family, and we are happy to begin anew today. Thanks so much to each of you who has been following the blog and offering your support in various ways. We are blessed.

The surgeon says it was a difficult procedure because of her small size and estimates a 50/50 chance she may need a follow-up laser procedure. He will check her eyes again on Monday. Until then she will get eye drops twice a day for five days. They took her leg splint off and she really enjoyed stretching both legs straight out. Jen is kangarooing right now for a couple of hours. They will start nasal canula trials again tomorrow. Her eyes are swollen but she is snuggling happily.

Juliana had a lovely visit with her family on Christmas Day. She was thrilled to put on her Christmas outfit (a gift from Aunt Megan) and pose for her photo shoot.

We also continue to be very excited over her stools. She had two more today without suppository help. It’s great to know that her stomach and intestines are processing everything properly.

I (Jen) got to hold Juliana for about two hours, during which time she looked around wide-eyed and then settled in for a long nap. She seemed to be very comfortable, and we both really enjoyed the snuggle time. Near the end of her nap the Howes got to come in and see her for a bit, so that was a nice end to the day.

Juliana likes to open her eyes and look around (often while waving her arms), especially during her cares when the lights are bright. Here are some photos of her awake time today and yesterday. (Hint: click on the small photos to view larger size.)

And a very special thanks to our visiting photographer Stephen Herr for the following photos:

Update: We talked with the night nurse tonight and Juliana is doing great! She had another stool at shift change which makes two in one day! She continues to be digesting all of her milk that they give her. Best of all, she is rock solid on her CPAP on room air (21% oxygen) with no desaturation or bradycardia episodes. Can’t wait to see her tomorrow!

Update: Her leg looks swollen compared to yesterday. The fellow checked it out and ruled out holding her until her leg looks better. My guess is Monday since that is when Ortho will x-ray and check her progress.

A word about names . . . (from Jen)
We have received many comments and questions about the babies’ names, and I thought I’d address the topic here.

Juliana Skye: It was our desire to choose names that are unique but not too weird. We didn’t want our children to be burdened with hard-to-spell or -pronounce names. However, we have already had some confusion with Juliana’s name. So, to clarify for everyone out there: her name is pronounced like the two names “Julie” and “Anna” put together, NOT like Juli-ahna. I guess the spelling has caused confusion as well. We chose to spell her name with one “n” instead of two. We’re also not crazy about shortening her name at this point. We are calling her Juliana with no nicknames. Her middle name, Skye, is after the Isle of Skye in northern Scotland which we visited several years ago with Paul and Alita. It’s a lovely place; you should travel there if you get a chance, recently voted “4th best island in the world by National Geographic magazine,” according to the Isle of Skye website.

Zoe Janine: Zoe’s middle name is after my sister Karen Janeen (although spelled differently). We’ll see them both very soon in heaven.

Eden Aurelia: We just thought this name was beautiful. I guess it’s fitting that the next time we see her, we will be in the new earth–the perfectly recreated Garden of Eden.

Thanks again to everyone for following the website updates. We continue to receive strength and encouragement from your comments and prayers. We may be able to post a photo again tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Update: The nurses took a picture of her before they put the mask on and gave it to us. It is our first look at her face unencumbered.
She had an x-ray earlier today of her chest and her lungs look very clear. The orthopedist also stopped by and let us know that her femur should be completely healed in 2 weeks time. We will be spending most of the evening visiting with her. I’m on schedule to kangaroo tomorrow. Good stuff!

Update: X-ray taken 10 minutes ago, should get preliminary results around 8:30. Juliana doesn’t appear to be in any discomfort, but her leg is bent and to the right, somewhat like a frog’s leg. It is discomfiting to look at.

Her right femur is broken. No real “event” anyone can point to. Ortho will be up tonight to set the break and put her leg in a splint. With her rapid growth, it should heal rapidly. We feel upset anyways.

Orthopedist did a great job setting her femur and putting on a splint. We’re hitting the sack.

I think someone asked in the comments how many visitors we have to our website. Well, I dug into the statistics and we have between 1,000 to 2,900 unique visitors each day! Wow, I never thought there would be such a large amount of interest!

Authentic Native American headdress, courtesy Aunt Katie

–a beautiful, precious, perfect little miracle baby Juliana
–the most wonderful and supportive husband ever
–amazing family members who regularly call, comment, and drive long distances to visit us and take care of us: we love you all
–our second family, the Howes, who are always here for us
–loving friends who constantly call, text, and visit. Alita, Jamie, Meredith, Nikki, and Cara: your continual encouragement gives me strength. Stephen and Robby, thanks for being you.
–friends from all over (even Ireland–thanks Gleesons, Sarah, Lesa, Maire, Tom, Claire, etc.) who have uplifted us with their kind words, thoughts, and prayers. Thanks Monica, Susan, and others for sharing your experiences. There are so many of you, but each of you has touched us with your support.
–our supportive and exceptionally generous church and school community: you have let us know that we are not alone, even when family is far away. The food and house cleaning has been such a blessing to us. Thanks especially to Sheri, Louann, and Sergio for constantly checking to see what we need. Thanks also to Jesse and Tarah for being willing to do whatever we need while we are away from the house.
–everyone at UltraCamp who has been working extra hard to make it possible for Jason to be with me and Juliana through all this. Dan, Adam, Alex, and Dave: you guys are awesome!
–my dear students who keep sending me cards and emails. I miss you a lot, and I appreciate your notes.
–an amazing medical team here at the University of Maryland. The doctors have been great and the NICU nurses are wonderful, especially Deborah, Renee, Rachel, Jenny, Michelle, Jen, Jane, Julie, and Iris. Cheryl has also been especially helpful to me personally. We love you all!
–a loving God who hears and answers prayers and continues to bless us, even when we don’t always understand His answers and blessings
–the hope of heaven and the reunion with our precious children Eden and Zoe, as well as other dear loved ones

Thanksgiving will never be the same for us. We’re thankful for so many things, and the presence of our miracle baby has given us an entirely new perspective on life. Thanks to everyone who has helped us (and continues to help us) cope with this experience.

Lots of love,
Jen

Now for more detail. The surgery went fairly quickly. They made an incision in Juliana’s left side and closed her PDA with a titanium clip. We were able to see an x-ray later and it quite obvious in her chest. She will have this little piece of metal in her body for the rest of her life. After surgery, her vent settings were really mild which suprised us and the NICU staff. Since then, they have had to increase her support and make sure that she remains sedated and comfortable throughout the day. This evening her blood pressure was looking low, so they have started her on a dopamine drip to manage that. My parents were able to watch over her while Jen and I napped and we are glad that they are here. For tonight, the goal is to keep her sedation high and manage her blood pressure. So far, no surgical complications. We are done for the night and will try to rest for tomorrow.

Update: We met with the cardiac surgeon and the cardiac NP. Juliana will be the first surgery tomorrow morning which puts her in the OR around 7AM. She should be finished and back in the NICU by 10AM at the latest.

They are also weaning her off of her hydrocortisone and trying to keep her fluid levels low to give the PDA as much support as possible to allow it to close on its own. At this point they don’t think that it will, but by lowering her fluid levels and administering Lasix, a diuretic, they hope to at least prevent the PDA from getting larger. She continues to have good urine output.

Click on the small pictures for larger versions.

Update: Juliana’s condition doesn’t require any intervention at this point. We are going to wait and see over the weekend how she does.

Update: The cardiologist reported that she still has a small PDA. Tomorrow morning they will discuss during rounds what the next step will be for her. I am not certain which way it will go, but surgery is a definite option. If so, surgery would be scheduled fairly quickly, as early as Friday is a possibility. We had planned on going home tomorrow for a night or two, but we will see what is in store for her first.

The exciting part of the day was that Jen got to hold her for the first time this afternoon. She held her for a little over an hour and Juliana was very stable the whole time. It was a very exciting time and one we hope to repeat each day that we can. I may get my chance later this evening, depending on her continued stability and progress. After Juliana was put back into her isolette, she settled down quickly and we were able to wean her oxygen down to 37%, the lowest in a long time. I think she felt good being held by her mother.

Update: Juliana has been doing well with her blood-gas and continues to use conventional ventilation. They have decided to move up her second dose to 5PM today and are administering it now. They will check her platelet levels tonight and plan to give her the final dose at 5AM. She will probably get a follow-up scan on Monday to check the size, if any, of the ductus.

We also got a brief report on a standard head ultrasound that they performed on Juliana. Apparently, she had a Level 2 Intra-ventricular hemmorhage sometime in the past. The blood that they saw was old, so i happened probably a week or more ago. A level 2 is concerning, but probably will not cause any problems in the long term. Her body should reabsorb the blood in time.

You all have been so wonderful, and so many of you have asked if there is anything you can do for us. Generally the answer is that the best thing you can do for us and Juliana at this point is to continue praying as you have been. Your support is very special and meaningful to us. However, I thought I would write a post detailing some of the wonderful non-profit organizations from which we have benefited, and if you have an opportunity in the future to give money or service, these are some that are now very dear to us.

The Ronald McDonald House: serving families with seriously ill children. We stay at this very modern, well-managed facility in Baltimore for several nights a week for a small nightly fee. We have our own room, space in a very nice kitchen, access to laundry and other useful amenities. This organization, established by McDonalds, is such a blessing for families like ours who have to drive long distances to the hospitals where their children are being cared for.

The March of Dimes: conducts research about premature births, facilitates community services and advocacy to save premature babies’ lives.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: the non-profit photography company that has made it their mission to reach out to parents of seriously ill children and take high-quality, professional photographs of the child in the hospital. They came to take photos of Zoe, and we will receive them in a few weeks, free, to use as we choose. A beautiful ministry.

The American Red Cross: blood donation. Although the babies haven’t used a lot of blood compared to an adult, they each received several transfusions, and Juliana will continue to get blood products for weeks. Giving blood is easy, free, and important. The Red Cross saves lives.

If you ever have the opportunity to give to or volunteer at any of these organizations, you will be contributing to a wonderful ministry. We are so grateful for the help that we have received from each of these services.

The real exciting news is that she is going to be fed today! They want to get her stomach working and so they are giving her 0.8 ml of breast milk over a 3 hour period to see how she does. She also gets a tiny glycerin suppository to make sure her bowels are moving well. 0.8 ml is a tiny amount, not even a full insulin syringe for comparison, but if she does well with it, they may consider continuous feeding soon.

Tonight, we will be heading home overnight to take care of some things at home. The call of duty never ends.

Update: We spent a few hours with Juliana this evening. Since I’ve had some requests to get a little more technical, I’ll try to keep up. Her dopamine was turned down from 3 to 2.2 when we first arrived. Her oscillator settings were turned down from 13 Hertz to 11 Hertz with a 13.5 pressure. They had a chest x-ray on order just to make sure that her breathing tube was placed correctly in her trachea. When she had the chest x-ray, she didn’t really like it. She desaturated her oxygen for about 45 minutes while the nurse checked through a list of possible adjustments. She went as low as 55 at one point, but by the time we left it was in the low 90s. She had really good “wiggle” throughout, which is kind of an indication of how she is shaking from the oscillator and shows whether it is working properly. Just for fun, here are some of the things the staff can do with your baby while she is desat’ing:

• Suction her breathing tube.
• Check her O2 sensor on her foot and switch it to a hand to check if it is working properly.
• Turn up her oxygen levels to 100%.
• Take her off the oscillator briefly, bag her, and manually respirate her.
• Check her x-ray for positioning of the breathing tube (might just be perfectly placed).
• Make a small adjustment to the oscillator.

She resaturated after all of that and was doing fine as we left. Some new parents in the NICU that we met earlier looked terrified as they watched. They will soon learn about the roller coaster ride that is the NICU.

We chatted with a social worker and they have a service here where they get professional photographers to take beautiful artistic pictures of critically ill babies in the NICU for free. A photographer will be arriving at 3 to take pictures of our babies. Shortly thereafter, we will be meeting with the attending neonatologist to discuss Zoe’s progress and what the next steps may be.

Because of her extremely critical state, abdominal surgery was not an option. The only thing they could do was to put a small drain in the side of her abdomen and hope that something came out. Green and brown smelly liquid would indicate a bowel perforation. If there was no drainage at all, it was likely necrosis. Jen and I consented to the drain surgery and quickly got on the road back to Baltimore from our home in Hagerstown. It would take us over an hour to get there. Halfway there, we got a call from a doctor on the surgical team. The drain was successfully in place, and instead of draining bowel-like fluid, a clear yellowish liquid came out, similar to the liquid that all of us have between our intestines that allow them to stay in place. Her abdomen went down in size considerably and her stats all came up as the pressure on her lungs and body was relieved. They don’t believe that she has a bowel perforation and the likelihood of necrosis in her bowel is much less, though not completely ruled out without being able to see into her abdomen. For now, we can live with that and continue to take things day by day.

Update: Zoe is stable. Juliana was moved off of the ventilator and on to the oscillator. She was having a little trouble expelling her carbon dioxide, so this should help tremendously with that. They will be adjusting her settings throughout the night to make her comfortable and stable.

To Jennifer C and all my students: your love and prayers and cards mean so much to me. I miss you each. Keep praying for the babies!

To Monica and others who have shared your personal stories: thank you for the encouragement. You have given us hope and we’re clinging to it.

Although we are devastated by the loss of Eden, we continue to praise God for each day of life that He gives Juliana and Zoe. They are truly miracle babies and it is our wish that their lives will be continued testaments to the power and love of God. Please continue to uplift them in your prayers. I know that He has big plans for their lives. I can’t wait for the time when all of you can meet them and hold them.

You all have been an example to us of the true meaning of church. Even though we are separated by so many miles, we are all a part of a beautiful community of fellowship and prayer. We humbly thank you for the love and friendship you’ve shown us. We are eternally grateful and we love you all.

Juliana had her respirator air pressure raised slightly, she has no extra drugs to control her settings, has good blood-gas, and is doing okay.

Zoe had a good morning until about 9:45 when she began fighting the oscillator. The nurses were amazed at how much she was struggling. Her oxygen saturation would drop down into the 70’s, so they finally gave her a slight paralytic drug so that she could relax and let the machine do its work. Within a minute, her oxygen saturation shot back up into the 90’s. She is such a fighter! Her blood pressure and blood sugar are good and she doesn’t need medication to control them. They will be taking a blood-gas and CBC shortly to check her stats.

Last night, Jen didn’t feel too well and it turns out she had a fever. They took her upstairs and drew some blood, examined her, and then told us to watch over her. She won’t be able to go back into the NICU until she has 24 hours of normal temperature. They don’t think it is H1N1 or anything like that. We have a dear friend who is letting us stay in his condo by the harbor, so we are trying to rest while we can. Thank you for the continued comments and encouragement.

Juliana had another echo to check on her ductus. It did not close during the first round of medication, so they will probably do another round. She has received no new blood, is off dopamine, is breathing room air with no additional oxygen. Yesterday, Jen used a digital voice recorder to record One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and several Bible passages. The night nurse played the recording for the girls.

Zoe had some of her osillator settings lowered and her oxygen increased to about 94%. The advantage of an oscillator as opposed to the respirator is that it is very gentle on the lungs and can achieve much greater oxygenation. She had good blood gas and is peeing well. One concern is that a little of her stomach contents came up her tube in the night. They are doing a belly x-ray because there is some concern the bowels are not moving well and they want to check if it is anything more serious. Her abdomen is soft and normal-sized so that is a good sign that it is not anything major.

4:45 update:

I got a chance to talk to the attending neonatologist this afternoon about the girls. Juliana has ended her “honeymoon” period. Usually when a baby is born premature, they have a few days of extra high activity and strength, and then they get tired. For Juliana, it just means her ventilator rate has been increased to make it easier for her to breathe so she doesn’t get too tired. She is also on approximately 24% oxygen. The air you and I breathe is 21%, so needs minimal help to keep her oxygenation at a good level. She did receive the 3rd dose of the medication to close her ductus and they did an electrocardiogram to check if it worked. The results will come in tonight.

The neonatologist also talked to me about Zoe’s brain hemorrhage. She said that 30-40% will resolve themselves, while the remainder can have some of the neurological damage typical of a brain injury. Her settings are slowly being weaned and she is responding well. They are giving her every chance in the world to survive.

Jen had some fun in the unit this afternoon. Jenny, the nurse for Juliana, let Jen change Juliana’s diaper and take her temperature. She was thrilled.

Juliana: She is stable. Her ventilator settings are low, which means she is breathing well, just needs a little assistance. They were able to start a drug to close her ductus so that her body can more efficiently use her oxygenated blood. The nurses call her a little superstar because of her progress. Despite her progress, she is still categorized in the highest category of critical condition and requires constant adjustment of her medicine.

Zoe: She had a life-threatening event on the morning of the 27th, but the NICU staff were able to stabilize her. She is on an oscillator for breathing and they are trying to rest her body. She has received several blood transfusions and is on different medicines. From the event yesterday, the head ultrasound has shown some serious cranial hemorrhaging. She is getting another ultrasound this morning to check again. She is receiving the maximum amount of care available and is in as precarious a position as one can be.

4:30 PM Update:

Juliana: She continues to be stable. They gave her the 2nd of 3 doses of medicine to close the ductus in her heart. Once the ductus is closed, her body will more easily be oxygenated. They are constantly adjusting her medication to keep her stable.

Zoe: The bleeding in Zoe’s brain has continued. She now has what is considered a grade 4 hemorrhage. If she survives, she will almost certainly be a special needs child to a high degree.

4:22 PM - Juliana Skye 1 lb. 5 oz.

4:23 PM - Zoe Janine 1 lb. 2.5 oz.

4:24 PM - Eden Aurelia 1 lb. 3 oz.

Eden was born with a tracheoesophageal fistula and sustained a catastrophic brain hemorrhage the next morning. She passed away in our arms October 26 at 10:40 p.m.

The dramatic side-by-side comparison of the last 20 weeks:

The progression:

–Alumni Weekend
–Covenant Drama Home Show
–Exams, finishing grades
–Surgery
–Graduation
–Reading

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Yes, it’s true. I read Anne again. I just can’t help myself. Once spring begins in earnest, my heart longs for Prince Edward Island, or at least for the joy of reading about that magical place. Something that can’t be said for most books: Anne always brings me unparalleled happiness and joy in life and love.

The Borrowers Aloft and The Borrowers Avenged by Mary Norton

I finished this charming series with a twinge of disappointment. Disappointment that the books were over, but also disappointment with the ending. Apparently Mary Norton intended to write more books about these unique, tiny characters, but she never got around to it. So, the series ends with several of the main characters at odds with each other and leaves many main questions unanswered. Very sad.

The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe

This is such a great book. Very interesting look at what life was like in the 1950s in New York City for career girls. It was quite astonishing how it was a given that as soon as one got married, she must quit her job immediately. So many of these girls didn’t have career goals at all. Most of them came to the big city with nothing in mind but finding an eligible man. This book charts the paths of several such girls and follows their heartbreaks and discoveries while navigating through life, based on the real-life experiences of writer Rona Jaffe and her friends.

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Paul and Alita and Zach in April. Zach is the sweetest baby, and Paul and Alita are fantastic parents. I had a lovely time relaxing with them. Alita and Zach and I had many great walks in the gorgeous weather.

Highlights:

–holding Zach lots and lots
–long, lovely walks in different parks with Zach and Alita
–eating a lot of yummy food
–relaxing all day and talking with Alita
–delicious dinner at Italian restaurant
–fun poker night with all the Irish friends
–watching football with Paul
–again, holding Zach lots and lots

I miss you guys and can’t wait to see you soon!

I’ve always been fascinated with the Kennedy assassination (perhaps because I usually believe conspiracy theories), and so the subject of this book instantly interested me. While I was in Ireland I finished some of my other reading, and so when Alita showed me this book, I picked it up. Big mistake. I could NOT put it down. I read until 2:30 in the morning. I couldn’t stop. It is so well written and researched, I was hooked. Alita was gracious enough to allow me to take the book home with me because I wasn’t done yet, and I finished reading it while sitting in JFK airport, ironically enough. Vincent Bugliosi has spent years and years of his life on this topic, finding every person possible to interview, and getting every little detail right. Four Days in November is the minute-by-minute account of the day of the assassination and the three days that follow, as the Dallas police department tries to find enough evidence to arrest, arraign, and then potentially try Lee Harvey Oswald. For this conspiracy theorist, Bugliosi has thoroughly proved his point: Oswald acted alone and there was no other shooter. I now plan to read the complete epic entitled Reclaiming History. Side note: Oswald was one creepy guy!

The Borrowers
The Borrowers Afield
The Borrowers Afloat
by Mary Norton

Back once again to my favorite genre: British children’s literature. The Borrowers are like humans, but small. Very small. They live under the floorboards and their food is your crumbs. These charming tales are of the Clock family with the fun names Pod, Homily, and Arriety (which I really like). They have very interesting adventures since they are quite small and trying to avoid notice by the humans who would most certainly either kill them or put them on display in a circus or show. I read these first 3 books of the series and am having a hard time getting my hands on the next books.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

I’ve read and enjoyed David Sedaris for years, but never got around to reading this book. His style is seemingly effortless: the best kind. I love his humor, and I love that his stories are also poignant. I find it so difficult to believe that his family could have created so many opportunities for brilliant storytelling, but they are a group of highly interesting and creative people, and he just has such a unique perspective on the world that he could make anyone’s family seem hilarious. Love it.

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

Although this book ended as I imagined, it did NOT start out that way. I am rather surprised with myself for continuing to read after the first chapter provided enough vulgarity for me to last all year. But, I continued because I’ve heard such redeeming things about the book that I thought it must be worthwhile, and because it’s about sisters: a tender subject for me. Ultimately, there are some nice things to be said about sisterhood, but I didn’t feel that the book had a particularly powerful message. It’s supposed to be about how two sisters move together from two extreme ways of life and find value and depth of insight from each other. I just don’t see that as a realistic view of the world. Call me cynical, but I don’t see as much capacity in people to change as is portrayed in this book. I love my sisters. I’m glad they are in my life. But, I didn’t really need this book to help me discover that. I already knew it.

Jason’s birthday weekend was lovely. A gorgeous Sabbath. Orioles’ game on Sunday with Andy and Jen Nichols, followed by delicious dinner with the Howes at Sakura for sushi.

Our view of the field. I know. It’s awesome. Thanks Andy!

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An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor

Even though my previous review wasn’t great, I did read this sequel to An Irish Country Doctor. I just can’t resist books set in England or Ireland!

The Shack by William P. Young

I can’t really say much about the plot without possibly spoiling it for future readers, but this book was recommended to me by several people, and so I finally found time to read it. It is a powerful story, and it brings God to life in a very different way than I’ve ever experienced. Even though I don’t agree with everything the author portrays, I think it’s an important read for anyone who wants to develop a stronger, more trusting relationship with God.

American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby

So, I have a strange fascination with epidemics. This goes hand in hand with my interest in natural disasters. I don’t know where this stems from, but the study of diseases (the black death, the great influenza, etc.) greatly intrigues me. This book has particular relevance because yellow fever, one of the most dreaded diseases of the 18th and 19th centuries in America, apparently isn’t completely wiped out. And, the government can’t possibly stockpile enough vaccines for everyone who would need one if an epidemic broke out. This book seems more readable than scholarly, and although I enjoyed it, I think the author left me a bit unclear about her warning at the end. Also, I’m not sure that she completely explained her subtitle: how did it shape our history? Still, I learned a lot, and it was interesting to read a story on CNN this morning about a massive grave that was just found in Alabama from the particularly virulent 1878 outbreak of yellow fever in the south. Our bodies are so fragile, and there are so many viruses and germs out there to destroy us. It’s amazing.

Till We have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis

I’ve been a fan of C.S. Lewis since I first learned to read. Even as an adult I still find gems of spiritual truths when I reread the Chronicles of Narnia. So, why had I never attempted to read his other significant fiction? This is the retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche, from a different perspective. And although the story takes place in a pre-Christian world, Lewis is able to bring the book to a conclusion with relevance for today. The main character struggles with her belief in the gods, and then, once she knows they are real, struggles with why the gods do things the way they do. Ultimately she discovers that we cannot converse face to face with the gods “till we have faces” too. We cannot understand the divine reason until we are translated ourselves. Much food for thought.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

I am trying to get through a bunch of “classics” that I’ve never read. This is one. The story of Charlie Gordon, a mentally disabled man, and the remarkable experiment to solve his disability, is a powerful and sad story. All young people should read it, as it encourages a sensitivity to those who are different.

At 555 pages, this lengthy tome is the barely fictionalized story of Laura Bush told in compelling prose. Even though I liked the writing style and premise of Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep, which I read a few years ago, I wasn’t thrilled about her plot twists. But this story is different: the plot wrote itself in Laura Bush’s life, and Sittenfeld just added the imagination and style. Alita recommended it and then sent it to me, and once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. Although it is fictional, it is an amazingly intimate and seemingly real portrait of our former first lady whose enigmatic quietude throughout her husband’s presidency intrigued the world. Great read!

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

This fun fantasy is written by the popular Christian musician Andrew Peterson. He sets up an imaginary world and interesting characters who struggle against dark forces larger than themselves. The main characters are children who are spunky and creative: the best kind of main characters, in my opinion. Peterson plays with words (which I love) and has fun inventing interesting creatures and legends. There are more books to follow in this series, and I highly recommend it to those who have loved Narnia, Tolkien, or other fantastical linguists. Thanks, Seth!

An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

I love Ireland, and I love stories of rural villages and the colorful characters that inhabit them. This book is compared by some to the All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot, but it falls short in so many ways. Even though I like the characters, the setting, and the premise, and I read the sequel in March, the bottom line is that the prose in these books is just too forced. The literary and cultural references (and explanations of Irish words) embedded into nearly every chapter are very contrived, and the overall writing style is more like “telling” than “showing,” a fatal flaw for any writer.

Outliers: the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Amazing. Another really cool book about a really cool subject by Malcolm Gladwell. He wrote Blink, which I read a few years ago and enjoyed greatly. This book tells the stories of particular successful people and what elements combined to bring them success. Even though natural talent and abilities definitely play a role, his thesis is that other elements are the most important contributing factors of the outlying success stories like Bill Gates and professional athletes. Even though it’s too late for a lot of us to become outliers, there are some valuable lessons and principles that he explores. A very interesting read! Thanks, Evan!

Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham

Light, fluffy, and fun. Madeleine Wickham (aka Sophie Kinsella) writes mostly light, beach-type reading. Jamie lent me this book one day that I wasn’t feeling well, and my brain wanted to just take a little break. Sometimes it’s nice to get caught up in the worries of fictional characters and go on vacation from your own stressful life.

My adventure to San Francisco began with a conversation on the plane with a man who is presenting at the conference. Can I just say that I think English teachers are among the most friendly, empathetic, and intelligent people out there? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are constantly reading others’ thoughts and words (essays, stories, poetry, etc.) and striving to respond in constructive, supportive, and valuable ways. I think this translates into our relationships with others. Or, conversely, perhaps English teachers choose this profession because they get to do in writing what they are already enjoying doing in their relationships. In any case, everyone I’ve met here (including on the plane and the shuttle to the hotel) has been very friendly, open, and accepting. I love the combination of the hippie element and the professional. Many English teachers encompass both elements simultaneously.

So, my first day ended up being sight-seeing day because I hadn’t prepaid for the workshops on Wednesday. Here’s what I saw:

Cable Car
Fisherman’s Wharf
Ghirardelli Square
Golden Gate bridge, east side in the morning
Sea Lions
Alcatraz (from a distance)
Chinatown
TransAmerica Tower
Saw the crookedest street from afar
City Lights Bookshop (where Allen Ginsburg first performed his famous Beat poem “Howl” and where I purchased that poem and a book of haiku by Jack Kerouac that are quite stunning)
Golden Gate park, including the Japanese Tea Garden and the Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Pacific Ocean: Jen loves the beach
Land’s End Cliff walk at sunset
Cliff Side: gorgeous homes in prestigious neighborhood right on the cliffside
Golden Gate Bridge from the west at sunset
Greens: famous vegetarian restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf looking out at the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge

I am still sore from the all-day speed walk-a-thon, but it was worth every minute. Gorgeous weather!

Jen rides the cable car!

Gorgeous old houses in cool neighborhoods.

The city.

Fisherman’s Wharf

Ghirardelli Square

The Golden Gate Bridge, east side, morning view

Walking on the bridge

The sea lions at Pier 39

Chinatown

The City Lights Bookstore, where Kerouac and Ginsberg were regular attendees of Beat poetry readings

Kerouac’s haiku do not have the traditional 5-7-5 syllabic structure.

Cherry Blossoms in the Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park

Bamboo Trees in the Arboretum, Golden Gate Park

Pacific Ocean!

Under the bridge

On Thursday and Friday I attended several different seminars that focused on:
–re-invigorating traditional research assignments
–the potential classroom and writing uses of Myspace and Facebook
–the pros and cons of the 5-paragraph essay structure
–collaborations between college and high school English departments to make the transition easier for students
–what to teach during the senior year so that students will be ready for college writing
–teaching dual credit courses: the challenges and rewards
–listening to Dave Eggers talk about war writing (he is very cool)
–how to use satire and parody like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to teach students critical thinking skills

I have been making lists of ideas from these awesome conferences. Presenters are from colleges around the country, both community colleges and prestigious universities, such as one of my presenters from M.I.T. I always get great ideas from discussions with others, and I always appreciate the moments of validation for things that I’m already doing right.

So far, this convention has been very edifying. I hope to attend it again in the future!

Jen ♥s Alita

Jen’s video for Alita.

The Cast:
Jen: redheaded teacher
Evan: cool philosopher
Alban: fun-loving musician
Cody: outdoorsy hilarity
Tommy: creative genius
Phil: groovy chef
Alan: world-traveling maniac
Alex: smart videographer
Christy: Obama organizer extraordinaire

The Crew:
Thanks to Obama for getting elected.
Thanks to Alban for organizing all of his friends to come out for a super-fun weekend!
Thanks to Ted and Beth for helping us figure out details and for lodging ideas and assistance.
Thanks to our congressmen and women who provided us all with tickets to this amazing event so that we didn’t have to huddle with the masses over a mile away.
Thanks to God for keeping us safe throughout the day and allowing everything to run smoothly every step of the way.

So, who are you wearing?
New Balance Tennis shoes
1 pair Campmor ski/snowboard knee socks, 1 pair SmartWool socks on top
Campmor Thermal pants
Climate yoga pants
Gap jeans
Campmor Thermal long-sleeved shirt
Another long-sleeved shirt
Sufjan short-sleeved shirt (I thought the Illinois reference would be appropriate)
J. Crew wool sweater
Columbia ski jacket
A&E knit winter hat with earflaps
Alpaca wool scarf
Marmot gloves
= still freezing

The Schedule

12:00 midnight: I go to bed without having taken a shower because there is no hot water in the CUC girls’ dorm.

2:15 a.m. I wake up to take a shower with hot water, put on layers and pack up stuff

2:45 a.m. I go to the guys’ dorm to meet up with compadres

Tommy demonstrates the silver “golden” ticket.

3:15 a.m. We leave for the Takoma Metro station

Waiting inside the van at the Metro parking lot.

4:00 a.m. We get on the first train of the day, already crowded, then ride it to Union Station, all the while adding people into the extremely cramped but cheerful quarters

Inside the metro car.

4:30 a.m. We arrive in Union Station. Alan and Phil stay on the train to continue to their stop. We get out and walk the streets with many others already finding their way to their mall locations. We walk around the U.S. Capitol Building to arrive at our ticketed sites. Alban and Cody peel off to the blue gate while Evan, Tommy, Alex, and I continue to the silver gate.

5:00 - 7:45 a.m. We stand in “line” (more like a mass of thousands of people who don’t respond to repeated attempts by security/police to get them to form a better line) to get in to the silver ticketed area. These 3 hours consist mostly of standing and freezing. Some talking and joking and picture taking occurs, but mostly everyone is trying to survive the cold by retreating deeply into their heads and zoning.

The “line” at the silver gate.

Jen and Tommy at the silver gate.

Alex and Evan circa 5:00 a.m.

The Capitol before dawn.

7:45 - 8:00 a.m. We move through security to get into the silver area. Security consists of several guys in a row who say things like “Unzip your coat,” then look at your for 3 seconds, and say, “Okay, you’re good.” We then RUN to the front of our section to get to the best standing location and begin the long process of standing and freezing all over again.

The view of the Capitol from our first silver location.

Before Tommy left us to position himself for a quick getaway.

9:00 a.m. Our silver standing area is enclosed by a very small, insufficient plastic mesh fence. In front of our area is a road, on which there are several handicapped individuals sitting in wheelchairs. Immediately in front of the road is the reflecting pool. Someone off to our left decides that they will go through the fence. Suddenly, hundreds of people on the left are rushing forward like a herd of wild elephants to trample their fence, go around the reflecting pool, and get closer to the festivities. Our section of the silver area (possibly about 50,000-100,000 people) sees this possibility and slowly starts to emerge from cold-induced sleepiness into action. We start hearing people around us (we are at the front of this section) saying things like “Okay, let’s GO!” or “Let’s DO this, people!” and our crowd of frozen individuals becomes one large stampeding, living organism. We have no choice, we are swept along with the surge as with a tsunami. We trample our mesh fence and rush up to the edge of the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol Building. At one point I was afraid that everyone would just rush out onto it, but thankfully, they did not. The handicapped people on the road, however, were not happy with this turn of events. They are now surrounded by standing people and can no longer see. We do have a much better view from this vantage point.

9:00-11:00 a.m. We stand, slowly freezing to death. I actually consider the chances of my fingers and toes being frostbitten. Around 10:00 a.m. or a bit before the band starts to play. I pity them with their lips to freezing cold brass and trying to stay in tune in the cold. The music wakes me from my fog of cold.

11:00 a.m. Celebrities start to appear and are plastered all over the JumboTron. This revives us considerably. We see Dustin Hoffman, John Cusack, Arnold the Governator, then P.Diddy, Jay Z and Beyonce. This appearance starts a conversation around us. “Beyonce is so beautiful.” “Beyonce is so cool.” “Man, I just love Beyonce.” “Well, of course, because EVERYONE loves Beyonce.” Then a man turns around and says, “excuse me, but let me just clarify: not EVERYONE loves Beyonce.” That shut up that inane discussion. One person says, “Wow, I wish they had started showing us celebrities a long time ago! This is fun!” Commentary continues.

11:20 a.m. Everyone in our section has been waiting with saliva gathering lushly for the moment where they can boo George W. Bush. They have also been waiting with eager anticipation the first glimpse of Obama. Unfortunately for our crowd, the first sight of both was together. The crowd didn’t know what to do, so they cheered for Obama. But, many comments were made afterward, “They’d better show Bush by himself so we have our chance to boo.” Sure enough, the Bush families arrive. Barbara, George H.W., Jenna, Barbara, husband of one of them, Laura, etc. Booing commences. Joe Lieberman receives enormous boo from our section. Then, when George W. Bush finally steps out, the boos are extreme. Someone in the crowd starts singing “nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye!” It continues on and on, growing louder and louder. It seems to me, from my place, that all 2 million people are singing it. At that moment I felt really bad for him. I mean, even with so many horrible decisions and leadership, he did serve our country for 8 years, and it seems like the least we could have done was given him a courtesy clap, or even respectful silence. But, I guess the crowd was there to show Obama that they love and support him, and this was one way of doing that: showing how fed up they are of the way things have been run for 8 years, and demonstrating that they have renewed confidence and hope because of Obama.

11:35ish Obama comes out, along with the sun. Massive cheers. Tears.

.

11:30-12:30 The ceremony was a beautiful thing. Highlights included some goofball antics by Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts and dear new prez Barack cracking the whole thing up during the most solemn moment: the swearing in. Amazing John Williams arrangement of Simple Gifts played by Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and awesome clarinetist (yay clarinet!) and awesome pianist (yay piano!). Really cool prayer at the end with some great quotable quotes.

12:30-1:15 Slowly making our way out of our ticketed area with the masses and finding our way back around and up Capitol Hill to meet at our designated cafe for hot chocolate and coffee. At this point Tommy, Alan, and Phil were making a mad dash for Union Station to try to make their 2:00 p.m. train to BWI for their 6 p.m. flight. They made it!

1:15-1:45 Drinking hot chocolate and debriefing on different perspectives

1:45-3:30 Wandering around DC looking for food, cool inauguration shirts, etc.

4:00 Exit city via metro for Takoma Station

Statistics:

2 million people (official count still unreleased)
8 degree F wind chill

Favorite Quotes:
From Obama’s Inaugural Address:

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

From the solemn then unexpectedly hilarious benediction by the Reverend Joseph Lowery:

“Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around — (laughter) — when yellow will be mellow — (laughter) — when the red man can get ahead, man — (laughter) — and when white will embrace what is right.”

Elizabeth Alexander’s Inaugural Poem:

“Praise Song for the Day”

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others’ eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, “Take out your pencils. Begin.”

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, “I need to see what’s on the other side; I know there’s something better down the road.”

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”

Others by “first do no harm,” or “take no more than you need.”

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp — praise song for walking forward in that light.

Cheers:
Obama for being so cool.

Obama for having a poet read at his inauguration

The crowd for behaving themselves and being friendly and cheerful for the most part. No arrests or major incidents of note.

The band who played on tirelessly in the freezing cold

Jeers:
DC Security/Police who didn’t really seem to have a lot of organized information about how crowds/lines were to be handled, although most of the officers we spoke with were helpful and nice.

Whoever made the decision not to have enough JumboTrons

To the lack of cool flyover by jets with colored smoke trailing after them (probably for security concerns).

Summary:
Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I was so glad to be there. I am proud to live in a country where the peaceful transition of power is a regular part of government. I’m happy to have good friends to spend time with. I’m happy that at the end of a long, cold day, I have a warm house to come home to.

Music
Even though I had known of and enjoyed many of these artists before last year, their new albums or singles contributed to and helped define the soundtrack of my year.

Feist “The Reminder”
M83 “Saturdays = Youth”
Shane & Shane “Pages” (end of 2007)
The Weepies “Hideaway” and “Say I Am You”
Sufjan Stevens “Songs for Christmas” (end of 2007)
Coldplay “Viva la Vida”
Sigur Ros new album
Death Cab “Narrow Stairs”
Sara Bareilles “Little Voice”
Stars “In Our Bedroom After the War” (end of 2007), especially “Midnight Coward”
Goldfrapp “A&E”
BellX1 “Rocky Takes a Lover”
Yael Naim
John Mayer “Say”
The Ting Tings
Regina Spektor
A Fine Frenzy “One Cell in the Sea”
Fleet Foxes
Iron and Wine “The Shepherd’s Dog”
Glen Hansard and Markita Irglova
Jason Mraz

Television
I don’t watch a lot of television, but these are the few shows that I always looked forward to last year. They continue to be my favorites in the new year.

Flight of the Conchords: why can I never decide between Bret and Jemaine? who is cuter? who is funnier? who is sweeter? every time the other one speaks, I change my mind. Maybe it’s Murray.
The Office: never fails to get me to laugh out loud. Jim and Pam stay sweet, Michael keeps the zingers coming, and the Dwight-Angela-Andy triangle maintains a sort of tension.
Grey’s Anatomy: admittedly, this has not been the best year for Grey’s. However, Derek and Meredith keep me coming back, no matter how ridiculous Izzy, George, and Callie become.
LOST: some crazy, crazy stuff. can I just say that I knew it was a flash forward before anyone else?
Top Chef: inspiring me to experiment and create new dishes. why, oh why, can’t they do a vegetarian episode?
SNL: the presidential campaign breathed new life into this old classic, and Tina Fey deserves every Golden Globe she ever receives
The Daily Show: Jon Stewart is smart, witty, quick, and hilarious. Indecision 2008 made for some great online watching.

Podcasts (best for listening on the plane or while putting up bulletin boards in my classroom)

This American Life
Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips
The Writer’s Almanac by Garrison Keillor

Movies

Once: beautiful and realistic look at life in Dublin, gorgeous, moving music
Juno: smart, funny, sardonic, infinitely watchable Ellen Page makes this movie. Also, since the advent of Arrested Development a few years ago, Jason Bateman has become one of my absolute favorite actors
Darjeeling Limited: why do Wes Anderson films always make me think about life so much more deeply? poignant, funny, moving
Mongol: epic, gorgeous, melancholy picture about Genghis Khan, filmed in China and Mongolia, with subtitles. reminiscent of one of my favorite movies of all time: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Prince Caspian: the ultimate letdown. nice special effects but dramatic and unwarranted changes to plot and point of the story. Susan: I’m disappointed in you. you are NOT in love with Caspian. sheesh! does everything have to have kissing?
Ironman: loads of pumped up fun. Robert Downey, Jr has always been intriguing to me, and I’m loving Gwyneth’s red hair! Is it too arrogant of me to imagine Gwyneth playing my role in Jennifer Payne: The Movie?
Indiana Jones: serious disappointment
Quantum of Solace: Daniel Craig rocks. And there will never be another Bond girl as alluring and lovable as Vesper. so sad
The Dark Knight: haunting. amazing.
Mamma Mia!: Loved it. Sure, parts are cheesy. But mostly it made me want to travel to Greece, dance in a huge chorus group, and sing catchy ABBA songs all day long
What Happens in Vegas: pretty much anything with Ashton Kutcher is going to get laughs from me. He’s just hilarious.
Get Smart: yes, I love the formulaic fun of cheesy spy-type movies, also, I go for anything with Steve Carell.
Australia: hard to put my finger on this movie. is it a spoof? is it truly an epic? either way, I enjoyed Nicole Kidman’s outfits and it made me miss my years of horseback riding.

(There are several movies that came out at the end of the year that I have yet been unable to see because of our stupid Hagerstown theater. They don’t play artsy, indie movies. They don’t play interesting movies. They mostly only play the blockbusters. I am still dying to see Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, and Defiance. I also am slowly becoming more intrigued by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. At first I thought it looked dumb, but the more previews I see, the more interesting it appears.)

Books: I didn’t read as many books this year as usual because my awesome photo project took up about 3 weeks of my summer (prime reading time), but the following books were notable.

Atonement: powerfully sad story
Love in the Time of Cholera: heavy, intense prose
Man Walks into a Room: kind of haunted me
The Time Traveler’s Wife: couldn’t put it down. read the entire thing in 12 hours
Love Walked In: pretty lightweight, but still interesting
Brideshead Revisited: my favorite genre, my favorite period. So why was it so hard to get through?
Children’s books by E. Nesbit The Story of the Amulet, Five Children and It: classic turn-of-the-century British children’s literature, one of my favorite genres
Tuck Everlasting: fanciful children’s story about living forever
Bridge to Terebithia: did not like as much as I thought I would

I also re-read some favorites: The Chronicles of Narnia, the Anne of Green Gables series

Games: oh my goodness, we played so many games this year. Having Alban around helped significantly for any non-2-player games.

Power Grid: the Paynes’ game of the year
Scramble: online with Facebook friends (mostly Daddy, Jason, and Megan). Turns out I’m way better at Scrabble than Boggle-type games

January:
We start out the new year at Laurie Gauthier’s house & birthday party.
Jason settles in to his new home office
Lots of games and Rock Band with Alban

February:
Farm Trip with the Howes
More games and Rock Band

March:
Jason has a business trip to Chicago
Jen and Alban direct Senior Class Play
Jen goes on Scandinavia Tour

April:
Spring! Cherry Blossoms!
Jason’s birthday bash
RockBand Endless Set List is conquered

May:
Covenant Drama Home Show
Jen goes on Senior Class Trip to Myrtle Beach
Graduation
More games and bowling

June:
Jen and Jason visit Paul and Alita in Ireland for wedding anniversary
Savannah Michelle Herr is born

July:
Jen runs a 5K with Robby and Meredith, then says goodbye as they sadly move away
Jen relaxes on couch working on photo project while Jason works diligently in home office
Jason and Jen hang with Evan and Jenny in DC

August:
Ocean City beach trip with Emily
Jen goes back to work

September:
Work, work, work + a fun day with the Howes in DC

October:
Justin and Katie visit, Megan visits

November:
Alita visits
Yummy Thanksgiving with the Howes

December:
Whirlwind Christmas season
Fun adventures with the Howes
Katie and Justin visit

Course One:
Butternut squash soup with cilantro garnish by Ted
Arugula, Red and green leaf lettuce salad with walnuts, fresh raspberries, feta cheese, fuji apples, and pomegranates, complete with blueberry pomegranate dressing by Jen (with help from Jenny and Alban)
Celadon Idol (drink): lime, pineapple juice, ginger beer, and Pellegrino flavored with cucumber and mint by Jen

Course Two (a):
Four cheese (special cheese) lasagne by Evan and Jenny
Asparagus with leek, salt, pepper, and olive oil dressing by Evan and Jason
Fresh, roasted carrots by Evan and Jason
New Potatoes (idea by Jenny) created by Ted

Course Two (b): Same as above with one major difference: Fresh poached salmon with an herb and caper vinaigrette by Evan and Jason

Course Three: Hot fudge chocolate cake with raspberry drizzle by Beth
Ginger ice cream with mint garnish by Alban

Course Four: Cheese platter

Grapes, crackers, and breads complete with several different kinds of cheeses for reflection and discussion.
English Stilton
Gorgonzola
Apricot Stilton
Cranberry Stilton
Gruyere
Irish Cheddar
Brie

Thanks to everyone, but especially to Evan and Jason for their inspiration, for the most delicious meal of the entire year!

Some pretty cool people.

Adam’s Birthday Party

Alban’s Photo Shoot

Black Rock Hike

Jason works on his masterpiece.

Somebody’s hogging the bowl full of nuts!

On Friday, Alita and I met up with Kelly for brunch and chatting. I was so happy that Alita got to visit!

(Corniness warning to readers: you must sing this poem to the tune of “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music. Go ahead. You know you want to.)

Crisp Fuji apples with carmel to dip in
Bonfires in backyards while watching the leaves spin
Woodsmoke that lingers on clothing and clings
These are a few of my fav’rite fall things

Bright, sunny mornings, upcoming Thanksgiving
Stars on my iPod, my soundtrack for living
Sipping hot cider or chai while I read
These are a few of my fav’rite fall things

When the kids gripe, when I’m lonely, when I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my fav’rite fall things, and then I don’t feel . . . so bad!

Robert Frost’s poems bring fall inspiration
Wearing wool sweaters and hiking creation
Playing more soccer while pine needles sing
These are a few of my fav’rite fall things

When the kids gripe, when I’m lonely, when I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my fav’rite fall things, and then I don’t feel . . . so bad!

We’re rockin’ it, old school!

This one looks like a Harry Potter staircase!

Yes, I’m re-reading my favorite book series: Anne of Green Gables. As I discovered the last time around, L.M. Montgomery (via Anne), has some very interesting and important and sometimes rather profound things to say about life. I’ve decided to make a post with some of my favorite quotes from the story as I read, and then you all can enjoy what Anne has to say as well.

“It’s easier to be cheerful and bear up under affliction on a sunshiny day.”

“Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive–it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew all about everything.”

“Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray . . . I’d go out into a great big field all alone or into the deep, deep woods, and I’d look up into the sky–up–up–up–into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I’d just feel a prayer.”

“It’s lovely to be going home and know it’s home.”

“Her advice is much like pepper, I think . . . excellent in small quantities but rather scorching in her doses.”

“It does people good to have to do things they don’t like . . . in moderation.”

“That’s the worst of growing up, and I’m beginning to realize it. The things you wanted so much when you were a child don’t seem half so wonderful to you when you get them.”

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Key (left to right):
1. Dupont Circle with Evan and Jenny, about to enjoy some amazing Lebanese food and then some ice cream and BlackAdder
2. Driving through Cunningham Falls on a gorgeous summer day. Isn’t western Maryland beautiful?
3. Ocean City in the heat of the day
4. Our new dishes, courtesy of Daddy and Laurie, via IKEA
5. Jen driving the convertible
6. DC United v. Houston Dynamo match
7. Jason, Ansley, Tiffany, et al enjoying homemade Howe ice cream and cobbler
8. Jen at Ocean City beach
9. Jen and soccer buddies enjoying DC United

1. 120 friendly and cooperative kids = SO much more manageable than 145 (with the same number of adults!)
2. Free Chipotle is a great first-day-of-school present
3. Teaching only one class per day because of orientation is super relaxing
4. Faculty-student softball games are only fun if they’re competitive. Nobody likes a blowout (especially when it’s the adults beating the students)
5. Nobody wants to be in school in August
6. Changes to the uniform are always a big hit
7. The school will never again this year look as clean as it did at 7:25 this morning, five minutes before the doors opened
8. Walking to school on a gorgeous morning as the sun rises over the mountain and the birds are chirping is a great way to start the day
9. Taking care of an order for new Microsoft Office 2007 textbooks for a class of 32: $2500
10. Starting work again after a relaxing summer and knowing that I love my job and am following my calling: priceless

–working diligently to get my classroom ready: putting up bulletin boards, vacuuming, organizing files, etc.
–cleaning the library and teachers’ workroom, which are apparently my responsibility, even when other groups use them all summer and the lights fall down from the ceiling, leaving broken glass everywhere
–creating lesson plans and making syllabi, including for a brand-new course
–attending lengthy meetings designed to make our school year flow more smoothly
–cackling with Jesse and Stephen during interims
–becoming CPR certified
–school supply shopping for the classroom: markers, pens, pencils, construction paper, etc. (don’t you just LOVE school supplies? I sure do)
–going through my closet to weed out all of my size 4 clothing
–clothes shopping for my size 2 (and, randomly size 0) weirdness
–playing frisbee
–playing soccer and taking kids with dislocated arm/shoulder to the emergency room until all hours of the night (okay, just one kid)
–hosting mucho family members on various trips to this region
–attending my first professional soccer match (DC United vs. Houston Dynamo), in the rain, with crazy fans
–going on a picnic with the Herrs and the Ellises (Seth and Angela, new to the ‘hood)
–holding a lot of Savannah Michelle
–getting free massages from Tarah, who is practicing for her massage therapy classes
–reading Alexander McCall Smith’s Ladies Detective Agency books
–reading E. Nesbit (a must for any lovers of C.S. Lewis or Frances Hodgson Burnett–as in The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, etc.)
–reading Evelyn Waugh
–watching Friends episodes on the couch
–watching some awesome Olympic swimming and gymnastics (and staying up too late whilst doing so); by the way, did you SEE the most AMAZING relay race ever?
–going to the beach and enjoying the warmth of the sun on my eternally pale flesh
–eating as much watermelon and as many peaches as my stomach can possibly hold without bursting

So, perhaps a narrative of my soccer experience? A book review of a summer book? What would satisfy you hungry wolves?

P.S. I am grateful for your diligent reading and attention to our blog. I hope to have more regular updates for you once things get back on a regular schedule of some sort.

1. Traveling around the world
2. Going to the beach
3. Sleeping in
4. Eating only locally grown, fresh produce from our local fruit stand
5. Mint iced tea
6. Reading books all day
7. Swinging in the hammock
8. The great western Maryland outdoors: hiking, canoeing, swimming in lakes
9. Ice cream: homemade, store-bought, roadside vendor
10. Lightning bugs in the evenings

This is the title of the opening track on Coldplay’s new Viva la Vida album. I love the song, and it inspired me to play around more with Photoshop and collages. I love life!

Consolation

How agreeable it is not to be touring Italy this summer,
wandering her cities and ascending her torrid hilltowns.
How much better to cruise these local, familiar streets,
fully grasping the meaning of every roadsign and billboard
and all the sudden hand gestures of my compatriots.

There are no abbeys here, no crumbling frescoes or famous
domes and there is no need to memorize a succession
of kings or tour the dripping corners of a dungeon.
No need to stand around a sarcophagus, see Napoleon’s
little bed on Elba, or view the bones of a saint under glass.

How much better to command the simple precinct of home
than be dwarfed by pillar, arch, and basilica.
Why hide my head in phrase books and wrinkled maps?
Why feed scenery into a hungry, one-eyes camera
eager to eat the world one monument at a time?

Instead of slouching in a café ignorant of the word for ice,
I will head down to the coffee shop and the waitress
known as Dot. I will slide into the flow of the morning
paper, all language barriers down,
rivers of idiom running freely, eggs over easy on the way.

And after breakfast, I will not have to find someone
willing to photograph me with my arm around the owner.
I will not puzzle over the bill or record in a journal
what I had to eat and how the sun came in the window.
It is enough to climb back into the car

as if it were the great car of English itself
and sounding my loud vernacular horn, speed off
down a road that will never lead to Rome, not even Bologna.

Billy Collins

So, yes, I’ve become a little addicted to photo collages. Bear with me for a time while I get it out of my system. Perhaps the faithful few readers of this blog would like to identify the locations of all 16 photos. You have probably seen them all before in one forum or another.

We’re home, safe and sound. We had a fantastic time. You can look at these greatest hits (or click on the link for it to get big) for a quick sample of what we experienced in Ireland.
Ireland Greatest Hits

OR you can go to the newly finished blog page which has some repeat information from this page, but a whole lot more pictures and more detailed description. Feel free to browse it in your leisure time and leave comments! I’m hoping to post a couple of videos soon as well. http://jenandjasongotoireland.blogspot.com

Mountain lake

Kylemore Abbey

Jen and Jason at Kylemore Abbey

The beginning of the hike: Diamond Hill is in the background

On the climb

The view from the top

The summit

Jen at the top

the coast from the top

more scenery

Jen

Mountains

hiking

The view from above

the end

Sunset on Sky Road

Fence Post

Jen and Jason at the sunset

Jen and Nina on the Cliff Walk

Our Cliff: the trail is higher up in the photo, and the train track is lower

Jen takes a break in the ruins

The quaint coastal town of Bray

James Joyce is famous for his use of the stream-of-consciousness writing technique, and he used it in many of his books and short stories. Perhaps his most famous novel is a very famous, very long, very impossible to read book entitled Ulysses, which, among other things, is about a man named Leopold Bloom and what happens during one day as he walks about Dublin. The google version of this book is over 1200 pages I believe. Anyway, the day on which the book is set is June 16, 1904, and every June 16 is a celebrated semi-holiday in Dublin called Bloomsday. So, dedicated literary sorts walk around the city and stop at all the places where Leopold stopped in the book; many of them still exist, while others have plaques on their fronts commemorating the book. Alita, Nina, Jason, and I did one of these literary walks. We also attended a reading of portions of Ulysses (in several different languages including French, Spanish, Finnish, and the Ambassador from Lesotho read in her language–don’t know the name of it) at which several different readers made the joke that they needed the book to be translated into English–haha, very funny you cornballs, but oh so true. Throughout the day we kept running into funnily dressed people who were also celebrating this Joycean holiday, wearing turn-of-the-century clothing. It was especially amusing to see these folks talking on their cell phones while in costume. See below photos.

After a delicious supper at Wagamama (Thai-inspired food) we attended a 90-minute monologue play from the character of Molly Bloom, Leopold’s wife. She was dressed in pajamas because the scene takes place at night while she is trying to fall asleep and she is thinking/talking to herself. It was a very interesting monologue, but, as you can imagine, 90 minutes is a bit long to listen to one person talk without stopping, even when her breast does come out of her pajamas for a brief, accidental moment (whoa!). The actress was simply amazing, but even so, Jason and Nina both had a hard time staying awake.

Bloomsday ended with us meeting Paul and an old friend of Paul and Alita’s at a local pub to hear some traditional Irish music: there were cool-looking flute thingies and loads of guitars. The singers had very husky, original Irish voices, and they sang many songs that Paul has grown up hearing. What came as a surprise was when they broke into “Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong . . . West Virginia, mountain mama . . .” To sum up the whole day: weird, but cool.

Alita, Jason, and Jen listen to the Ulysses readings

Man dressed as Leopold Bloom talking on phone (hiding behind shrubbery)

Walking around Dublin

I’ll put up another post soon about James Joyce and Bloomsday.

Tommy . . . Also his wife Magic

Eugenie and Princess

Today Alita, Nina, and I drove south to look at Powerscourt Gardens and estate. Beautiful, Versailles-type gardens and grounds. It’s rainy off and on and quite chilly and dreary, but at times the sun pokes through, and this is what we expected; we’re in Ireland after all!

Paul and Alita live in a lovely, cozy home with a beautiful back yard/garden area. We are very comfortable here, especially since they have a kitty (Phoebe) who looks like a mix between Sophie and Baby Girl. She is small and cute and very friendly. We have already spent a lot of time together.

I don’t have photo-editing software on this computer, so the Ireland posts will be kinda rough until we get back home. I hope you enjoy though!

Click on the title to see the picture . . .

Jen and Alita

Paul and Alita

picture-130.jpg

Powerscourt Gardens

Cathedral where Alita performed

Rose

Paul and Alita’s dining/sunroom

–Wonder Book (at which place you can buy 13 books for the price of 2 at Borders)
–NetFlix (DVDs are delivered to your door! you can catch up on movies that you’ve never even heard of!)
–air conditioning (which we finally turned on this week for the first time of the season)
–Sophie, who jumps up on me and sleeps at all hours of the day to contribute to my feeling comfortable and helping me adjust to the hours of slothfulness
–the church laptop (which I can use to my heart’s content while Jason works feverishly on the home computer in the office)
–dark chocolate raisinettes
–odwalla’s Mango Tango

We leave on Friday for Ireland and when we return I think I’ll plan some home improvement and school planning projects to keep me busy. But these last few days have been restful for my mind and body. To the above list: Thanks guys! I couldn’t have done it without you!

My eyeballs are awesome too!

Update 5/28: Everything is normal. I just need to get my hearing checked out.

http://hvascandinaviatour2008.blogspot.com/

I like to call this series “Santa got plowed over by a reindog…” (maybe you all have some better titles for it…)

Chris: hope so

going to be a pretty technical interview

those always scare me a little

Jason: any questions you don’t understand, just say “That’s classified information”

Chris: lol

Jason: then cross your arms and stare

works every time

Chris: “how do multiple threads communicate using mutexes?” “sorry. that’s classified”

nice

that’ll work

excellent advice

Jason: you could also use the classic “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you”

Chris: and then follow through

tell them

then kill them

nice

Jason: If you don’t follow through and murder them, they probably won’t hire you

there is nothing inconsistent about that statement

Chris: ‘zactly

can’t show them i’m a liar

Jason: they appreciate follow-through

Chris: and if they don’t, then i don’t want to work for them

Yes folks, the Canadian dollar is now par with the American dollar, and will probably be worth slightly more in the next day or so. The last time the Canadian dollar was worth more than the U.S. dollar was November 25, 1976. Here’s a handy list on how this will affect your lives:

• Vacations to Canada will no longer feel like a great deal. In the past, we’ve put up with lackluster trips to the great north because hey, it’s cheap. There’s no excuse now to put off that Mexican vacation.
• Lumber and beaver pelts now out of our price range.
• Influx of Canadian tourists. Aboot time, ay?
• Books will no longer have the U.S./Canada price difference on their spine.
• No more thrill in using Canadian nickels to beat the man at toll booths.

I guess I could talk about how this is helping U.S. exports and the trade deficit and blah blah blah… No, I think my list covers all we need to know.

UPDATE: Thanks to my adoring public, I have felt the urge to put some pictures up. However, I did not approve of most of the pictures taken of me, so I have found 2 for your viewing pleasure. The third is of what was going on behind my back while presents were being opened. Apparently Sophie was very interested in dessert.

If you check back very soon you will see a brand-new (Yes folks, that’s BRAND NEW) update about senior survival which is coming up this weekend. Up until now there hasn’t been much exciting stuff to take pictures of. But be prepared for the deluge….