Laughter: Our Medicine of Choice

Talia has accomplished a dreaded, yet inevitable first, illness. She, along with Daddy and Mommy, has a cold. Last week was filled with outings and fun; This week we are spending our days in our camphor scented sick house. But, as our title suggests, we are still enjoying ourselves. Talia is the most pleasant congested baby I have ever seen. She is still smiling, cooing, playing, and laughing, with occasional bouts of frustration demonstrated by pawing at her face and spirited sneezes. Our events of the week have been limited to: Finishing our stove shopping, going to the drug store to buy a steam vaporizer for Talia and cough drops for Daddy, visiting the post office, and a couple walks. Here are a few pictures of our sick, yet fun-filled days. Thanks to Daddy, we also have the video of Talia's laughter.

I know we have posted several pictures of Talia in her stroller, but if you look closely you may notice a difference. We adjusted the seat so Talia is more upright. Her head control is fantastic and she can sit-up with a little help, so we decided to give her an improved view. She stayed awake longer than usual, fascinated by the outside world.



Since Talia is working on strengthening her torso muscles and improving her balance, I have been putting her in her Bumbo seat (given to her by Uncle Mike, Aunt Evelyn, and her cousins). This chair gives her a whole new perspective of her surroundings.



They say that children laugh an average of 300 times a day, while adults only rack up a pathetic 5 instances of laughter. Not only are children joyful, but they bring joy to others. The adult average must include some rather melancholy adults, because parents, teachers, and others that spend time with children will attest that their day is often punctuated with bouts of laughter. Jon and I find frequent occasions to laugh as we watch Talia. As a kindergarten teacher I found myself laughing often, and trying desperately to suppress my laughter when one of my students made a serious but hilarious comment. The Bible says that laughter is good medicine so we are taking every opportunity to do so. Here are a few clips from Talia's second day of true laughter. I hope it brightens your day and strengthens your bones :).

Talia's Busy Week

This week has been quite busy for our family. I will fill you in on some of the highlights. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures at our various events. Some photos from home will follow.

Sunday: Talia makes her nursery debut. We waited for this event for two reasons: We wanted Talia to have her immunizations and she was often sleeping through church so it wasn't necessary. We chose not to wait any longer for two reasons: We wanted her to be comfortable with the nursery before she reaches a clingy stage and it was too tempting for us to interact with her rather than listen attentively.

Talia did well by all accounts. She was pleasant, outgoing, and even fell asleep in the arms of one of the helpers during her usual nap time. We also took Talia to Safeway for one of our longer shopping trips. She has gone to the grocery store before, but it is usually a quick trip.

Monday: Talia and Mommy spend time with friends at the mall. We hung out with my friends Sarah and Kristi and their babies Anna (pictured on previous posts) and Tate.
We window shopped and I believe we spent less than $2 between the 6 of us (minus lunch). It was quite an adventure balancing the routines of three little ones.

Tuesday: Talia goes to kindergarten (and other grades, too). We had a great time visiting my old school. Talia was a big hit. She was passed around during the staff lunches, smiling and talking as she went. We also strolled into a few classes. I was greeted with hugs and squeals from my past students. The kids loved looking at, but not touching, Talia. Later that evening Jon, Talia, and I went to the Sanders' house (Jon's relatives). We enjoyed a great time with them and a fantastic dinner.

Wednesday: Talia and Mommy went to Stroller Strides. That evening we went to Grandma and Grandpa T.'s house for a wonderful dinner and some catching up time.

Thursday: A friend came over in the morning. Our family enjoyed a nice walk along the canal. I got caught up on some housework.

Friday: The plan is: Bible study in the morning and getting together with our fellowship group in the evening.

Saturday: The plan is: Stove shopping. Some of you know that we got rid of our hideous old propane stove (our main source of heat) when we got new carpet this summer. Now that winter is approaching we figure we better not procrastinate any longer. Besides, Grandma and Grandpa were eager to babysit.

Talia's Landmarks:

This last week has been so fun for us. Talia has really been learning. She is now deliberately reaching for things. It is fun to watch her look at an object and slowly reach for it. She is also able to break out of her swaddle without waking up (some of the time). This is a big break through for Talia and a big relief for Daddy and Mommy. Now she is sleeping an average of 11 hours at night without any interruptions. Talia is feeling and holding things. She will move her open palms over various surfaces and grab onto objects in play. She even had the stability to hold her bottle for short periods of time tonight. The best landmark (in my opinion) is laughing. Talia has been giving occasional simple chuckles, similar to a catch in her throat and a bright smile. But, now, there is no denying her laugh. Yesterday she giggled several times before and during her bath. Today I was nearly in tears as her laugh was loud, long, and very spirited. And, she kept laughing sporadically for several minutes. It is amazing how she went from a quiet giggle to serious laughter in one day! Jon caught both her giggle and her laugh on video. Hopefully we can post it soon. Because Jon is working from home, he didn't miss these milestones. Okay, here is the part you have all been waiting for (or scrolling down to find), pictures!

Here is Talia trying on her new hat. Notice that she is holding herself upright with just a little help from Mommy.


Here is Talia sleeping, clearly out of her swaddle.


And again :)


She is actually supporting her bottle.


Like I said, this has been an amazing week for Talia. I hope to post Talia's laugh sometime in the near future (but I will need Jon's help as I clearly botched my previous attempt).

A Pictureless Post

Can it be that we would compose a post without a picture of Talia? Yes, we must disappoint.

I have a question and I would love to have a response from any of my blogging buddies. I will share the answer shortly. Here it goes:

What do the jungles of Africa and the remote deserts of Mexico have that we don't in our lovely town? Yes, we do have poisonous snakes and insects. Any other guesses?!

The content of this post and an update on our lives depends on one of you coming through with an answer (a bogus answer would suffice).

In the mean time, I will fill you in on some recent events in our family.

In an effort to unify our family, Jon and I decided to become more like Talia. No, we don't spit up more. No, we don't cry when we go potty. No, we aren't trying to become pleasantly plump. No, we aren't trying to become cuter (Jon has already reached the human limit). Yes, we decided to cut our hair. Talia now has the longest hair in the family. Okay, if you believe that I'll make you a deal on a really nice bridge. Let me try again. Talia now has longer hair than Daddy, but still has shorter hair than Mommy. Why cut our hair?

For Jon:

I like it better (hair just covers up his handsome face, in my opinion).

He doesn't have to do anything with it (not even brush it, at this length).

For Me:

Postpartum shed. It reduces the mass of hair that is already falling out of my head.

It has been a year. I had to suffer the embarrassment of revealing to the hairdresser that it had been that long.

Talia. Now I know why so many moms cut their hair shorter. For me it is three large doses of spit up (daily) and the multiple showers that accompany them, in addition to the adorable hands that love to hold Mommy's hair and not let go.

Okay, okay: I'll admit it. I don't want to have to do anything with my hair either! I look forward to less brushing and detangling.


So, now Jon's hair is less than an inch and my hair has lost more than a foot of length.

Enough on hair.

How about health?

We will talk about our ailments (I hear a collective groan, but you don't have to read this). Jon, Talia, and I received vaccines yesterday. We went to Talia's new doctor for her 2 month appointment. We were sad that Talia could not continue with Dr. Dobbins, but Kaiser will save us a few thousand dollars a year (big money now that I am not working). Talia got three shots and an oral vaccine. I think Mommy and Daddy endured more pain watching the ordeal than Talia initially experienced. She had the benefit of not dreading this appointment (ignorance is bliss). Talia was drowsy and has been running a low grade fever (for which we have given her Tylenol, per doctors orders). She is still sweet as can be, talking, smiling, and licking her lips (grape medicine is very much too her liking, once she gets past the initial shock). The doctor offered the flu mist vaccine to Jon and me. She felt it was another way to protect Talia (and it was free, painless, and took only a couple minutes). We accepted. Jon has had no ill effects. I have had a bad headache and a mild throat ache. Like mother, like daughter, I, too, am drugged. That is my excuse for the strange nature of this post.

I would like to update you on another exciting happening in our lives, but I will wait until we have a brave soul answer my question. I hope it is you!

And the brave soul is . . . Nikki!! Yay!

The answer: High speed internet. Apparently, there are wi fi hot spots in some African jungles, remote Mexican deserts (I saw a picture of a sign verifying this information in PC World magazine), and along the Amazon. Yet, we are among the less than 10% of Americans (this stat is more than 3 years old) that do not have access to high speed internet. But, as of a couple weeks ago, we have left the company of citizens in the bayous that still do not have telephone access and communities in the Appalicians whose technological advances make 19th century technology look like futuristic inventions from a science fiction novel. We now have access to high speed internet!!! Naturally, the day Jon discovered this, he signed us up. The technician came out yesterday and we are enjoying the amazing speed with which we can access websites and download/upload pictures and movies.

This brings about another exciting change for us. Jon can now work from home (4 of 5 days a week)! We are both thrilled (Talia should be, too, though she doesn't know it yet). Jon ordered a wireless router and card so that he can work anywhere he wants on the property. He will probably set up his office in the sun room. This may also encourage us to continue working on our granny flat project. Our septic system and water storage tank were finished two days after Talia was born. We have been happily preoccupied since then and have not hired a contractor to actually install the bathroom, etc. Jon could have his own nice office until we decide we want to rent the cottage (if we ever do). Jon is planning to start working from home on Friday. I am also looking forward to blogging with fast internet. I am currently on dial up because this dinosaur needs special rigging to connect to DSL. Jon is planning to hook up this computer in the near future.

So, that is our exciting news!