The magic of Silver

In case any of you haven't seen this yet. A commercial that Jed and I made.

iris is 4 months old

She had her check-up today. She's 16 pounds 7 ounces and 26 inches long. She's only in the 93rd percentile, making her my smallest child yet. Woo hoo, Iris! She's healthy and happy and only had to cry for about 15 seconds after her immunizations. She's been playing with toys for about a month now, but just in the last few days she has started trying to get whatever is in my hands. As soon as I pick up something, she gasps in excitement and goes for it. She spilled my cereal for the first time on Saturday.

Here she is.
Playing with her turtle:

Chatting up the camera-man:


Smiling at Henry:

Wearing the paper guitar Elsa made for her:

it was halloween a while ago . . .

And here are some pictures of the festivities.
Elsa and Henry were allowed to use the sharp knives and carve their own pumpkins for the first time.

We went trick-or-treating with cousins Sadie, Brenna, and Myles (not pictured because the camera battery died, sorry Myles).

blessings

2 weeks ago today, Iris was blessed. I don't remember much about the blessing. It was a lot of the usual, wonderful stuff. But the one thing that I remember was that it said she would bring joy to others through her presence. It seems like this already happens all the time. Everywhere I go, people just see her and smile. A lot of that is her insanely spiky hair and rolls of chub. But, there is something very joyful about her presence.

My life is now a chaotic mess. I really think my mind is going. At Henry's last football game, I didn't recognize a mom that I had talked to for about 30 minutes 3 weeks before. I felt like such a moron. I mix up dates and forget when I tell people I'll do things. I can't remember anyone's name anymore, and it seems like the days are much too short with so much remaining undone. I swear I used to be smart; I used to think about things deeply and have a really good memory and enjoy pondering things of eternal consequence. Now I just crave mind-numbing TV and sleep.

More frequently, I need to take a deep breath, ignore the mess in my house, and enjoy my blessings. Really. Things are very, very good. Maybe all I need is an hour more sleep a night and a good planner and then I'll feel in control. Or not. Maybe the point is realizing that I'm not in control. But, if it weren't for me, car doors would not ever be shut, teeth would never get brushed, homework would never be signed off, shoes would never be put away.

I have 4 great kids who try hard to be good. I have a good husband. I have everything I need, and a lot of things I want. I have so many blessings. I guess I'm just starting to realize that blessings are responsibilities, like the parable of the talents. I've been given so much and that means I have so much to do. So for now, I think I have enough blessings. I just need to relax and enjoy them while I can.

elsa is 7

Sweet, sweet Elsa. I don't know how I would live without you. You keep the whole family happy. You are the best friend to both of your brothers and the most attentive baby-tender. You have endless amounts of imagination and love. You constantly make life easier. You help me notice the wonderful world around me. You are quietly and sweetly strong. And, now you are 7. Happy birthday, Loie Lou!

one month down, many more to go . . .

Iris is five weeks old now, and I thought it was time for a little update. I'm pleased to say that she fulfills all of our wishes and dreams. She's a girl, which is what Brandon and I both wanted. She has an impressive amount of dark hair, which is what Brandon has always dreamed of. And, she is not colicky, which is a relief and a delight.

Iris is doing well enough that it gives me a strange sense of foreboding. I feel like something really wrong is bound to happen soon. Garrison Keillor once said that Minnesotans like bad weather because it gives us a sense of security--that good weather makes us nervous because it means something bad will need to happen to restore balance. (Except that he said it a lot better than that, but I can't find an actual quote.) I really am a Minnesotan even though I've spent almost as much of my life here in Utah. In fact, it even seems as if writing that Iris is doing well will jinx it.

Iris can raise one eyebrow, just like her dad. She has just started to make darling cooing noises. She smiles at stuffed animals and humans. She still slumps and sleeps and eats a lot.

I'm exhausted. But, we seem to have gotten through the worst of the recovery period. Hopefully no more trips to the ER, swelling, incredibly high fevers for me and the kids, etc. Now if I could just get a little more sleep. Ha. Maybe in a year.

p.s. It's a day later now, and I think I already jinxed myself. Iris was really cranky this afternoon.

In the darling kimono my friend Shauna made:




Right after pooping all over her clothes and blanket (unbeknownst to me):

Furrowing her brow (her most frequent expression):


With Grandpa Kim at Elsa's birthday party:

watercolor of iris

Check out what my niece Aubrynne did: