mamma mia, here we go again

Peek-a-BOO!

Yes, it's true: Baby #4 is coming.

To put the minds of the curious at ease, I'll go ahead and answer a few of the more frequently asked questions.

When are you due?
The official date is May 15th, but because of my track record, I'm mentally preparing myself for sometime in April.

Do you know the gender?
It's still early, so no, not yet. 

How have you been feeling? 
At any given moment, I feel simultaneously thrilled and terrified. Most of the time, though, I actually just feel pretty gross, but that's the way this game is played. I can't decide if this time around is actually worse or if it's just the fact that my life is more demanding now that I already have three other needy children to care for. Either way, my doctor took enough pity on me to put me on Zofran for the first time ever. It hasn't been a miracle cure, but it has allowed me to function, albeit minimally, at the times when I desperately need to be able to function (nutty after school hours, I'm lookin' at you!). Unfortunately, it doesn't help at all with the bone-crushing fatigue, and most days I'm operating on less than empty.

My body is apparently primed for this. I feel like I'm already showing, even though I'm probably actually not. But just the same, for comfort's sake I dug out my maternity pants last week and, even though they're still a little big, I have not regretted it.

Does this mean you're finally going to move to a bigger place?
No, not immediately. Rents in the area have skyrocketed in the last couple of years, and we really can't afford to upgrade locally. When we move, it'll have to be out of New York City. But it's not quite time for that. And so we are trying to get creative, by which I mean, we have no idea how this is going to work. I honestly thought that Matthew was going to be my last Brooklyn baby, but apparently not. Luckily we've got time to figure things out. And, I keep trying to remind myself, if we're supposed to still be here, we'll make another little person fit somehow.

Are the boys excited?
Yes! We told them the news a few weeks ago after we heard a heartbeat at my first prenatal appointment, and they are thrilled. The new baby is frequently included in their prayers, and they wish springtime was closer than it is. After we told them, I braced myself for the world to know as well (you would, too, if the first words out of Garrett's mouth were "I can't wait to tell my teachers!"), but, so far as I'm aware, they've kept the rumor spreading to a minimum.

truly the best sunday ever

Garrett the killer "Shampoo" whale and Caleb the dinosaur at last night's ward harvest activity.

Today the Primary children presented their Sacrament Meeting program. Garrett, the old hat, and Caleb, the Sunbeam rookie, both participated. It was as adorable as was to be expected, and both of my children, but especially Caleb, contributed to a few laughs from the congregation.

Caleb gave the very first speaking part, but because he mostly ate the microphone and then giggled because he thought he was being funny, I don't think anyone, myself included, understood what he said. (His line was supposed to be, "I am a child of God. I know He loves me because He gave me a nice family." The underlined portion he wrote himself.)

Garrett, for the first time ever, did not eat the microphone while delivering his part. He had been asked to give a simple recounting of Joseph Smith's first vision, and not only did he write his part himself, but he memorized it as well. (It went a little something like this: "When Joseph Smith was a boy, he went to the Secret [sic] Grove. He sat down and said a prayer and then Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ came to him and answered his prayer.")

I wept through the whole thing, as I am usually wont to do. Despite their occasional silliness (Caleb also liked to squeeze his eyes shut whenever he caught me watching him sing), they both did a great job filling me with overwhelming amounts of tender pride.

Matthew the railroad conductor, also at last night's ward harvest activity.

The Primary presentation alone would have been enough to make this the best Sunday ever, but then last week Matthew had to go and turn 18 months, so today was also his first day of nursery. I wasn't sure how he'd handle it -- he currently has a personality that could swing wildly either way -- but he, too, did me proud when I brought him into the nursery room. Moments after our arrival, he reached of his own accord to another woman in the room, who was as surprised as I was that he was so willing and eager to leave my arms. We both thought, "Well, okay then!" as she led him to some toys and I backed slowly out of the room. I peeked in a few times during the next two hours (yes, he stayed the entire time!) to see how he was doing, and was pleased to find each time that he was doing just great. Who knows how future weeks will pan out, but we're off to a beautiful start.

taking picture man

Caleb has long been interested in cameras, and recently announced to me that when he grows up he wants to be a "taking picture man." After much begging on his part, along with sincere promises to be very careful, I let him use our family point-and-shoot to capture things from his point of view. When he was finished (translation: when I told him it was time to be finished) about 20 minutes later, I discovered that he'd taken well over 100 photos. I weeded through them, found a few distinct themes, and thought I'd highlight some of the better ones.


1. Vintage Video Games

2. Matthew

 3. Bookshelves

4. Walls and Floors

5. Friends on the Floor

on our toes

Our little retreat into New England was not just enjoyable, it was also desperately needed. Since my last brief update, life around these parts has suddenly turned incredibly busy. Here's some of what's been keeping us on our toes.

1. Garrett got glasses.

Garrett's trip to the eye doctor was as hilarious (as in, "Wow! These funny glasses are as cold as winter!" -- I really wish I'd snapped a photo of him in the exam chair because he was so funny) as it was mind-boggling. It turns out that he is far-sighted (weird because near-sightedness is what has generally run in the family), but his prescription is very slight, and may eventually correct itself (and likely eventually over-correct into near-sightedness). We almost didn't bother with glasses at all except that the strain has been making his eyes hurt. So the doctor recommended he get a pair that will be worn part time.

We picked them up earlier this week, and not only does he look adorable wearing them, but he is thrilled to have them. It's a little nerve-wracking trusting a 6-year-old to take care of a pair of glasses that he's only wearing part-time, but he's been heavily instructed and so far he's taking things very seriously.

 So cute, right?!

 Tackling his math homework.

2. Caleb started speech and OT.

Things finally started moving forward for Caleb's services. And I don't know if it's because it took SO long to get coordinated (6+ weeks beyond what I was told to expect), but we really lucked out. His speech therapist, Serena (whose doppelganger is Jackie Kennedy), comes to our house (!!!), something that is pretty near unheard of for preschool special ed. The occupational therapy takes place at a small clinic in our neighborhood, which was my first choice. He receives each service two times a week for a half hour each, and making all of it fit into our already pretty full calendar has been a feat to say the least. I'm now understanding from personal experience just how exhaustingly vital family calendar is, or, in my case, a pocket planner that I can no longer leave home, let alone answer the phone, without.

Everything got started up late last week, and the schedule is still getting smoothed out. As of now, it's all crammed into Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is better than what it started with (something every day, Monday thru Thursday). It's nutty and exhausting, but it's only two days a week, so I think we can handle it. But even with the speech therapy at home, between the OT and juggling after school pick ups, not to mention regular errands and other necessary things to keep the household running and our family afloat, life around these parts is go-go-go. And I don't see any signs of it slowing down any time soon. But it's all good. I'm relieved that Caleb is finally getting the help he needs to be more clearly understood and less frustrated. And what's more, he is enjoying it, which is just as important.

 Using a strawberry-flavored popsicle stick to help guide his mouth to form correct phonetic sounds.

Work disguised as play.

3. Matthew became a full-time walker.

This is not so much keeping me on my toes, but keeping Matthew on his. Within a few days of that last update, he decided that walking really might be better than crawling. At any rate, he's been getting around on two legs ever since. He walks like someone who figured this out months, not days, ago, which is pretty much true in his case. I even caught him nearly running the other day. He can even walk in pants that are too long for him! But he still sometimes steadies himself a la Frankenstein, which is adorable.



I'm thrilled that he's finally walking, and so is he. We'd reached the point where he was getting frustrated that he wasn't doing it, and since things clicked for him, he's been a much happier boy. It's even allowed his personality to blossom. He's becoming more of a goofball -- and more like his big brothers, who he can now run around with on equal footing -- and that is fun to watch.

Matthew has been a trooper since life took our pace up a few notches, and is remarkably patient as he helps me shuttle his brothers back and forth to wherever they need to be. I can't seem to get enough of him or his squishy cheeks, these days.

new england in the fall

Boston and its surroundings have been on our sightseeing bucket list for a long time now, and this weekend we were finally able to make it happen. We started early Friday morning, heading north through Connecticut and into Massachusetts, arriving in Boston just before noon. Our aim for the day was to walk the Freedom Trail, hoping as we reached the various sites along the way that we'd be able to make the trek worth it, despite the furloughed National Park Service employees.

We embarked on the trail from the back end, starting at the U.S.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, thanks to the government shutdown, we didn't get to see much of it.

And so it was onto Bunker Hill. The visitor's center was closed, but the monument atop the grassy hill was free to view, and so we did. According to my family tree, I have an ancestor (David Pulsipher) who died on the 17th of June, 1775, at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Because the visitor's center was closed, I couldn't dive any deeper into that tidbit of information, but knowing that made this ground that much more hallowed.

 Following the red brick-lined Freedom Trail up to Bunker Hill.

To reach the next destination on the Freedom Trail, we had to cross the bridge over the Charles River/Boston Harbor. We didn't have any tea to ceremoniously dump in (sorry, Riley), but Garrett really enjoyed the part of the bridge that was a grate that looked right down into the water. It vibrated under our feet from the rush of passing traffic, which is why Garrett dubbed it the Ticklish Bridge, and why it was his favorite part of the day.

After the bridge, we started winding our way through Boston's old North End, where the streets are cobbled and narrow, and the buildings are as historic as the events that happened here. Among other things we saw were the Old North Church (of Paul Revere and "one if by land, two if by sea" fame), Faneuil Hall (which played an important role in revolutionary politics), the Boston Latin School (the country's oldest public school, dating to 1635, and boasting Benjamin Franklin as an alumnus), the site of the Boston Massacre, the Granary Burying Ground (where some very notable people are buried), and the famous Boston Common.

 Looking down a narrow street to the Old North Church.

Paul Revere's home was near here. It was getting crowded, and the kids were getting hungry, so we missed seeing it.

Faneuil Hall. We couldn't see anything inside, aside from the privately run touristy shops, thanks to the shutdown. Also thanks to the shutdown, we couldn't make a desperately needed pit stop, so we opted to hurry on.

 The Boston Massacre happened on this street.

 The statue of Benjamin Franklin stands at the site of the original Boston Latin School.

 The Granary Burying ground.

Buried here are Samuel Adams,

 the five who died during the Boston Massacre (they are buried in the Adams' family plot),

and Paul Revere (the small headstone to the right is the original marker), among others. John Hancock is also buried in this cemetery, but we missed his headstone. 

Nearly all of the graver markers were decorated with this Puritan motif called the Soul Effigy, a skull with wings that represented the soul flying to heaven. Since Puritanism was such a rigid religion, decorating tombstones was one of their only artistic outlets to express their beliefs about the afterlife.

At the entrance of Boston Common.

All of those sites along the Freedom Trail were well and good, and I'm glad we saw them. But my favorite part of Boston were the Public Gardens, just beyond the Common. They were beautiful, not crowded, and, most importantly, they were the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack.

 Make Way for Ducklings!

 The island where I'm assuming the Mallards made their home.

Getting back to our car was an adventure, and included a ride on the T, another crossing of the Ticklish Bridge, and a glorious face plant and many tears from Caleb. But we made it -- just in time to get stuck in rush hour traffic en route to what the boys lovingly termed our "hotel home."

Day Two of our New England weekend was spent in Concord. We started at Walden Pond.

 Replica of Thoreau's Walden Pond cabin.

 Walden Pond

 We hiked a lovely trail around the pond.

 It's true: you haven't lived until you've come to the New England woods, especially in the fall.

 Site of Thoreau's original cabin.

 I can see the appeal that enticed Thoreau.

We then made our way to the homes of Concord's famous 19th century Transcendental thinkers, as well as their final resting place; turns out they were neighbors both in life and death. Because of the hungry/whiny/sleepy children in the backseat, we didn't tour the inside of any of them. Someday, though, I'd like to go back to see more of the Alcott's Orchard House.

 The home of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

 The Alcott's Orchard House

The Old Manse, both an ancestral Emerson home, as well as once lived in by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The birthplace of Henry David Thoreau.

 Author's Ridge at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, the final resting place of....

the Thoreau family (Henry's is the small headstone on the left), 

 the Hawthornes,

 the Emersons (who were as poetic with their epitaphs as they were in their published works),

 and all of the Alcotts.

This is what the boys did while we tiptoed through the cemetery.

The other attraction Concord has to offer is Minute Man National Historic Park, site of the Old North Bridge and the first skirmish ("the shot heard round the world") of the Revolutionary War. Because of that darn government shutdown, it was closed....but not so hard and fast that we couldn't park next door at The Old Manse and walk right over. We thought it fitting to cross the lines and rebel, albeit quietly, against the government-mandated closure since our forefathers did something so similar in the very same spot nearly 250 years ago.

The Old North Bridge (not original -- there have been six bridges on this spot since the one the colonists crossed in 1775).

Statue of a minuteman, done by Daniel Chester French, who also sculpted the statue of Lincoln at the his memorial in D.C.

Distant view of the bridge.

We stayed one more night in our "hotel home" before winding our way home on Sunday. But before we headed south, however, we ventured just a little bit farther north, into New Hampshire, to see Peterborough, the little town my ancestor's helped settle. After living there for a few generations, the branch of the family I'm descended from left to head west, thanks to some preaching done in the local church by Brigham Young and a few other LDS missionaries. About half of the town's inhabitants, including my ancestors, were baptized in a small canal near the church, and then left at this time. The Nays and McNees (same family; named just altered) who came before, though, are buried here, so we hunted down the oldest cemetery in town and found their headstones. 

William McNee (pronounced McNay), the first of the family to have settled in Peterborough, was not only a Deacon, he was also a Revolutionary War veteran, and is immortalized as such at the cemetery entrance.

William McNee's headstone.

More Nay family headstones, and there are quite a few more besides these. The name appears to have started changing with William's children.

 A view of the cemetery. All of the graves face east.

The chapel in Peterborough where Brigham Young and Company preached. The canal where everyone was baptized no longer exists, but from what I understand it was located in what is now an alleyway across the street from the church.

Peterborough is a stereotypically quaint New England town, and in fact was the model for Grover's Corners in Thornton Wilder's play, Our Town. Afterwards we took a few back roads to soak in the scenery and happened on this:

Remind me again why my family left this part of the country? So, so beautiful, what with the changing autumn leaves and the ancient low stone fences marking property lines.

And then it was really time to go home. It was a wonderful little getaway, and very much needed, if my rising anxiety levels as we neared New York City (and its accompanying horrible traffic) are any indication. Next up on my New England bucket list is Maine, now the only state in the region I haven't yet been to (and the one I just might want to visit most).