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June 28 Leaving On A Jet PlaneOne more wakeup:) Be still my heart...I can't believe the day is almost here. In about 24 hours we will feast our eyes on that sweet baby for real...not via a computer, but for real. We will be able to see her sweet face and smile, touch her, smell her sweet baby smell, hear her little voice and giggles. Life does not get any better than that.
I have been trying to figure this grandparent feeling out. Trying to figure out what it is and where it comes from. It is such a different feeling ... something I have never felt before, nor even imagined. I cannot say it is a greater love than I have for Ron or a greater love than I have for Tara, Sean or Matt. But, it sure is different. Someone (another grandmother) told me today that it is God's gift of giving us another chance to "do it right". I think we do often think we did things "wrong" on our journey as parents. Heck, we were brand new at the job and there were so many other obstacles too...like a spouse who was trying to make a living and a house to clean and meals to cook and shopping to do and laundry to do and homework to supervise and oh...so many other things too. Oh, and we were supposed to manage a relationship with the father of those children too. Sometimes it was overwhelming to say the least. However, it was the best job I have ever had. Raising T and her brothers was a gift I will never forget or regret. I compare it to Disneyland...you see this ride that claims to be the best ever...one to thrill and excite and enthral you. You get in line...and "whoa"...it is Space Mountain or the world's fastest roller coaster and you get off and just say, "whoa" that wasn't exactly what I thought it was and pledge to never ride it again. Next thing you know, you are in line again and you do it all over again. This time, it isn't quite so scary and your stomach doesn't roll quite as much and you get off and think..."maybe" I can do this again. Parenting is the thrill of a life time...the ride you never forget and never regret. I am thinking grandparenting is even better...I don't sense any rolling of the stomach or heart in your throat kind of feeling. I am thinking this is a walk in the park...the Tea Cups at Disneyland...fireworks on the 4th of July...fireflies in a jar....mud between your toes...stars in the sky...kittens sleeping in your lap, warm hugs and sloppy kisses. All things good and wonderful. Those things that bring you to your knees in thanksgiving and lift you to the stars with utter and complete joy. Tomorrow will be just a taste of heaven for me and for Sojo's Gong Gong.
It feels like Christmas Eve and I am 6 years old and waiting for Santa Claus. Hurry up bedtime...I want to sleep...so morning comes faster and I can see Sojo. Sleep tight Sojo.... June 26 God Bless America and Our Newest Citizen, SojoThat precious little baby became a US Citizen yesterday. Lots of paperwork for mama and baba (as if they have not had enough already) and Sojo managed it all quite well. Riding busses in Waikiki on Oahu and riding in a stroller or her Baby Bjorn (her favorite). She is quite the world traveler already...hence her name derived from Sojourner. I never even rode an airplane until I was in my early thirties. She has been on one from Kunming to Shanghai...from Shanghai to Guangzhou and back to Shanghai...from Shanghai to Hawaii...and soon will be going from Hawaii to Washington State and then back to Shanghai again...all within a 3 month period. I never had my passport until "T" moved to Ecuador...what was it...13 years ago. This little girl at not even 9 months has traveled around the world already.
I think about my country of birth and I take it for granted...all the rights and privileges I have as an American. I don't think about what I can and cannot say or where I can go and where I cannot go. The only thing that prevents me from doing either is my conscience, my values, my pocket book or imagination. I am not always proud of my country, but I believe that most of us try our best to be the best we can. We have the ability and permission to "make the difference we wish to see in this world". We are only limited by lack of dreams and the energy and belief in ourselves to make that difference...no matter how small it might be. My prayer for Sojo on her first full day as an American Citizen, is that she will grow up proud of her country of birth and her country of citizenship...that she will take the best of both and be the difference she wishes to see in the world in which she will live. I pray that each of us who are privileged to be a part of her life will be good examples for her.
God bless America...land that I love...stand beside us...and guide us.
Is That A Hot Flash or Is The A/C On The Blink?At first I wasn't sure. At my age hot flashes seem to be the norm. However, when R decided he was having them too, we checked it out. Sure enough...it is officially summer, as of a few days ago and it is nearly July, so if your a/c is going to blow in Arizona, this would be the time. It is probably only going to hit 108 today. The last time this happened was the year T was bringing D home to meet us for the first time, via a motorcycle trip from the NW to the SW. That was 9 years ago. We had to spring for a new a/c. We wouldn't want the young man to really know just how hot it can get in the desert, now would we? We are hoping that maybe it is just a fuse this time or something minor that can be repaired easily without too much effort or money, since we are ready to take off to meet that baby girl in just 3 more wake ups.
So, we should be taking it easy today. Luckily the ironing was finished yesterday. However, I do have chicken cooking to make the infamous G'ma R's Chicken Divan for a woman in our church who broke both wrists. I thought I would make a triple batch. This way we could eat, they could eat and M C & S could eat too. Since M's wrist is still on the fritz, we thought we would help out. I wish there was a way to make this dish without turning on the oven, but I don't think I can and it was all defrosted, so there was no turning back.
Maybe we can just think about last winter when it snowed here in the desert for the first time in nearly 20 years. If we can hold off for 3 days, we will just the baby down and think about it when we return.
June 23 Worms and SuchNow I have never been a fan of worms or bugs or anything that creeps and crawls in the grass or ground. However, when my good friend Clare told me that by using Skype I am leaving a "hole" in my computer for "worms" and "trojan horses" to enter my computer, I simply told her that I would have to chance it. She reminded me that I would have to pay her the next time to clear these little devils out of my computer. She is a good friend, my computer guru, my computer goddess and I love her. However, I said, "bring it on girl"...I need a dose of my Sojo daily and this is the very best way to do it right now. She laughed and I am sure is secretly hoping I won't get another worm or worse. The first time we used it...we did have some horrible thing and she fixed it for us. So far, so good...as Gong Gong would say...we haven't had any problems since.
I cannot imagine knowing this little girl exists without seeing pictures of her on the Global Nomad blog site or better yet via a Skype call. To see that little darling bouncing on her mama's lap and reaching for the computer screen...well, "be still my heart". 6 more wakeups and we will see her in the flesh. We will be able to hold her and touch her and love her to pieces. I am not sure I will be able to contain myself as we drive down their lane. I know I have to control my excitement so I don't scare the bejebbers out of the precious little one. I am not sure how I am going to do that.
We just had a chat on Skype and oh my:) That Sojo is just so darn cute. She had on a little suntop and jeans. Just like her mama. We had to cut our chat short as Sojo did a little "poop" and she does not like to sit in it. She lets them know in no uncertain terms, that it is time for a diaper change. That should help with potty training down the road.
And so...we watch out for worms, we wait patiently for 6 more wakeups and we dream about holding that sweet baby in our arms and singing songs of love to her and playing with her in the grass. June 19 And now for monkey businessI will take a break from just writing about that darling baby Sojo for a minute and talk about my own little monkey, Matt.
Now I should have known from the get go that this child would be a handful and never for a moment be still. He was a big guy (9lb, 9 oz at birth and now 6 ft. 3) and I remember those hands and feet moving within my womb. He would jump, crawl, roll, jab and stretch as far as he could within those restrains. There were times I thought I might be able to actually reach down and shake hands with him. I know, not a good visual there.
Anyway...I think he climbed before he could walk. As a toddler, I was never surprised to walk into the kitchen to find him on the kitchen counter, hands in the cabinet getting himself a cup. When I would calmly, or not so calmely ask, "just what are you doing there young man", he would ever so calmly reply, "getting a cup". He never came and asked, he just went and did. When he was five, his father and I were taking an evening walk around the block. As we approached our house from the south side (one I rarely saw), I saw this evergreen tree of sorts with all of these branches broken and just hanging there. I asked Ron, "what happened to that tree". He, calmly like his son, said "oh, I've been meaning to tell you (yeh, right) that Matt climbs that tree and gets on the roof". Me exclaiming in my most excitable motherly voice, "what"? Eee gads! What was I going to do with this kid. I had watched him climb the Mulberry tree in the back yard and sit up there with the family cat, Margarita, but climbing a skinny wobbly tree to get on the roof of the house...this had to stop. We had a serious talk with the young man, but I sincerely doubt it completely stopped this adventure of his.
Matt has done a lot of adventurous things in his 29 years. Some he has told me about, some I am sure he has not. I know he has gone Scuba Diving (thank goodness certified). I know he has rock climbed and repelled on the mountain. I know he has done a lot of 4-wheel driving, crawling over rocks and making his way over sand dunes. I know he has sky dived and been in a hot air baloon. To the best of my knowledge, there have been no serious injuries there.
In spite of the fact that his friend Jeff and he thought they were Superman and Batman as kindergartners, he is not invinsible. I know he has nearly cut his finger off while in a palm tree cutting the fronds with a chain saw. Chain saw !!!!@#$%^&*( What was he thinking? And after 'crying wolf' a few times, telling his sister he fell off her roof (April Fools Tara), he has finally done it! While checking out some branches that needed trimmed before cutting down a tree with a friend, Matt fell about 10 feet, breaking his wrist. He now sits bored out of his gourd waiting for an appointment with the orthopedist to set it with pins and screws. Fortunately, he has a friend and Sean to help him with a couple of big jobs and not so big jobs he has on his calendar, plus getting Tara and Dale's rental house ready for a new tenant by July 1st. He is more concerned about not being able to rattle the cans at his next band gig on the 29th.
Well, we can thank God it isn't any worse. He could have broken his neck or back or worse. Counting my blessings is the name of this blog, right! And so I will. I count my blessings that I have a son who has kept me on my toes for 29 years and I am sure he will continue to do so. However, I did not get a call about this until about 14 hours after the fact. I guess that means that his father and I are not the responsible parties anymore. Welcome Cathy....he is yours now. Woo...hoo.... Thanks for taking such good care of him Cathy. Check out that wicked, hairy, funky wrist. Matt...a hug and a kiss and I Love You from Mom. Famous last words from a mother...be careful. June 16 Happy Father's DayTomorrow is Father's Day. I think about the first Father's Day in this house, 38 years ago. "T" was just a month younger than what Sojo is now. I don't remember exactly what was going on that day or what was going on that year. I know we lived in an apartment in Fishkill, NY and we enjoyed taking "T" outside in her bouncer/walker on the sidewalk or taking her for a stroll in her stroller. The best thing was to take a Sunday afternoon drive in the country (you cannot beat upstate NY for a country drive) and stop at the Friendly Ice Cream Store for ice cream. That was probably about the time "T" had her first taste of ice cream and WOW...did she ever love it. It was one of those things that made her "scream" for more. Maybe that is where the phrase, "Ice Cream, Ice Cream, we all scream for Ice Cream" came from. Maybe not.
On this Father's Day weekend, I want to give thanks to all the father's in my life.
First to my father. He was a man who taught me many things about life. He taught me about a God who loves me and all people unconditionally. He taught me about "time out" when I misbehaved. He taught me to be kind and loving to all people. He taught me not to judge by the color of ones skin. He taught me how to skip. He taught me how to love animals. He taught me how to pray and how to curtzy. He taught me not to wander too far ... he would snap his fingers and I knew I was meant to find him...right now.
To my step-father. He was a man who loved me as if I was his flesh and blood. He protected and cared for me. He provided for me. He was gentle and caring.
To, my beloved husband. For trusting in God that we could start our family before we were financially ready. Heck, are we ever financially ready for that? For working hard for so many years to provide for his family, allowing me the privilege to stay at home mothering the best I could. For being such a good example to his children and others. For being strong when I didn't know how to be. For being flexible and forgiving. For being an example of Christ's love in the world today. For having good sense. For knowing how to think first. For being the best husband and father anyone could ever ask for.
To D, the husband of our first born child and the father of our first grand child. For loving our daughter and being exactly what she has always dreamed of and hoped for and needed in a husband. For being the kind of father Sojo will need in her life. For his strength and conviction in what he believes and how he lives his life.
To my son S and my son M, because I know that they will both be wonderful fathers someday.
I thank God for all the strong, good, kind and loving fathers in this world. We need more. These men are examples of the kinds of fathers we need in this world. Men who trust in God, trust in mankind, trust in the value of family and love. May they be examples to those who have not had their fathers in their lives. Blessings to all the fathers in this world. June 14 Year of The Dog - Mooncakes and other thingsOur little Sojo was born October 9, 2006. Therefore, in the Chinese culture, she was born in the "year of the dog".
According to a website I checked on this..."The Dog's mantra seems to be, Live right, look out for the little people and fight injustice whenever possible. " Now that sounds like she will fit right in with this family, doesn't it. I think the Chinese birthday "animals" are much like horoscopes...you take the good things out of your horoscope and just forget the rest. At least that is what I do. I don't even think about them if they indicate something negative going to happen in my life or someone I love.
We are already looking at the calendar to see when we can visit this sweet baby again in China. We haven't even held her yet, nor spent our anticipated with joy month with her. However, we are already planning our next visit. We thought it would be nice to spend her 1st birthday with her and T and D have an October holiday, so that may be the timing. We had also thought about the Moon Festival. Which is quite an event in China. Right up there with Chinese New Year, I think. However, I think it falls the end of September this year and that may be earlier than we want to go. We will see.
I am attaching a couple of pictures I found and here is some info about the Moon Festival that I found in my research...The Moon Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, it's also called Mid-autumn Festival. It's a time for family reunion. In China, the full moon has always represented the gatherings of friends and family. Like Po Po's and Gong Gong's. It's said that this festival originated from the ancient ceremony of Sacrificing to the Moon Goddess. In Chinese fairy tales, there live on the moon the fairy lady Chang E, her pet Jade Rabbit, and a wood cutter named Wu Gang. On this full moon night, families will enjoy the moon while eating moon cakes, pomeloes and drinking tea. Moon cakes are cookies with fillings of sugar, fat, sesame, walnut, the yoke of preserved eggs, ham or other material. The clear full moon has been depicted by Chinese poets since ancient times. And the bright moonlight brings warmth and peace to our hearts. Peace of heart...is always good.
Today, Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival with dances, feasting and moon gazing. Not to mention mooncakes. While baked goods are a common feature at most Chinese celebrations, mooncakes are linked with the Moon festival. One type of traditional mooncake is filled with lotus seed paste. Roughly the size of a human palm, these mooncakes are quite filling, meant to be cut diagonally in quarters and passed around. A word of caution: the salty yolk in the middle, representing the full moon, is an acquired taste. Trust me, this is a true statement. We tried them when we went to China and found them to be kind of nasty tasting. Without knowing this, we bought some for gifts to give people upon our return. To any of you who may have thrown them in the trash...don't feel bad...we did the same with ours. I am sure we may try them again...someday....when Sojo wants to have a little Moon Festival Party. Or, maybe we can have Oreos instead??? Here is a recipe...just in case you may want to try them for yourself. They sure sound time and energy intensive. Something like Mexican Tamales. Maybe we could make those for the Moon Festival for Sojo.
MOONCAKES INGREDIENTS:
PREPARATION:Filling Instructions: Soak red beans in water to cover 2 hours. Drain and discard the water. Cover with 8 cups fresh water and bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat 1-1/2 hours or until skins open. Strain the beans and discard the skins. Place the strained beans in several layers of cheesecloth and squeeze out any excess water. Enjoy???? June 10 Sometimes, I can hardly stand itShe is just so darn precious that at times, I can hardly stand it. I love those skype calls and the blogs that her mama so faithfully keeps us up on her antics with. Everyday is a new discovery. She is reaching out more, bouncing more, making more noises and faces. Now sleeping, that is a different story. I guess we are still not sleeping too well. Those couple of nights were just little tricks to see if mama and baba were on their toes.
Yesterday they took her to the pool at their apartment complex, which is quite the place for China. Or, what one would expect in China. When we visited 3 years ago, had someone blindfolded us and not let us see until we were inside the apartment complex, we would never have believed we were in China. Think of one of the nicest apartment complexes you have ever seen...think of a resort...now you have the picture. Green grass, little rolling hillsides, rambling, gurgling brooks and waterfalls with bridges crossing over them. Tennis courts, swimming pools with swim up bars and sandy beaches. A first class gym, a small store, a restaurant and place to get your hair or nails done or have a massage. All for excellent prices, by US standards I might add. Anyway...lest I make a short story long....they took her to the sandy beach pool in her little floatie swim suit. Too cute for words here. I will let the picture be the thousand words and close for now.
June 06 I Love That Little FaceOh my goodness how I love the sound of a "Skype" call. I hear that chiming and my heart just jumps as I quickly answer. As soon as I see that little face, I simply fall in love all over again. She is so precious, so beautiful, so perfect, so loved. She is changing every day. She is sititing up by herself and bouncing around like a little jumping bean. If I didn't have Skype to see her daily, I think I would wither up. Of course, at my age, withering is not something we want to hurry any faster than it already is. So, keep those Skype calls coming. Soon we will see her in person and life won't get any better than that.
Sojo still has that rattling cough. I guess the doctor says it is just a cold that will work its way through. Dale has a bad cough too. So far, Mama is the only one without it. She had these little nodules on her hips that they were concerned about, but they were just from the shots she had to have the day before they received her. Oh, the things we worry about when we have babies. She is beginning to like her bath. Nice warm water soothes her. She is sleeping through the night now...at least with only a short 15 minute bottle and back to sleep. I guess my suggestion is working. Tara and Dale's gain for sleep, my loss for not getting to see her in the middle of the night.
She enjoyed playing with some little friends yesterday. A little boy, Finn and a little girl, Hayden. They are both a month younger than Sojo and the 3 of them loved their little "playdate". You can almost hear their little voices saying, "Finally, someone small like me."
I bought the most adorable little dress and leggings for her today. She'll need those leggings in Seattle. Be still my heart...and my purse strings. I know I shouldn't do this, but it isn't spoiling at this age. What does she care about clothes? If I am spoiling anyone, it is myself and that is okay at my age. Her Baba will have to forgive me. Please!
June 04 Middle of the NightNot mine, mind you! However, Miss Sojo seems to think that middle of the night is time to see Po Po and Gong Gong. Now, I am not complaining. It is the highlight of my day. I seem to always be at the computer and when I hear that little "skype" sound ringing, I run, jump or just click on and say, "hello, I'm here". Today, I had just gone out for the mail and could easily have missed the call. Luckily, I was coming into the office to put mail away. I cannot wait for her little face to come on the screen and begin talking to her. She seems to look right at us, intently...as if to say she loves us. Ok, so maybe she doesn't get the love thing yet, but she seems aware and interested. When we see her in 25 days...yes, I am counting the days...she will at least recognize our voices and faces. We won't scare her to death when we come at her.
I am not sure how long Tara and Dale will be able to handle these middle of the night phone calls to Po Po and Gong Gong. Ba Ba gets the bottle ready, while Ma Ma dials us up. She did sleep for 6 hours though, so that is progress. It could be those yummy bananas and carrots her Ma Ma made for her yesterday. By the way, "who is that woman, and where did you put my daughter?" I would never have imagined my independent, I do not need to do those things, daughter...making her own baby food. How a baby changes a person's perspective, priorities, and enjoyment. I asked her if her life has changed in the last week. With such excitement and wonder in her voice, she proclaimed that indeed it had. You could hear the "I wouldn't want it any other way" in her voice.
Takes me back a million years to my mother trying to get me to cook and telling her, I didn't want to and didn't need to. I think she was real concerned about the kind of husband I might get with that attitude. Wonder where Tara got it? Needless to say, I learned to cook when I needed to and married a man who loves to cook, so I don't always have to anymore either. I also remember how Miss Tara Lynn changed my life. I cannot imagine her not in my life. I cannot begin to put into words how it feels to watch her as a mother with her daughter. It's the voice...the joy, the excitement, the thrill. Nothing beats being a mother. Well, maybe being a grandmother does. Yeah...I think it actually does. It's like double the joy...seeing your child with her child. Come on Sean and Matt...we're ready to see you do this too. And you thought your sister becoming a mother would get you off the hook. No siree ... we want a carload of grand babies.
June 03 Beading CeremonyJust what is a beading ceremony? It sort of takes the place of the traditional baby shower. Now anyone who knows my daughter, knows she is not exactly into the shower thing. I keep sending little gifts to Sojo, so she doesn't need one anyway. Hee! Hee! Anyway...several months ago, Dale wrote and asked me to coordinate getting beads from family and friends for the beading ceremony that would take place sometime after they received the referral for their daughter. I wasn't sure when it would take place. I set out emailing and calling family and friends for the beads. Because none of us had ever heard of this tradition, we were all kind of flying by the seat of our pants. Ron and I went out to purchase special beads. Ron chose a copper looking bead to represent Arizona. I chose a one of a kind glass bead. We both wanted something that would represent this baby's beginning from her mother who lived in Arizona for years and where her po po, gong gong and jo jo's lived. And, we knew this baby would be one of a kind...independent and beautiful. We also included our hopes and prayers for her future. Those were just some of the reasons we chose our beads. Everyone who sent a bead wrote something about their hopes and prayers for Sojo. Her great-grandmother from Pennsylvania said she wanted Sojo to know she had a great-grandmother across the world. I want to thank everyone who participated in getting the beads to me, so this ceremony would come to be. Tara invites anyone who has not, but would still like to participate, to please do so. She sees this as an ongoing string of love for Sojo. Tara and Dale were quite moved by the ceremony and by what everyone said. Their friend Julie wrote and sang a song for Sojo. Anyone who was at the wedding 2 years ago, may remember Julie singing. She is like another Norah Jones. I think the picture of Sojo kind of sums up her thoughts on it. Look how intense those eyes are and look at those little lips. As if she is saying, "you did this just for me". Yes, Sojo...this was just for you and your mama and baba. We were told that she was a cutie all afternoon, capturing the hearts of everyone. That didn't surprise us.
We certainly wish we could have been there. I just reminds us of all the many special moments we will miss and it breaks our hearts. We will just have to squeeze everything in during the moments we have and cherish each one even more. Oh Sojo, you are going to have an amazing life. It is just beginning.... June 01 A Sand Castle for SojoWhen our family goes to Mexico, it is a rare trip when at least one sand castle does not get built. This trip was no exception. As Sean, Matt and Cathy (with me assisting just a tad) built the castle, I had this idea to dedicate it to Sojo and all the sand castles she might build during her life. I hope that we will have the opportunity to share beach days with her. Russell Family beach days have always been the best days for all of us. We all enjoy the beach. We have to settle Ron/AKA/Dad and Gong Gong under an umbrella latered in sunscreen with his fair Scottish skin, but he loves it too. There is no bad day on the beach.
Check out the picture of Sojo's sand castle, built by her JoJo's Sean and Matt and her Auntie Cathy, with a little help and inspiration by Po Po and Gong Gong. Be Still My Heart and Thank You Techies
Oh, calendar of June...hurry by so we are driving down Scenic Lane and see a mama and baba sitting on the steps with our darling Sojo on their laps, just waiting to meet her popo and gong gong for the first time. Skype is great, but not quite as great as that moment will be. Be still my heart....it will be floating outside my body.
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