What's Your Color?

Emily Sherry Andersen posted the results to a color survey on her blog. I do ask my students to do a similar (though not online) survey when we start our career profile unit and they are thinking about career fields they are interested in.

I'm a blue. Also, an INFJ, though I haven't actually recently retaken the Myers-Briggs test (my sister Sara did, a while back). Here is what the results say:

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Blue

You're blue — the most soothing shade of the spectrum. The color of a clear summer sky or a deep, reflective ocean, blue has traditionally symbolized trust, solitude, and loyalty. Most likely a thoughtful person who values spending some time on your own, you'd rather connect deeply with a few people than have a bunch of slight acquaintances. Luckily, making close friends isn't that hard, since people are naturally attracted to you — they're soothed by your calming presence. Cool and collected, you rarely overreact. Instead, you think things through before coming to a decision. That level-headed, thoughtful approach to life is patently blue — and patently you!

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/rd/50651/color/index.jsp?testname=colorogt&resultid=E

Child of My Heart: Thoughts on Adoption

Fleur Conkling Heyliger published this poem in The Saturday Evening Post:

Not flesh of my flesh
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute
You didn't grow
Under my heart -- but in it.

Today David turns 5 months old. How he has grown in our hearts and blessed our lives during the past 5 months! Taylor and I have frequently commented on the fact that, even though it hurts to not be able to bear biological children together, there is no doubt in our minds that we couldn't love a biological child any more than we already love David.

And he's such a fun, pleasant, happy person! He is so very observant, so taking him for walks or to church or shopping is fun, because I see how much he is soaking in of the world. Just today his sitter Jenny mentioned how fun he is to watch and how lucky we were to get him! He definitely makes us eager for more (though we'll wait just a bit! I think LDS-FS makes adoptive parents wait a year before filing for another adoption!).

You Are a Child of God -- & Other Songs for David

One of my favorite Primary songs is "I Am a Child of God." (My version of the lyrics is below; to read more about the song, see Wikipedia's entry.) As I grew up, the lyrics of this song must have sunk deep into my soul, because this truth -- that I am a spirit daughter of my Heavenly Father, and every other person my spirit sister or brother -- has always been a solid foundation to my belief system.

About a year ago, someone on the chat list of the Association of Personal Historians referred us to a "six-word autobiography" website. As I tried to think of how one could tell their life story in six words, the title of this song came to me, "I Am a Child of God," and I entered that as my six-word autobiography.

So among the silly ditties I sing to David is my rendition of this song. I sing it to him in the 2nd person rather than the 1st, as follows:

You are a child of God,
And he has sent you here,
Has given you an earthly home
With parents kind and dear. [Yes, it does make me smile to sing this!]

Chorus
[So we'll] Lead you, guide you, walk beside you
We'll help you find the way.
We'll teach you all that you must do
To live with him someday.

You are a child of God,
And so your needs are great;
We'll help you to understand his word
Before it grows too late.

Chorus

You are a child of God.
Rich blessings are in store;
If you but learn to do his will
You'll live with him once more.

Chorus


Another favorite is a variation of Oklahoma's "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!" Here's my version. . .which only features an alteration of the chorus, since I forget half the words to the verses!

Oh what a beautiful David!
Oh what a sweet baby boy.
I've got a beautiful feeling,
You'll fill our world with much joy.

Oh what a beautiful David!
Oh what a wonderful tot.
I've got a wonderful feeling,
We sure do love you a lot.

Oh what a beautiful David!
Oh what a fantastic kid.
I've got a fantastic feeling,
Life with you will be splendid.

Oh what a beautiful David!
Oh what a dutiful teen [OK, this line is sung tongue-in-cheek!!]
I've got a beautiful feeling,
Teen years with you'll be serene. [Ha ha!]

Oh what a beautiful David!
Oh what a marvelous man.
I've got a marvelous feeling,
You are a part of God's plan.

Finally, I have to sing a version of "We Love You, Birdie," from Bye, Bye, Birdie. The Rampton kids used to sing "We Love You, Daddy" upon my dad's return from work each evening. So to David I sing:

We love you, David,
Oh, yes we do.
We love you, David,
And we'll be true.
When you're not near us
We're blue.
Oh, David, we love you.

The nice thing about singing to David is that he is always delighted, even though my span is no more than an octave and my sense of pitch poor!

Today as we went for a walk I sang "Side by Side," a Rampton family favorite. I realized that the sun was casting long shadows before us, and so danced, kicking my legs wide. Since David was riding frontward in the carrier, I think he enjoyed the shadow's antics!

(Almost) Five Months is Fun!

David will be 5 months old in a few more days. I've not been blogging much lately (due to the end of the semester, with grades due and a new semester starting), but we have some photos of the things David is beginning to enjoy.



He loves his jumpy seat! (It was given to us, along with loads of 6-12 month clothing, by Kathleen Cattani, who adopted her own David about a year before us.) He will jump for as long as an hour, non-stop. One night, he jumped for a full hour. His eyes were sleepy, and we wanted to feed him once more before bed. So Taylor tried holding the bottle to David's mouth, as a joke. David took it -- but did not stop jumping!



He loves his Bumbo seat, especially when placed before the mirror. He is getting so verbal, and will talk to himself for 20 minutes or longer.



He is mastering his exersaucer (a hand-me-down from the Mickelsens). Now he has figured out how to slowly do a 360, so he can play with all the things offered. He likes to pound on the things that make sounds, look at the mirror, and suck on anything in his reach.

And he even is OK with tummy time now -- for a limited amount of time. He still hasn't done a full roll-over, but the doctor, commenting on his strong little torso, said he might even sit before he rolls. We'll see.

Other things David loves at this age include:

• having Mommy or Daddy blow on his tummy or into his hair
• seeing the birds from the lagoon swarm in when we feed them bread crumbs
• playing peek-a-boo (well, he doesn't play very well yet, but he is starting to find it fun)
• putting everything into his mouth
• making noise along with the songs while we sing at church

Cloth Diapering

We're using cloth diapers for David. It is a little extra work (especially on those days he has two poop blowouts!). But it's significantly cheaper, and good for the environment. Please don't get a guilt trip if you wish you used cloth but have too much else on your plate to worry about it: moms (and dads) should not feel guilty!! We do a lot already for the world!!

It does make me laugh that although we're keeping our landfill pile a little lower, we definitely have a bigger pile by David's changing table! In the photo you see prefolds (like what our moms used) as well as some all-in-ones (Taylor's preference), a few pocket diapers, and a few hour-glass-shaped "organic cotton" diapers. All but the prefolds and the 2 pocket diapers were purchased used. We do have disposies for the sitter to use.

My biggest guides in cloth diapering have been my sister Sara Egbert and friend Stacy Bissell. But a few websites have helped too:

Wee Bunz Diapers has the largest on-site cloth diaper store -- in good ol' Corvallis, Oregon! Sara and I went there over the holidays and were wowed with the assortment. But most of their business is still done online.

Stacy recommended Diaper Pin's comparison chart, too. And I had one more website I can't remember the link for.

Friends who have older children than David warn us of what happens once he starts solids. Sara did say that the Kushies liners are what saved them once Jasper started solids. And she and Rob are doing "diaper-free" to an extent with Jasper -- wow!

Any parents out there cloth diapering who have other resources or tips they suggest?

Currently Reading (or planning to start)

(I put this in the side column but decided I didn't like that format. I'm guessing that I wrote this about January 10th.)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I was motivated to read this because a student said it was her favorite. I've loved it! Makes me want to listen to Angela's Ashes again, too.

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. I'm teaching this book, my favorite of the semester.

Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children Really Learn-- And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek & Roberta Michnick Golinkoff. Fascinating!

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Because I love it!

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. For book club.

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks. Well, it may not be started till after grades go in!

Kim's Photos, Installment 2

One wonderful thing about Kim's photography is that she gives you the CD with all the photos! Here are some additional favorites of ours (the first batch we posted in an earlier blog).








There are some delightful ones of David and Taylor.







You're not going to see a bunch of David and me. Unfortunately I tried to fit too much into the morning, and so in the photos of me and David, my hair is still wet and I have no makeup on. Those of you who know me know I usually do my makeup as Taylor drives to Church, and arrive with my hair still wet. Sometimes I'm OK with wet hair. But photos of moms and their babies are notoriously beautiful, and in these photos my wet hair looks like witch hair. I should have been ready on time! -- our schedule was tight, David's nap was approaching, and Oregon's sun was going into hiding. I'm glad Kim captured as much as she did!

And a few of the whole family (by which time I'd dried my hair!):

Think of Lora

Grandpa Bob Henderson & Lora, Christmas Eve 1985

Today is the anniversary of my little sister Lora's death. She passed away 22 years ago, on January 9th, 1986. She was 20 months old, and died of neuroblastoma, a highly fatal form of childhood cancer.

Some memories of Lora and of how her illness and death affected us:

• I remember when my dad informed me of Lora's cancer. It was the first time that I remember seeing my dad cry. That affected me, since it made me realize just how much my parents loved us. My dad has either definitely softened since then (since I can think of several times when he has teared up) -- or else I've become more aware that adults have emotions!
• We had a cat at the time, Mittens. Lora would pick her up around the belly, very awkwardly (since she was so young), and haul her around. None of the rest of us could do that to Mittens without reprisal, but somehow she tolerated Lora.
• I remember thinking the Ronald McDonald House was the most amazing, good concept there could be. Recently Anna and James and their kids have utilized the Ronald McDonald House in SLC during the boys' surgeries. In fact half of Jimmy's 3 year old birthday presents were actually take-home gifts from them!
• I remember trying to lull her to sleep one afternoon, singing, "Lora, I love you" over and over again and stroking her ear.
  
• The Christmas that Lora was ill was a special one. She seemed to be feeling a lot better (ironically, as she passed away only a few weeks later). We indulged her -- she ate all the gingerbread house she wanted, looking at us mischievously, but everyone was so happy to see her feeling well.
• On the morning that she passed away (just before 6 am, if I'm remembering right), I was the first kid to wake up. I came into the living room and saw Mom and Dad cradling Lora. I could tell right away something was wrong. They had had a few tender minutes with her before she went; she raised her arms up to the sky, as if she was being received by angels. She was a little angel!
• We heard Christopher Cross's song, "Think of Laura", soon after Lora's death. The stanza fit, and so we sang it a lot, often while bawling. It goes:
• Think of Laura but laugh don't cry
  I know she'd want it that way
  When you think of Laura laugh don't cry
  I know she'd want it that way
• I did a lot of thinking at the time. I read Harold Kushner's book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. For many years it deeply affected my view of God: as a benevolent force who wound up the clock of the world and for the most part let it run itself. It wasn't until 8 years later, while I was at BYU-Jerusalem, that I started to allow for God's hand being more actively involved in our lives (though I still haven't resolved this question completely!).
• When Lora's birthday came around in May, we wanted to do something as a family. So we went to the circus. Horrible choice! The animal cages (which we were stuck behind) stunk, and within 1/2 hour we had headed home, where we watched old videos with Lora in them and cried. But that was a much better evening than the circus!
  
• My parents had always wanted 7 kids, and my mom was almost 36 at the time of Lora's death. So they came to us a few months after her death to ask if we were ready to have another sibling. At the first Family Council, Anna (then 7 years old) was not. A month later, Anna was on board -- and 9 months later we had Bobby! (Gosh I wish I inherited my mom's fertility!!)
• I cherish times when we visit Lora's (and my Henderson grandparents') graves. Her tombstone says, "So tiny, so small, so loved by all", a saying that was embroidered on a gift given her at her birth. We usually link arms and sing some hymns together. These moments are redeeming factors in having lost her: they link our family closer together and make us all the more committed to being a forever family.

Lora at 1 year old (May 1985)
We found out of her cancer about 2 months after this photo was taken.