Cheerios

Luka is a happy baby. Until recently he only got fussy when he was tired or hungry. Things are changing. He gets mad when we start to eat. He wants whatever it is we have & gets himself quite worked up over it. Cheerios are a good distraction. He can't pick one up and get it to his mouth. He is, however, very determined.

Four Weeks

While in Amarillo Tata put Danijela down for a nap. I was in Mamaw's dark bathroom rocking our boy when I heard the unmistakable pitter patter of little feet. I listened as Grammy talked to Danijela & guided her back to bed. When I came out Grammy reported Danijela was now singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. There is an obvious need for a curious Mama to investigate. The door is closed. I stand still for a moment only to hear nothing. Ah, but wait a minute. The singing resumes. It is an original this time. I return to the living room to retrieve the video camera. The door creaks as I open it slowly. It went something like this.

Mama: Danijela, what are you doing?
Danijela: blank look
Mama: I thought I heard you singing. Were you singing?
Danijela: Yes. I'm singing into that.
She points to a radio.
Mama: Will you show me?
Danijela: Sure.
She climbs back on a bench facing a mirror. She sings loudly then stops abruptly.
Danijela: Like that, Mama.
She gives me a huge smile.
Mama: Tata is asleep. How long has Tata been asleep?
Danijela: Four weeks.
Mama: What happened to the curtains?
Danijela: They fall down.
Mama: Okay. So, how long did you say Tata has been sleeping?
Danijela: Four weeks.
Mama: Do you want to go shopping with Mama?
Danijela: Sure.

This entire interaction happened with Tata between Danijela & me. He did not flinch. Actually I should have checked his breathing. He could very well have been dead. What would have really been funny was to have a camera in the room when Tata woke up all by himself.

Thanksgiving 2007

The highlight for Danijela was the snow! Yes, it snowed in Amarillo the day after Thanksgiving. Note the enormous gloves on her hands & the lack of winter wear (bad Mama). Well, we drove through the night on Tuesday. Landed squarely on Uncle Johnny & Aunt Gail's porch at 1:30am. It was freezing. Not far from Amarillo we stopped for gas & Danny almost passed out from the cold. Johnny & Gail were so kind to let us stay in their master bedroom (thank you!). The only problem is I now want a king sized bed. I always feel right at home with them because that is how they make everyone feel.

Overnight the leaves on the trees started falling & quickly. Danijela pulled up a chair to watch. I'm not going to comment on all the snap shots as most speak for themselves. It's important to note Johnny & Gail fed 45 + one on the way. It was a big day with amazing food, white elephant exchange, football & bunko. It seems to be a tradition to have tamales for the evening meal too.

The next day there was more turkey & dressing at Mamaw's house. During the white elephant game someone playfully accused Mamaw of cheating. She said at 89 she should be allowed to cheat. Her family continues to grow and grow. Imagine watching your grandchildren have children of their own. Right now there are 14 great grand babies. I regret I didn't work hard at getting more & better images.

Question: Can you find Jesus in the refrigerator picture?

Home Again

We returned from Amarillo around 1am today. I drove by the house to see what (if anything) happened while we were gone. Dang. The roof (shingles) was installed last Monday. The siding is now on its way up too. I believe the only reason more hasn't been done is because windows are scheduled for installation on Monday. I think they have to wait until the windows are in before they can continue with the siding.

The builder also installed ceder planks running vertical at the entrance. He wants to break the horizontal lines created by the siding to set the entrance apart. Our builder rocks as does that fancy-shmancy curve over the front door. The interior is completely closed now & there are signs of all the duct work being complete as well.

Crackers & Snot

Our boy is 7 months plus. We scheduled his 6 month checkup closer to 7 months. Funny how the second time around those things just aren't as "urgent." I haven't posted the stats yet. That particular day I was so sick I had to call my husband to come take him to his appointment. I'll gather them & post after Thanksgiving.

Little Piggy

I'm backward blogging as you might notice. This was the day we started moving. Danijela made (with help I'm sure) a piggy mask at MDO the previous day. She'd look at herself in the mirror and giggle. She also acted like a frog to some degree when wearing it. I love her smile. I love her.

Don't blink.

Seriously. We started the house building process when I was (barely) pregnant with Luka. He is now 7 months old. We started with the design. Then went through the painful and excruciatingly long financing aspect. Then we endured rain, rain, and more rain. About two weeks ago we went to Austin. At the time the lot was ready for concrete and had been for sometime.

Well, a few days later we came home to a new house that was being framed! We were amazed. This week has been nothing short of miraculous. They decked the roof yesterday & say the roof will be shingled tomorrow. Don't blink.

Apartment Life

I'm sitting here slumped over on our apartment floor. Finally got the DSL connection issue resolved today. However, I can't get the wireless working. Apartment life is good. There isn't any grass to mow. All the utilities are paid to the complex so we don't have to setup all new accounts. Danijela adjusted amazingly well and really likes her room. Poor Luka sleeps in our (big) closet. He's still waking 3x a night. We'll survive.

We live in a little courtyard. Right across from us is a Serbian family that immigrated 7 years ago. They speak very little English so were thrilled to meet Danny (a fellow Serb). There is another older couple from the same region and apparently there are even more in the complex. We also met Abby. She is 65 and retired from the Dallas Theological Seminary after 21 years of service. I believe an Ethiopian family lives next to us. We haven't met them just yet. It is just a matter of time. I truly believe God planted us right here. We are blessed beyond measure.

We moved.

Bye-bye super tiny house. We will miss you. You were the first house we owned. You were the home to which we brought both our sweet babies from the hospital. Heck, Luka almost arrived on the driveway. We gave you a facelift (it cost lots of money). Not that we didn't like you the way you were. You were 70 years old however. I hope to get a facelift long before I am 70.

One day when I was working on the exterior chimmney I found newspaper stuck in you. All were dated 1937. The same year you were born. Your floor squeaks in the winter. In the summer the huge trees provided much needed shade from the Texas sun. We love you, but we had grown too much for your 811 square feet. The new owner is taking good care of you. And we haven't gone too far for long. We'll be right next door (how weird is that?) when our new home is built. Yes, look to your left and you will see us in about 5 months.

Out of Order

Showed house 20 times (with two kids in tow). Attended two funerals. Negotiated house sale. Started counseling. Had Sugar Photography session. Packed. Started new Bible study. Packed. Met with community group. Packed. Started marriage communication class. Packed. Exhausted. Cried. Sold house. Packed. Cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Moved to an apartment. Sick. Really sick. Super sick. No heat in the apartment. Luka sick. Danijela sick. Mama still sick. No phone connection. No DSL connection. Packed. Arrived in Austin Saturday for a long weekend. Still in Austin. Not sure we will have DSL when we return tomorrow. Oh, the foundation for our new house was poured today! This is after countless months of waiting.