BlogHer Book Club: The Book of Jonas

The Book of Jonas, a first novel by Stephen Dau interweaves the stories of Jonas, a U.S. Soldier, and His Mother, like a finely woven tapestry. Albeit there are some holes, maybe left by the craftsman intentionally, or just the work of an inexperienced artisan.

Dau's style, short succinct chapters, made The Book of Jonas easy to read, but sometimes hard to follow. I read most of this novel in one two hour block of time, finishing the last 50 or so pages over the next two days. This enabled me to follow the story more easily, however if I was reading The Book of Jonas over many, many, days, I feel I would have been confused easily.

I had a deep desire to come to the end of this book. I just wanted to know that Jonas would be okay. I hoped that all of the foreshadowing was false and that the end would turn in a different direction. The book jacket suggests a surprise ending, but if you follow along, there is no surprise. Each chapter, each sentence, each word leads you to the obvious.

The Book of Jonas was a good read, but it left me wanting more. I loved how one action, like the flap of the wings of a butterfly, could change the lives of so many. I love that theory, but the way in which these stories were told made me feel like something was missing. It may be the writers succinct style, or my recent fondness for overly verbose prose, but I was left missing, wanting, longing.

The central theme of loss may have something to do with my desire to have more. When we suffer great loss, or those around us do, I think it is only natural to want more information, we (Okay, maybe I) want to understand, to see if there is anything we can do to help.

Read a review, join a discussion at Blog Her.com:

http://www.blogher.com/bookclub/now-reading-book-jonas

This has been a paid review for BlogHer, the opinions however are mine, mine, mine.

Hummingbird Haven goes Camping

We have been really busy of late, seriously, what is new, but we have really had some fun times.

The first weekend of spring break, our Kindergarten class went camping, OH MY GOODNESS!!!!
The kids had so much fun!!!!

There were six families from the class and we had five campsites all either next to each other, or super close. This gave the kids a HUGE area to run and play freely in. They rode bikes, and ran and played and played. It was unbelievable how much fun these kids had together. There was nary a conflict, and I never once heard the dreaded "I'm Bored!"

I think the parents had just as much fun. After we put the kids to bed, well past their bedtimes, loaded up on smores, we sat around the campfire talking, and laughing, and just having a fantastic bonding experience too.

We all had so much fun we are planning another trip this summer!

I love these families, this school, and the amazing memories we are creating for our kids.

We were also lucky enough to have a couple of amazing photographers on the trip, including our personal family photographer, so we have great memories saved for a lifetime!

http://www.photographybyalison.com/slideshows/dos-picos-camping-spring-2012/


Our first camping trip was a huge success, I am so glad we can now do these things with the boys that Scott and I enjoyed in our lives before kids!

Those ten days

And so begins the countdown. Six years ago I was admitted to the hospital with Pre term labor. Six years ago today my life was changed forever.

Pregnancy celebrated by most, has me counting the weeks to viability. I seem to hold my breath for every friend or relative as they pass through their pregnancies blissfully ignorant as I was of all of the possibilities. All the things that can go wrong. I could not or would not ever vocalize my concern, but in my head I count, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40. Somewhere around 35 I start breathing again even though I know what a 26 weeker can do, and can't do.
I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Six years ago this journey of NICU parent would begin, even though six years ago I was still sure I would make it to my baby shower in three days!

Ah, how I wish to be that naive again!!

Time Flies

I cannot believe it has been more than a month since my last post. So much for posting at least once ever two weeks or so.

Things have been crazy around here, I don't really know why. It seems the older the boys get, the more underwater I am. I thought this was supposed to get easier!?!

One of the most significant thing that has happened in the last few weeks is that Evan is a reader now. Not just CAT, or SAT, or HAT, but words like dangerous, and tumbled!?!?! Holy cow. Scott is a little less amazed than I, he keeps telling me that "kids learn to read!" I know that intellectually, but emotionally, "OH MY GOD MY KID IS READING!!!!!!" In comparison, Ryan is struggling, but he too can sound out and read words like because, behind, beneath, which is truly amazing!!!

I am so happy I made the choice to send the boys to an "alternative" school. They are thriving. They are happy. They are loved. Most importantly they are not pressured into being what they are not ready for, yet they are being encouraged to progress in a developmentally appropriate way.

On the gross motor front, Ryan is riding his bike with no training wheels! It is so funny for Ryan all it took was a little peer pressure and his natural competitive nature and within ten minutes he was off. And by comparison, Evan is struggling.

Twins are fun.

We are also chin deep in birthday party prep.

My babies are almost SIX!!!! How did that happen.

Excuse me I need to go find my snorkel.

Tribes

This post has been running around in my mind for a few weeks now, however finding the time to organize my thoughts has been difficult, and even now I am not certain I can get the right words down.

I have discovered the Tribes in my life. The groups of people who help me through my days, weeks, months, life. I never realized or maybe never saw them until recently. Sure there are the family and friends, yes, we have these people and they make our lives what they are, but have you ever looked at those friends, or acquaintances, have you grouped them into what they mean to you? How and why they came into your life, how they all fit together.

Broken down, my Tribes look like this:

1. The We Like to Stretch, Bend and Twist in a Very Hot Room Tribe: Most of these people I know only superficially. They are my yoga people. There are maybe 8 or 10 regulars, people I see at class at least 3 times a week. I don't know a lot about these people, but we share a special, sweaty bond. I look forward to seeing them, to the casual friendships.

2. The We Go To The Same School Tribe: We all have similar ideas on education, and the types of discipline for our children. These mom's in our kindergarten class, the are wonderful. I feel so fortunate that we brought our children to this wonderful school. I expect to know these women for quite a long time, and I am pleased.

3. The We Used To Go To The Same Preschool Tribe: Similar to the, We Go To The Same School Tribe, these women I have known since the boys were 2 1/2. Many of them I still see casually, but there are a handful (or two) that I see often, that we make a point to get together because we really like each other. All of our kids play well together, and all of their Mom's play really well together. I know we will know each other for a long time to come, and it makes me joyous.

4. The Our Kids Play Hockey, T-ball, Soccer Sports Together Tribe: We sit on the sidelines, in the stands for hours each week, we get our kids in gear, we cheer, encourage, reprimand, teach, and laugh together as our kids hone their athletic prowess. We may play on teams together again, we may play on teams together forever, but we will always support those kids' love of sports.

5. The We Went Through The Worst Time of Our Lives Together Tribe: My NICU people. I really need not say more. These people- the parents, the nurses, the kids -These people. We've been through more together than any one should. We've watched as nurses and doctors resuscitated our children, as they took them away for surgeries. We've watched milestones no parent should ever see, the first feed, the first time being held, the first extubation, the first 1000 grams. WE will be bonded forever. We will celebrate all triumphs, we will hold our collective breath at every hint of bad news. I will love those kids like my own forever. I will be proud of all they are, because I know where they have been.

6. The I Went To School With You Tribe: Most of these people I don't see or hear much from except from Facebook. Many of the people in this tribe I see infrequently, many of these people I don't care if I see them more or less. A few of these people I wish we were able to get together much more often, but even if we do not, it is always as if no time has passed. Such a wonderful old tribe.

7. The We Used To Kayak In Another Life Tribe: Kayaking buddies, some I see often, some not so much, but we will always have the river.

8. The We Once Worked Together Tribe: Like the Kayaking Tribe we once had something in common, now not so much, but those shared experiences will forever link us.

No wonder I never have any free time!

NICU Revisited

I am about to willingly walk back through one of the most difficult times in my life. The time in my life that defined me as a parent. The time that Forever defined my children. Those days and months that changed everything.

For the past few months I have been attending meetings and training sessions at the hospital where the boys were born, their home for the first five months of their lives. My home the first five months of their lives.

I am volunteering. I will be talking to parents who are experiencing the NICU like we did almost six years ago. I will be attempting to offer support, comfort or just someone to listen to them, some one who has been there, someone who understands.

I was so luckily, if you can call it that, because there were people with whom I shared my NICU experience. Those people are still an integral part of my support system. My friends, the people who to this day get it, my lifelines in a time when life was so fragile and tenuous. Not every family is that lucky. In spite of the fact that 1 in 8 babies is born prematurely, most parents of preemies have no one to talk to who really understand because they have been there.

In the years since the boys discharge, I have talked to a number of parents who are having difficulties in the NICU, lending an ear, a supportive comment, or a suggestion. I have talked to parents with kids with feeding issues, I've talked to parents worrying about what to do with their preemie once they go home. These were all referrals from our former nurses, OT's, teachers or educational therapists. This is much more formal. I even have a pink badge granting me access to the NICU so familiar to me from all those days in the NICU.

I am going to formally introduce myself to two families tomorrow. I am filled with anticipation and a little fear. I hope I can offer the support that these families need. I hope I can keep the flood of memories at bay. I hope I can use them to the benefit of those families. I hope that I can just offer them what they need most...HOPE.

BlogHer Book Club: The Lake of Dreams

This review was supposed to go live a month ago but i had a problem with the iPad app i wrote it on. Thank goodness the fix is now live and so is this review! In Kim Edwards new novel The Lake of Dreams, Lucy Jarrett returns home after a long, self imposed exile and stumbles on secrets from what may be the past of her family. Mystery after mystery unfold involving Lucy's past present and future. Lucy leaves home after the accidental death of her father. In her wake she leaves a grieving family and a heartsick ex boyfriend. She carries the weight of the sudden loss of her father around the globe and through more than a decade of restlessness. When she is finally drawn home, she uncovers pamphlets and a letter hidden in a locked window seat. Lucy is drawn to the knowledge that a suffragette may have lived in her family home. As Lucy digs into the past, Kim Edwards' story explores the rich history of the finger lakes region of New York, the Suffragette movement, and the changing landscape for women in the United States all while expertly weaving in the story of the Jarrett family. The more she researches the family history, the deeper Lucy is drawn into the past. The more information she uncovers, the more she desires. I found as a reader that I wanted nothing more to have Lucy delve deeper and deeper. I couldn't wait to turn the page to make discoveries right along with Lucy. Kim Edwards, who brought us a similarly engaging Memory Keepers Daughter, gives us another tale of secrets, intrigue, woven into the fabric of recent historical facts. There is even a subtle reference to her previous novel if you are observant. But what continues to make Edwards' work so engaging are her strong female characters driven by their own need for the truth. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad