Update from wild, wonderful, West Virginia

The Myers-Benner gals are all in West Virginia for the weekend (Jason is at home alone with the project list!). I'm glad for two super travelers that accompanied me today (on my first road trip with Kali and Alida alone). It was cute to hear Alida asking about Da Da on our drive over the mountains - she says, "Da Da Da Da" and then makes a little sound with the intonation of a question, indicating she wants you to say something about his whereabouts. I'm always happy to oblige.

West Virginia is as wonderful as it normally is, complete with Grandma and Grandpa Myers to pamper all three of us. Alida is enjoying getting to know the Mountain House and I'm enjoying some rare moments - reading, playing more games than usual, and I haven't done any dishes in the 10 or so hours since we arrived (thanks again, Mom!). And I am typing with two hands with Alida sacked out upstairs - she played hard today, all 24 pounds of her!

Yes, she had her 10 month check up this week and remains consistent in her height, weight and head circumference - all at or above the 95th percentile. She is now about 4 times the heaviest weight Nora was ever able to get to her in time with us, which is getting less hard to believe as she does feel like a big girl (especially when hiking up a steep mountain with her asleep in the front pack).

I thought about Nora a lot today. Jason told me last evening that the three little yellow crocuses we have enjoyed each spring are blooming. I went out this morning and caught them before the sun had shone on them, so there was frost all around them. I'm not sure Nora would have been ready to come outside with us on February 2nd, but it continues to be a reminder of her presence with us each spring when the trio blooms. Then on the way to West Virginia I had a tape on to help Alida fall asleep and it was the lullaby music that we played nonstop in Nora's hospital room the week she died. It filled me with good and sad memories, and I felt closer to her and to those memories than I have in a while. It takes slowing down sometimes to access them as I feel so fully consumed most days with life in its present form. I'm grateful for the opportunity today provided for a bit of slowing down.

I think we can attribute a bit of Alida's hardiness and a few of her gained ounces from the mountains of kale she has consumed over the last number of weeks. It is not an understatement to say that she loves the stuff!



The only other news to report that feels worthy of staying up a few more moments to comment on is that we have kept up our plan to have regular family meetings and family nights and we are enjoying both. Our second family night was after Alida's doctor appointment this week - we enjoyed dinner and bingo at The Little Grill. Jason and I were very relieved when our family won the first two games - so we could leave! Our littlest can be quite loud these days - she shrieks, growls, roars and in general makes her presence known...

And the most recent "emergency" family meeting (a deadline on a decision precipitated an unplanned meeting) came up with this decision: we have decided on the animal we will have join our family in 2012. There is an order of ten Rouen ducks placed and they will join our little homestead in April. All are excited, especially the 8 year old!