The gift that keeps on giving

No, not a fruitcake.

So, back when we lived in DC the first time (6-ish years ago) I was a struggling grad student. I worked full-time, went to school full-time, and was dating this hottie Coastie long distance. I found the "Magic Bus" shortly after I moved into Virginia. The bus stopped at several stops, then outside my apartment building. (Score!) I rode it into DC, and exited at the first stop. I then walked three blocks to work. All for $1.25 each way. It was the bargain of the century. Plus, I met my friend "Jen-from-the-bus" there. We are still friends on facebook (though I'm not sure exactly what that says).

Anyway, one day, I realized they were having a contest for people riding the bus and using public transit. All I needed to do was to write my name and contact information on the entry paper and I'd get a free busride. Yadda, yadda, yadda and they had prizes too... yadda, yadda, yadda. All I was excited about was the free busride! A fare for one way. Not a free month, not a free year. One free ride. I was very excited.

A few weeks later, for my birthday or Christmas, or something, my boyfriend (or possibly fiance by that time), bought me an iPod. I was happy - it would make the rides on the Magic Bus better when Jen-from-the-bus wasn't there. 

A few days after that, I received a call from WMATA. I was one of 6 people who had one a free iPod! Apparently they couldn't get the old model, so I got one of the first models of the iPod nano. I promptly returned whatever boyfriend had bought. He loved this. He got credit for giving me an iPod, but still didn't have to actually buy one for me! I got a new iPod. It was definitely a win-win.

Fast forward six years - my iPod is kind of old. I don't really use it any more. We have a new, snazzy iPod and an iHome to listen to it. I don't get to use my iPod like I used to... but I got an email from Apple. Apparently the battery in the first nano is defective. AND SO THEY'RE SENDING ME A NEW iPOD if I send in my old one.

So, as it turns out, this potentially new iPod has given me great happiness in many forms over several years. I got a free ride on a bus, a gift from my (now) husband, and a now new iPod. And to think, what I really was excited about was the bus fare!

Today, as I was changing Lu'au's diaper, she started chatting about various things. She said something about "the Lion in the jungle", probably in reference to her favorite song, The Lion Sleeps Tonight. She then said something about Jesus and the jungle. She said "Jesus live in jungle?" I then told her that Jesus lives all over - he lives in heaven, he lives in the jungle, he lives in our house. He also lives in our hearts if we love him.

Then she said something that I hope I remember forever. "Lu'au loves Jesus. Dadda loves Jesus. Mama loves Jesus." Yes, baby girl, you're right.

Almost two, going on... 12?

Yesterday I took Lu'au to a park and she was on the swings. Another child was being pushed in the swing next to us by her mother. The mother asked Lu'au how old she is now. I waited for Lu'au's typical response - "1, 1, 1, 1, 1!" that is accompanied by her gesturing "1" and shaking that 1 up and down.

This time was different - Lu'au paused and said confidently, "almost two."

Perfect Timing

There are some things that I would argue cannot be attributed to anything else than God's timing.

First, I had been trying to figure out what to do about the due date... I wanted to do something to deliberately remember the baby, but not something huge or depressing. I decided to do my own version of a Hawaiian custom. Instead of throwing my lei into the ocean, I'd sprinkle some flowers on the Potomac River (the closest thing we have to an ocean where we live now). Baby Lu'au picked a bunch of marigolds from our front yard one morning, and I thought it the perfect time to sprinkle some flowers. As we walked to the river, I prayed silently about the baby and asked God to help me hope. I thought about Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

It was right then that I got a text from my brother in law saying "Romans 5:5 - and hope does not disappoint". That really struck me. He could have chosen any time to send that, or not to send it at all. But he chose right then, and it was perfect. There's no way he could have known that it was the day I chose or even that I was going to do something...

Thanks, Rich, for listening to God's prompting.

Today

Today we woke up and I was thankful that I am alive. That we have electricity. That we have running water. That things weren't as bad with the hurricane as they could have been.

Today I found out we lost a dear friend, and I am extremely saddened by it.

Today would have been 40 weeks pregnant with our second child. Unfortunately, we lost the baby at nearly 12 weeks. I can't figure out how to mourn appropriately. It's been a lot harder overall, than I thought it would be. I'm starting to get back to my normal self. But still, I don't trust my body. It's kind of hard to explain, but that's the best way I can describe it.

There isn't a specific way how to mourn the loss of an unborn baby. I'm sad because I thought I'd be pregnant again by the time this date came around, but I'm not. Way to set an unrealistic expectation for myself, and then have no way to really make sure it would happen. Thankfully, with all of the hurricane craziness lately, I haven't thought much about the due date being today. I'm just holding onto Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. I'm full of hope.

Basil season!

This year, we actually decided to do something with the miniscule front "yard" that we have. I planted flowers, and, as an afterthought, some basil, a jalapeno plant (for the hubs), and some rosemary.

The jalapeno had cute little flowers, and now has 7-8 potential peppers already growing! The rosemary is growing well. The basil, however, has taken off. It is literally thigh-high on me. We have used it in spaghetti sauce, on pizza, and in caprese salads. I have also started to make pesto. Massive amounts of pesto (well, at least compared to the none I was making before).

I love this recipe from allrecipes.com. So easy - you just throw everything in a blender or food processor.

I made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was a hit!

In the words of Lu'au

We've been having a lot of fun as a little family. Lu'au is walking (running!) and learning to talk. It's exciting to be able to know what she thinks and to see her personality a little more clearly.

• She opens a basketball "egg" from Easter (it was for Daddy), and sees that it's empty, says sadly, "No chocolate. No chocolate."
• She says "cosas" and I can't figure out what she means until she says it again and adds "moo". Obviously, "Cow says moo"!
• She coughs and if I don't say anything to her afterwards, says to herself, "Bless you, Lu'au".