Mackay is a clotheshorse. She loves putting together her own outfits, and as long as she heads out of the house dressed, we're fine with it. Here is today's example.
Note to reader: This is a post from Bill - I believe it's the second one since I started the blog many moons ago! --------------------- I woke up around 3 a.m. this morning, as I do almost every morning these days, and thought about turning fifty today and what the future will bring. If you'd asked me ten years ago about turning fifty, chances are 50/50 (no pun intended) that I would have answered, "I doubt I'll make it to fifty." Why I thought that then is unclear to me, but it turns out it was more accurate than I would have liked. Several years of battling cancer, recovering from that battle, both physically and emotionally, and trying to help my family stay healthy definitely took its toll. So, to my forties, I say, "don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out; but if it does, good riddance!" Despite the challenges of the last decade, I have learned so much about being human; perhaps more than I wanted. Nothing like having everyone ...
The kids both wanted to try a trail ride, so we were able to book a one-hour ride at the nearby stable in Canyon Village. We booked the ride in the morning to avoid the heat, and had the added bonus of being able to drive through Hayden Valley early in the day, when our chances of seeing some wildlife were greater. So - up early again, and we were out the door promptly at 7. Since our ride didn't start until 9:15, we had some time to explore along the way. Since it was a cold morning, we saw a lot of steam coming from the earth that we hadn't noticed during our drive in. We pulled off into the almost completely empty parking lot where there is a short walkway around bubbling mud pots that leads to a feature called the Dragon's Mouth. Bubbling mud pots in Yellowstonr The audio doesn't come through very well, but this cave lets off periodic bursts of steam, along with what sounds like a huge, forceful exhale. It's pretty cool. Continuing on, we wound ou...
As I was wiping banana off my clothes and my daughter's face this morning (she has discovered the art of blowing raspberries, and is determined to practice it while she is eating,) I was struck by how 'normal' everything seems. And I was reminded of how amazing the journey was to get her here. Mackay was a twin. While I was standing in the kitchen one morning last July, my water broke. I was about 18 1/2 weeks along. I'd like to say that I handled this crisis with some sort of control and dignity, but I was an absolute blubbering wreck. A dear friend drove me to the hospital, picking up my husband, who had just stepped onto a BART train, on the way. The perinatal doctor on call determined that my water had only broken for one twin (our son), but that the other baby's amniotic sac was still intact. They gave us 0% chance of survival for the boy, and less than 5% for the girl. In fact, one doctor told us that our best chance of a successful delivery was to terminate a...