Special Day

Last night, on January 21^st we celebrated the second annual “Clara’s Special Day.”  It marked the two-year anniversary of Leah’s first thyroid surgery when she was 24 weeks pregnant with our little girl.  Clara was a trooper through the three-hour surgery and within an hour of exiting the OR her heartbeat was back to normal and she was squirming and kicking away, a wonderful uncomfortable comfort for a pregnant mom.  That first night post-surgery there were a frightening couple of hours when it looked like Leah may have been going into pre-term labor.  It turned out to be dangerously low calcium levels caused by the surgery that was causing contraction like cramping.  Those two hours were scary and ended up being just the start of a very scary time for us. 

As much as we were worried about our little peanut then, the baby was still a mystery, we didn’t even know if it was a boy or girl.  So now, in retrospect, that day grips and twists our hearts- because now we know that was Clara in there, full of sweetness, mischief, silken curls and denim blue eyes, a girl who loves spaghetti, puppy dogs and reading books out loud to herself.  She is a girl who finds comfort in the little tag on her blanket, her brother holding her hand, a slice of banana bread…and the thought that things could have gone a very different way that night in the hospital fills us with gratitude and fear.

Now, we will commemorate this day every year.  It is a chance to remind our baby girl that she is strong, she is blessed, that she is loved.  There are going to be many times she will need to remember to fight, to kick, squirm, to not let heartbreak or failure stop her heart from beating, stop her from living life to the fullest.  We can’t protect her from the hurt of the world, but we can circle around her and dance, proclaim with joy how happy we are that she is here, that she is strong…that she is ours. 

To celebrate, we babysat a friend’s dog for the day, ate some cupcakes (Leah’s healthy version…shh, don’t tell) and we danced and danced.  Mark and Leah decided the doxology was the appropriate song for blowing out the candles and as we finished singing Ben added a couple hallelujahs of his own.  Hallelujah, stay strong Clara Elizabeth Grace and never stop dancing.

Discovery Zone

The crew packed up (which takes us a good hour these days) and headed to Charlotte today to enjoy the "big city" science museum, The Discovery Zone. Ben attended a class last week at our local science center on space (he called it Astronaut School), so we were primed to play and explore at this fun spot.  The big highlights were the launch chair, all the pulley activities and ball rockets.  Both kids braved the bed of nails, but it spooked Ben to the extreme and the rest of the day any room we entered he would grip Leah's hand and ask, "Is there a bed of nails in here?"  It was another moment of realization that Clara is a full fledged toddler, she was running around and getting right in there with all the kids.   Sometimes, you just want to stop for a moment, make things slow down, freeze.  But we all know that time is a scientific reality we can't deny.  In response, we are called to open our eyes, our hearts, to pay attention, to listen, to embrace it all - and take lots of pictures.

Birthday Boy

We celebrated our favorite guy last week on his birthday.  Leah and Mark managed to make a 24 hour escape to Charlotte and enjoy the metropolitan lifestyle for a few minutes.  Because it was Mark's birthday, dinner was burgers and beer and he was allowed to fall asleep watching television ( a huge indulgence as our bedroom is, and forever will be, a TV free zone).  

The next day, we returned from a blissful ten hours of slumber, coffee and the paper in bed, with arms itching for the kids.  Ben and Clara assisted in baking an incredible, decadent, calorie laden chocolate, peanut-butter cake for their beloved Daddy.   As the four us gathered around the table, licking frosting from forks and fingers, both kids giddy with excitement over the custom bookmark collection they created for their Dad - Mark's eyes welled up, which made Leah's eyes well up...because that table held everything that mattered to us and it was more beautiful and complete than we deserved.  It was all that and the cake...the middle layer of peanut butter cream, the chocolate fudge frosting...When is the next birthday?

Surviving Christmas

Christmas was filled with wonder, love and celebration. The kids enjoyed the Children’s Bell Service at church Christmas Eve (with double the attendance of last year!). Ben sang up front and felt very comfortable and confident…maybe he has been playing with the karaoke machine a little too much. We were worried that Christmas morning would seem lonely with just the four of us, but it was perfect. We discovered stocking treasures (Leah's favorite), feasted on Misty’s famous cinnamon rolls (dangerous and divine), opened presents galore (these kids are loved by so many people, thank you) and all took a two hour nap (best present, ever). That evening we had dinner with the Hill family, dear friends who have a playful dog, a cuddly cat and lots of drums to play- pretty much the perfect dinner destination for Casa Watson.

Aside from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (thankfully), we were surrounded by sickness over the holiday. Mark and Leah managed to keep major illness at bay, but both Ben and Clara had days of suffering with high fevers, chest congestion and general yuckiness. Rounds of antibiotics, many trips to the pharmacy, hours of watching Playhouse Disney while propped up on the sofa and many sleepless nights later, we are finally on the mend. Last night Ben had his first six hour stretch of sleep without waking up to fever or coughing fits. Leah asked him how he was feeling and his sleepy, satisfied answer, “Mommy, I feel kind of brand new.”

Sounds like a great way to start the New Year.