The Peter Journals: Phenomenal Return on Familial Investments

I'm beginning my entry tonight with my

favorite photograph of Gloria and me.

She is tiny and new--and the look in her eyes

mirrors the love and wonder that Heavenly

Father's eyes must have shown as He bid her

spirit "good bye" so that she could come to

live her earthly life as a member of Meg's

family.

In this last year two new people have been added to my immediate family. This, considering the dearth of the previous three years, is a phenomenal return on my familial investments.

There is Lauren with her Caleb. If you follow La on Facebook, you are wildly aware of his captivating charms. He is 10 months old, 27 pounds--and half my height. He is as big as most 2 year olds--and bigger than the majority I have seen lately.

Meg, on the other hand, is determinedly NOT on Facebook. She also doesn't text--or have a phone on which the two of us can FaceTime.

During my December sojourn in Maryland, Brent FaceTimed me three or four times a day. Of course, now that I am back in Florida, he calls me a few times a day--I guess he gets enough of my face when he is home.

December is a busy birthday time for Meg's family. Gloria was born on the 12th; Jon was also born in December (Yes, I'm very embarrassed that I can't remember the day--but it IS in December.) and (a little after December but in the same vicinity) Anton's birthday is January 3rd. Kate is the 18th of May and dear Megan was born on October 8th.

Just for the record: there are probably places in our family records that list Meg's birthday as October 2nd because that was her due date. Then Lauren came along with her birthday on May 2nd and so my Swiss cheese memory had Meg's birthday 6 days earlier than it really was for way too many years.

Enough of birthdays. Meg's family on the day I arrived: Kate, Jon, Meg and Anton.

Kate, 4 and 1/2 years old, draws a portrait of her sock monkey. Megan is impressed by the detail that she includes. She is quiet and studious here--very focused on her work.

Jon, almost 7 years old, shows me two of the Lego mini figs he created. He describes their faces, their hats, and their weapons. Each element has its own story--and Jon earnestly tells me everything. Everything.

Megan pushes Jon on the swing. I am still not flavor of the day and only mom's pushes are requested.

Kate eventually allows me to push her on the baby swings--because Meg can't lift her up and into the seat any longer. Here: a triumphant first ride down the big slide.

Kate starts from the bottom to
climb up the leaf step.
Jon comes from the top down
before going from the
ground up.

Megan and Anton in a rare, quiet moment together in Megan's office/studio. In a few days the family of 4 will become a family of 5.

Anton and Meg just as they are on their way out of the house to go to the birthing center. It is about 9 pm. Megan wanted to get there in plenty of time because she wanted to be able to use the hot tub before the baby came. I guess last time Kate came too quickly.

The morning after Gloria is born. She came home from the hospital wearing this outfit and stocking hat. From the very first, she spends more and more time just looking around--studying the images she can make out. Brent saw the photos I took of Meg and the baby and warned me to look out for signs of post-partum depression. I reminded him that she had just given birth a few hours earlier and that she was very tired--happy, but tired.

Born at 11:37 pm on December 12, I took this picture the next morning. Anton decided to use it in his announcement email to friends and family.
She is named Gloria Louisa Jane.

The first official family portrait. Jon is all smiles, Kate has to be persuaded to join the group. Only the fact that she wouldn't be in the photograph if she didn't sit on the couch got her to overcome her ambivalence at Gloria's arrival and sit next to Meg.

Kate holds her sister next.

Jon holds Gloria for the first time.

I'm afraid that Gloria is handed to Anton by default at this point. She has been home for a few days, everyone else is cooking supper, setting the table--getting ready for dinner to be served.
Gloria has her eyes wide--Meg calls it her "looking around time."

Christmas morning. Everyone is sorting through their stockings--Santa did a good job.

Jon got a new camera to do stop motion movies of his Legos and to take pictures of the things he considers interesting. Megan told him that it was a new tool for him to use in recording his work--for his Legos and for school.

Kate's big gift from Santa was a whole set of clothes just the right size for dressing up her "plushies"--Meg made them out of some of Kate's favorite clothes that she'd outgrown. The outfit that I saw her use the most had been made from a pair of black and white striped leggings.

When Kate's bear had the hat (with eyes and two small ears) that worked as a mask, a shirt and a pair of pants . . . he was transformed into a zebra. She, herself, has a black and white striped shirt and pants. Thus, when all the laundry was cleaned and put away, both Kate and her bear could be zebras together!

I didn't get a picture of it, but one of Kate's favorite games was to spread a small, knitted blue and white blanket (made by Aunt Lauren at Meg's request) on the floor--carefully straightening out the corners. Then she took a clothes basket, lined with a small quilt, and placed it in the center of the "water where people can swim or splash or just walk on the beach." She usually had her "zebra" bear with her on these voyages.

Another Christmas day treat.

Two things here: Santa (me) brought Kate some spiffy new panda headphones. For some reason, Kate has become very sensitive to the sound of other people chewing their food. Meg had gotten an adult sized pair of headphones to dampen the noise--but I found these on-line. Specifically designed for children with sensory issues--they made them kid-sized with spiffy bear or panda faces.

The other: Kate and Jon wanted to build a gingerbread house for Christmas--and then eat it. Meg found a kit at Trader Joes . . . hoping that it would be edible. It was fun to make, but tasted, ah, terrible. She had me pick up graham crackers, sprinkles and small candies at the store. I found some incredibly cute sprinkles in the shapes of green evergreen trees and red Christmas stockings. They were smaller than the candies, but big enough that they could be picked up one by one and placed individually to decorate cookies or a gingerbread house. From melted dark chocolate chips and cream, Meg made a ganache to hold the sides together and the roof on top--and as mortar to hold the decorations onto the graham cracker surface. Quick, Kate and Jon both to make their own, and delicious--Kate and Jon both devoured their creations a few minutes after finishing them.
Jon wouldn't let me take a picture of his creation--his grand plans did not turn out as he wanted. He didn't like how it looked, but he definitely liked how it tasted.

LESSON: Failure can still be delicious.

Kate and I as we set out for our afternoon together.

This is one of my favorite portraits of Jon. He has so much inside of him that he often doesn't know how to let it out ... except where Legos are concerned. His Lego creations are as unscripted as the rest of his life is exact. His favorite way to interact with me (and most other people I saw) was to bring his latest model, show it to me, take it apart and lay the pieces carefully and beautifully out on the floor, and then narrate as he reconstructed the model before your eyes. I was very much an audience for him ... as I suppose I also was for Kate.