christmas 2008 and new year's 2009

well...this is quite the zolani-fest. i do apologize for the seemingly random placement of these photos. you have no idea how much time i spent trying to get them in the "correct" spot. i never succeeded. ah well. hope you enjoy our little man's latest adventures...

 

 i love "wi-wie"

  d-d has no idea how                much she loves me..

on our way to christmas '08. 

i'm so cute!

                   

hi, grams! 

my goodness. ouma and don's 

house is so much fun! look at 

all the cars! 

oh, how i love to read.

books, books, more books!

SHOES!

z had so much fun on new year's eve with ivy and annika. 

z and annika were up quite late and thrilled to be hanging out together! 

      

chillin' with dadu...

i tried my best to get a photo up of dan and me - but i only got frustration.... sorry! 

that's where we're at matilda

we sat in a small circle of chairs..waiting for tim..mom kept wondering where he was..traffic was crazy from philly & im sure from the d.c. direction too..we talked about rainbows & we sat & ate sandwiches that dad had prepared for us..i dont think i can recall what flavor mine was..i stole some celery from mom..ron & sues went for candybars & mom demolished a snickers..tim arrived & while we talked he too had a bite to eat..

then we went to see the mr & mrs graves..mamie is @ hopkins recovering from a heart procedure & doing well..it was sweet to visit with them as they're quite special older folks..i think each of us was glad for the moments we had to share with them..they have meant alot to many people over the years & very much so to my mom & dad during their time at hopkins..

it soon came time for our visit with dr rudin..
before i continue, i must say that he is one superb doctor..the respect he has for my mom, her wishes & our family is & has been amazing..it is encouraging to know that he treats all of his patients with the same kindness that he has our family..one amazing doctor & staff.

once again we sat in a small circle of chairs..quiet..waiting..dr rudin sat down with us and shared that the news was not so good..more spots in the lungs, more in the bones..mom just simply asks to go home..
she knows.
she understands.
she says - when you get to this point in the road - "that's where we're at matilda."

dad just called to say that the ride home was calm..he & mom were sitting together, talking about the day..

im going to the roof.

im going to watch the sunset with them...

how good to be a mama..

yesterday was my first official mother's day, and i have to admit that i don't mind celebrating a day entirely dedicated to me! daniel treated me incredibly well...woke up with zolani at who knows what time...brought me coffee in bed after walking around the neighborhood searching for a store that was open at 7.30AM to buy milk...cooked me lunch AND dinner - both delightfully delicious...gave me both store-bought and home-grown flowers...the list goes on. i was quite impressed. 

best of all, we were able to celebrate mother's day with grandma sally and pappy d on saturday - about time we saw them! zolani fell in love with them (and their toys..) all over again. 

i will say...i think that one day of rest is well-deserved after the other 364 days of hard labor! and now it's back to the grind...

bleach...lots of bleach...

The update...

We have all been bitten by Daniel's spider, but thankfully we now know what the problem is and take constant steps to kick the spider out of our home. That being said, we are all on antibiotics for the next week and rubbing ointment up our nose to kill the queen bees that live there. I spend my days bleaching the kitchen and the bathroom...kitchen... bathroom..kitchen... and washing our laundry in hot, hot water. It is quite a challenge for our family - as we tend to shy away from harsh cleaning products and using the dryer in general. But we want to get this little bugger out of our lives for good, so we do what is necessary. 

All wounds are in the healing process, and hopefully no more will appear. 

Now I better understand those mothers who constantly clean and disinfect their children - at restaurants, at parks, in the homes of their friends... You never know what lurks in the most unexpected places. We fight against becoming obsessive...

Zolani is a champion. He has become a bit more clingy (can you believe it?!?) and a bit crankier at times, but overall he still shines as our joyful little nine month old. We can't get him to sit still, and I predict that walking is in the near future. Oh boy... 

We are most anxious to get rid of this bug. We want to see the family more than anything at this time...it has been too long already...

a note from 48th & hazel, west phila.

sometimes, we just want to sit & read about someone else's life..pop in, see what's up..we feel this need to look into the everyday moments of other people's lives..live vicariously you might say..not nosy, nor intrusive..just curious to see how another person is doing, where they traveled to, a new idea they may have, what the kids are up to & well, just about anything else you could think of..sometimes though, we need to pick up the phone & say hello..
so here is the rundown of what's happenin' in west philly...
its spring!..it was really nice driving home tonight..the leaves on the trees are really starting to come in, giving this lush new green feeling to the entire neighborhood..
kate made a taco salad for supper & i added the lettuce and cilantro from our new roof-top garden..zolani is doing really well- 22 pounds!..experimenting with various solid foods but he still likes snuggling with his momma!..kate is busy with her editing & tutoring & as the sun shines more each day, my phone is ringing more often..slowly but surely, 4815 is taking decent shape & mom - you would be proud..we are having a porch/yard sale next saturday and im finally selling part of my 'collection'!!..but the basement may tell another tale, ive been working on turning it into a studio for my work & can see it becoming a nice space, but thats where the last stronghold of 'stuff' can be found..
oh yeah, delia.. right at the moment, she's grounded. yeah..i do.. i ground my dog..banished to her bed..
here's the story..
i had a long day on monday..left for harrisburg early and got home late..kate had text me saying that a 'delightful surprise' waited for me when i got home..said she was going out for a walk..while she was gone, delia ate an entire plate of freshly cooked brownies!..& they were for me!..& the icing on the cake was that kate only went out for a walk to pick flowers to put on top of the brownies! ahhhhhhhhhhh!..
we love this dog..she's awesome with zolani & she's a generally a really good dog..freaky sometimes..has staring contests that she wins often...but eating all of my brownies?