A Year in Unpublished Pictures - 2011: Part 2

Part 2 saw us in 5 different living locations, 4 flights, 3 states, 1 wedding, and 1 graduation. There was much rejoicing and much turmoil. Here you will see more of the rejoicing. If you want to read about the turmoil, check out the post: Not the way I thought it would be.

July in California: 

We flew to California the day before Kaleia's 2nd birthday to take advantage of one last free flight. We joined Brian at Azusa Pacific University for his graduate exhibition and graduation. Nana flew with us, and Grandpa Gracey and Grandma and Grandpa Rush joined us later in the week. We managed to fit in birthday celebrations for Kaleia and Brian in the midst of frantic art show preparations. Make sure to click read more. 

Breakfast at SeaTac airport, on our way to join Brian in California. This is one of Maggie's favorite pictures. 

A Year in Unpublished Pictures - 2011: Part 1

2011 was filled with many Rushcapades. Much is missing from our blog archive - like all of May through August. So this year's unpublished picture list grew to more than just the one or two per month I like to keep it to. I decided we needed a three part installment. Part 1 - The Lead Up. Part 2 - Travels, or Insanity. Part 3 - Intro to China. There are many more pictures on our flickr site if you are interested. Hope you enjoy! Make sure to click Read More to see the whole post.

January: 

Sisters love each other. 

Brian goes to California for his last Jan term and begins the final stretch to graduation. 

Shannon has her first skype interviews for international school jobs.

California Adventures!

Last Thursday, the girls and I flew to California to visit Brian. The weekend happened to be the halfway point in our time apart, but we primarily went to celebrate his 30th birthday.

We stayed in Brian's APU housing which is a two bedroom modular home, i.e. "the mods." I didn't want Magnolia to think Papa had another home, so I explained to her that is was his hotel while he was at school. She loved staying in Papa's "Who-tel."

Brian got a lot less sleep with us early risers and his late school nights. But he loved having his girls around to read to him and "put him to sleep."

Luckily, our visit coincided with a few days of lighter school responsibilities. We walked around APU and enjoyed each other's company.

We took Brian out for Thai food and frozen yogurt on his birthday. Then the following night we had a potluck with friends from his program.

I brought in my suitcase a still-in-the-box snap-up kiddie pool and some sidewalk chalk. We spent hours trying to stay cool in the pool and filling the walkway with pictures. The families of a few of Brian's classmates joined us a couple of times and we all made new friends.

Sad to leave, Maggie and I filled Brian's porch with messages and pictures for him to remember us by.

While the flight to begin our trip was a breeze, the flight home was more of an adventure. It was a packed flight, which meant Kaleia couldn't have her own seat...which meant I was her jungle gym and restraint system. After wrangling her for an hour she also decided to blow out her diaper. Thankfully, I packed an extra change of clothes this time. The three of us -- Magnolia wanted to go potty too -- crammed into the phone-booth sized airplane bathroom. Luckily, it was equipped with a change table. Unluckily, we hit turblence as I was trying to keep squirmy Kaleia on the table without sliming me.

We survived and we're happy to be home, but we're definitely wishing Papa were here too.

Rush Family Vacation

Every summer Brian's parents invite their kids and families to join them for a week at one of their Worldmark timeshares. This summer the destination was San Diego. The trip coincided with the end of Brian's month at Azusa so we joined them for a few days.

Day 1: San Diego Zoo

We all really enjoyed the Zoo. There was plenty of shade to escape to and the park is designed so you never feel like you are in a huge crowd of people. The animals were really active, especially the Bonobos or Pygmy Chimpanzees. We happened to witness two Bonobos engage in foreplay and then copulate, to which my 7-year old nephew exclaimed, "I do not want to be a Bonobo!"

Day 2: UC San Diego Sculpture Park

After attending church near UC San Diego, we decide to head over to view the sculptures Brian had heard about from a guest speaker this summer. I thought I got a picture of Brian by the massive teddy bear sculpture, but for some reason it's not on my camera. You will have to visit UC San Diego's website to see it.

Day 3: Sea World

Sea World was a little harder with a 5 month old. There is hardly any shade and they don't let you take strollers into the exhibits that are indoors. Also, in contrast with the zoo, it was very crowded! We did get to see a couple of fun shows and one soaking ride. I got really sun burned, but we managed to keep Magnolia safe by using the handy-dandy nursing cover as a light weight sun cover.

Day 4: Oceanside

The next day we packed our car again and drove up the coast to Oceanside, CA for part 2 of the family vacation. We would only be there for one night, but I'm glad we went. Brian, Magnolia and I played on the beautiful beach and walked the pier in the afternoon. Then in the evening, the cousins went swimming. It was a very relaxing day!

Day 5: Alaska Fiasco

Magnolia and I were scheduled to fly back to Seattle at 2:40 pm. We got there plenty early and were pre-boarded with all the other families with young children. I was dreading that part, because Magnolia doesn't like to sit still. Usually once we are in the air the drone of the engine lulls her to sleep, but the boarding process is not pleasant. An hour into this wiggly time, the captain announced "Our plane is broken and we are all scratching our heads trying to figure out what is wrong." Not comforting. Another 30 minutes passed before they decided to de-board and rebook everyone, starting with the people that needed to make a connecting flight in Seattle (i.e. not us). Another mom flying solo and I hooked up, taking turns watching each other's stuff and passing the time. Eventually we were rebooked on a very full 7pm flight. As we were boarding the airline personnel that took my ticket said, "Now you get to fly on a Disney plane!" like that was some consolation. Overtired Magnolia did not want to sit still for this second boarding process. The wiggling continued most of the flight, partially due to our neighbor that kept shaking and folding her newspaper. Finally Maggie fell asleep as the pilot turned on the seat belt light for our landing. Exhausted we both slept most of the next day!

California Dreaming

Magnolia and I have spent the last few days at Azusa Pacific University reconnecting with Brian and meeting his school friends. It has been great to meet the people I've heard about the last two summers. I purchased the umbrella stroller pictured after we got here (Thanks Natalie for the idea!). It has been great. Since there is not much to do for a 5 month old we've been going on lots of walks and playing on a blanket in the shade while Brian's been in class. Don't let the outfit fool you. It has been quite hot here. The leggings, jacket and hat are sun protection! The three of us are off to San Diego for the Rush Family Summer Vacation. I'm not sure what the internet situation will be like where we are staying. So there might not be any posts for a few days. 

Happy 5 Month Birthiversary!

We're a couple days late in posting (Brian's papers took computer precedence - sheesh!) but we did celebrate on time. I didn't want our stay in APU campus housing to stop us from our cupcake tradition. It took some creativity but we managed.  Let's just put it this way: I now know that there are 48 teaspoons in a cup. 

When I started these monthly birthiversary pictures, I didn't think about how I was going to photograph my mobile baby with an increasing number of cupcakes without her wanting them. This month she nearly got them. 

Magnolia's weight growth slowed down a little this month -- 17.75 pounds -- perhaps due to her increase in activity. If you have been visiting the blog this month you already know that she has been doing A LOT of jumping and swimming. Add in rolling and this girl gets a pretty good daily workout. You've also probably seen that Magnolia was in fact teething as I wrote last month's update. I think that the top teeth might be working their way down now. 

We had a lot of Mother-Daughter bonding this month while Brian was away - learning songs and games, reading stories, and nearly sleepless nights. Her snuggles are more rare as she doesn't want to slow down long enough, but that makes them all the more precious. Her favorite game is peekaboo. It can almost always cure the "crabby patties" even if just for a moment. She continues to be a very happy baby, laughing easily (though sometimes it sounds fake), in spite of the chaos and numerous changes. All of this time together has led us to a new phase of mama attachment.  

Magnolia did not comply with Brian's wish for her to not change this month while he was away. When Maggie and I arrived in California, one of the first things Brian noticed was how much control she now has over her body. She easily picks  up and manipulates "toys," transferring them from hand to hand, inspecting every inch. She really enjoys scratching everything to see what sound it will make -- her favorite is canvas. Fabrics are fascinating. One night, she spent a really long time petting her Grandma Pat's silky bathrobe. Maggie isn't crawling yet, but she sure is trying. For awhile she was doing a version of the break dance move called the Worm, only she was on her back. She does a lot of rocking back and forth on her tummy. 

While Magnolia was working on her motor control this month, it seemed like her vocal development slowed. She did not produce many new sounds this month, but she did seem to become more sophisticated in her use of her vocal chords. Crying for attention and yelling when she couldn't have what she wanted were two new developments. They both caused a bit of parenting anxiety as I anticipate she will be an independent (and strong-willed?) little girl.

As for parenting developments, I started using sign language with her this month. They say it takes a few weeks before there is recognition and could be months before she uses a sign back to you. Though in my mind I am confident in the power of signing with your baby after seeing its effectiveness with others, but I still can't help but wonder and feel a bit foolish at times. 

Coming Next Month: Crawling? Baby-proofing our house. Sitting up on her own? Eating solid food. And--please, please, please--Sleeping through the Night???

Earthquake!

Just over 24 hours into our trip, while eating lunch with people from Brian's grad program, the LA area experienced an earthquake. Since Magnolia was born I have had several dreams where we are in the middle of a disaster (explosions, tsunamis, you know the usual ones) and I have to figure out how to keep her safe. Today, in real life, as the ground began to shift, Brian and I looked across the table at one another and then down at Magnolia with a unified look of "What do we do?" Maggie, still in her car seat, was quickly swept under the table. We joined her as the ground finished shaking. The news reported the epicenter was about 15 miles East of the restaurant and measured 5.4. We are all safe and the adrenaline helped us devour a little more of the 15 varieties of meat that were offered at the Brazilian BBQ buffet. 

Introducing...

No one, yet.

On Saturday, while I was finishing up my four day residency in California, Shannon started having pretty regular contractions. They started about 15 minutes apart but quickly increased to every 10 minutes.

Shannon called me to let me know what was going on but neither of us were too concerned since we've heard so many false-alarm stories. It seems like almost every mom has a story about getting sent home from the hospital because they were duped by Braxton Hicks contractions. We talked about whether or not I should head to the airport to catch an earlier flight, but since I was scheduled to fly in seven hours anyway and it would likely cost us a portion of Qwanesha's college fund, we decided to hold off unless the signs started pointing more emphatically to imminent delivery. I told Shannon to keep timing the contractions and call me back soon.

I hung up and immediately thought, "What are you thinking?! This could be the birth of your first child! Of course you should get on an earlier flight!" My classmates--especially the female ones, who were glowing and bubbling like it was their own child on the way--echoed that sentiment and we arranged for someone to drive me to the airport.

Shannon called back and reported that the contractions were now eight minutes apart and they weren't stopping even though she was staying active, which was one way we were taught to distinguish between false labor and real.

Everything went surprisingly well at the airport and I was on a flight within the hour at no extra charge.

The flight was unbearable.

I felt completely powerless. Stuck in a giant, air-conditioned Pringles can flying through a darkening California sky, cell phone rendered useless, not only could I not help or comfort my wife in what might be the most painful hours of her life, but I had absolutely no way of knowing what was happening. For all I knew Shannon could already be laid out in a hospital gown in travail, pushing our baby girl irrevocably into a strange and sometimes cruel world.

And I wasn't going to be there.

I did everything I could on the plane in case I got there in time. I reviewed and wrote down everything I had learned in our birth class: about first stage labor, and second, and what a coach can do. I mentally reviewed our birth plan and all our medical preferences. I made a list of items we would need to bring to the hospital in case Shan hadn't a chance to pack our bags. I made a list of people we would call.

And then, in case I didn't make it in time, I made myself very attentive to what it was like to be in Seat 31 F on Alaska Airlines flight 435 on Saturday, January 26, 2008. I described in my mind the transition of the twilight below me from watercolor peach and robin's egg blue to ashen cobalt and inky darkness. I described the relentless thrum of the turbine, which, on this plane, an MD-80, was attached beside me, not on the wing, but directly on the rear of the fuselage, making it's throbbing drone unusually loud--and oddly suitable as a soundtrack to my fatherly disquiet.

Upon landing I immediately called Shannon and she told me, to my great relief, that our little girl was still fully ensconced in her bulging belly. The contractions were at seven minutes now. You're supposed to go to the hospital when they get to intervals of five and I still had a two hour drive home from Seattle but I wasn't anxious any more. I was making progress and I had a working cell phone.

When I got home the contractions were still at seven minutes. We packed our bags and called the doctor to tell him what was going on and see if he had any advice. Given Shannon's description, he too thought she was in actual labor but told us to wait until the contractions got more frequent and stronger. So we went to bed, to prepare for the uterine marathon. And that's when the contractions pretty much stopped. Throughout the day, Shan had noted that whenever she sat down the contractions seemed weaker, but she thought maybe the position was just making it harder for her to feel them. Weird.

Anyway, it's been two days since and the practice contractions have gone back to being less regular (but sometimes stronger). We were disappointed at first that it wasn't the real thing since all that excitement built up our anticipation so much, but it's a good thing she didn't come yet. Now we can pack our bags and install our car seat and do all the other little undone things this false alarm made us so acutely aware of.

Vehicular Flamboyance

I didn't get a chance to leap into the air spastically, like Peewee, so my photo might seem a little lackluster. But try to ignore the lack of exuberance, and tell me, isn't my bike as cool, if not cooler, than his?