Turning Five, Part Two

(Part 1 is here. Part 1.5 is here.)  :)

At long last, I'm ready to finish the account of Tobin's fifth birthday.  If I sneak this in under the wire tonight, it will make it into Tobin's birth month at least!  :)

First, let me say that I always cringe a little when I take--and later, when I see--pictures from our birthday celebrations.  They always seem to occur at night, so rather than nature's beautiful light, we get man-made light which is not nearly as attractive...and usually the boys are so excited that they're hopping around (which is a good thing), but that makes for blurry pictures...and the table is messy and cluttered from the supper we've just eaten (or, for some of us who are slow eaters, are still in the process of eating).  But, even if these moments are not exactly picture-perfect, they are precious; and there's no way in the world I would be content without making an attempt to record these celebrations!  So, I cringe, but I take the pictures anyway.  :)

Second, for memory's sake, I'll list what we gave Tobin for his big day:
~ a pair of spinning toys that are supposed to fly up in the air when you pull the string (which, sadly, broke immediately),  :(
~ a Cars (the movie) set of pencils/little notebooks/eraser/pencil sharpener/folder, etc.
~ a big set of perler beads and some new pegboards (Tobin really enjoys making designs with these; he shows amazing patience for a new five-year-old as he does such intricate work!)
~ a Curious George sticker and coloring book
~ a Star Wars watch
~ an I Spy puzzle
~ a Spiderman musical card (the boys LOVE those musical cards!).

Grandma Fisher sent him some money, and my parents gave him the new VeggieTales movie, The League of Incredible Vegetables (suggested by me because I knew how much that gift would delight him).  ;-)

Third, some pictures...  :)

 David was so excited by all of this that he wanted to be right there in the thick of it, too.  Tobin didn't seem to mind; and honestly, I think it's so neat how the brothers love to share each other's joy.

 The brothers on the other side of the table had to stand up (Shav is standing on his booster seat) to see the gifts.  :)

 Josiah and David were so surprised that Grandma and Grandpa gave this movie to Tobin.  Here Josiah is turning to Grandpa to say something like, "How did you know about that movie??"  ;-)

 Josiah was reading Grandma & Grandpa's card to Tobin.

Then it was time for cake...

 ...the yummy chocolate cake that Tobin helped me make during the afternoon of his birthday.

 Not only did he help me make it, he also took charge of the decorating, putting on plastic trees and gummy dinosaurs until he was satisfied with how it looked.  :)

Then he blew out the candle, and we happily ate the cake.  Yum.  :)

**********

Birthdays always make me extra reflective, and I like to spend a little time trying to capture in words just who these little people are when their big days roll around.  I remember when David was around five years old, I would sometimes just look at him and think, "Who are you?  What goes on inside your head?  What makes you tick?  What is your place, your role in this family?  Who are you???"  :)  Recently I've done that with Tobin, and here are a few things I've noticed--some silly, some more significant.

Tobin has a habit of adding a syllable to words whenever he can.  Apparently his philosophy is, "If a one-syllable word is good, a two-syllable one must be better!"  So "hill" turns into "he-ill," "jumped" is pronounced as two distinct syllables "jump-ed," etc.  This happens A LOT when he says a plural word:
coughs = cough-es
puffs = puff-es
forks = fork-es
knives = knife-es
He sounds at times like he stepped straight out of the pages of the King James Bible or a play of Shakespeare's!!  :)

He has other words that he mispronounces, and so far I haven't made a big effort to correct him.  Maybe because I think it's cute?  :)  Maybe because I realize that most likely, he'll outgrow these words.  I wish I could remember more of them, but one that pops into my head right away is how he says potatoes.  It's "topatoes."  :)

Here's one that he used to say but doesn't anymore, but the memory of it makes me smile.  "What day is it outside?"  I quickly figured out that when he asked that, he was simply trying to figure out what day it was; but he didn't realize that inside or outside made no difference.  It was the same day either way!  :)

Another thing he used to say:  "Watch me the whole time!"  That one often convicted me because I realized that he could tell immediately when my attention drifted away from him when he was trying to show me something.  Ouch!

A phrase that he still says sometimes--and I've even noticed Shav saying it, too--is "or whatever."  He'll tack that onto the end of all kinds of sentences, and the thing is, I know where he got it from.  From me.  I wish he only imitated my good habits, but no, it doesn't work that way, does it?  :)

He still calls Shav "Shod" and tries to be Shav's leader almost all the time.  On the one hand, Tobin actually does a really good job of looking out for Shav, even helping him sometimes before I ask him to.  On the other hand, I do intervene sometimes so that Shav can make up his own mind about things and not feel like he always has to follow in Tobin's footsteps or do what Tobin tells him to do.  :)

Tobin is gifted with a naturally loud voice.  I'm not sure if that means he'll be a preacher or an opera singer or what.  :)  But he certainly knows how to make himself heard.  I remember that, when he was just a little guy and got excited, he would erupt with a loud "YAY!"  He still manages to surprise me from time to time with his loud exclamations.  :)

During the year he was four, I noticed that he had far fewer tantrums than he had during his toddler years.  Back in those days, he would actually rebel against a choice that I knew he really liked!  (i. e. "Tobin, do you want some peach juice?"  "NO, I don't!!")  That's how keen he was on asserting his independence. Nowadays, that independent streak has calmed slightly; but I tell ya, sometimes I still find myself expecting him to come back with an argument against whatever I happened to just say.  When I hear him calmly and happily say, "OK," instead of arguing, I rejoice and marvel at his maturity.  :)

One thing I definitely did with Tobin was to give him a choice when he was grumpy.  For example, "Tobin, do you want to brush your teeth or get your pajamas on first?"  Since it seemed like he really craved a feeling of control, I figured that giving him a choice of two options, knowing that I was happy with either, would help to keep the boat from rocking too much.  :)

Like most (all?) toddlers and preschoolers, Tobin went through a phase of being "Mr. Opposite."  For example, I remember Shav calling Tobin "Tobin" sometimes, and Tobin would say, "No!  Tobin Bear!"  So then Shav would call him "Tobin Bear," but Tobin would exclaim, "No! Tobin!"  *sigh*  Mr. Opposite is not exactly the most rational person one could ever hope to meet.  :)

It used to be that Tobin didn't like rice, but now he eats it fine.  He's still not too excited about raisins and nuts, but he'll eat one or two.  In general, he's a pretty adventurous eater and seems to be inheriting his daddy's tastebuds.  Tobin has been known to share Jeff's never-ending salsa bowl--and that thing is S-P-I-C-Y.  I think Tobin can eat hotter stuff than I can already.  :)  What Tobin REALLY loves to eat, however, is anything that is on somebody else's plate.  And he's not shy about asking you to share something with him if it looks good to him.  :)

Tobin still sucks his thumb.  At one point, quite a while ago, we made an effort to help him to break that habit, but honestly it was a half-hearted effort.  Tobin does have an overbite, and I'm sure that his thumb-sucking has contributed to that.  But then I wonder how much of that he might have had anyway.  Who knows?  When we sort of tried to help him stop, it became obvious pretty quickly that it was not going to be a really easy process, and we looked at each other and said, "The damage to his bite/teeth is most likely done already.  Why push this issue with him right now?  Let's wait a while."  We're still waiting...  :)

Tobin loves to play with his brothers, and he's not afraid to chase them or tackle them or wrestle with them or anything like that.  He doesn't let his smaller size keep him from going after Josiah and David.  Most often Shav joins in, too, and then...  What a commotion as the four of them act like a pack of little lion cubs!  :)

Tobin likes watching movies, he laughs at Scooby Doo, he totally enjoys doing Starfall.com, he asks me if we can please do his school book, he wants to pour the milk by himself, he puts away the plastic dishes from the dishwasher, he LOVES the job of feeding the animals, he wants to take a gymnastics class like David.  He is growing up.  :)  These days he says he wants to be a cowboy when he grows up.  I say he'd be a good one.  He certainly has a deep love for animals.

And not just for animals either.  Tobin is so affectionate with people and hardly lets anyone out of the house without giving them a goodbye hug.  In the evenings when my parents get ready to go down the hill to their house, it's not uncommon for Tobin to call out, "I want to give you a hug!"  And then he'll look around and see where Shav is and make sure that Shav gets to give them a hug, too.  Tonight as I was getting Moriah ready for bed, Tobin said, "Make sure you bring her to me so I can give her a hug before she goes to bed!" :)

Tobin, you are a treasure.  I am immensely grateful for the past five years with you, and I marvel at the person you're becoming.  I'm so glad God let me be your mommy!!!  :)

Didn't Learn Much...

...but here's what I know.

I hope to blog more later today, but for those who are wondering how my appointment with Dr. A. went this morning, here's a little snippet.  I posted this on Facebook, but I'll go ahead and include it here, too.

Just got home from the doctor who gave me the report of the ultrasound and biopsy of my thyroid. The result? INCONCLUSIVE. Seriously?? All this build-up, and now you're telling me we don't actually know anything? Yep. Apparently not enough cells (or something) were retrieved during the biopsy to be absolutely sure about whether there was cancer or not. So...we wait. The recommendation is for another ultrasound in 6 months. Fine, no problem. Jeff and I have felt all along that everything was almost certainly normal, so honestly I'm not upset at this report. Like my neighbor who has gone through this exact thing said, "I'm just going to live my life and not let this rule it." Amen to that! I did find out today that although when they felt the nodule, they estimated it to be 2 centimeters, the ultrasound showed that it's actually 3. That was about the most exciting part of the appointment. Other than that, much ado about nothing. :)

Today I'm grateful for "nothing."  :)

2 Boys + 1 Camera = Fun & Surprises!

I sat down this evening, thinking that I had plenty of time to write a nice long blog post about the rest of Tobin's birthday (since I've only gotten to part one and part one & a half in the story).  :)  But then I got busy with another oh-so-fun task: creating a new header and blog design for the month of February.  Like it always does, that took quite a while; but it was a joy to do it, so I don't regret the time.  I do, however, realize that I'd better get some sleep tonight before the morning comes--and with it, my appointment with Dr. A. to hear the results of my thyroid ultrasound and biopsy from last week.  Tomorrow is an important day!

Because of all of that, tonight I'm just going to post something that's been in my drafts folder for who-knows-how-long.  Maybe tomorrow I'll actually get to finish the post about Tobin's birthday!  :)

**********

Once in a while, David (or less often, Josiah) will ask to borrow our old camera so he can take some pictures.  And once in a while, even if he doesn't ask, I'll suggest it when I know some fresh entertainment needs to be produced pronto.  I've encouraged both Josiah and David to take pictures of whatever catches their attention, and they've taken me at my word.  They usually take LOTS of pictures, and I never know what will turn up.  Almost always, I end up laughing a little when I download the pictures later and catch a glimpse of their world, through the lens of a camera.  :)

These are some of the images that have stood out to me (and unfortunately, I don't remember who took which pictures, but I am certain that these were all taken by either Josiah or David--also, these are all straight out of camera, no editing at all):

~ looking up at the light above our kitchen sink, with our pineapple decoration visible

~ when I first caught a split-second glimpse of this picture, I wondered why Tobin was upside down...then I realized what I was looking at:  our dish drainer, with Tobin's mug (with a picture of himself on it) turned upside down to dry...I still think it's funny to see his smile peeking out through the bars of the drainer  :)

~ the view from our front window...I especially like the silhouette of part of the rocking chair, and the framing provided by the two side windows

~ looking west toward the neighbor's house (on a much sunnier, dryer, warmer, greener day than today has been!)

~ because of the poultry trucks that regularly go past our house carrying chickens and turkeys, we often get white feathers like these in our yard

~ last but not least (well, OK, maybe it is least), :)  dog food in the old trough in the pasture, as seen through the fence

It may seem silly, but even such a simple thing as handing the camera off to my boys--and then looking at the images they've captured--helps me to see life through their eyes a little better than I normally do.  And that, although very important, is not such a simple task!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday {Who Needs Toys...}

...when you've got a box of clementines to play with instead?  :)

I Haven't Mentioned It for a While, But...

...I sure am glad we have Jed.

So very glad.  :)

Winter Olympics, Fisher-Style

I am not always a fun mom.

For all the times when I get a creative thought and decide to eschew the ever-present to-do list in favor of making a special memory with my children, there are even more times when I can't see past the end of my duty-calls-so-let-me-head-to-the-laundry-room-again nose and I miss opportunities for fun.  I'm not saying laundry's not important, or that I should be playing with my kids all day long every day.  But I am admitting that I get stuck in ruts, and ruts after a while get boring; but once in a while I get inspired to jump out of those ruts and do something different that puts a smile on my boys' faces.

Like two days ago...

What's a mom of four active boys to do when the weather has been so cold that playing outside is nearly impossible, but afternoon quiet time is over and several more hours need to pass before supper and the boys are going to ask if they can watch a movie but they've been watching too many recently anyway and she's desperate for another way for them to happily pass the time?

Play Winter Olympics!  :)

During quiet time, I got the idea to get a whiteboard and list five "events" on it: a marathon or 1/2 marathon (26 or 13 laps around our kitchen/living room), a crab crawl (not sure how to describe this succinctly, but maybe you already know what I mean?), a line jump (hopping back and forth across a line on the floor...great leg exercise), archery (with a a cross-bow with soft-tipped arrows shooting at couch cushions), and an egg & spoon race (except being a mom who likes to have fun but DOESN'T want to make the floor any dirtier than it already was, I substituted small balls for eggs).  :)

When the boys came downstairs, I explained the rules:

* This was not a timed competition.  Prizes were given for participation, not who finished first.

* Good attitudes, cooperation, etc. were essential.  When one person finished an activity, he was expected to wait and cheer on the rest before going on to the next thing.

* For Tobin and Shav, certain activities could be modified as needed.  For example, Shav didn't need to even do 13 laps in the marathon event.

* And most excitingly, at the end of each event, all who participated would be given a prize of 3 M&Ms each, with a total of 15 given for those who participated in all of them.

Let the Games begin!  :)

For the most part, it all went really, really well.  I did need to supervise a little and instruct people to get out of each other's way during the crab crawl or remind everyone that it was really OK that Tobin and Shav weren't doing a full marathon, etc.  ;-)  But for the most part, they kept great attitudes and--best part--it was a lot of fun.  We got to laugh ourselves silly sometimes, especially during the crab crawl and ball & spoon race.  Speaking of which...

I didn't take a lot of pictures since I really just wanted to be in the moment and enjoy the time with my boys, but I did pull out the camera during the ball & spoon race.  I let Shav and Tobin have bigger spoons and bigger, easier-to-carry balls to make it more enjoyable for them; but all of them were able to do it without too much trouble.  Of course, the balls rolled off their spoons sometimes, which only added to the laughter.  It reminded me of this day nearly five years ago when another egg & spoon race was played.  :)

My beloved Olympians...  :)

At one point in the afternoon, Josiah turned to me, flashed his sweet smile, and said, "Thanks, Mom, for doing this."

At that moment, I felt like I had just won a gold medal.  :)

An "Awww" Moment

"Can I sleep in Tobin and Shav's room tonight?" David asked me two nights ago.

 I thought for a moment, then said, "I guess so.  But remember, if you all argue, I'll have to separate you."

 "OK, we won't argue!"  Three voices were quick to reassure me, as they rushed off to get their new Christmas Eve sleeping bags so they could all sleep on the floor together.

 And they didn't.  In fact, they got along superbly well; and even though I heard their voices talking softly for quite a while after their official goodnight, I saw no reason to intervene and tell them to be quiet.  The thought of them having fun together with their brothers--their best buddies--made my heart smile...as did the sight of them when I tiptoed in later to check on them.  As David reported to me the next morning, they "read a lot of books"; and indeed, there were books strewn all around--and under--their sleeping bags.  And even a couple still in their arms.  :)

 The Christmas lights which still frame their window (and likely will until spring comes and we start opening windows again) cast a soft light over their peaceful, sleeping faces; and my heart whispered, "Precious."

Awwwwwwwww.........  :)

Random Thoughts While Mopping a Kitchen Floor

I mopped the floor a few days ago; and while I did it, I thought...

~ How long has it been since I mopped this floor anyway?

~ Does the fact that I can't even remember the last time mean that it's been a REALLY long time ago, or is it possible that I did it more recently and just sort of forgot about it?  ;-)

~ If my Facebook friends knew how long ago I last mopped this floor, would they all suddenly unfriend me? ;-)

~ Thank You, God, that when my parents were choosing the tile for this floor, they didn't choose white or another light color!  These darker shades in the tile work so much better at concealing dirt.  What would I have done if they had chosen white???  ;-)

~ Hmmm...so that dark streak that I thought was part of the tile?  It wasn't.  It just disappeared when I mopped over it.  Interesting.

~ I don't know what kind of scientific reaction happens; but some of these food particles, when allowed to rest on this tile floor, have mysteriously turned into a type of cement.  They are NOT coming off!  Where's my jackhammer when I need it?  ;-)

~ Whew, this is quite a workout.  My heart rate is elevated, arms are pumpin' some iron (is there iron in my mop?), legs are doin' some lunges, abdomen is holdin' it all together.  I'm gonna lose weight today, for sure!  ;-)

~ Ouch!  I'm not as young as I used to be.  Oh, my aching back.  I'd better take a break.

~ If I mopped more often, it sure wouldn't be this difficult or take this long.  I'll get right on that...

~ When this floor gets mopped next week, I am not going to be the one to do it.  I'll give one of my boys the job, and they'll think it's great fun to get to splash around with a bucket of water and a mop on this floor!

~ Maybe I should jot down all these thoughts and turn this into a blog post.  It might make someone out there smile.  Either that, or make them pat themselves on the back because they would never be so lax about mopping their kitchen floor.  One or the other.  :)

If I Were a Sensationalist {The Thyroid Report}

If I were a sensationalist, I would begin this post with the following attention-grabbing headline:

Liberace's Cousin Stabbed Me in the Neck Six Times

And it would be true.  :)

On the other hand, I could calmly say it this way:

I went to the hospital today for the ultrasound and biopsy of my thyroid.

And that is also true.  :)

I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 6:45 this morning, which is way earlier than I normally get out of bed.  As a result, I didn't sleep very soundly.  You know how it is: when you know you have to get up earlier than usual the next day, even if you have an alarm set, you still sleep lightly--waking often to check the clock and see what time it is, wondering if the alarm clock will really go off when it should, hoping that you haven't already overslept and missed your appointment.  It's crazy.

When the time really did come for me to get up, I was so warm and snug in my nest of flannel sheets and cozy blankets that I just did not want to get out of bed; but since I couldn't figure out a way to avoid the inevitable, I finally got up and quickly got ready.  It's been COLD here recently, and it even snowed during the night, but there wasn't very much on the ground and the main road was clear and besides, Jeff was driving, so there was nothing to worry about.  After our next-door-neighbor arrived to stay with the kids, we headed out.

Looking back, I was glad to have such an early appointment.  It was fairly peaceful to be driving to the hospital in the dark with not as many people out and about as normally are during daylight hours.  Plus, I knew that back at home, the kids would all likely still be sleeping, thus making it as easy as pie for our babysitter to care for all five of them.

Our town built a new hospital within the past couple of years, and they did a good job of it.  Where once was a farmer's field now stands a medical complex that is thriving.  Of course, the buildings by themselves are worthless; it's really the people that make it special, and I was so impressed today by how each of the medical personnel I encountered were quick to explain to me what was going on and what I could expect.  Because this procedure was brand new for me, I truly appreciated their thoughtfulness in taking the time to verbalize to me what must undoubtedly be second-nature for them.

We didn't have to wait very long before I was taken back and the preliminary stuff done: blood pressure, temperature, etc.  Then an ultrasound technician came to get me and took me into the room to do a preliminary scan of my thyroid.  Even though the nodule is on my left thyroid, she checked the right side as well but spent more time on the left.  She worked quickly and (from what I could tell) efficiently and thoroughly.  As a matter of fact, she worked almost as quickly as she talked.  ;-)  Let's just say that I know more about her now than I ever expected to know.  :)

After she finished her scan, she took me back to another room where I waited with Jeff, then after a little while, it was time for The Real Deal.  Jeff went off to the waiting room to drink coffee (and try to stay awake?), and I was taken back to the ultrasound room where I waited to meet the radiologist who would do the biopsy.  And we began.

One needle prick to numb the area...I felt it, but it wasn't bad at all.

Another needle prick (to test whether it was really numb, I guess?)...didn't feel it.

Then the biopsy itself started.  I was told that it was normal to have to do it two to four times to make sure that enough of the right fluid or cells or something was drawn out.  After the doctor used the needle to get some, he took it over to a pathologist (Dr. Bannister) who looked at it under the microscope and determined whether another take was needed.

Four times that happened.  Four times of feeling a funny sensation of pressure/scraping/pulling inside my throat...but no pain.  Four times of trying (sometimes in vain) not to swallow because when I swallowed, my thyroid became a moving target for the doctor to hit.  :)  Four times of being so eager for the needle to be withdrawn...and feeling such relief when it was (so I could swallow freely).

As he did the biopsy, he was guided by the ultrasound; and when it was all over, Jeff asked me, "Did you get to watch the ultrasound?  Did you get to see the needle in your throat?"  Fortunately, I did not.  :)  The screen was to my right, behind my line of vision, which was just fine with me.  Because my granddad and my dad and my uncle all chose medicine as their profession, I had once, in my youth, considered becoming a doctor.  Now I realize how unrealistic that thought was.  I suppose if I could have become the kind of doctor that gives out band-aids and kisses boo-boos, I might have been a good one.  ;-)

Then it was over.  The talkative ultrasound tech took me back to the room (partitioned-off area, actually) where I had started, and a nurse gave me an ice pack to put on my neck to keep down the swelling at the biopsy site.  She also--thankfully--gave me some ginger ale and some crackers because, having been instructed not to eat or drink anything that morning, I was h-u-n-g-r-y.  Jeff rejoined me there, and we had to wait a while (to make sure I didn't suddenly keel over?) before they let us go.  We walked out into bright sunshine, beautiful blue skies...and snow flurries on the way home.  (Where does the snow come from when all you can see is blue sky above your head?)

Oh, I left out one part of the story: the Liberace part.  When the doctor who did the biopsy entered the room, he extended his hand in greeting and told me his name.  I forgot it instantly.  But later during the procedure, during the pauses when we were waiting to hear from Dr. Bannister if he had enough "stuff" or if another jab into my throat was necessary, the doctor brought up his last name again.  It was Liberace.  If he had pronounced it like the Liberace pronounced his, I would have remembered it.  But instead, his family pronounces it something like "libber-ace" with the last syllable rhyming with "space."  Dr. Liberace went on, however, to say that he is related to the famous Liberace; as a matter of fact, that Liberace is essentially his third cousin (or his first cousin, twice removed...or something like that).  I felt like a dusting of fame fell over me when I heard that the doctor putting a needle into my throat was related to such a well-known pianist!  :)

Do you see now why this headline is true?

Liberace's Cousin Stabbed Me in the Neck Six Times

:)

To finish the story, let me just say two things.  First, I was so tired when I got home that after I put Moriah in bed for her morning nap, I laid down for one, too.  The boys watched VeggieTales and were happy as clams...and so was I.  :)  When I woke up from my nap, my neck was stiff and sore, caused not only by the biopsy itself but also just as much, I'm sure, by me having to hold it still in kind of an awkward extended position while they did the procedure.  It didn't take too long for the stiffness to work itself out though; and although I have a bruised spot on my neck now, it's not a big deal.

Second, I'm breathing a sigh of relief tonight that this stop on the path to discovering what's going on with my thyroid is behind me; but as you can imagine, I'm eager to find out the results of the tests today.  I'm going to have to put on an extra garment of patience, however, because I won't find out anything until next Thursday when I have another appointment with Dr. A.  Until then, I'll take one day at a time, striving to enjoy each one to the fullest, and walking in patience and peace.

Seven days is not that long of a time to wait, is it?  :)

~ By the way, if you'd like a more spiritual perspective on the morning's events, check out Jeff's blog and the post he wrote today about his reflections while he was waiting for me.  :)

Nine Months Out

Nine months is a special milestone.

When a baby reaches it, I can't help but marvel that approximately the same amount of time has passed that the baby spent in the womb.  In one span of nine months, she grows from just a couple of cells into a ready-to-meet-the-world 8-pound baby; and in the next nine months, she grows from that into this!  :)

She's such a little person now with habits and traits that already make her uniquely Moriah.  Like how she likes to suck on two fingers of her left hand...

...and then...oh, dear...

...stick her pointer finger up her nose!  (It's the classic Moriah pose these days, so I had to include a picture.) :)

Silly girl!  Don't you know it's not polite to do that?!  ;-)

So, who is this nine-month-old sweet bundle of joy?

Well, for one thing, she's still not very mobile.  She can roll from front to back and back to front (and has done that for months), but she doesn't utilize that skill to roll all over the place on the floor to get from one spot to another.  She consistently starts to get up into the classic crawling position on hands and feet, but doesn't stay in the position for long before kind of collapsing onto her tummy.  She does, however, sort of slip and slide and move...but only backwards.  :)  If something is out of reach in front of her, she has to decide to get interested in something else, because stuff in front = unattainable.  She has, however, been known to slide backwards so much that she sort of disappears under the playpen, except for her head that looks out with an inquiring expression to see if anyone will come along and rescue her.  :)

She is on the verge of sitting up on her own, but I don't believe she's accomplished it yet.  If I set her down in a sitting position, she does well with it; and if, after a while, she starts to lose her balance, she knows how to very gracefully fall so that she doesn't get hurt.  I should mention that I almost always set her down with her back against the couch or something like that, so that she can't suddenly lurch backwards and have a hard fall.  If she does topple over, it's a slow-motion descent to one side or the other.

She very much enjoys sitting up by a basket of toys or a box of big, chunky blocks that she can pick up and hold and mouth and bang around.  One thing she got a kick out of recently, when I was working in the kitchen, was sitting in a corner of the kitchen and playing with a new box full of clementines that Jeff had just gotten.  :)

Her favorite playtimes are sitting up beside objects like I just described or standing in the farm toy.  If someone--especially one or more of the boys--are close by, that's even better.  :)

One activity she no longer does is spend time in her swing.  As a matter of fact, we took the swing out of the living room in the early part of December so we could put our Christmas tree in that spot.  For a little while after that, the swing was in our upstairs hallway, and Moriah still spent some time in it; but really it was in the way.  And besides, Moriah was big enough to enjoy other activities and didn't need the swing, so into my parents' basement it went.  Would you call me silly if I said I was a little sad about that?  ;-)

Moriah has reached the stage of having a little separation anxiety when I pass her off to someone else.  Whether it be someone in the church nursery or a family member on the couch after supper, she has been known to make her preference known: she wants me.  :)  So far at church, if she fusses when I take her into the nursery, she stops very quickly after I leave.  The more experience I get as a mom, the more I realize that it's true: time does pass so quickly, this stage will be over before I know it, and I need to treasure each day and not chafe at the restrictions upon me.  So I treasure them, and I don't mind holding Moriah when she wants to be held.  Don't mind it at all.   :)

Moriah is still toothless.  (I can't type that without thinking of the dragon from the movie How to Train Your Dragon.)  ;-)  Every so often, I feel her gums to see if maybe I've missed something and a tooth has begun to poke through, but no, nothing yet.  I've had a child (Shav) get teeth as early as 4 months and another child (David) get them as late as 13 and a half months, so I'm not worried at all about Moriah.  She'll get them when she gets them.  :)

Moriah has had pumped milk in a bottle a few times, but I haven't done much pumping this time around.  I did, however, get a sippy cup for her--one of those with the really soft, easy-to-suck nipples that makes the transition from bottle (or breast) to cup so smooth.  She did great with that from the get-go and drinks some water from that every day.  I plan (realizing that plans can change) to wean her when she's a year, and she'll be able to go straight to drinking cow's milk from a sippy cup at that point.

 As far as food goes, she definitely had a very short baby-food stage.  She was quick to learn to finger feed and was also quick to enjoy multi-textured food, to my surprise.  I remember well one evening when I got out the baby food grinder to mash up some green beans for her, and she turned up her nose at them.  When I put little pieces of green beans on her tray for her to pick up and eat, she gobbled them up.  ;-)  I can't even make a list of what all she's eaten because it's so many different things, but here are some things I remember: rice cereal, baby oatmeal, some baby food (sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.), chunks of bananas, green beans, peaches, black beans, cheese, black and green olives, graham crackers, baby food puffs, cheerios, fruit & grain bars, yogurt, applesauce, etc...plus, little bites of whatever we're having (curried lentils and rice, macaroni and cheese, potato soup, spaghetti, whatever).  She loves big people food, and I'm so grateful for her good appetite!  :)  I meant to weigh and measure her and forgot (of course); but the last time I checked, she was up to about 15 and a half pounds (from 14 and a half at 8 months), which is very reassuring to me after my earlier concern about her lack of weight gain.  I sure am glad I didn't worry about it back then!  ;-)

One of my favorite things to do with Moriah these days is hold her in my arms while I'm singing her lullaby ("A Mother's Prayer"--the Celine Dion version) to her before I tuck her in bed for a nap or at night.  We stand in her room by the wind chimes, and I let her touch them and make them sound.  Often she reaches out tentatively and looks at me while she reaches, as if to ask, "Are you sure it's OK for me to do this?"  :)  Then when she brushes against them and the sound rings out, her eyes light up with sweet, beautiful joy.  It is a precious time.

She is a precious girl!  :)