Hibernate Blog

“Dad, is it tomorrow yet?” Nathan asked Ben last night as he meandered to bed. He’s been very excited to give me his Mother’s Day card – a large piece of cardboard cut out of a box, carefully decorated with markers, glitter, popsicle sticks, glue and a galloon of pure love.  “I made it all by mine self mommy!” It is beautiful, perfect, and I’ll keep it forever.

Being Mother’s Day, this afternoon I planned on taking a few child-free hours to catch up on work and write about the weekend in NYC with my daughter. On the train home I thought of the highlights and lowlights, notable moments, ideas to convey. I love it when a little story comes together and it posts out into the world. It’s a creative outlet and nothing more than a little soul-food for a girl.

But alas, what is a blog post without a photo? Not very readable if you ask me. Words but no image for flavor. It began this morning…”Sara, where’s the camera?” “I don’t know mom, you had it last.” “No…I think you had it last. On the train.” And so the search began for the Canon digital loaded with a gazillion shots of Sara’s first time in New York City. Tour bus rides, Times Square, Toys”R”Us ferris wheel, AMNH Museum, life-flashing cab rides, American Girl Doll store, great food…we did it all.

No luck. We left it on the train. We were exhausted, grimy, hungry and achy. The  bags at our feet kept tipping over as we repeatedly reached for our miscellaneous junk – the iPod, O Mag, notebooks, Starbursts, chapstick, the Blackberry. Seems my seven-year-old is a little high maintenance – can’t imagine where she gets this from?

So here’s a stock photo of the kids at Ben and Jerry’s in Burlington, VT. Maybe some honest train-traveling person will turn the Canon in at Amtrak and I’ll have Big Apple photos sometime soon…

Stock photo of kids in a common pose of icecream consumption

On Monday evening in the House of Representatives, Illinois Representative Bobby Rush made a statement to his colleagues in response to the passing of the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Mom’s Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression Act of 2009 (H.R. 20).

Bobby Rush – Illinois

This legislation was first introduced in 2003 by Representative Rush and has been kept alive through the determination of Melanie’s mother, Carol Blocker as well as the tenacity and dedication of countless other women.

In 2001, Melanie Stokes, the mother of a new baby girl, took her own life by jumping from the window of a Chicago hotel. Melanie suffered from postpartum depression which rapidly led to postpartum psychosis. Her fears were so dark and her soul so hollow – Melanie reached a place no one should ever go and a treatable illness took her life.

This is why Monday was a proud day for women – for those who have been spearheading the work to raise awareness and make a change in how new mothers are screened for postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum psychosis (PPP), for women who have suffered through PPD or PPP, but I think mostly for the women to come who will have a new baby and find that something is wrong – terribly wrong – and they will need help.

However, the work is not done, as off to the Senate the bill goes before it can become law. I’m not one to ask for much of my peers and friends, barely ever will you see a joke, junk or chain email from me -actually probably never. But I am asking everyone to drop a quick email to one of the women at the forefront of this bill, Susan Stone. Just email her at susanstonelcsw@aol.com with your name, credentials, state you live and permission to list your name in support of the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Act. Thank you! Melissa

Despite the craziness that sometimes defines our lives, from ocean imports, sales analysis, and product development to sick kids, homework and marathon grocery shopping -  sometimes life has to stop and time is asked to stand still.

On Friday, while nestled on his blanket and his head gently resting in our hands – he took his last breath.

Tommy, named after a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger (although Ben claims Pete Townsend’s Pinball Wizard), was the only dog we knew that chased contrails in the sky. Obviously threatened by jets at 20,000 feet over upstate New York, he had beat down a path in our woods where he would run back and forth, back and forth, barking and jumping until the contrail was gone. Success every time.

In all his Golden-Retrieverness he added joy, love and humor to our lives. You will be dearly missed. Rest peacefully Big Red.

Winter, as usual by February, seems a bit frozen in time. The sun has melted some of the snow but the kids have been inside for almost four months now and are bouncing off the walls. Literally. Today, my little cherubs successfully broke a 100-year old antique lamp and jumped the springs out of the guest-bed. Even the hardiest Adirondack “hibernator” could catch a case of cabin fever.

Last week after an hour of arts-n-crafts (not my fav by any stretch) and the hundredth game of Yahtzee, I looked at them and noticed that they were white as ghosts. I freaked that they were getting Vitamin-D-deficiency-disorder-syndrome or surely something detrimental to their long-term health by being inside too much.

So like any health-conscious mom, I made them go outside and stand in the sun in the driveway for 10 minutes. “Why are we just standing out here? I’m freezing!” Sara yelled. “Just do it honey.” I replied. Poor kids.

But I know things will change soon. The days will get longer, the breezes warmer, the kids rosier.

A young woman once wrote this verse in a poem to her husband on their wedding day dreaming about their future:

I wish that we will hold hands
As we stand on rocks which border a river.
The water will rush by and remind us how fast change can come.
We will feel the mist of water in our eyes
And see the irony of how refreshing change can be.

As unrelenting as the weather seems before long the dog will be tracking mud through my house and the black flies will be vexing the spring gardening and morning walks. The snow atop the Adirondack Mountains will melt – the water finding its way to the many streams and rising in the underground springs around my house.

Little could that young woman know of the changes she would see in her life.  Little can any of us know the change and irony that will exhaust and then refresh us.

As the season closes, here’s to the sun’s warmth on the faces of my two beautiful children and to the rising waters that bring the unexpected gifts of transformation and change to my life.

Painting birdhouses they built with Daddy

The hubbie, kids and I vacationed in Virginia (or more accurately: orchestrated a “shlep-fest”) for the holidays. Long car rides, that actually went remarkably well, led to crazy-fun time with family, huge doses of of Wii Rock Band, memories made with Gramma and Grandpa, playing with cousins, great food, a delightful win at Texas Hold-em ( I swear I’ve never played before), and warm weather.

Melissa with her new nephew, Alexander, enjoying 65 degrees

Hard-core Wii champs, Mark and Sara…tired but not stoppin’.

In addition to the holidays, my baby turned seven…Unbelievable! Like us moms say, “It seems just like yesterday she was a baby, where did the time go?” Now it’s High School Musical, the Jonas Brothers on CD and texting with her Nintendo DS to her friends. Wow.

And The Nater, who has definitely found comfort in his own skin and silly sense of humor, got his Kawasaki 4-Wheeler from Santa (although shown here with his cousin’s super-dooper new bike, thanks Hannah!) and is growing up so fast. He whizzes around the garage on the 4 wheeler like he’s been riding one for years. Must be a boy-thing.

Notice the tough-guy Pooh helmet

The ball has dropped in Times Square and the last of the holiday decorations are packed away. Although my kids love the holidays (I did too when I was little) I must admit it’s not my favorite time of year. Maybe it’s the cold of upstate New York, the frenzy of the parking lots, or the memories of losing my Mom on a cold December day. As I type the numbers 2.0.0.9 the past couple of days, I am very thankful to have a little time now to finally hit the pause button on my life, take a crystal-clear look back at ‘08, reminisce, and breathe a deep, well-deserved breath. We’ll see if I can catch it.