Overdue Garden Update

It's been a long time since I wrote about my garden. A lot has (and hasn't) happened with it.

Having a baby sure does have a way of putting other things on the back burner...

My zucchini plants started growing well, and then died. 

The bean seeds barely sprouted, then died.

3 out of 5 sunflowers sprouted and survived. 

The only herb that sprouted was the sage. 

I finally planted everything in my raised bed garden about three weeks later than I should have. 

My yellow squash made it just fine. 

The tomatoes are surviving wonderfully. 

My father-in-law was out doing yard work and stepped on one of my sunflowers, which stunted it and now it's stopped growing while the other two are fine. It looks like we're down to 2 out of 5 sunflowers.

I had to start over with the beans and zucchini. 

Only one of the two more zucchini seeds that I planted survived, and it has completely caught up with the other squash plants. You'd almost never know that I planted it weeks later than the others.

The beans sprouted really quickly, but within a couple of days something had eaten nearly all of the leaves off of every little stalk. I planted some more seeds and investigated the problem. Some creatures live down inside the cinder blocks that make up the walls of the raised bed. I've seen lizards in there, but lizards wouldn't eat those plants. Then I saw a big snail inside one block... And another... And another... And a couple of slugs....

I learned how to hate snails and slugs from my Grandpa. When we would visit him and my Grandma in Utah during my childhood, I would inevitably end up out in the dirt helping him tend to his plants and trees. The snails there were terrible. He would hand me a container of salt and I'd follow him out early in the morning and pour a little bit of salt on every slug or snail I would find. It would make them bubble and dissolve, which, as gross as it sounds, was very effective in getting rid of them. So after discovering those slimy critters lurking around my garden, I took a canister of salt and poured some on every snail and slug I could find, and then I poured a line of salt around one edge of the cinder block walls. Take that! Just try getting into my garden now and see what happens.

Miracle of miracles--one little stalk had no leaves on it (dumb snails), but it was still green, so I kept watering it along with planting a few more seeds (yet again). Every day it just stayed the same, looking sad, leafless, and small. However, on Friday when I went out to water the garden it had a tiny little cluster of leaves on it!

It made me so happy!!

My beans are thriving now that I've replanted them 3 times. 

The lettuce patch had the same problem as the beans. All of the tiny little leaves were eaten completely off. Oh, it was infuriating! But I continued watering it, and it made a beautiful comeback.

So now my garden is doing well, after enclosing it in chicken wire and lining the cinder blocks with salt and replanting seeds up to three times.

Grandma Tweedie

My last living grandparent passed away on May 6th. At first I couldn't decide if I would go to her funeral or not. I was, then I wasn't, and after finding out that my dad and brother, Cam, were going, I had to go to see them as well.

I used all of my frequent flyer miles on tickets for both Bob and myself with Graham as a lap-baby. The plan was to fly to LAX and then to Vegas, rent a car, and drive to St. George by 1pm to attend the funeral and then the interment. We made it to LA on time, but our flight to Vegas was delayed by an hour. We finally made it to Vegas, and by the time we made the hour and a half drive to St. George, the funeral was 5 minutes from over. (Thank goodness Aunt Rosemary wrote a long eulogy.) Bob and I quickly ran to the bathroom and changed, then stood in the hall for the last two minutes of the Bishop's talk. I slipped into the back of the chapel with Graham asleep in his stroller as the closing prayer was said. Then Grandma's casket was wheeled out. I teared up, frustrated that I missed the viewing and the entire funeral. That was the main point of me traveling there! Cam looked back and saw me, walked back to where I was standing, and gave me a meaningful hug. He was misty-eyed, and that didn't help me to contain myself much. Russ and Ben, my two other brothers, saw me and walked back to greet me as well. Their silly nature kept me from crying though.

Bob and I left a little before everyone else to get something to eat, since the last time Bob had anything was around 5am and it was after 2pm. We drove to the cemetery in Hurricane, Utah and joined everyone around Grandma's casket. The funeral director said a few words, and then announced that it was over. Really? After thirty seconds of you saying something about a woman you probably didn't even know, you're saying it's over?? I got three hours of sleep, bought airline tickets and rented a car, sped up here for this special time, missed everything except this, and after some generic words you're done??? I was upset. I needed some time to get the closure I so desperately wanted. I tried not to let my irritation show. I didn't need to make a scene or draw any attention to myself, but I was really upset.

Lots of our family and relatives fawned over Graham as we all lingered at the cemetery. He is a really cute baby--I can't blame them.

Finally, as everyone said goodbye and left for a lunch provided by church members back at the chapel, I was the last one there. Bob had taken Graham back to the car because he was getting fussy. I sat in one of the chairs facing the casket, in the green grass and under the shade of the canopy that was set up. It was breezy, hot, and dry, just the way I remember Hurricane. Memories from my childhood flooded my mind--Grandma and Grandpa's yellow stucco house on the corner a couple of miles away, the peach trees and garden and grapevines that Grandpa loved to tend to, Grandma's kitchen and us kids sitting at the bar as she made breakfast for us when we'd visit, her soft skin and gentle hugs, her sense of humor and her sweet laugh... Every time I'd tell her some funny thing that happened to me she'd grab my arm and ask, "Did you write that down?" She was so adamant about family and personal histories. She loved company, especially after Grandpa passed away a couple of years ago. While we lived in Utah, Bob and I tried to make it down to visit her a couple of times a month. And she loved Bob because his jokes and wit reminded her so much of Grandpa...

I hadn't really given myself the time to let it sink in since she passed, and I knew I needed it. So there I sat, by myself crying. I thanked her for what she taught me. I thanked her for her strong faith and testimony, because without hers I wouldn't have mine. I wept because I already missed her so, and her generation within my direct family was now gone. I'd never be able to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house again. We knew she had cancer and that she wouldn't last much longer. She went peacefully, in her sleep, but I still don't know that I was entirely ready for her to go.

I also wept because I was so happy for her. She missed Grandpa dearly, and I can only imagine the joy she felt as she saw him and her other beloved family members again. She was free from her old, frail body. Her sight, hip, and old age would never bother her again. I know her spirit is finally at rest for now. I'll see her again, and I know she's a part of my family forever, but for now I just miss her.

<3

[Her obituary.]

Grandma & Grandpa Tweedie on their wedding day

The last time we saw Grandma.

Growing Graham: 4 weeks

May 4th, 2012

4 Weeks Old

I love this facial expression! And look at those rolls under his chin--so cute!

• We started giving Graham a pacifier. I didn't want to, but he needed it. We also began swaddling his little arms in with the rest of his body because he kept waking himself up with his startle reflex and wasn't taking very good naps or sleeping well at night because of it. He hates it at first, but stick that pacifier in his mouth and he calms right down, then drifts off to sleep in a matter of minutes. If he gets fussy when the pacifier is in, he sucks on it harder and says a muffled, "Oy, oy, oy...... Oy OY OY OY oy oy.... oy... oy...." while furrowing his eyebrows.

Swaddle Me wraps are the only thing that will keep his hands contained.

• We're also trying to establish a routine of sorts. It's not exactly a schedule yet, but just a routine so far. When Graham wakes up, he eats, and then we have playtime (and it's a battle to keep him awake sometimes), and then it's nap time again. He's been getting more out of his naps that way, and I don't worry about him spitting up when he lays down for a nap.

• His hair is getting longer! There's still a lot and it's still very red. I may have to cut it soon, otherwise he's going to have a mullet.

The mad scientist look.

Blue Steel, anyone?

• The poor kid's digestive system is still getting things figured out. He usually wakes up between 4 and 6 am whimpering and fussing because of some painful gas down in his bowels, and then after a couple of hours of that he starts crying as he continues working it out. So far no remedies have really worked, but we're still trying some things.

• He's getting so strong! When anyone holds him on their shoulder, he pushes himself up and holds his head up the whole time. He looks around at everything. I'm pretty sure he can see and focus on things that are more than 3 feet away even though all of the research and studies say he shouldn't be able to yet. 

• We gave him his first real bath too! His umbilical cord finally fell off a little after he turned 3 weeks old, so a day or two later we filled up his little tub and we took turns holding him and washing him. Graham wasn't sure what to think of it at first, so he pouted and cried, then he seemed to really enjoy it. But by the end he was ready to get out. We hope he learns to like the water though, because Bob is anxious to take him surfing when he's old enough!

Why are naked babies so darn adorable?!

Unsure of this whole bath thing at first...

I can see SO much of my dad in him here!

He didn't like getting his hair washed.

"Thanks, Mommy!"

• He's also started detaching himself while I'm trying to breastfeed him, which gets a little obnoxious at times. He usually tries to relatch himself without my help, but while he's trying to do that he starts pushing himself away from me with his arms. It's kind of funny to see his mouth and hands doing the complete opposite things.

• Graham is really ticklish, like his mom. My favorite spot is his back. If he starts falling asleep eating, I'll take my thumbnail and slide it up his back right next to his spine. Every time he dramatically arches his back, his dramatic hands fly up, he makes some grunting sounds, snorts a little, and then settles back down. 

Another crazy expression.

• 4 weeks to the day is the first time Graham actually spit up on me. He's spit up on Bob, on our bed, on his bed, on himself, on the floor, and all over dozens of burp cloths, but I hadn't gotten spit up on me yet. He's peed and pooped on me multiple times, which admittedly is even less fun and generally more messy than being spit up on. That streak ended quickly, and Graham made up for it by getting my shirt, my pants, and my hand and arm 3 times by mid-afternoon. It had to happen sooner or later.

He's nearly a month old! I can't believe how quickly it's gone by, but between me sleeping as much as possible (and it's never enough) and taking it easy while recovering from childbirth, I suppose it's no surprise that the time has flown by. We're excited to see what the next month brings!

Handsome like daddy.