Emily’s Musings

The last time David and I went to a parade we took our dogs. We didn’t realize that dogs don’t really like parades until after it started. For some reason, the firing guns, loud cars and motorcycles, and all the people that come out in droves to see the parade, scared the crap out of them. We should have seen it coming, and left our dogs at home. But, before we had Hannah, our dogs were our kids, and they had no choice but to go to fun family activities with us. Because it was their job as our dog children.

Having a real-human-child-that-belonged-to-us was a TRILLION TIMES funner to have at the parade than our dogs. I now understand why parents camp out the night before the parade to secure great seats. NOT THAT I WOULD EVER DO THAT . . . but I get it now.

Parades are everything Hannah loves: airplanes overhead, candy, kids, horses, people singing, people dancing, cars, motorcycles . . . she absolutely enjoyed the parade. And get this, she talked her grandma and grandpa Lesher into attending the event, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS PRACTICALLY THE LAST THING ON THE PLANET THEY WANTED TO DO THAT DAY. Way to go Hannah!

This was Hannah’s face for over two hours . . . she also danced her little heart away when bands came by.

We all had a great time . . . even I did with my huge belly which you can’t see in the empty chair. (Well, someone has to take photos!)

It was one hot day, and I wished we were on the other side of the street where there was more shade, but we were lucky enough to get such good seats.

We have just finished our marathon week of fun activities, (the zoo, water park, hot air balloon race, grandpa Probst’s birthday party, the parade, visiting family and friends . . . phew!) and in 24 hours, our new baby will have joined our family. We are all excited for the arrival of this little baby. Tonight is the last night of quiet, peaceful, sleep!

Stats and pictures will be posted as soon as we can get them up tomorrow. Check back to see our new little guy, (and what we named him)!

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On Sunday, we went to David’s great-aunt’s 90th birthday bash. Well, it was more like a social in the back yard, but I would like to image it as a “bash” because that’s what I expect when I turn 90 . . .

When we lived in Utah, we lived next door to this great-aunt for five years. It was exciting to see so many relatives, and members of the ward (a.k.a. a Mormon congregation) at this “bash” that we hadn’t seen in over seven years.

David asked me if I happened to talk to this “one” couple, and I said I had. He related the conversation he had with them to me and I thought, “YOU ARE SUCH A MAN. A WOMAN WOULD NEVER OMIT SO MANY DETAILS.”

Couple: “Hey! Where are you guys now?”

David: “We’re staying with my parents right now.”

Couple: “Oh . . . . .”

END OF CONVERSATION.

The ultimate “silencer.” Nothing says “I’m a lame” more than “I am a grown man, with a pregnant wife and a toddler, and two dogs, LIVING AT MY PARENTS HOUSE.” Can you blame the guy? He has no idea where we have been for the last seven years. How is he to know that we are “in-between” places and we choose to live in Utah to spend some time with our families this summer while I have this baby?

A woman would have said, “My husband is half way through medical school and he is studying for a major exam right now. We move to Louisiana in August so he can start working in in a hospital as a student doctor and since his clinical rotations don’t start until mid-August, we decided to spend the summer in Utah (instead of anywhere else while he studies for this exam) to see family and share the birth of our child with them. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE VERY LONG SENTENCE LIKE THAT.

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Apparently, I have been a little unclear about my whereabouts. I have received several emails from readers, all asking the same questions. I hope this question and answer session clears up a few things.

Are you and David back in the states?

YES. We are currently staying with David’s parents in American Fork, Utah. We live right by the American Fork Temple, where David and I got married almost 11 years ago. We love to see it every day.

Is David done with school?

NO. David has completed the basic science portion of medical school, and in August he will start the second phase of medical school, CLINICAL ROTATIONS. He has two years of clinical rotations before he starts residency.

What kind of doctor does David want to be?

NOT SURE YET. All students are advised to not pick a specialty until they have completed all the core clinical rotations. He is positive he does not want to be an OBGYN (too much estrogen, and you know, other stuff) or a surgeon.

How long are you in Utah?

Long enough to finish baking this kid, and get a good “family fix” in before we move across country. We will be here until August. David starts his Family Practice Rotation in mid-August.

Why did you pick Utah?

We are both originally from Utah. We moved away in 2002 (just after the 2002 Winter Olympics) and have only been back for short stints of time to visit our families. Plus, we couldn’t beat the price of food ($0) rent ($0) or company for the four months we have free to live anywhere in the world while David studies for the USMLE Step One. He takes that exam at the end of June.

Why were you in Texas?

Why wouldn’t we want to spend time in Texas? Fort Worth, Texas was our home before we moved to Saba. Our entire life is safely locked away in a storage unit there. We not only needed a “Texas fix,” but we needed to get our car out of storage, and we wanted to spend some quality time with our good friends, Daniel and Lydia before moving back to Utah.

When is your baby due?

Secretly . . . ANY DAY! Okay, so I will be 37 weeks on Friday, and really, WHY DOES HE NEED TO BAKE ANY LONGER? I had an ultrasound last week, and this kid (at 36 weeks at the time) was weighing in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces. PEOPLE, THAT IS A FULL SIZE BABY. And get this, the nurse confirmed that I was ALL BABY. SO TAKE THAT DUTCH DOCTOR!

I have a scheduled a c-section for July 7th. However, that date might be moved up depending on this kid’s size in two weeks.

How Have you liked being back in Utah?

Besides my skin itching and flaking ALL THE TIME, it has been nice. I now bathe in body scrubs, and I apply lotion to EVERY INCH OF MY IRRITATED, ITCHING SKIN. My little family and I have been fighting dry sinuses since we came. Hannah has had a runny nose since we arrived. Frankly, I’m a little tired of dried, crusty, blood in my nose. I can’t believe I grew up in this climate. I simply require more than 30% humidity to live comfortably.

Where are you moving to in August?

We are moving to Houma, Louisiana. Don’t know where it is? Yeah, I’m not sure I do either. It is a small town of about 40,000 people, south of New Orleans, and the slogan of the town is “More Alligators Than People.” Ask me how excited I am now. David will be working at a hospital there.

What are you naming your baby?

The name will be announced when he arrives. It is killing our parents, who are trying desperately to guess the name. We didn’t know we would frustrate so many people by keeping his name a surprise. I mean, you gotta keep something a surprise, right? Don’t worry, his first and middle name have been picked, and we have for sure decided on the last name of LESHER.

What are you doing with all your time?

Do you mean besides sleeping as much as a new born baby? In my awake time, I AM VERY TIRED. I have had a few pregnancy ailments, (heartburn all day long, racing heart for hours) and a few other complications, which keep my body busy. EVEN WHEN I’M TOTALLY RELAXED. It’s big work to house a bowling ball in your belly, and keep up with your toddler, and visit family, and prepare for a baby, and shop, and read, and play with your dogs. WHEW.

What are you craving?

Fortunately, I am NOT CRAVING FLINTSTONE POPSICLES. I had entirely too many of those with Hannah and I blame those popsicles for ALL THE UNNECESSARY WEIGHT GAIN. I can’t seem to get enough water, and I really want to chew or suck on ice. ALL THE TIME. I am totally fine with that because I haven’t had swollen feet at all during this pregnancy. My feet were so swollen with Hannah, I ACTUALLY HAVE STRETCH MARKS ON THE TOP OF MY FEET. I remember calling my sister Jenn, and telling her that I didn’t have any stretch marks on my belly, but I had them on the top of my feet! The lines have faded, and now, the miserable swollen feet days are a VERY DISTANT MEMORY. Thank goodness.

Have you found an OB?

YES. David and I decided on which hospital we wanted to use, and then found an OB. He is very nice and he didn’t tell me I was fat.

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Dear Hannah,

You are now 22 months old. Our family has had some big changes in the past two months, so this letter will have many pictures to show your development, and the major life changes you have endured like a champ.

First, your daddy graduated from the basic science program at Saba University School of Medicine. What does this mean? He is half way through med school which makes him half a doctor, or as we like to to call him, a “tor.” He will earn the “Doc” part when he graduates in 2010 when he becomes a REAL DOCTOR. We all can’t wait for that day.

With all big accomplishments, come big changes. That meant we had to leave our beautiful home on Saba, in the Caribbean. Saba was your first home. You have grown up as a Caribbean baby, playing with rocks, geckos, iguanas, and swimming in the ocean. As much as we loved it there, the only reason we could live in the Dutch West Indies for an extended period of time is if your dad was in school. Since he finished the program (thank goodness for that! I I would DIE if he became an eternal or professional student) we have moved back to the states where he will do clinical rotations.

(This is what a Caribbean baby tan looks like compared to a Utah baby tan.)

The whole family (including the whining dogs) arrived in Texas at the end of April. You traveled so well. It took 19 hours to get from our doorstep on Saba, to Daniel and Lydia’s doorstep in Texas. Not once did you have a meltdown, or cry, or bother the other passengers traveling on our plane. I owe you BIG TIME for that. Someday you are going to read this, and I’m sure you will remind me of how you were such a calm and easy baby, and then your are going to ask for something BIG. I know it.

We went sailing with a friend of ours in Texas. (Who is a dentist and tried relentlessly to convince your dad to go to dental school instead of medical school. He now refers to your daddy as a “real doctor” because apparently, dentist’s aren’t real doctors.) You LOVE boats, and the ocean, so we thought you would be very excited about this sailing excursion.

However, about five minutes into the sail, you said, “All done?” SEVERAL TIMES. Then you would point out other boats on the water and say, “SEE EM!” with all the energy you could find in your little body. I don’t think you realized you WERE ON A BOAT. When I pointed out the water, and told you we were on the ocean, you shook your head and said, “No?” I know I was telling a little white lie, like moms do from time to time, (like when you demand more marshmallows, and I tell you they are all gone even though there is an entire bag waiting for you in the pantry). You are smart enough to know the Caribbean ocean is CLEAR, and turquoise, not dark blue, and murky. When your daddy took you to the front of the sail boat, you looked back at me and said, “FUN!” Good, I’m glad you finally figured out what were were doing was fun.

It has been very interesting to see the world change through your eyes. The first couple of days in Texas, you asked me to go swimming, and you kept looking out the back sliding door asking me about the ocean. You would say, “Ocean? Go?” Again, and again. It broke my heart to tell you the ocean was all gone. You no longer talk about geckos, iguanas, the ocean, or going swimming. It makes me sad to think of the life we left, but it also gives me comfort that you have adapted to your new life of BIKES, WALKS, and SWINGS. THIS IS ALL YOU TALK ABOUT. ALL DAY. EVERY DAY.

(I’d like to point out that your dad put your hair in pig tails on this day. He is multi-talented.)

You are still obsessed with “messes.” Part of having fun at the park is cleaning off EVERY WOOD CHIP, ON EVERY STAIR.

Texas is known for BIG TRUCKS. In fact, I think Texas alone supports the BIG TRUCK industry. Driving around town, you would yell, “TRUCK!” every time you saw a truck. Which was like every other vehicle.

While eating at Taco Bell, (I had to have it because your baby brother was TOTALLY craving it and I had been deprived of such fine cuisine for over two years) you noticed some balloons tied to the back of all the chairs. I am embarrassed to say this, but at almost two years old, YOU HAD NEVER SEEN A BALLOON. You looked very thoughtfully at them and then exclaimed, “CIRCLES!” Yes, they are indeed circles that float up in the air. You poor thing, I will have TONS of balloons at your birthday party in two months. That is if my pregnant brain can remember something that important. You affectionately call them “a banoon.” Yes, you put an article in front of “banoon” every time you talk about them.

You are an excellent sleeper. In fact, I think your grandparents might start asking you for advice on how to sleep 12 hours a night. There was one night of adjustment when we got to Texas, and you had a meltdown when we put you in a Pak N’ Play at Daniel and Lydia’s house. I would ask you, “Where is Hannah’s bed?” and you would point to the portable crib, and cry, “Hannah’s bed!” Then I would ask you where mommy’s bed was, and you would point to the bed and cry, “Mommy’s!” After establishing the bed assignments, you relented, and went to bed just fine.

You were an excellent traveler driving from Texas to Utah. You sat for 22 hours, and really, I don’t even have the patience for that. We are now staying at your Grandma and Grandpa Lesher’s house in Utah. You made yourself at home quite quickly, living by the “toddler rule” which is, “WHAT’S MINE IS MINE, AND WHAT’S YOURS IS MINE.” Several times throughout the day, you will say, “Hannah’s!” Just to make sure that I KNOW WHAT YOUR PROPERTY LOOKS LIKE. It is amazing how much stuff is yours anyway, like kitchen utensils, tweezers, and the T.V. remote control. Speaking of the T.V., you never showed any interest in watching it on Saba. However, since finding grandpa’s (who you call “Demnis”) “Chase Lounge Chair,” you LOVE to watch T.V.

You’ll watch anything really. You just love to relax on that piece of furniture and tell grandma “watch it!” Because obviously it is grandma’s responsibility to turn the T.V. on for you. You follow your Grandma Gloria around all the time and tell her what to do. We refer to you as her “shadow.” You usually convince her to go for a walk, or to the playground by saying, “COME ON!” No one, even your grandma who has a bad back and is recovering from knee surgery, can resist your enthusiasm and charm.

You used your special charm on your grandpa “Demnis” by talking about bikes, ALL DAY LONG. You would look at him and nod your head yes, and say “BIKE!” with such enthusiasm, that he could not resist your darling little face. It only took two days of taking about bikes, and Dennis drove you down to the store and let you pick out a bike. WE ARE ALL GRATEFUL TO HIM. WE COULD NOT LOOK AT YOUR INNOCENT FACE ASKING ABOUT A BIKE ANYMORE.

You love to give us updates on your whereabouts or physical wellbeing. You point out when you get a “bonk” and then say, “Okay?” Just so that we know you are indeed, OKAY. If the injury is in need of a kiss, you will walk up to the closest adult and say, “kiss it?” Most of the time, we don’t know you had a “bonk,” but we are always glad for the update.

You are very sweet to me, and point out where baby brother is ALL THE TIME. Probably because you can’t miss my belly, and that is indeed where he is. You kiss my tummy, and then point out that you also have a baby in your belly. Fortunately, you just have a belly with no baby.

You love to exercise on Grandma and Grandpa’s machines. You have named one machine “Daddy’s” and one machine “Mommy’s and Grandma’s.” Because obviously, those are the only machines we work out on.

Your hair was a mop. Well, more like a BIG MESS, and I know how you feel about messes. Your aunt Rachelle cut your hair the other day, giving it some shape. You had no idea what was going on, you just wanted to play with your tea set. You didn’t sit very still, but your hair turned out darling.

You attended nursery at church for the first time a few weeks ago. I knew you would like it, but I was totally wrong. BECAUSE YOU LOVED IT. What more could a kid want besides toys, other kids to play with, and snacks? When I went in to pick you up after your first time attending, you took one look at me and said, “GO AWAY!” That’s always a nice way to greet your mom. WHO ENDURED 30 HOURS OF LABOR, 40 PREGNANCY POUNDS, AND MAJOR MASTITIS FROM THE GET GO. Maybe you turned out to be such a good sleeper and traveler to even the score. I guess I don’t owe you big time anymore.

A few weeks ago, your dad and I had a Family Home Evening (commonly referred to as F.H.E. where we talk and learn about gospel principles) and I showed you a picture of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. You took one look at the picture and said with exuberance, “JESUS! SWINGING!” which really means “swimming.” You are so innocent and darling, your dad and I couldn’t help but laugh. And yes, Jesus was indeed sort of swimming in the picture.

You are bursting with words every day, and copy everything we do. We love you so much, and we hope you will happily share us with your little brother when he arrives in a few weeks.

Here are some of your new words:

• I need it!
• See it?
• Get it?
• See ‘em?
• I did it!
• Watch it!
• Prayers
• Truck!
• Flag!
• Close it
• Church
• Focus
• Make it!
• Come on!
• Come ‘ere!
• All done?

We love you so much!

Love,

Mommy

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I am indeed alive. Life has taken some crazy turns in the last few days, and I have not taken the time to sit down and write about it. Here’s the crazy stuff: I am currently in Utah, which was NOT part of of the plan as of last Sunday. I am on “extra rest” (not to be confused with bed rest), and I actually had to live without internet access for TWO WHOLE DAYS. That was torture.

Why am I in Utah? Why is it mandatory that I relax? And WHY ON EARTH DID I HAVE TO GO WITHOUT THE INTERNET? Yeah, I’m still bummed about that last one.

I ended up in the emergency room on Sunday night. I learned something interesting about being pregnant. If you are pregnant, and end up going to the emergency room, you are treated like a V.I.P. You don’t actually wait in the “real emergency room.” You are taken to the maternity ward and are seen immediately. That was nice. I’m not a night person, so sitting around waiting and waiting to be seen by some doctor was not something I had to endure. Because this is a public blog, and there are many readers I don’t know, I will not go into all the personal gory details of why I went to the emergency room, what happened, and what I was told to expect throughout the last eight weeks of this pregnancy. I’m just not that kind of girl that spills all of my personal health issues to perfect strangers. Even if they are interested.

However, I will say that I had three ultrasounds on Sunday night. Each machine fancier and more detailed than the previous. The baby is fine, but I need “extra rest” (which shouldn’t be a problem since I mastered the art of LAZINESS in the Caribbean), and I can’t lift anything over 10 pounds. Hannah is a TANK, weighing in a 31 pounds, so I can’t lift her. This posed a problem when I told the doctor my husband was leaving the next day (Monday) to drive to Utah with our two dogs, all of our hud, and I was staying in Texas for a couple  more weeks to help a friend of mine with her new baby (who was due yesterday, but still hasn’t delivered.) I obviously couldn’t care for Hannah 100% (since I couldn’t lift her into her crib) and I would have big problems at the airport because I couldn’t lift/carry anything over 10 pounds (which is probably what my purse weighs), or carry Hannah through security, or lift her onto my lap while flying.

I felt terrible to leave Lydia at such a crucial time in her life, but I knew I had to take care of myself, or I could very possibly end up with a pre-term baby. We arrived home from the ER at 12:30 AM, and by 1:00 PM Texas time, the whole family (including one sedated dog, Kyaha, who vomits in the car unless given drugs) headed for Utah.

We made the 19 hour drive in 22 hours. We stayed overnight at a ghetto Motel 6 in Albuquerque, New Mexico (because it is pet friendly) and my skin just crawls with yuckiness as I think about it. I’m just not a Motel 6 kind of girl. Never have been, and never will be. As per doctor instructions, we stopped every two hours so I could walk around for 10 minutes. But trust me, my 7 month pregnant bladder was the boss of this trip, and at times, two hours was a VERY LONG TIME between potty breaks. Hannah and the dogs also enjoyed all the stops. We all got to walk around many different parking lots, like crazy people, walking in circles, with no purpose.

Hannah was an excellent traveler, and she only protested getting in the car once. After 20 1/2 hours of driving, she had ENOUGH. She told us in toddler terms (you know, like a TANTRUM) THERE IS NO WAY YOU’RE GETTING ME BACK INTO THAT CAR SEAT! We were in Price, Utah at this time, and we convinced her that grandma had toys, and LOTS OF THEM. She talked about toys and grandma for 90 straight minutes. The second she walked through the door of David’s parents’ house, there was no “Hi!,” or hug from Hannah, she immediately demanded, “TOYS!”

Boy am I glad this house is stocked with good toys. I’m sure Hannah would never have forgiven us for lying to her about such an important thing.

We obviously had no internet while we were traveling for 22 hours and of course, the ghetto place we stayed did not offer such a luxury. We couldn’t even pick up the wireless from the lobby. Maybe they don’t have internet. I wouldn’t be surprised.

We have been in Utah for three days now. David took a day to do a bunch of paperwork (like getting us on insurance) to get us settled in here as residents. I have unpacked everything, and as of this afternoon, we don’t have piles of stuff on the floor of our bedroom. I can’t live with piles. Everything has a place, and when I’m too tired to put things back in their place, I tell my full time assistant (David) to put things back in their proper place. He is very good at tasks I give him. I’d like to think that he feels the same way about clutter that I do, but something tells me he doesn’t like the crazy person I turn into when things are out of place. Whatever the motivation, at least the job gets done. Right?

It feels good to be settled. I meet with the doctor next week who I plan to use to deliver this baby, (I sure hope I like him. At 32 weeks prego, I can’t be too picky and change this late in the game) and hopefully he gives me good news. I don’t mind the “extra rest” business, but I really want to pick up my daughter. I hope these restrictions are just temporary and not for the next eight weeks.

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We’re in “The Republic of Texas.”  It only took 19 hours to travel from our doorstep on Saba to Daniel and Lydia’s house in Texas, but hey, the whole family made it, including Paris and all her whining.  Hannah was an excellent traveler and only had one melt down on the way.  She was SICK AND TIRED of being buckled into her stroller, and being confined at all times.  SHE JUST WANTED TO GO ON A DANG WALK, and meet new people, and say “hi!” to everyone, and dance, and shake her bum-bum, and ALL of the aforementioned activities are almost impossible to do when you are strapped down in a stroller, with parental supervision.

It was a very stress free day of travel.  What a relief for us!  David and I were both able to get on the same flight leaving Saba, and ALL of our luggage and both dogs were also on the same flight.  THAT ALONE IS A MIRACLE.  The airline that flies in and out of Saba only allows one pet per flight, and luckily for us, they made an exception.  I’d like to think the favors given to us by the staff at the airport were because they liked us, or knew our names, not just our faces, but that probably isn’t the case.  I think it’s because Hannah is a charmer.  She always smiles, waves, and says “take care!” to the employees when we leave that tiny airport, and I think she is the reason they felt so compelled to give us a break.  We weren’t charged for the dogs, or overweight luggage.  I want to go back to Saba just to say, “Thank you” to them one more time, for making our trip that much easier.

Flying from Saba is always complicated in some way.  Fortunately, the winds were favorable enough for the plane to land (they were projected to be unfavorable, making it impossible for us to leave the island) and we were at the Sint Maarten airport at 8:00.  We had a WHOLE LOTTA TIME TO KILL with a toddler, two dogs, and four pieces of luggage.  That’s right, our whole lives fit into FOUR pieces of luggage.  In fact,  we had extra room in the luggage, (which is just a shock really) and I was able to bring home my vegetable steamer.  Which I love, to death.  Honestly, I wasn’t concerned about my blow dryer fitting into the luggage, but the steamer, that was a priority.  I couldn’t live without it before moving to Saba, and leaving Saba was no different.  Initially, I had just planned to leave the steamer and buy another one when we returned to the states, but since there was room in the luggage, I just saved myself some money!  Which could go toward something else I need . . . and I just can’t start naming other things that I “need” because after being on a glorified camping trip for two years, I “NEED” everything!

Being a toddler is BIG WORK and Hannah is happy to show you just how hard it is to hang out in a stroller, saying “hi!” to everyone, and dancing to the Caribbean beat.  Since we had SIX HOURS to kill, she decided to take a little snooze at the airport.

Hannah requires four items to go to sleep.  If one of the items is missing, then the delicate balance is ruined and she JUST CAN’T SLEEP.  She has to have her Pooh Bear, soft tag blanket, her bear blanket (not shown) and her DANG BINKIE.  She HAS to have her binkie to go to sleep.  It is the only time she gets it, and every time she lies down for a nap she says, “BINKIE!” and every time she puts it into her mouth we tell her “You don’t need this DUMB thing!” but then we have to give it to her because we know she will fall asleep within minutes.  And really, this is a battle not worth fighting right now.

Arriving early for our flight made check in a breeze, and American Airlines was so helpful.  They didn’t charge us for the extra piece of luggage we checked, and they took dang good care of our dogs while they were out of our care.

During our LONG wait at the airport, we David took Hannah, and our girls for a walk.  He was the designated walker, and I was the designated spectator photographer, sitting with the luggage, and the kennels.

If you want to know how hot it was, just check out the dogs’ tongues.

When we arrived at DFW airport, we were so excited to see Daniel and 8 1/2 months pregnant Lydia (who professed she would never have kids . . . Ha!  Ha!) I got a second wind of energy.  Our pups were excellent travelers, and I was so relived to have all our luggage, dogs, and family together, in one place.  One piece of luggage went missing in Miami during customs, but it magically showed up on our doorstep this evening. We are very happy to be here, in one piece.

I can’t believe the time has finally come for us to move on from our life on Saba.  I have seen so many friends and students move back to “reality” during our two year stay, and I am so happy our turn has come!  Yesterday was full of bittersweet emotion as we left our house on Saba, but I do look forward to the next chapter in the “Adventures of the Leshers.”  Whenever I think about the beautiful island life we left behind, I have to think, “I can buy grapes, bananas, milk, and ANYTHING I can imagine, ANY DAY of the week.”  That thought alone will keep me going. 

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Remember how I said we are ready to leave Saba? This is why:

This nasty, ugly, scaly snake was on our patio yesterday morning. EATING THIS POOR GECKO. GROSS! is all I have to say. Okay, I said a little more than that when I saw this cruel thing happening. Hannah was quite intrigued with the snake, but I assure you, I whisked her away while David (who obviously has no fear of snakes, or anything for that matter) snapped some pictures.

This little gecko dude has no hope now. His poor little feet sticking out of the snakes mouth is just GROSS.

Now that the snake had successfully eaten his breakfast, he needed to be disposed of. While there are no poisonous snakes on Saba, I still didn’t want this thing close to me, or Hannah, or my dogs, or my stuff for that matter. David (who again, doesn’t have a fear of nasty creatures) picked him up with a BBQ fork and CHUCKED him off the patio. FAR AWAY.

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Kyaha is our depressed dog. She is a great snuggler, but she is sad ALL THE TIME. Often, she will drag a toy around with her, or tote her tennis ball from room to room. Part of me feels really guilty that I don’t exercise her more, like I’m the worst dog parent on the planet. Theses are a few shots of my depressed dog, dragging her toys around. Secretly, I think she needs Prozac.

She loves yogurt, and often I will find her on the patio snuggled up to an empty yogurt container that she has licked clean.

She watches her ball very carefully when she eats. It can’t move even a hair or she will pounce on it.

She is chewing now, and still, the ball is under her very watchful eye.

Oh good, the ball can take a breather . . .

Now she is on the patio. She has high hopes that someone will chuck this ball to the other end so she can chase it with all her heart. That is the great thing about dogs, even though they don’t speak English, THEY MAKE THEIR NEED/WANTS/DESIRES VERY CLEAR.

She has given up hope that we will play with her, so she has resumed her usual lounge around spot on the bed. Of course, she still has her toy and ball close at hand.

Please Note: None of these items were placed or staged by us. She really is in NEED OF SOME EXTRA LOVIN’. Maybe we should have let her have puppies.

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This may be hard to believe, but I do actually have a HUSBAND and two DOGS. Yeah, I know I don’t mention them much because Hannah Bear is SO DANG CUTE she kind of overshadows everyone else. Plus, David isn’t developing at an astronomical rate like Hannah, so there’s not much to document about his development. And the dogs? Well, they are LAZY OLD LADIES that sleep 22 hours a day. It is SERIOUSLY BIG WORK to be the Lesher family pets and they take their job very seriously. The camera loves Hannah (and she seems to love it) and this is why we have over 5,000 photos of her and like 10 photos of the dogs. Plus, if I took more photos of Kyaha and Paris, the pictures would be of various sleeping positions.

Every day, Hannah asks to go for a walk. She gets her “glasthes” (sunglasses) on and the whole family goes for walk. Kyaha and Paris must sleep with one ear open because they perk up when the buzzword “walk” is mentioned. Once the dogs are riled up and running in circles around the house (on the hope they will be going with us), it is impossible to say “not right now” to any of them.

David brought a tennis ball on our last walk (which is almost impossible to do since we have ONE ball and Hannah usually hides it in a very, very, safe place.) The dogs LOVE to run at full speed chasing anything that moves. I tried to capture them running, but without a NIKON D80 (which we both desperately want) it is virtually impossible to catch a 35 mile an hour dog on camera without it being a big smear. So I have one photo of Dave and Kyaha. She is our loving, obedient dog that always does what we ask. I asked her to pose for a photo, and well, here it is:

Notice how Paris is missing? That is because she becomes TOTALLY DEAF when she is off leash. She was too busy running around the field, sniffing EVERY CORNER, trying to find the RIGHT place to pee. Like it even matters. . .

Hannah discovered something very interesting in the field. DIRT. Yeah, she looked at it like, “What the heck is this stuff?” She was so busy making a “Zen Garden” that she didn’t realize the dirt was MESSY and she was making a MESS. If she had, this would have really troubled her. David took this photo as I looked away, trying to imagine that my child was not actually playing in (and enjoying) the dirt.

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I have entered the “Please, kill me now” phase of pregnancy. I have suffered three weeks of headaches, and not just any kind of headaches; the pregnancy kind. Yeah, it is YUCK. Needless to say, I have been more lazy than usual, if that is possible. Everyday Hannah is gaining more energy as I lose mine. This is not the best combination. Daily, and I mean every day, she asks to go for a “walk” in an English accent. David and I have no idea where she picked up this accent, since neither one of us ever speak in another accent. Maybe she is watching too much TV? She is so irresistibly cute that we both end up dropping whatever we are doing to grab her outstretched hands to go for a stroll.

The word “walk” has been a buzzword in our house for the last eight years. If you say this word, both our dogs flip out and start running circles around the kitchen table. I’m surprised we don’t have a permanent track on the kitchen floor. Now that Hannah uses this word so frequently and flippantly, we have been committed to taking the whole family on a walk every day. It is actually more like a hike up and down these hills in Hells Gate. We all get a good workout.

We took our camera along the other day on one of our walks. Check out what we saw:

These iguanas were hanging out in some trees at the bottom of our road. I think they must be dating or married because usually iguanas fight for territory and don’t hang out like this. We think the one on the right is a female because she is camouflaged and has shorter spikes than the other dude.

Hannah has to stop and pick up rocks and flick dirt every two feet ( just like her Grandpa Probst). This activity sort of prolongs the walk, but it is a better pregnancy pace for me. Plus, her little padded diaper bum is so cute when she bends!

No words for this photo . . .

Something has piqued her interest while down at the beach . . .

Um . . . seriously, something is pretty cool, just over there . . .

If you don’t look now, YOU ARE TOTALLY GOING TO MISS IT!!!

We have no idea what she was pointing at. She was too cute, we couldn’t look away to see what was so cool. I am aware that our time here in paradise is coming to a close in nine weeks. These walks are numbered, and all the beautiful scenery and weather will be a memory of the past in a few short months. I’m certainly going to miss 80 degree weather in February. And sadly, I know a stark reality check is lurking just around the corner. We will experience WINTER next year. YIKES!

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