With all the world-shaking tragedies in Paris over the weekend, it felt wrong to sit down and journal our little life here without taking pause. I wrote a lot of words last night, hoping to process some thoughts. But they just ended up as words, nothing helpful except for perhaps organizing some emotions for myself, so I’ve erased them this morning. Our little story seems so small in the light of these big terrible things happening…and yet our life goes on. I will say that my heart goes out to those who have been affected by the attacks in Paris. I can only imagine the terror of anyone who was there or nearby. There is one way that I have changed in how I read the news though. Where I used to only notice the number of those killed, I now pay as much attention to then number of those who have been critically injured. Their lives and their families lives will be changed forever too, even if they survive. It’s heartbreaking and angry-making all around.
Yesterday was Maki’s 14th birthday. We celebrated by visiting the circus. Cirque du Soleil, that is….the mind-blowing human circus. It happened to be in town, just a mile or so from Mesa Verde on this very day of all days. We visited Vernon in the morning before attending the matinee performance at the grand chapiteau. It was fantastic, but I won’t go on about it here (though I could!) Mostly I enjoyed Maki enjoying it. A gift that gave back to me 14-fold.
Vernon has slipped back a little this week and is showing signs of edema in his neck and is drooling for the first time that I remember (this has been consistent for several days.) The doctor doesn’t yet know what could be the cause, but its worrisome. Vernon is better than he was a month ago, but not as good as he was last week…so we continue this precarious walk that is still moving upward, if we speak in general terms, but backward if we look at specifics.
Joe managed to get Maki a visa card for $30 that he tried to secretly pull off as a gift from Vernon. He wanted to make sure Maki had got something from his dad and vice versa, just like he had acted on Justine’s birthday in June.
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Thank you Allison for making Maki’s birthday so lovely and fun! The circus sounded great, he told me all about it and I had to look it up online. It looks beautiful!
It’s right, Maki did fit in the pouch – we didn’t have a pram before Maki was 4 months and was getting too heavy to be carried in the Babybjørn on longer trips, the pavements in Bideford were too steep and narrow for prams, so when we got one we only had a small stroller.
Maki loved being carried, and talked to, maybe that was why he learned to talk before he was 2. He was so alert and never wanted to lay back in his pram, he sat up, even before he was 6 months. He was a very easy, happy baby, he seemed to understand a lot.
Great to see he got a big birthday hug from his dad. That is the best present anyone can get!
Big hug to the Birthday Boy from me too.
Looks like you had a wonderful Birthday Maki.. how you have grown so tall ..what a handsome young man you have become!!
yes i remember the pouch too ..infact i found a photograph the other day of maki in the pouch taken down on one of the Devon beach`s!!..must have been cold because we all have coats on and wrapped up warm!!!!( i`ll try and find it and send it)
xx love to you all xx
Allison and Maki,
You had a wonderful birthday with your Dad and Allison. Love him Allison because before you know it he will be in college or away someplace else in the big, wide world of ours.
In was to bad that people feel like they have to beat up on somebody else. I have not figured it out and I don’t think we are supposed to do that.
Just take care of Maki and Justine and Vernon. You have your hands full. God bless you in all that you do.
Hugs,
Becky