Here's what happened when 2-year old Isaac got his wish to experience swaddling like he has been observing for a week now on his new baby bro and sis. He quickly decided that he did not like it, NO, NOT ONE BIT, GET ME OUT OF HERE!
Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/
We are doubly blessed with the safe arrival of Owen and Amber on July 16, 2009 (the birthday of their Great Great Grandmother Angie Roberts Alldredge in 1900). Two-year-old Isaac is such a wonderful big brother. The 'rents Jen and Tony are doing well and it is a pleasure to be able to be available for a couple of weeks to help out. So now I NOW have TWO favorite grandsons and ONE favorite granddaughter! What fun is in store for all of us!
Ahhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhh hhhh hh hhhh hhhhhhh hhhhhhh hhhhhhh hhhhhh hh hh hhh! I am finally getting some cherry tomatoes and can indulge in one of my favorite garden snacks.
This was a re-creation, for me, of a similar experience I had in 1962 at Beaver Lake when visiting at the Washington state home of my Uncle Joel and Aunt Jean and my cousins Beth Ann and David. About 10 or so years later I was at an AAUW meeting in Garland, Texas where the speaker was demonstrating biofeedback and I was the Guinea pig who got connected to his machine. He told me to close my eyes and go back in time to a very peaceful day in my life and to experience the feelings I had at that time. His instructions immediately brought to mind my getting up very early and paddling out onto the lake in a canoe. It was a foggy morning and everything was very calm. I paddled all around the small lake before returning and I had been up so early that no one had even missed me. Poor biofeedback guy! I was so calm that he could hardly get his machine to regester a pulse or whatever he was looking for. So he tried to get me to visualize something stressfull but my demeanor remained calm despite my attempts to help his demonstration. Anyway, ever since that time, when I want to invoke calmness in my being, I have gone back to imagining myself paddling around on that calm foggy lake on a very peaceful summer morning. Imagine my delight when I got to visit my cousin David's home (now all grown up with a wife Patsy and 9 children). They have created a lovely home at a beautiful small lake in the same geographic region in Washington state. AND, right down there on the shore was a canoe AND this time I had a camera so YAHOO! now I have a photo which replicates closely my vision and my experience from 1962. This time it was evening and not foggy but I loved the way the puffy clouds were reflected in the placid water of the lake. I saw a feather floating on the still water so decided to row over to it and scoop it up as a souvenir. I got next to it and tried to come up under it with the paddle but it just floated further away. The funny thing was, I could never get that close to it again even in the calm water. So I just made lazy circle eights for a while before paddling back to shore. What a nice memory of a perfect evening! We had a dinner of the best salmon I have ever had anywhere, broccoli and shrimp salad (both yummy). And for dessert Cousin Dave had made a delicious rhubarb and strawberry pie. 
