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Saturday, November 15, 2008

A Hard Thing to Say

OK, I'm going to launch into something I almost never do, because of how explosive the topic is, but as I worked on some Christmas crafts tonight, I could not get this out of my mind. In fact, I should be asleep right now instead of up typing. But sometimes I just can't sleep until I work things out in my head.
I've been saying since the election that I am going to give Obama a chance, even if I don't really think he can do the things he says he can, because he asked America to do so, and I believe that everyone deserves a chance to reach their potential. I sincerely hope that he can help America climb out of this sinkhole we're in. He seems to be a loving father to his girls. But one thing really bothers me. I know that liberal politicians are for abortion and all that, but I will not agree with it. And it really, really bothers me that a man like Obama, who is such a role model, such a historic figure, should so openly condone it. In an interview I saw, he was saying that if one of his daughters should make a mistake (i.e. get pregnant), he would hope that she would not have to be burdened by the consequences of that mistake, to paraphrase. Can I support a leader who thinks like this (and trust me, I know he is not the only one, but as an upstanding, decent, loving family man with a message of peace and change, shouldn't he be different?)?
I find this whole point of view just awful. First of all, this is exactly the attitude that is raising an entire generation of children to believe that they do not have to take responsibility for their actions. Second of all, a child is never a mistake. There are always people willing, desperate, to have a child of their own, who will gladly pay for medical care for a mother and child and for adoption costs. I know this because our church has a program in place to do just this, to help everyone involved.
In high school and college, I was actually Pro-Choice. But then I realized what I was standing up for. Yes, a woman has the right to make choices for her own body, but that right doesn't begin with the decision to have an abortion or not to. It begins with the choice to have sex or not to have sex. And guess what, if you're not ready to raise a child and completely alter the course of your life, then you probably should not be having sex - or at least you'd better be pretty darn well protected. And yes, I have the right to speak out on this one. I know from experience.
While we're on the "it's my body, my choice" argument, I have to say that once you conceive, you are no longer only choosing for yourself- you're also choosing for another person. A little person who cannot choose for himself or herself. A little person whose greatest protector should be his or her mother.
Who are we to decide whether this person lives or dies? Who are we to wipe them off the face of the earth before they have even had a chance to live or be held and loved? To erase whatever they would have or might have been?
It absolutely kills me. I want to cry sometimes, and my heart freezes for a second, when I think of what my life would have been like had I made a different choice nine years ago. I have to squeeze my eyes shut and push the horrible thoughts away, but this feeling of loneliness and despair sits heavy on my heart for awhile afterward.
What would I do without my bossy little dancer, my mothering little book-worm?


How can I look at my beautiful, amazing daughter and think abortion is OK? How can I look at her and say "the world would have been better without you because I wanted to finish college first, because I wasn't ready to raise a baby yet"? What if I had made a different choice? Would the world have ever known her? Would Skylar, Bart, Drake, and Lucy ever have existed? They are the lights of my life - what would I have been without them? How do I possibly - me, a human being - have the knowledge and responsibility to make a decision so enormous that its consequences echo throughout this life and eternity?
George and I did make a choice, and I am thankful everyday that it was the right one. We had the support and love of our families, and that made all the difference.
I'm actually crying as I write this because it took a lot to make me realize the infinite importance of family and of human life. It took everything in my entire life being turned upside down - my parents splitting up, getting pregnant at eighteen, my sister dying - before I could know. We pass through experiences that change us so completely that we don't even recognize the person we were before.
And I guess I'll break my other taboo - not going off on a religious slant. But I have to say that I cannot believe that a God who loves even the smallest and most insignificant ant, and each and every blade of grass, would not value a tiny half-grown human life, too. I cannot believe that forty million little lights being snuffed out every year would not break his heart. I know, from watching my own parents grieve, that the passing of just one beloved child is more than a person can bear sometimes.


So I look at this picture here and I try to imagine what it would look like without Skylar - and then would follow Bart, Drake, and Lucy. What a lonely, lonely thought. I cannot even bear to type this, but I have to have the courage to say what I believe, even if it's hard to swallow. I can barely write this because my eyes are filled with tears.
What I'm saying is that each of us is free to make our own choices, but we will be held accountable for the consequences of those choices. Right or wrong. We have to take responsibility for what we do and realize that the choices we make for ourselves affect others - infinitely many others.
What will my grandchildren be like? Will they have curls like Skylar or red hair like Drake? Will they say "Thank you, my darlin" like Bart, or cry with a hoarse little voice like Lucy?
Each of us has a duty to correct some wrongs, stand as a better example to future generations, and to be the voice for little ones who have none yet.
What will my grandchildren be like? My great-grandchildren, even?
I don't know yet, but the point is that I will.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Sleep Walking

I realized tonight that Skylar is not the only one sleep walking lately. I was sitting on the sofa, nursing Lucy, and I had dozed off. George woke me up, and after a few minutes in which I listened to him while he prattled on about something (I can't remember what), I thought I was awake enough to reply. My contacts were really dry, so I was trying to tell him I needed to put drops in my contact lenses, but what came out was "I need to put crap in my sunglasses."
What the heck? Sunglasses?
Kind of reminds me of a time when Bart was a newborn baby. I had him sleeping in the bassinet next to my bed so I could easily reach him when he woke up to eat. Well, he woke up in the middle of the night, so I reached over, picked him up, and put him up to nurse, only he didn't stop crying. After a few seconds of groping around with my eyes still shut, trying to get him to latch on, he was still crying. Eventually I opened my eyes, discovered Bart was still in the bassinet wailing, and I had been trying to nurse a stuffed animal the whole time.
I'm telling you, people, check your dignity at the door when you become a mother.
I'm curious what other random acts of exhaustion I've committed unknowingly.
Today was one of those non-stop days I usually try to avoid. We got up, took the Big Two to school, bought trash stickers, I RACED through a shower, didn't dry my hair, and we went to meet Vanessa and Cage at Wal-Mart to check out some patterns and fabric for a church skit. Then I did drive-through lunch on the way to Skylar's Terrific Kids Assembly while Drake grabbed a 15-minute nap in the car. Then we sat through about 45 minutes of clapping and picture-taking, brought Bart and Skylar home from school, and fed Lucy. Then I made a pie and a cake (sans the baking part - I baked it at Vanessa's), and we ran over to Vanessa and James' for dinner.
Lucy had another rough evening. She's still on her nursing strike (I'm curious as to what union babies are a part of??). Anyway, after some tears, I finally coerced her into nursing, and she fell asleep by 11:00pm or so. I've been having to trick her, by getting her to suck on her binkie and then doing the old switcheroo when she's not expecting it. Most of the time it works and she eats.
Tonight, the MOMENT I laid her down in her Moses basket, even though she had been absolutely, positively out like a light, she woke up and started to fuss. George took her and rocked her back to sleep, bless him, and here I am typing past midnight again.
Don't I ever learn?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Rainy Day Reflections


Today it really does look and feel like Fall. It's in the low to mid sixties, rainy, and the leaves are swirling madly.
I love it.
Today Lucy found her feet and worked pretty hard to get them. She's been after her knees for some time now, but no luck. Maybe this foot thing will work out for her.

Here's the email I sent to friends and family with Halloween pictures of the children.

Hey guys-

Here are some Halloween pictures of the kids. We went as characters from Star Wars. Skylar was Princess Leia, Bart was Anakin Skywalker, Drake was Darth Vader, and I was Queen Amidala. Lucy was going to be an Ewok, but we didn't get any further than the furry little hat - she kind of looks like a Russian mail-order bride, though.
And George managed to escape the whole costume thing this year due to a meeting which caused him to arrive JUST in time for our church Trunk or Treat. I made the costumes, except for the Darth Vader costume. I think it was a good choice of costume for Drake since he's already on the "Dark Side" - aka the Terrible Twos.

Anyway, Happy Halloween, everyone!

Love,

Wendy

P.S. Sorry there are so many picture attachments, but I can't get everyone to stay still long enough for a group shot!
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These next two pictures were taken a couple of weekends before Halloween. We had just gotten back from the River Bend Country Club Halloween Hayride. Members' children and grandchildren and the Girl Scouts (whose leader owns the CC) loaded onto trailers full of hay and rode up and down the golf course, trick or treating at various houses. It was a perfect night to be out. In the twilight, it was magical as we passed beneath the trees along the more wooded areas of the golf course. At one point, there was even a "real" witch waiting for us beneath the shadows of this enormous old oak tree that commanded an entire portion of the green.
Bart had to wear his knight costume from last year since I was not quite finished with his new one. He never missed an opportunity to tell someone, "I'm dressed up as a knight, but I'm really going to be Anakin Skywalker. My mom hasn't finished making my costume yet."

























These pictures below were taken at the Preschool Parade the day before. The Preschool Parade is an annual event where parents bring their preschoolers, toddlers, and babies downtown in costume. Then everyone parades en masse through the streets to Union Point Park by the Rivers. Here, sponsors have set up tables with games, crafts, info, and snacks for the children. It's a lot of fun and quaint and the children really get excited. It gets you into the spirit of Halloween. Two years ago, I brought Bart and Drake, who was about Lucy's age at the time. This year we met up with some church friends. It was quite chilly out and it just FELT like Halloween!





Thursday, November 6, 2008

Back to Normal?

Today I was able to leave Lucy and Drake with Mom and Mimi for about two and a half hours. I helped out at Sky and Bart's school book fair. It was kind of nice just to have to worry about myself for a little while. I love spending time with my babies, but it is priceless to get a little breathing room sometimes. One of these days (SOON!) George and I need to go on a real date. The closest thing to a date we've had is taking Lucy with us to Red Lobster. When you have four kids, a date is defined as an event where the number of children with you is less than or equal to the number of adults.
Wednesday, Drake and Lucy had doctor appointments. Lucy is now twelve pounds - she was ten pounds at one month of age. She had four shots and an oral vaccine for rotavirus. Drake got a finger prick, and he just sat there watching as the nurse prodded the blood into the little tube. He didn't cry or anything, not until a few minutes later when the nurse had left the room and Drake realized he didn't want a the bandaid on his finger. He also got the nasal spray flu vaccine. What a brilliant idea! Honestly. He didn't even whimper.
Lucy's head is a bit flat on back, from sleeping on her back. Our other three children were tummy sleepers, but Miss Lucy loves sleeping on her back with her face turned to the right - the direction of the small window in our alcove. So I turned her Moses basket around so she would have to look left to see the window. Sneaky...but the doctor told me to. Actually, she said it was probably a good idea to go ahead and get Lucy to sleep in her crib now, since she would be outgrowing the Moses basket pretty soon. But it's so easy to put her to bed in her basket. She just loves it. Everytime we try to put her down in her crib, her eyes pop open, even if she had been fast asleep only a moment before. Personally, I think Lucy likes sleeping near George and I. I also think she's grown accustomed to the sound of George's snoring. It's like a cacophany of wild pigs rooting in garbage.....Soothing....

Date Night....Sort Of

George and I were up until midnight playing Guitar Hero. This was probably not the smartest idea, considering we both have to get up pretty early, but we had a lot of fun. George bought another guitar and remote, so we played Co-op. He played on hard and I played on easy. I resisted playing for probably six weeks because I was still slightly ticked off that he bought the thing, but finally I gave in and whaddya know? - it's a blast.
We threw a Guitar Hero party on November 1. We invited a ton of friends from church and I think everyone had a really good time. We ordered six large pizzas, I made dirt cake, and everyone brought a snack to share. There were about forty kids running around the house, tearing the playroom apart from bottom to top, but somehow, everyone managed to play. We had ten adults, and eleven kids (OK, but it felt like forty....).
GUITAR HERO PARTY

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Host: The Savitz Family
Location: Savitz House
109 Gangplank Rd., New Bern, NC 28562 US
View Map |
When: Saturday, November 1, 4:00PM
Phone: 919-648-2598
Wear your leather jacket, bring a snack, and come rock with us!



Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Well....

So the presidential election is over.....My first thought was to type "God help us all" and leave it at that. But then I got to thinking that that's a pretty unfair thing to write.
I cast my vote for the first time today and it was a good feeling. I have been eligible to vote in two other election years, but I didn't do so. The first time, I was pretty young and I did not know very much about the candidates, so I chose not to vote. The second time, I didn't know that I had to register in my new town in order to vote, so I couldn't. This time, I was determined to do everything I needed to in order to cast my vote. I even took all four children with me so that they could see firsthand the voting process. It took just a few minutes. I feel like this was a very important year to vote and I felt like my vote might really make a difference. I'm grateful that I live here in a country that allows all adult citizens to freely cast their vote for the leader of their country. I believe it is so important that we educate ourselves about the potential leaders of the country, and not just vote because it is expected of us.
I was able to watch the speeches of both John McCain and Barack Obama tonight and I was moved by both. I felt that McCain's was so full of emotion and a genuine love of the country. For the first time, watching the speech of a politician, I was moved almost to tears. He struck me as a man of integrity and honor. Did America make the right choice? I also respected that Obama, in his speech, asked us to give him a chance and that he said we needed to heal the divides in this country. This is true, and I sincerely hope that we will give him a chance, and that he will be able to heal the country. As much as I have hated the fact that race has been dragged into this election (when are we just going to be plain Americans, and not Native Americans, African Americans, etc.??), I realize that Obama really broke down some barriers to become president. Will he help heal the rifts in this country and not cause them to widen? I hope so. I certainly hope that this is what we need to put the ugliness and intolerance of our predecessors behind us. That's important. It needs to be done. We need to be one nation.
For the first time in an election, perhaps because I have tried to educate myself on the issues as much as possible, I feel a genuine apprehension over what the future holds. Or perhaps it's because I have four children I love more than life and I worry for their safety and well-being. Perhaps it's because as a couple, George and I have teetered on the brink of financial crisis for far too long. Perhaps it's because we know people who have lost their jobs and are teetering, too. I'm concerned. I don't know that Obama can make things better for us. But he deserves a chance, doesn't he? I mean that's what America is all about - opportunity.
So that's enough about politics from me. I'm all about giving people chances, but at the same time I'm going to go into this new era with my eyes and ears open and with an air of extreme caution. I just have a hard time believing that Obama is the answer to our problems. Would McCain have been? I just don't know about that, either. I think we need a miracle.
OK, I'm being melodramatic....maybe....