Berkeley Antics and a new bestie

BW has had an obsession with Elmo for the last 18 months or so. He has an Elmo stuffed animal he sleeps with every night, he plays with him constantly and it has been clear that Elmo is the favorite of Berke's toys for some time now. He also has a stuffed Cookie Monster, Abby, Ernie and Big Bird and while he plays with them sometimes, Elmo is being dragged around everywhere and Cookie is the #2 in town. That is...until recently.
Berke has a recent obsession which is watching Mickey Mouse Club House. We started getting videos at the library and now he cannot get enough of Mickey, Minnie and the Gang.
The other day I told BW if he went the entire day with no accidents in his undies then I would get him a Mickey doll. This was a good motivator and no accidents were to be had. I went that evening to Target and got him the doll. That night as I put Berke to bed, I handed him Mickey which he quickly hugged. I then handed him Elmo (who he has slept with for the last 18 months) and he quickly threw him on the ground. Just like that Elmo went from Hero to Zero!
I will say Elmo has not completely fallen out of BW's good graces and he still gets played with quite a bit, but it is clear who the new #1 Bestie is, and his name starts with an "M".

Berke's imagination has really picked up the last couple of months, it is pretty adorable really. This week, Christian blew up this little pool and Berke has been playing with it all day, every day. He needs no water, as he can imagine that it is full. He gets all his stuffed animals and tells them they are going to the beach. This thing gets drug around the house and played with constantly. Who knew? Mickey is taking a mid morning swim. Good thing he has his floaty so he wont drown.
Berke is also loving our new couches; especially all the fun pillows it came with. A favorite game we played during Tropical Storm Irene was bury BW in all 6 pillows......

then he will break free! Then he screams, "More, more, more!"

Here is Berke putting all his little friends to sleep. This was pre-Mickey Doll, but he does have his Mickey Pez dispenser taking a nap, which is pretty cute. He was so sweet to lay everyone down on his pillow and make sure they all had a place to lay.

My friend at work gave us a cute bedroom set for Berkeley, so he went from Toddler Bed to Big Boy Bed in a matter of months. I sort of love his big boy bed, because now I can lay in bed with him and read books, scratch his back, or just be silly with him. He loves it to and has had no problems with the transition.

Other cute things about Berkeley:

1. Everywhere we go, this kid turns heads. I am constantly hearing, "He is so cute!" or "Look at that little boy with the glasses; he is adorable." This kid knows he is cute.
2. We have been working on counting for some time now, Berke seems to know the numbers but without fail, every time we count something he says, "Two, Five, Seven, Eight, Nineteen, Four!" EVERY TIME it is the same pattern, what a nut.
   
3. He is still a picky eater but has added Bean Burritos to the list of things he will eat as well as cashews. Yea, for more ways to get the kid some protein. Still wont eat ONE darn vegetable. He looks at it on his plate and says, "I can't eat it." and then quickly throws it on the floor where Mr. McDuff happily eats it up quickly.
   
4. Berke loves going to the Beach and every day he asks if we are going to the Beach with Megan and Q. We have been to a lot of beaches this summer, but I think he would be sad if he knew that beach season is quickly coming to an end and we probably wont have any more trips there this year. :(
5. Every day I tell Berke about how we are going to go to Mickey's house in December. He gets so excited and asks if we will see Minnie? Donald? Goofy? Pluto? I think he may be just as excited as I am for our adventure this winter.
6. Christian has been teaching a children's singing class at MIT this summer and Berke gets to go with him to the class. It is amazing how quickly he is picking up on these songs with repetition. He loves the Wheels on the Bus, London Bridges, Choo Choo and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. Singing these songs instantly brings a smile to his face.
7. Berke has this game where he looks at me and says, "Laci, what is your name?" I say, "Laci, what is your name Berkeley?" Then he replies, "Christian!" and he laughs and laughs.
   

Wild Animal Farm

As a working mother, I really look forward to the weekends for two reasons: 1- I get a break from work and 2- I get to spend quality time with my family. I truly love being a mom, it is the greatest blessing I have ever received.
I find myself always wanting to do fun things with my family, to make sure Berkeley has the best childhood he can have. There is nothing better for me in life than to have these precious moments with my little man. No matter what we do, this kid is so much fun to be around; he is always making me laugh, smile as well as want to build my patience.

This weekend we took a trip to Mendon, MA (home of many of my ancestors) to go to the Southwick Zoo with my sweet friend Megan and her son, Quentin who is Berke's BFF.

I think this zoo is one of the better one's in the area and is worth the drive to get there. We saw 2 beautiful tigers walking around very close, we saw a family of adorable chimpanzees and lots of adorable monkeys and other zoo creatures.
The highlights for Berkeley were the petting zoo. He was cautious at first about these pesky animals, but warmed up quickly once he learned they were harmless.

He loved paling around with "Q".

The BEST part for both of the boys was the choo choo train! Berkeley pretty much asked about the choo choo for the entire trip to the zoo until we go on it, then he wanted to go on it again. It was one of the best zoo train rides I have been on, as it went through some beautiful wet lands and we were able to see and learn about these animals in their natural habitats.

Then there was the mist tent, which was Q's favorite part of the day. We had fun running through it and cooling ourselves off.

We saw some of a bird show, and after they let us hold the birds. Q loved having the bird on his arm, but cautious little Berkeley was having no part of it. So they put the birds on me instead, and Berke waved to the one on my arm.
This is when he realized there was a bird on mom's head, it was a priceless face!

As you can imagine, it was a pretty intense and fun filled day for all involved. As we drove home, Megan and I looked back to find our two sweet boys passed out.
Love these boys!

Adulthood

There are big events in life that make me feel like I am REALLY an adult.
Childbirth was one of those experiences.

Buying our first couch was another.
Am I really "big" enough to make purchases like this?

Hospice

The hospice philosophy recognizes that every person deserves to live out his or her life with respect and dignity, alert and free of pain, in an environment that promotes quality of life. This concept of care came to the United States in the early 1970s, at a time when the vast majority of terminally ill people died in the hospital, often alone and in pain. From its beginnings, hospice has focused on the whole person - body, mind and spirit - with an understanding that serious illness profoundly impacts not only the patient, but family and loved ones as well.

Over the years, the medical community came to embrace hospice for bringing quality end-of-life services into the home, wherever home may be. Now, with the support of hospice professionals and volunteers, individuals may maintain control over their end-of-life choices. They do so knowing that hospice will support the patient and family in a multitude of ways.

When I graduated with my Masters in Social Work in 2005 from the University of Utah, I wasn't sure what I wanted to "specialize" in as a career. I decided I would take the next few years and try out a few different things and see what I liked. In 2003, once I earned my Bachelors in Social Work, I worked for the Division of Child and Family Services in Utah. I really enjoyed working with children, families and foster parents. I thought I would stay working with children throughout my career. As you know, sometimes life has a way of taking you on unexpected twists and turns to take you exactly where you need to be. Since 2005, I have worked with victims of domestic violence in various settings, with children aging out of foster care, homeless young adults, doing individual and family therapy, with elderly who are abused and/or neglected and finally with patients who are at the end of their life.

If anyone would have told me I would work for hospice in 2005 I would have not believed them. It never seemed to interest me and seemed way to sad and depressing. After working with the elderly population I realized how much I love working with the "old folks." They were way better than working with kids, but I just didn't love working with them in a setting of abuse and neglect constantly. That work really got me thinking about where I wanted to go with my career, and I decided I was interested in giving hospice work a shot.

For the past year I have been working as a hospice social worker, and I can say it is by far the most rewarding and fulfilling work I have ever done. I feel so honored to work with people who are at the end of life, to get to hear their stories, to assure them they are not alone, to help them find peace. It is a wonderful to be able to provide support to families who are facing the loss of someone so dear to them, to help them find peace and comfort in the process, to be a shoulder they can lean on when things get too hard. I gain so much peace and strength from the people I work with.

It has strengthened my testimony of an after life; I have had so many patients with terminal illness start seeing loved ones who have passed before them right before they go, either through dreams or visions. It is wonderful that these loving family members are coming to accompany them to the other side; it is absolutely beautiful.

People often say to me, "oh, I could never do that work." or "that takes a special person." I love my work; I am not afraid of death and look at it as a beautiful thing. Sure, at times I am affected by a patient's death, as I build relationships with these people very often before they pass and it is never easy to see them go. I however don't get depressed or gloomy over it, I am able to cope with it in a healthy way. I will say that this work does take a lot out of me emotionally, and there is rarely a day where I don't come home completely exhausted.

Since starting my job, death is constantly on my mind, as you can imagine. I am always worried that I will die before I get to see my beautiful boy grow up. I worry that he will be taken from me too soon. I worry that my husband will die, and I wont be able to handle life without him. It makes me think/worry a lot. Christian gets creeped out by how openly I talk about what I want when I die or become terminally ill. I tell him how I do not want to be resuscitated, how if I get badly demented to just stick me in a nursing home and visiting me 2-3 times a week. I tell him that I don't want a fancy coffin that costs thousands of dollars, but a simple wooden box like the Jews have. I want a beautiful wooden box that is painted by my friends and family. We talk about who we would want to have Berkeley if we were both to go unexpectedly. It really makes you start to think, to plan.

I would encourage everyone, no matter what age you are to do the following:

1. Choose a Health Care Proxy and have the form filled out. It is VERY simple and the form can be found on-line. A Health Care Proxy is somebody who will make medical decisions for you in the event that you are unable to do so. Be sure to tell this person what you want.

2. If you have children, make sure you have a will drawn up. You want to make sure everything goes where you want it to. So many times parents don't do this and I have seen many times the assets be lost even though that was not the intention. (for my friends in MA, I have a wonderful friend who is a lawyer who would be willing to do a will for you at a reasonable price).

3. If you are older, please start planning now. Be sure to talk with your children about what you want. I know it may be creepy but it is very important.

I hope you are not all depressed at this point. I just want to stress the importance of preparing, as you just never know. This week our 50 year old neighbor who is a nurse, died of a heart attack, leaving 3 teenage daughters and a devastated husband behind. We never know what God has in store for any of us.

Hospice work has really changed my life; it makes me love my family a little bit more, makes me live my life in a way where if something were to happen I would have no regrets. It makes me grateful for all the wonderful gifts and blessings I have been given. I hope you take time to do the same.

Parable of Immortality ( A ship leaves . . . )
by Henry Van Dyke - 1852 - 1933


I am standing by the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength,
and I stand and watch
until at last she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sun and sky come down to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says, 'There she is gone!
Gone where? Gone from my sight - that is all.

She is just as large in mast and hull and spar
as she was when she left my side
and just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the place of destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
'There! She is gone! ' ,
there are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout :
'There! She comes!'

- and that is Dying.

Summer time Fun in the Sun

We love the summer time in Mass because there is so much to do. We have been busy having fun since our return from out West.
We had fun at the Franklin Park Zoo with the Edwards Family. I didn't get any great pictures of Ian and Berkeley, but this one will do.

We ventured to Nahant Beach with my friend Diana from work. It was a very private and beautiful beach. The water was warm and the sand was perfect.
Berkeley LOVES the Beach! He loves to play in the sand, he loves to throw rocks into the water, he loves to have the waves hit him. He has been knocked over twice this summer by ocean waves and been completely submerged by water. This has no scared him or made him cry at all; he gets up and says, "Watch out for the Ocean."

We also ventured to Hampton Beach in New Hampshire with Nikki, Eloise and Bonnie. Berke could have stayed in the water all day long.

Berke put his dad's hat on and said, "I'm a cowboy, YeeHaw!"
I love the cute things he is always saying.

This past weekend we went camping in the Berkshires with our friends the Palmers. Their little boy Quentin, aka "Q" is one of Berkeley's bestest friends.

The boys had fun at Lenox Lake. Berke sat in there and played for a couple of hours, he was a little too brave and would have walked to his death in the lake if he was unsupervised. Next time I need to bring some floaties or a life jacket for this kid. For a kid who is cautious about everything, he has lost any fear of water he ever had.

Best Buddies! These two had fun getting dirty, going on walks, playing in the lake, finding rocks and sticks and laughing together.

The entire crew. Keep in mind this is after a weekend of camping and nobody looks great after camping even a day!
Poor Christian was seriously attacked by mosquitoes this year, he left with a grand total of 72 huge red bites! Yikes.

Never a dull moment in the summer.
We try to take advantage of the great place we live. After all, we put up with the crappy winters, so there has to be some sort of reward, right?