Piano Girl

No, I didn't forget

I have wanted to post for some time now, but it seems that having a 2 year old, and having no energy after she goes to bed goes hand in hand.  If you know Lexi, you know she goes at everything full throttle.  We love that about her.  I am not sure if anyone even reads this now (Hi Mom!).  But here is what has been up.


Mathilde went home to Belgium at the end of January.  We miss her terribly.  I forgot the heartache that we go through when our students leave.  We experienced it after Julia left.  I think Jon and I secretly hoped that she would want to stay, but apparently Belgium is a great place to live, and her family missed her too.  We will host a student again in the future, but I hope I don't like them as much.  It would be so much easier that way.

 In April we suffered another loss that I don't want to talk much about.  I just want to say that we learned our family and friends really do love us.  A few friends actually came to our house and almost held me up for a few days.  I needed that.  Thank you!


Here it is June and we are getting ready to enjoy summer!  I am working on Lasagna Gardening the front flower area (more on that later).  Lexi just got done with a soccer class that was the cutest thing in the world.  Much improved upon from the gymnastics class that she didn't care much for.  Of course, music his her favorite passion.  

We are traveling to Michigan and Ohio in July, and it will be a great trip because Lexi will get to swim often, one of her favorite activities.  Her new "Full Throttle" life jacket will get good use.


Lexi is tall.  She grew about an inch in two weeks.  She would be wearing 3T clothing if her waist wasn't so darn small.  I did get a belt for her, and since it is sparkly, she actually likes wearing it.  


Jon is enjoying his new job, which he started in January.  It keeps him very busy, but it gives him more job satisfaction than he's ever had in his life, which he really loves.


Not much new with me.  Benji is doing well.  We are on a schedule with him, and it is actually working out.  He is about 115 in dog years, and I think keeping him on a by the moment schedule every day makes him happy.  

I will try to blog more often, but that is when I am not out playing !!!  -Jenni

On My Mind

It's been almost 3 months since I posted, and I guess I'll just post what is closest to my mind.

As we watch Lexi grow and learn and do wonderful things in front of us each day, we watch Benji decline, not sleep, bump into things, and basically be old. He is on a new med for dementia. Yes, I guess it happens to dogs too. He doesn't sleep at night. Which means, Jon and I don't sleep at night. We really don't know how much more of his nighttime antics we can take. We try to take turns, but after letting him out, feeding him, getting him water, letting him out 7 more times, giving him our bed and some blankets, he still stands and barks. Then whom ever has been taking care of him usually gives up, and the other person takes over. My new plan of attack is to give him tons of food, let him run outside, and then go to bed earlier so maybe he can't get too wound up. For our sanity's sake, I hope it works. But no matter, we love Benji, and we want to make him the most comfortable that we can for what ever time he has left. When you are 23 years old and you make a quick visit to an animal shelter you don't expect the outcome to impact your life so significantly when you are 37. We've been lucky to have Benji these 14+ years!!!

Then there is Mathilde. I have always thought that it would be easier to have an exchange student stay with us if we didn't like them much. Someone that we would look forward to seeing go home. Well, that is NOT the case with Mathilde. She's managed to become a big part of our lives in only 4 short months. She'll be leaving in one month, and although we'll miss her, we know she's leaving. Lexi won't understand, and I feel the loss of her "Ta" as she is called, will be a difficult experience for our little girl.

I'll have to write more about Lexi once I get more pics uploaded. She is wonderful. What can I say- she's my baby!

-Jenni

Fall Update

While Lexi naps- yes naps, I thought I'd write. The simplest change brings revolution in the Clifton home. No after lunch bottle. Nap at 1. I had a small realization after eating a ton of cookies and drinking a glass of milk late one night. My heart was racing and I was in overdrive. Jon pointed out the large amount of sugars in milk, and I realized I was pumping Lexi full of sugar in an effort to get her to calm down for a nap. Change. Naps. Not every day, but most. And after about an hour I miss her and want her to wake up anyway. But small triumph.

I have, for some reason, omitted Benji from recent updates. His health is holding steady, but he is not the puppy he was 15 years ago. His cancer in his arm is back, but not operable because it is covering a much larger part of his leg then before. It is not the type that will spread beyond his leg though, so that is good. He is still totally blind, and runs into almost every wall. He always finds his way to the back door and the back inside, and to his food dish, so he's adapting to his handicap. He also finds Lexi trying to cuddle him, and although he seems alarmed, he does allow her her moments of love before he runs off to find a place to hide. I think they really do love each other.

I was looking at pictures last night of Lexi in the days after she was born. She was so small, yet you can see the beginnings of the person she has become today. As a baby she was always looking around at everything, taking it all in, learning, growing. Not much has changed. Looking back over the short 22 months since her arrival, I see it in much faster motion. It's almost as if she was born, she cried, she ate a bit, and then she took off running. I know I keep saying it, but this is the best time I've ever had with my family, especially Lexi. Watching her learn, and hearing her say things like 'mommy's turn' and 'Lexi do it' shows that I just might be doing things right with her.

Lately I have relaxed into a calmer self. As I near my 40s, (yes I said it) I realize that the things that I was running towards in my 20s are here. The 20s are a blur of running in hot pursuit of education, marriage, good job, good place to live, etc. Now that I'm older I can sit still and appreciate the things around me. My beautiful child, a tree waving softly in the wind, a weed that's just going to wait for me as long as it takes to be pulled, a husband that is so wonderfully devoted to his family. Lexi won't be a child forever. She will always need me, but not always need a cuddle while she drinks her milk. She won't always run to me when she is scared. She will not base her life on what I need. I am glad that at least for now, I can base my life on what she needs. Someday I will return to the working mom world, but I will always be a mom first and foremost. That is, as Lexi would say, Awesome!

-Jenni

Lexi counts from 4 to 13

Mommy says Moo

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