Good news for my mom

My mom is out of back surgery now. She had a herniated disk that she had repaired this morning in Springfield, Mo. Everything went well and she's in recovery. She'll be back in Mountain Home this afternoon. Hooray!

Here's a picture of my mom holding Mia the day she was born:

So much for voting

Mia and I went to vote this morning. You can read about it here.

Take that, TV

We've been spending more time together as a family sans TV. Last night we played inside and then went for a walk around the block. Mia also had some supper. She's getting better and better at feeding herself. I put some food on the spoon and then hold the spoon out for her. She grabs it and then pops it in her mouth sideways. She doesn't get a whole lot of food off there, but we know she knows what's up. Sometimes she gets so excited she flings the spoon (and therefore the food) all over the place, squealing with joy. In a word, she's a genius.

Time with Oma Jill

Here are some cute pictures of Mia with her Oma Jill: getting a bath in the sink at Jill's condo and taking a nap curled up on the couch together.

Swimming like a splashing fish

I meant to post this a week ago but am just now getting around to it. We took Mia swimming in the pool at Leigh's mom's condo complex. As usual, she LOVED being in the water! Leigh would walk her across the pool and she'd splash like crazy all the way. We think she thinks she was swimming on her own. It was so fun to watch. We stayed until nightfall made it a little too chilly.









And here are a few videos. (The middle one is super short.)

Why I love my job

This is a real conversation that actually happened today:

My editor's boss to a caller: "Let me let you talk to our feral cat editor."

*my phone rings*

Me: "Oklahoman."

Woman: "Is this the feral cat editor?"

Me: *sigh* "Yes."

Tacos and tables

Last night we had supper with Clay and Marc at a Mexican restaurant we all like to go to. As soon as we got there, Marc started making her smile. He did this trick where he covered his face with a napkin and poke his tongue through as a surprise. Mia cried. We have no clue what it was, but she probably figured that Marc violently killed the napkin. But she quickly recovered and had a great time eating the table:



Jill left for South Africa this morning. She arrives in Cape Town on Friday night their time. Ma seems to be doing OK. She's lucid and asking to see specific family members. She asked to see Jill, and we're hopeful (and expecting) she will arrive in time.

Vilakazi night

Last night we had a small get-together for a few friends who've been supporting us and Vilakazi. We showed photos of our trip and told everybody about what we did. Here's a short video I made about one of our donations: rain boots. (You can't see it all on here for some reason on some browers. (Click here if you can't see anything to the right of the word "teacher" in the first scene.)

News on Ma

Ma was released from the hospital today to go home. At this point, she will receive hospice care. There isn't much left that can be done at the hospital. Jill is going to go home, and we are so grateful for that. This is a really tough time for Leigh and his family. Please pray for them and for Ma.

Prayers for Ma

Today Leigh's grandmother, Ma, was put in the trauma center (sort of like ICU I think) at a hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. She's been in bed for several days, which is absolutely unlike her. She also has cold hands and feet. Please say a prayer for her.

Ma is Jill's mother. She and Pa met Mia for the first time when we were there in June. As usual, Ma and Pa were hilarious. Ma called Mia a twit, which might have been the funniest moment of the entire vacation. They loved on Mia the whole time. It was really special.