Meet Lily--the newest member of our garden-themed family

For those of you that don't know, my sister has been pregnant for something like 10 months now, although reliable sources have informed me that to her it's felt something like 50 years. I should say had been pregnant, because last night she had Lily Ann Swackhamer after labor roughly the same length as the pregnancy. Lily turned out to be the epitome of her namesake--tall and skinny, with a crown of thick blonde. Think Calla Lily (this one, not this one) without the thick orange stamen. For you stats hounds, Lily weighed in at 6 lbs, 3 oz and was 20" long. She definitely takes after her mom (tall and skinny with blond hair, not 6 lbs and less than 2 feet tall). We would be flashing her picture to everyone right now, but we don't have any shots of the new Lairpup (shoot, Swackhamer pup, sorry Greg) because somebody hasn't gotten around to sending us any photos of her. As if they're busy, the lazy bums.

Eden is pumped--now she has someone to bully besides her parents. When we told her of her new cousin, she said, "Bleee--weeeee-hee-ah!" Which we take to mean, "indeed, I am very enthusiastic for the opportunity to socially interact with a family member much the same age as I." Or something.

Congrats, Christy and Greg--we couldn't be happier for you guys and we send all our love. And no, this doesn't mean you can now claim the clothes Eden has outgrown. Okay, maybe some of them.

Is it really that bad to drug your child to sleep, really? I'm just asking.

So it's 4 in the morning and here I am, fulfilling a life-long dream of late-night blogging. Just kidding--I'm very, very unfortunately not the only person in the family awake (if I can be called that) at this moment. I'll give you two guesses who the other one is, although you'd be right either way; Sarah may be in bed right now, but I doubt her eyelids are closed. I expect her out any moment, with her mother-like tendencies and all.

Yes, Eden has recently (as in last night and tonight) decided that no morning can be called such unless you can watch the sunrise. And have several hours to prepare for it. Even if you're only four hours into what promised to be a memorable and enjoyable night of solid sleep. And have a full plate of work coming up the next day (not that that particular one applies to anybody in this house, but I'm just saying).

So I've got Eden planted in front of the TV, watching Barney vs. Teletubbies IV--Death Match or whatever late night children's cartoons they play on Noggin at this hour. And I don't feel the least bit guilty about it, either, because Vague Flutterings Of Parental Guilt don't officially start until 6 am at the earliest (9 am on Saturdays).

And now I hear Sarah stirring, which means she's about to come out and play her momma card, saying that she can get Eden back to sleep a lot easier than I can (which is true), that she's awake and won't be able to fall back asleep anyway (possibly true), and that I have to work tomorrow (eh) and should really get some sleep (yes!). And I, of course, will play my daddy card and accept.

So, to sum up, this is what Eden should look like right now:


And this is what she actually looks like:


Okay, it's more like this:


Good night--for another two hours, at least. Chances are, I'll see you here tomorrow at the same time. Sigh.

Who loves her Grandma? Eden does.

Grandma Lair came in for a few days of G-ma lovin' for Eden. We felt bad--she was the home stretch on our month of non-stop family action and we were wiped. So it was a low-key visit, which was fine with Grandma because, as she informed us, she wasn't here to see us anyway--she just came for the munchkin. Okay, so she didn't quite phrase it like that. Or rather, she said it exactly like that, but she said it with love. You see, my mom is a bit sarcastic, and...ah, forget it. Any of you that know my mom know exactly how she said it; any of you who haven't met my mom, you can just write our family off as a little odd. Cheers, mom.

I'm expecting a phone call about this post any minute now.

Anyway, my mom was out here, and we had a great (if low energy) visit. She remarked on how much Eden has changed since her last visit in April, which was good news for us--we'd be a little worried if she hadn't. (See how I do the sarcasm too? I'm tellin' ya, it runs in the family.) My mom also got to experience a Hemotology clinic visit with us--and she got a good one, one where the phlebotomist missed the vein and after several tries had to do a finger-stick-n-squeeze. Eden was, rather understandably, at her screamingest by the end of it. My mom was practically in tears. And Sarah and I where looking at her with a What? look on our face, until we realized that 7 month old babies don't normally get stuck with needles on a weekly basis. It's a little too easy for us to lose perspective on that kind of thing, now that's become routine; we need a fresh set of eyes to remind us that it really, really sucks.


So even though her visit was a bit lethargic on our part, we had a smashing time. And she pulled off a trick that we hadn't seen around here in a long time: she put Eden to sleep on her shoulder. Eden doesn't do that for, like, anyone anymore. And so we have another tidbit to add to the Book of Grandma Lore and Mythology.

Florida (a little taste anyways)

We really did have a wonderful time in Florida and are sad that we don't have more pictures to post, but here's a taste of our time anyways.

I would explain to you how Eden felt about the beach, but I feel like Eden says it all with these pictures...

unfortunately the water was a little nasty...

But we had a beautiful pool to keep us busy...

And a beautiful house to stay at...

Not mentioned, or pictures though was the best part of the trip--getting to meet all sorts of people, watching Zack and Ashley get married, and hanging out with Nan and Aunty. It was a beautiful trip, Zack and Ashley--if you all want to have a 1 year anniversary party or something we'll be there for sure!

Avocados and Bananas, Enough Said

Here's To Ya, Robertsons

That panting you may hear in the background is Sarah, Eden and I (and if it's not us, then I don't really want to know what's going on at your house). Why the hard breathing? We just had the Family Robertson in from Phoenix for five days--Stephanie (Sarah's best friend from high school), Gary, Charlie, and Luke. Wow, do those kids have some energy. Not that it wasn't fun--we had a blast having them out here and will actually consider it a personal affront if they do not immediately move to Little Rock.


Okay, I'm kidding (about the moving, not the having fun part). Although Sarah may not be--one or two tears rolled down her cheeks as they pulled away on Wednesday.


And Eden loved Charlie and Luke. I mean, seriously loved--if she could have stuck them in the pocket of her 6-month pants to play with whenever she wanted, she would have. If she could've recorded them and played them on a 24-hour nonstop loop on TV, she would have. If she could've covered them with rice cereal, breastmilk, and bananas and eaten them up, she would have. She loved them.


We had to work a bit to come up with energy-tapping activities for three days, though. Luckily, the hotel they stayed at had a pool, so we hit that a couple times, as well as the zoo, the park, and a sweet, sweet place called The Wonder Place that should be on every parents' To Do With Your Kids When They're Bored And Crazy list. The Wonder Place had all kinds of cool stuff for kids from Eden's age up to about 8 years (or, if you're anything like me, up to 30ish). We and the Robertsons gave the place a workover for a couple of hours but, believe me, I could've stayed there all day long. I mean, the kids could. Yeah, that's it.


All in all, it was a Phenomenal visit with a capital Ph. We miss them tons and can't wait to get together again. And all that stuff about moving out here, that really was just a joke. Kinda. Maybe.

This milestone will be smeared with mashed bananas

We're back, and with nifty new gear, too. Turns out, it only took about a week without a camera for us to crack and pick up a new one. And just in time, too. It would've been a real shame if we didn't photographically document the smallest detail of Eden's newest adventure--the Adventure of Rice Cereal and Bananas.

Yes, as hard to believe as it is, Eden is already foraying into the new world of flavor. Or into the new world of Things That Don't Taste Like Milk, at any rate; anyone who has tasted rice cereal for infants can vouch that flavor is definitely not listed in the ingredients. We can't decide if she likes her new culinary options or not. She's energetic enough at first, but the faces and turned-up nose come quickly every other day or so. But who knows--she makes the sames faces when she has gas.

Anyway, here's a glimpse of the new adventure. You can judge whether she's getting more in her belly or on her shirt.

Gone daddy gone

We searched, we hoped, we prayed, we searched again, we had Molly and Chach search, we pulled our hair out in frustration, we searched one last time (just, you know, in case), and we finally gave up.

It's official: the camera is gone.

How it vanished we don't know (we were looking at it in the car near the end of the drive home, for pete's sake), but all of the lovely shots of Eden, Sarah, Molly, Florida, the beach, the pool, and my ever-expanding spare tire are gone for good. It's okay to shed a tear or two; we've already filled a few glasses-ful.

So an in-depth report of Eden's first exposure to white sand, palm trees, and southern weddings will have to wait a bit longer until we can steal some pics from Molly's camera. On the plus side, we had gotten some sand underneath the sliding lens cover that made some nasty clicking sounds when we turned it on or off, so it was probably on its way out sooner rather than later. I never liked that camera anyway. Stupid camera.

In the meantime, enjoy this photo I've managed to dredge up. It's a great shot of Eden sleeping in the middle of the night after a storm knocked power out. With no flash. And a fast shutter speed.

sad, sad post

So here's the deal. We went to Florida. Had a wonderful time. Took lots of great pictures. Drove back home to Arkansas. Lost the camera. Now we are at a lost as to what we can even post. We are on a mad hunt for the lost camera and will keep you all posted. As far as Eden's platelets... all she needed was a little trip to the beach, they're up this week to 425,000!! Hopefully she'll keep them around there, we'll see. If anyone has any idea where to look for our camera let us know, until then, here are a few older pictures of Eden- her 1st soccer picture. And her w/ Daddy.

Manic little monkeys

Whew. It's been a busy week, and there's no letup in sight. Here's a quick rundown of the latest events:

--Grampa Lair came out to visit, pulling in last Sunday and taking off early this morning. The last time he had seen her was back in April, when she was knee-high to a grasshopper (she's thigh-high to a cricket, now). Eden loved the furry white stuff on his face (although he may not have appreciated her tugging so hard on his beard), and we loved having him out for a spell.


--Monday was clinic day, where she scored a 309,000 on her platelet test. I said last Monday was her worst trip so far, but this one beat it by a mile--it was screamarific. The nurses now draw straws to see who gets stuck with "the incident maker." (I kid, I kid--at least, I hope they don't draw straws. Some of them have a hunted look in their eye when we roll in, though.)


--Wednesday we had house church at our house, where the other members got to see the indigenous Laircub in her native habitat. Ashley Chandler and Eden's buddy Brady (from down the street) came up for a while too, which Eden appreciated--the party was getting laaaammme-o with only old people around.


...and that's about it. My list of activities looks a little weak, now that it's in print; maybe you had to be there to appreciate the hectic-ness of it all. Or maybe we're just wusses.

Coming up, we've got a trip to Florida next week for a wedding; some friends from Phoenix driving in the week after (with kids Eden can play with! She's been looking forward to this, like, her whole life); and Grandma Lair flying in the week after that. If I had been as popular in high school as Eden is already, I would've been class president. Or something. So we've got this weekend to catch our collective breath and then it's party party party for a solid month. Please, please, please pray for our sanity.

Big Girl

Eden officially graduated to her Big Girl carseat this weekend. She weighed in at 22.5 lbs. this past Monday and the limit for her old seat was 22 lbs. On the upside she does seem to like it better and Mike and I were just about throwing our backs out carring her in the old one. Mike and I have also discovered the relief of Baby Einstein. For all of you out there who are saying to yourselves "Oh no, they're sticking that kid in front of the TV all of the time", I really can reassure you that we don't do it often, but it comes in handy now and again. So here are a few pictures of Eden relaxing before bed.

Mondays are for grouches

Today's number is 443,000, brought to you by the verb fuss and the adjective cranky. Yes, today was clinic day for Eden, and while she scored great (well, decently--we expect it to be high the week after a transfusion) she wasn't happy about the experience. Actually, this may have been her worst trip so far--she even screamed at the nurse, which everyone knows is a no-no, unless you like spit in your soup. Oh wait, that's waiters.

At any rate, she was not a happy camper. She hasn't been much fun to be around for the last week or so, come to think of it. I blame the teeth. They haven't popped through yet, but you can almost see the little tormentors, lying just under the surface, radiating waves of crankiness.

Eden and the Hospital, Acte Trois

Yesterday was Transfusion Day, where happy little girls with no platelets in their blood go and get topped off for a few more weeks. Last week she rocked the platelets to the tune of 78,000, so yesterday--even though technically she was just going in for another blood test--we packed bags with clothes, diapers, baby toys and grown-up toys (because who wants to spend a day in the hospital without some Mario Kart action, really?), grabbed an aunt, and headed off bright and early. Call it a sense of foreboding.

And whad'ya know? She scored 53,000. Big surprise.

So Eden got a needle stuck in a vein for the third time in her life. Her foot again, so no fun foam hand-board for her to play with and chew on and get generally sloppy. She was much less happy about this round of IVIg, as well; she had less of the "this is all so new and interesting and why does that man keep coming by with wild horses on his shirt (Nurse Tim, who wins my award for Nicest Male Nurse Ever)" reaction and more of the rockstar-ish "this again? How about a little creativity around here. This is, like, SO lame, people" 'tude. And who can blame her? If I was 5 months old and had large quantities of fluid pushed into my body from location other than my mouth, I'd probably be a little pissed too.

Bye-Bye Pops

Eden got to meet her "Pops" this past week. We are sad to say that he had to leave today to head back to Colorado. We all had a great time. We ate lots of bar-b-que, made a visit to Clinton Library and showed him the "sights of Little Rock." Thanks for coming Dad, we miss you already and hope that you can come back soon with her uncles and aunt!

down again

It seems that every time we put a post on the blog it's in regards to Eden's platelets, I guess that that's what our lives are about right now!! Anyways, they are down again. 78,000. Not a significant fall, but a fall all the same. Mike and I are beginning to think that the 200,000 plus platelets was a big fluke, we'll see. The even more downside to this is that her kidney test is scheduled for next Tuesday. They said that they'll go ahead with it as long as her platelets are over 50,000- we'll wait and see. We're about tired of having to give her amoxicillin every night and would prefer to see at least one medical condition come to a close, time will tell I guess. All that being said, here are a few pictures for your viewing enjoyment. They range from pictures of her new friend Johanna (and her big brother Julian, who we got to hang out with when Johanna was first born), to her new highchair. She's getting big.