I have moved. You can now find me in my own little world over HERE. Please do drop by for a visit! I’ll make you some cyber-tea. Or margaritas, depending on the time of day and frame of mind.

My friends, I have news.

(insert image of Mr. Knightley saying and I know how you like news…)*

There is a high probability that this is only exciting to me, but I’m shouting from the rooftops:

I’M MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVING!!! Moving, moving, lalala! Moving! Moving! Moving!

Yes, I’m finding a new home for ye olde blogge. The details are boring, but suffice to say that upon the advice and with the invaluable help of a very particular friend, I’m switching to Typepad.

Here’s where you join me in the conga line and we all groove our way over to my new digs. Ready? Hands on the hips of the person ahead of you! One, two, three…

Jenni’s got a new PLACE!
Puttin’ on a new FACE!
Don’t be left behind HERE!
Grab onto the next REAR!

A party’s underway THERE!
A big housewarming a-FFAIR!
It’s gonna be so bit-CHIN!
No wonder I am swit-CHIN!

Okay, so you get the idea. I don’t want anybody left behind! This blog will stay here for a while, but eventually will go bye bye forever, so make a note! Switch your bookmark! Update your blogroll! Change your underwear! Blow your nose!

And then PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE WITH GODIVA ON TOP, come join me at MY NEW BLOG (BLAT! BLURT!)

*completely gratuitous picture of Jeremy Northam. Enjoy!

**insert stage whisper**

Okay? Okay. You’ve put my mind at ease. Thank you. See you tomorrow!!

Dear Daddy,
 
                   Well, I’ve been here a week and I’m feeling a little better. Two of the camp counselors are especially nice to me—the camp cook is my favorite. I really like the food here; she says you gave her the recipe. I’m not so cold anymore and I’m getting used to the noise, but there is so much that I still have to learn! I just don’t think I’ll ever get it all. My bunkmates seem to like me, although they’ve all been here a lot longer and things don’t seem to worry them like they do me. I’ll try to be brave and make friends like you told me. I miss you so much.

Love,
your child

Dear Child of Mine,

         I’m so glad that Earthcamp has gotten a little easier for you. I am proud of you for being so brave! I knew you’d like the food; it’s usually the best part of camp, at least at first. Your camp counselors and bunkmates love you so much; I picked them out especially for you, and they were so excited when I told them you would be coming. They will definitely do their best to help you out, so you should talk to them whenever you feel sad or lonely or confused. They are not perfect and they will let you down at times, but that’s only so you don’t depend on them more than upon me. You must remember that I am always thinking of you and that I have special things for you to do while you’re at Earthcamp; never doubt how important you are!  Your letters bring a smile to my face, dear one, so don’t stop writing.

Love,
Daddy   

Spring growth in DD#1’s garden (strawberries! squeal!)

Examples of sheer determination in God’s creation (peas! squeal again!)

A week ago I was in the hospital…3 cheers for HOME!

This gorgeous hunk, who takes such wonderful care of all of us…

Watching the emergence of a Big Brother… 

Well, well, WELL! It was highly entertaining to read your guesses, my friends. Although, if you were astute enough to notice, fairly early on in the running my BFF decided to stop by and pretty much give away the true lie (SARAH, AHEM)! In the interest of full disclosure, however, I shall forthwith shed full light on all the minor points.

Whatever that means. Did that make any sense? I didn’t think so.

1. True, people, TRUE!! Believe it or not, I am incredibly squeamish when it comes to wounds and other such business. I don’t mean minor scrapes, but anything beyond a minor scrape and I am completely incapacitated. Of no use to anyone. A year ago I even passed out at the vet’s office when he was palpitating our dying bunny’s abdomen with just a little too much vigor…so it isn’t really a blood issue, all the time. Wisely, I envelop all my children securely in bubble wrap every morning so we don’t deal with injuries too often.
2. Very, very, true, to a frightening degree. I would sit in the middle of our acreage as a kid and will the little fuzzy critters to come to me because they simply must be able to sense that I meant them no harm, right? I mean, sure I wanted to hug them and squeeze them and call them George, but other than that? I was completely guileless! And as for Wonder Woman, well…she still rocks the giant black glasses in my book.
3. Lie! Lie! Big, fat lie! Although I lived in Norway as a teen, I do not, in fact, speak Norwegian beyond a few phrases such as vaer sa god! and tusen takk! The sad truth is that everyone in Norway speaks English and if you even try to speak Norwegian to them they will stifle (unsuccessfully) their wry snorting and simply speak back to you in English.
4. True. It’s the stuff of legends.
5. Also true. His birthplace is Stratford-upon-Avon in England, and I went there on a Shakespeare weekend trip with my advanced literature class from Norway. And since this is the part of the blog where I shamelessly flaunt my extreme globe-trotter skilz, I will mention that I have also been to Denmark, The Netherlands, the Cayman Islands, and France. Yes, I saw the Mona Lisa. She was shorter than I expected.
6. Sadly true. Later I even expanded the one name to be a clever play on words: Jamaica J’oan Destiny. If you decide to use this brilliant idea for one of your own children, I will expect royalties. Or at least credit.

So congratulations to all the correct guessers! I will put your names into a hat (except for SARAH! AHEM!) and pull one winner…just as soon as I can locate a hat.

Also, for those of you who guessed Xavier’s weight, I have not forgotten about you! No one guessed right on the money (8lbs2.5oz), but there were three guesses for 8lbs2oz and a whopping six guesses for 8lbs3oz (which was also My Beloved’s guess, but he has graciously declined to go into the hat). All nine of your names will be in the running for the non-umbilical-cord-stump prize.

And now, the gratuitous, completely random and unwarranted pic-o-the-day:

I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

So how is everybody? What day is it? Is it still 2008? Who am I again?Whew…I think there is a new-baby-space-time-continuum that seriously messes with one’s mental processes. It feels like a year ago that I entered the hospital, but at the same time an eyeblink, and all of it has taken place under several leagues of water.

Or something along those lines.

At any rate, we are all well. The milk has arrived in vast quantities and so Cowboy X is quite content. He is sleeping much better and has even decided that occasionally it might be acceptable to take a peek around, although judging by his grimaces he still doesn’t think much of the place.

With every new baby’s arrival there always seems to be one Little in particular who is smitten a hair more than the others…this time it is Emma, who thinks nothing in the whole world has ever been sweeter than Xavier’s little downy head…

And then there is Gabriel, whose expression needs no explanation:

Let’s see now, what was I going to do next…?

Oh yes, there were some memes that I was tagged for, so until I can locate my synapses once again, I thought I might at least be capable of doing those!

First was the Six-Word-Memoir, for which I was tagged by both the lovely Toni and the gracious Jen…what springs to mind would be something along these lines:

Did All Things With One Hand

Doubted the Existence of Hot Food

or maybe

Gestated, Lactated, Counted It All Joy

Then there was the 7 Things Meme, for whom I was tagged by Soliloquy (who appears to have moved, so email her for her new site)…this one consists of telling 7 random facts about oneself…so here goes:

1. I am terrified of these.
2. I have eaten alligator.
3. I was born in Anchorage, Alaska.
4. I despise the cold.
5. I do not miss being pregnant. 
6. At. All.
7. I never, ever get motion sick.

And finally, the Six Things Meme, brought to me by Happy Mommy! Herein you will find six MORE random facts, but one of them is, in fact, a big fat lie. Yes! A fib. So then you ever-tolerant folks will try to guess which one is untrue, and I will send you a yet-to-be-determined prize. It will probably involve chocolate, if that makes a difference.

1. I am squeamish to a really frightening degree. I cannot hear about, read about, or, God Forbid, lay eyes upon, wounds without promptly losing all grasp upon reality.
2. I worshiped Wonder Woman and Grizzly Adams as a pre-teen. I wanted to be a combination of the two, somehow…Wonder Adams? Grizzly Woman? Wonder Grizzly? Whatever the case, I wanted the communion with all wild things and the invisible jet.
3. I am fluent in Norwegian.
4. I fell in love with and married my high-school boyfriend’s best friend, and my best friend went on to marry my high-school boyfriend. 
5. I have been to Shakespeare’s birthplace.
6. When I was a teen, I thought the most beautiful name in the whole world for a little girl would be…Jamaica.

Okay! So have at it…hit me with your best guess! Meanwhile, I will do some excessively important items on my list, such as smell Xavier’s neck and photograph Xavier’s tiny ears.

Dear Daddy,

                Earthcamp has not been very much fun so far. The trip was really long and not very comfortable. I was scared once or twice that I wouldn’t even make it here at all! I’m not sure that I like my bunkmates or the camp counselors. Everybody is really loud, and it’s cold! I know you said to give it some time and I’d get used to it—maybe even like it—but I really miss you. I want to come home. Are you sure I have to stay?

Love,
your child

Dear Child of Mine,

                I know it’s hard. It always is, and not only at first.  All throughout your stay, at times, you will wonder why I insisted that you go.  Just remember that I love you more than you will ever know. I also love hearing from you, so please talk to me often. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about Earthcamp, so whenever you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask.

Love,
Daddy

2 Corinthians 5:4

One day late ;o)

Xavier Gem arrived 12:55 a.m. April 12th and is nursing like a champ.   Mr. Pushy apparently had other places to be so didn’t stop to chat.   One push and baby was here.

The little prince weighs 8lbs 2.5 oz and is 20 inches long.

So very tired; will write more later but wanted to let everyone know.