A Little Boo Is Almost Due!

It was an ordinary Sunday back in February, when Eli and Amanda showed up at our house. This isn't unusual. They live just seven minutes away, so we get to see them all the time. I'm constantly grateful that four of our five kids live here in the valley. It's a blessing many parents don't have.

They were here only a few minutes, when with no warning at all, Amanda announced, "I'm pregnant!" Shouts rang out through the house. "What????? Seriously???? YESSSSSS!" 

"When? When is the due date?" I asked.

With a glimmer in her eye, Amanda responded, "October 31st."

Halloween is Amanda's absolute favorite holiday. Every year, she and Eli throw a big costume party with yummy food, fun games, and a million Halloween decorations (hyperbole acknowledged). They even managed to throw it last year, when we all had to stay outside and social distance:

Yep, Amanda and Eli's first child is due to arrive on Amanda's favorite holiday. Nice planning! 

The time between that Sunday back in February and today feels both long and short; it hasn't been an easy pregnancy for Amanda, but she continues to hang in there, and now, with just six weeks to go before they get to meet their precious little girl, it was time to shower them with love.

Inviting people into my home is my favorite. I love it when friends gather to share their lives, both the joys and the troubles. That's partly why 2020 was so hard. We couldn't gather. At least not physically. So I was super excited to host Amanda and Eli's baby shower. That said, I always need support in these things because of my sad cooking skills and my even sadder decorating skills. Luckily I had two friends to help me. Shulamith made deviled eggs and hot refried bean dip, and she chose and orchestrated both games. She also ran around with me all week to buy everything, and as always, served as my "calm" in the chaos. 

Then my creative friend Emily made a banner with baby items, even actual onsies (!) attached to it. So adorable! She also made yummy cream cheese fruit tarts and chocolate pretzel treats. She even brought pumpkins with pacifiers.  :-)

Amanda's sister-in-law Malorie made that delicious chocolate cake you see there, decorated with pink and orange to accent our Halloween theme. Mmmmmm!

Eli helped me feel confident in my choices. I wanted most everything to be a surprise for Amanda, but I ran everything past Eli to make sure I was on track.

Here are a few more highlights:

A little boo is almost due! These two are gonna be awesome parents:

"What is Labor Day?"

"What is Labor Day?" Shulamith's nine-year-old son Swen asked me yesterday. I told him it's a day to honor those who work, those whose efforts make a difference in society and in our lives. And that is true for sure. Then I began to think about how that definition widens and expands as it reveals itself in my own life. 

As a young child, I sat on the lap of my grandfather, A.F. Hartung, as he sang me the songs of the labor movement, the effort of those who came before me to challenge management, forcing them to pay fair wages and create decent working environments for their employees. Together, my grandpa and I sang "The Union is behind us; we shall not be moved. Just like a tree that's planted by the water, we shall not be moved," and "Solidarity forever; the Union makes us strong." 

That last song, "Solidarity Forever," happens to be sung to the tune of the "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," but as a kid, I'd never heard of the "Battle Hymn." The first time I heard my grandpa's "Solidarity Forever" with the words "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord..." I boldly questioned my dad: "Why are those people singing about their eyes???" Through the years, this became a standing joke between my dad and me, and every time we heard the "Battle Hymn," one of us would ask the other that same question.

My Labor Days as a kid also always included the "Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon." Mr. Lewis hosted this fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association from 1966 - 2010, and I watched every year with my mom and my brother. She would let Tom and me set up a "party" in the living room in front of the TV, with a sheet, blankets, pillows, and copious amounts of snacks. Since the telethon went on for nearly 24 hours, we would try so hard to stay awake, as we watched the money amount grow, both locally and nationally throughout the evening. Eventually, sleep would win, first for me, but ultimately for Tom as well. We slept right there on the floor, and the instant we woke up in the morning, we would quickly turn on the TV to see how tired Jerry looked, and now much money he had raised.

Finally, the word "labor" brings to mind the process I went through to bring my five amazing children to earth. I remember in a birthing class with our firstborn, the teacher telling us "There's a reason they call it 'labor.' You're gonna work hard!" While absolutely true for all five births, that could not have been more accurate than the first time around, when I spent 18, challenging hours in labor to deliver my nearly 10-pound baby. Worth it? 100%. So much so that I went back four more times.

Nothing like those memories happened yesterday. I didn't sing labor songs with my grandpa or joke with my dad about why people sing about their eyes. They both live in Heaven now. I didn't watch the telethon with my mom and brother; it ended 11 years ago, and while both my mom and Tom still live in Portland, I live 800 miles away. 

And, no, I didn't have baby. 

But Labor Day 2021 was full of labor from start to finish. I got up, walked a bunch with Shulamith, then came home and started cleaning. With fall semester starting at my two schools where I have a total of six classes, I haven't had time to deep clean my house since before I went to Colombia. Eeeeeek, it needed to be cleaned. I scrubbed and mopped, dusted and vacuumed nonstop from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. when I finally finished, and then I did school work for an hour until Shulamith was ready to walk again. Then Eli came over, and we worked on his seminary plans through the evening. By the time he Amanda were about ready to leave at 9:30 p.m., the three of us did another three loops around the neighborhood, and I ended the day with over 18,000 steps!

Labor Day, indeed!