"They call me the Fireman"

Last weekend, Christopher headed east to Lumberton, NC area. The reason? To help with the containment and clean-up of wildfires there. Apparently, wildfires are more common with periods of drought and because NC has been so dry, the wildfires were pretty bad. Here is an email he sent out to immediate family with some pictures from his experience. Click HERE to see some media coverage of the fires.

I made it back safely and earlier than expected from the wildfires in Robeson County, NC. It was quite an adventure, although it didn't last as long as expected. Myself and another ranger from the park headed down to Lumberton on Friday and were checked in and briefed about the fact that since July 24 there have been 151 fires, burning a total of 2,915 acres, causing 148 firefighters to be called out and costing $854,297.

Our strike team of 5 engines and 11 personnel got started the next day. We worked two 14 hr. days over the weekend, mopping up a 175+ acre wildfire. Basically, we wet and raked hot spots 50 ft. in from the perimeter fire breaks. We only had one close call...myself and 2 other parks people were 10 feet away from being crushed by a falling tree! The area we were in burned 12-24 inches into the peat, which means some of the trees roots were left exposed, and when the wind picked up, a tree toppled over (see the pic below).
It seems that we made history. It was the first time NC State Parks helped out NC Forestry with a wildfire...usually it's the other way around. In summary, it was long hrs., hot & dirty business but all-in-all a valuable experience.

Picture of tree that fell...barely missing Christopher!

School Days

The latest and greatest news around here is that Elias completed his first day of preschool and I, AKA MOMMY, start school Monday! Elias attends Aldersgate Weekday School and is there on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-12pm. His first day was Thursday and because I was working, Daddy was on duty for the main event. Elias got pictures taken on the "bus" (see pictures below) and only cried for a few minutes after Christopher left him. His teachers, Miss Ellen and Miss Ellie (confusing, right?!) said he had a great day and enjoyed playing in the gym with balls and cars and really liked...big surprise...music! I will be the one taking him on Tuesday, so hopefully he does as well for me and that I do as well as Daddy did!
More than likely I will be distracted by my schoolwork that will be hanging over my head. I need to make the most of the time Elias is at school! I already have an assignment posted on "Blackboard," which is the online program Duke School of Nursing uses to host these online classes I will be taking (all my classes are online). I am enrolled in two classes this semester, and in case you are curious about what a student in a Nursing and Healthcare Leadership Program studies, the names of my classes are: Population-Based Approaches to Healthcare and Organizational Theory for Integrated Health. Hopefully the knowledge that I gain from reading $247.80 worth of textbooks will help me in my current nursing role. = ) So far, my first assignment due September 3 for the Organizational Theory class is to read the first chapter and post online an introduction of myself and what I hope to learn about organizations. I can handle that! Sounds a lot like blogging...

Elias and "blankie" (who went with Elias to school) riding the Mickey Mouse bus!





"All Done!" (one of the signs Elias knows and uses to communicate his needs/wishes)

Big Boy E

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"Momfidence"

In the August 2007 issue of Carolina Parent, a free family resource newspaper here in Durham, there is an interesting article on an author and her blog/book/monthly column titled "Momfidence." I really connected with a couple of definitions of Momfidence quoted by the article.

MOMFIDENCE is raising your child freehand, rather than a paint by numbers kit. To paraphrase Lucy van Pelt of Peanuts: The expert is within.

This reminded me not only of our daily life with Elias, but specifically of our troubles breastfeeding when he was about 6 weeks old. Elias and I (and in effect, Christopher) were miserable as we fought to continue breastfeeding when it just wasn't working. Our pediatrician's office had seen us daily and each doctor had a different solution. All the joy was gone from the experience. I felt like I just wanted to start formula, but felt extreme guilt at the same time. It wasn't until Elias started losing weight that we made the decision to supplement and eventually, convert to formula exclusively. I know we have shared with many of you, especially our new mom friends, what a dramatic difference it made in our lives. I felt like a mom reborn. And I had known all along what to do, but was too consumed with what the books and doctors said.

MOMFIDENCE is venting about how "doing it all" is one of the dopier cliche goals leftover from the 1980s. Doing the best you can while trying to do as much as you really truly need to is the best anybody can hope for.

I definitely need to apply this truth as I start school and learn to balance household responsibilites with schoolwork and with quality family time. If ever there was a time to prioritize, that time is now.

Hopefully our friends who have new babies can connect with these things and for those with babies on the way, start developing your MOMFIDENCE now. Forget the diaper bag, it's the most important thing you'll need!

Speaking of moms-to-be, click on the picture below to link to a slideshow from Katie DeCicco's baby shower this past weekend. Elias and I went down to Charlotte a few days before and spent some time with my Mom and sister. There are some pictures of Elias towards the end...professional haircut #3!