Emphatic Snuggler, Leg Hugger

Under duress of my siblings, I must post another blog urgently. I thought I would go into some detail of my children, since they are home from their respective schools now for Christmas break and are such a strong presence. No, not college, just daycare.

I'll begin with Willie, my 13 month old son, aka Big Chunk or as titled above, the Emphatic Snuggler. He is on the move these days and as my brother, the father of 3 sons warned me, leaves a wake of destruction in his path. Although he flings food that mirrors a satellite careening through space at warp speed and says "hello" to all humans younger than him with a solid bonk on the head, he is one of the sweetest babies I have come across. He hugs with such force that it chokes you up, both literally and sentimentally. The mixture of affections range from a "gentle" swat on the face to a head on your chest that would make even the biggest Grinch melt with fulfillment. I endure these gestures and wince through the pain in order to cherish every moment of this surely short-lived babyhood. His show of love certainly spreads to his sister, Marie as he scrambles her puzzles, knocks over her towers and giggles with a depth that only she can elicit thanks to her games of chase.

Recently, my husband's company, Oregon Timberworks hosted a circus at the main shop. There were three members of the troupe and they awed us with acrobatics, juggling and some Cirque du Soleil antics. Willie was absolutely mesmerized. He sat perfectly still and hardly blinked for the hour long show. He also has a similar fascination for the moon. At first sight, he points and says "mooh, mooh" and will continue to do so until it is out of view. This makes for interesting walks and car rides!

Our first born, Marie delights us everyday. She is 3 1/2 and is reading short words such as c-a-t and t-o-p as she sounds each letter out. Her writing skills are also developing at an amazing rate. She traces letters and spells out words with letters. Today she wrote on some gift tags and various symbols such as "t" and "o" and "m" appeared. Although we are not touted as religious folks, we do try and teach our children about different faiths so that they may be enlightened and follow their respective spiritual paths. In speaking of Jesus and his life of good deeds, Marie asked if baby Jesus shows up with policemen and ambulances if someone needs help. On some level, I'm sure He does.

Rarely is there a moment when she is not singing, dancing or jumping. In fact, we can often gage the level of excitement in direct relation to the number of jumps. She knows several Allman Brothers songs and the majority of tunes from "O Brother Where Art Thou?". Her hula dancing is coming along and she now attempts moves from the Nutcracker. In order to refine these burgeoning skills, we are enrolling her in Portland's "Do Jump" classes. We may have our own circus troupe before you know it.

Where's Mr. Heat Mizer?

Wind. Rain. Snow flurries. All this and I'm supposed to brave the pass over Mount Hood tomorrow so I can work on a remodel. Wait, I'm a Naturopath and acupuncturist and mother of two, why a remodel, you ask? As fate has it, the Oregon Sturms are returning to Bend after a (long) intermission in Portland. Ah yes, the dry air, blowing snow and crisp mornings beckon our family to take respite from the highway sounds (and fumes) of I-5. Thus the remodel.

When I began my 6 year medical school endeavor in 2000, my new husband, Bill and I were fortunate enough to purchase a tiny house on the "posh" west side of Bend, a smallish mountain town on the East side of the Oregon Cascades. Smallish has turned to booming and now a once light on culture community is thriving with relocated Californians, seasonal boarders and wealthy retirees. With money comes demands for the better things in life, like exclusive health clubs, fancy sushi bars and lucky for us, a music scene and even venues to boot. The growth in Bend is bitter-sweet and both serves us and disturbs us. Our respective businesses will prosper, our children will have options and we'll get to eat unagi with the best of them. But what once was a quiet "mirror pond" is now laden with drunken teens on palm tree floats in the summer and what was a mellow mountain is now a powder-hog's haven. Such is life and we will continue to be swept up in it; gracefully, I hope.

Since this is my blog, I guess I get to talk about me! That sure feeds my Leo self. As I said, I am a licensed Naturopathic physician and acupuncturist. For those of you who just said, "what?", I will try to educate you. Naturopathic medicine is a practice strongly rooted in its philosphy. First do no harm, the healing power of nature, find and treat the cause, treat the whole person, prevention and doctor as teacher are the 6 principles. My training was at a four year accredited natural medical school, where I opted to obtain a masters in Classical Chinese Medicine as well; thus I was there for the 6 year dual degree program. My husband patiently and supportively stood by as I came home talking about pemphigus, homeopathy and speaking in Chinese. In the course of my study, Bill and I thought it a good idea to have children, too!

Marie was born in April at the end of my 4th year and Willie was born in November, one month after my board exams. Although school was an intense, fulfilling and amazing experience, having children has been the most rewarding and challenging process in my life. Marie is truly a beautiful little girl who is as creative as she is sassy. She always has a project going and she rarely stops singing. Our sweet little Willie has recently turned one. He is an absolute joy and could melt the heart of the iciest of individuals. He feeds my soul. The universe has rained down some true blessings on this family and we will certainly soak it all up.