Bag of bones...

I had a moment the other day. A new case had come into the lab and I was setting it up on the examination table. As I pulled out each bone from it's corresponding bag I was getting genuinely more and more excited. Even though the bones were in small fragments I could recognize most of them as well determine the sex of the individual and relative age. At this moment I came to realize that this was so cool! I really love what I'm doing!

I'm also learning how to take radiographs. One of the jobs of a forensic anthropologist is to be able to compare an antemortem (before death) x-ray to a postmortem (after death) x-ray of the same bone or bones. Our department is lucky enough to have a x-ray machine and developer so we get to practice producing the postmortem radiographs ourselves. It is a tedious process trying to get them just right but very satisfying in the end. Sometimes I'm tempted to try to take an x-ray of my own arm or something but then I realize I would probably end up burning myself with radiation. Not a good idea!

On a side note Connor woke up last night at about 12:30am just screaming. We could not figure out why this happened until today. One of his maxillary incisors (top front teeth) are poking through! Our little boy is growing up so fast!

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down...

Can you tell we have been watching the classic Winnie the Pooh cartoons? Anyway...It has been raining non-stop now for a day and a half. This would be a regular occurrence in Seattle but something entirely different here in Michigan. They have put our county under a flood warning and we may even get the last remnants of hurricane Ike here in the next few days...oh boy.

Well Noel's short trip to Michigan has come and gone and she is now a resident of Bellingham, Washington. I'm so proud of her! Going away to college for the first time isn't an easy thing. Not to mention the fact that our parents are also moving...yep...you heard me right. After 21 years this part of the Lawrence family will no longer be living in the Bremerton/Poulsbo area. My Dad is now the President of a school near Mt. Shasta in Northern California. We are so proud of him. This is something he has worked so hard for! Go Dad!

It is the strangest feeling, however, that my parents are no longer living in the place I grew up. In some ways it feels like having a foundation ripped out from underneath you, but in a good way. This is the perfect opportunity to begin focusing on the future and preparing to raise a toddler. I will close with the wise words of Buzz Light Year..."To infinity and beyond!" =)

One tired momma...

I'm only a week into school and I'm already pooped! I'm taking osteology this semester which is pretty much the "bread and butter" of Forensic Anthropology so I can't just procrastinate my way through it. Not that I would want to anyway. Even though I have taken several classes on Forensic Anthropology I had no idea what a dynamic organ bone really is. Not only is it used for support and protection of organs but bone acts as a mineral reservoir, a defense against acidosis, traps dangerous chemicals and produces blood cells. Really interesting stuff!

Learning to balance school and home life, however, is going to be my hardest challenge. B.C. (before Connor) I could put things off and study whenever I felt like it. Now I have to come up with a plan and stick to it. I have to do a little bit everyday to get it all done. I'll probably learn more and retain more this way anyway.

Speaking of Connor, he's doing great. He is now eating little pieces of cheese and cantaloupe along with chicken and yogurt. We can tell he is getting ready to start crawling because he rocks back and forth while sitting up. Most of the time this ends up with him face planting into the ground but he's slowly getting the idea. He's also sleeping anywhere from 10-12 hours a night! He does throw fits now too. His favorite toys are these rubber duckies that his Oma and Noel bought for him and if you dare to take them away from him...watch out!

Tom continues his job search and actually has some pretty good prospects. Noel is also here for the next 10 days...I'm not going to let her go home. She is such a great aunt and such a great help!

Well that's all for now. I'm off to bed. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Mississippi

Our trip down to Mississippi was really great despite the incredibly long drive and lack of storms. That last sentiment was felt more by Tom. I had my fill of them on our way down. We were literally chased by lightening from Memphis to Jackson. Connor did fairly well in the car considering he was in his car seat for 15 hrs both ways. It was worth it though. We had a great time with Tom's family.

This time around we did a lot of driving around Jackson and the surrounding areas mostly looking at houses. The homes in this area are really beautiful although I don't think I could get used to the bugs! The peaches and catfish, however, are an entirely different story...yummmmm.

We made it!

Well we finally made it to Michigan! It feels so strange to be back. By the time Connor and I got here on Tuesday, Mike and Tom had the apartment unpacked and all ready to go. I almost cried I was so happy. Thank you guys! So far we have been really busy going here and there and seeing friends. This weekend we are planning a trip to Mississippi and we heard that it's supposed to be over 100 degrees. Oh boy.

I thought I'd leave you with a few pictures of Connor that Mike took while he was here...Have a wonderful week!

Hurricane Ridge

On Wednesday we took a day trip up to Hurricane Ridge and spent the afternoon hiking up Hurricane Hill. The ranger told us it was only 1.6 miles so we figured that would be the perfect hike for us. The path itself is paved so it is very easy to walk on but it is quite steep in some areas. The view from the top, however, is unmatched. Why would you want to live anywhere else?

Nature-Deficit Disorder

Here is this vast, savage, howling mother of ours,

Nature, lying all around, with such beauty, and such affection for her children,

as the leopard; and yet we are so early weaned

from her breast to society, to that culture which is exclusively

an interaction of man on man.

-Henry David Thoreau

I've started a book called "Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder" by Richard Louv. I found it on a recent trip the three of us made up to Mt. Rainier and I haven't been able to put it down. Louv's thesis is based on a child's development and how that development relates to their direct exposure to nature. With our current advances in technology the children of today are finding fewer reasons to discover the world that lies beyond their front door. I'm only part of the way through the book but I would recommend it to any parent or want to be parent out there. Great stuff!

Toofers!

The last few days have been really exciting! Connor had two of his bottom teeth push through yesterday! He has been really fussy so it is nice to know why. He is also sitting up for long periods of time on his own. I can't believe how fast he is growing!

Connor's first Fourth of July went really well too. He slept through all of the fireworks! Thank you God!

Yum! Sweet potatoes and squash...

Nature Boy

On Thursday Tom and I took Connor up to Lake Crescent for his first hike. He, of course, sat in his Baby Bjorn while I did the hiking but it was still a great experience. He kept reaching out to touch all of the leaves and seemed to enjoy it very much. The trail up to Marymere Falls is beautiful and perfect to do with children. Most of the trees around Lake Crescent Lodge and up to the falls are old growth and unbelievably huge. Sometimes I forget how large a tree can get when left to grow for hundreds of years. It is so sad that we have to travel so far to see trees like that.

Connor also had his first taste of rice cereal yesterday. I can't believe we are already at the stage where we can start introducing food! It was so cute to watch Tom feeding Connor. By the end Connor had rice cereal everywhere and seemed to be having a great time!

I would also like to say a big THANK YOU to Harrison Hospital for paying for Tom's entire surgery! The bill came to something close to $12,000 and the financing dept at Harrison approved us for 100% coverage. That was a big load off of our shoulders.

I hope everybody has a great week!

Happy Birthday Oma and Opa!

Last week we celebrated my parent's birthdays at my Aunt's house. Connor loved the candles on the cake but fussed for the rest of the night. We think he is starting to teethe partly because he has an unstoppable fountain of drool escaping from his mouth. It's amazing how fast this year has gone by. Connor is now five and a half months old and is as feisty as ever. He loves to look at himself in the mirror and blow raspberries. It is also really easy to get him to smile.



Connor had another play date with Andrew on Sunday. So far no playing but lots of looks, giggles, and bats on the head. I think these little get togethers are more for the Mommies. =) Oh...and the coffee!

Is there any question?

Can you guess which one is me...haha.

Serious Redneck Architecture

Memories of the sea...

This picture is of me and my Father on a trip down to the beach before Noel was born. That would make it almost 20 years old! Time sure goes by quickly. Our most recent trip down to the beach was really nice but sad at the same time. We flew kites, ran from the waves, and looked at all of the creatures on the rocks at low tide. We also spent a lot of time playing games as is tradition. Our favorites...Yahtzee and Mille Bornes. I was very weepy as we pulled away from the beach house for the last time. Oh well, I will always have wonderful memories but it is now time to look to the future. Raising a child, finishing my MS, getting a real job (gasp!)...haha!

Michigan Bound

For the last few weeks Tom and I have been really nervous about going back to Michigan due to our finances. Out of state tuition is ridiculous, not to mention just the basic cost of living while going to school. But thanks to my wonderful dept at good old MSU I have a great assistantship for this next year that will pay the tuition, health insurance for all three of us, and give me a pay check. I will also be getting really great lab experience. I can't believe it...I'm actually really excited about going back to Michigan!

Changing subjects...The three of us are going down to the beach today for what may be our last time. =( It makes me sad to think that this is it. I've been going to that beach house ever since I was born! I have so many wonderful memories of playing in the sand, eating at Moe's, chasing seagulls on the beach, trying to get my sister to eat "sand cookies"...*sniff sniff*. Oh well, hopefully Tom and I will be in the position in the future to provide some of the same experiences for Connor.

Dancing the Night Away

Well Tom won't be dancing the night away anytime soon. He had his surgery this morning and actually did really well. They decided to do the laproscopic surgery which meant he only had three small incisions in his side. The whole procedure to repair the hernia only lasted 30 minutes and an hour later I was able to take him home. He's now looking forward to spending the next week on the couch and waiting for the bill. The estimated cost we received would be around $9,000. Harrison Hospital, however, may be covering a good portion of the cost. Yay!

Things to be thankful for...

Connor had some professional pictures taken last week so I thought I'd share some of them with all of you. Tom and I have such a beautiful son!

A pain in the side!

Just wanted to let everybody know that Tom was diagnosed with a hernia last week. This came at the perfect time seeing as he is uninsured at the moment! Oh well, we will make due with what we have. He is seeing a surgeon next Tuesday and will hopefully have the surgery some time on Thursday or Friday. The recovery time is somewhere between 4-6 weeks so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Happiness II: Coffee

Oh the sweet sweet smell of a hot cup of coffee or perfectly drawn shot of espresso. I think the coffee allure goes much deeper than it's energy giving properties. The variety of things that can be done with this slightly bitter beverage is astounding. Depending on your mood you could choose anything from a variety of lattes, machiatos, espresso ice creams, mochas, french press, and the list goes on and on. I think, however, that my favorite part of the drinking of coffee is in it's social nature. There is nothing more relaxing than spending a rainy afternoon in a coffee shop with a friend conversing over a really good cup of coffee or tea. Yum!

Happiness

A friend of mine just recently started a series of blogs on what makes her happy/inspires her. These beautifully written blogs inspired me to do the same and hopefully will inspire all of you to remember those small things in life that bring us joy.

The things that inspire me most in my life are obvious at this point...

The many faces of Connor

Last Tuesday Bear had his two month appointment. He is now 12 lbs and 5 oz! The doctor was amazed at the fact that when he was born he was only in the 25 percentile for overall size and now he is in the 75%. We have a big boy! He is also cooing and trying so hard to talk to us. His smiles are the most beautiful thing...I can't get enough.

Well Tom is back at work now and Connor and I are just hanging out. I'm so glad I was able to take this time off to spend with my son. Every moment is so precious.