JourneyLeaf: Life a Page at a Time

Yuh Yuh Bye?

 

When Eli’s sleep is disturbed, he’ll cry out in the wee hours.  But a couple of weeks ago at 4:19 in morning, I woke up to hear a little hopeful voice from down the hallway.  “Milk?  Milk?  Milk?”  I went to give him a kiss and a pat and remind him it was still sleep time.  He fussed a little, but then curled up in his crib again and got still.  Back down the hall I went.  Just as I climbed into bed and pulled my blanket back over me, I heard, “Yuh yuh bye?  Yuh yuh bye?”  He wanted me to sing lullabies to him.  As tired as I was, I couldn’t help grinning. 

   

A while back, we put a basket on the floor in Eli's room to hold just bedtime-themed board books and there are several that have words to lullabies in them....

1.  The Usborne Book of Lullabies is a board book with gorgeous illustrations (by Elena Temporin) and a CD of soft bedtime music.  I treasure this book!  Eli will patiently sit in our laps to hear us sing each song.  
    I bought this book just days after I found out we were going to have a child, delighted to discover it has the words to the old lullaby, "Sleep, Baby, Sleep."  As a child, I had a teddy bear music box that one of my father's friends brought from the Black Forest region of Germany and it played that tune.  When I sing the song with my husband for our child to hear, it is a lovely feeling of coming full circle.

2.  Baby's First Lullabies (book and CD) by Parragon books is similar to the Usborne book above but with a few different songs and nice illustrations by Sophie Keen.

3.  Bedtime Lullabies is our third board book with lullaby lyrics, artwork (Rebecca Finn), and a CD.  This one has more silly songs in it and thus may keep Eli's interest when he is older.  (Sandy Creek Press)

4.  Daddy's Lullaby by Tony Bradman has lovely illustrations.  The first few times Brian read this to a very tiny Eli, I got all misty-eyed!

 

5.  Hush Little Baby is a book you can sing to your baby, but author/artist Sylvia Long wrote new verses to the traditional lullaby.  In a gorgeous backdrop of what looks like the Appalachian Mountains, a mama rabbit comes up with ways to comfort her child that don't involve buying this or that.

 

 

 

  

 

For soft and quiet moments at home, I often turn off my camera flash.  The results are blurry, but somehow that suits me just fine.

 

 

(So did Eli get his lullabies that night?  Yes.  And some milk too.  He's growing so fast and won't be my tiny tot much longer.  My warm armful of sweet, milky baby boy is worth being a little tired the next day.)

 

 

Tot Airplane Travel (20 Months Old)

Admittedly long-winded, but in the sake of sharing helpful info...

Since we live thousands of miles from most of our family and longtime friends, we often take airplanes and I'm always on the lookout for kid travel tips.  I've written several blog entries about airplane travel with a baby twelve months and younger.  (Click here to see 'em.)  Some of the tips will still be helpful, yet traveling with active, inquisitive toddlers is often a different ball game.  Here are some ideas that helped with our Hawaii trip (five hours, three time zones) while Eli was twenty months old.  He did fabulous on the plane both outward and homeward.  Whew!

If you have ideas for keeping kids happy in planes or cars, please share!  (I'd especially love ideas that will help us as Eli gets older.)

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I definitely tried to pack a few familiar favorite toys, but I also brought new (but cheap) things that were interesting because of novelty.  As soon as we got home, I hid the new items away to use again for our next trip.  (And to make new items even more interesting, you can wrap them so kids have the fun of opening them.)

Eli loves his Duplo Lego, but we didn't want to risk losing expensive pieces.  We packed a few cheap Megablocks instead.  For a while Eli's interest was waning in his Parents brand (Battat Toys) key set that makes four sounds and has a flashlight, but now it has a new life because he loves make-believe driving, which is easy to do on a plane.  The Sesame Street Silly Sounds remote control (Fisher-Price) offers a lot of amusement in a small package since each button makes multiple sounds and it teaches numbers.  (Most electronic "beepy" toys aren't noisy enough to be heard by other passengers over the roar of the plane.)  Then we also carried several Viking vehicles for driving along seat backs and arm rests and tummies.  I put ribbons on everything (except the Megablocks) so we could tether them to Eli's car seat or the airplane seat belt.

 

We also carried stickers.  Eli didn't seem very interested in stickers...until I found some with trucks and cars.  He loved 'em!  Cutting the sheets of stickers into strips means you can offer the stickers a little at a time and keep a tot's interest longer.  We also carried triangle-shaped crayons (easier for little fingers and they don't roll) carried in a Rose Art brand zippered, cushioned crayon pouch to prevent breakage.  Instead of loose paper, we carried miniature composition books that offer a firm surface and fit in a pocket.  Eli wasn't interested in drawing by himself for very long, but he loved it when we would draw animals and objects he knows.  We also drew on his magnetic ever-erasable Fisher-Price Travel Doodle Pro with the built-in pencil.  

 

Books are always good, but tot board books are thick and heavy.  I found cheap thin ones in the Target "Dollar Spot" that were actually pretty interesting, full of photos of animals, vehicles, and such.  The Crayola series is my favorite because there are tons of pictures per page, so there is a lot to talk about with a tot.  

 

I think Eli is finally winding down on his V-Tech brand camera and electronic storybook.  But I always tell other parents about these because Eli loved them so well and so long.  From 12 to 18 months, Eli played with the Interactive Learning Book almost every time he got in his car seat.  These are great travel buddies. 

 

The cheapo toy below was only $3.29 at our local Lucky grocery store, but was the big hit of the flight.  Because we were right there with him, Eli could play with toys that wouldn't be safe enough just to drop into his toy box.  This one is a flash light with fiber optic filaments and it blinks different colors.  Ooooeeeee, this brought tot excitement!

 

Last but not least, I always travel with a new box of ear plugs to offer my fellow passengers if Eli gets out of control.  On all of our fifteen flights, we've gotten nothing but compliments on his behavior, but it is nice to have a small gesture of apology if all else fails.  (Thanks for that idea, Jennifer!)

Keeping a tots amused for hours of travel is one problem.  Carrying lots of gear is another.  We brought Eli's lightweight MacLaren Triumph stroller but we also needed to have a car seat.  (You can rent one at your destination, but I'd heard horror stories of outdated, dirty, and/or broken seats.)  My friend Birgit gave me her daughter's hand-me-down Go Go Kidz Travelmate that turned Eli's car seat into a second stroller or, at other times, a mini luggage cart.  It was very helpful and Eli was amused by zipping down the concourse.   (Thanks, Birgit!)

 

An alternative to the Go Go Kidz is this Tote A Tot contraption that functions as a tote bag but also attaches your car seat to a rolling suitcase.  (Thanks for the information about this, Karen!)  Note:  If you are taking your car seat on the plane, look on the side of it for a sticker that says it is FAA approved.  If it isn't, the flight attendants won't let your child sit in it for takeoffs and landings, so you'll most likely have to check it at the gate.

Our friend Karen also told us about the CARES harness for kids (22 to 44 pounds).  This is great especially for short flights or if your kid won't nap in a car seat.  It is the only harness approved by the FAA and thus the only one allowed during takeoffs and landings.  It is a little bit pricey, but worth it for safety's sake since you never know when turbulence will strike.  And there was one thing we discovered that made us a little less eager to carry Eli's seat on the plane....  Eli's car seat functioned somewhat like a booster seat, raising him up and putting him several inches forward.  That meant he often spontaneously kicked the seat in front of him before we could grab his feet to prevent it.  On the way to Hawaii, Eli sat behind the sweetest and most patient preteen boy I'd ever met who simply laughed whenever Eli kicked.  I can only imagine most passengers wouldn't be so cheerful about it.  On the way home, we paid extra for bulkhead seats!  But the harness instead of the car seat would prevent this problem.

 

Happy travel means arriving happy and getting back home happy!  A little planning and a few careful purchases made a big difference.  Local mama friends, we're happy to loan out our travel toys and/or gear, so just ask before your next trip.

 
Happy Travels!

Byodo-In Temple

Why is it that many of us feel God strongly in nature -- atop a mountain, in a forest, at the edge of the sea, or beneath a starry sky -- yet most modern churches are sealed, carpeted, climate controlled buildings with just a few landscape shrubs around the edges of a big asphalt parking lot?  Sigh.

In this blog, I've written a little about my faith journey and the joy of learning more about God in all sorts of places I once would have never thought to look.  On my first trip to Asia several years ago, I stepped over the threshold into a Buddhist temple and discovered the idea of creating an outdoor spiritual space that welcomes the numinous.  The gardens of Asia -- especially the ones surrounding Buddhist temples -- create a peaceful and beautiful space that somehow manages to feel natural and untouched even though it is carefully planned and tended.  I am not Buddhist, yet I find the balanced beauty of the place brings me clarity and focus.  A quiet walk in such a space is like lighting a candle in a cathedral.  A private moment can unfold between you and God despite the public nature of the place, the scale and loveliness of the setting helping you form that connection. 

A friend told me about Byodo-In in Oahu, so I was eager to see if there was a place in America that felt like those lovely Asian temples.  The answer is yes.

Tucked beneath the mountains, you have to cross a foot bridge to reach the temple.  As you approach, you can hear the deep echoes of the temple bell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A small, fern-edged creek meanders through the woods around the edge of the gardens.  Pools here and there have quiet koi swimming through them.

  
The reflecting pond that curves around the temple is full of koi.  We purchased a bag of fish food to coax them over and Eli was delighted.

 

And the birds liked the fish food too.  They were so tame that they would eat out of your hand if you were quiet and patient enough.  They didn't weigh much and their feet tickled the fingers.

 

While we were at Byodo-In, the sky got dark and mist descended down over the mountain above us.  Soon it began to rain.  This Georgia girl living in the dry "Golden Season" of Northern California was thrilled.  A summer rain at last!  I soaked up the smell and sound and feel of the rain.  Such a peaceful place.

 

 

For many years, I always had an herb garden and it was my source for fresh cooking spices but also a place to be contemplative.  Someday when we have a home of our own again, I want to put a lot of thought into a peaceful garden for our family.  Perhaps a koi pond....

Gravel

"What did you say, Mama?"

  

"Don't put my hands in my mouth after I've been digging in the gravel?  Why not?"

   

"Man.  Mamas sure are weird.  And I have no idea what she meant when she muttered that at least I have minerals in my diet."

 

Wonder

Even though I'm used to being around kids and certainly used to being around my toddler, I still stand back sometimes and ponder a child's sense of wonder.  I wish I could remember when it was still all so new.

I carried Eli out onto the beach one morning under a wide and blue sky, putting him down in the sand.  He looked off to sea for a long time, his expression very serious.  Finally, he took a few tiny, shuffling steps before embracing it all and running forward.

When I really look at the sea, I pause in awe too.

Eli saw his first fireworks while we were in Hawaii.  He sat on his father's lap while we watched from our hotel balcony.  Little Guy's face alternately showed fear, awe, excitement, and shining happiness.
    For several nights afterwards, when we would be getting Eli ready for bed, he would suddenly say, "Fi-erks?  Fi-erks?"  We would explain that the fireworks were all gone.  No fireworks tonight.  Eli would somehow look disappointed and relieved at the same time, repeating "Nooooo fi-erks" with a deliberate shake of his head.  A few minutes later he would ask again.  "Fi-erks?"  I think those "bombs bursting in air" made quite an impression!

Even on an ordinary day, I love how Eli will tilt his head back to watch a bird flying overhead and then turn to me in a hushed, reverent tone and announce, "Boid!"  That makes me remember that indeed it is an amazing thing that birds can fly and I'll stop long enough to watch a few graceful loops and turns.  

Thanks, Eli.

Poi

 

I'd heard of poi, but I have to admit that I didn't know what it was -- even whether it was solid, liquid, or something in between.  Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I went up to the counter and ordered my poi.  Soon I was handed a small styrofoam container with a translucent lid showing something dark colored inside.  I eased it open.

The poi was cool but not cold and had a consistency much like ketchup.  The taste?  Bland and a little sour at the same time.  The Hawaiian lady sharing our table in the crowded food court told us that poi can be thin like the one I was tasting or thick like cookie dough and is made from pounded taro roots.  It was traditionally eaten by dipping two or three fingers into the poi bowl.  Interesting!  

Hey, let's feed some to the kiddo...

 

    

I think Eli far prefers french fries.  The Hawaiian lady was eating some and he waved his hands toward her plate hooting and hollering until she asked if she could share.  Eli was pretty happy about that.

 

Submarine

How is a submarine ride for a good Hawaiian adventure?  The Atlantis submarine company offers the world's largest passenger submarine that seats sixty-four.  It is 100 feet long and certified to a depth of 150 feet.  Unfortunately, tots can't ride, so Brian and I took turns going on the submarine while the other parent played with Eli.  (That's a photo of the company's advertising poster below.)

 

So how do you catch an Oahu submarine?  First you take a boat offshore, which offers great views of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head volcanic cone.  (The boat docks at the Hilton and we could conveniently see it from our hotel balcony.)

 

   

 

You rendezvous with the submarine out in open water.  At first there's nothing there but wrinkled waves.  Then a small patch of water begins to turn pale turquoise...

  

   

You board the sub via a gangplank and then go down a ladder.  This is the interior (photographed without a flash), white but lit up by the sun coming through the blue water.  The crew passed around a slice of three-layered plexiglas so we could see a sample of how thick the windows are.

  

  

Once the hatch is sealed, down you go.  The sub is run by battery power to prevent any pollutants from being released and thus is very quiet.  We went gliding over the sea floor, which was barren and sandy in most places.  Many fish in this part of the world prefer to hang out in coral reefs, but the natural reefs around Waikiki have been in decline.  The University of Hawaii built artificial reefs of cement shaped like pyramids or thick wire metal honeycombs, giving coral a firm place to grow.  Sure enough, the coral is growing nicely and the fish are gathering.  (The pyramid shown below is fairly recent.)

 

 

The Atlantis Company and the University worked together on additional artificial reefs -- ships and airplanes scrubbed until there are no residues of oil or fuel then sunk to the ocean floor.  In just a few years, the vessels are covered with sea life.

 

 

We saw some sea turtles.

  

And some sharks.

 

 

One of the crew members told us to take a picture of the dive gauge (red rectangle on the rear wall reading "106 ft.") because only a very small percentage of the world's population have been 100 feet or more below the ocean.  Dunno if that is true, but it sounds kinda spiffy.

  

Even though we saw lots of fish and coral, they weren't very brightly colored.  That's because the color spectrum in daylight gets filtered out by the water the deeper you go down.  The sub crew told us that when you see gorgeous underwater photos and films, those are taken either in shallow water or with special underwater lights.  But what we saw was still beautiful.  And I loved looking out into the sea, knowing how vast and deep the Pacific is.

 

Bonk!

In honor of Thank-God-It's-Friday, we interrupt memories of tropical Hawaii to bring you the funniest English word on the planet...

He actually giggled until he couldn't breathe.  If you look closely, you can see that he laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes.  That's my boy!

Pineapple

Well, of course we had to go see the pineapple fields!  Off we went to the Dole Plantation in the interior of the island -- "Hawaii's complete pineapple experience."

 

We rode the "Pineapple Express" train out into the fields.  I'd never seen a photo of pineapples growing before, so I have to admit I was a little surprised that they sort of hang off of the plant like a balloon on a stick.

  

  

  

We saw some other crops too.  That's sugarcane in the photo below.

 

 

 

And here's a papaya tree.  (This photo is just for John A., my buddy and former co-worker who is a notorious papaya addict.)

 

 It was a very touristy spot with a gift shop that felt like it was five acres.  Pineapple-themed everything.  

  

But its hard not to get a little enthusiastic when you get a taste of perfectly ripe pineapple that is as fresh as it can get.  We also fell in love with Dole Whip, a soft-serve confection like pineapple sorbet.  We found it several places on the island, but nothing came close to the way it tastes at the plantation.  (I just did a web search and found that there are other devoted Dole Whip fans on the prowl for more.  Many agree the Dole Whip served at the plantation is the best around.)  We may have to take another trip to Hawaii just for the Dole Whip.

Birthing Stones

Here's a bit from my travel journal from August 7th, interspersed with the photos I took:

Kukaniloko is a collection of very weathered, naturally-occurring stones in a clearing amid the sugar cane fields.  This is a sacred place where high-ranking women went to birth their children in ancient times.  To get there, you pull off the highway onto a dirt road.  A cable barrier blocks the way, so you must go in on foot.  

  

Eli was sleeping, so Brian waited in the car with him.  It was only a few hundred yards down a very deep red dirt lane, but it felt like a million miles away.  The wind was soft and smelled of grass.  There were fast-moving clouds and distant mountains, but not another soul to be seen.  

    

There were two “sentinel stones” visible right away.  Then some of the smaller boulders had been moved into two lines, forming a wide avenue leading to a place where many small boulders were strewn about.  

  

  

 
   

   

Here and there were leis, bouquets of exotic flowers, fruit, and shells left as offerings in the last few days.  

 

    

  

 

According to the guide book (Oahu Revealed, 3^rd Edition by Andrew Doughty), thirty-six high ranking men would watch the birth and then the child would be taken away from its mother until he or she was grown to protect the high-ranking heir from infanticide.  In that wide, windswept place, I thought back on the pain of giving birth to Eli almost twenty months ago.  How awful it would be to have your child taken from you!  Centuries of childbirth and blood and sorrow and the occasional maternal and natal death still seem to echo in the place.

 

I'm going to risk sounding too "touchy-feely" by saying that this place really spoke to me.  It was definitely emotionally moving as a mother of a wee one, yet I also somehow felt very comfortable or even welcome there.  There are times in historic and/or sacred spaces that I won't take photographs because it simply doesn't feel right.  But that day at the birthing stones, I felt that I was perhaps helping to tell an important story with my camera.  And the resulting images have such rich, vibrant colors that it feels like I was smiled upon.