Monday, April 21, 2008
Changes--some certain, others not
I've been avoiding blogging for some time now as I prefer to write something definite--to report or announce. But as I sit down to write now I am reminded of T. S. Eliot's admonishment from "Little Gidding". Funny how life's themes resurface, as I remember clinging to these lines as my time in Tanzania came to a close as well and I wasn't quite sure how to leave or what was next.
You are not here to verify,
Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity
Or carry report. You are here to kneel
Where prayer has been valid.
For the past few weeks we've been riding a wave of trying to get things planned for going home--that's meant pinning down one thing while another thing we had been certain about sudden slips back into the in question category. Often this is ok, life is like that anyway, but things get a little complicated as I've now entered the third trimester and the clock is ticking for us to figure out where we'll be, when we'll leave, especially given that I'm not allowed to get on an airplane after 32 weeks. So here's what we know so far: We'll be leaving Maastricht on May 17th. We'll be leaving together with Ryan, who will not have to return to complete his contract in Maastricht, which was generous of his employers. We definitely have mixed emotions about this--we would have loved to stay longer, to enjoy spring and early summer here with our friends and to further explore the area. And yet, if we're leaving anyway, it feels time to start nesting and planning for this baby. This is where things get complicated--we've not yet learned whether we'll be living in Minneapolis or Memphis. And it appears as if we won't know until at least early May, when Ryan's company begins their new fiscal year and can offer contracts. This makes planning for buying a home, getting prenatal and delivery care, finding Ellie a preschool, getting arrangements for our household goods (including baby gear) to their new home in time, etc. etc. nearly impossible. We are so grateful for friends in Memphis and friends and family in Minneapolis--at least both places are full of good eggs who are familiar to us so we're not worrying about starting over. So even as we have our own little "indecision 2008" happening as and my homing hormones ratchet up a notch or two with every week that passes, we feel confident that things will work out. As Eliot says later in the same poem:
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
Two more wonderful changes--our niece Frances Lena, daughter to Emily and Dan and sister to Della Jean, was born last Wednesday. She looks just like sweet Della did as a newborn--same storkbites and everything. Mama and baby Frannie and whole family are doing well. The second is that sometime mid/late July look for Ellie to become a big sister to a little brother. Yup, a boy--who knew that could happen in the Wangsness family!?! My dad, aka Grandpa Bobby, asked for clarification three times when we told him.
Cheers everyone!
You are not here to verify,
Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity
Or carry report. You are here to kneel
Where prayer has been valid.
For the past few weeks we've been riding a wave of trying to get things planned for going home--that's meant pinning down one thing while another thing we had been certain about sudden slips back into the in question category. Often this is ok, life is like that anyway, but things get a little complicated as I've now entered the third trimester and the clock is ticking for us to figure out where we'll be, when we'll leave, especially given that I'm not allowed to get on an airplane after 32 weeks. So here's what we know so far: We'll be leaving Maastricht on May 17th. We'll be leaving together with Ryan, who will not have to return to complete his contract in Maastricht, which was generous of his employers. We definitely have mixed emotions about this--we would have loved to stay longer, to enjoy spring and early summer here with our friends and to further explore the area. And yet, if we're leaving anyway, it feels time to start nesting and planning for this baby. This is where things get complicated--we've not yet learned whether we'll be living in Minneapolis or Memphis. And it appears as if we won't know until at least early May, when Ryan's company begins their new fiscal year and can offer contracts. This makes planning for buying a home, getting prenatal and delivery care, finding Ellie a preschool, getting arrangements for our household goods (including baby gear) to their new home in time, etc. etc. nearly impossible. We are so grateful for friends in Memphis and friends and family in Minneapolis--at least both places are full of good eggs who are familiar to us so we're not worrying about starting over. So even as we have our own little "indecision 2008" happening as and my homing hormones ratchet up a notch or two with every week that passes, we feel confident that things will work out. As Eliot says later in the same poem:
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
Two more wonderful changes--our niece Frances Lena, daughter to Emily and Dan and sister to Della Jean, was born last Wednesday. She looks just like sweet Della did as a newborn--same storkbites and everything. Mama and baby Frannie and whole family are doing well. The second is that sometime mid/late July look for Ellie to become a big sister to a little brother. Yup, a boy--who knew that could happen in the Wangsness family!?! My dad, aka Grandpa Bobby, asked for clarification three times when we told him.
Cheers everyone!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Happy Birthday Ellie
We're just back from a vacation with Ryan's folks and sister Kim in the northern Netherlands, seeing the tulips, windmills, dikes and quaint villages that Ryan's grandparents and great grandparents left on their way to Pella, Iowa. It was lovely. And so is Ms. Eleanor, who is three today. This morning she briefly lamented not being two anymore and then put on her purple dress and hopped off to school to share her birthday muffins with everyone. The changes between one's day of birth and three years old are astounding, and I'm left marveling with gratitude.
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