An up to date

It’s been some time now since Youme and I have prioritized updating this blog and so I will make an attempt to be more diligent in the coming months about this for as long as the words keep flowing, the thoughts continue, and the time permits. This morning as I was looking through some previous musings regarding possible topics for updating this blog, I came upon some written thoughts that I’m going to post as an update for today.

 

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Home Sweet Home

Home again, home again

 

As I checked the status of the blog this morning, I realized that a post has not been written since June 19, 2013. With so many months having gone by, it seems that my priorities have been somewhat split with the arduous tasks of relocating the family. Creating the home that will evoke future memories of happiness can be a daunting task. In all seriousness, I have found myself thinking through the day that I should be writing down various ideas/experiences, however my mind has been easily distracted with alternative musings. It has been a whirlwind journey these last few months with hardly enough time to catch my breath. After attending the 2013 National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind, NFB, my family and I flew to Boston with our two precious children. A fairly uneventful flight with only a minor bit of fussing from Song and baby Tao. My heart lurched a bit with sadness and empathy when  we landed in Boston, when Song wanted to know when we were going home to Miami. David and Edith drove the family car, a 2000 Honda Civic, full of our belongings to Boston to attend a family reunion of sorts. Before we continued our journey to Western Massachusetts to create our new home, we had an opportunity to join a number of the Landowne relatives for a fantastic celebration of Grandpa Milton who will be 101-years-old this November. Every time I speak with Milton, I am reminded of the wondrous power of the mind and heart as I think about his ongoing journey, the wonderful family he has created for all of us, and the love we are all able to celebrate together. He has had so many years to ponder his decisions, experience the consequences, and live through the unmade choices. As I sit to write down these thoughts, a cold fall rain energizes my senses with excitement and hope for the next portion of our journey.

 

On August 1st, we continued our journey onward to Florence where we would be moving in to a ground floor unit: 20 Lonsdale Avenue, the place where it all begun. No matter how far one may roam, they will eventually return full circle to the point of origin. For Youme and I, this meant returning to the house where we first met at the wedding of our dear friends, Cat and Charlotte. Incidentally, we are now living below Cat, Charlotte, and their 3-year-old daughter, Adelaide who has become somewhat of a big sister to Song. 

Not long after moving in to 20 Lonsdale, Yana arrived from New York to assist with the arduous unpacking process. Having moved a number of times in the past, I've come to learn that the most difficult aspect of unpacking is determining the initial placements of objects, i.e furniture and clothing. Having experienced Yana's skills at transformative action with regard to organization during our last move to an apartment in Chicago, I was and am appreciative of her ability to take on the challenge. Trying to unpack a house to form any resemblance of organization is especially difficult when one's attention is divided between the task at hand with the constant interruptions involved with entertaining two kids. Thank you Yana...

Now that our new living space is  fantastically organized, I find myself impulsively performing maintenance tasks to assure this level of tidiness. Although I've been lucky with this aspiration these last few days, I'm noticing that the motivation can definitely be taxed at the end of the night after putting Song to bed. I suppose this is one of the parental responsibilities that we will get in to a scheduled routine after a few weeks. As the night gets later, I'm finding the articulate thoughts that form words are starting to trickle more slowly and so I will close this post until next time.

Let love, peace, and understanding be my guide through this continuing journey.

Tao Love

Dearest Tao, you are now five months. Wisecalm and very smiley, you love to laugh and you surprise everyone by your mellow easygoing ways. Tao means rushing river, great river and also infinitely generous, friends from Shanghai found us the characters and wrote them, why does this typewriter keyboard not enable me to draw it? Of course it does…   And today you are six months, a day full of laughter as Song jumped and played to make you laugh more. You are a superfast roller now from one side of the room to the other and you want to taste everything, you are so ready to eat, though you have no teeth. We let you enjoy an apple, that is kind of nurse it, smell it, delight in having some like the big kids around you at Quonquont farm. You like to get your hands in things and are conscientious, as far as we can tell. You scooped into a pumpkin and a butternut squash. You squeezed some pizza dough and some pie dough. The world of food is right around the corner. You continue to love being outdoors, to look up into the leaves, to feel the air and feel the grass in your hands. Ba has started feeding you sometimes and is giving me the time and support to do some of the other work in our lives. Song calls you sweet boy and sweet bun, as I do. This family treasures you, admires you and strives to be like you, even as we continue to become ourselves.

Welcome little one

On Wednesday March 27, 2013, dearest Youme gave birth to our first son, Tao

Nguyen Ly. Tao arrived promptly at 9:57 PM weighing 7 pounds even and

measuring 20.5 inches after a fairly easy and short active labor. Both

mother and child are doing well and my two and a half year old daughter, Song, is

super excited to have a little brother. She can't wait to show him how to

use the iPad and the computer.

Here are some photos. How did we come from this  to this?

and this?

Life is truly a miracle. Somehow we even managed to avoid having a baby on April 1st.

Dear one on the way

It is three in the morning, we are expecting you any time now. The
moon is almost full and the rainy season has started. Grandma,
Grandpa, Song and Ba are asleep, collectively dreaming you. Yana will
be here in a few days. It is spring in Miami, new year time, new
beginnings. The world is preparing itself for you. You are stretching
even now, as I write this. We want you to know that we already love
and respect you for being your self. I want you to know that this
world overflows with joy and with sorrows, it is all worth it. We are
called to love and be loved, it isn't easy sometimes, but it is why we
are here. Thank you for choosing us to be your family.

Arrived safe and sound

From: youme Nguyen Ly

Date: August 20, 2012 4:55:37 AM PDT

To: David Landowne, edith landowne, Yana Landowne, Milton Landowne

Cc: Hai Nguyen Ly

Subject: Arrived safe and sound

 

Dear family,

We are all well and grateful for your loving support in our current

adventure. Song was a wonderful traveller, she did want to go home at

the end of the day, to see grandma and grandpa, and to have some

blueberries, but she enjoyed having a lucky seat of her own on the

plane, her snacks, and walking in the big airport. A friend organized

a car to meet us and we are staying with dear friends. Today our first

day here begins.

Love,love,love,love,

Youme, hai and song

Dear friends

With your loving support we have arrived in the present moment. 2011 moved us to Miami. Hai is dedicated and inspiring us all to new heights of kindness,now employed by KNFB Reading Technolgy and Blio. In addition, he volunteers as chair of the National Federation of the Blind's research and development committee. A wonderful Ba, he delights Song with music, dancing and laughter.
Song is a bundle of joy,exploring, making new friends, blowing lots of adorable kisses and showing us her understanding.
Youme continues to find her footing in this shocking new life. The Lao Heritage Foundation hosted her visit to DC area events with Mali Under the Night Sky and thanks to South Miami neighbors she shared her work at Reading Under the Stars in Coral Gables. Working for Joan Sampieri has been a gift and a delight, finding out about and supporting through grant research some wonderful projects that support women's health and education.
We miss you Grandpa Timberlake, thank you for your encouragement to be our best selves and to love. We were very lucky to share Grandpa Landowne's 99th birthday celebration in Boston and to visit the Northampton friends at whose wedding we met. (grammar?)
We are so grateful to our extended family and family of friends. Edith,David and Yana have opened their home to us. Nourishing our spirits and supporting this little branch of the family in every way. May we honor you, and all our relations through our choices and actions.
With love, Hai, Youme and Song

Happy Birthday Song!

Dear Song,
Today you turned one. The last year has been filled with adventures as we begin to learn what it is to be parents. We both enjoy watching you grow and learn about your environment.Your sense of wonder is such a joy and a gift to the world. We celebrate you and encourage you to follow your curiosity and delight. One year ago, your Ba caught you as you came into the world and his supportive heart and hands will always be there for you in times of need. You have come a long way from that 7.7 pound twenty inch newborn self. It only seems like yesterday that I was holding you zipped inside my sweatshirt like a little Joey inside a kangaroo pouch. You learned to sit up, to clap, to crawl, and to dance and sing. Your family is so proud of you. Sometimes I look into your face and think I am meeting ba's parents because other times you show a tender expression that is exactly like great grandpa Timberlake, or even great great grandma Timberlake. We think you might have inherited your inquisitive joy from both great grandpa Landowne and of course, your Ba. A year ago I called you into this world saying,come love and be loved. You have brought so much love into every day, we really are amazed at how many people stop us in the street and throughout our lives to smile and talk with you, they
Seem to be illuminated as they tell us again and again how remarkably bright you are. you have many friends in the world already. We have so many things that we want to share with you, it is hard to take time away to write down the feelings and wishes, we are so grateful that you are yourself and we are honored to be your parents.