Living in Slow Motion

Last night I went to bed at midnight and looked outside and saw the air filled with giant fluffy snowflakes falling softly to the ground. I got to experience the giant flakes again when I awoke in the morning. By 10:00 it was melting and the sun was peeking through. Then by 4:00 Gavin and I went out for what we like to call “snow walks” in those giant fluffy flakes.

Ever notice how calming snow is when it falls? When movies want to make something seem beautiful or something to ponder they put it into slow motion. A normal person walking down the road is made to be very sexy in slow motion. I often tell DeeAnn that if you want to do something important do it in slow motion.

This weekend I got to do something important. I sat on a snow covered hill overlooking a house and barn surrounded by trees. As I lay in the snow exhausted from sledding with Uncle Don, Gavin and Ethan. I watched my Uncle Don drive Gavin around in the snow on an ATV. As they raced down the driveway I sat very still and just watched the flakes falling. Warm in my snow gear I continued to embrace the view, and ponder the moments of my children full of excitement and joy flying down a snow covered hill. When somebody says to enjoy life I am not always sure what that means, but that day, that moment was surely one of those life moments. Visit www.flickr.com/photos/richanddeeann for the sledding adventures.

Can we have those slow motion moments more often? I think so, but it requires a deliberate action to move from normal motion to slow motion. I am not one to speak as I often find myself on fast forward simply to get to the good parts. I wish I could take back the many times I rushed things simply to get to the end. I have mentioned before in these ramblings that the journey to Jacksonville has been great in spite of an ending not yet written. Yet even with this journey I am prone to speed through it. I have covered much ground in the town and now I am having to seek out more subtle and off the normal path adventures.

When I go to the library I often feel frustrated as I am overwhelmed with how many books I would love to read and learn about. So instead of choosing one to read I go to the magazines and hit fast forward. From home building to current events I can glean a bit of everything without much time. I think to myself, one day after the kids are gone and I have more time I will begin the process of reading all those great books.

And so it has been with friends and family. I often think when I have more time I will work on my relationships and make them better. The problem is when do you turn around and realize that you fast forwarded and missed the slow motion bits. I have a phrase that I have used of late. “Take your friendship to a new level” This simple phrase is actually a frightening and overwhelming action. Why? Because it requires you to hit the slow motion button and embrace those moments that are often to easy to bypass. Admitting wrong, share a vulnerability without expectation, do something more than simply what is convenient, tell others who you really and trust that they will not run away.

I can only hope that the rest of the week giant fluffy snow flakes will fall.

Rich, DeeAnn, Gavin, Ethan, and Camden

The Rumor is Not True

Sorry for the lateness in my weekly update. I have been working on a project and the time flew by me. Camden has been doing great. He is gaining about an ounce a day of late, never got jaundice and has slept fairly predictable until the last two days. It was our routine for DeeAnn and I to switch every 3-4 hours during the night with DeeAnn taking the bulk of awake time with feedings. Well little Camden seems to be suffering from tummy pains and so he squirms and wiggles with a face of complete agony. This in turn has made him stay awake and causes us to follow suit. We are changing DeeAnn’s diet and giving him some mylicon to help relieve the pain. Last night we did a bit better but still not out of the woods yet.

Did you know that it is the year of the pig? Well if you did than you are more aware of the Chinese calendar than most. On Saturday Gavin, Ethan and I walked up to town to see the Chinese New Year Festival and Parade. The parade lasted about 30-40 minutes and included Eagle scouts, dancing dragons, and the Queen of Rouge Valley sitting proudly in the back of a new Dodge Ram Pickup. We also got to see Lamas dressed up in clothes with their toenails painted purple. There was a small group of parents and kids walking to represent the Panda Club which are American families who have adopted children from Asian countries. And finally we had about eight Segways from http://www.segwayofjacksonville.com/ bringing up the end of the parade ridden by Betty her husband and brother-in-law David. Pictures of the parade and festival and a few more of Camden can be found on www.flickr.com/photos/richanddeeann

After the parade we went to a small lecture about the history of Jacksonville and the influence of the Chinese during the gold rush. It was held in the section of town first built by the Chinese but has since then all but gone away. At the top of the hill is a working replica of a gold sluice boxes used to separate the gold from the dirt. The rest of the day was spent walking around town playing in “Doc” park. It was a gorgeous day with perfect temps and a deep blue sky. As is expected we do have colder temps than those in Southern California but each day is a real adventure. What the forecast often calls for is lost by mid day. I suppose that is the fun with the weather in Southern Oregon in that you never know what your day will look like. That is what made this day so unique. It stayed as it started.

So what’s new in the way of politics and local gossip for Jacksonville? Well for one the fire station looks like they may finally get a new station and a new engine by the end of the year. Calls increased by 35% ever since the new retirement village opened their doors.

Mark at the Saloon is hopeful that his bar will do better than the J’vlle Tavern three doors up but he has only been open for 8 months.

And the battle over the land used and owned by the motorcycle club continues. Seems as though the noise is bothering some residence, but aesthetically the club maintains their property far better than the residences that surround it. Perhaps the club should petition the residences to clean up their properties so they aren’t a blight on the scenery.

It was time for me and the boys to get haircuts so DeeAnn called around for a local barber. She finally found one in Medford and I went with boys in tow. Upon arrival I noticed a very old shop with an even older gentlemen sitting in the chair. We sat down and I asked Chuck the barber a question, “Have you ever heard of Angus Todd?” “Oh sure”, he said “known Angus for years. “Angus Todd, yep he died a while back” said the old man in the chair. “Nope, Angus is still alive”, I assured him. “Nope he died” said the old man. “Well I just saw him the other day and he was still alive.” I said, this time with confidence. “Well I think he died recently.” the old man once again said with even more confidence. “Well I tell you what , I see him every Tuesday and I will make sure he isn’t dead.” I said with more confidence than that old man could possibly muster. Needless to day Gramps is doing great.

Welcome Camden

“Daddy! Daddy!” came the yell from Gavin as DeeAnn labored upstairs. “Just a minute, Gavin” I said as I continued my conversation on the phone. Again Gavin yelled for my attention but it was something different in his voice. So while still on the phone I went to see what all the excitement was. There it was in all its glory. Floating in the toilet was a perfect capital G made out of poop. “It’s a G for Gavin” his little voice said with glee.

And so it is with kids. Time for reflection was a bit limited as DeeAnn struggled to get dressed through each contraction. Now for those who may or may not remember the last time we had a baby it was only because the freeway was wide open and a Durango can do 110 mph that we managed to have Ethan in a hospital. This was not a scene I wanted to repeat. I am shamed to say that we reinforced all California driving stereotypes as I raced past cars and ran red lights including one particular maneuver I like to call “The Squeeze” which involved creating a third lane between two others. This time we had a full 15 minutes from arrival to birth.

The staff was great as DeeAnn yelled and moaned and apologized. Our Dr. was unfortunately not available as he was out flying his plane that morning but we did have the on-call doctor who looked a bit shocked after it was all over. She stammered a bit as she held up the umbilical cord for all to see a solid knot. “This kind of thing usually kills a baby” she said. At which point a nurse smiled and said, “Look it’s a miracle baby” And so it is that we have a healthy baby given to us by God, which is always a miracle.

Somewhere in all of this I was standing in between DeeAnn and Camden with a hand on both. Camden was being given oxygen on the warming tray to offset his current color of royal purple. It was at that moment that I felt real hot and a bit dizzy. Figuring this was not the best time to faint I took a seat and waited a bit until I felt ok.

At 10:34am on February 8th 2007 we introduced ourselves to Camden Stanley Todd. Trying to name a child is a difficult task. You have to consider what it sounds like when yelling their name, or when it is read out loud during graduation, or when they introduce themselves on the phone. And especially when they have grow up and start to wonder more about their family history and how they are part of it.

Camden is a Celtic name which means winding valley and Stanley is my middle name as well as my fathers. The writer C.S. Lewis wrote a book titled, A Grief Observed. In it he describes a winding valley as a journey that with each turn a totally new landscape is revealed but not always. In fact sometimes there are glimpses of views you have seen before but the sequence does not repeat.

With this name we look forward to his fulfillment of a totally new personality melded into our family but yet at times familiar character and behavior we have known to love and cherish with our other boys.

And so we say, “welcome Camden, we have been waiting for you”

Rich, DeeAnn, Gavin, Ethan and Camden

My Three Sons

This morning at 4:00am DeeAnn began having contractions. By 8:00 we started making plans toward the hospital and by 10:00 we were once again racing down the street. At 10:15 we arrived and at 10:34 baby arrived!!

We have added another boy to the Todd family weighing in at 7lb 13oz, 20 inches long. His name is Camden Stanley Todd. We are grateful for a healthy boy and mom.

Also the winner of the baby contest was Lori Coyne from Arizona. Lori guessed 7lb 8oz on Feb 8th. Lori is a dear friend from college and picked the 8th as today is her own son's birthday!! Runner up is Tim Boehr son of Ernie and Judy Boehr who are very close friends/family. A nice selection of Southern Oregon treats will be sent out as soon as possible. Congratulations to the winners!!!

By the way our Dr. guessed 2/14 and 7lb 9oz. :>

Standing the Test of Time

Well the results are in. We had thirty two entries. The date of birth ranged from February 6th to February 18th, the weight ranged from 6.1 to 9.0. The average weight was 7.6.

Currently DeeAnn is doing fine and does not have any signs of labor. We go to the doctor tomorrow for a checkup and will send out any progress if any.

Now back to the introspection of our lives. Last night we came back from a weekend with friends and I realized that this was the first time in several weeks that I was on a freeway. Why is this important? Well for one it is amazing how your perception changes. Cruising down a freeway affects my thinking more so than cruising down small two lane roads. Is it the speed, or is it the journey that makes the difference. One would think that a long journey on a freeway would allow you to ponder more than a short journey but consider this. On my short jaunts around town I often do not turn on a radio but drive quietly on my errands. Freeway drives are always accompanied with music, talk radio, or news.

During one of my trips around town I began to think about the history of heraldry. It started during the Middle Ages in order to identify soldiers during battle as well as to document the deaths of those left behind. Over time standards were created and those who studied and memorized the emblems would be the announcers at tournaments. Those who are interested can look it up at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraldry It caused me to think that if I were to create my family crest and shield what would I choose, what do I want to be known for and why. Like crests, names have so much meaning yet we seem lose their original importance. Imagine if the name your parents choose for you dictated who you where. Do you wish you could change your name or are you living up to its expectation?

What I thought would be a simple and really fun exercise turned out to be an adventure in who I am. Your faith, family name, birth order, place of birth, heritage successes and failures all contribute to who you are. Which ones identify your associations and which ones shape who you are today and those of tomorrow? Are some so integrated into your person or are they simply a Sunday morning obligation? Do some stand the test of time or are they popular today? Will your crest look like a glamour photo from the 80’s or will it be replicated by those you touch for its authentic and timeless truth?

I have much to learn and more to understand before I put pencil to paper and begin the process creating our family crest. My challenge to you this week is to drive as you normally do only this time turn off the radio and listen.

Love Rich, DeeAnn, Gavin, Ethan, and baby