3 months, 1 week old

Isaac and I went to visit my parents in Minnesota instead of waiting patiently at home while Cliff was in Belarus. I remember thinking before leaving for the airport, 'what should I take to do on the plane?' I obviously vastly underestimated what it would be like to fly with an infant. And that was before I knew Delta/NWA had oversold the plane and I didn't have a seat. When we did get on a different flight, Isaac wasn't happy. If it weren't for a very kind grandma who sat behind me, I think I would have just canceled my return ticket upon arrival and not flown back to NYC until Isaac was 15. But, spending time at the home I grew up in with Isaac was like heaven, mostly because my parents were so good to us.

Cliff and I had planed to attend an LDS lawyer conference in Boston, but after my trip to Minn, I thought it would be better for Isaac if he and I stayed home. Then last Monday morning, Cliff got an email from President Belnap, our former NYC stake president, asking if Cliff and I and Isaac wanted to ride down to Boston with him and his wife. My first thought was, is this like a calling? (picture left: Cliff and Isaac ready to roll to the the conference)


So, we decided to all go. The highlight for me was Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's lecture at the Old South Meetinghouse which she entitled 'Misbehaved lawyers seldom make history', and Noah Feldman's discussion of Religion and Constitutional rights (it was really about Obama's vs. Mitt Romeny's use of religion during the campaign). The low light was the panel that predicted no one at big firms in NYC would have a job in a year. (Picture Right: Isaac got more valentines than Cliff and I!)


Isaac's blessing ended up going so very beautifully. The Saturday night before the blessing, I finished sewing the finishing touches on the gown while Cliff read to us every scripture that referenced Isaac. We talked about the events leading up to now of Isaac's birth, and concluded that Heavenly Father is merciful and powerful.



Before the blessing, Minnesota, and Boston, Isaac was close to sleeping through the night on his schedule; now he is completely structureless and every night is different (usually more sleepless than not). I am hoping to work back to where we were this week. I have also found through sad experience that my consumption of chocolate really throws his sleeping off. So I am wistfully reserving my eating to only important social occasions. If anyone wants to have an important social occasion, we will be there in a heartbeat :) Granted, the chocolates that gave Isaac and I problems were undiluted Belarusian ones, and perhaps the US chocolates, which are more wax and brown coloring than cocoa, will be less vicious. (picture left, Isaac does not like his Bumbo chair).