Leo Clement

Christmas Eve. Christmas. New Years. What do you think Leo thinks of all the holiday bustle?  Checking back on my latest posts, I notice that Leo has taken the backseat through most of them. But, you know, he is a backseat driver so his presence is hard to ignore! So here is a post all about our little man. Christmas is a time when we see a lot of folks, meet with friends, and in general, do a lot of running around. Leo managed to keep up and take most of it in stride. I'm sure I've talked about his fairly mellow personality before! And he is mellow, except when I'm desperately trying to do get something ambitious done like dinner, or errands, then he lets it known, in no uncertain terms, that IT'S NOT OK, for mum to be doing something that takes attention away from him. Sometimes, I am grateful for this reminder to slow down, to stop and just breathe, or stop and cuddle the lion, which is what usually happens. He is my shadow, m...

I'm a bit of a Joss Whedon fan. In particular, my favorite of his many shows is, of course, Firefly. I know I've blogged about it before, but it just seems to fit and highlight so many instances of trueness in life that I just can't resist doing it again and again. Today, on facebook (where else?) someone posted up a link to an article enticingly titled: " 26 Moments That Restored Our Faith In Humanity This Year. "  Though I was feeling rather down and teary at the time, since right above and below that link on my newsfeed were posts about the shooting, I clicked on it with some bitterness. Our humanity kinda sucks most of the time, at least according to the news, so I wasn't holding my breath. But I was surprised. Surprised that I was crying, crying because I needed to be reminded that no matter how much evil and suffering there is in this world, there is also the same amount of love and joy, if not more! The 26 examples weren't particularly...

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Remember.   The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Today our hearts our broken. Our minds are heavy with the tragedy of the horrible violence that took place in what should be, a safe haven.  For all of us, it's painful. For those of us who are parents, the pain is partnered with fear.  Fear for our children. Fear for our way of life. Fear of the ultimate loss. The loss of a child. We feel broken. We think of the grieving families tonight. We can imagine scenes of dark rooms, of the floods of tears, and our hearts break. We think of our own children, and we are shattered, smashed, in pieces, scattered to the depths of our souls.  We doubt the sanity of humankind. In a world where children die, how can there be hope? How can there be love?  For those families, tonig...

Its been awhile since our last post, and I humbly apologize for that! I haven't been able to just get it together! I always feel like Leo's fans deserve something special, not just a boring post about the mundane. So I usually wait until something inspiring, or something special happens. But sometimes, the specialness just doesn't seem to come, or at least I'm not recognizing it. The page stays empty in front of me. Then, inevitably, something else comes up, like a kiddo, or work, or..etc. No excuses really, though in my defense, it's amazing that this blog is a fairly coherent diary of Leo's first two years. It's one of the few things I've been able to faithfully keep up, and it certainly is the most I've ever written since college. Who ever would have thought that I've thought up, with Justin's occasional help, two years worth of thoughts about one little boy? As I'm sure you know, when we started this blog, in Leo's little nook in...

different |ˈdif(ə)rənt| adjective 1. not the same as another or each other; unlike in nature, form, or quality. man-made |ˈˌmæn ˈˌmeɪd| adjective 1. made or caused by human beings (as opposed to occurring or being made naturally) When Leo was born, not only was he "different" then normal infants, everything was different. Because of his deformed head: huge and heavy with pounds of fluid, we had to figure out different ways to hold him, feed him, since even putting him down required two people. He would stop breathing you see, because his teeny neck and body could not budge his head so every angle had to engineered for optimal comfort. We shredded several orthopedic pillows, among other foamy items and props, to help achieve a semblance of normalcy. My mom and I cut up many a hat to try to find one that would fit on his head. In the end, the hat that worked the best was a pant leg and a shirt in a previous life. I found it hard to put into words, ...

It's hard for me to come up with my own words for this post. I've started and deleted it several times already, so I'm going to just step aside for those who managed where I can't right now. Praying for peace this Thanksgiving for all of us. Nature's first green is gold,  Her hardest hue to hold.  Her early leaf's a flower;  But only so an hour.  Then leaf subsides to leaf.  So Eden sank to grief,  So dawn goes down to day.  Nothing gold can stay.  -Robert Frost For Brayden Alexander Harper (June 30th 2008-November 15th 2012) Say not in grief "he is no more," but live in thankfulness that he was. -Hebrew proverb

In that short time between sleeping and waking, when the dawn just starts to peek through the trees in our bedroom window, is when I compose beautiful things in my head. Except for when they aren't beautiful, which sometimes happens too. But it doesn't matter, because at that time, whatever it is, it is honest. Then the day breaks, and the day unfolds and as it does, my mind turns to other things. Exciting things like laundry and dinner. But underneath all that, is a faint flavor, an undertone of something that moved me; something that inspired me. Most often then not, that something usually has to do with my son. Those of you who have stuck with this blog from the beginning, know that I don't always write about our faith, but I hope that the flavor of it has always been there. What does it mean to believe in God? So many people don't. So many people do, so strongly and so wrongly that they cause destruction around them. How does one tread thes...

We've been busy bees at Camp Leo these past couple weeks. We gained a new member to the family, a rescue doggie with a mysterious past, but the sweetest and kindest disposition. It's definitely a win-win! Our commander-in-chief, the Lion man himself, has in addition to his usual tricks, been doggedly growing his repertoire. Who know that the word "Hi!" could make mum and pop get all weepy? I'm sure Leo didn't expect his crackers to be quite so damp and salty when he asked (craakaa?) for them... Our life is filled with everyday Leo miracles.  And since it never rains, it hurricanes, (though we didn't sustain any damage at all during Sandy's bender, for those who might have been wondering) Leo has also improved his balance drastically! We are all crossing our fingers for a Christmas gift that sounds like the pitter patter of his little feet walking alone... But right now, he is able to walk with ...

Wait for it... Just wait for it... Yup, there it is. The inevitable question anytime we go out with Leo. How old is he? Oh wow really? Is he walking yet?? That is a loaded question my friend...Loaded with mystery and yet I love how people pretend it's normal. Because the alternative is much too threatening. What do you think Einstein? Would I be straining my back and lugging his big bum all over the place if he was? Have you seen my biceps friend? As parents, we are, and don't pretend otherwise, at the mercy of our kids. We see our selves through a strange and expectation tinted lens. We expect our children to act a certain way, preferably always. We expect them to grow a certain way, and to conform to a natural, and understandable timeline. And we blindly, kinda like a puppy dog, shove this trust on our kids. We faithfully assume, day after day, that our children will bend to our schedules, our hopes and dreams, and then, we faithfully freak o...

I, like many other parents, suffer from techno guilt. Are my children going to be iusers in life, instead of wehelpers? Is it right that the ipad is always around, like a permanent Mary Poppins, enticing and promising enchanted lands 24/7 and not just when the wind blows from the east? Does the constant magic make our children dull and boring, unable to think for themselves?  There are many schools of thought.  My motto always has been: know moderation. Nothing should, and could replace a parent. But supplement education? Yes, definitely.  If I find myself handing off the ipad with a sigh of relief, as in, whew now I get a few minutes of quiet, I know I need to step back and reevaluate my parenting.  In regards to Leo, as opposed to my perfectly normal six year old who could really find something else to do, the ipad takes on new meaning. There is a whole underbelly of apps geared towards special education. You won't see...

Somedays, you have to take the bull by the horns. (Or cat..by the tail?) Give it a good shake, maybe lay it down in the grass and brand it with whatever sign means courage to you. Something that burns, stings, and fries all that junk clogging up the pathways in your brain and heart. It's about taking that final plunge, everyday, over and over, especially when it doesn't get easier with frequency. And then somedays it's about letting all the worry, anxiety, fear, and just plain ole tiredness be what it is, but gently, every lightly, rising above it. Sometimes it takes violence and sometimes, just a gentle bump, to get all that stuff away. Which approach on which day? How can I discern what needs to be done, and how? You gotta be your own EMT. You have to triage your heart; your brain, and probably your soul too. Because if you don't who will? Who is better equipped with the inner workings of yourself then you?  And th...