Some day, when Ben is as big as his daddy, we'll look back and sigh nostalgically for the time when he fit through a ten-inch embroidery hoop.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Dirk's Wii, Ben's Wee, and Me
While IMing with Dirk yesterday, he mentioned that he’d ambushed the soldier in the PX who was carrying a Wii. Dirk is now the proud owner of a Wii. I told him to bring it home in good shape because I want to play tennis on it.
Dirk did get a great deal on it, but I started thinking that perhaps we ought to stop spending money like water (have you seen all my new clothes and books? Wheeeee!). So when Chelle offered to cut Ben’s hair that evening, I said yes. After all, saving the $8 that Great Clips charges to buzz Ben’s head will go a long way in helping offset the purchase price of a Wii. Yep.
Ben took it like a trooper. He sat on my lap working on a little wooden peg puzzle while Chelle buzzed around his ears and over the top. Ash blonde hair spilled all over his bare shoulders and I had a shuddery vision of what Ben might look like with a hairy back.
Suddenly my lap felt wet. I shifted his weight to reveal a large wet spot on my leg. Well, you can’t push a kid off your lap with half a haircut, regardless of what he’s just done. So I sat there with the wet spot spreading to the other leg while Chelle finished buzzing his head while simultaneously laughing her head off. It’s a wonder Ben escaped without having his ears nicked. Come to think of it, it’s a wonder Chelle escaped without getting smacked.
While Chelle rummaged around for clothes for me to wear, I plopped Ben in the tub and pulled his diaper off him. It made a squishy “plop” in the garbage can. Note to self: change Ben’s diaper at least once after lunch and before bedtime.
Diapers are 38 cents each. There was at least three diapers worth of wee in the one diaper that is marinating in Chelle’s garbage can. Combine that with the eight dollars I saved on the haircut, and we’ve practically paid for Dirk’s Wii!
Dirk did get a great deal on it, but I started thinking that perhaps we ought to stop spending money like water (have you seen all my new clothes and books? Wheeeee!). So when Chelle offered to cut Ben’s hair that evening, I said yes. After all, saving the $8 that Great Clips charges to buzz Ben’s head will go a long way in helping offset the purchase price of a Wii. Yep.
Ben took it like a trooper. He sat on my lap working on a little wooden peg puzzle while Chelle buzzed around his ears and over the top. Ash blonde hair spilled all over his bare shoulders and I had a shuddery vision of what Ben might look like with a hairy back.
Suddenly my lap felt wet. I shifted his weight to reveal a large wet spot on my leg. Well, you can’t push a kid off your lap with half a haircut, regardless of what he’s just done. So I sat there with the wet spot spreading to the other leg while Chelle finished buzzing his head while simultaneously laughing her head off. It’s a wonder Ben escaped without having his ears nicked. Come to think of it, it’s a wonder Chelle escaped without getting smacked.
While Chelle rummaged around for clothes for me to wear, I plopped Ben in the tub and pulled his diaper off him. It made a squishy “plop” in the garbage can. Note to self: change Ben’s diaper at least once after lunch and before bedtime.
Diapers are 38 cents each. There was at least three diapers worth of wee in the one diaper that is marinating in Chelle’s garbage can. Combine that with the eight dollars I saved on the haircut, and we’ve practically paid for Dirk’s Wii!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Benji's new book from Dad
We got a surprise in our mailbox today. There was a big envelope addressed to Ben, with a return address of Bagram. Dirk hadn't told us anything was coming. He'd sent Ben a book and a DVD of him reading the book to Ben. Ben sat there, mesmerized. He doesn't do much with the book in this initial clip, but by the third or fourth time through, he'd turn a page. He knows his dad is reading him the book he's holding. I paged through it with him once.
Big huge thank you and hugs to Dirk for sending such a neat present! It's a cute book too. It's called "Put Me In The Zoo", and Dirk says it was one of his favorites as a little kid.
Big huge thank you and hugs to Dirk for sending such a neat present! It's a cute book too. It's called "Put Me In The Zoo", and Dirk says it was one of his favorites as a little kid.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Book Review: The Scientist in the Crib
Ever wondered how a baby thinks? The Scientist in the Crib describes the efforts and experiments of developmental psychologists who want to figure out just what that little binky-sucking cherub is thinking. Scientists started taking babies seriously only about 30 or 40 years ago. Up until then, psychologists (if they thought about babies at all) thought children were blank slates who knew nothing, just a crying carrot in the crib.
Turns out that babies are born with many assumptions, many of which are wrong, and with powerful learning abilities that allow them to largely put their world in order by the time they're just three years old. The title is also the conclusion of many developmental psychologists who study babies -- babies are like scientists. They have ideas; they perform experiments; they change their ideas based on the experiments. For example, babies think if they can't see something, then it doesn't exist. Objects disappear forever if you cover them with a cloth. Babies experiment with this idea, and learn it is wrong. Things exist even if they're out of sight! Imagine that! This amazing discovery is the reason why the game peekaboo is so exciting for a little one.
Babies are also continually experimenting on adults. Babies are born knowing that they are somehow like adults, and that they should imitate adults. A psychologist tested lots of newborns and discovered that if you stick out your tongue at a new baby, the new baby sticks his tongue out at you. (Yes, your tax dollars at work, I'm sure.) But it takes a scientist to tell us how profound that is. The newborn with his tongue out: (1) recognizes the adult face as something similar enough to his own that he can imitate it; (2) knows where his tongue is (there are no mirrors in the womb); and (3) knows how to stick it out.
Babies learn from adults because they are born wanting to imitate adults. Then, when they're about two, babies learn something terrible -- adults don't want the baby to do everything the baby wants to do. Gasp! This shocking discovery is the impetus behind the "terrible twos." The baby is trying to see just why mom doesn't want him to dump out the rice, and what happens if he dumps it out anyway. Mom is the lab rat in the baby's experiment of "do people really think differently than I do?"
The book is an easy read, and contains a lot of humor. You can't really write a book about how babies learn without funny anecdotes, and the authors throw in several.
Finding out how babies think and learn provides a lot of insight into how adults think and learn also. In fact, it isn't babies who think like scientists. It's scientists who think like babies. The scientific method of developing a hypothesis, experimenting with that hypothesis, and drawing a conclusion based on the experiment is one we've all used since birth. It's the way we found out about the world. As the authors note, the adult scientist peering into the crib meets the curious gaze of the infant scientist peering out of the crib.
Turns out that babies are born with many assumptions, many of which are wrong, and with powerful learning abilities that allow them to largely put their world in order by the time they're just three years old. The title is also the conclusion of many developmental psychologists who study babies -- babies are like scientists. They have ideas; they perform experiments; they change their ideas based on the experiments. For example, babies think if they can't see something, then it doesn't exist. Objects disappear forever if you cover them with a cloth. Babies experiment with this idea, and learn it is wrong. Things exist even if they're out of sight! Imagine that! This amazing discovery is the reason why the game peekaboo is so exciting for a little one.
Babies are also continually experimenting on adults. Babies are born knowing that they are somehow like adults, and that they should imitate adults. A psychologist tested lots of newborns and discovered that if you stick out your tongue at a new baby, the new baby sticks his tongue out at you. (Yes, your tax dollars at work, I'm sure.) But it takes a scientist to tell us how profound that is. The newborn with his tongue out: (1) recognizes the adult face as something similar enough to his own that he can imitate it; (2) knows where his tongue is (there are no mirrors in the womb); and (3) knows how to stick it out.
Babies learn from adults because they are born wanting to imitate adults. Then, when they're about two, babies learn something terrible -- adults don't want the baby to do everything the baby wants to do. Gasp! This shocking discovery is the impetus behind the "terrible twos." The baby is trying to see just why mom doesn't want him to dump out the rice, and what happens if he dumps it out anyway. Mom is the lab rat in the baby's experiment of "do people really think differently than I do?"
The book is an easy read, and contains a lot of humor. You can't really write a book about how babies learn without funny anecdotes, and the authors throw in several.
Finding out how babies think and learn provides a lot of insight into how adults think and learn also. In fact, it isn't babies who think like scientists. It's scientists who think like babies. The scientific method of developing a hypothesis, experimenting with that hypothesis, and drawing a conclusion based on the experiment is one we've all used since birth. It's the way we found out about the world. As the authors note, the adult scientist peering into the crib meets the curious gaze of the infant scientist peering out of the crib.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Biiiiig baby
See how well Simon fills out this cute sleeper when he's almost 8 weeks old?
See Benji wear the same sleeper at almost six months old?
Yep, we broke out the box of six month old baby clothes today. Simon is out of the 3-6 month size for sleepers. He can still wear things that don't have feet in them, like pants and shorts. T-shirts are okay too, but the onesies that size are a little too snug to snap as well.
To look on the positive side, if Simon keeps this up, I'm not going to have to box up clothes that Benji grows out of to wait for Simon to grow into them.
See Benji wear the same sleeper at almost six months old?
Yep, we broke out the box of six month old baby clothes today. Simon is out of the 3-6 month size for sleepers. He can still wear things that don't have feet in them, like pants and shorts. T-shirts are okay too, but the onesies that size are a little too snug to snap as well.
To look on the positive side, if Simon keeps this up, I'm not going to have to box up clothes that Benji grows out of to wait for Simon to grow into them.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
“Country Roooaaaads . . . Take Me Hooooooome . . .”
I bought a John Denver CD because it makes me feel brave. Really.
I have no real interest in music. In high school, I tried to up my coolness quotient by memorizing what bands played what songs. Cool people knew what bands played what songs. It didn’t work. Putting songs with bands was like trying to memorize baseball statistics. My brain knew I just didn’t care about music and refused to cooperate. I was doomed to uncoolness. (On the other hand, random Star Trek facts stuck effortlessly. Did you know the name of Vulcan’s moon is T’Kuht? Do you see why I needed to work on my coolness quotient?)
So when I got a job cooking for a Boy Scout camp in the Grand Tetons the summer after high school, I had no music to take with me. Fortunately, as a cool person, my co-cook had a battery-operated radio and lots of tapes (yes, this was before CDs). She offered to share air time with my music, but I didn’t have any. We listened to her music all day every day. She liked the 60s folk singers – John Denver, James Taylor, Jim Croce.
We cooked in dutch ovens without charcoal. Instead, we torched a six-foot pile of wood every single day to get enough embers to cook all the dutch ovens we filled for the scouts. (Starting more than 40 bonfires in one summer surely qualifies me as a Willden.) We bought biodegradable shampoo so we could wash our hair in the Snake River because that was our only running water. We slept next to the campfire every night, and spent every day outdoors under the peaks of the Grand Tetons.
On my weekends off, I joined the scouts in canoeing through the rapids on a 30 mile stretch of the Snake River. I canoed more than 200 miles that summer. I jumped off a cliff into the river just to prove that I could.
I was brave! Really, truly, physically brave for probably the first time in my life. (Well, except for that time I had to rappel down a cliff when I was 14 years old. I cried though, so that didn’t really count as brave.) John Denver sang in the background through all those adventures. I can’t link song titles and bands, but I link songs and emotions. I was brave that summer, even though I still wasn’t cool. (Did you know that Hikaru Sulu’s first name translates as “Shining One”? Did you even know Sulu’s first name?) I hear John Denver’s raspy voice singing about eagles and aspens, and I remember setting things on fire, living in a tent and jumping in a river.
So I bought his CD to remind myself that once upon a time I did things like that because right now, eating a PBJ at the park seems pretty adventurous.
What music makes you nostalgic?
I have no real interest in music. In high school, I tried to up my coolness quotient by memorizing what bands played what songs. Cool people knew what bands played what songs. It didn’t work. Putting songs with bands was like trying to memorize baseball statistics. My brain knew I just didn’t care about music and refused to cooperate. I was doomed to uncoolness. (On the other hand, random Star Trek facts stuck effortlessly. Did you know the name of Vulcan’s moon is T’Kuht? Do you see why I needed to work on my coolness quotient?)
So when I got a job cooking for a Boy Scout camp in the Grand Tetons the summer after high school, I had no music to take with me. Fortunately, as a cool person, my co-cook had a battery-operated radio and lots of tapes (yes, this was before CDs). She offered to share air time with my music, but I didn’t have any. We listened to her music all day every day. She liked the 60s folk singers – John Denver, James Taylor, Jim Croce.
We cooked in dutch ovens without charcoal. Instead, we torched a six-foot pile of wood every single day to get enough embers to cook all the dutch ovens we filled for the scouts. (Starting more than 40 bonfires in one summer surely qualifies me as a Willden.) We bought biodegradable shampoo so we could wash our hair in the Snake River because that was our only running water. We slept next to the campfire every night, and spent every day outdoors under the peaks of the Grand Tetons.
On my weekends off, I joined the scouts in canoeing through the rapids on a 30 mile stretch of the Snake River. I canoed more than 200 miles that summer. I jumped off a cliff into the river just to prove that I could.
I was brave! Really, truly, physically brave for probably the first time in my life. (Well, except for that time I had to rappel down a cliff when I was 14 years old. I cried though, so that didn’t really count as brave.) John Denver sang in the background through all those adventures. I can’t link song titles and bands, but I link songs and emotions. I was brave that summer, even though I still wasn’t cool. (Did you know that Hikaru Sulu’s first name translates as “Shining One”? Did you even know Sulu’s first name?) I hear John Denver’s raspy voice singing about eagles and aspens, and I remember setting things on fire, living in a tent and jumping in a river.
So I bought his CD to remind myself that once upon a time I did things like that because right now, eating a PBJ at the park seems pretty adventurous.
What music makes you nostalgic?
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Ben's new puzzle
I went stir crazy in the bad weather and hauled the boys to the toy store so Benji could play. The problem with taking Benji someplace he could play is that he didn't really want to leave. I couldn't pick him up and haul him off because I was also carrying a carseat, diaper bag, and sack of purchases. So we stayed at the toy store for quite a while. Oh well. I spent money, and that gives me the right to hang out at the toy store.
Benji got a puzzle with cars, planes, and other things that go "vroom," except for the space shuttle. I'm not sure a space shuttle can go "vroom" in the soundless vacuum of outer space. I think it is cool the space shuttle is right under the bike. Hey, if you've got a flat on your bike, just take the space shuttle! Woo!
I took a video of him playing with his new puzzle. (I don't know why I don't take more photos instead of videos. Photos are much easier to upload.) As a special bonus on this video clip, the soundtrack is Simon performing "Fusses" and the choreography is entitled "The Mommy Sway." Hope you don't get motion sick watching it, but don't say I didn't warn you.
Benji got a puzzle with cars, planes, and other things that go "vroom," except for the space shuttle. I'm not sure a space shuttle can go "vroom" in the soundless vacuum of outer space. I think it is cool the space shuttle is right under the bike. Hey, if you've got a flat on your bike, just take the space shuttle! Woo!
I took a video of him playing with his new puzzle. (I don't know why I don't take more photos instead of videos. Photos are much easier to upload.) As a special bonus on this video clip, the soundtrack is Simon performing "Fusses" and the choreography is entitled "The Mommy Sway." Hope you don't get motion sick watching it, but don't say I didn't warn you.
Friday, May 23, 2008
At the museum
Susan came to visit, and we took the boys over to Thanksgiving Point to the dinosaur museum. Ben ran through the museum looking for the fish. We have got to get that boy excited about dinosaurs too. In this photo, he's holding a toy dinosaur from one of the play areas in the museum.
Maybe the dinosaurs are just too big for him to process. They have full-size replicas of brontosaurus skeletons. Susan was especially impressed at the giant turtle skeleton that was 116 feet from flipper tip to flipper tip. Notice the size of the foot we're standing by in this photo; it belongs to a brontosaurus.
Benji was not interested in holding still for photos. He ran laps around the exhibits, sure that if he just looked hard enough, he would find a fish. Simon was pretty mellow.
Just before the exit, there is an area where the kids can play "archaeologist" and discover dinosaur bones in the sand. Susan noticed that there wasn't a sign saying, "kids only" and happily joined Benji in the dirt.
Maybe the dinosaurs are just too big for him to process. They have full-size replicas of brontosaurus skeletons. Susan was especially impressed at the giant turtle skeleton that was 116 feet from flipper tip to flipper tip. Notice the size of the foot we're standing by in this photo; it belongs to a brontosaurus.
Benji was not interested in holding still for photos. He ran laps around the exhibits, sure that if he just looked hard enough, he would find a fish. Simon was pretty mellow.
Just before the exit, there is an area where the kids can play "archaeologist" and discover dinosaur bones in the sand. Susan noticed that there wasn't a sign saying, "kids only" and happily joined Benji in the dirt.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Simon in shorts
Simon had his bath. He didn't fuss at all, although he did squirm when I washed his ears. Ben hated his bath until he was big enough to sit up and splash. Then I put Simon in shorts. When your legs are this short, even a one-inch inseam puts you in capris.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
All dressed up
We ventured out to Church on Sunday for the part where Ben could be in nursery. He wasn't thrilled about nursery, but eventually stayed. Thank goodness for good nursery teachers who don't mind cuddling a sad little boy.
Simon did okay. He is still not interested at all in taking a bottle, so I didn't get to stay in class the whole time. But it was nice to get out and see everyone again. We have a good ward.
I took a couple pictures of the boys all dressed up for Church. Ben didn't want to put his book down, and I thought taking it away and making him yell would defeat the hope of getting a cute picture anyway. So here is Ben studying his Elmo book and Simon wondering when I'm going to pick him up again.
Simon did okay. He is still not interested at all in taking a bottle, so I didn't get to stay in class the whole time. But it was nice to get out and see everyone again. We have a good ward.
I took a couple pictures of the boys all dressed up for Church. Ben didn't want to put his book down, and I thought taking it away and making him yell would defeat the hope of getting a cute picture anyway. So here is Ben studying his Elmo book and Simon wondering when I'm going to pick him up again.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Joy in the Backyard
When we were running the sprinklers to make sure they all worked, Benji got a faceful of water. Trauma! But since every toddler needs to play in water when the weather gets hot, I made him a water table.
And more of the same:
And more of the same:
Friday, May 16, 2008
Horoscope by Mother Goose
Remember that old nursery rhyme about the day of the week you were born? It goes like this:
Monday's child is fair of face.
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
Wednesday's child is full of woe.
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving.
Saturday's child works hard for a living.
But the child who is born on the Sabbath day
is blithe and bonnie, good and gay
(in a non-homosexual sort of way).
I made up that last line, and I get extra points for making it rhyme.
Benji was born on a Friday. He is very loving, but not very giving, especially if it involves his cousin playing with the best shovel out in the dirt pile.
Simon was born on a Thursday. He is already more of a go-baby than Benji was. Simon just hangs out in the carseat, unlike his brother, who screamed until he fell asleep out of exhaustion for so many months that Dirk started referring to the carseat as "the torture chair." Simon also likes the stroller, and the breeze on his face when we're over at the park.
I was born on a Monday. Yep, me and Snow White. We're fair of face.
What day of the week were you born?
Monday's child is fair of face.
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
Wednesday's child is full of woe.
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving.
Saturday's child works hard for a living.
But the child who is born on the Sabbath day
is blithe and bonnie, good and gay
(in a non-homosexual sort of way).
I made up that last line, and I get extra points for making it rhyme.
Benji was born on a Friday. He is very loving, but not very giving, especially if it involves his cousin playing with the best shovel out in the dirt pile.
Simon was born on a Thursday. He is already more of a go-baby than Benji was. Simon just hangs out in the carseat, unlike his brother, who screamed until he fell asleep out of exhaustion for so many months that Dirk started referring to the carseat as "the torture chair." Simon also likes the stroller, and the breeze on his face when we're over at the park.
I was born on a Monday. Yep, me and Snow White. We're fair of face.
What day of the week were you born?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Da Disney Princess
When I took this test ten years ago, I was Belle. I guess I've gotten dumber and sweeter over the years. Dirk, are you Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Doc or Dopey? Darn, who are the other two?
You Are Snow White!
Which Disney Princess Are You?
You Are Snow White!
Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.
Which Disney Princess Are You?
Benji's Animal Sounds - Part II
Benji has added several new animals to his repertoire. My personal favorite is the elephant, which is why I had him do it twice. Aunt Mel taught him the elephant.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Sleeping Like a Baby - Part II
Guess who slept through the night last night?
Nope, it wasn't Benji. (Drat that molar!)
Nope, it wasn't me. (Drat Benji's molar!)
Yep, little Simon slept for nine hours! From 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. After I fed him, he went right back to sleep until 8:30 a.m. Woo! I probably just jinxed him and he'll be up three times tonight.
Benji started sleeping through the night in six hour stretches when he was five weeks old too. Blessed children. That's why you get siblings.
*******
Random things that aren't going in their own post:
Dirk is en route to his final destination. He's been at the main base for almost a week now, awaiting transport.
Thanks to Kecia for the new blog header. It looks great!
Benji woke up cute, so I took his picture:
Nope, it wasn't Benji. (Drat that molar!)
Nope, it wasn't me. (Drat Benji's molar!)
Yep, little Simon slept for nine hours! From 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. After I fed him, he went right back to sleep until 8:30 a.m. Woo! I probably just jinxed him and he'll be up three times tonight.
Benji started sleeping through the night in six hour stretches when he was five weeks old too. Blessed children. That's why you get siblings.
*******
Random things that aren't going in their own post:
Dirk is en route to his final destination. He's been at the main base for almost a week now, awaiting transport.
Thanks to Kecia for the new blog header. It looks great!
Benji woke up cute, so I took his picture:
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sleeping Like a Baby
I got both boys down for naps at the same time, and decided to take advantage of the peace and quiet to turn some rotten bananas into banana bread. We'll leave out the details, and just say that the smoke alarm went off.
When the kitchen smoke alarm goes off, every smoke alarm in the house goes off -- loud, high-pitched, and insistent. There isn't a fast way to turn off the smoke alarm. The beeping turns off only when the smoke goes away. We'll leave out the explanation of why I know that. So I opened the windows and started fanning the smoke alarm to disperse the smoke around it.
Blessed silence. I braced for a couple hollers from upstairs. Nothing. Just more blessed silence.
I don't know whether to be happy the smoke alarm didn't wake up the boys, or be worried that smoke alarms don't wake up the boys.
When the kitchen smoke alarm goes off, every smoke alarm in the house goes off -- loud, high-pitched, and insistent. There isn't a fast way to turn off the smoke alarm. The beeping turns off only when the smoke goes away. We'll leave out the explanation of why I know that. So I opened the windows and started fanning the smoke alarm to disperse the smoke around it.
Blessed silence. I braced for a couple hollers from upstairs. Nothing. Just more blessed silence.
I don't know whether to be happy the smoke alarm didn't wake up the boys, or be worried that smoke alarms don't wake up the boys.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Boofer at 5 and a half weeks
Here are a couple more photos and video clips of Simon. Yeah, they're pretty random, but I figured Dirk would appreciate them anyway.
We used to wrap Benji up tight and call him a burrito. I think Simon looks more like an inchworm here:
Aren't those just cute little Winnie the Pooh feet?
He smiled just before I took this video, which wore out his smile muscles and we only get a yawn and some wiggles.
We used to wrap Benji up tight and call him a burrito. I think Simon looks more like an inchworm here:
Aren't those just cute little Winnie the Pooh feet?
He smiled just before I took this video, which wore out his smile muscles and we only get a yawn and some wiggles.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Mother's Day!
Dirk sent me flowers for Mother's Day! They came in a box from UPS. He timed them really well too. His mom was here when they arrived, so she was able to make them look bee-yoo-tee-ful. Then Kecia and Ed came by too, so lots of people got to see how thoughtful Dirk was. There are two dozen spring-colored roses in my bouquet, and I love them.
My other fun Mother's Day surprise was this morning, when Simon actually smiled at me! Simon has smiled at both grandmas, one grandpa, and at least two aunts, but he has not smiled at me. I got three or four really cute smiles from him. What a sweetie! We'll try to get his smiles on camera so Dirk can see them too, but give me a couple days. His smiles are still several days apart, and not very predictable yet.
Happy Mother's Day everyone! I hope you get fun surprises too!
My other fun Mother's Day surprise was this morning, when Simon actually smiled at me! Simon has smiled at both grandmas, one grandpa, and at least two aunts, but he has not smiled at me. I got three or four really cute smiles from him. What a sweetie! We'll try to get his smiles on camera so Dirk can see them too, but give me a couple days. His smiles are still several days apart, and not very predictable yet.
Happy Mother's Day everyone! I hope you get fun surprises too!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Perspective
With two kids in diapers, there are days where I think, “I sure have to clean up a lot of poop.”
And then I think, “nah, I don’t have it so bad.”
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And then I think, “nah, I don’t have it so bad.”
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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Simon at one month
Here's a bunch of photos of Simon just after the one month mark.
Hanging out in his swing.
Just a cute face.
BIIIIG YAWN
BIIIIG TONGUE
Snugglies on grandma's shoulder
Hanging out in his swing.
Just a cute face.
BIIIIG YAWN
BIIIIG TONGUE
Snugglies on grandma's shoulder
Brother photos
They will be best buds eventually, but right now, they're still kind of clueless about each other.
Benji checks out the new guy.
Nope, the milk and the belly button are more interesting.
Off to do something more interesting!
Benji checks out the new guy.
Nope, the milk and the belly button are more interesting.
Off to do something more interesting!
Springtime!
It's such a relief to have the world thaw out. I like living in a place that has seasons, mostly so I can be relieved when spring comes.
We're going to grow a boy in our garden this year. There might not be any other crops put in.
Simon gets to wear shorts and short sleeves! You know, that kid looks so much like a boy. People who think there isn't much difference between how newborn girls look and how newborn boys look have not seen Simon. You'd just feel bad if you had a baby girl that looked like Simon. But for a boy baby, he's pretty darn cute.
We're going to grow a boy in our garden this year. There might not be any other crops put in.
Simon gets to wear shorts and short sleeves! You know, that kid looks so much like a boy. People who think there isn't much difference between how newborn girls look and how newborn boys look have not seen Simon. You'd just feel bad if you had a baby girl that looked like Simon. But for a boy baby, he's pretty darn cute.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Goodbye, again
Dirk is en route. Contrary to the rumors we'd repeated, the powers-that-be did charter a widebody commercial jet, and the whole battalion is traveling in economy class comfort together. It beats temporary web seating in a military cargo plane!
He boarded sometime in the middle of the night, and is already on the East Coast. He just called me from their layover location. So many military flights go through that particular airport that the locals have rallied around our servicemembers. Welcome and farewell groups meet each flight, so Dirk and his friends were welcomed by a group of people shaking their hands and thanking them for their service. I'm glad the people at their last stop on U.S. soil are nice to them. There's a coming-home flight scheduled for this morning too, and some of the welcome wagon got mixed up and welcomed Dirk home! I sure wish he was headed the other direction!
They will stop in Europe, and then in one of the -stan countries, before finally getting to their destination.
We chatted on the webcam last night, and Dirk got to see both his boys. I thought that having him gone would be the same whether he was in Washington or overseas, but it turns out that it's hard all over again anyway. I'm glad my sister was here.
Goodbye, again, honey. I miss you.
He boarded sometime in the middle of the night, and is already on the East Coast. He just called me from their layover location. So many military flights go through that particular airport that the locals have rallied around our servicemembers. Welcome and farewell groups meet each flight, so Dirk and his friends were welcomed by a group of people shaking their hands and thanking them for their service. I'm glad the people at their last stop on U.S. soil are nice to them. There's a coming-home flight scheduled for this morning too, and some of the welcome wagon got mixed up and welcomed Dirk home! I sure wish he was headed the other direction!
They will stop in Europe, and then in one of the -stan countries, before finally getting to their destination.
We chatted on the webcam last night, and Dirk got to see both his boys. I thought that having him gone would be the same whether he was in Washington or overseas, but it turns out that it's hard all over again anyway. I'm glad my sister was here.
Goodbye, again, honey. I miss you.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Dessert Time
In case you were wondering about the proper way to eat an Oreo, Benji demonstrates it for you in this video clip. Please pay close attention to the "Oreo dance" as that's an important part of consuming an Oreo correctly.
These photos have nothing to do with Oreos, but here are a couple pictures of the boys together. Benji is getting more social with his brother.
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These photos have nothing to do with Oreos, but here are a couple pictures of the boys together. Benji is getting more social with his brother.
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