A False Dichotomy

Are you the kind of person that would buy this onesie for a baby boy? Or are you the kind of person that would buy this one? (It is a shame some people won't get this joke. It is funny.)

Caleb Loves To Bathe...

... and he loves his fish, too. Who else in our house likes to bathe? Mary does. She passed that gene to Caleb. Guess who else has it?

The other night, Mary went out and Joshua blew out a diaper. I decided to bathe him and get him ready for bed. After he had taken a leisurely bath, I went to pull him out of the tub. The moment I took him out of the water, he started to scream. It was not the "I'm hungry" scream and it was not the "I'm a little bummed out" scream. It was the "I'm not getting what I want and I am mad" scream. He thought I was ending his bath way too early. I guess we have another one that could sit in the tub all night and day, if he had his way.

Cousin Clara Chronicles

On March 3rd, Oliver, Kristin, and Clara visited us. (They came for the baby blessing and I am just now posting.) Here are a couple of pictures of the cousins. They really hit it off, though we could not get them all to look at the camera at the same time. Caleb had a GREAT time. He loves Uncle Oliver. In fact, he calls Oliver "Uncle". (Caleb has other uncles, but there is only one "Uncle".) Oliver had only been here a few minutes before he was playing "Arabian Nights" (from Aladdin) on the piano for Caleb. It is Caleb and Oliver's special song. We all sing along at the top of our lungs. The smile on Caleb's face was radiant. I think Caleb trailed Oliver around for most of their visit. Though he had to say good night to them, he tried to be with them first thing in the morning. Caleb would try to be with them even when Clara was sleeping. Thank you, Oliver and Kristin, for watching out for Caleb!

They arrived on March 3rd, Oliver's birthday. Now, Oliver believes in big parties and only trusts himself to throw the appropriate size and style party. We could not throw a big party, but we (really Grace) did show some signs of welcome. For decorations, Dale blew up 30+ balloons and Sally bought a dozen helium balloons. (Dale was overzealous in the balloon inflation department and we had balloons haphazardly popping throughout the next day. [Can I tell you how much Clara and Joshua liked that?] I know you are shocked that Dale could be overzealous about anything, but you will have to trust me.)

For a cake, we got a huge chocolate cake from Costco. Then we "decorated" it with 8 fresh cannolis from Mike's Pastry. I have to admit that it was a great way to do a cake. I believe it was Mary's idea. It might not have been an Oliver party, but it was a nice start if nothing else.

After everyone else left for the weekend, they stayed for a couple of extra days. We hung out together, baked cookies, and had a great dinner. (Don't worry, it was during restaurant week so it was more reasonably priced. Fun to be out and pretending like we are adults. The Mudricks came along with, as well. Oliver really needs to do the food write-up.) It was great for them to be here and we had a great time together.

Lastly, here are some pictures. Clara was hungry and Grace and Caleb were jumping in and out of the picture. If nothing else, they are realistic.

Paternity Leave Is Over

With Joshua's birth it has been almost two months since I last played basketball. This unexpectedly long break was due to an untimely series of sprained ankles just before his birth. I schedule about a month of "paternity leave" from basketball after each child's birth. This allows me to get in the way at home and prove myself a sufficient nuisance until Mary "persuades" me to go play again. Mary recently encouraged me to get back to hooping.

My paternity leave officially ended tonight. I was out on the court sucking wind, jogging slowly down on offense, and chucking bricks from everywhere.

Boy did it feel good.

Blessing Joshua

We were excited that we had a number of visitors for Joshua's baby blessing. (The blessing actually happened on March 4. I am just now getting around to blogging about it.) My mom was staying with us and Dad came to town for five days. The children loved having them around. We all played, went out to eat, and had fun together.

Jerry and Bonnie (Mary's parents) came to town for a couple of days, as well. We went downtown, ate, and talked a lot while they were here. Grace and Caleb loved having all the grandparents here. They did not hurt for attention. Oliver and Kristin also stayed with us, but there has to be a separate post with cousins pictures, so you have to wait for those stories.

Additionally, the Nordstroms (good friends), Marci (second cousin) and Matt, and Bryce (second cousin-in-law, if there is such a thing) were able to make it to church for Joshua's blessing. The Mudricks (good friends) came over after church for lunch. It was great to see everyone. The blessing went well and we did not even bounce Joshua. I have a pet peeve about the bouncing and I cannot figure out the purpose of it.

Unfortunately, we were lame and did not get everyone together for a picture. But when we got home, we took pictures of Mary and myself with Joshua. (Notice the balloon in the background to celebrate Oliver's birthday. We did not get enough pictures of the birthday celebration, so this will have to do.)

Joshua Update

Here are some pictures I should have posted by now. We have been busy, but elated with Joshua. He is starting to get on a schedule. We hope he will be on a reasonable schedule soon.

Joshua and his blanket. Our children love their blankets. Some pictures of Joshua sleeping in his bouncy seat or on the futon. Caleb is getting a lot better with Joshua. Joshua fell asleep with Grace while they were laying on our bed. Look at those cheeks!

Museum of Picture Book Art

We enjoyed the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The children loved the small "art studio". The studio had paper and crayons, markers, wire pieces (shown here), a light table, a magnet board, and a station to weave fabrics and paper together. Lots of activities to distract the children. Our children enjoy making art, especially Grace. In the entry way of the museum there were four large paintings. The colors were striking and I had to take pictures since we were allowed to do it in this part of the musuem. Caleb and I wore our orange shirts to the museum. I love orange. Caleb loves that orange shirt. It has three monkeys and the words "monkey see, monkey do, monkey get in trouble too" on it. Yeah for orange. Caleb took this picture of me with some interesting lines and colors in it. It is always interesting to see how his pictures turn out.

From the Observation Deck (Updated)

Naming Rights
We are still trying to figure out what to call Joshua. For the most part, he goes by Joshua. We have the occasional Josh thrown in there, but I think we like Joshua more. Other names we have tried: Squashua Joshua, Squish-Squash Josh, Joshu-wee (Caleb's nickname), Chubby Bug (Because Grace says, "He has chubby cheeks and is a cutie bug."), Ua (my anti-Josh campaign), and Hua (Oliver's anti-Josh campaign). Maybe one of these days I can post a picture.

Night of the Living Dead
The other night I got up and took Caleb to the bathroom. He was screaming for me and Mary was nursing Joshua. Mary told me to go and get him. I got him and took him to the bathroom. Then I went back to bed. I don't remember doing it at all. We won't even mention how Mary has rediscovered her talent for falling asleep at anytime almost anywhere. You have to love the side effects of having a new baby in the home.

Words, Words, Words
After a recent viewing of "Parent Trap" (Lindsay Lohan edition), Grace started saying, "You gave me a fright" when someone startled her. Also, she has picked up on the term "in fact". The other day she answered my question by saying, "I don't want to do that, in fact." (In fact, I have no idea where she picked that one up.)

Malapropisms
Thermonitor — 1) A device used to ascertain the temperature of a conversation you are monitoring from afar. 2) What Grace calls "the (baby) monitor".
Extra Case — 1) Why people keep their old briefcases. 2) What Caleb says instead of "just in case".
My Dear, Dear, Dear — 1) Something Sally would say when talking to someone she holds dear. 2) Something Caleb would now say when talking to someone he holds dear. (This is funny to hear. Not quite as funny as Grace using "my lands" or "oh, my stars" after living with Sally, but still really funny.)

The Consummate Bachelor
I saw a man in Costco carrying two purchases: one video game and a case of Cup of Noddle soup.

Ode to the (Not So) Modern Family
On the same Costco Trip, I saw a father and two sons. The father led the way while chatting on his Bluetooth headset. His older son carried a red hayfork. The younger one sported a raccoon skin hat and carried an old rifle.

Department of Rhetorical Questions Department
Speaking of Costco, if you volunteered to help the Girl Scouts sell cookies would there be a better place to hang out on a Saturday morning than in front of Costco? But if you did, would you have to sell them by the case? And would the price be based on $3.80/box instead of $4.00/box?

I'm Serious!
I love the company slogans. On the way to work, I saw a woman carrying a shoulder bag with the slogan "Serious Nucleic Acid Purification". I thought to myself, "Thank goodness they are serious. Is there anything worse than not-so-serious nucleic acid purification?"

When I Run a Marketing Department...
I am not going to run an ad featuring "Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes like Wendy's. Sometimes you have to stay away from the baggage even if it isn't true. (But for someone in marketing that might be the hook they want or need.) Let's stay away from marketing messages anyway, so I don't have to write about Snickers or Victoria's Secret advertising.

What's in a Name?
But I have to mention the "Victoria's Secret Beauty" stores. I am glad I did not have to name that venture. I would have come up with "Victoria's Readily Apparent Beauty". But that just isn't as catchy, is it?

My Cheatin' Heart

Aunt Kristin, Grandma, Grandpa, Caleb and I were playing Chutes and Ladders last Sunday. Caleb likes to play (and win) games. During the game, he had not had a chance to go up a ladder and was approaching the longest ladder on the board.

First he was 5 squares away. We all said, "Caleb if you spin a 5, you can go up the ladder."

He spun a 2 and was upset. We consoled him by saying, "Next turn you can spin a 3."

Next turn he spun another 2 and was sad. We said, "Don't worry, you can still spin a 1 and go up the long ladder."

He waited until it was his turn and asked, "Now, I need a 1, right?"

We said, "Yes."

So he spun and got a 3. Since that is not a a 1, he spun again and got a 6. Then a 2. Then a 5. He wanted a 1 and would not stop until he got it.

Grace was watching and she stopped the spinner on 1 so Caleb could get the number he wanted.

Caleb said, "No, Grace don't do that!"

Grace replied, "Caleb, I am trying to help you get a 1."

Caleb said, "But Grace, that's CHEATING!"

Life with Children

If you read this, you know that we are partial to Rebecca Mudrick and her photography. We love what she does and are grateful that she has taken pictures of our clan a number of times recently.

She recently posted a picture to her blog that beautifully sums up life with small children. I am not sure if you could better capture the life of a mother.

Celebrating Sally

We have had a few busy days with my Mom in town. She flew in the day before her birthday. Talk about a sacrifice! We appreciate her coming to help. Since it was her birthday, we had to celebrate. This is what we have done:

• Doughnuts on the morning of a birthday. I am not sure how this tradition started, but we have doughnuts for breakfast on birthday mornings in our house. I believe this is a tradition my brother Oliver could get behind.
• We have about five dozen flowers in the house. Mom got two dozen yellow roses from Dad and a dozen roses, tulips, and lilies from her parents. Add that to some flowers from Joshua's birth and we have flowers to celebrate.
• Grace and Caleb wanted to celebrate by bowling. We went to the local candlepin bowling alley. (An eastern Canadian and New England variation on bowling.) We were gracious and let Mom win. Okay, most of us were. Grace was too good and won. Mom did come in second place.
• Mary and I took the clan to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art because Mom loves illustrated children's books. We had a great time. There were art projects for the children and a library. Mom loved the three galleries of Eric Carle, Richard Yard, and Quentin Blake picture book art. (Quentin Blake did the art for The BFG by Roald Dahl that I read growing up. Cool to see it on a museum wall.) I think all of us went home happy. Okay, maybe dad was not happy that we took mom to a museum where we knew she would enjoy the museum shop too much. Sorry Dad.
• Lastly, we had people over tonight for cake and ice cream. Marci made a delicious cake and Mom got to see some of our friends.

After all of this, I hope Mom feels celebrated. It has been a lot of fun for us to do.

Happy Birthday Granny Sal!

For those not in the know, this is my mother's 28th* birthday.

Mom, we wanted to wish you a happy birthday:


Hope you have a great one and enjoyed the birthday doughnuts this morning. Thanks for flying out and helping us with Joshua. Grace and Caleb think we should go bowling to celebrate your birthday. I hope you packed your bowling shoes.

* It truly is her 28th birthday. We are just using a non-base 10 counting system. (We would have made it her 29th birthday, but it is impossible to have a 29th birthday for an even age. Since this is an even birthday, the best we could do was make it her 28th. Mom, instead of celebrating your 29th birthday each year, like the saying, you can go back and forth between your 28th and 29th.)

See What We Are Doing

This is the best in a series of self-portraits Grace took the other day. Grace drew the same picture three times. I don't think it is the influence of Monet, but I am not sure. She took this picture.

Indie Music

Last summer, there was a dance routine choreographed to Ramalama Bang Bang by Roisin Murphy on the show "So You Think You Can Dance". The routine was cool and the song is catchy.

But this song is a microcosm of my love/hate feelings about a lot of indie music. When I first hear a given indie song, I think it is great. Usually, it is appealing in a different and wonderful way. The uniqueness of the song draws me in and I enjoy the sound. Then I listen a little closer or watch a video, like the one above. The feeling starts to grow that the singer might be just a little over the top. Is it possible that someone can be too into their own music?

I love art from music to films to photography to sculpture to paintings. But for me, artists lose their way when they take themselves too seriously. Art can be fun or serious or tell a compelling story. Most art is thought provoking and broadens your view of the world. And when an artist is in your face that they are making a work of art, the power of their message wanes. Of course, artist always do this in the name of "their craft".

But you don't need to do be out there in the name of your artwork. Trust your craftsmanship and let us internalizes your message. We will learn something from your art. And I often feel this way after listening to indie music.

(My conflicting feelings notwithstanding, I won't stop listening to the music. I listened to Ramalama Bang Bang ten times while posting this. I just have issues.)

Just 'Cause Rebecca Rocks

Rebecca posted another picture of our little Joshua. I love her pictures and the way that she captures children. We really cannot thank her enough for taking these pictures.

Breakfast

Life is a roller coaster. There are many ups and downs. This morning was an unexpected up for our family.

Mary got up around 6:30 AM to feed Joshua. (Joshua is going three hours between feedings overnight with next to no time awake after feedings, a blessing.) They climbed back in bed with me at 7:00 AM. We talked and kissed little Joshua. Grace and Caleb joined us in bed within ten minutes. All five of us were lying in bed talking and laughing.

Then I got up and made some eggs for breakfast. Mary cut up the banana bread she and Grace made on Sunday and we all sat down to breakfast. We had a slow breakfast together as the day was starting. I got showered while Mary helped Grace and Caleb get dressed. Mary showered while I dressed Joshua and got lunches together. We all left for school or work together.

It really does not get any better than a calm morning with your family. I love time together. I want to hold my family close to me. What a great morning.

I hope we have many more mornings like that in store.

A Reality Check

One of the most interesting things about Joshua being home is the subtle changes in life. A simple example is playing with Grace and Caleb. For three years, Caleb has been our "little" boy. We knew he was not little, but he was our youngest. I would pick him up and not think twice of it. Today I picked him up. He felt really heavy. His weight had not changed, but I have held Joshua the last two days. There is a large weight difference between the two. One small realizations of how different our life is now.

Joshua has been wonderful. We are not sleeping a ton, but he has slept fairly well. He is getting used to the noise of Grace and Caleb and they are adjusting to having him around. Caleb has decided to assert his independence in a healthy way and we are happy for him about this decision. It is nice to see him doing the things he can do with minimal prodding. Grace and Caleb fight to hold Joshua. Grace has held Joshua for up to twenty-plus minutes in one stretch. Caleb's maximum time is closer to ten minutes.

Here is a recent video of Grace and Joshua. Enjoy.

Picture Time

Rebecca Mudrick came and took pictures of Joshua. She has posted one of them to her blog. We love Rebecca and her pictures. Thank you Rebecca for coming and taking them!

Sleeping Like A ...

... baby. Joshua William in his crib for the first time. It is nice to have baby sounds in the home again.

Going Home

I looked up some information about bilirubin levels for newborns. Joshua was in the "High Risk Zone". But the good news is he responded well to phototherapy and he came home!

You have to love a baby in a onesie: All dressed up and getting ready to leave: Mary could not be happier to be taking Joshua home: I swear there is a baby under all that bunting: