hucklebabypotamus

more finger paint

2011-02-28T14:37:00.000-08:00

finger paint

2010-12-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

heavenly peace

2010-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

the whealy family band, performing "silent night."

a very morbid christmas

2010-12-15T15:31:00.000-08:00

ben started out playing a song about jesus being born, but the tune took on a darker tone. maybe something more appropriate for good friday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

have an INCREDIBLE thanksgiving. (we're such a mess on this video. all the wobbling is because ben was trying to grab the camera. and we're all a little sniffly and ill.) love to ALL!

john and paul? mick and keith?

2010-11-04T16:14:00.000-07:00

climbing

2010-10-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

little fellas

2010-09-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

Peter and Uncle Michael

2010-09-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

cheerful, meditative, banana-eating, wild-haired pete

2010-08-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

made it!

2010-07-27T08:31:00.001-07:00

just a quick update to let you know that we made it to the mountains safe and sound. the boys did great on the flight and are adjusting to the altitude so well! i'll try to post some pictures soon.

dispatch from the high chair: ben likes vegetable curry and naan!

2010-07-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

yesterday i made a vegetable curry, and today ben had some for lunch. this is a major victory in my campaign-to-eradicate-picky-eating. i keep trying to get him to try new flavors, and although the curry wasn't spicy at all, it wasn't exactly peanut butter and jelly. cheers to him for being an adventurous eater!

at the park

2010-07-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

more solid gold

2010-06-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

wow. we had no idea.

2010-06-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

tonight we had our own little episode of solid gold. ben provided the moves, with emily singing and beatboxing, and the rest of us clapping along. it. was. magical.

stop. go.

2010-06-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

goggles, leaf blower

2010-06-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

an exciting package arrived in the mail today!
at the beginning of the video, ben says, "thanks boppie!"

Ben won't say hi, but Peter will!

2010-06-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

a little tune

2010-06-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Peter eats by himself!

2010-06-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Peter in the high chair

2010-05-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

bubbles

2010-04-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

Ben and baby Peter

2010-04-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

here's an older video of ben and peter. say cheese!

Peter rocks the jumper

2010-04-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

after much technical difficulty, i figured out how to post video again! here's peter bouncing ("with a vengeance," andrew said) in his jumper chair. andrew has a little cameo appearance too.

ben's first time on skis!

2010-04-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

2010-02-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

instruments

2009-12-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

snow day

2009-12-08T08:38:00.000-08:00

a quiet moment with mister potato head

2009-12-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

ben and petey

2009-10-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

a little brotherly affection...

the measure of a good daddy

2009-10-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

when ben woke up saturday morning and saw the fresh snow, he immediately started begging to go out and play. andrew, heroic man that he is, first whipped up some blueberry muffins, then obligingly donned his winter garb and took ben out to play. it was early. it was really cold. no adult wants to go out in the snow that early on a saturday morning. but he did it. and ben was beside himself with delight. he marched around, talking about snowmen and skiing, and then got a shovel to help his dad clean the walk. i took pictures from the comfort of the kitchen, all the while saying prayers of thanksgiving that my man is the type who's willing to endure the cold, early on a saturday morning, for the sake of his enthusiastic two-year-old.

brothers

2009-10-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

new baby!

2009-10-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the newest Whealy! The shots of Peter asleep are courtesy of Grandma B, taken shortly after he was born, and I took the others this morning. He's doing great, and Ben LOVES him. We're so happy to be a family of four!

reading, growling like a gator

2009-09-11T05:57:00.000-07:00

i just found this old footage of ben playing in his room, and based on the fact that he's not really speaking in words, it must be from last winter. he's come a long way, baby!

in which nothing much happens

2009-09-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

breakfast, mostly uneventful.

who knew?

2009-08-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

i've never seen him play and sing at the same time until today. the tune is "jesus loves me."

mowing

2009-07-20T19:04:00.001-07:00

ben hearts emmy

2009-04-29T08:19:00.001-07:00

last week our friends michelle and emmy came over to play and michelle shared her pictures with me. they had a really fun time playing together in the yard. why no videos, you ask? my camera bit the dust a few weeks ago and i need to get it repaired. thank you for your patience. :)

easter egg hunt, sort of

2009-04-13T06:14:00.001-07:00

we thought ben would love picking up easter eggs, but he was more interested in finding sticks and using the eggs to dig in the dirt. what can i say. we tried.

splash

2009-04-01T05:14:00.000-07:00

we're home from our trip to sunny florida! one highlight was ben playing in the pool, first with grandma and grandpa and then later in the week with andrew. you'll be amazed how his confidence grew...

ben takes a bow

2009-03-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

today we enjoyed a little time with the schroeder side. grandma and grandpa were in town for a doctor's visit, and joycie brought them to our place. emily also came to town this morning for a spring visit, and mom was on spring break from her classes, so we had a rare moment together. in this clip, ben had been playing the piano for everyone, and emily taught him the proper way to acknowledge his audience with a bow.

ben eats a strawberry and asks for a cookie

2009-03-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

ben, fresh from his afternoon nap, would like another cookie.

no no no

2009-03-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

we've been trying to post video for ages and just got the technical bugs worked out. so here's the maiden video post, for your viewing pleasure. i took this video about ten minutes ago after ben finished eating lunch. enjoy!

ben and emily's playdate

2009-03-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

my college friend michelle brought her daughter emily over for a playdate last week and it was great fun watching them interact. they played peek-a-boo in the tent, drove the train together and hugged each other. so cute.

ben in the snow

2009-02-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

andrew and ben, bundling up...

and playing in the snow. he did NOT want to come in the house when it was time.

days in the life

2009-01-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

ben with his beloved choo-choo, which he uses to get from place to place. he props his stuffed kitty on top of the train and gives it a ride around the kitchen, saying, "too-too! too-too!" with all his might and main. he may have a career with union pacific, i think.

yesterday he drove the choo-choo to the trash can, and, quiet as a mouse, took out a coffee filter full of wet grounds and spread them all over the floor. he was most pleased with himself as you can see.

he's also entering a hat phase. every day, he gets up from his nap and has lunch wearing his hat. he asks for it specifically. some days it's the baseball cap (below) and some days his winter hat with the ear flaps. how am i supposed to keep the hats clean under those conditions? who knows. he's liking pita bread with hummus at the moment, so the hats are in constant danger of being smeared with chickpeas. he's also enjoying grandma arly's home-made applesauce for lunch. we warm it up, and he eats it like it's going out of style.

this is ben's sad face, when his teeth hurt. i think the molars are coming in. for your information, i did give him a dose of infant motrin right after i took the picture. poor kid!

thanksgiving revels

2008-12-01T08:13:00.001-08:00

farmer boy

2008-11-22T05:48:00.000-08:00

andrew took these pictures one warm day a month ago when we were doing yard work. just now i was looking out at the frosty back yard, knowing it'll be a long time before we can go out and play in the dirt.

moseying through the day

2008-11-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

ben gets a charge out of playing with balloons leftover from his party. i found a few left in the drawer and inflated them, and he made a most earnest effort to bite them.

we've had a week of pretty good sleep, thank the lord! and i'm cautiously optimistic the trend may continue...but who knows...

he calls that train "too too," in an approximate imitation of the "chug chug choo choo" noise i make when he rides it.

his new favorite thing is stirring any bowl with any utensil. it started at grandma arlie and grandpa ray's house, when he practiced stirring a little sauce pot with a wooden spoon. and now, if i don't let him stir the contents of his breakfast yogurt cup or bowl of prunes, he feels himself treated most ungenerously. it's really not enough to stir the stuff, he also likes to dip his knuckles in and then draw broad smears of prune on his tray or, alternatively, on my hands and face, if he can get that close before i deflect him. we're changing our clothes a lot these days.

better late...

2008-11-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

here are some snapshots of ben's first birthday party. a good time was had by all.

auntie em

2008-09-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

with the schroeder tribe gathering to celebrate the upcoming nuptuals of our beloved joycee and her mike, ben has plenty of opportunity to play with members of the family who otherwise live out of town. here he is frolicking with emily. i believe she's teaching him to say "ha cha cha cha," like a miniature marx brother.

faster, stronger, smarter

2008-08-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

ben playing with our friend anna

daddy ticking ben's tummy

and looking serious for the camera

greetings from the rockies

2008-08-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

here are a few new pictures from our wonderful week in beaver creek. ben's enjoyed the lavish attentions of the whole family, and the whole family has enjoyed his remarkable capacity to entertain.

his latest trick involves making a series of faces in quick succession: first, an excited face, with eyes wide and mouth making an "o," while saying, "oh! oh!". then a dark scowl andrew dubbed "the stink face," and finally a scrunchy-nosed, eye-squinting, teeth-baring grin accompanied by happy snorting (shown under the caption, "ferociously yours"). it's really something to see. if we can get it on film, we will, but it's sort of illusive. spend a little time with him, though, and you'll get the show.

in other ben news, he's made progress toward being able to crawl, and is learning to move from a sitting position to getting down on all fours. the only item exciting enough to motivate him to try is a little red and silver plastic donut-thing that goes on the top of the classic donut-thing stacker. he also loves the running water we see in little streams all over town here, and in some these photos, he's looking at a huge boulder with water gushing around it. we think he looks a lot like grandpa ray in his little cap.

miss you all and see you soon!

ferociously yours

2008-07-23T14:29:00.001-07:00

a few new pictures and some excellent news

2008-07-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

three cheers for ben!

hip hip hooray!

last night he slept from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am.

this is a first in his life.

it took a good deal of strategery, carefully timed periods of crying and painstaking intervention, but we finally achieved our first REAL full night of sleep. praise the lord.

i DO feed him...

2008-07-06T14:22:00.001-07:00

ben is taking his sunday afternoon nap on our bed as i write this, and just a minute ago i went to check on him. i found him with his face buried in a pillow, with an entire corner bunched in his mouth, as you see. i stood there thinking, really?

we are happily settled into our new house and - best of all - the wireless is now up and running. i look forward to resuming more regular posts. thanks for all the disgruntled comments about my lack of updates (emily). i know it means you care.

henry doorly zoo: the next generation

2008-06-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

earlier this week, ben and i enjoyed a play date with elena, keyan, and joni at the good old henry doorly. joni and i kept saying how crazy it was to be there, where we often played as kids, with our own little ones. although ben's a bit too little to really get into the exhibits, he did particularly love meeting keyan (lately ben's been frightening other babies away with his enthusiastic roars - he recently reduced little aaron to tears at a graduation party - but keyan was brave enough to grab his foot and smile). and elena is a lovely, sweet little person with an eye for butterflies and the colorful coral in the acquarium exhibit. although the opportunity for grownup conversation was limited, it was really fun, and sort of surreal, to be there together with the next generation of zoo-goers.

graduation pictures (thanks brenda!)

2008-05-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

give your mama one smile

2008-05-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

today was my first mother's day and i have to say, what a fine holiday it is.

last year at this time, i was pregnant. i remember feeling dizzy when i thought about having a child. it's one of those mysterious thresholds you wait for all your life, and then one day, you slip across and...though you have to get your bearings again, re-acclimate, make adjustments...you're still mostly the same. actually a lot better.

whealy boys

2008-05-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

since andrew's semester has come to an end, we've enjoyed lots of time together. this afternoon ben had a crazy hootenanny of a time trying on andrew's new iowa cap.

tooth woes

2008-05-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

last night at dinner, andrew spotted it. a tiny little tooth emerging on ben's bottom gum. i stuck my finger in, and yes indeed, it's official folks, the teething has begun. that explains the crabby, clingy behavior of the last few days. so now we're on a strict regimen of baby tylenol and frequent cuddling. this afternoon, ben gets his six-month-shots, so it's going to be a hard day.

i too have been having dental troubles. i had my two bottom wisdom teeth extracted last week, and it's been a surprisingly hard recovery. monday morning, after a miserable day sunday, i planted myself at the dentist's office until someone could see me. i had two dry sockets. ugh. and the good doc put some dressings in my sockets that taste really awful. but at least they don't hurt any more.

i would have posted pictures, but it's hard to snap a photo of ben's illusive baby tooth what with all the drool and whining and urge to chew, and you just don't want to see what's going on in my mouth at all.

andrew makes an admirable florence nightengale, but pray for all of us if you think of it...we look forward to getting back to normal.

get in my belly

2008-04-27T19:37:00.001-07:00

Anything within a two foot radius is fair game for Ben's mouth, including a camera. All family members with cell phones, ear rings, remote controls, and knuckles within range--be forewarned. Ben can't wait to see, and taste, you!

our little jockey

2008-04-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

As Darby says, Ben bounces as if he is trying to win the Kentucky Derby. And he's off.....

he is six months, going on seven months...

2008-04-24T05:52:00.000-07:00

happy half-birthday, ben!

recent accomplishments include (but are not limited to):

1. riding in the "big kid" part of the stroller, as you can see from the picture.
2. going to bed at 7:45 with a good deal less fuss and sleeping until 5:00 am!
3. eating in his high chair - no more bumpo chair.
4. louder, more resonant crying!
5. improved ability to sit on the floor without support!
6. a broader palate - his favorite flavors include: squash, carrots, apple sauce, pears, and especially bananas! he shows great discrimination by disdaining peas.
7. a more sophisticated air. he's in the know.

tax day update

2008-04-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

today we:
- listened to sam cooke (arguably the father of soul music)
- made no-bake cookies
- zoomed around the room
- tried to take a nap from 2:30-4:00 but stayed awake instead
- laid on the floor and took some pictures of ourselves

now we're going to take a walk. wish you were here.

good time

2008-04-09T06:19:00.001-07:00

over the weekend mike and brenda came for a visit, and we had a great time. i think ben particularly enjoyed himself, as you can see from these snapshots (courtesy of brenda). he gets along famously with grandma b and grandpa mike!

it's been hard getting a moment to write a post this week. ben's had the snuffles and his sleep has pretty much fallen apart, so nights - and days - have been a bit more challenging than usual. he's in good spirits, but i'm a little owly, as andrew can attest.

when the prune hits your eye

2008-03-27T18:26:00.001-07:00

here are two shots of ben eating his first taste of prunes. it goes a little something like this:

1. ben takes a messy bite. half the prunes go in the mouth, half on the bib and face.
2. ben winces, cringes, kicks his legs in protest, spreading the prunes and glaring accusingly.
3. i apologize profusely and wipe the sticky residue, hoping he'll still love me, even though i gave him the offending prunes.
4. when the cringing and misery subsides, i tentatively spoon another bite and offer it.
5. ben lunges forward, grabs the spoon, and devours the prune puree with all his heart.
6. repeat steps 1 through 5.

i don't think he likes prunes, but he'll definitely eat prunes. when i thought he was all wiped clean and was sitting on the couch with him, the sun came through the blinds and i saw prune puree smeared all over his forehead and in his eyebrows. it's the beginning of a new era.

where is everybody?

2008-03-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

ben misses you. i think he's bored with me.

the men of the house

2008-03-12T18:39:00.001-07:00

finding his feet

2008-03-09T19:11:00.001-07:00

ben's new favorite activity is laying on his back, holding his toes. it is so cute. i laugh my head off watching him roll back and forth, one foot in each fist, like a tiny buddha doing yoga (to mix my religious metaphors).

it's amazing how much he energizes me. i'm continually fatigued by his care, but energized by his person. he lights up like a christmas tree when he sees andrew or me. it's so lovely to have him around.

to bed

2008-03-04T20:02:00.001-08:00

i just put ben to bed for the second time tonight and find myself strategizing, as i always do, about how to better arrange his schedule for the maximum happiness of the household. i should say his alleged schedule, since every day is different, and just as soon as i spot a pattern, it disappears. yep, with ol' benny, you never step in the same river twice. he's his own man.

one thing i'll say about being a parent. i have never had to be so creative, so flexible, so intuitive, so quick to anticipate, to adaptable, so thorough. to anyone who thinks having a child
limits you, i say it's just the opposite. nothing expands you more. it's the closest i've ever come to feeling the satisfaction that a really skilled athlete must feel when playing her sport.

so now he's tucked in. when i put him in his bed for the night, he shuffles around like a little puppy, gives a couple of hard kicks (he kicks both legs together in one big "whump,") and gets his hands up to his mouth. it's so cute to watch. then i tip-toe out.

the stuff of legend

2008-02-29T19:09:00.000-08:00

it's 9:10 pm, friday night, and i'm mind-numbingly tired. ben and i made a quick trip to omaha to check out a few houses wednesday and came back thursday (without having found "the" house). it may not sound like much, but just getting out the door was an effort worthy of hercules. here's the short version:

step 1: wash ben's clothes (one load, one hour to wash and dry) while he howls from his baby seat

step 2: collect and pack his clothes, bibs, burp cloths, diapers, wipes, wash cloth and towel, shampoo, ointment, blankets, toys, bed, jungle gym and baby seat

step 3: feed and change ben

step 4: make sure there's enough milk for a bottle while i'm away from him (involving a 10 lb. pump, it's 20 small plastic parts, a cooler with ice pack, and a bottle)

step 5: pack my stuff (and inevitably forget half of it, or pack the wrong clothes just because i'm trying to do half a dozen things at once)

step 6: shower and get myself ready while ben howls from his swing

step 7: bathe and dress ben

step 8: feed ben while eating a balance bar and an apple for lunch

step 9: change my clothes because of projectile spit-up

step 10: change ben's clothes for the same reason

step 11: load all our luggage (usually takes three trips to the car, although andrew was here to help this time) while ben howls from his bed

step 12: feed and change ben again

step 13: bundle him into the car, making sure his shade is down, his hat is removed (he gets too hot really quickly) and his pacifier is in reach

step 14: bundle myself into the car, drive.

on the return trip, it was just the same. only this time, there was a blizzard, so it took 6 1/2 hours to get back. thankfully, the roads weren't so bad, but traffic moved like a herd of snails. ben didn't take kindly to that and screamed the last two hours. he was somewhat comforted by my loud, loud singing ("he's got the whole world in his hands" and "baby beluga in the deep blue sea"). when we finally got back to iowa city, exhausted and nerves completely frayed, i was carrying him in his car seat up to the apartment and slipped and fell into a little snow drift. he wasn't bothered, and i wasn't hurt, but i just wanted to lay there and die. (cue the "rocky" theme song) but i didn't! i got to my feet! i lifted that baby in his car seat! i put that backpack and diaper bag on my shoulder! and i climbed! up! three flights to the apartment! and once inside, sweet relief. hercules himself couldn't have felt more satisfaction at the completion of his three tasks. in fact, i bet he couldn't beat me in a mom contest.

ready to go

2008-02-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

i grabbed the camera to take a quick shot of ben all bundled up in his car seat. isn't that blue hood sweet? he looks pretty cute, if i do say so.

today's his four-month birthday. he's rolling around a lot when we put him down on a blanket, he loves to talk especially in the morning or when he's being changed, and he's just started giving a big belly laugh when andrew says, "are you benny whealy?" in a certain goofy voice. his little personality is getting more and more pronounced. he really is a little sparkler, unless his tummy has bubbles, and then he's not shy about making his discomfort known.

i was just thinking that i first felt him move about a year ago. amazing to think that little flutter was the beginning of our kiddo.

it's good to be ben on valentine's day!

2008-02-14T20:14:00.001-08:00

ben's first valentine's day was, all in all, pretty successful! here he is in his red suit from joycie (note the funny little "trap door" in the back), laying on his rainbow afghan from cindy ramirez (gorgeous!), wearing his super cute hand-made tam o' shanter from grandma b's friend marsha (all the way from atlanta) and his collection of valentine cards and bibs from grandma b and aunt linda. he also got valentines from grandma arlie and grandpa ray. what a day!

napping house

2008-01-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

yesterday ben did not nap at all. that's right. and a day without a nap means a restless night. so we were up and down a lot last night, nursing and watching a steve mcqueen movie in the wee small hours.

today i designated a "nap at all cost" day, including holding him while he sleeps. as a general rule we try to put him in his bed for naps. it's hard to hold a napping kiddo when there's food burning on the stove or clothes shrinking in the dryer because you can't get there. so the plan worked. i held him, and he's been sleeping for two hours (with a short interval to snack). now: a nap for me.

add "sherpa" to my list of titles

2008-01-22T12:51:00.000-08:00

my friend katherine let me borrow her baby wrap, made by an australian company called hug-a-bub. it's sort of complicated to use because it wraps around the torso several times and it has to be done just right or it creates pressure points and gets uncomfortable. but after some practice, i've got the hang of it and now like it quite a bit. we use it late in the afternoons, when ben's getting moody and i have to fix dinner. he rides along while i do my work. we talk about what i'm doing and he grabs my fingers and tries to wedge as many as he can into his mouth. it's a good way for us to cope with, and most avoid, the early evening meltdown.

the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs

2008-01-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

our little fella is twelve weeks old today! it doesn't sound like a long time, but i don't remember the days before he was born.

he woke up with a red, watery eye, so we went to see dr. lyon this afternoon (she complimented him on his general cuteness and amiable demeanor. we like her obvious intelligence and skills of observation). he's going to be fine and is already looking better tonight. he now weighs 13 lbs, so he's nearly doubled his birth weight!

on a roll

2008-01-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

yes, he did!

i like the look on his face afterward the best.

hmmm...

2008-01-11T19:16:00.001-08:00

today for the first time, ben fussed not because he needed something, but because he wanted me to come get him. he was playing in his bed while i loaded the dishwasher, perfectly safe and comfortable, and i heard this little whiny sound. i knew immediately what was happening. we had crossed the threshold.

caron said her mother gave her the following advice: let the baby fuss for ten minutes. leave the room. if the fussing bugs you, put on your head phones. ten minutes. then go in. do this every day, maybe a couple of times a day, until the baby learns to be okay in their bed without you for a little while. then she said, you know, mothers in the bible had to get a lot of stuff done. they didn't spend all their time holding their babies. and people like moses and abraham grew up just fine, you know? so don't feel guilty. i suppose this is common sense advice, but it was good to be reminded. if moses' and abraham's mothers and even the virgin mary let their babies fuss a little, i guess that's good enough for me.

benny and the toys

2008-01-03T18:56:00.001-08:00

ben digs the jungle gym!

we came home to iowa city today and got settled back into the apartment.

he was an absolute gem (a drooly gem), all chuckles and friendly grins while we unpacked our stuff. now we're watching caucus coverage, and he's sleeping, snug as a bug, in his own room. we decided to move his bed out of our room when we got back from christmas break, and it's a little hard for me, but no big deal to him. :)

finding himself

2007-12-17T07:17:00.001-08:00

ben, being a prodigy and genius, is working on finding his fingers. this morning he's chilling in his swing, carefully examining the digits and giving them the occasional taste. you can't see it so well in the picture, but his eyes are a little bit crossed from the effort. (aren't all of us a little cross-eyed lately. andrew says, that's how we know he's our child.)

tonight's photo shoot

2007-12-10T20:05:00.001-08:00

The Incredible Ben

2007-12-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

Ok that title is a little facetious. I have to admit that I am amazed at how amazed I can be over Ben doing very little. This video is a prime example. Only someone who is crazy about this little guy can get excited about him- 1)kicking (a little); 2) looking around (a little); and 3) waving his arms (a little). If you are reading this and have watched the video, I know you completely understand. Enjoy.

Hac minima lux mei and Ben

2007-12-01T06:39:00.000-08:00

As I try to write my seminar paper, I often pull this up and it makes me smile. Hopefully it will do the same for you.

sighting!

2007-11-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

this morning he smiled at me - i swear! - while i was talking to him! i grabbed the camera and took three blurry pictures. i feel like i'm claiming a bigfoot sighting - the photo evidence is a little sketchy, but it sure looks like a smile to me...

mailbox joy

2007-11-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

yesterday was a banner day for the mailbox. packages from aunt linda AND aunt sheila arrived!

from linny, swaddle blankets, made to order, so we can wrap ben securely when we put him down for the night (as an aside, you cannot buy blankets of the right size and weight for swaddling. you have to have an affectionate auntie with a sewing machine to make them for you).

from sheila, ben's first christmas ornament! it's a little red and white snowbaby ornament with his name on it. it's super cute, and a special memento of his first holiday. now to put up the christmas tree...

here he is, chilling on the blankie, holding his ornament.

about an hour ago i started feeling bad because it was 3:00 and i'd done nothing all day but feed, change, and hold ben, with a few moments spent staring at the wall while he napped. i was aimlessly looking at the new issue of modern reformation, feeling like a domestic failure, when this quote by gene edward veith, on luther's concept of christian vocation, jumped out:

"christians preoccupied with their families, struggling [...] and living their mundane lives 'are all in a state of holiness,' according to luther, 'living holy lives before God.'"

this was a good word to me this afternoon. doesn't feel much like holiness, but if luther says so, i say amen and pass the burp cloth.

steppin' out with my baby

2007-11-27T08:52:00.001-08:00

this morning ben and i dropped andrew off at school and went to starbucks. the starbucks drive-through, to be precise. i'm not sure we're up to trips inside starbucks yet, but we've completely mastered the drive-through. if only there was a drive-through where you could pick up a new yorker magazine and a few groceries.

in an effort to increase our mobility, we're practicing using a baby sling. i'll take a picture and post it. my friend cheryl makes baby slings, and sent me a sweet orange and brown one. it takes time to get the positioning right, and ben's not sure how he feels about it yet. maybe when we get the sling figured out, we'll drink our decaf in the coffee shop rather than the car.

napping house

2007-11-26T12:55:00.000-08:00

a few shots of my two best boys, taken yesterday. so cute! man!

Daddy and Ben reunited

2007-11-20T13:19:00.001-08:00

I am so thankful to be better and able to hold Ben again. Thank you to everyone for praying for my speedy recovery. There is nothing like holding your son to put things in perspective. We all have much to be thankful for this holiday season. sdg

sleepers awake

2007-11-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

here are pictures from last week, with the grandparents and a few friends. ben's chirping in his bed...gotta go!

outbreak: a sad tale

2007-11-11T19:16:00.000-08:00

it's been a while since i've had 1.)a free moment, 2.)internet access, 3.)enough of my brain available to write something. if you're reading this, you're family, and you already know our sad tale of woe (andrew has pneumonia and is quarantined in our apartment, while ben and i are staying at mom and dad's).

but what's a sad tale of woe without some bright spots? here are the good things that happened today.

i talked to andrew and he sounds considerably improved. his temp is down in the 99s, which is still high, but lower than the 101s. he sounds steadier, stronger, and clearer, though still coughing. two dear friends, anna and michelle, brought him some delicious homemade food yesterday, which is as much a consolation for me as a source of sustinance for him. it's been very frustrating to hear him suffering and not be able to do ANYTHING to help! so his improvement is an encouragement to all of us. we are tentatively planning to go back wednesday, if he continues to feel better.

ben is hale and hearty, and generally a funny old bean. we make endless conjecture about his resemblance to various family members. is it michael's mouth and chin? ali's eyebrows and forehead? a bit of emily about the eyes? tall like brenda? thank the lord he didn't get the schroeder cheeks, the helmer hook or the dibvig head, say the grandparents. or my sausage fingers.

we are looking forward very much to going back to iowa city so we can be with andrew and get acquainted with our new normal life. please pray for andrew's continued improvement and my adjustment to being a mom. the support of mom and dad, and mike and brenda, has been absolutely wonderful, so cheers all around to the grandparents!

a little early morning humor

2007-11-05T01:43:00.000-08:00

ben and i have had quality time this morning at 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30. it's now 3:50 and he seems settled. knock on wood. this kind of night calls for a good laugh, hey? drum roll please. mom said there was a sign hanging in the nursery of the church we attended when i was a baby, quoting 1 thessalonians: "we shall not sleep, for we shall all be changed." ha! that's it, that's my joke of the day.

on the upside, i never get tired of observing the stream of expressions on his face when he's just barely sleeping. he runs the gamut from disgruntled to wry to suspicious to drunken contentment to sly little grins within a minute or two. mom and i had a hoot providing captions to his expressions. i'd like to capture him on film if i can. hard to juggle camera and sleeping baby, though.

good morning

2007-11-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

here he is, shooting the breeze in his hawkeye blankie.

Ben's First "Bath"

2007-11-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video of Ben's first washing while in the nursery at the hospital. Since then he has been much more "lively" when being washed!

free at last!

2007-11-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

getting ben home early yesterday was a dream! i do miss the nurses and keep having the impulse to report the contents of his diapers to someone (1 wet, 2 poopy). but he did pretty well last night. slept uninterrupted from midnight to five am, and is sound asleep right now. i'm going back to bed myself.

p.s. another exciting tidbit of news: mom's going to bake an apple crisp today!

More Ben pics

2007-10-29T19:00:00.001-07:00

Benjamin Andrew

2007-10-29T18:20:00.001-07:00

This is the first post of the "Benjamin era"! This is also the first post I have made to a blog (this is Andrew). It is a privilege to introduce my son to you all. Darby and I look forward to sharing pictures and videos of Ben, intermixed with some ruminations by his parents. Although Ben isn't home with us yet, we are eagerly awaiting his release from the hospital sometime this week. We will keep you all posted. In the meantime here are a few photos from the past week.

Welcome

2007-09-25T17:25:00.001-07:00

Hey Family!

Andrew thought, wouldn't it be cool to start a baby blog, especially since we're now scattered far and wide? It would be a good way to post pictures, little updates, and, when we can figure out how, video clips. I agreed, and decided, in the spirit of advanced preparation, to get it going now, before the little pumpkin pie arrives.

A note about our philosophy on baby blogs:
There are a lot of boring baby diaries online, and we don't want to muddy up the public space with more of that, so this is pretty much a blog for the family's eyes only. That way, I can post silly pictures of Andrew without TOO much protest. :) We don't mean this to be a virtual altar where you have to come and worship the new arrival, but we figured, you're family, you'd be interested.

Hope you enjoy!