Photo of the Day is back, with the blushing bride (or is that rouge she's applying?).
Sunday, February 05, 2006
POTD - Returns, with Avengeance
Photo of the Day is back, with the blushing bride (or is that rouge she's applying?).
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Baby Talk
For the first time in her life, Eleanor is ingesting foods that I have never ingested. She likes bananas, but doesn't care for the rice cereal or chicken. She learned quickly what a banana is and gets excited when she sees them. She will fed herself bananas, but not anything else. She does prefer her left hand at this point. Matt pointed that out tonight. Thanks to Aunt G, we discovered that Eleanor loves Peek-A-Boo. Although, if you wait too long (more than two seconds) between the peek and the boo she sometimes gets startled instead of giddy.
We went for a walk on a mountian bike trail on Sunday. Eleanor loved it. She kicked her feet and giggled with glee at the sight of the holly and the ivy. She loves being outside.
Tonight Matt sat Eleanor in her little chair and put his little keyboard in her lap. She throughly enjoyed playing it. She would even sing along as she played, sometimes hitting a note on the keyboard then matching that note vocally. I thought that was fun.
Tomorrow is Eleanor's half birthday and the day I get to stop taking blood thinners. We are going to celebrate by going to Arkadelphia (Matt's off work since he's working Sunday).
Eleanor now weighs 16 pounds and 10 ounces.
We leave for Atlanta on Wednesday. Let me know if you have any how to keep babies from screaming on planes advice.
I'm sure all of you will want to watch the two minute video of Eleanor "eating" rice cereal. You can find it by clicking on "Moving Pictures" on the right.
We went for a walk on a mountian bike trail on Sunday. Eleanor loved it. She kicked her feet and giggled with glee at the sight of the holly and the ivy. She loves being outside.
Tonight Matt sat Eleanor in her little chair and put his little keyboard in her lap. She throughly enjoyed playing it. She would even sing along as she played, sometimes hitting a note on the keyboard then matching that note vocally. I thought that was fun.
Tomorrow is Eleanor's half birthday and the day I get to stop taking blood thinners. We are going to celebrate by going to Arkadelphia (Matt's off work since he's working Sunday).
Eleanor now weighs 16 pounds and 10 ounces.
We leave for Atlanta on Wednesday. Let me know if you have any how to keep babies from screaming on planes advice.
I'm sure all of you will want to watch the two minute video of Eleanor "eating" rice cereal. You can find it by clicking on "Moving Pictures" on the right.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Photo of the Day - It's Dumplin'!
My darling Melody has expressed concern that many who had become accustomed to seeing our fat lil' dumpling, Eleanor here may be disappointed by fuzzy, monochromatic wedding pictures of people they may or may not know. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you, our loyal readers, that the Flikr link in the column on the right will lead you to the latest and greatest Eleanor shots. Furthermore, fuzz, dust, and a lack of color are the charm of Kodak T-MAX or other B&W films. What would listening to your favorite LP on vinyl be without the crackle? If we wanted crystal clear color balance and megapiaxelation we would shoot digital (if we had the money to upgrade from our point-and-shoot).
As it stands, I'll be shooting film, for the principle of it (at least until I get a few more calls for paying portrait work and buy one of these).
Melody has also expressed concern that I have not yet posted a photo of the illustrious bride. I inform her and you that this is because I have very few and wish to wait until the right moment. In spite of the dearth of comments (save Ben and Moby) our tracking software informs us that this past week of "Photo of the Day" has been a sucess in upping visits to the site. I hope more of you who are enjoying will stop lurking and voice your presence.
As far as normal life goes, my work at the hospital continues to challenge me. I'm currently serving as something of a gunea pig for the Pastoral Care Department's use of the application of a Palm OS software developed for MD's. It gives all sorts of demographic info on patients and in general helps me know who's in the areas I'm responsible for. I'm running on my newest toy. I type on it with my wireless, fold-up keyboard, not mention the Greek software, MP3 function and versions of Doom and Quake for download. It's fun to feel like George Jetson. Merry X-mas. I also recently finished my application to Duke Divinity School. Next week Melody, Eleanor and I will fly to Atlanta, GA for a Retreat for young Baptist Ministers. We're looking forward to getting out of town and meeting some new people in new places. I'm always amazed at how God weaves people together.
Karis kai erene soi.
Grace and peace to you.
I don't mean it pretentious, I promise.
And if you love the gospel, then listen to Sufjan Stevens' Album "Seven Swans." I suspect he might love Jesus. Shh. Don't tell anyone.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Photo of the Day - Brandon O'Brien Upon the Day of His Wedding
I just got several B&W rolls processed and scanned so you shall be treated to a daily photo as long as I have photos to post (or until I forget). For those of you who are family of those pictured, or are indeed those pictured, be patient and I'll see that you get the url address where I have them stashed so you can get prints made if you wish. As for the lucky couple, they can expect a CD in the mail soon with the complete collection.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Reading
It’s time for a new post. Hmm. What is there to say? I can’t think of anything exciting that is happening. We did get 17 comments on the last post. That is an all time record for us. Matt has finished his application for Duke Divinity School. Eleanor has taken to biting me with her sharp, sharp teeth. We will be going to Atlanta in a couple of weeks for a conference. Last night Matt challenged me to find the most absurd thing for sale on ebay. I found a heart shaped potato. That’s how exciting our life is.
As always, click on the photo to see more. There's some good ones this time.
As always, click on the photo to see more. There's some good ones this time.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Car Seats and Carrots
In search of Eleanor’s next car seat, I went to Toys R Us yesterday. For all of you who are not familiar with the intricacies of car seats, consider yourselves lucky. The car seat that Eleanor is currently using is what is called an infant car seat (it’s what you see new parents lugging around with a baby in it). It is made to face the rear of the car and hold a baby who weighs 20 pounds or less. Her next car seat will be what is called a convertible car seat, one that can face the front or the back.
So, I’ve been reading reviews, consumer reports, and basically anything that I can find about convertible car seats, trying to find what will work best for Eleanor and fit in our car. Obsessive? Yeah, a little. So, I had just about decided on one when I went to Toys R Us yesterday to look at it. Yesterday just so happened to be the one day of the month that the car seat safety guy from Children’s Hospital was at the store giving out free advice and information. After a fairly one sided, too long conversation, I wanted to wrap Eleanor in bubble wrap and never take her in a car…it’s just too dangerous. Child passenger safety is this man’s life. He was spitting out statistics about how many children died in car accidents daily, how many of those deaths could have been prevented by proper car seat usage, explaining how a babies head is like a basketball on a pencil, and generally inciting terror deep in the recesses of my newly maternal nature.
He did share some useful information, mainly that children should face the rear of the car as long as possible. Most convertible car seats can face the rear until the kid is 30 pounds. Mr. Car Seat Man advocated a seat that could face the rear until 35 pounds just because it could keep them facing the back longer. The reason for this is simple if you think about it. An infant/toddler has a head disproportionately large for their body. In event of a crash, the weight of the head continuing in motion puts a large strain on the neck if the kid is facing the front.
I left more confused than when I had entered. Did I want a car seat that would work as a booster seat as well? How many recline positions should I get? Should I take the advice of Mr. Car Seat Man and buy the Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 car seat that Eleanor will use for the rest of her life? Will that car seat even fit in our car? Sigh.
In other news, Eleanor has two (sharp) teeth on her bottom gum. She bit my finger yesterday and it hurt! We have yet to give her “real” food, except for this carrot. Oh, and I was eating a banana the other day and she acted like she wanted some, so I let her lick/suck on it. She has also learned how to roll quite well. I put her to bed last night and a few minutes later she was screaming. When I went in to check on her, she was on her tummy (she goes to bed on her back) and NOT happy with the arrangement.
So, I’ve been reading reviews, consumer reports, and basically anything that I can find about convertible car seats, trying to find what will work best for Eleanor and fit in our car. Obsessive? Yeah, a little. So, I had just about decided on one when I went to Toys R Us yesterday to look at it. Yesterday just so happened to be the one day of the month that the car seat safety guy from Children’s Hospital was at the store giving out free advice and information. After a fairly one sided, too long conversation, I wanted to wrap Eleanor in bubble wrap and never take her in a car…it’s just too dangerous. Child passenger safety is this man’s life. He was spitting out statistics about how many children died in car accidents daily, how many of those deaths could have been prevented by proper car seat usage, explaining how a babies head is like a basketball on a pencil, and generally inciting terror deep in the recesses of my newly maternal nature.
He did share some useful information, mainly that children should face the rear of the car as long as possible. Most convertible car seats can face the rear until the kid is 30 pounds. Mr. Car Seat Man advocated a seat that could face the rear until 35 pounds just because it could keep them facing the back longer. The reason for this is simple if you think about it. An infant/toddler has a head disproportionately large for their body. In event of a crash, the weight of the head continuing in motion puts a large strain on the neck if the kid is facing the front.
I left more confused than when I had entered. Did I want a car seat that would work as a booster seat as well? How many recline positions should I get? Should I take the advice of Mr. Car Seat Man and buy the Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 car seat that Eleanor will use for the rest of her life? Will that car seat even fit in our car? Sigh.
In other news, Eleanor has two (sharp) teeth on her bottom gum. She bit my finger yesterday and it hurt! We have yet to give her “real” food, except for this carrot. Oh, and I was eating a banana the other day and she acted like she wanted some, so I let her lick/suck on it. She has also learned how to roll quite well. I put her to bed last night and a few minutes later she was screaming. When I went in to check on her, she was on her tummy (she goes to bed on her back) and NOT happy with the arrangement.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Prodigy
Baby milestones seem to be much like other major events in life: fuzzy. I’m learning that you can definitely tell when a milestone has been reached, but you never know the exact moment that it is achieved. Eleanor is in the process of getting a tooth. There’s a sharp white bump on her gum, but it’s not all the way through yet. She can roll over from back to front, but seems to be confused when she ends up on her stomach. She hasn’t really mastered the skill, but on occasion she rolls.
Life is normalizing after all the Christmas parties, dinners, and events. After Christmas we drove to Texas for Brandon O’Brien and Amy Packer’s wedding. We got back late on New Year’s Eve. We finally got Eleanor to bed around 11pm and fell into bed ourselves. We were awakened at midnight by pops, bangs, hoops, and hollers. I rolled over and said, “We’re old.” At least our neighbors were considerate enough to wake us in time to welcome in the new year.
I’m posting some new pictures. As always, click on the picture to see more.
Life is normalizing after all the Christmas parties, dinners, and events. After Christmas we drove to Texas for Brandon O’Brien and Amy Packer’s wedding. We got back late on New Year’s Eve. We finally got Eleanor to bed around 11pm and fell into bed ourselves. We were awakened at midnight by pops, bangs, hoops, and hollers. I rolled over and said, “We’re old.” At least our neighbors were considerate enough to wake us in time to welcome in the new year.
I’m posting some new pictures. As always, click on the picture to see more.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Mmm...Chocolate
We had a wonderful Christmas, Eleanor's first. We spent Christmas Eve at my (melody) parent's house. It was an exciting day full of food, fun, and even a treasure hunt. Eleanor received a new wardrobe (as in clothes, not furniture), and several toys for teething (which I think she has begun). We had a nice quiet Christmas morning, where Eleanor opened (or played with ribbons on her) presents. She got a pair of lion shoes that she wore with her pretty pink Christmas dress. Matt got a batman figure to replace the one that was stolen by the people who detailed his truck.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I've added new pictures and a new moving pictures. Click on the picture of Eleanor eating her Hershey's bar to see more photos. Click on "Moving Pictures" to see a video of Eleanor opening a present.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I've added new pictures and a new moving pictures. Click on the picture of Eleanor eating her Hershey's bar to see more photos. Click on "Moving Pictures" to see a video of Eleanor opening a present.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Being "On Call"
***This was originally published as the "Chaplain's Corner" in the Baptist Medical Center's employee newsletter "The Connection."
It’s hard to know if my inability to remember very much of my daughter’s first few months is because of sleep deprivation or other distractions. After all, I did start work here just two weeks after she was born. There were so many adjustments to be made and so much to learn, at work and at home. People always tell you that a new baby will change your life forever, but you kind of have to live through that to know what it means. I’m still finding out. Every day my daughter, Eleanor, shows me something new about herself and I get glimpses at the woman she will become.
But I have to say that, in many ways, I’m enjoying it more now than in those first few, sleep deprived weeks. While my wife and I were attempting to adjust to providing care for our new baby who seemed to demand constant attention, I also was introduced to the concept of being “On Call.” All of us at Pastoral Care, like many other departments, take turns being on call overnight. It can be exciting, as you never know when you’ll get called. And it can also be draining as you pull back into the driveway just getting home from a call, only to hear your pager go off once again.
I remember clearly one night, after having stayed up late surfing the web, I went into the bedroom to try to lie down and get some sleep. My wife and the baby had been in their beds for a while (at that time her bed was still in our room) when I crept under the covers. I recall laying there on the edge of the bed, looking over at the pager on my nightstand, just waiting for it to go off, afraid to really let go and go to sleep because I knew if I did it would buzz and wake me up. I then turned over and saw my wife experiencing the same thing, only she wasn’t looking at the pager, she was looking at the baby, just waiting for her to wake up, to cry, to need comfort. I had to laugh. We were both “on call.”
For many of us the demands of life feel like a pager ready to ring and interrupt our sleep, or a baby, ready to wake up and scream at a moment’s notice. Our responsibilities with work, family and friends seem to compound at this time of year as we rush to fit it all in before the end of the year. As family gathers, it can be hard to enjoy the holidays when we’re on edge, waiting for some new crisis or need to break loose and fall upon us.
But this time of year is also when we are reminded of God’s presence with us. Immanuel is coming. He will be born in a manger. This is the time of year when we remember that, though God may seem distant, He is coming, out of love, to dwell among us and to transform our lives, our relationships and our communities. This baby will be born, and He will change all of our lives forever. It is our joy to find out just how, as He reveals himself to us and as we seek to let him use us to reveal Him to others, bit by bit, day by day, in this holiday season and throughout eternity.
It’s hard to know if my inability to remember very much of my daughter’s first few months is because of sleep deprivation or other distractions. After all, I did start work here just two weeks after she was born. There were so many adjustments to be made and so much to learn, at work and at home. People always tell you that a new baby will change your life forever, but you kind of have to live through that to know what it means. I’m still finding out. Every day my daughter, Eleanor, shows me something new about herself and I get glimpses at the woman she will become.
But I have to say that, in many ways, I’m enjoying it more now than in those first few, sleep deprived weeks. While my wife and I were attempting to adjust to providing care for our new baby who seemed to demand constant attention, I also was introduced to the concept of being “On Call.” All of us at Pastoral Care, like many other departments, take turns being on call overnight. It can be exciting, as you never know when you’ll get called. And it can also be draining as you pull back into the driveway just getting home from a call, only to hear your pager go off once again.
I remember clearly one night, after having stayed up late surfing the web, I went into the bedroom to try to lie down and get some sleep. My wife and the baby had been in their beds for a while (at that time her bed was still in our room) when I crept under the covers. I recall laying there on the edge of the bed, looking over at the pager on my nightstand, just waiting for it to go off, afraid to really let go and go to sleep because I knew if I did it would buzz and wake me up. I then turned over and saw my wife experiencing the same thing, only she wasn’t looking at the pager, she was looking at the baby, just waiting for her to wake up, to cry, to need comfort. I had to laugh. We were both “on call.”
For many of us the demands of life feel like a pager ready to ring and interrupt our sleep, or a baby, ready to wake up and scream at a moment’s notice. Our responsibilities with work, family and friends seem to compound at this time of year as we rush to fit it all in before the end of the year. As family gathers, it can be hard to enjoy the holidays when we’re on edge, waiting for some new crisis or need to break loose and fall upon us.
But this time of year is also when we are reminded of God’s presence with us. Immanuel is coming. He will be born in a manger. This is the time of year when we remember that, though God may seem distant, He is coming, out of love, to dwell among us and to transform our lives, our relationships and our communities. This baby will be born, and He will change all of our lives forever. It is our joy to find out just how, as He reveals himself to us and as we seek to let him use us to reveal Him to others, bit by bit, day by day, in this holiday season and throughout eternity.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Making Cookies with Great-Grandma
Eleanor and I had a very busy day today. We went to my grandma's house to make her traditional Christmas sugar cookies. If you look close enough, you can see the flour on Eleanor's cheeks.
Eleanor is such a happy, thumb-sucking, fat baby. If you click on the photo, you can see more pictures.
Eleanor is such a happy, thumb-sucking, fat baby. If you click on the photo, you can see more pictures.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Moving Pictures
When Matt came home from work this evening, Eleanor was in a particularly good mood. She was sitting in my lap as Matt and I were discussing the days events. Somewhere between my recounting my trip to the Hospice facility to visit my grandparents and his description of a particularly emotional death he worked with today, Eleanor started laughing...all out laughing. We caught the end of it on this video. Click "Moving Pictures" on the right under "Photos" to see it. (Thanks to Aunt Glenna for the JussPress Link)
PS- Happy St. Nick's Day!
PS- Happy St. Nick's Day!
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Mirror Neurons
When I went in for lab work yesterday, my doctor asked how old Eleanor was. I told him four months and he replied, "already?". I felt the same way. A third of a year has passed since Eleanor was born...already?
We went on a picnic to the river front today. It was a beautiful day.
We went on a picnic to the river front today. It was a beautiful day.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Not Happy
When Eleanor was a couple of days old and we were still in the hospital, a staff member came in the room while she was crying. It was about three in the morning, Matt and I were exhausted and Eleanor was screaming. The staff member (later we found out she was a nurse’s aide) told us that Eleanor was starving and that we needed to give her some formula. I doubted her and my doubts were confirmed a few hours later when we talked to a doctor. I’m pretty sure she’s not starving now. At her four month doctor visit today, she was one ounce shy of fifteen pounds. She is quite the chunk.
The doctor said that it is time to start her on rice cereal. I’m a bit conflicted about starting so soon. From what I’ve read, starting “solids” later (closer to six months) reduces the likelihood of the child developing food allergies. Eleanor is at an increased risk of food allergies because Matt is allergic to peanuts. So, is she missing out on anything if we wait another month or two to introduce her to cereal?
This whole parenting thing is confusing. Everyone has an opinion about everything. How do you know who to listen to? The medical community changes its mind on how to do things with every generation (or so it seems).
Eleanor has been Little Miss Fussy Piddles this week until today. We think it was from all the traveling. She was her happy self today, and then I took her to get shots. It was not near as bad as last time. Yesterday, I started preparing her for the shots by telling her that it was going to hurt, but only for a minute and it would keep her from getting bad diseases. I even explained as best I could in Indonesian, just in case she understands that better. She did really well through all four shots, much calmer than last time. I was quite grateful for this since Matt could not get off work.
So, Matt will be finishing his chaplaincy residency either in August 2006 or August 2007 (depending on if he is offered the second year or not). Where do you think we should go after that?
The doctor said that it is time to start her on rice cereal. I’m a bit conflicted about starting so soon. From what I’ve read, starting “solids” later (closer to six months) reduces the likelihood of the child developing food allergies. Eleanor is at an increased risk of food allergies because Matt is allergic to peanuts. So, is she missing out on anything if we wait another month or two to introduce her to cereal?
This whole parenting thing is confusing. Everyone has an opinion about everything. How do you know who to listen to? The medical community changes its mind on how to do things with every generation (or so it seems).
Eleanor has been Little Miss Fussy Piddles this week until today. We think it was from all the traveling. She was her happy self today, and then I took her to get shots. It was not near as bad as last time. Yesterday, I started preparing her for the shots by telling her that it was going to hurt, but only for a minute and it would keep her from getting bad diseases. I even explained as best I could in Indonesian, just in case she understands that better. She did really well through all four shots, much calmer than last time. I was quite grateful for this since Matt could not get off work.
So, Matt will be finishing his chaplaincy residency either in August 2006 or August 2007 (depending on if he is offered the second year or not). Where do you think we should go after that?
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