Feet

We tried to take some creative pictures with feet last night. Here are the results of that attempt:




Stephen didn't quite understand what we were trying to do!

a post from stephen at dinnertime

oh here we go it's that colored seat again! oh fun flap my arms wildly mommy's here and look there's daddy! they have lots of neat stuff in front of their faces. mmm rice cake piece. i will grab that with my hand and then shove my fist in my mouth. oops it fell down but mom will put it in my mouth for me wow!!! the fan!!! if i just look up i can watch it go around and around and around but then whoa! there's a banana piece in front of my face now. it's gooey. i like to slap my hands on it again and again and again and move it to the floor so now i will lean over and grind my teeth on the table. it's not food and daddy doesn't like it when i do it. so they figure out some more food to give me. for the sake of my bowels they make sure i have apple juice when i eat bananas so here is a blue cup with a little apple juice in it. i really like to put my hand in it but mommy doesn't let me. she holds it but i help and i get most of it in my mouth; a little on my bib; a little on the table. oh there is that fan again!! i will watch it while mommy and daddy finish eating and then i'll want some more rice cake. sometimes i scare mommy and daddy by acting like i'm choking but really it's just my gag reflex. i wouldn't choke on the tiny pieces they give me. mommy says something about cleaning me up - what? i'm dirty? - so she brings over a wet washcloth. she wipes me and that's fine but i really like holding onto the rag afterwards and putting it in my mouth. and that is dinner at our house!

Nice Weather!

We've been enjoying the nice weather. Yesterday Stephen and I went on 3 separate walks!

These pictures are
1. Stephen on Saturday with my mom
2. me in 1978 with my dad ... same back carrier

Last night we had a visit from André, Rede, Foster, and Porter Drost. They arrived late last night and the boys had to go right to bed. Stephen was wired, having taken an evening nap. So he stayed up while we talked for awhile. They are en route to DC for Candy's sister's wedding. Candy flew there.

Stephen is 9 months old today! It's hard to get an accurate measurement on his height; I still think he's hovering right around 30 inches. I got 28 pounds on the scale - with his clothes on. He is playing by himself very well. He wants to be know Ryan or I are around, but he's generally pretty happy on his piano or playing with his blocks. He's become quite a wiggler at night.

Ryan is working tonight after having a full day with both of his lessons (jazz and classical), his morning Bible study, and a paper due at 10, for which he was up some of the night.

A Day by the Mississippi

We took a day trip yesterday to the quad cities to meet Dave and Carolyn. Much of the afternoon was stormy, but we managed to get a nice walk by the river in before the rain started.

Stephen really did great in the car. He slept almost the entire way back. He had hardly napped during the day because we had so much going on!

We're trying to figure out what the summer will look like. Ryan has one week of work in Des Moines. But other than that he will need to find some local work, or we've even toyed with living in Plainfield or Des Moines for a month or so if that's where the work would be. Anyone with an idea please let us know!

In other news, our friends Mark and Sue just had a baby girl 2 days ago (on Ryan's grandma's birthday). Maria Mae and mom are doing well!

our son is crying ...

... because Ryan was singing "old mcdonald" and said he had a pavarotti. the operatic sounds were just too overwhelming.

Finally a break!

It's been so nice to have Ryan around. We have been very busy, and he has been working (he is at work right now) but it's a different pace than when he is in classes. Today we got our hair cut in Urbana. The stylists were happy to have us there; with Spring Break right now they are very bored since their clients are the U of I students.

We just got back from the Chicago area yesterday. We saw Tom, Laura, Hadley, and Kassy Wells, as well as Katie Ferguson, when we were in the city on Saturday. Then yesterday we got to have lunch with family, though my parents and Emily were out of town. Here is a picture of Stephen with two of his pals: Great-Grandma Lindstrom and Great-Aunt Sherry.

The next few days we are trying to accomplish a lot, going to Peoria, Bloomington, and Davenport. We're trying to work it out so that we're efficient with our driving time!

Well, I better go. Stephen has backed himself up across the room ...

My husband is having entirely too much fun doing his homework.

His assignment? To watch Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back.

Tractors

Stephen and I ventured around the Engineering Open House on the U of I campus today with our friends Susan and Nathaniel. It was beautiful outside and Stephen seemed to really enjoy being in the stroller. I liked the fresh air, too! We rode the bus in with Ryan this morning and saw some of our friends at a coffee shop on campus. Then we met up with Ryan again after his day at school and we're back home now.

The Caterpillar rep who took our picture works at the proving grounds in Peoria that were right across the street from the house I grew up in. He was pretty surprised that I knew the area he was talking about.

It's salmon for dinner and a quiet evening here.

Weinerschnitzel

After a glowing recommendation Ryan and I tried out the Weinerschnitzel restaurant down the street. It was fine; not worth quite the effort that others have made, driving down to Champaign from the Chicago area for a hot dog.

Stephen, Ryan, and I enjoyed a visit from my parents just now. In fact, this post will beat them back to the Chicago area.

The pear sauce went over pretty well again tonight.

And the weather was SO NICE that we took a walk OUTSIDE!

Mmm pears

I guess I shouldn't assume this will continue but Stephen seemed to like the pears I fed him tonight! Just a few bites, and then he wanted to play with the spoon. But it was a marked improvement from a few weeks ago. I think he just lost the gag reflex (that is a good thing) so he does understand that he is supposed to swallow.

I enjoyed a women's tea this morning - it was nice to sit and visit for awhile. The week has been pretty busy with a new book to work on and Ryan's schedule being very packed.

Stephen is supposed to be in bed but he woke up and now Ryan is singing to him. It has a calming effect.

Tomorrow we have a La Leche League potluck.

To Plainfield and Back

It was a busy week and weekend for the Leathermans. On Wednesday, Stephen and I packed up to go to my parents' house in the Chicago area. Once there, we relaxed for a few hours and then headed up to the city to meet Steve Hendershot and then I recorded on his band's new worship CD.

It was nice to be able to spend some time with Heather, Marc-Andre, and Emily while we were in town. Here Stephen is excited to be held by his new uncle ... He and Heather are now back in Germany.

My dad is doing so well following his surgery that was only 3 weeks ago. He tires somewhat easily, but he was cooking, cleaning, playing with Stephen, driving ... just not working at CAT!

I enjoyed seeing Jena Morrow as well as Emily (Haluska) Welch, and congratulating Emily on her baby due to be born in September! (Speaking of babies, we were excited to hear that the Hagenberg twins, Luke and Joshua, were born on Tuesday the 20th.)

On Friday we "rescued" Ryan from the train station. He had been at an all-day saxophone conference in the city with some guys from school. Then Saturday he recorded on Steve's CD and got his soprano sax fixed at a repair person in Evanston.

The weather warnings were true!! The roads were very slick near Kankakee and we were going 30 at times. Needless to say we showed up at Andy Forbes's 30th birthday party 15 minutes after it was OVER!

Today we celebrated Mark and Sue Dewing's new baby with some friends in Urbana.

... now if I can only get over the cold I've been fighting for 2 weeks!!!

Digging Out

The University closed yesterday and today - apparently it's the first time that has happened since 1979! Ryan got to the bus stop and the bus driver was the one to tell him that classes had been cancelled. Just this morning he got outside to shovel the driveway. The drifting had made it pretty impossible to even get to the garage! See here our house. It's the left side of this white duplex.

I bundled Stephen up in his snow suit and took him out for a few minutes while Ryan and the neighbors were shoveling. He seemed to like being outside, and the biggest trouble was the blinding effect of the snow!

We have enjoyed seeing our friends who live around the corner since seeing them doesn't require travel in a vehicle. And this morning Ryan, Bethany, and Eric shoveled our next-door neighbor's driveway.

The Aunt Colony Has Disbanded

We had both Heidi and Heather in town this week (which allowed me to be gone two nights in a row for symphony rehearsals). Then today they took off for Princeton, and word is that they just got in.

Sherry was also here yesterday and we really enjoyed showing her around the place and having a nice dinner at Za's.

The CU Symphony performance went well. I really like playing Russian music, and there are points in both Petrushka and the Rachmaninoff that can really take your breath away. And speaking of taking your breath away, I really needed to cough for about the 2nd half of the Rachmaninoff and I know my face was as red as my winter coat! I was so glad when the piece was over and I could cough during the applause.

Heidi in the house

We are glad we were able to be with my family after my dad's surgery last Thursday. He is recovering very well. Although he doesn't really feel good all the time, it's pretty remarkable how he is healing. Thanks to many friends and family for their prayers for him!

We also got to see Margaret, Ryan's cousin who goes to the University of Chicago. She hadn't met Stephen yet. The four of us met up at a local pizza joint and enjoyed a concoction called Garbage. Seriously.

Then on Saturday we headed to Indiana to be with Ryan's grandparents. Dave and Susan also joined us, which enabled us to take the long-awaited 4-generation Leatherman picture. That's what you see here. It would have been nice to stay longer, but we had to get back to Champaign for Ryan to rehearse Sunday afternoon and to get to a superbowl party that night.

Heidi is staying with us for the week to get some work done in town. (She does most of her doctoral work from her apartment in New Jersey, though she's still a U of I student.) She and Ryan are keeping pretty much the same schedule - leaving in the morning, coming home for dinner, then going back to campus to work some more. Ryan is also beginning a job this week, so he's gone extra hours for that. Beginning tomorrow, I'll be playing 3 nights in a row for the CU Symphony. Tomorrow's sitter is Heidi and Thursday's is Heather. Ryan will be home on Friday night.

Stephen is changing every day, it seems! I'm noticing little abilities all the time that even a week ago he couldn't really do. His newest pastime is turning pages in his cloth books. He mostly wants to put them in his mouth, but sometimes he "reads" them. Tonight he actually drank a little bit of apple juice from a glass! He loves the look of glassware and that was enough to intrigue him to try it. We still aren't having luck with having him like solid food, but I figure that is alright for the time being. We'll just keep trying.

I finished the David Kuo book, Tempting Faith. Fascinating material! I'm still not sure entirely what I think about his conclusion - that Christians should take a break from politics - but the stories he tells are riveting. Once he was convicted that, as a speech writer for many Republicans, he shouldn't be making fun of the Clintons, and he felt that he really needed to actually apologize to them. He found himself face-to-face with Hillary at one point and got up the strength to do it. Though she didn't react much at the time, she apparently mentionned how much it moved her in a national speech the next day! There are accounts of things other powerful leaders in Washington have done and said that you would never hear about on the evening news.

Heather is on her way tomorrow and we look forward to seeing her again!

Grandpa's Little Pal

It wasn't enough to raise four daughters to wear Caterpillar gear: Grandpa Lorimor is now donning his grandson in yellow and black. This was taken when my mom and dad were in town on Friday for lunch.

For my dad's birthday, I bought him the most wonderful book from Sand Dune Books. It's called Between Me and You GRANDPA. Dad's birthday was January 10, and he has already filled it out completely and given it back to us. It's such a treasure of stories and wisdom that he wants to pass on to Stephen. I don't think I'll really let Stephen have it until he is much older.

Speaking of books, I've been on quite a roll with reading recently. I saw a book—Mommy Wars—when at Barnes & Noble, so I checked it out from the library. It's a collection of essays written by mothers, some of whom have tried to combine career with mothering, and others who made mothering a full-time job. I did find it interesting, but felt it was heavy on East Coast, wealthy ideals. I know plenty of women in the midwest whose perspectives were not described.

I'm about halfway through The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, which is La Leche League's famous book. I also picked up Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay, which was quite an interesting read. If you're easily offended, don't read it ... she blasts pretty much every popular parenting philosophy. But if you've heard enough from highly opinionated parents in the checkout line, it's a breath of fresh air.

Next I have David Kuo's Tempting Faith, which I also saw at Barnes & Noble over the holiday break. I really know nothing about him but think there will be some insights there regardless of where he's coming from. He worked in the White House as a special assistant to George W. Bush.

Ryan is watching a silent film for his 20th century history class. Stephen is asleep. I think I'm going to crawl into bed pretty soon here!

The Prince and the Peas

You can see all four teeth - the middle two on the bottom and then the top ones are the second ones out ...

Some new apparel from Uncle Anthony and Aunt Heidi's new stomping ground

Saved the best for last. Stephen didn't know what to think of the peas we fed him tonight at dinner.

The Smoke Detector Works

So there we were-Ryan and I were both fanning the smoke detector to keep it from beeping, turning the stove burner off, switching on the fan, carefully handling the very hot pot which held the steaks.

And Stephen laid on the living room floor, thrilled to be giggling and shouting out "ging! ging! ging!!!" It was nice he was so oblivious. We laughed once we got the situation under control. And the steaks still tasted great. Just a little charred on one side.

Ryan is at school for jazz band rehearsal. Stephen is napping. I am forcing myself to take it easy for a few hours since I just completed another math book. Of course there are dishes, and laundry, and cleaning, and emails to catch up on. I'll get to it eventually :).

Caught!

The question was timely. Ryan asked me, "What do you do with him all day?" It made complete sense to me, as Stephen is at a crossroads. No longer does a mobile satisfy his entertainment needs, and yet he doesn't understand stacking rings or wooden blocks. When he's given a toy, one of two things happen. 1. He puts it in his mouth. 2. He gets angry because he cannot put it in his mouth.

And since I was playing with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony this weekend, Ryan was responsible for Stephen for more hours than he typically is.

So in response to this question, I said, "We read books. He bounces. He watches me do things in the kitchen. He bangs on his piano. I put music on for him."

Ryan nodded as I continued.

"I've been introducing him to all kinds of music!" I added excitedly. "Classical orchestral, cello, kids' choruses, praise and worship ..."

"Jazz?" he asked.

"Um, no. I guess we haven't listened to jazz ..."

Some pictures from the week ...

I was informed that my mother has been checking to see if I've updated this. Here goes.

Ryan got a job. It's just 12 hours a week (which is great!) and he'll be grading short answer standardized tests.

Stephen has 4 teeth now! Only they aren't coming in a normal order. He has the middle two on the bottom. But on the top, he is getting the ones right next to the middle. It'll look a little like fangs, but I think the middle ones will come in before it would really matter. He does have some pain from them - we've been applying gel on his gums to try to help with that.

We miss Heidi already. She's getting settled in Princeton, though. I'm happy that they are finally together, after all these months of being long distance.

I'm playing with the CU Symphony for the first time this weekend. It's a family concert, and I think that's a good one to start with. I'm glad Ryan has the free time to be able to take care of Stephen while I am there.

Still grandpa's big boy

We saw an MD today for Stephen's 6-month checkup. 23 pounds, 1 ounce and 29 inches tall. I'm so thankful he is doing well! We were kindly dismissed from the doctor's practice today; now on to doctor shopping all over again. I have some good suggestion from friends, but lack the type of insurance that covers those doctors. Ahh, the medical field today.

I wanted to show this photo because I think it is so cute of both little boys. The other guy is my cousin, Jonathan.

I put some videos up on YouTube and apparently the one of Heidi's "Egghead" song is generating quite a few hits. Stephen's piano practice session is also on there.

We enjoyed seeing my parents for dinner tonight. We are excited to see Heidi and Anthony this weekend!

Putting one arm in front of the other

Here I am 6 and a half months later finally getting back to swimming. I swam a half mile the day before Stephen was born. And today I did just under a quarter. But it was something. I'm really impressed with the Y here. I guess my impression is mostly in comparison to the Bell Center at Drake, which I used during pregnancy - and I loved it. But then today I actually got to set my own temperature in the shower! There's a whirlpool tub right in the locker room. And they don't charge extra for towels.

Stephen's doing well still. His tooth is really showing. He's rolled over four times now (pretty soon we'll stop counting). He enjoys his new piano, too.

Ryan is in the midst of job searching. My vote is for the "linen associate" at a local hospital.

A Milestone

I won't write much, but I would be foolish not to fill our loved ones in on Stephen's milestone from today: He rolled over all by himself! He only did it once, but we were pretty proud of him. Ryan and I both saw it, and grandma and grandpa Leatherman were here and came in to congratulate him!

He liked to grab at the bouquet

A picture of us from right before the wedding.

All wet......

Well, Heidi and Anthony got married today, but the real story is that Stephen went swimming for the first time. :) The wedding was great; Lisa was a bridesmaid and Ryan sang and played the saxophone. It's exciting to see two people commit their lives to each other, and its even more special when it's two who are so close to us.

In the photo are Grandpa Leatherman and our friends from Des Moines, Geoff and Laurie (mentioned in the post on December 17). We went to the hotel where Grandma and Grandpa Lorimor are staying and made use of the pool. Stephen loved it!

Everyone heads home tomorrow (except the newlyweds, who are off to Florida), and we will have about a week at home before Ryan starts classes again.

First picture: Stephen with the bride, Aunt Heidi
Second picture: Snack time!
Third picture: Two happy grandmas

Story time!

Today I was putting Stephen down for a nap. He was pretty unhappy about that, so I stuck my finger in his mouth to calm him down. Boy was I in for a surprise: a sharp nub sticking up from his bottom gum. His first tooth broke through! I suppose now he becomes a little more dangerous. :)

Lisa's family is here for Heidi's wedding, so we'll be busy with that for the next few days. It should be a lot of fun!

Happy 30th Katie Ferguson

We enjoyed a fun party with Katie Ferguson and the old gang (well - whoever could make it!) at one of her friends' house in West Des Moines. Joanna Dobson and Jenny (Jorgensen) Hoksbergen were there, as well as Mike, Erica, and Wade ... we hoped to see Liz but she wasn't going to get there until much later. A little guy needed to go to bed!

It's been a full week. We had a great dinner at Pete and De Elta's house in Adair with that side of Ryan's family. Stephen got quite a few gifts, his favorites being anything he could put in his mouth. Ryan's favorite gift of Stephen's was the Noah's Ark stuffed toy - with a finger puppet for each of his 10 fingers!

After that celebration we headed to Bernard and Evelyn's to stay with them for a couple nights. Stephen really enjoyed his great-grandma and great-grandpa. And we realize we are so blessed to have them here to get to know him! We went into Adair to see the Fay Pharmacy and ordered dinner from the Redwood Restaurant in Anita.

Thursday we headed back to Des Moines and ended up back at the Leathermans after a few of our other plans fell through for one reason or another. It was a good thing, as Stephen proceeded to take his first-ever 2.5 hour nap! We then got to see a even-more-grown-up Ian Hagenberg, who showed Stephen his new toys. At the Blochers' we enjoyed Max, too.

Today I indulged in one of my favorites - a bagel with cream cheese and coffee - with Rachel Goranson. Then Stephen and I spent the afternoon with Laurie and we ate some kale. I'm sure everyone is wondering - why? - so I'll answer. Kale tastes really really good when sauteed with garlic. Here is how I prepare it. Wash the kale, cutting off the hard ends. Then chop into bite-sized pieces, though it doesn't need to be cut quite as small as lettuce would be for a salad. Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the kale until it's tender. I usually do it 10-15 minutes. Then drain and saute in canola oil with garlic for a few minutes. It is so tasty.

We were talking tonight that we've really seen changes in Stephen even since we have been here. His ability to grab whatever he sees has improved greatly and he seems to recognize people better than before. He is sitting up very well, especially with somethin interesting to look at in front of him.

we're not shopping today

We've had a few days of get-togethers with family, and a few embarrassing moments for me and Stephen - though he doesn't really care! We were in Knoxville on Sunday with Dan and Shiela and the rest of the Fay clan. Anna and Claire really enjoyed Stephen and even put on a dancing show for him. In the morning we caught up with some friends in Mitchellville at the Wyatt's home. Then yesterday we had a turkey dinner with grandma and grandpa Fay, Dave, Susan, John, and Carolyn. Joanna came over later with Katharine and Joshua. We deduced that
Stephen really likes light blondes. He likes Auntie Em; he got pretty excited about Amy Lindstrom; and then he giggled heartily at Katharine's greetings.

The picture with the little girl is from Saturday when we got together with my symphony friend Seaeun and her daughter who is 3 weeks older than Stephen. She is just as tall but much skinnier.

Last night the toilet overflowed after I used it and it turned into a pretty big mess. We are still waiting for the sewage service to get here ... oops! Then Stephen had a pretty big poop this morning - and he did it WHILE I was changing him. It did make a mess, but I'm sure it could have been worse.

We're getting ready to leave for the Fays in Anita for a few days.

Say Cheese!

Anyone who has tried to photograph a 6-month-old in a professional studio will know what a lot of work it is! We made sure he had napped and eaten and was recently changed, but he still got worn out pretty quickly. Of course he didn't understand why there were strange lights; why mommy couldn't just hold him or feed him; why a strange man (the photographer) was trying to make him laugh. He really did very well and we were impressed with how the photographer was able to capture some smiles. We weren't able to get a family picture because John had to work. I guess we'll take some snapshots during the Christmas celebrations.

Yesterday on our way out to Des Moines we were able to stop by Laura Wells's house and say hello to her, her mom, and Hadley and Kassy. They were enthralled with watching Stephen eat.

Today Ryan has an appointment with a specialist (who Aunt Carolyn works for) to look at his hand to see what might be the problem with it. Stephen and I have chiropractor (or pirocracker as we call him) appointments. I'm planning to stop by Perfection Learning to turn in my book and say hello. We're looking forward to dinner in our old neighborhood.

oh my!

Have you ever had two friends who you knew separately begin to date each other? I just found out about a couple like that!

We had a great weekend with Aunt Emily visiting. We started out having Matt, Annie, Israel, and Enoch Wells over on Friday for dinner. See photo of Stephen with the two boys. We enjoyed a meal together and then some time talking about some Scriptures, singing, and praying together.

We got to hang out with both Heidi and Emily, and Em's friend Bridget came for Saturday to do some shopping. I have been madly working on a book for Perfection Learning. It needs to be done before we leave for Des Moines on Wednesday.

Ryan and I got to go out last night, and Em and Bridget hung out with Stephen. We enjoyed dinner at Silver Creek and then post-dinner at Dos Reales.

Ryan has been practicing a little every day, and today has had some stagecrew work at school.

Happy Birthdays

Happy birthday to Great-Aunt Care and Great-Grandpa Leatherman!

Stephen and I are back from Plainfield where we were for the weekend, playing in the Christmas program at Harvest Baptist--though we didn't make it back without incident. Just as we were passing through Dwight the battery light in Heidi's car went on, then the temperature gauge showed that the car was overheating. We did make it back to a bp station with a car garage so the good news is that it didn't have to be towed. The bad news was that the station was closing in 10 minutes and mom and dad wouldn't make it to town for an hour! So we bundled the boy up in the snowsuit which I had just "happened" to bring, and walked down the street to the Casey's, which was open until 11. (See photo - Stephen loved it because he wasn't in his carseat!) My mom and dad got there and gave us a car and we got back to Champaign about 11:30.

But overall the weekend was great! Stephen and grandpa bonded three nights in a row. Thanks to his hook-on high chair he sat with us at the dinner table. He even braved the bridal shops with all the women looking for a wedding dress for Emily. He got to meet many of our friends at Naperville Presbyterian. We missed Ryan but he was down here getting ready for finals and worked hard on that all weekend. For those of you who know what I'm talking about - the extra pumping to make sure I had enough supply for him while we were performing has caused me to be engorged. Talk about uncomfortable as Stephen slept through the night last night!!!!!!


Ryan is done tomorrow after his French final. His saxophone jury is today.

To school we went

This morning we joined Ryan for his French class at 9 a.m. I made beignets. They were very tasty and left the kitchen a mess . . . but it was fun to see where he has been going every school morning (except for Wednesdays).

Stephen has had a cold but it hasn't seemed to affect his mood very much (except for when we use the nasal aspirator). I think it's on the way out. He wasn't as stuffy today.

Tomorrow we'll head up to my parents' for the weekend where Heidi and I will play for Rollie's church's Christmas program. The music is interesting - The Messiah and then a John Rutter piece, "The Reluctant Dragon."

Last Saturday I hosted Heidi's "unshower" and got to meet several of her friends who live in town but I didn't yet know. We had a great time teasing her and we played a video that Ryan and I had taken of Anthony while we were in Germany. We hung broccoli from the doorways instead of mistletoe - perfect for Heidi!

Tuesday was St. Nicholas Day and (magically) there appeared some ornaments for us. For Stephen it was a "Stephen's first Christmas" and then Ryan and I got an Illini one.

Ryan has been riding a scooter at school. I remember when Tom got it originally and used to ride it around Drake. When he walked in the house with it yesterday I thought it was a cane!

He also hurt his thumb Tuesday playing basketball. He still has been playing - doesn't really have a choice - but he has had quite the semester with injuring necessary body parts for saxophone-playing!

Paris Trip and More

We wanted to post a bit about our trip to Paris and share with you some of the highlights. The weather wasn't what we would have picked, especially as it rained lightly the entire second day. But overall the Parisians were extremely friendly people and really enjoyed Stephen - tho we didn't know everything they were saying about him!

We got in on Tuesday to navigate through a maze of escalators, then a bus, then a train, then the subway, then a descent to the street level of a very large station. Though our hotel was only a block away, we walked much farther since we didn't know which side of the station we needed to exit.

That first night we went on a cold walk and ended up eating at a small Italian restaurant - salmon pizza. On the way back we walked along the Seine River.

I got up Wednesday morning to go to the grocery store and managed to get most of what we needed to eat. The wine was so unbelieveably cheap! Ryan got a bottle of merlot for 1.29Euros, which is less than 2 dollars. At a coffee shop, I tried to order a cup of regular coffee from someone who spoke no English. I soon realized that he only served espresso, and because I didn't want to be rude I let him serve me a cafe americano (espresso with hot water).

We took a bus to the Eiffel tower. It was the longer way to get there but I wanted to see the city and you can't really do that from the subway. Much of the drive was along the river but we also went through some neighborhoods and shopping districts.

We got off the bus across the river from the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed the view as we walked across. The line looked long but only took about half an hour - and Stephen slept the whole time in the baby carrier. To get up to the top, you have to take an elevator to the 2nd level and then another one to the very top. We were bumped to the front of the 2nd line when the workers saw that we had a little baby. The view from the top enabled us to see many of the city's sites, though a cloudy sky kept us from seeing any further than that.

We set out to take a bus to the Champs-Elysees, but ended up walking the whole way there (Stephen was still asleep). Once there we tried to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe but there was an entrance fee and it was raining, didn't seem worth it. I was sooooo tired from carrying Stephen all day (he is 20 lb now!) so my wonderful husband put on the baby carrier (brown side out :)) and carried him from this point on. We took the subway back to the hotel and Ryan practiced the saxophone at the hotel.

On Thursday morning, we got up and took a subway ride to Sacre Coeur. It was a long walk up a steep hill in the rain with a broken umbrella. But the cathedral was pretty spectacular. Then we spent the rest of our day in the Montmartre neighborhood. Ryan found a store that sold a wide variety of saxophone sheet music. We enjoyed some crepes in a local cafe. I hid out in a hotel's ground floor so Stephen could nap in peace and quiet while Ryan did some digging through sheet music.

We decided to go to the area around Notre Dame, and after a quick walk through the cathedral found a restaurant where we ate our Thanksgiving dinner (coincidentally next to another American family). Neither of us ate turkey.

After dinner we hopped on the subway to see the Eiffel Tower light up (which it does every hour for 10 minutes). Stephen did seem to really like it! I'll see if we can put up a YouTube video sometime.

Then it was an early morning getting back to the airport and finding our gate. After getting back to Frankfurt we enjoyed a lovely drive to Bonn where we got to spend some more time with family and see Heather's new apartment. It's a nice place for the two of them, just a few blocks away from the Rhine River.

We had to come back on Saturday. Finding our terminal at the Frankfurt airport proved to be a chore, and even more challenging was navigating the many escalators with 9 people and 3 luggage carts! I'm surprised the airport allows the carts on the escalators - we had several close calls ourselves.

It's been 3 days now and I think Stephen is finally back to this time zone's sleeping schedule. I'm afraid I'm coming down with a slight cold but I've been taking ZiCam and drinking lots of water. So far it doesn't have me down.

Today is Stephen's 5-month birthday and I put him in a dog costume for this picture. I intended for him to wear it when he was old enough to know what a dog is, but since he has grown so quickly I put him in it already. He measures 29 inches and weighs exactly 20 pounds. I put a bunch of 6- and 9-month clothes away today.

I just found out yesterday that a girl from Des Moines that I knew died on Sunday following a car crash. She was only 16 years old. It is a sobering reminder about the fleeting nature of our life here on earth. And I feel for her family and close friends and the loss they are experiencing.

Time Change

Stephen and I have been up since 3:45. But it's good to be back home!

3 Rue Parrot

We are finishing up our stay in Paris. We'll fly back to Germany tomorrow to see Heather and Marc-Andre once more before we go back to Illinois.

We've had a good trip and Stephen has been remarkably cooperative. We have had to adapt our visit for him - for example, today we figured he wanted to wiggle around on the floor. But we were in Montmartre and it was RAINY so we couldn't do it outside. So we found a bookstore that wasn't crowded and laid him down on one of our jackets. He loved it - being able to babble and kick for a few minutes.

We'll fill you in on more of our trip, complete with pictures, once we get back.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American friends. Tonight for dinner I had chicken and Ryan had beef. The turkeys thank us ...

Hi from Deutschland

Hello, we're in Germany for Heather's (Lisa's sister) wedding. That was yesterday, and we all had a great time.......and yes, they got married. She and Marc-Andre are in Luxembourg for their honeymoon. As for us, we're heading to Hildesheim tomorrow, and then to Paris on Tuesday. Should be a good time! Stephen is well, he is good at making friends with Germans, too. Here he is with the bride, though we're not trying to encourage him to get married anytime soon.

And the Winner Is ...

... Foster Drost! The contest being the person who traveled the farthest to have mac and cheese with Ryan and Lisa.

We enjoyed having André, Foster, and Rede with us for the night. Now Stephen and I are getting ready to go up to my parents' with Heidi to leave for Germany later today. I really hope Stephen's sleeping schedule isn't too hard to adapt to Europe!

I asked Foster at one point to sit next to Stephen. He refused, saying that he thought Stephen would vomit on his bears. I guess spitup and vomit are one and the same to a 3-year-old. It's understandable. He still has a fascination with trains, and played with them on our living room floor.

We'll post once or twice from Europe.

A Good Visit

We had a great time with Carolyn and Susan for a few days. We shopped, read books, ate, went to Stephen's 4-month checkup (he is just fine!), and Ryan and I even got to go out one night by ourselves!

Great-Aunt Carolyn Is Coming!

We are abuzz with visitors, and it's been a lot of fun! This weekend we had Ryan's family here (see Uncle John with Stephen watching football). My parents also came down for the evening with Emily and grandma, and we all prayed for Stephen together. We enjoyed a nice Italian meal at Dom's in Champaign. My dad and grandma both got to feed him a bottle while we were there.

Yesterday morning the boys went over to campus and threw a baseball around. Susan stayed back to keep me company.

Today Ryan has been at school all day. Susan and I got some errands done this afternoon. Be watching your mailbox - we are sending out a letter with our new information which doubles as a birth announcement.

brrrrrrrr

It seemed a little chilly for one of his hooded sweatshirts, and a friend gave us this as a hand-me-down. He seemed to like wearing it!

We're looking forward to Ryan's parents rolling in tomorrow around noon and then my parents later in the afternoon.

I had a nice long coffee date with a friend who also just moved here and has a baby. She had her baby after she moved here, but we have a lot in common with being new in town. Nathan (her son) is only 9 lb so Stephen seemed huge!

Ryan said the concert at Northwestern was phenomenal. I'm glad, especially since he spent most of the day driving there and back.

Book #2 Is Done

I shipped the 2nd math book I've done back to Perfection Learning today. It felt good to be done. I really do enjoy doing them, but it's so hard to squeeze that 2 hours a day into the schedule. Stephen either needs something or it's time to make dinner, or go to a meeting ... I'm sure I'll do more but not until after we get back from Germany.

Stephen was "dressed up" as a baseball player today. It was actually just a sleeper, but it was a good answer to what he was for Halloween. We didn't pass out candy. I think it was a combination of the fact that for the past two years I have been ready for trick-or-treaters but then none showed up, I wouldn't be able to predict what Stephen would be needing when the doorbell rang, and the lack of children in our neighborhood.

So with this book done I have lined up a pretty full social calendar for this week. And then Dave, Susan, and John come for the weekend. Plenty to keep us busy. Ryan is planning a trip to Chicago on Thursday to see a sax concert and get some work done on his horn.

Here's the latest video:

A Beautiful Day for a Break and a Walk

This morning I set out for a coffee shop to read and think. Ryan was so sweet to take care of Stephen for a few hours so I could get out of the house. It was refreshing. I also did some grocery shopping while I was out.

Stephen has been doing so well. Many of you know that a few months back I had to cut dairy out of my diet, and I had had to COMPLETELY get it out of my system, avoiding even margarines and breads with the slightest amount of whey or casein. Often babies outgrow their allergies, so I decided to see if 4 months old was old enough to handle it. I had some yogurt on Friday and he seemed to be able to handle it just fine. He wasn't fussy and in pain yesterday. Now on to cheese and milk to see how he does ... it would be very nice for the Germany trip to be able to eat more!

I've realized a few things about Des Moines that I didn't know were so great - until I don't have them any more! Don't get me wrong - this is a great place to live, but I'm compiling a list of the little things that were nice to have there ...
1. I-235; even though Champaign isn't very big, it takes just as long to get everywhere since there are a number of stoplights any direction you go.
2. Graziano Bros. Italian Sausage; I didn't even eat it very much but there doesn't seem to be an equivalent here. Just the mass-marketed national brands.
3. On-sale lunch meat; We usually ate whatever Hy-Vee had on sale that particular week. Here it seems I just pay full price all the time for all the lunch meats.
4. A gubernatorial candidate that I actually want to vote for!

I'll be back with a list of things that have been nice discoveries here that would also be nice in Des Moines ...

You can see a full selection of recent photos at stephenleatherman.snapfish.com. Password 062806.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

It reminds me a little of one of my favorite books as a child: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But it is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, a book that anyone who has read extensively to babies in the recent years would be familiar with! And Stephen does like it! I can't tell if it's the rhythmic talking or the colorful pages but he seems to follow along pretty intently. Here he is pictured with another of his favorite books. It's a bunch of baby words. So far he doesn't really chew on the books because he isn't really holding onto things and putting them in his mouth yet.

I've begun reading another book—Peace Child. Heather lent it to me and said it was pretty similar to Bruchko. So far I am just finding out about this cannibalistic culture in Papua New Guinea. Such a different life than anything we have experienced here in the Western World!

I have heard from Heather and she is doing well in Germany. Heidi will soon be en route to visit Anthony on the East Coast. Emily's wedding plans are still in the works for July 14 and she is busy reserving locations. Mom and dad are taking grandma to Florida for the weekend.

Stephen is now on YouTube with a hello to grandmas and grandpas. I decided to see if we could upload the movies we take with our camera and it worked without any problems!

Much Ado About Something

In a nutshell, Emily got engaged and Heather left for Europe! Stephen and I headed up to Plainfield with Heidi, while Ryan stayed back for a rehearsal and performance on campus.

We all knew the question was going to be popped at some point on Friday night. Spencer took Emily out for dinner and then on a horse-drawn carriage ride, and asked her partway through that. Of course Emily was VERY excited ... see her blog for more pictures.

We enjoyed Sandi's company on Friday evening for dinner and playing with the baby. He was pretty good for everyone, though Emily got the biggest smiles and giggles!

Saturday was bittersweet as we saw Heather and Marc-André off to the airport to go to Germany. They are excited - their wedding is less than a month away - but now Heather has moved out of the Midwest.

We headed over to grandma's (great-grandma to Stephen) and planted a redbud tree in her backyard. It was a special tree, since we put Stephen's placenta in the hole below the tree. It's an excellent fertilizer!

Today we have had a nice and relaxing day at home. After watching the Tigers lose last night we were excited that they came back to win tonight. Heidi was over for dinner and Ryan had rehearsal and quartet coaching tonight.

Pictures: Stephen doing his favorite: AIRPLANE! Me with Heather and Marc-André. Next to the redbud tree with Emily and fiancé Spencer, grandma, and great-grandma. My cousin Jonathan holding Stephen - who does look a little nervous!

What We Do When Ryan Isn't Home

This morning Stephen and I got up and went to the La Leche League meeting. Lots of women there as well as their kids. Stephen gets a little overwhelmed; we spent some of the time in an adjoining room--just the two of us. I really enjoy the conversations, though. Some share struggles with breastfeeding and others encourage them. And then there is plenty of time for just chatting about what we've all been up to.

Ryan had several rehearsals tonight and Stephen and I bummed around the house. He is enjoying pretty much any interaction we have with him - as long as he isn't tired. I even did "airplane" and he was thrilled! He is holding on to objects for a little while, sometimes pulling them to his mouth.

Yesterday morning we went to a baby group at the library. He was the youngest kid there. Most of the others could at least crawl. The leader sings songs and reads stories. Stephen actually really enjoyed it. He just looked around the room at all the things going on. We did a song (I'm not making this up!!): "Mommy, daddy, and Uncle John went into town. Mommy fell over (lean to the right). Daddy fell over (lean to the left). But Uncle John went on and on and on and on and on (bounce baby)."

Tonight Stephen was staring at a picture of Kassy Wells. We think it's his first crush. Those Leatherman boys and their older women ...

Sitting around watching TV

We've discovered while watching the baseball playoffs (go Tigers!) that Stephen really likes watching TV. Yesterday we put him in his special seat and he can hold his head up well enough for it. This photo was taken while he was watching Baby Beethoven. Those Baby Einstein people sure seem to know what babies like! He loves the music box CDs as well, and the mobile. He also chews on his hands a LOT!!

This morning I went to a church service with Heidi and then did a bit of grocery shopping (by myself!). Yesterday Ryan had a gig in Danville, and I'm getting started on the 2nd math book for Perfection Learning. Heidi had us over for lunch so I could meet a friend of hers who is having a baby next year. Heidi made some great pumpkin cookies!

Tonight I made a soup with turnips and kale; we enjoyed it (Heidi was over, too). Someone had passed along the recipe and I was eager to try it. I'm trying to venture into eating some veggies that I haven't done much with before. Although we won't be eating many mustard greens :).

Less than a week until Heather flies over to Germany. I'm glad we'll be heading up to Plainfield next weekend to be there with her. Ryan can't go, however; he has a gig on Saturday.

I'm Not Waking the Sleeping Baby

He's sleeping very well right now and I'm excited! We actually had a day this week that he did not cry once until the evening.

We have had a very good week. Ryan's arm and hand are feeling better. Some of that is due to stretching and a sports cream he is putting on. The professor suggested that he not play really technical pieces for the time being to make sure he doesn't put too much strain on it.

We ate a meal at the mosque on Monday night. I guess I should have known this beforehand, but I didn't realize till we got there that I'd eat with the women and Ryan would eat with the men. The food was very good and I enjoyed having a few conversations with people around us. Then last night I went to a dinner for women only at someone's house. Stephen was a hit - though he didn't like being passed around and all the commotion very well.

We watched the Tigers beat the A's. Yes, Stephen was wearing his shirt. He's not wearing it today (that would be gross) so we'll see how they do.

I turned in the first book that I worked on for Perfection Learning. It was a good feeling and I'm thankful to have a couple days off. I was working every spare second that I had to get it done (which was still only a few hours every day).

Annie and I had a good talk today when we met to discuss the book Love and Respect. Although I find the book to be somewhat cheesy, I can't argue with the principles that the author is laying out for healthy marriage relationships. What really strikes me is that he has testimony after testimony of people whose lives have been transformed by the concept he outlines.

Heidi is coming over for dinner tonight. Even though she lives in town we haven't seen her for a week. I guess that's what happens when spending time with her fiancé is a priority ... which it should be :).

I'm heading to Bloomington-Normal tomorrow for lunch with our longtime friend, Evelyn Blane. She hasn't met the boy yet.

He did it again!

Stephen wears a Tigers shirt.

Tigers win!

Twins!

Ha. No, I'm not pregnant expecting twins ... at least I don't think so ...

Heidi and Heather are over tonight and watched Stephen so I could go to The Iron Post to watch Ryan's band perform. It was nice to go and see him. Not too long ago I would do that at least once a week!

We have really enjoyed having Heather here for a few days. She went to hear Heidi's presentation this afternoon, and she's been getting plenty of Stephen time in before she heads to Germany later this month.

I finished reading another book, Bruchko. It was a fascinating story of how Bruce Olson (the author) felt that God wanted him to go to the South American Indians and take Jesus to them. Only he didn't try to change their culture; he let their traditions stand. He was persecuted from many sides - from the other missionaries, from the Indians who thought he was a spy - but the fruit that has been borne from his obedience to God is simply amazing!

Ryan's hand and wrist is feeling better but not entirely back to normal. He also had to get something fixed on his saxophone and the repair guy messed up his mouthpiece when he did it ... so it hasn't been the best week for him as far as his instrument is concerned.

Grace Matters

Hi everyone. Here's a photo from this weekend, when grandma and grandpa Lorimor came for a visit. They took Stephen in the stroller for about an hour, did some odd jobs for both me and Heidi, and had a wonderful lunch (steak n shake) and dinner (Chinese!).

Ryan has had a rough day, as his thumb started bothering him and he really needs it to be able to play the saxophone! He took some ibuprofen and is hoping the swelling goes down. I hope this doesn't become a recurrent problem.

I just finished reading an excellent book, Grace Matters, written by Chris Rice. It is a memoir concerning the ministry that he and Spencer Perkins had regarding racial reconciliation. Together they have written a book, More Than Equals, which I have not read. The topic was of interest to me largely because of the neighborhood in which we lived in Des Moines, but this book also had some very powerful themes of love and grace for one another. They talked of "growing up one another" in community -- spurring each other on and not remaining stagnant in our walks. Apparently he and Spencer had such intense disagreements sometimes that it's a miracle they were able to work together until Spencer's death. They had to rely much on forgiveness. Lessons like that we learn our entire lives.

We're looking forward to Heather's visit later on this week. Heidi is swamped with a presentation she is giving on Thursday but then she'll be able to hang out with us, too.

Well, I better go see if Stephen is still enthralled with the ceiling fan ...