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 ...