phone service out

There was a storm today with a small power outage. Afterwards we were not able to get online. We think we have the internet back but the phone service people said that our "gizmo" through which we hook up our phone is now to be used as a paperweight. They're shipping us another one. But in the meantime we won't be able to get phone calls. Ryan's cell works, though ... 515-229-8621.

We got our wedding video in the mail today. Stephen is watching it with us.

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.