We Are Indeed Guilty

You know how parents try to get their kids to hold their arms up in response to the question, "How big is [insert child's name here]?" And then they excitedly recite, "SO BIG!" And in reality "so big" is arbitrary. I mean, would a small kid's parent say "How little is ...?" And why are we so excitedly prompting the smallest person in our family to proudly gesture that his hands raise a mere few inches above his head? But enough philosophizing ... here is our "big boy."

Got Cello?

I performed tonight with 10 other cellists for a benefit concert in Urbana. I think there will be pictures at some point ... I can share them here when I get them. The music was a lot of fun to play ... except Pachelbel's Canon. (See link on the right for why cellists loathe this particular work.) We performed under Maestro Diazmunoz, who I think is about the best conductor I have ever worked with. He really knew what sound he wanted to get from the ensemble, and was kind to all the performers in getting what he wanted to hear. There was quite a range of abilities represented in the group. We performed the Bachianas Brasilieros with a soprano who is a grad student at the University (and also happens to know my aunt's parents in Oregon).

Yesterday Stephen participated in the Infant Cognition Lab's testing at the University. He watched a little puppet show and they analyzed his responses to certain events. The girls working in the lab did a great job communicating with him. After that we went to the Forbes' because I wanted Stephen to watch another kid eat. Stephen is still having trouble with anything that is chunky, even if it is soft. Will is a food pro (he eats a lot of fruit and cheese). I have no idea if it made any difference--just thought it was worth giving it a shot.

The highlight of today was the visit we had from grandma and grandpa. Since Ryan also had a gig tonight (at a theatre in Sullivan, IL) we needed someone else to hang out with Stephen. From what I hear he did just great! It helps that they really like to take him for walks. We had a nice dinner of lasagne and italian bread.

We had an appointment for Stephen this week and he was weighed at 28 pounds and measured 32.5 inches. So he hasn't gained a pound since 9 months, but he has picked up 2.5 inches.

The woman I'm mentoring at the pregnancy center hasn't had her baby yet (that I know of!) but she's due in less than a week.

The Heat Wave

We finally gave in last night and turned the air on. It was downright oppresive in here. And we had deduced that it was really bothering Stephen. There were a few occasions in which he was really crabby here and then instantly happy somewhere else, where the AC was turned on. And Ryan and I certainly don't mind it :).

I got this baby pool for free and tried it out today. The inexperienced parents that we are - we filled it right before he got in. And it was COLD! He SCREAMED! But then he got used to it. I think it's super-fun with all kinds of extra pieces in it. We might give it a shot tomorrow after the sun has warmed it. We also hope to go on a family bike ride after Ryan works in the morning.

Ryan was offered a job today with the limo company and he'll start training soon. It sounds like it'll be a good gig. We just hope he gets to work frequently.

Stephen's birthday is coming up in just two weeks. Wow. I'm a lot skinnier this year than I was last year. I've been getting lost of questions about what Stephen needs. In reality he doesn't really need anything. (Right, dad? "Do you need it? Or do you just want it?") And we aren't doing a party. We'll just celebrate with family and friends who happen to come around! I'm planning to make some sort of jello in lieu of the cake. But back to what Stephen would like. He discovered (and so did his parents) while in Des Moines that he LOVES trucks, cars, and balls. (I know what you're thinking: Don't most boys? May be true, but since we don't have many trucks, cars, and balls, we didn't know this.) We would ask that they be appropriate for his age. He does still put things in his mouth and could choke. As far as clothes go, we're pretty set for the summer. He is wearing 24 month clothing, and head holes need to be really stretchy or have snaps. His head is more of a 3T size.

A Note from the Heartland

We have been having a wonderful visit in Des Moines. Though we'd like to see a lot more people, we have done well to be able to get together with as many as we have. This time of year works much better than Christmastime, when it seemed many of our friends were either out of town or entertaining family for the holidays.

The bummer part of the trip is that it happens to be the week that Dave is out of town. (Ryan hasn't minded driving his Mercedes, though.) We'll get to see him again on Saturday, as we aren't leaving until Sunday.

Yesterday for dinner we celebrated Susan's birthday by eating together - and having blueberry muffins for dessert. Lois brought over some homemade ice cream, which we enjoyed after a wonderful trip to the park. Wonderful for Stephen and Sissy, that is ... We watched Sissy go from being scared to go down the slide to bounding up onto the playground equipment to run down it by herself. (Don't worry - there weren't any kids on the playground when we did this.)

Emily is down in Texas now, and Heidi and Anthony are in their temporary spot in Maryland.

Happy birthday, grandpa Leatherman!

All Aboard!

They really do say that!!!! We got off in Galesburg this evening and the conductor stepped outside the train right before leaving and said "all aboard" before getting on and taking off. Overall it was a pleasant experience. I'm glad we knew it was running really behind so we didn't go to Osceola for the whole morning. We got into Galesburg 6 hours behind schedule, but Ryan was there to pick us up. Stephen enjoyed looking out the windows and not having to be buckled in his seat.

Ryan enjoyed being at Tony and Becky's wedding. He got a Cardinals shirt, though; what is he going to do with that?

Stephen crawled a few paces while in Des Moines. But then we got home and he TOOK OFF!! It was hilarious. He gets himself up just fine, crawls over, and just when he is close enough to the toy that he wants, he lunges for it and falls flat on his tummy (what previously happened when he tried to crawl).

Susan looked up Ryan's 11-month measurements. 28 pounds and 30.5 inches. We measured Stephen today since he is now 11 months. 28 pounds and 31 inches.

Eat Your Veggies!

I got this link in my inbox today and thought the pictures were worth taking a look at ... or maybe I'm just hungry.

We're in Des Moines now and have seen quite a bit of family so far. Stephen had a pretty rough day with so much traveling and people and places he is not used to. We'll try to take it easy on him today.

My Little Brother Is Going to Graduate

Lovin' the grass ... it's just hard to keep it out of his mouth!

We're heading out of town tomorrow to go to Des Moines for John's graduation. I know it was 12 years ago for me but I distinctly remember that invigorating excitement that made concentration impossible.

Ryan is experiencing dealing with kids who are antsy to get out of school as he is subbing this week. Yesterday he was at a middle school working with special ed kids. Funny thing happened: He forgot to wear his wedding ring and found that one of the teachers was rather friendly. I told him I understood why! (He remembered to wear his ring today.) Today he is filling in for a history teacher in Urbana.

Stephen is dealing with some seasonal allergies (at least that is what I think is going on!). His eyes are so puffy and he's rubbing them a lot. We are going to see an opthalmologist next week. We also turned our AC on last night because we wondered if having windows open all night was making it worse.

Hearing His Voice

I saw this Scripture illustrated so clearly tonight! . . .

His sheep follow Him because they know His voice John 10:4

In context it talks about how the sheep know the shepherd's voice just as those who follow God know His voice and can distinguish it from the wrong voices.

I was sitting in Stephen's room with him trying to get him ready to go to sleep. Ryan was having a simple conversation with 2 of our friends in the other room. Stephen was sort of looking up at me ... sort of eating ... when his daddy said something really simple and short. It wasn't loud or emphatic or exceptionally clear. Stephen sat up instantly and looked around the room for Ryan. WOW! It really struck me. I heard a lot when I was pregnant about how much the mother's voice is a comfort for a baby. And I am not surprised that he recognizes our voices, but to pick just a few words out of a conversation in another room where 2 men and a woman were talking about shoelaces ... that is amazing to me.

On another note, I have wondered how the media would handle Jerry Falwell's death. It was interesting to me to read this post by David Kuo regarding this famous man.

Happy Mother's Day!

I guess it's my first mother's day. That's what they're telling me anyway :). We were up in the Chicago area for Emily's shower. We also went to a Spares concert in the city. So many photos that I will send you to the snapfish folder to see more pictures.

Emily's shower was a blast, with family and friends all gathering at Sandi's house. We decorated some spice jars with markers and stickers. Just as I anticipated, the younger girls were the pro decorators. We played a fun little trivia game about Texas. Did you know that in Houston it's illegal to sell Limburger cheese on Sunday? Or that in Mesquite, Texas, children are not allowed to have unusual haircuts?

Last night, we caught the very end of Steve Hendershot's concert in Chicago. The Spares' new release, Glory and Grace, just came out. Even little Stephen sat and listened in the sanctuary.

This morning we went to the Sunday service at Naperville Presbyterian and then to grandma's for a scrumptious lunch.

Out on the water again

Stephen had his first boating experience at 5 weeks old. His second took place yesterday at Ryan's professor's house. She has a small lake in her backyard and a paddleboat, which we took for a little ride. Stephen didn't love it the way he loves swinging at the park, but he seemed to take in the surroundings while we were out. Part of the reason it might not have been his favorite is that he had a large life jacket around his torso and I had just smeared sunscreen all over him. I know the photo isn't the greatest but I was trying to keep a hand on Stephen so he would feel secure and my husband (for some reason) wanted me to pedal!

Heidi is in town for the week and Stephen's been excited the few times he's seen her. She'll be in and out much of the time with so much work to do and her other friends to see. But at least she's able to stay here! We like having company. (hint hint)

It's official. Ryan has not been exposed to tuberculosis. (We weren't worried.)

He starts meeting with an Iranian student this afternoon to help him with his English.

We're still trying to figure out his summer employment. Getting through the school year and getting funding issues resolved for next year was about all he could handle last month!

Done with School!

Ryan did his jury and turned in his final paper. Yeah! He's trying to get all the details figured out for subbing. He has a physical scheduled for later today, and on Tuesday he has to be fingerprinted. But by the end of next week he should be working.

Stephen is also feeling much better today. Here he is, trying to get into things on the living room floor.

I got a call this morning informing me that Laurie and Geoff are engaged. See this post from December. They're getting married in June.

Friends who know Heidi might want to check out her blog — it's listed to the right. We're excited that she'll be staying with us in Champaign next week.

Sick Is No Fun

Stephen had a pretty rough night last night. He's been dealing with some congestion that keeps him from really being able to breathe well. It also inhibits some ability to eat well. His hunger has been making him cranky, too. When I got him up this morning he was running a fever (which he had been doing over the weekend but we thought it was over). So off to convenient care we went. They were great - saw us quickly, made sure nothing serious was going on, and sent us home. What a relief! He's sleeping a lot and doesn't want to play much, but it'll hopefully just be for another day or so. It's so sad to see him upset. And his face is rather crusty from rubbing his hands on his nose and then all over his face.

In other news, I just met with the Pregnancy Resource Center about being a mentor for women who are going through a crisis pregnancy. I'm looking forward to seeing what God might have in store there.

Ryan is done with classes. He has a paper due tomorrow as well as a saxophone jury (that's a final for a music major). He is busy getting his paperwork done for substitute teaching beginning next week.

I'll try to post some pictures this weekend!

Ten Months Old!

We've been enjoying the weather and getting out to garage sales and the park. Just this morning I walked over to a sale that seemed to need a little help with their pricing: children's clothes were 50 cents each. They could have gotten at least a dollar or even 2 for some of these things. Then they were selling a plain, beige phone (that's not even cordless!) for $5. Not gonna happen. By the way, we have one of these types of phones that I'd be happy to unload on someone who might want it. Otherwise maybe Stephen would like to play with it.

This is the first year since 1995 that I haven't been in Des Moines for the Drake Relays. Though I haven't watched many of the actual relays, walking along the painted street after all the students have colored their squares, wondering if I'll be able to park on my own street (wait I don't miss that), and even running in the road race . . . days like these I miss Des Moines! I'm also sitting here trying to think of someone I know in Champaign who has a truck to help us pick up a table. Kevin, what are you doing for the rest of the day . . . ?

Speaking of Des Moines, we'll be there Memorial Day weekend when John graduates from high school. I hope we can see many of our friends during that time, but we'll also be in town for a whole week in June when Ryan teaches at a jazz camp in West Des Moines.

Since it's a monthiversary, I'll need to write down on Stephen's calendar some of the things he's been doing this month. He does scoot around and roll quite a bit, but hasn't figured out the crawling thing. Yes, babies younger than him are even beginning to walk. We wonder if he'll skip right to that. He does stand at furniture for awhile before falling down. One of the funnier habits he's gotten into is finding the "O" on his alphabet ball and spending quite a bit of time just touching it. He sometimes touches the "Q" but quickly figures out that it just doesn't feel the same and moves 2 letters over to the "O." He's been looking at books some, too, especially the ones that have textures to explore. Our shopping trip this week was rather quiet because he was interested in feeling the tiger's whiskers in his new animal book. He does really enjoy peekaboo, and even plays it by himself. Yesterday I was reading some German phrases from a daily calendar I have and he giggled and giggled at that. I didn't quite understand what he thought was so funny. Oh - and how can I forget the food! He LOVES carrots! Feeding him had been so discouraging for me up until this point. Sure he'll eat rice puffs, but I wasn't wild about him filling up on those. I really wanted to get more than a spoonful of veggies in him. And on Wednesday he kept opening his mouth and essentially begging me to put more carrots in his mouth. Yeah!!! I never knew feeding a baby could be so much fun. And the diapers -- those changed literally overnight! He's sitting by me now clapping. We just got done singing BINGO and I think he wants an encore.

A Momentous Occasion

Clockwise from top left: With Betty Esch, a friend from Peoria who now lives in Morton. With Janis Wilkinson, my cello teacher from Peoria. I played with her in the symphony this morning. With Evelyn at Avanti's last night. With Betsy Jones, Heidi, Heather, and Emily's violin teacher from Peoria.

On to Play in Peoria

I'm excited to go perform the children's concerts with the Peoria Symphony tomorrow. Dad is coming soon to pick me and Stephen up to take us. Among the other performers are my first cello teacher and my high school orchestra conductor.

We had a really nice weekend with Emily. Ryan and I were able to have a nice dinner - just the two of us! Yesterday we enjoyed a picnic with our friends Susan and Ercan and some of the Turkish students on campus. The weather has been wonderful!

The picture on the right is of Stephen with our little friend, Maria Mae. As soon as he decided she might be fun to chew on, we rescued her from his grip. She just turned one month and she and mother Sue are doing very well!

Happy TENTH Birthday, David Weeks!

David is 10! I called to wish him a happy birthday yesterday and he just seemed so grown up! We talked about what they are doing out in California. I also had brief conversations with Elijah, Noah, and Joshua.

Here are some of my favorite Davidisms:
"Why do you have no hair under here?" -said as he sat on a man's shoulders and looked under his hat
"No way, Hozey Wozey!" -his own version of "No way José"
"Liberty History Farms" -you'd have to have been to Des Moines to guess this one
"Mom, I want to go hear the water pumps!" -he meant that he wanted to listen to the bagpipes that practiced in our parking lot
"No, you have to do 2 scoops!"

Auntie Em is going to be here soon and Ryan and I will be able to go out to dinner. First time in a LONG time! I am also finishing up a math book and getting ready for a set of performances with the Peoria Symphony.

Midwifery Bill

Here is an article from the Chicago Tribune about a midwifery bill that is being considered in the Illinois House. I have several friends who have even gone to Springfield to speak with lawmakers. I think it's exciting that direct-entry midwives may soon be able to practice in Illinois ...

Poor Bunny

So I was trying to take a picture of Ryan, Stephen, and this bunny tonight. Here is my best result. Ryan kept throwing the bunny down. It was supposed to be cute.

We had a pretty nice weekend. Ryan has been busy putting together a presentation that he will give tomorrow. I have another math book for Perfection Learning that I have been working on.

Here is a photo of Will and Stephen from Will's birthday. We went out for lunch and the boys did pretty well. Maria and I enjoyed the Mexican food!

Stephen is still just rocking on his hands and knees. Today he did a face plant on the floor so I think that he is afraid to be too aggressive because that really did seem to hurt him.

Tonight I caught him playing peekaboo by himself. He does enjoy the interaction, though, so we play a lot of that game.

We got out with the jogging stroller today. It was so wonderful! Didn't go very far but the weather was nice for a quick little exercise.

Spoiled?

Here is Stephen with my mom lying on one of the quilts that made her famous (at least in Joliet). See this story from Friday.

Ryan and I both had quite busy weekends. I had symphony Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening. He had recitals Friday and Saturday evenings and work all day Saturday. It was time to bring in grandpa and grandma. So my parents came down on Friday afternoon so Stephen could get used to them being here before I left. He has been clingy lately (normal for a 9-month-old) and I didn't want any of them to have a miserable evening.

We had dinner with the Wells and Roesslers and then left my parents with the little guy. He did so well with them for the whole evening! (Except he now refuses a bottle and just went to bed hungry.)

On Saturday morning I asked if we could all go out for breakfast since The Original Pancake House is a pretty great place to go eat and I knew we'd have time. We also had lunch with Ryan during his lunch break. Then I went to rehearsal and again Stephen did just great! He slept much of the time. We had a nice fish dinner prepared by grandpa and then I went back for the symphony concert. The soloist, Robert Hedlund, sang well; I enjoyed performing with him as well as several other choirs.

After I came home and saw that Stephen was safely in bed and fed, I bopped over to our neighbors' (my parents were here with the boy). Our neighbor had just remodeled his kitchen and was having a party to show it off.

Today we enjoyed talking a bit about Roman 8 and having a small communion time before my parents had to leave.

Ryan is on his way back to school for practicing and rehearsals for the evening. Stephen is sleeping on his "new" bed. He started rotating himself in his sleep and a crib just wasn't working any more. Here is his new sleeping situation: