...but not quite crawling
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
A magnolia for Magnolia
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Smiley Napless Kid
Friday, May 27, 2011
Dr. Crazy Hat
Last Saturday, Jason attended his first graduation ceremony as a faculty member and got to wear the odd, druidic robes that he wasn't able to don for his own graduation. He graduated in December from Georgia State while classes (or at least finals) were still in session here in Little Rock so this was his first hexagonal cap experience.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Strawberries!
From the archives:
Last summer we went strawberry picking with the Honeycutt-Dills and came back with a great haul, on top of the pile of berries Juniper and Violet both inhaled while we were picking. We brought this bucket up to Sir and Ma'am's and let Violet and Madison and Riley have at it. I don't know if they ate the entire thing by themselves, but they sure came close... Joy (and vicarious joy) was had.
Last summer we went strawberry picking with the Honeycutt-Dills and came back with a great haul, on top of the pile of berries Juniper and Violet both inhaled while we were picking. We brought this bucket up to Sir and Ma'am's and let Violet and Madison and Riley have at it. I don't know if they ate the entire thing by themselves, but they sure came close... Joy (and vicarious joy) was had.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Spoon!
Henry is following in his sister's footsteps in several ways and in others, blazing his own trail. He's just as chubby as she was and is already beginning to drool in the open-spigot-like fashion that Violet adopted. He has a big noggin and a fondness for wooden spoons but, unlike Violet, he mostly doesn't mind being awake and doesn't yet require drastic measures to help him fall asleep.
He had his first big round of immunizations yesterday and handled them like a champ. He was a tiny bit out of sorts yesterday but mostly it meant lots of extra sleep which, from a parent's perspective, is about as good as it gets. Antibodies against pertussis AND a full night's sleep!
Violet continues to be sweet with him, always making sure she gives him lots of goodnight kisses before she goes off to bed and often trying to comfort him when he cries. "I know, Henry, I know, I know."
Henry has also morphed from Huckleberry to Henry. I don't know if it's his size or awareness or what, exactly, but his slightly-bigger-person name has been getting more use around here these days. He's still not quite a Hal yet though.
He had his first big round of immunizations yesterday and handled them like a champ. He was a tiny bit out of sorts yesterday but mostly it meant lots of extra sleep which, from a parent's perspective, is about as good as it gets. Antibodies against pertussis AND a full night's sleep!
Violet continues to be sweet with him, always making sure she gives him lots of goodnight kisses before she goes off to bed and often trying to comfort him when he cries. "I know, Henry, I know, I know."
Henry has also morphed from Huckleberry to Henry. I don't know if it's his size or awareness or what, exactly, but his slightly-bigger-person name has been getting more use around here these days. He's still not quite a Hal yet though.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Turtle pajamas
Henry has officially outgrown his newborn clothes - he's getting chubbier by the day!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Psychedelic bath-time
We've taken to letting Violet essentially bathe herself...with lots and lots of prodding. This at least buys Cheryl and me enough time to have a brief post-prandial conversation, maybe relax after dinner, get a start on the dishes--ultimately, any time in which she is awake, self-entertained, free of danger, and happy, is blissful, stolen time for us parents.
Her most common line is "Daddy, Daddy, look how wet my hair has gotten!" In addition to the constant attention-seeking, she tends to mutter and sing to herself incomprehensibly. Tonight, what with daylight savings time, she's been a little more loquacious than usual, and as she spent a fair few minutes doing somersaults in the back yard I mowed earlier this morning, washing hair is non-negotiable.
I went in a few minutes ago to check in and see how it's going, and I noted that her hair wasn't wet at all. She told me that she forgot. Apparently she was too busy talking to the mirror in the faucet, and "I told the other Violet, 'Don't worry, I'm coming in there.'"
Weirder and weirder.
Her most common line is "Daddy, Daddy, look how wet my hair has gotten!" In addition to the constant attention-seeking, she tends to mutter and sing to herself incomprehensibly. Tonight, what with daylight savings time, she's been a little more loquacious than usual, and as she spent a fair few minutes doing somersaults in the back yard I mowed earlier this morning, washing hair is non-negotiable.
I went in a few minutes ago to check in and see how it's going, and I noted that her hair wasn't wet at all. She told me that she forgot. Apparently she was too busy talking to the mirror in the faucet, and "I told the other Violet, 'Don't worry, I'm coming in there.'"
Weirder and weirder.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Post-party
If only all families with new babies could have it this good. With three grandparents in town and snow days keeping Jason from working full-time, we've had a week of meals and snacks and laundry and dishes all taken care of, not to mention plenty of attention for Violet while she adjusts to the new status quo.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
A new phase of life
Having Huck on the outside feels like the release of a lot of tension--not in an emotional way, but more in the physical sense, like we were hovering on a precipice and there's a lot of potential energy there, and you can feel it like the compression of a spring or the bending of a bow, and one way or the other, you are going to have to find a new equilibrium.
Thank the sweet Lord for Feather Fall. We have landed softly, and that's really nice. What's even nicer, or what has a slow burning effect (as opposed to the swift rush of relief that comes when the baby is born and we all can go to sleep) is that the series of life-changing events that we set into motion upon moving from Baltimore to Atlanta in 2005--the eventual completion of my degree, the move from Atlanta to Somewhere Else, the beginning of a real job, the beginning of Cheryl's schooling, the selling of a house and the need to get a new one, etc--which are all details of one big precipice--and the subsequent life-changing events to which we've committed--deciding to have a kid, actually having Violet, turning into parents, meeting and integrating Sally and Aaron (and then Juniper and now Hazel) into our family, deciding to have another kid, slowly transforming from carnivores to flexitarians, becoming UUs, etc.--all of which constitute other precipices--well, the metaphor is getting a little over-wrought, maybe, but the upshot is: damn, there was a lot going on, and a lot of things happened at once, and Huckleberry's birth feels like a long-awaited, much-need full stop.
.
Which is also to say another sentence can begin. One takes a breath, deliberates, tries to find the right words. We are in a good place to compose ourselves, now, to just settle into the rhythm of life for a little while, to weather storms and work on our ground game. Teaching is starting to come along for me, and I like it, which is great. My research has started to shake the rust off its gears and grind into motion. Violet has friends and seems to like her school. Cheryl is recovering nicely, excited about the time she spends with Hal and V and making plans to get some classes in this coming fall. We have wonderful family members who are a delight to be snowed in with--this is a rare blessing--and who have the dedication or recklessness to drive through the winter to get here.
It's a nice soft place to land and make camp for a while. I'm looking forward to improving our menu planning and getting my routine down and making slow but steady progress and watching the kids learn and grow and just living the hell out of life for a little while instead of careening all over the emotional stratosphere.
Still, a little elation is kind of nice. I have a son! A new kid! He squeaks!
Thank the sweet Lord for Feather Fall. We have landed softly, and that's really nice. What's even nicer, or what has a slow burning effect (as opposed to the swift rush of relief that comes when the baby is born and we all can go to sleep) is that the series of life-changing events that we set into motion upon moving from Baltimore to Atlanta in 2005--the eventual completion of my degree, the move from Atlanta to Somewhere Else, the beginning of a real job, the beginning of Cheryl's schooling, the selling of a house and the need to get a new one, etc--which are all details of one big precipice--and the subsequent life-changing events to which we've committed--deciding to have a kid, actually having Violet, turning into parents, meeting and integrating Sally and Aaron (and then Juniper and now Hazel) into our family, deciding to have another kid, slowly transforming from carnivores to flexitarians, becoming UUs, etc.--all of which constitute other precipices--well, the metaphor is getting a little over-wrought, maybe, but the upshot is: damn, there was a lot going on, and a lot of things happened at once, and Huckleberry's birth feels like a long-awaited, much-need full stop.
.
Which is also to say another sentence can begin. One takes a breath, deliberates, tries to find the right words. We are in a good place to compose ourselves, now, to just settle into the rhythm of life for a little while, to weather storms and work on our ground game. Teaching is starting to come along for me, and I like it, which is great. My research has started to shake the rust off its gears and grind into motion. Violet has friends and seems to like her school. Cheryl is recovering nicely, excited about the time she spends with Hal and V and making plans to get some classes in this coming fall. We have wonderful family members who are a delight to be snowed in with--this is a rare blessing--and who have the dedication or recklessness to drive through the winter to get here.
It's a nice soft place to land and make camp for a while. I'm looking forward to improving our menu planning and getting my routine down and making slow but steady progress and watching the kids learn and grow and just living the hell out of life for a little while instead of careening all over the emotional stratosphere.
Still, a little elation is kind of nice. I have a son! A new kid! He squeaks!
The Storm
Henry (also known as Hal, Huck and Huckleberry) Milo Delaney. 7lbs and 8oz of sleeping, squeaking, squinting cuteness, born February 6, 2011 at 6:32am.
Four days later, we're snowed in during a rare Arkansas storm. Given the potential for chaos these two events could mean, it feels surprisingly peaceful in our sunny, well-heated and well-stocked home.
Four days later, we're snowed in during a rare Arkansas storm. Given the potential for chaos these two events could mean, it feels surprisingly peaceful in our sunny, well-heated and well-stocked home.
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Calm Before the Storm
Debbie/Grammie/Mom is in town to help out while we await Huckleberry's arrival. She and Violet have been playing, visiting the library, doing laundry, making apple cake and, today, playing in the snow while Violet's school was closed for a whopping predicted half inch of snow. It turned out to be a bit more snow than that - enough for a small snowman - but it would still be laughable for our friends in more northerly climes to cancel anything for the snow we got today.
In addition to hanging out with Violet, Jason and I have been appreciating the laundry that magically gets done and dinner that gets cooked, naps for me in the afternoon and the general vacation-like atmosphere Debbie's been providing. It's also especially nice to know that Violet will be in good hands once labor has begun.
We don't know exactly when the next explosion of baby madness will land, but we're enjoying the wait for the time being.
In addition to hanging out with Violet, Jason and I have been appreciating the laundry that magically gets done and dinner that gets cooked, naps for me in the afternoon and the general vacation-like atmosphere Debbie's been providing. It's also especially nice to know that Violet will be in good hands once labor has begun.
We don't know exactly when the next explosion of baby madness will land, but we're enjoying the wait for the time being.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Doctor V
Among the new dress-up clothes: doctor's white coat and accessories. Looks like the medical profession was quite the accidental theme this year.
Pirate Clown Firefighting Princess
Violet got a LOT of great dress-up clothes for Christmas. She totally got into the spirit of things.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)