2/3 of a nectarine.  Several bites of scrambled eggs.  1/2 a container of yogurt.  A few bites of something called “turkey dinner” that comes in a jar.  An entire banana.  An 8-oz bottle of formula.

That was my son’s dinner, eaten over the course of an hour.  I’m pretty sure he ate more than I did.  And he has a stomach the size of a golf ball.

Also, I’m pretty sure that he wouldn’t have woken up at all last night if he hadn’t had that leaky diaper.

Maybe his reluctance to sleep through the night has less to do with habits or stubbornness or neediness… and more to do with the idea that perhaps we just haven’t been feeding this kid enough?

A nice quote from Congressman John Campbell:

It is easy to recognize the impact this event will have on American History. Since the founding of our great Republic, Americans have always relished our most sacred of traditions…freedom. This is yet another display which will be viewed all across the globe, and allows us, as Americans, to display our commitment to our founding virtues.

I encourage all Americans to welcome our new Commander-in-Chief and President, Barack Obama. We may not always agree on policy, but we are united by our American tradition, culture, and patriotism.

May God Bless this President and May God Bless America.

President Obama, I do not envy you your job.  As someone I respect said recently, I’m sure the thought why did I think this was a good idea? will cross your mind during your first 100 days of your presidency.  But I wish you the best and hope to see you meet the expectations you have set for yourself and the rest of the country.  I hope you can weather the stresses and remain true to yourself and the people who put you here.  And may the hope you inspire in people push us to better ourselves and our country as befits this one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Dear Squirmy Wormy,

You turned 7 months old a week ago.  I didn’t do a newsletter for your 6th month because honestly, it didn’t seem that you had changed all that much since the last newsletter.

That is not the case this time.

In the last month you have hit so many milestones, it’s hard to keep up with them all.

After months of ravenously chewing on everything in sight, you finally broke in your first teeth.  Your right bottom one came in first, with the left one following close behind.  That hasn’t stopped the drooling or the chewing, but you are no longer allowed to chew on fingers.  Your teeth?  They are very sharp. I think I still have indentions in my thumb.

You also had your first Christmas, and have enjoyed your new toys about as much as any 6-month-old can. 

You’re getting closer to sleeping through the night, an idea which I like to hold and pet and dream of, and which often has me maniacally giggling to myself as I walk through the house in a sleep-deprived stupor.  I even had a few nights of uninterrupted sleep and I started to get hopeful…

And then you got sick and it all went downhill.  Your first fever.  Your first croupy cough.  Your first ear infection.  I guess I should have told you that there are SOME milestones you are strongly encouraged to skip altogether.

The good news is that, unlike your sister, you will voluntarily take medicine without any qualms.  In fact, an added bonus was that when Kaelin predictably caught your fever, we even convinced her to take some Tylenol by telling her, “Koren likes it.”  That is the first time IN HER LIFE that she has taken medicine without being held down and force-fed.

You’re finally eating solid foods now.  Voluntarily.  Without the wailing and screaming as though I’m stuffing them in your ear.

Apparently the trick is to give you real, fresh food – instead of the kind that comes in jars.  My Magic Bullet mini-blender came just in time and we use it daily for whipping up a tasty little baby meal in a snap. 

You really like bananas.  The other day, you managed to eat an entire banana, followed by a full 7 oz bottle – for someone with a stomach the size of his fist, that seems to defy the laws of physics.  Applesauce, plums and pears are also quite popular.  Creamy mashed potatos are the BOMB. Cottage cheese is good in small quantities.  Sweet potatos are NOT ok.  The jury is stll out on yogurt and most other vegetables.

We’re trying to figure out whether you’ve yet outgrown your sensitivity to milk.  We’ve introduced dairy formula in small doses mixed into your soy formula, and we’ve given you small tastes of things like cottage cheese and yogurt.  There’s no immediate reaction and it’s always difficult to tell if a little fussiness 3 hours down the road is due to sleepiness, hunger or a reaction to something you ate.

You’re not crawling yet, a fact that really just pisses you off most of the time.  YOU REALLY WANT TO.  You frequently go from sitting to laying on your tummy in an attempt to reach something.  You can get up on all fours and maneuver around, but thusfar have only succeeded in moving BACKWARDS… away from the object you’re trying to reach.  This does not do wonders for your temper and you certainly let us know the extent of your displeasure.

You’re still fascinated by your sister, and she can bring a smile to your face faster than anyone else around.

Your favorite TV program is still Football, but you also like our History Chanel documentary dates.

Your happy little face is an instant high for anyone around.  You can woo any stranger with your smile, and your little round cheeks are positively edible.

Most of the time, you are a pretty happy little guy.  You’re very affectionate.  You love being kissed and poked and tickled (you’re very ticklish).  You’re also a super hugger.  Common mortals are powerless against the force of your monster hugs.

With each month and every milestone, you become more of a little boy and less of a baby.  And more fun.  2009 is going to be a very eventful year for you and we’re looking forward to every minute of it.

Especially the part where you sleep through the night.

Love,
Mama

Sometimes I can’t believe the stuff that comes out of my mouth.  That little guy inside that lets the good comments through and keeps the bad ones back?  He goes to sleep entirely too often.

There are way too many times when I say something off the top of my head only to realize as soon as the words are out, “What part of me thought that was the appropriate thing to say???”  It seems that by the time the red SHUT UP NOW light comes on, it’s usually too late.

I had a serious “Come to Jesus” meeting with myself yesterday.

On the way into church (Church!) Jens and I were entering the new children’s building and he made a comment about how the crosswalk was odd because it doesn’t go from the parking lot to the church entrance path… instead it goes from the parking lot to some random sidewalk that leads away from the entrance.

And suddenly I was going into some diatribe on how they did a few things that just didn’t make any sense AT ALL from a practical perspective.  Thirty seconds into the conversation, I started listening to myself.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Y’all, I talk loud.  That’s the one lasting effect from all those years of theatre training.  I have no doubt that any of the families entering around us heard every word of that conversation.

Funny thing is, I LOVE the new children’s building.  There are so many things about it that make our church and school experience so much better.  But this conversation wasn’t about these things.  And why not?  It’s not as though I was in a bad mood.  I hadn’t been seriously affected by any of the things on my “list.”  I really had no excuse or reason to be stringing out complaints for everyone to hear.

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Well.  There’s a wakeup call.

The thing that really puts the sick ball in the pit of my stomach is the kids.  My kids.  Others’ kids.  What on earth possessed me to set that kind of an example.  It’s too easy for me to believe Kaelin isn’t listening to me if she’s not engaged in the conversation – an assumption proved wrong when I hear her say things like, “I hate that,” a phrase I am guilty of too frequently.  And now how many of those parents are going to have to do “corrective” training with their little kids who picked up some negative comment from me?

I spent the rest of the day in conviction because what I really wanted to do was seek out all the families around us and apologize to them for my wayward tongue.  But since I have no idea who they were, that’s pretty much impossible.

So if you see me walking around with a strip of duct tape on my mouth, just assume it’s probably for the better.

One day I’ll start posting something besides Kaelinisms.  Like maybe Koren’s newsletter that should have been up days ago.  But not today, because I’m sleepy.

Kaelin: Mama! I fell off the chair!
Mama: I’m sorry, are you ok?
Kaelin: NO. That chair wanted me to get hurt.  You need to tell that chair, “Chair, if you ever do that to Kaelin again, I’m going to THROW YOU IN THE FIRE and then I’m going to HIT YOU!”
Mama: That sounds a little extreme.  Maybe you could just be more careful next time.
Kaelin: Ok.

Kaelin: Is anyone going to be here tomorrow?
Daddo: Yes, Mama and Daddo and Koren will all be here.
Kaelin: Is anyone else going to be here?
Daddo: No.
Kaelin: I think we need someone else.
Daddo: Why do you think we need someone else?
Kaelin: It’s just nicer.
Daddo: Why is it nicer?
Kaelin: Well…you’re nice too.  I’ll keep you here.  Do we have any biscuits for breakfast tomorrow?

“Mama, can I help with the boobs?  I’m really good at light boobs.”
“Bulbs, Kaelin.  Light bulbs.  And no, you may not.”
“Can I help with the light bloobs?  Can I please help with the light boowbs?”

She seemed to think her pronunciation was the reason we wouldn’t let her assist in the changing of the light bulbs, and continued asking with slightly varied intonations and vowel sounds, insisting that she was “really good” at light bulbs.  Somehow, we were unconvinced.