Trying Again

Yay! It's finally letting me post some photos. Here's Ashley with Myles in his Wilco onesie, Myles trying to roll over (almost there!) and mohawk Myles with mama. Today I gave his hair its first trim and he looks very handsome. The weather has been so beautiful, yesterday we took a long stroller walk to the grocery and back. We ran into Carolyn, a neighbor and friend from church who is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer...it was great to see her out in the sunshine. We finally got the proofs back from Myles' photo shoot last month. My wonderful sister-in-law Irene gifted us with a photographer to take some family pictures of us, and you can view them at www.photokitt.com. Just click on "contact" in the upper right hand corner and then on "click here." Type in myles in the box provided. And just for the record, the photographer requested that Seth take his shirt off for a few of the photos (woo hoo!) it was not something we had planned...but what can I say, my husband is hot hot hot!

Ugg!

So the blog won't let me post pictures right now...hopefully it will tomorrow. Technology drives me nuts sometimes!

Ashley comes for a visit!

Ashley came for a visit last weekend. We had lots of fun! Ash and Seth helped Myles try on his coolest onesie (a "Wilco" band onesie that Ashley gave me months before Myles was born) but it's still just a little too big. The weather was great all weekend, so we got out to a park, and for an evening at Amy and Paul's with Hazel.

Myles has lots going on recently. I thought he was going to roll over from his tummy to his back the other day (granted, he was on a slightly tilted surface, but still!). He also now likes to go up and down the steps facing outward (no more snuggling) so he can see the world. Last week, he caught sight of Juniper on the top step and smiled. He also did the miraculous act of grabbing his pacifier and putting it in his own mouth! I think it was completely by chance, but very impressive none the less. He's plowing through clothes and diapers, in a little growth spurt I think.

Recent Happenings

It's interesting that I ended the last post by saying how self centered this whole blog thing can feel sometimes. Because then you have an incident like what happened at Virginia Tech on Monday, and it seems appropriate to override my general practice of steering clear of politics or current events on this family friendly, come-one-come-all blogspot. (After all, if you want political commentary, you can always visit the WAND website...)

It's been a sad few weeks in this country. First we heard Don Imus' racist and sexist remarks and most of us were horrified (even if we also acknowledge our complicity in the brokenness of this world). We couldn't stop talking about Imus. Everyone had an opinion. But on Monday, we were stunned into silence by the sad happenings and awful violence at Virginia Tech. As if we needed more proof that we live in a violent world, we had a heart wrenching week in Iraq, with the death toll ticking along at a surreal rate.

Weeks like this, I'm glad we don't get tv. We do own a television, which we use (probably too often) for movies. But we don't get any channels in on our tv, and I don't regret not seeing the images that NBC aired and re-aired, causing such a controversy. Imagination was violence enough.

I'm always curious about why boys and young men shoot up a school and their classmates. And I personally believe we need stronger gun laws in this nation. But there is, excuse the pun, no magic bullet as to the cause of this senseless violence. Is it violent video games? The media? Marilyn Manson? Guns? A culture of fear? Revenge from kids who've been mercilessly picked on their whole lives? Insanity?

The minister in me wants to say this is a spiritual sickness, all this violence. The broken human condition.

We want to isolate a cause so that we can pronounce the cure. But I think there are no easy answers when it comes to all this hatred and violence.

I spend a lot of time with a baby in my arms these days, which means I can't help but think about the future. I've been thinking about the mother of the young man who did all that killing at VT. How excruciating it would be to watch your child get picked on in school. What kind of crazy grief she will hold for the rest of her life, wondering why and how her child did such a terrible thing. And of course I'm thinking about the mothers of all the dead...both in Blacksburg and in Baghdad. I can't begin to fathom...

Every day I'm thankful for another day of life, even in this world. Myles has no idea what's been going on this week, he's been smiling and laughing every day. Our saving grace.

Ashton turns 3!

This weekend we went to Tennessee to check in on my dad, who is doing incredibly well just weeks after major surgery. He's lost a few pounds, but is eating well and taking good care of himself with the help of my mom. It's truly amazing to see the "old Bob" as Seth says (not old as in aging, but old as in the same spirit) back in normal clothes, walking and eating and doing many of the same old things, with the addition of some much needed naps.

It was also Ashton's 3rd birthday, my brother's oldest son. We went to Corey and Irene's on Saturday and opened some gifts, ate some good food, and had cake and ice cream. As you can see, Ashton acquired a frosting mustache...he was also very sweet with "baby Myles," and even helped to pat Myles on the back when he was crying. Cullen, my brother's other son, is ready to crawl any day now and it was amazing to watch him move from sitting onto his knees.

Myles had his first sink bath over at grandma's house. He had awful cradle cap (baby dandruff that can get super scaly and gross), but we found a natural tea tree shampoo and after using it just twice most of it is gone.

Myles' morning out program had last week off for spring break, so he came into work with mama three mornings, and spent lots of time in the sling and baby bjorn. I think I'll be going through withdrawal on Tuesday when we take him back to the morning out program again!

We've had a couple really rough nights with lack of sleep, and let me tell you, that's all it takes. Both Seth and I have mush for brains and can't seem to remember anything this week, but we did have a solid nap today and hope for better sleep tonight. Thanks to a generous gift from Seth's department at work, we also purchased a digital video camera. We just couldn't stand to see another month go by without getting Myles on tape!

You know, I just have to mention that doing this blog thing feels so self centered...just writing all these entries about us, us, us. I feel like I should be posting a response to the Don Imus issue or something, writing at least a little about the outside world. But we want to share Myles, especially with family and friends who are far away, so we try to keep at it, and hope that you all know that our lives really do consist of more than just ourselves, though Myles is pretty miraculous day in and day out.

Hangin On

First things first, I'm happy to report that as of this afternoon, my dad has been advised that he will not need chemotherapy. They think they got everything with the surgery and there's no more cancer in his body. Yippee! So he is finally home and on the road to recovery with the help of my mom. We are very, very thankful.

Myles did something new today. He's been showing extreme interest in the toy that hangs over his changing table (see photos with orange background), and recently he's been grabbing everything his hand touches. So today I put his hand on the plastic ring that hangs from the toy, and he grabbed it. He was quite amused by this and held on for a good five minutes, swinging the ring back and forth and smiling and laughing. A new trick! I don't know when he'll be able to grab it on his own, but until then we're happy to help out. We've now attached a similar toy to his bouncer so he can hang on and swing there too. (Cute outfit courtesy of Erin Dalton, it's one of my favorites!)

Do it Yourself Glamour Shots

After much urging, my wonderful husband continues to refuse to add text to recent posts. So I will pick up the slack. If that third picture is looking kind of psychedelic to you, you are not alone, my friend. It's actually a picture of Myles in the bathtub with Seth, but we blacked out Seth for your viewing pleasure. We concur that Myles is at his cutest when in the tub. Although any time he smiles at you, you feel like a million bucks, tub or no tub. This week we stumbled upon another mylestone...Myles pooped/peed out of his diaper onto his clothes a total of 5 times in one day. That's right, he had to be changed into five different outfits...it didn't matter if the diapers were cloth (which I think he has now outgrown), g's, or disposables. It was quite a stinky day. But he is enjoying diaper changes more, and so then he flashes that smile in the middle of a diaper change and you can't help but feel very, very happy.

A visit from the Hendler family