The Dragon Truck

In prep for our trip to Disney World in May, Noah received a dozen Disney golden books for Christmas. Today, we introduced him to Sleeping Beauty. We paraphrase (in the loosest sense), because the books are not really geared for 2-yr-olds, and it seems Noah may have picked up on this, because tonight he told us a bit more of the story...

"The boy (Phillip) turned into a man and went to fight the bad lady, who turned into a dragon. The man got the dragon out of the way. [How?] With a truck. [What kind?] A truck with a hook to carry the dragon. A dragon truck. The man put his sword in the other seat and took the dragon far away."

Personally, I think Disney should listen to him. ;)
(Noah just learned what "two thumbs up" means so he asked if he could put his thumbs up. Yes! Especially for the man with the dragon truck...)

Not a Hornet's Nest

Lately, I've had the urge to write posts on a myriad of sticky issues from school choice to abortion. But I've decided I'm not really spoiling for a fight, so instead I'm going to talk about...interior decorating.

I am not a decorator, but knowing we hope to live in this house for a long time, I've been determined to make it homey and delightful for our family. To that end, I've gradually been working on a picture here, a piece of furniture there.

Two recent additions have made me smile whenever I walk in the room...

1) Mimi's quilt: For months, I've been looking for a colorful blanket to spice up our master bedroom. Then my mom brought my great-grandmother's quilt to us at New Year's, and it's been the perfect touch, making everything else in the room work. I could've spent many more months searching without finding anything as perfect, free, or sentimentally valuable. What a gift.

2) Family Room curtains: We never intended to hang curtains for fear of covering the windows, but over time I realized they would help with direct sunlight, privacy/safety, and homey-ness. It became a weekend family project with everyone pitching in (Noah loved Daddy's tape measure and Aaron thought Noah's hammer tasted great), and now we all enjoy them daily.

Happily Ever After

It's time for some good news on the sleep front (he agrees, as you can see). After praying us through those months of deprivation, you deserve some resolution.

Our salvation began the second week of January. Our family was back home - no plans to travel, no new teeth expected, no illnesses to battle, no weight issues to cripple our resolve. So we took on Aaron's schedule. Josh and I committed not to feed him between 11pm and 5am. Perfectly reasonable for a healthy 5-month-old - a fact we kept repeating to ourselves when he woke up each night and cried for 10-40min. Then, on the 5th night, he slept through...and every night thereafter.

I did enjoy last fall with all its joys and challenges. But with the new year, I feel like I've come out of a fog, and it keeps getting better. About a week ago, Aaron started taking longer naps more consistently (two 1.5-2hr naps each day) and just last weekend, I started waiting to feed him until 6:30am. Which means he's in bed 6:30pm-6:30am with one feeding around 10-11pm (we'll work on dropping that in the next month or so). It's lovely. Lovely. Really lovely.

So please, rest easy, knowing that we're resting much easier too. And thank you, THANK YOU, thank you for your prayers.

The Wise Man

Monday Noah came home from school with a stamp on his hand in the shape of a house. When I noticed it, he told me "the wise man build the house."

I was confused. The wise man? As in We Three Kings? By Tuesday, I had remembered Matthew 7:24, where the wise man builds his house on the rock. So Noah and I talked about the wise man and the rock.

And we've been talking about him ever since, but the conversation has progressed each day as Noah gets more and more curious about The Wise Man.

Where is he?
What is he doing?
Does the wise man have toys in the house?
Does he have boys?

I would start out making up answers -- He's building another house. Of course he has toys. And boys.

But just as my MBA profs taught me to ask "Why?" five times to get to the bottom of any issue, Noah believes in asking again and again and again.

Does the wise man have boys?
What are their names?
Are they big boys?
What are they doing?

And pretty soon you have an elaborate story and can't keep the details straight not to mention that he's likely to ask your spouse who has no idea that the wise man has five houses, two boys, and dog named Spot.

Of course, I'm loving it. But I admit he's challenging my problem-solving skills. Too bad The Wise Man isn't here to help me.

For My Valentine

I have now been married ten years. I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blest - blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband's life as fully as he is mine.

I know no weariness of my husband's society: he knows none of mine, any more than we each do of the pulsation of the heart that beats in our separate bosoms; consequently, we are ever together. To be together is for us to be at once as free as in solitude, as gay as in company. To talk to each other is but a more animated and an audible thinking. My confidence is bestowed on him, his confidence is devoted to me; we are precisely suited in character.

My husband and I, then, are happy: and the more so, because those we love most are happy likewise.

- Jane Eyre

Food Graduations

January 20th, Aaron tasted his first rice cereal. It was not a big hit, but he's since gobbled up some oatmeal, so we have hope that he will not be living on breastmilk for the rest of his life.

At the same time, Noah moved on up to the big table, where he stands through dinner, thrilled to be in a big chair, no booster, no telephone directories. (He is welcome to sit, but his current height makes that somewhat problematic.) We are also confident he will not be standing on chairs to eat the rest of his life.

Shoveling the Driveway

He is not easily overwhelmed by the work ahead, I'll give him that.