Abraham, Rachel, Soren and Liam. Our life together in Smalltown, Idaho.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Our Baby of Perpetual Infancy





Liam has decided that he wants to be a little tiny baby forever. At nine months, he still needs to be walked around when he's unhappy; he still breastfeeds almost exclusively (not my idea, I promise you); he has shown no interested in crawling. He cried hysterically when his daddy tried to get him to drink out of a sippy cup last week. And he sprouted a fourth tooth but seems to have sucked it back in. He is our twenty-five pound newborn. Funny kiddo.

Soren Update

In a few weeks, my little boy will be three years old. And that actually seems about right. He's really matured during the past couple of months. He seems happier, more regulated. He's learning about sharing and has begun going to his room to calm down when he gets too upset. His language skills have been expanding at an exponential rate. He has been a true joy to be around (most of the time.)

Some cute things from the past month or so:

Soren is my big kitchen helper. If I'm doing anything in the kitchen, he'll immediately run grab his Lightening McQueen chair and drag it into the kitchen so he can participate. He'll scramble eggs, cut up cheese, knead dough, measure ingredients, stir soup. You name it, he'll do it.

This was our second attempt at making Thanksgiving rolls. The first batch was ruined when I turned my back for a minute and Soren dumped the entire container of yeast into the dough.

Sometimes my Bubba gets a little innovative in the kitchen. For example, when he was helping me make the rolls, he built things out of the dough: walls and snakes and things. When we finished with that, I told him that the dough needed to have a nap while it raised. So we covered it up with a towel and put it on the island shelf. Then he insisted that we build a door out of blocks so that it would be quiet enough for the dough to get some decent rest. (The cheesy grin is for the benefit of the camera. I used to do that exact smile for pictures too.)

Another innovation: we were making cookies the other evening. We pulled the first batch out of the oven and I told Soren we could eat some after they had cooled down. Upon hearing this, he immediately darted out of the kitchen and down the hall. I could hear him rooting around in the bathroom and then he came back with his blow-dryer, proclaiming that he had brought it in to cool down the cookies. One of his nay-saying aunties told him that wouldn't work, but he brushed her off and I let him plug in the blow dryer and "cool down" the cookies.

Soren figured out how to remove the bottom from his blocks container and started wearing it around the house on occasion. He looks perfectly homeless, doesn't he?

I make enough homemade playdough to open up a factory. This was a batch that Soren got wet. He was fascinated with the resulting texture, however, and sat in his high chair playing with it for a large amount of time. Anything for a few minutes of peace, I always say.

Other tidbits:

Soren has an enormous crush on his Auntie Briar. Every evening as a family we'll sing a song and then have family prayer. Briar is not into singing (at least not when anyone can hear), so she usually does not participate in the song portion. Soren, however, will often run up to her and shove a finger in her face, demanding, "You sing it!" So Briar will mouth the words in an exaggerated fashion, much to his eye-sparkling delight.

Soren was playing quietly in the front room and Liam was downstairs squealing loudly. Without looking up from his toys, he said, "That's a beautiful song, Liam."

Soren was playing with a measuring tape and told his dad, "This is so beautiful. I love it."

Soren loves the word "pretty," as in: "That's pretty nice." He'll say things like, "I'm pretty scared," or "I pretty don't want to go to my room."

He also says, "That be good" or "That not be good," when we're discussing plans. (ie..."Soren! We're going to read a story!" "That be good." "Then we'll go to bed!" "That not be good.")

Tonight I heard him use the phrase, "Speaking of which...." a couple of times.

On the way to Grandma's house one morning, Soren mentioned that Nanny Q (Uncle Quentin) lived in Utah. "Yes, he does," I said. "Do you miss him?" "No," said Soren. "Do you miss Uncle Sue?" "No." "Do you miss Uncle Seth and Auntie Karen?" "No." "Do you miss Uncle Scott and Auntie Amanda?" "No." Pause. "I miss Gracie." Gracie is Seth and Karen's cat. "Oh." I said. "Well, Gracie is in Utah too."

Yesterday Soren said to me: "Jesus is pretty far away." "Ummm.....yes, I suppose he is," I replied. "Jesus is in Utah," he added.

"Oh, I love you!" I told him one morning as I buckled him into his carseat, the way I have a million times before. "I love you too," he said, a first.

Today Soren offered to say the dinner blessing. "Dear Heavenly Father," he said. "Please bless Liam that he will get out of the high chair because it is my turn."

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Book Review: Deep Storm

Deep Storm
by Lincoln Child

A top-secret undersea government project is rumored to be the recovery of the actual city of Atlantis. When people working on the deep-sea site start encountering unexpected medical problems, however, Dr. Peter Crane is brought on board to help diagnose and treat the problem, and he soon discovers that the scope of the project stretches far beyond Atlantis.

Good plot, good characters--an interesting, enjoyable read.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Hugh Jackman....dainty?

After I mentioned that Abe had a man-crush on Hugh Jackman, my sister-in-law commented that Hugh seemed a bit...dainty....to her.


Does this 6'1" 215 pound man look dainty to you?


25 Things About Abraham: Final Installment

21. Abe has a condition called "congenitally missing permanent teeth," which means that he still has some baby teeth.

22. My husband is a hard-core bibliophile. He loves books-- especially beautiful books: the man drools over the Easton Press catalog as though it were a Playboy. We currently own approximately eight full-sized bookshelves worth of books. Abe is always reading something-- right now, as he lies next to me in bed, it's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He's also currently in the middle of Martin Buber's I and Thou.

23. Abraham is a night owl. His peak hours are generally from 9:00 PM - 3:00 AM. I am, of course, on the perfectly opposite end of that spectrum, and shut down just as he's really finally waking up for the day. He takes advantage of this night-owlishness to get in some quality recreational time, which is extra extra important to him. When I have to choose between sleeping and recreating, I choose sleeping; when faced with the same choice, Abe chooses to recreate. So late at night, while his wife and babies sleep, Abraham watches movies, reads the news, and plays computer games.

24. Though he was raised in New Hampshire, Abe was born in Idaho, on the air force base in Mountain Home. He was born at home, delivered by his father, who later reported that Abraham was a very slippery newborn. His mother had read a biography about Abraham Lincoln during her pregnancy, so they named him after the 16th president of the United States. Abe spent the first two weeks of his life wide awake, which nearly drove his mother mad. I imagine that he was too busy contemplating this strange new existential twist to make time for sleeping.

25. Abraham decided at a young age that he would only kiss a girl if he was sure he loved her. This means that he didn't kiss me until we had been dating for several months, which nearly drove me mad. But the wait was worth it: our first kiss was dizzying.

So there. Now Abraham has made a significant appearance on my blog. He is an adorable and a delightful person, don't you think?

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