Mother's Day #1

I thought you might like to share with me in Donny's first ice cream cone.  It was actually frozen custard from Sheridan's.  Donny wanted to go there for Mother's Day dessert after dinner at Gustav's where he devoured several pieces of rye and pumpernickel bread, half a dill pickle, and a slice of lemon.  The girl at the counter offered Donny a "puppy cone" and I said "why not?" this is what followed.

  
He got bored with the custard quickly, but when I dumped it out and gave him the cone to play with/eat on the way home, he quietly devoured every last morsel!

Happy Mother's Day!  The highlight of the day was when he offered me a kiss at dinner.  He's stingy with those kisses, so that was truly precious!

A fresh perspective

Donny reminds me every day how amazing our world is. He looks at the sky and birds and new people in a way that makes me remember how extraordinary the ordinary really is. We've taken him on a few walks recently, and he jabbers away at everything while behind him, his parents complain about the heat (okay, that was me) and mundane things. Meanwhile, he sits in his place of honor and waves at passersby and anything that entertains him - sometimes his own hand. I don't look at my hands with wonder very often, or look up at the color of the sky when I'm walking between front door and car. He does every time. Babies are such a reminder that the world is a paradise of simple beauties when all around the business of our days absorb all of our youth.

                      

May Day! May Day!

It's been too long since I updated. My days are full of beautiful moments with a beautiful ten month old, growth and ministry with my staff and families at work, and laughs with my amazing husband. This month has had very tough moments as Andy lost his job, but has ultimately been really good because he has been around so much more. We are both catching a vision for a day in the future when we can afford to be a one income family with a stay at home dad. Donny gets very good care and attention from his Daddy, and the dishes miraculously get done while I am at work.

Donny is getting chubbier again this month. I think he is getting ready to grow inches and start crawling to work off the extra chub. At 25 lb he is at the 93% for his age and at 29.5 inches he is at the 75% for height. This little friend of his is two and a half and only out weighs him by one pound.
 
See how he is getting to be such a little boy?
He's got skill! Like holding his bottle with one hand:
 
Ignoring newborn babies (my good friend had a baby last month after being inspired by newborn Donny to start her own family, Donny was totally unimpressed with him)
 
Being generally cute when imitating a grown up sitting on a couch:
 
Faking being upset to get a laugh:
   
and entertaining the parents by taking them for a walk to see the boats on the Columbia:
    

One of our events this month was a dance for the kids in CYT. Donny went along and loved the music. He has started "dancing" in the last couple of weeks. He also took his first assisted steps at the dance. Andy held his hands and he finally got the idea that he could travel if he would move his feet. He is getting more mobile every day. He rolls, twists, wiggles, bounces, and maneuvers his way to the toys that he wants. He isn't crawling yet... although tonight we though for a second that he was on his hands and knees. Turns out he had lunged from a sitting position onto a pile of plastic blocks which temporarily held him up.

Donny talks constantly, lots of babbling and staccato sounds. He loves to imitate Daddy. Tonight he copied a wookie sound and a series of "huh?" "wha?" "uh?" He also says "Hi" "buh buh" and "mama" and waves constantly.

mmmm... I am getting too tired to write more. Here are some pictures of the boy at the dance and with his girafferoo.
  
         

New York and Nine Months

Donny is nine months! He just had his nine month check up and he measured in at 2'5" (75%), 22lb 10 oz (80%), and a 46cm head (75%). He didn't have to have shots, but he was upset anyway because he had to lay on a cold scale with paper on it (icky noises and yucky sensations!). He was also tentative with the doctor because he was cold and mostly naked. But he was given a clean bill of health, and instructions to start trying to crawl. He shook his head "no" to that... but then he shakes his head to everything - happy or sad he is a bouncy, noddy kiddo!

Here he is in his nine month Girafferoo photo. He wasn't particularly happy when we took these pictures, but with a few funny noises from Grandma, he cooperated with a couple of smiles.
   

These weren't actually taken on his nine month birthday. On that day he was with his grandparents while I was in New York City for a week long conference. The separation was much harder on me than on him! Here he is on Easter Sunday in his church clothes. 
 

We went to church at Andy's work so that we could be together on Easter Sunday morning. Afterwards we drove to my parent's home to leave him. I get sick still thinking about leaving him for so long! He loved being spoiled by Grandpa with walks outside (and even a stroll around indoors when the weather was bad).

I saw eight shows (my favorite was The Little Mermaid - Donny is wearing the shirt I brought him in his picture above), got to visit with my friend Ande from New York and Jeff from North Idaho. I learned to navigate the subway and enjoyed the sunny weather.
     

I was so happy to see my little man, my big man, and my mama at the airport when I arrived home! I couldn't get enough of him... still can't! It's amazing how much he's enriched our lives in the last year. Here is a picture of us on March 23, 2007 and exactly a year later in front of the same tree:
  

Donny's first grass experience (very short lived as he started pulling and eating the grass as soon as we set him down)
 

I had a rough day this last week, and when I got home to my little man, I was greeted with this little surprise. Andy said Donny insisted on getting a tattoo. He "relented" after some tears and "let him" get it. Truthfully, Andy just got a bright idea and knew it would make me smile. He was right! What a little charmer!
 

I'll tell you, he has the ability to make me forget my troubles and brighten the dark days - though they are few and far between for me!

10:32 pm