On Tuesday, I woke up with Elijah for his 7am meal. As I was feeding him, I could hear Andrew talking to himself. When I got up to go downstairs, I noticed the door to Andrew's room was shut, so I figured he was in there with Joy, talking to her and stuff.
I went downstairs with Elijah. When I reached the living room, I heard this little voice "hi!". Andrew was crouched by the couch -- no idea why he was crouched, but aparently he'd decided that waking Joy was like trying to wake the dead, and for some reason didn't come to me (like he always does), but instead went downstairs to amuse himself. Thankfully, I couldn't find any trouble he might have gotten himself into, so I think that he just was down here talking. (!) Starting that night though, we began putting up the baby gate at the top of the stairs when we went to bed.
Also that day, Elijah was lying on his tummy crying, and then rolled right over! That's early, I think, and it was kind of startling!
In other news, yesterday, in a moment of desparation to quell a rising fit, Joy gave Andrew her cherry chapstick, which he promptly ate. The photo above shows the little fellow in action. Greg claimed to be grossed out, but it seems to me that Greg may have done something just like that when little...(or maybe older?) =0
Two parents, four children, and our adventures in food, music and travel.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Monday, June 27, 2005
say my name, say my name
Sorry, couldn't help doing a little play on that annoying song (apologies if I offended anyone!) (well I suppose I don't really need to apologize if YOU are the one reading MY blog!) =)
Some people have been wondering how we plan to pronounce Elijah's name. To clear things up:
The "E" is pronounced like the "I" in "it", and the "J" is pronounced like the soft "j" in "Ja-ja Gabor" (not sure if I spelled that name right). If you're still confused, try saying "shhhh", and then adding "voice" to it, and there! You just said a soft J! (This is similar to saying "ssssss" and adding voice to it to make a "z" sound.)
Some people have been wondering how we plan to pronounce Elijah's name. To clear things up:
The "E" is pronounced like the "I" in "it", and the "J" is pronounced like the soft "j" in "Ja-ja Gabor" (not sure if I spelled that name right). If you're still confused, try saying "shhhh", and then adding "voice" to it, and there! You just said a soft J! (This is similar to saying "ssssss" and adding voice to it to make a "z" sound.)
Shows I've Been to Lately
-The Dillinger Escape Plan / Red Yellow / The End / I Am Idaho / Trivium: Feb 7th, Syracuse, NY: This was the first time in a long time that Dillinger were playing a smaller club. Definitely a treat. I didn't see any of the other bands, so no further comments.
-Psyopus / The Red Death / Trivium: Mar, Binghamton, NY: Pretty much everyone needs to witness Psyopus live or recorded. The musicianship of guitarist, Christopher Arp, and drummer, Lee Fisher (formerly of Commit Suicide), is nearly without compare in the metal world. They are both extremely talented musicians. All the other bands that everning sucked.
-Ed Gein / Circle Takes the Square / From a Second Story Window: April 10th, Syracuse, NY: I don't like CTTS, but FASSW, and EG are always good.
-Monster Jam—Monster Truck Competition: June 4th, Syracuse, NY: This was Andrew's first monster truck rally. We met my Dad and Keith there, and got really good seats. Andrew wasn't sure what to think at first, because the trucks are absolutely deafening. They also had motocross racing, and small truck racing in between the monster truck runs. One of the small truck racers was from Little Meadows, and Dad said that he knew who he was. I can't remember his name. Andrew's favorite monster truck, Grave Digger was there, as well as Maximum Destruction, Bounty Hunter and a lot of other big names. Sometime I'll have to take he and Elijah to the world finals in Las Vegas.
-Blindside / Showbread / The Showdown / Symphony In Peril: June 25th, Syracuse, NY: Although I didn't really like The Showdown, it was funny to hear them talk. Not because I'm not used to hearing southern accents. I spent four years of college in North Carolina, and two-and-a-half of those were with a South Carolina room mate, with one of the thickest accents ever. It was just funny to see the reactions of all the upstate New York, hardcore kids when vocalist, Davey Bunton asked, in his thick drawl, if anyone there had never tasted sweet tea before. Probably half the people in the place raised their hands. He went on to explain that this was his first time ever in New York State, and that he already missed the heat and the food, south of the Mason Dixon (As an interesting tangent, I have actually driven down Mason Dixon road. That experience is right up there with driving down Sleater-Kinney road, in Olympia, WA, home of the band Sleater-Kinney, and driving through Bremerton, WA, home of the band MxPx). Showbread was great, as usual, and Blindside was also very good. It was nice to see them play a club, rather than the much larger crowds that I'm sure they get at the festivals.
So anyway, thank's for reading all of this. Not a lot of people care about this stuff, but it's what I like to do.
Gerg
-Psyopus / The Red Death / Trivium: Mar, Binghamton, NY: Pretty much everyone needs to witness Psyopus live or recorded. The musicianship of guitarist, Christopher Arp, and drummer, Lee Fisher (formerly of Commit Suicide), is nearly without compare in the metal world. They are both extremely talented musicians. All the other bands that everning sucked.
-Ed Gein / Circle Takes the Square / From a Second Story Window: April 10th, Syracuse, NY: I don't like CTTS, but FASSW, and EG are always good.
-Monster Jam—Monster Truck Competition: June 4th, Syracuse, NY: This was Andrew's first monster truck rally. We met my Dad and Keith there, and got really good seats. Andrew wasn't sure what to think at first, because the trucks are absolutely deafening. They also had motocross racing, and small truck racing in between the monster truck runs. One of the small truck racers was from Little Meadows, and Dad said that he knew who he was. I can't remember his name. Andrew's favorite monster truck, Grave Digger was there, as well as Maximum Destruction, Bounty Hunter and a lot of other big names. Sometime I'll have to take he and Elijah to the world finals in Las Vegas.
-Blindside / Showbread / The Showdown / Symphony In Peril: June 25th, Syracuse, NY: Although I didn't really like The Showdown, it was funny to hear them talk. Not because I'm not used to hearing southern accents. I spent four years of college in North Carolina, and two-and-a-half of those were with a South Carolina room mate, with one of the thickest accents ever. It was just funny to see the reactions of all the upstate New York, hardcore kids when vocalist, Davey Bunton asked, in his thick drawl, if anyone there had never tasted sweet tea before. Probably half the people in the place raised their hands. He went on to explain that this was his first time ever in New York State, and that he already missed the heat and the food, south of the Mason Dixon (As an interesting tangent, I have actually driven down Mason Dixon road. That experience is right up there with driving down Sleater-Kinney road, in Olympia, WA, home of the band Sleater-Kinney, and driving through Bremerton, WA, home of the band MxPx). Showbread was great, as usual, and Blindside was also very good. It was nice to see them play a club, rather than the much larger crowds that I'm sure they get at the festivals.
So anyway, thank's for reading all of this. Not a lot of people care about this stuff, but it's what I like to do.
Gerg
Elijah's Listening List....
So here's Elijah's listening prefrences for the past week:
Andy Hunter: Life
Stitchie: Kingdom Ambassador
Alteza: Alteza
Pedro the Lion: Achilles Heel
The Aquabats: Charge!!!
Norma Jean: O’God the Aftermath
Woven Hand: Consider the Birds
Underoath: Cries of the Past
Waheed Qassemi: Vol 6.
Plumb: Candy Coated Water Drops
Mexico and Mariachis
Brainchild: Mindwarp
Good call on the new Aquabats CD, Elijah, "look at you, you're a winner!"
Andy Hunter: Life
Stitchie: Kingdom Ambassador
Alteza: Alteza
Pedro the Lion: Achilles Heel
The Aquabats: Charge!!!
Norma Jean: O’God the Aftermath
Woven Hand: Consider the Birds
Underoath: Cries of the Past
Waheed Qassemi: Vol 6.
Plumb: Candy Coated Water Drops
Mexico and Mariachis
Brainchild: Mindwarp
Good call on the new Aquabats CD, Elijah, "look at you, you're a winner!"
Friday, June 24, 2005
RED FRIDAY
You will soon see a lot of people wearing Red on Fridays.
Here's why..... The Americans, who support our troops, are the silent majority. They are not "organized" to reflect who they are, or to reflect what their opinions are.
Here's why..... The Americans, who support our troops, are the silent majority. They are not "organized" to reflect who they are, or to reflect what their opinions are.
Many Americans, like yourself, and their friends, simply want to recognize that Americans support our troops. The idea of showing Americans solidarity and support for our troops is starting Friday and continuing on each and every Friday, until this is over, that every red -blooded American who supports our young men and women, WEAR SOMETHING RED.
Word of mouth, press, TV -- let's see if we all can make the United States, on any given Friday, a sea of red much like a home football game at a University. If every one of who supports our American Troops share this with other acquaintances, fellow workers, friends, and neighbors, One can guarantee, that it will not be long before the USA will be covered in RED - and make our American Troops know there are many people thinking of their well-being.
You will feel better all day Friday when you wear Red! So let all Americans get the word out and lead by example; wear RED on Fridays
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE. FOR US, THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED!! GOD BLESS AMERICA.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
You Might be a Military Wife if...
Interestingly enough, most of this is actually true for me personally, or else I can see it being true in an few years. (!) Not sure if this will ammuse anyone, but I thought it was pretty funny.
..you can unpack a house and have everything in place in 48 hours
..you string concertina wire to keep the neighbor's kids out of your
flower beds
..your husband's work and dress clothes cost more than yours do
..you've changed more oil and mowed more lawns than your husband
because he's never there to do it himself
..your children say "hooah" or "roger that" instead of "ok"
..your husband does a route recon and takes a GPS for a trip to the
mall
..you only write in pencil because EVERYTHING is subject to change
..you need a translator to talk to your civilian friends, only!
because they have no idea what DFAS,AER, TDY, ACS, NPD, PCS, and ETS
mean
..you have a larger selection of curtains than Wal-Mart does
..you can remember where you kept the Scotch tape in your last
house, but unfortunately, not in this one
..you mark time in duty stations, not years
..you refer to friends not only by name but by the state that they
live in
..you know that "back home" doesn't mean at the house you live in now
..you tear up when you hear "Proud to Be An American," even though
you've heard it 50 times by now
..you know that a 2 month separation IS short, no matter what your
civilian friends say
..you ALWAYS know when payday is and get ticked off if there are
more than 2 weekends during that pay period
..you know better than to go to the PX or commissary between 11:30
and 1:30 unless it's a life or death emergency
..you show your military ID to the greeter at Wal-Mart
..you know that any reference to "sand" or a "box" describes NTC at
Ft. Irwin, not your kid's backyard toys
..you find yourself explaining your husband's LES to him
..you have enough camouflage in your house to wallpaper the White
House
..you don't have to think about what time 21:30 is
..you've ever been referred to as "Household 6"
..you start ripping open MREs and looking for the M&Ms when you run
out of Halloween candy
..you can't remember the last time you saw a doctor who wasn't
wearing BDUs
..you've ever had a pet named Scout, Ranger or Sergeant
..the local dry cleaner knows you by your first name
..it only cost you $25 to have a child
..you find that a large number of your clothes and household items
are olive drab or loam, even though you never planned it that way
..you pick apart uniforms on TV and in the movies, even though you
used to yell at! your husband for doing the same thing
..you know what "pogey bait" is and which kinds everyone in your
husband's platoon prefers
..you wish you could go to CIF to DX your old stuff like your
husband can
..you've learned to sleep through the sounds of tanks, planes,
helicopters and artillery simulators
.you give your kids a hand receipt when they take your Tupperware to
school
..you can hate military life but be terrified to leave it all in the
same breath
..you defend your lifestyle no matter how bad things get because you
know there's no other life for you!
..you can unpack a house and have everything in place in 48 hours
..you string concertina wire to keep the neighbor's kids out of your
flower beds
..your husband's work and dress clothes cost more than yours do
..you've changed more oil and mowed more lawns than your husband
because he's never there to do it himself
..your children say "hooah" or "roger that" instead of "ok"
..your husband does a route recon and takes a GPS for a trip to the
mall
..you only write in pencil because EVERYTHING is subject to change
..you need a translator to talk to your civilian friends, only!
because they have no idea what DFAS,AER, TDY, ACS, NPD, PCS, and ETS
mean
..you have a larger selection of curtains than Wal-Mart does
..you can remember where you kept the Scotch tape in your last
house, but unfortunately, not in this one
..you mark time in duty stations, not years
..you refer to friends not only by name but by the state that they
live in
..you know that "back home" doesn't mean at the house you live in now
..you tear up when you hear "Proud to Be An American," even though
you've heard it 50 times by now
..you know that a 2 month separation IS short, no matter what your
civilian friends say
..you ALWAYS know when payday is and get ticked off if there are
more than 2 weekends during that pay period
..you know better than to go to the PX or commissary between 11:30
and 1:30 unless it's a life or death emergency
..you show your military ID to the greeter at Wal-Mart
..you know that any reference to "sand" or a "box" describes NTC at
Ft. Irwin, not your kid's backyard toys
..you find yourself explaining your husband's LES to him
..you have enough camouflage in your house to wallpaper the White
House
..you don't have to think about what time 21:30 is
..you've ever been referred to as "Household 6"
..you start ripping open MREs and looking for the M&Ms when you run
out of Halloween candy
..you can't remember the last time you saw a doctor who wasn't
wearing BDUs
..you've ever had a pet named Scout, Ranger or Sergeant
..the local dry cleaner knows you by your first name
..it only cost you $25 to have a child
..you find that a large number of your clothes and household items
are olive drab or loam, even though you never planned it that way
..you pick apart uniforms on TV and in the movies, even though you
used to yell at! your husband for doing the same thing
..you know what "pogey bait" is and which kinds everyone in your
husband's platoon prefers
..you wish you could go to CIF to DX your old stuff like your
husband can
..you've learned to sleep through the sounds of tanks, planes,
helicopters and artillery simulators
.you give your kids a hand receipt when they take your Tupperware to
school
..you can hate military life but be terrified to leave it all in the
same breath
..you defend your lifestyle no matter how bad things get because you
know there's no other life for you!
Strawberry picking
Today Joy, Andrew, Elijah and I went strawberry picking. The berries were completely perfect. When we got there you could smell their perfume on the air, and once we got to the fields we couldn't help but eat at least a quart each. (I say at least, because Andrew probably ate 2 or 3 quarts -- thankfully they don't weigh you before and after!) =)
Part way through picking, Elijah got jealous that everyone else was eating, so I sat down right in the middle of the strawberry field to nurse him. First time nursing him in the baby sling, but it worked out quite well, and he was a happy camper.
For those of you who have never gone berry picking before, I urge you to try it. The extra work of picking totally pays off in the end because you have perfect, sun-ripened produce to bring home rather than whitish, tart, perhaps somewhat bruised fruit you can buy at the store.
We had to stop and get some heavy cream on the way home -- strawberry shortcake tonight!!
Part way through picking, Elijah got jealous that everyone else was eating, so I sat down right in the middle of the strawberry field to nurse him. First time nursing him in the baby sling, but it worked out quite well, and he was a happy camper.
For those of you who have never gone berry picking before, I urge you to try it. The extra work of picking totally pays off in the end because you have perfect, sun-ripened produce to bring home rather than whitish, tart, perhaps somewhat bruised fruit you can buy at the store.
We had to stop and get some heavy cream on the way home -- strawberry shortcake tonight!!
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Great Grace
So I could have titled this blog Amazing Grace, but didn't want to be clichéd; Grace would have a serious problem with that. =)
Since Elijah was born exactly two weeks ago, Grace has stayed with us here and has helped me immeasurably with the little guys. She has taken it upon herself to do housework without being told what to do, cooked, and has pretty much run the household for me while I've rested and gathered strength after the marathon of labor. I cannot thank her enough; she has been a true lifesaver, as well as a great companion to me each day.
Today Hannah drove up with my mom and Joy, Christopher, Joel and Rachel to pick up Grace and drop off Joy. Joy will be with us for the next week-and-a-half (until the 4th of July weekend). As Greg said yesterday "Grace has pretty much kicked butt the past two weeks, so Joy has pretty big shoes to fill." quite high praise from someone like him. In the few hours since the "nanny swap", Joy has been proving herself to be up for the challenge. Go Joy!
Thank God for little sisters.
Since Elijah was born exactly two weeks ago, Grace has stayed with us here and has helped me immeasurably with the little guys. She has taken it upon herself to do housework without being told what to do, cooked, and has pretty much run the household for me while I've rested and gathered strength after the marathon of labor. I cannot thank her enough; she has been a true lifesaver, as well as a great companion to me each day.
Today Hannah drove up with my mom and Joy, Christopher, Joel and Rachel to pick up Grace and drop off Joy. Joy will be with us for the next week-and-a-half (until the 4th of July weekend). As Greg said yesterday "Grace has pretty much kicked butt the past two weeks, so Joy has pretty big shoes to fill." quite high praise from someone like him. In the few hours since the "nanny swap", Joy has been proving herself to be up for the challenge. Go Joy!
Thank God for little sisters.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Fresh Milk (WARNING: content may be considered PG to some)
Fresh milk. What image does that phrase inspire? Sterile containers lined up side-by-side in a grocery cooler? A frosty glass set next to a plate of sweet stuff? How about thin, sweet, warm, dispensed from something soft and comfortable?
"It's just weird to think that there are people who rely on boobs to survive", Grace said to me the other day. It is a weird thought if you consider it like that. Elijah, of course, doesn't think it's weird. Andrew thinks it's fascinating, and wonders if he can do it too. Greg's guys at work think it's a little embarrassing (well, especially when they come striding over to see the baby and nearly lift the blanket to "watch him sleep") But really, tiny people all over the globe are relying on breasts to keep them alive. Hmmm.
To read up more on this amazing topic, check out the book that inspired this post, Fresh Milk: The Secret Life Of Breasts by Fiona Giles for unusual real-life accounts, surveys, and even recipes. (Yes, I said recipes. Are you afraid to eat at my house?) =)
"It's just weird to think that there are people who rely on boobs to survive", Grace said to me the other day. It is a weird thought if you consider it like that. Elijah, of course, doesn't think it's weird. Andrew thinks it's fascinating, and wonders if he can do it too. Greg's guys at work think it's a little embarrassing (well, especially when they come striding over to see the baby and nearly lift the blanket to "watch him sleep") But really, tiny people all over the globe are relying on breasts to keep them alive. Hmmm.
To read up more on this amazing topic, check out the book that inspired this post, Fresh Milk: The Secret Life Of Breasts by Fiona Giles for unusual real-life accounts, surveys, and even recipes. (Yes, I said recipes. Are you afraid to eat at my house?) =)
Thursday, June 16, 2005
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