Death of a Pumpkin

Last weekend, and an incredibly beautiful weekend it was, we went way out into Virginia to go to Cox Farms. Cox Farms is a pretty cool place that's open every fall and they have lots of pumpkins and stuff. This last weekend was the last weekend they were open, which means.....time to get rid of all the pumpkins! There was a trebuchet that launched pumpkins several hundred feet into the lake. But by far Levi's favorite thing was the guy who lifted a bunch of pumpkins sixty feet into the air on a manlift and dropped them SMASH! onto a cement pad. Some were even filled with mustard, or applesauce or jelly. It was sweet, literally! We were there with some people from church and some kids from FACETS, but enough talk, let's see some pictures!

Levi playing on the hay house with Diana! FUN FUN FUN!

Maybe Levi doesn't want to be a mouse....

Ah, the hayride. Levi would do this all day, every day if he could.

Daddy and Levi. Just hanging out.

Mr. Fantastic introduces Levi to the mouse.

Erudite Animal?

Today, Levi and I were playing a silly game wherein we would go back and forth saying silly things in silly voices. At one point I said the pirate classic, "Arrr!" Levi responded with , "Arrr!" and then, in the same growly, piratey voice, "P!" and "S!" and then, in his regular sweet little boy voice, "tiger!"
Apparently, what I had meant to be a pirate came across as a tiger saying his letters.

No, no, no

So now Levi is 2 and he is able to ask for things more and more readily and understandably when he wants them. And I find that I am saying no more than I ever expected to. Here is a transcript - more or less - from our 10 minute drive to pick up Daddy from the train station.

Levi: Crash car?
Mom: No, I'm not going to crash the car.
Levi: Crash schoolbus?
Mom: No, we can't crash into the schoolbus.
Levi: Crash cars?
Mom: No, we can't crash into those cars.
Levi: Crash schoolbus?
Mom: No, we can't crash into the schoolbus.
Levi: Go!
Mom: We can't go, the light is red.
Levi: Go!
Mom: We can't go, the light is red.
Levi: Crash car?
Mom: No, we can't crash the car.
Levi: Turtle Park?
Mom: No, we can't go to Turtle Park, we're going to get Daddy.
Levi: Slurpee? (as we pass 7-11)
Mom: That's right, they have Slurpees there.
Levi: Get Slurpee?
Mom: No, we can't get a Slurpee now, we're going to get Daddy.
Levi: Daddy!
Mom: Yes, there's Daddy!

The Onion is Inside Levi's Head

This is weird. I think this is exactly what Levi thinks....


Fire Truck! Fire Truck! Fire Truck!
Look, out the window! A fire truck! I've seen drawings of fire trucks in my picture books, of course, but how could I have ever known how pale and insignificant those crude representations were in comparison to the real thing! Fire truck! Oh, great God in heaven, fire truck! This has got to be the most moving of mankind's creations, and perhaps of nature's, as well.

This whirlwind of sensory input is almost more than my tiny mind can process! Mere words cannot begin to convey what I am feeling! This incredible, life-changing, soul-shattering wonder is... Why, it is beyond description!

Run! Run to the window as fast as your giant legs can carry you! Whatever you are doing right now, place it aside for a moment—it can't possibly be as important as the opportunity to see a fire truck with your own eyes.

This is quite possibly the greatest experience of my life thus far.

How do I even begin to describe its magnificence? First off, it is big—bigger than anything I could ever imagine! Secondly, it's painted an incredible, alarming, eye-catching red! Thirdly, it makes the most attention-grabbing sounds: whistles, bangs, gearshifts, bells. And that siren! Of all the noises, the siren is surely the best! I wonder if, somehow—but no, surely not—unless... Well, could I? Could I possibly? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE... No, that's not right: It's high-pitched enough, but missing some crucial... OOOOOOOOOO... No, again, it's got the booming quality, but lacks the screechingly irritating aspect of the higher register. Wait! What if I combine the two, in an alternating series of high- and low-frequency modulations, and belt it out at the top of my lungs? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOO,EEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOO! That's it! That's the same noise that the fire truck is making! EEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOOOOO, EEEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOO! EEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOOOOOO, EEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOO! Oh, God. I could make this noise all day! I never want to do anything else!

And now—am I really seeing this? It can't be! Surely there are not colorfully dressed men with powerful bodies, brave expressions, and purposeful toolbelts hanging off the side of the fire truck as it careens around the corner! If this is a dream, let me never wake. Look at their hats! They have the most wonderful hats ever made! I must acquire a child-sized version of such a hat! They are the most large and most yellow hats I have ever seen.

That's it: My fate in this life is sealed. I must become one of these men. Nothing will ever sway me from this goal.

But what a spectacle it is! You must come and look upon this immediately! This fire truck is blowing my mind. It is as if God Himself has created this piece of machinery just for me! But it will not be here long. It is driving away. It grows quieter and quieter as it recedes from my visual field and...

It is gone. It was only here for one fleeting moment, and you never even saw it. This is the greatest tragedy that has ever occurred. My faith in the universe is shaken to its core by the magnitude of what you have missed. If only you had listened to me. You may never be able to comprehend my experience, for I have seen the fire truck, and I will never think about anything else again as long as I live.

Huh? What is... Why... Afgh! Airplane! Airplane! Mommy! Airplane! Don't bother with those towels! Don't you see? Look! There is an actual airplane in the sky!

Poetry Thursday

Travel

By Edna St. Vincent Millay

The railroad track is miles away,
And the day is loud with voices speaking,
Yet there isn't a train goes by all day
But I hear its whistle shrieking.

All night there isn't a train goes by,
Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming,
But I see its cinders red on the sky,
And hear its engine steaming.

My heart is warm with friends I make,
And better friends I'll not be knowing;
Yet there isn't a train I'd rather take,
No matter where it's going.

Hey baby!

So, Levi's cousins were down visiting from Rhode Island last weekend. He really had a great time playing with Xandra, and he's definitely been missing her since she left Tuesday morning. Anyway, I thought I'd recount a cute thing that happened while they were here.

We were eating dinner Sunday night. Xandra was sitting in Levi's high chair (she's 19 months) and Levi was sitting in a grown-up chair on a phone book. The gigantic 4-month old Samantha was sitting peacefully in her umm....baby....thingy. All of a sudden, Levi stands up on his chair, turns around and says "Baby, come on! Eating dinner, sandwich!" Which, roughly translated, means "Hey, baby, come here! We're all eating dinner and you can have a sandwich!" I guess that means we've instilled the fact that dinner is family time pretty well!

We'll try to write more about their visit soon, hopefully with some pictures...

Poetry Thursday X

Little Black Bug
Margaret Wise Brown

Little black bug,
Little black bug
Where have you been?
I've been under the rug,
Said little black bug.
Bug-ug-ug-ug.

Little green fly,
Little green fly,
Where have you been?
I've been way up high,
Said little green fly.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Little old mouse,
Little old mouse,
Where have you been?
I've been all through the house
Said little old mouse.
Squeak-eak-eak-eak-eak.

Doctor

Levi saw the Doctor on Monday for his 2 year check up. He is doing well developmentally, but not so well growth wise. He gained no weight in the last month and has fallen below the 5th percentile. He is doing somewhat better in how much food he eats, but the weight issue is somewhat worrisome. Also though, keep in mind that these are small numbers we're dealing with as far as average growth, so the margin of error is quite significant. I am looking over the mini-record I keep and in the last year he has grown about 2.5 inches and gained about a pound. Which means that there are probably quite a few 1 year olds out there that are bigger than him. We are trying to meet with the doctor every month or so, so we'll keep you posted.

Poetry Thursday IX

In September

I walked down the lane
Past the maple tree,
And Post Man wind
Brought a note to me--
A small yellow note
From my friend the tree!

You call it a "leaf"
Just drifting down?
Why, it says, "Old Winter
Will soon be in town!
So it's really a letter
The tree sent down!

Eleanor Hammond

Memory Lane Monday VI

These pictures are from the first time Levi went on a boat. We were camping with Auntie Leah, Aunt Mary and Grandpa Frank. We were at Banks Lake in eastern Washington. It was really a lot of fun. Levi liked being on the boat, but was a little nervous when we were going. He is sitting on Auntie Leah's lap in the picture and mommy is behind hi m. All in all it made him really tired and thirsty. Levi took care of the former and Daddy helped him with the latter. He is about 9 months old here.

Here's What People Said

So, Levi was baptised last Sunday. We read several blessings/letters to him from different family members, but a lot of people at the service probably couldn't hear them, so here they are in writing

Dearest Levi,

Blessings on you on the day of your baptism. I wish that when you grow up you be a good man, go to a good school and get a good scholarship.

God Bless,
Aunt Mary

Dear Levi,

Today is your baptism and you are almost two. You were born on October 7, 2003, the happiest day of my life. May God bless you with friends, love and hope as you grow into a man. I am so proud of you and you have the best parents.

With Love,
Uncle George

Levi,

I hope I am able to be a good mentor throughout your life. I hope I am able to witness your development from a beautiful young boy into the man that I know you'll become. The man with a kind soul, a strong will, and a heart nearly the size of his great blue eyes. How could you not become that man with the mother and father your have? And if you're ever in a jam, know that there is always God to guide you. You're never alone.

I love you,
Uncle Peter

To my baby Levi,
Love is the basis of all things. As you grow and start to see life in your own way, I pray that you see the beauty and purity in all things.
Never lose hope that in the end, love will prevail. Believe and trust in God for He will always be there for you, there to protect and guide you. Love is delicate and life is sweet, so live simply and love everthing about it.

Love always,
Auntie Claire

Levi,

We want to offer our love and support on your special day even though we could not be there. you are always in our thoughts and prayers. We are so glad to be a part of your life. It is amazing to think that one day you will be a man, and we would be honored if we could help you on your journey. Congratulations on your baptism.

Love,
Jennifer, Clinton, Elyse, and Kylee Endicott

Dear Levi, Maggie, and Schuyler,

Both Rachel and I wish we could be there with your on this wonderful day. We miss you all very much.

Levi, it is hard to believe that you are about to surpass another important milestone in your young life. Your are growing up so fast. Be comfortable knowing that as you journey through life, your are not alone. You are loved and supported, not only by your Mom and Dad, but also by all of your family annd friends. Enjoy today, be happy, be proud! And thankful for all you have.

Congratulations on your baptism. Aunt Rachel and Grandpa Frank love you very much and we are so very proud.

My dearest Levi,

As you grow in age and wisdom, may God's grace and love shine within you and may you always reflect that love.

With love and prayers,
Your loving Grandpa Dwight

Children are a very clear reminder that we are stewards of God's creation. He puts them into our lives and gives us the responsibility of "training them up in the way they should go." It doesn't take long to realize this is a task we cannot do well without God's help. We, as grandparents, are well pleased that you, Schuyler and Maggie, are putting Levi in God's hands and are dedicating yourselves to raising him in a way that honors God. Our prayer for you is that, as you keep your eyes focused on God, Levi will learn from you and develop his own personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

We look forward to watching Levi grow in his knowledge of, and relationship to, the Lord. We commit ourselves to pray for you and to provide support and encouragement to you in this wonderful journey.

Love in our Lord,
Grandpa and Grandma St. Lawrence

Poetry Thursday

H. Baptism II
by George Herbert


Since, Lord, to thee
A narrow way and little gate
Is all the passage, on my infancy
Thou didst lay hold, and antedate
My faith in me.

O let me still
Write thee great God, and me a child:
Let me be soft and supple to thy will,
Small to my self, to others mild,
Behither ill.

Although by stealth
My flesh get on, yet let her sister
My soul bid nothing, but preserve her wealth:
The growth of flesh is but a blister;
Childhood is health.

A Fun Time in Boston

A couple of weekends ago, Levi, Mom and Dad went to Boston for a couple of days. We were able to meet up with Aunt Liz, Uncle Matthew and cousins


Alexandra (18 months)



and Samantha (3 months).

Daddy had a conference to go to but we got to explore Boston, see the children's museum and catch up with family. Levi and Zandra had a great time together. She is just about his size and very affectionate.

She made Levi a little nervous at times, but he sure does love her. He looked for her after she was gone. They ran around and played together.




Zandra taught Levi to take bites of rice cake.



He thought it was great fun to take a bite and spit the pieces all over the hotel room floor, but at least he was taking bites and learning to use his teeth. Overall, it was a really fun time and we are looking forward to them coming to see us.

Memory Lane Monday V

This is not a picture of a specific interesting memory, but Auntie Leah left today and we miss her, so we thought we'd show a memory with her in it. Levi in this picture is about 6 months old. We were at the best burger place in the world. At this time, we lived in Moses Lake and Auntie Leah lived in Seattle, so we were pretty close together and could see each other fairly often. It's hard being so far away from family and we miss them dearly, but we have also made wonderful friends here. We only wish we could be near both somehow.

A couple of new photos

Here is Levi enjoying a mimosa with breakfast. Oh wait no, that's Boost Breeze. The lengths that mommy will go to to get him to eat more of that stuff. sheesh.




What do you think is a better story? Time out didn't work so we made Levi scrub the floor? Or, Levi found out grandma was coming and mommy wasn't cleaning, so he took matters into his own hands?

A Levi Update

Here is an update for any of you following Levi's eating and growing situation. Levi had an appointment at the pediatrician yesterday. He has gained about 4 grams per day in the last month. The goal is 6. That's not too bad, he is staying steady at about the 5th percentile. The doctor was fairly happy with his progress and pleased that he is starting to sleep through the night better. As far as following advice and directives from Levi's various care providers we are doing our best. Some of the advice seems to be conflicting. Here is a summary:

From the pediatrician at Georgetown and the feeding team nurse at CNMC (they confer often) :
1. Get him to sleep all the way through the night without nursing. (working on it)
2. Nurse him no more than five times during the day. (will start working on it after we succeed at the first one)
3. Do not nurse him in the two hours before a meal. (see previous one)
4. Do not nurse him directly after a meal. (see previous two)
5. Try to get him to take 24oz of Pediasure or other nutritional drink a day. (seems impossible at this time - working on it)
6. Do not give him juice/juice smoothies, as they are more filling than nutritional. (hmm)

From the feeding team child psychiatrist at CNMC:
7. Remain emotionally neutral during meals. Do not scold for not eating or praise for eating. (a good idea in theory - we try)
8.Give him a meal or snack every three to four hours and nothing in between. (not working out - see number 4)
9. No playing during meals. (hmm)
10. Time out in high chair for misbehaving during a meal. (tried it once, didn't work, may try it again eventually)
11. Keep him at meal for 20 minutes. (mostly successful)

From the occupational therapist:
12. Brush him with a soft brush and run a thumb across the roof of his mouth every two hours. (we are trying, there is some biting, some forgetting and some schedule conflicts)
13. Bounce him on a ball and tip him sideways regularly to build his abs and help with his balance reactions. (we do this sometimes)
14. Give him things like twizzlers to chew on. (he won't try it)
15. Give him tubs full of different textured things, ie a rice box, a pasta box, a bean box etc. (we've done the rice box)
16. Buy him toys that have unusual texture or vibrate. (have some, always looking for more)
17. Get him to carry around heavy things to work on his strength. (hmm)
18. Give him more advanced textures of things he likes, like juice smoothies. (see number 5)
19. Have him blow out candles, blow bubbles, blow into a straw etc to work on his mouth muscles. (do it every day)
20. Give him lots of stuffed animal kisses around the mouth. (do it)
21. Engage in lots of rough play including air swinging and swinging him in a sheet or large towel. (do it sometimes)
22.Attempt to narrow his base of support when he is sitting. (try, he is not very cooperative)

From the develpmental evaluator at Georgetown:
We are terrible parents and everything we do is wrong and selfish. (we aren't going back to her)

Poetry Thursday IX

The Swarm of Bees
Elsa Gorham Baker

One little honeybee by my window flew;
Soon came another - then there were two.
Two happy honeybees in the appletree;
One more bee came buzzing up - then there were three.
Three busy honeybees starting to explore
Another bee came to help - then there were four.
Four laden honeybees flying to the hive;
They were joined by one more bee - then there were five.
Five tired honeybees with the others mix;
Now there's a swarm of them - a hundred times six.

Revenge of the Dirt

So, yesterday our church had the first of its September outdoor services. After the service, we had a good old-fashioned cookout/potluck/playtime. Levi didn't really get into the food part, but he sure did like playing. At first, the trampoline was his favorite, but that was before he discovered the wonders of dirt. He also had a great time playing with Stacy and Driving Mr. Fantastic's car.

Memory Lane Monday IV

That's Levi rolling around on the floor of our newly vacant apartment in Moses Lake. The movers had just finished packing everything up, and as a last goodbye, Levi wanted to roll around on the ugly carpet one more time. It was actually a little sad, leaving that place, the house that Levi first called home. After a couple days with the folks, we said goodbye to Washington State and moved all the way to DC. What an adventure.

Poetry Thurday VIII

The Little Turtle
by Vachel Lindsay

There was a little turtle
Who lived in a box.
He swam in the puddles
And climbed on the rocks.
He snapped at the mosquito,
He snapped at the flea.
He snapped at the minnow,
And he snapped at me.
He caught the mosquito,
He caught the flea.
He caught the minnow,
But he didn't catch me

Memory Lane Monday III

This picture is of Levi and Daddy on Easter of 2004. Levi is about 6 months old and Daddy is about 292 1/2 months old. We went up to the mountains for part of the day with Mom's side of the family. Levi loved it up there and was fascinated with the trees and the water. And there were so many places to hide eggs! Levi wasn't really interested in eggs at that point, but his aunts and uncles were. And he got to watch Daddy swing an axe, which was pretty cool.

Poetry Thurday VII

On Our Way

What kind of walk shall we take today?
Leap like a frog? Creep like a snail?
Scamper like a squirrel with a furry tail?

Flutter like a butterfly? Chicken Peck?
Stretch like a turtle with a poking-out neck?

Trot like a pony, clip clop clop?
Swing like a monkey in a treetop?

Scuttle like a crab? Kangaroo jump?
Plod like a camel with an up-and-down hump?

We could even try a brand-new way
Walking down the street
On our own two feet.

Eve Merriam

Memory Lane Monday II

It's that time again!



This was Levi's first baseball game ever! He made it through a few innings before falling asleep. It was the only game he went to in Seattle. By the way, April in Seattle is cold.

Poetry Thurday VI

Upside Down

It's funny how beetles
and creatures like that
can walk upside down
as well as walk flat:

They crawl on a ceiling
and climb on a wall
without any practice
or trouble at all,

While I have been trying
for a year (maybe more)
and still I can't stand
with my head on the floor.

Aileen Fisher

Crashing and Counting

So, yesterday, Levi and I were playing this really awesome game with a garage/gas station playset that he has (thanks Grandma and Grandpa). The game goes like this:
1. line up two or three cars on a twisting slide
2. Say "1, 2, 3 GO!" and let the cars all go down the slide
3. Say "OH MY GOSH" and laugh like crazy when the cars all crash together at the bottom
4. Repeat

So after about 10 or 15 minutes of this I say to Levi, "okay, now this time, you count!" We line up the cars and he says...
"One, Two, Free, Four, Five, SSSeven, eight, nine, ten, ehven, telve, firteen, fo'een, GO!"

Maggie and I just looked at each other, a little shocked. Who knew our little guy could count to 14! It's not like we really work with him a lot on counting or anything. Now if only he could eat as well as he counts...

P.S. We are planning an early retirement due to our son's genius abilities in Math. It's such a lucrative field and I'm sure he'll be world champion by the time he is 22 so that means lots o' cash. Oh, wait. That's not Math, that's golf! Well back to the 401k I guess.

Memory Lane Monday I

This is a picture of Levi at about 4 1/2 months. He's wide-eyed and happy and ready to go. Isn't it cool how much he's changed, but also how much he is still the same?

Poetry Thursday V

Cradle song of the Elephants
A Brazilian lullaby

The little elephant was crying
because it did not want to sleep...
Go to sleep, my little elephant,
the moon is going to hear you weep.

Papa elephant is near.
I hear him bellowing among the mangoes.
Go to sleep, my little elephant,
the moon will hear my little fellow...

Adriano del Valle
translated by Alida Malkus

Poetry Thursday IV

Bleezer's Ice Cream
By Jack Prelutsky

I am Ebenezer Bleezer,
I run BLEEZER'S ICE CREAM STORE,
there are flavors in my freezer
you have never seen before,
twenty-eight divine creations
too delicious to resist,
why not do yourself a favor,
try the flavors on my list:

COCOA MOCHA MACARONI
TAPIOCA SMOKED BALONEY
CHECKERBERRY CHEDDAR CHEW
CHICKEN CHERRY HONEYDEW
TUTTI-FRUTTI STEWED TOMATO
TUNA TACO BAKED POTATO
LOBSTER LITCHI LIMA BEAN
MOZZARELLA MANGOSTEEN
ALMOND HAM MERINGUE SALAMI
YAM ANCHOVY PRUNE PASTRAMI
SASSAFRAS SOUVLAKI HASH
SUKIYAKI SUCCOTASH
BUTTER BRICKLE PEPPER PICKLE
POMEGRANATE PUMPERNICKEL
PEACH PIMENTO PIZZA PLUM
PEANUT PUMPKIN BUBBLEGUM
BROCCOLI BANANA BLUSTER
CHOCOLATE CHOP SUEY CLUSTER
AVOCADO BRUSSELS SPROUT
PERIWINKLE SAUERKRAUT
COTTON CANDY CARROT CUSTARD
CAULIFLOWER COLA MUSTARD
ONION DUMPLING DOUBLE DIP
TURNIP TRUFFLE TRIPLE FLIP
GARLIC GUMBO GRAVY GUAVA
LENTIL LEMON LIVER LAVA
ORANGE OLIVE BAGEL BEET
WATERMELON WAFFLE WHEAT

I am Ebenezer Bleezer,
I run BLEEZER'S ICE CREAM STORE,
taste a flavor from my freezer,
you will surely ask for more.

Hello Grandma and Grandpa, and goodbye...

Well, we just had a great whirlwind visit from grandma and grandpa. We did more stuff than it seems like should be possible! We went to...

• The Natural History Museum
• The Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum
• Shenandoah National Park
• Warrenton (Foster Grille)
• Arlington National Cemetary
• The US Marine Corps Monument (Iwo Jima Memorial)
• The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
• Turtle Park
• Cafe Deluxe

All in all it was a great weekend+. Levi really loves his grandparents and was so happy to have them here. When he woke up in the morning, he would do his usual routine of hanging out in bed, snuggled up with mom and dad. Until he remembered that Grandma and Grandpa were upstairs, at which point he would rush for the door to go see them. I'm worried that he's really going to miss them tomorrow when he wakes up and finds them gone. I know that they are going to miss him. Sometimes I wish we hadn't moved so far away from all our family. No matter how good your friends are, nothing can replace family.



We love you, Grandma and Grandpa


-Dad

Poetry Thursday III

The Tiger

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forest of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And What shoulder, and what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

William Blake

A Quick Observation

It is absolutely adorable when your toddler picks up the broom and starts sweeping the floor or when he picks up the phone, holds it to his ear and says, "Hello?". It is not so adorable when he picks up the hammer and starts banging it on the wall.

Tales from Ethan's Birthday

Being totally clothed and covered in pudding is okay....




but nothing beats being shirtless and covered in pudding!

A little mess

Levi was very impish tonight and gave me a much needed laugh. Dad gave him a piece of chocolate, which he was carrying around sucking on. (I guess he will eat some things). He came to visit me at the computer and I said, "Where's your chocolate?" Dad said, "He doesn't have it? Uh-Oh, that means it's on the floor somewhere." He went searching for the elusive piece of chocolate and found it--on his tie. Levi had pulled the tie down from where it was hanging and deposited his chocolate on it. I'm not really sure what Levi's motivation was, but it we sure laughed.
-Mom

Poetry Thursday II

Here is another poem for Daddy's Poetry Thursday from my book, Poems for Little Ones:

My feet took a walk in the heavenly grass.
All day while the sky shone clear as glass.
My feet took a walk in the heavenly grass,
All night while the lonesome stars rolled past.

From "Heavenly Grass"
Tennessee Williams

Rocking Out!

Night Kisses

Levi has been feeling sick for the last couple days (Deanna, Sam, Ryan, Becky, we're really sorry if Ethan or Sophie get sick. We didn't know until it was too late!) so he hasn't been sleeping very well. On Sunday night, Mom and I stayed up quite late reading the new Harry Potter book. When we went to bed Levi was fine. He didn't wake up or anything. About two hours later he wakes up and starts tapping me saying "Daddy, daddy, daddy." Eventually I wake up and he says "tiss?" and leans forward so I can give him a kiss. I do. Then he says "tank ooo" and lays down and goes right back to sleep. I love being a dad.

-Dad

Poetry Thursday

Here is a poem for Daddy's poetry Thursday from my book, Poems for Little Ones:

I love to see the big white moon,
A-shining in the sky;
I love to see the little stars,
When shadow clouds go by.

I love the raindrops falling
On my rooftop in the night;
I love the soft wind's sighing,
Before the dawn's gray light.

From "My Loves"
By Langston Hughes

OT Today

So Levi had his third session of occupational therapy today. It had been awhile and the therapist was pleased with his progress. He played with some balls and a swing and a whistle. We are going to be working with him at home and going to therapy every two weeks to discuss his progress. We will be encouraging him to try different flavours of food and to play with different textures. We are also going to be working on his balance judgement by tipping him sideways. We will continue to brush him every two hours with a soft brush and run our thumb across the roof of his mouth (I'm not kidding about those things). We will let you know how it goes. Hopefully we will have a more interesting cute story next time.
-Mom

Don't Cry Levi, You're at DISNEYLAND!!!

So, we have a lot of catching up to do. Let's get it started.

Back in March, the three of us took a trip out to Southern California. The main reason we went out there was not a happy one; Maggie's uncle Chuck passed away last winter and his "Celebration of Life" took place over Easter Weekend. But since it's not every day we get to go to the OC, we decided to take advantage of it and visit DISNEYLAND!!! while we were there.

Levi really loved Disneyland, though I think it completely wore him out. He slept for about three days straight when we got back home. His favorite rides were It's a Small World and The Adventures of Pooh. He did not like Splash Mountain. Ha ha, just kidding. He loved it. Levi really liked seeing all the big characters in person, too. But, by far, his favorite thing was the fountain. The Bug's Life fountain. He would have stayed there all day if we let him.

Now from our point of view, Disneyland was a lot different. This was the first time we had been there with a toddler, and it definitely changes things. We were there for four days, and we still didn't get to do everything! Now don't get us wrong, it was still fun, maybe even more fun, it was just different. It's a good thing we had Aunties Leah and Rachel along for the ride, too, since that gave us a chance to get away by ourselves a little.

So, to recap: Disneyland is fun. We hope to make a trip there an annual event, though we'll see if it actually works out that way. As Levi gets older it's probably only going to get more and more fun, so I can't wait!


P.S. If you want a copy of any of the picture in this, or any, post, just right click (control-click for you Mac users) and select "save picture to computer."

Writing on the Wall

Levi knows now that he is not allowed to color on the wall. Today, he was drawing with markers on a sheet of paper, (a lovely picture) and I said, "This is great, we'll have to hang it on the wall."
Levi misunderstood me. He thought I said we should color on the wall. His eyes lit up, he said "yeah," laughed and ran towards the wall, marker in hand. I said, "No, sweetie, we can't color on the wall, that's not what I meant."
He looked visibly disappointed, but resignedly went back to coloring without complaint. Such a sweet boy.
-Mom

Bus?

Rock? Car?

Grass?

Nurse? Nap?