Keeping up with the Meyers

Montreal Day 3

2011-06-15T19:52:00.000-05:00

We are figuring out this city and starting to settle in a bit. We've been to the neighborhood/city where our new house is, Cote-St-Luc (CSL), and have signed Micah up for swimming lessons, swim team, and nursery camp! We also bought a CSL Fun Card which gives us access to many of the park and rec facilities for free! We don't move into our new house until July 9th, but it's nice to be able to get to know some people before then. Micah's swim lessons and swim team start on Saturday so hopefully we'll start to make some friends! It would be nice to have someone to invite over on Micah's 4th birthday (July 17th).

We have also decided on a preschool for Micah: Curzon Preschool in Montreal Ouest. It's a small co-op school that's mostly in English, but there is one French teacher who speaks to the kids mostly in French. One perk that I'm excited about is that they do ice skating in the winter for gym!

Let's see, what else have we done? We have signed our mortgage and gotten all of our back accounts up and running. Tomorrow we will go to apply for the Quebec provincial health insurance. Also, with help from the free grocery shopping service at the hotel, we have a kitchen stocked enough for lunch and dinner (the hotel provides breakfast everyday) so we don't have to eat out all the time. What a relief!

Honestly, with two little kids (one being just a wee two-month-old!) I don't get to do what I want...ever. But, you might be wondering, what am I looking forward to doing when the time is right? I am looking forward to visiting Atwater Market, which is right down the street from our hotel. Also, I am looking forward to going to Ikea with Junia (when Micah is at camp) to scope out the furniture we will need: new bedroom furniture for Micah and a couch for the living room. The current owners are leaving the master bedroom furniture. So nice!

We are surviving in temporary housing quite well, all things considered. We are living in a small one bedroom place until July 9th. I have managed to organize our things well enough, and to rearrange the furniture to make it seem bigger than it looked when we first walked in. Even so, I am counting down the days. We are about to open a bottle of wine to celebrate getting halfway through the first week. It might seem silly to do this, but honestly, it's the little things that help get us through. :-)

Montreal Day 1

2011-06-13T21:07:00.002-05:00

We have survived our first full day in Montreal! We cleared the contents of our truck through customs where we found out that upright baby walkers are illegal in Canada. But since they had to confiscate that AND we had two little kids, they gave us a break and cleared our car without inspecting it. So, we also retrieved our car from the moving company warehouse and returned our rental car to the airport. (Oh! You may be wondering how we got to our hotel from the airport since we completely filled both of my parents care going to the airport in Madison. We called Zelko Zilik, another prof in Brett's dept at McGill, and he met us in a minivan and drove most of our luggage to our hotel so that we could rent a smaller car. So kind!) We also went to the underground city again and bought Micah a little Air Canada plane. We also got a Bell Canada cell phone plan and new smart phone! Woo! I'm so excited to learn how to use my new smart phone! We made it back to the hotel by 7:45pm to put the kids to bed. Tomorrow (hopefully) won't be as busy.

In addition to all of this, we had two major successes. 1) Brett successfully navigated us from the airport to our hotel without a GPS and without accidentally sending us back to the airport to start over (which happened yesterday). 2) I successfully navigated us to the toy store without completely overshooting it and having to backtrack a whole city block (which happened the last time we went there). Yay!

Camping!

2010-10-10T17:49:00.010-05:00

We FINALLY went camping with Micah for the first time. It was a lot of fun and Micah really enjoyed himself. The first thing he did when we got there was unpack. ;-)

The weather was nice, but it did get pretty cold at night. Roasting marshmallows by the fire helped with the cold.

The campsite had an apple tree. For dinner the first night we cut up some apples to go with our vegetables and that was tasty! In addition to this, we also found blackberry and black raspberry bushes with berries! We also saw a bear, deer, rabbits, four different kinds of big caterpillars, and a large rattlesnake! The rattlesnake slithered through our campsite. It was the last day while we were eating lunch and had everything packed up. It didn't pay any attention to us and didn't even rattle, but I was still scared. Once it left, I said, "Oh my goodness!" and Micah said, "That was SO cool!" hahaha!

The moon was really bright when we went to bed so we couldn't really see the constellations well. But one night Micah woke in the middle of the night to "run to the potty". The moon was gone by then and he was terrified of the dark so all three of us went to the bathroom together. The one good thing about that 2am trek to the bathroom was the BEAUTIFUL view of all of the constellations. Living in the city, we haven't really seen them in a long time so that was a real treat.

We went on a hike that was supposed to take us to a waterfall, but because of the drought, everyone who passed us on the way back said that it was really a trickle into a puddle. Since the hike was completely downhill leaving us with the prospect of going all the way back up the hill, we turned around before getting to the end. The view was beautiful.

Afterward, my pregnant body was pooped! And so was Micah. I got a chance to sit and read while Brett the Eagle Scout prepared lunch. I recommend always taking an Eagle Scout on your camping trips. ;-)

All in all it was a fun time!

Nürnberg

2010-03-19T21:36:00.006-05:00

The next day I left for Nürnberg by train: I had a presentation to give at a nearby University. I arrived early in the afternoon, dropped my things at my hotel, and ran off to explore the Altstadt or old city.

Old Nürnberg is surrounded by an incredible wall. I can't believe the view of it I had from my hotel room:

On my return flight, I sat next to a gentleman who remarked that Europe is filled with churches, any of which, were they located in the US, would be national treasures. Nürnberg is no exception.

St. James the Less, in Jakobplatz. I attended an English-language service here (Episcopal) on Sunday night.

St. Lorenz.

And others.

This particular church has a special place in my heart. Or my stomach, depending on your perspective.

The reason is that it overlooks the Bratwursthausle where I had dinner my first night in Nürnberg. The waitstaff was ... unappreciative ... of the fact I was American. However, the sausage, beer, potato salad, and pretzel (with mustard!) were fantastic.

Like Dresden, Nürnberg is situated on a river (the Pegnitz).

Nürnberg is also home to a remarkable fountain, dating to 1385 (the original is now in a museum, pictured is a replica).

And so ended my adventure in Germany! Nürnberg is definitely a city I'd like to return to when we can all go and see some of the sites, for instance, the Playmobil theme park and Train Museum!

Another day in Dresden

2010-03-19T21:13:00.004-05:00

My next chance to go out into the city was the following Friday, after my conference was over. I hadn't had a chance to go shopping for goodies for Sarina or Micah yet, and so it was time to see what I could find before leaving for Nürnberg the next day.

It wasn't a terribly nice day out: it was cold, windy and rainy. I started out by walking along the opposite of the Elbe from my convention center. I came across the spot from which the artist Canaletto captured the view of Dresden back in 1748.

Things look a bit different 250 years later, though some features of the painting remain.

Greetings from Dresden

2010-03-11T14:08:00.005-05:00

I'm in Germany this week. Back in September, I submitted a paper which was accepted for presentation and publication. This was great news, of course, as this was the first time I've been able to publish results from my dissertation. On Sunday, I started traveling, from Charlottesville, VA to Dresden, Germany-- over 4000 miles!

My trip started out quite well, with a free airline ticket! Apparently the flight from Charlottesville to Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC, was ''overweight.'' I checked in, I was asked if I wanted a free ticket in exchange for taking a cab instead (and of course, United paid for the cab, too).

I had a nice cab ride, and got to Washington about the same time I would have if I had flown.

Next up was my 8 hour flight to Frankfurt. I arrived in Frankfurt just after 7 AM local time (6 times zones different from EST), somehow needed to be able to stay up the whole day to beat my jet lag.

I finally arrived in Dresden at 10:30 AM local time, and by early afternoon had collected my conference things and eaten lunch. It was time to walk around a bit to try to stay awake.

The convention center (congress center, as they are called in Europe) is right on the Elbe river.

Snow? Yeah. It's been cold, ha.

I walked along the river toward the old city center. The architecture is quite different from what I'm used to in the US. There are a lot of statues.

Statues on the museum,

and statues on the church,

and some gold statues someplace else.

During World War II, Dresden was (without cause, it is alleged), firebombed by the US and I'm told that the old city was essentially leveled. Then started in 1989 and over 20 years, different parts of the old city were rebuilt from photographs. A stunning example of the restoration is the Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady. This was all that was left standing after the war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frauenkirche_Dresden_1991.jpg.

This fragment still stands in front of the restored church, as a reminder of the war that brought its destruction. The church now looks spectacular.

The stained stones are from the original church, stones gathered from the rubble.

After my walk in the cold, I still needed to take a nap to get through the rest of the day. There was a reception in the evening and the conference proper started the next day. It's Thursday now, and the conference is over. If the weather cooperates, I'll go walking around a bit more in the city tomorrow. On Saturday I take a train to Nürnberg.

First Play Date in C'ville

2010-02-13T07:53:00.004-05:00

Micah had his first play date in C'ville yesterday morning. It was very fun and went really well. I talked to Micah about sharing with John in the few days leading up to the play date. We had a very funny conversation the night before John came over:

Sarina: John's coming over tomorrow.

Micah: No John!

Sarina: Well, John's coming and you need to be nice to him. You need to share your trains.

Micah: No! No share trains with John!

Sarina: OK, well, we don't have to talk about it.

Micah continues to play with his really long train. Then, I think he decided to practice sharing...

Micah: Here Mommy. Here's an engine for you.

He hands me an engine.

Sarina: Wow Micah! That is so nice of you!

Micah: Yeah, that's generous!

Literally, that's what he said! I laughed and told him that I was proud of him for using such a big word. Micah smiled proudly, then he got pensive and said...

Micah: I have really sharp teeth.

My ears perked up. I wanted to know where he was going with this train of thought (especially since I had just finished reading Dracula!), but Brett came home at that moment and interrupted the conversation. I told Brett about Micah using generous in a sentence and we both told him how proud we were of him. Then...

Micah: I have really sharp teeth.

Sarina gently takes Micah by the arms: Micah, you cannot bite John.

Micah says quietly, as if it is a big revelation and somewhat of a blow to his plans: Oh, not bite John.

Sarina: Teeth are for eating, not for biting.

Micah: Oh, teeth for eating.

Sarina: No biting.

Micah: No biting.

LOL! So apparently, Micah, in his two-year-old mind, decided that if John did anything Micah didn't like that he would just bite him! That is so hilarious! Who thinks of that?! Apparently 2-year-olds in their best, most rational logic think of that.

The next day, John and his Mom came over. We had a lovely time. Micah never even thought about biting John as far as I can tell. He did a great job sharing and was very kind. Brett had made two identical train tracks that overlapped so that each boy could have his own track. I was impressed with Micah because John chose some of Micah's favorite train cars and engines to play with, but Micah didn't say anything about it. He just made a smaller train than usual.

The minute John and his Mom left, Micah said, "It's time for play with John's trains!" And he ran back into the play room. LOL!

Trip to the Park

2010-01-14T21:31:00.002-05:00

Micah and I went to the park for 2 hours today. It was the first warm day here in a long time. We spent most of our time on a muddy trail and playing with sticks in a creek. We talked about how water flows from high to low and that it flows in currents just like Marlin and Dori rode in Finding Nemo (the EAC, dude). Also, that the current gets faster when the water goes through a narrower space because the same volume has to go through that smaller space so it just goes faster. Micah said, "Water goes like finding Nemo and a train and goes choo-choo!" My translation: "Water goes in a current like in finding Nemo. It goes fast like a train. It goes choo-choo!"

On the way to the car he found a huge puddle that he had to stomp around in. My only consolation was that this helped clean off some of the inch-thick red mud covering the bottom 1/3 of his boots. He was so covered in mud and water that I had to strip him down to his diaper and shirt before I put him in his car seat (I had to take off his pants, socks, boots, and jacket).

This is an improvement over the last time we went to the same park. Last time he was playing in a huge boggy puddle and fell in...twice! That time he had to ride home in just his diaper. It was a cold day and I worried about getting pulled over and having to explain to a police officer why my son was just in his diaper with his clothes in the trunk. Of course I didn't get pulled over. When we got home Micah went straight in the bath. :-)

I Have a Husband

2009-12-24T08:57:00.002-05:00

I will try to remember the gist of the most recent conversation we had with Micah because it was absolutely hilarious!

Brett: "Am I going to Barracks Rd. by myself? That's the impression that I'm getting."

Sarina: "Well, Honey-Husband I do need to go to the grocery store..."

Micah: "I have a husband and go to luh li-bary."

[pause; laugh]

Brett: "You don't have a husband."

Micah: "No, Micah have a husband."

[Sarina laughing.]

Brett: "You don't have a husband. You have a Daddy."

Micah: "No! Micah have a husband in luh el-vator. And press the green button and go to luh li-bary."

hahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahaha! Micah is hilarious!

Whoa, snow!

2009-12-19T15:17:00.005-05:00

We're experiencing a major snow storm in Charlottesville. I honestly don't remember when I saw it snow this much. I think we've gotten at least two feet, but it's honestly hard to tell. Naturally Micah and I went outside to play.

First, we had to figure out how to get outside. This wasn't trivial, as a fair amount of snow fell right in front of our door.

At first Micah didn't really know what to do. The snow was up to his waist, and at times higher!

He had a fun time trying to follow me on paths I created. We rolled down the hill in the backyard, and I of course had fun putting in whatever large snowbanks I could find. Micah also got buried a couple of times.

We don't own a shovel. Ha! And we weren't going to make it to the store today to buy one. I started clearing some snow using our plastic garbage can, and piled it all up in one spot.

Sarina suggested using the lid of the garbage can to sled down it.

Later on, we borrowed a neighbor's shovel to try to dig out a bit. This was hard (and I'm still not done) because by this time we had stomped a lot of the snow down.

Micah, of course, wanted to use the shovel too, so I got stuck with a blue shovel from his sand box, which we had extracted earlier.

I think we played for about two hours, and we were both soaked by the time we went in for lunch. It's still snowing out. I don't know that we'll get out to play again today, but if the weather is nice tomorrow and our clothes are dry, I think we'll be out again.

Hiding under the bed

2009-12-19T15:11:00.004-05:00

Micah has recently discovered that he can crawl under his bed and hide there.

First snow in Charlottesville

2009-12-05T15:47:00.006-05:00

When we woke up this morning, it was raining. It's rained a lot here since we moved. However, by the time Micah was done eating breakfast (Sarina and I had barely started), something had changed: it was snowing.

Immediately, Micah wanted to go outside. So we did, and had a lot of fun. We made snow balls, threw them on the ground, and stomped on them. We also splashed in a cold, muddy puddle.

My fingers started getting cold from taking off my gloves to take pictures. I suggested that in a little while, we should go inside to have hot chocolate.

Immediately, Micah wanted to go inside. So we did, and had a lot of fun then, too.

The snow will all melt tomorrow, but I'm grateful for it while it's here.

Recent Events

2009-09-27T23:19:00.006-05:00

I want to update you all on recent events in our lives. I was recently pregnant and went in for an 18 week prenatal appointment where we discovered that our baby had died. Rachel Elizabeth was born still on September 5, 2009.

20 min after we returned home from her delivery, we unexpectedly rushed Micah to the ER at Children's Hospital for severe croup with strider. He was admitted for three days. On the third day we were discharged and that afternoon went to a funeral home to make decisions about Rachel's remains. A couple of days later we left for Wisconsin to bury her. Rachel was buried on September 14th.

We are now back in Pittsburgh. However, we are scheduled to move to Charlottesville, VA on October 26th so that Brett can start a new job as a post-doc at the University of Virginia on Nov. 2nd.

Given all the trauma we have been through and the stress of moving very soon afterward we are doing OK. We take each day one at a time, sometimes moment to moment. The most amazing thing about this experience has been God's presence with us. Psalm 23:4 has been true for us, that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we should fear no evil for God is with us. It is amazing to feel God's love and care in the midst of a nightmare. It doesn't mean that we don't have questions for God or sometimes feel angry with God, but it does mean that we have a very strong sense that God did not abandon us even though we have suffered a terrible loss. And even though we wonder why God didn't save Rachel, we know that God was with Rachel as she died and that Rachel is with God now. That gives us great hope and is a great comfort. We are terribly sad not to be able to raise Rachel and to show her our love in this life, but we are so glad that one day we will see her again. Even though I want to live this life to the fullest and die old, I am looking forward to the day when I will see my daughter again, hear her voice for the first time, and have the opportunity to get to know her.

Cutting Mushrooms

2009-06-19T20:56:00.006-05:00

The following is an article that I wrote for the Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library newsletter. They only got a picture, but you get a video!

After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and having my husband tell me about The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan we have been convicted as a family that in order to be good stewards of our bodies and the earth we should eat local and organic food as much as possible. However, cooking from scratch and using fresh produce takes a long time. I didn’t want to spend all that time alone in the kitchen and not include my one-year-old son, Micah. So I found some ways for him to enjoy the process with me.

Micah can’t use knives or the stove, but he wants to cook. He loves having a job and he’s more likely to eat things he’s helped with. His favorite activity in the kitchen is cutting mushrooms. Whole Foods sells local organic mushrooms all year round. We use Pampered Chef’s Egg Slicer Plus to make this a group activity. I strap him in his booster seat with the egg slicer ready to go on his tray. I push him next to the table and put the fry pan right on the edge of the table next to Micah. Then I get rinsing. Each time a mushroom is ready to be cut I put it in the egg slicer for him, then go back to rinsing. Meanwhile, Micah expertly presses the top down, squeals, “AH HA!” and pries the mushroom pieces out of the slicer and puts them in the pan. When the mushrooms are done, I let him down, chop up some onion, fry it all together in butter and serve!

Another way we involve him is by allowing him to put spices in certain dishes. He plops cinnamon sticks and cloves in a pot of apple cider or dumps the measured spices for a soup into the pot. Micah also loves to put the spices in scrambled eggs. His favorite combination is basil and coriander, a strange sounding concoction of my husband’s that is quite good.

From visiting the PTLL, Micah has developed a love of painting. Whenever I make a pie, he “paints” the top crust with water or egg whites and we put the sugar on together. The irony of this particular cooking activity is that now Micah likes the crust the best. He requested an apple pie for about two weeks and I finally gave in. Luckily this happened in the winter when local apples from Dawson’s farm were available at Whole Foods. During his nap I peeled and chopped countless apples by hand, mixed the filling—except the spices which I saved for when Micah awoke. He painted the crust. When the pie was finally finished and ready to serve he ate all the “crust” and left the apples. Oh well!

While cooking from scratch with Micah is healthy and fun, sometimes I’m too tired or there’s just not time. We have sworn off all the fast food burger places and anything else that sells CAFO meat. That doesn’t leave many options. But we have found a few local places that we all enjoy without having to sacrifice our food values:

Panera – Kids meals come with a side of Horizon organic yogurt; drinks include organic milk or organic apple juice; all chicken is antibiotic-free; Micah likes the chicken noodle or chicken and wild rice soups.
Chipotle – Most meat is naturally-raised; Micah likes carnitas “buh-buh-buh-bitos” with black beans, rice, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
Whole Foods – A great place for a quick hot meal.
Oh Yeah! – They sell organic ice cream; they make waffles, can add fruit.
Taza D’Oro – Micah loves steamers (Turner’s local hormone free milk with flavored syrup). He likes them cold, which means they’re not steamed, but who cares! He orders them like this: “code teemer, app-oh teemer!” Only one of the cashiers can understand him!

Sleeping with Trucks

2009-06-05T13:10:00.003-05:00

Yay! I finally learned how to put pictures on the blog!

Micah does actually go to sleep with his trucks sometimes.

And other times he falls asleep reading.

IN BUS!

2009-03-19T10:28:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone!

One of Micah's favorite activities is to "GO IN BUS!" Or go to the "BUS TOP!" Sometimes I will drive him to CMU campus around 5pm. Then Brett and Micah ride the bus home together. It's not exactly "green" but oh well. We buy local produce. Anyway, Micah has a very clear idea in his mind for what is needed to "GO IN BUS!" or go to the "BUS TOP!" First, he needs, "hat on!" Depending on his mood he may choose his baseball hat with a basketball on it or his old swimming hat, which is bright blue with a full brim (all the way around) and is a little bit too small. Then, "jacket on!" Then we need, "Backpack!" But often we need to put something in the backpack first. Two days ago, Micah was only satisfied and ready to wear the backpack once the A&D cream was in there: he was prepared to fight diaper rash. Just to give you a visual, his backpack is a frog. Bright green with eyes, a mouth, and feet. There is a main zippered section and the mouth and feet are all smaller zippered pockets. It looks quite hilarious, especially when he wears the bright blue, full brimmed swimming hat. hahaha! Then he climbs on the gate at the top of the stairs that lead to our front door and says, "OPEN GATE! Bye bye, Mama! DOWN TAIRS!" At which point, I laugh. On the days that I actually take Micah to CMU for a bus ride with Brett (a.k.a. Ga-ga, Micah's name for him) he is very excited. On the days that I can't take him to CMU, I take advantage of the suitcase that is still sitting unpacked at the top of the stairs and tell Micah that it is a bus stop and he can sit and wait for the bus on it. He is still confused about this and doesn't always realize that he's supposed to sit on it and pretend, but once he gets it, he sits down and says, "Waiting bus." hehe! However, this pretend bus stop is very confusing for Micah. Yesterday when I actually took him to CMU to ride the bus home with Ga-ga he really wanted to take the suitcase with him and threw a fit when I wouldn't take it. Ah well. Such is life when you're 20 months old.

Orphans in Myanmar

2009-03-18T07:59:00.002-05:00

Hello -

I am very distressed. I just heard from a brother in Christ who lives in Myanmar (he attended PTS for one year and we visited him when we went to Myanmar a few years ago. The government in Myanmar has closed all of the Christian orphanages and organizations. All of the Bible Schools have been warned. This is happening because after Cyclone Nargis hit it was the local Christians who provided relief and aid to the people and as a result many have become Christian. The government feels threatened by this. For more information and ways to help the orphans go to Asia Heartbeat. This is very distressing because orphans are always the most vulnerable in oppressive regimes and after disasters (Cyclone Nargis). If you go to Not For Sale you will find information on how sex traffickers from Thailand target children in Myanmar for their brothels. I am very concerned about the fate of the orphans in Myanmar now that the Christian orphanages have been closed. Please pray for the children in Myanmar and if you want to support either relief organization you can find ways on their websites.

Grace and peace,
Sarina

Fun Phrases!

2009-03-15T18:31:00.005-05:00

Hi!

Here I am again with no pics or videos. I need to learn how to do it, but I just haven't yet. If it makes you feel better I feel guilty that we haven't posted any pics. ;-)

Anyway, Micah is doing so much! He is now talking in small sentences. The other day we were about to walk under the bleachers at CMU and he said, "Go in tunnel!" This morning he said, "I love coffee!" haha! He's never had coffee before but has participated in making it. Whenever he plays with water or even just with empty cups he says, "Pour coffee!"

He has taken to singing. The only song he really knows is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. However, we recently received a burned CD with the new songs that the praise team at church will be singing in 2009 and I really like one of them and was listening to it over and over in the car with Micah. (It's called "Bless the Lord/Son of Man" by Tye Tribbett). Now he sings along and will sing, "You are!" and "My soul!" And then he wants to keep singing but doesn't know any more words so he just breaks out with, "Tinko tinko...tar...how wonner...are! Tinko tinko tar...how wonner...are!" It's awesome!

Micah loves to read. His favorite author is Byron Barton. We have been going to the library and checking out every book about vehicles that he has written and he's written a lot. Micah actually asks to go to the library on Monday mornings because that's usually when I take him. He gets his hat and says, "Hat on," then gets his jacket and says, "Jacket on." Then he says, "Library! Eh-vator! Choo-choo!" The children's section at our library is on the second floor so we always take the elevator (eh-vator) and they have a brio train set by the picture books so that's the reference to choo-choo. It's a good time.

Oh! And some exciting news! He peed and pooped in the potty for the first time ever on Saturday March 14th! Woo! Go Micah!

HI!

2009-01-26T16:45:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone -

I have heard that many people are glad to know that Micah can drink from a cup, but want to know what he can do now! I'm going to give you a verbal update instead of an update with a picture or video (mainly because I don't know how to do a pic or video). :-)

About Brett: He is supposed to graduate August 2009 so he's applying for jobs. He submitted 42 job applications to Universities with Engineering programs in the top 65. He is also in the midst of filling out an application for a prestigious post-doctoral fellowship with IBM as well as applying for industry jobs. In the midst of all of this he is finishing up his programing, experiments, and writing for his dissertation. Soon (hopefully!) he'll be traveling often for job interviews. It's exciting but crazy!

About Sarina: In January Sarina wrote an exegesis paper and sermon which she preached yesterday. A representative from the Pittsburgh Presbytery came to hear the sermon and evaluate her. She goes before the Committee on Preparation for Ministry on Wednesday to present her statement of faith and be examined, then Presbytery on Feb 5th for the same thing. If all goes well, she will be ordained on Feb 22nd! The service will be at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh @ 3pm and you're all invited! Needless to say, there have been a lot of things to do in order to get everything completed. My Mom came to visit last week. Praise God! Before that I was only able to work on my myriad of things at night after Micah went to bed. I'm not sure how I would have finished everything if she hadn't come. Thanks Mom!

About Micah: Micah is 18-months-old. He is Mr. Constant Motion and Mr. Chatterbox. He's so much fun! He's running everywhere now and constantly has ideas about what to do next. He loves to talk and has a lot of words. Yesterday evening we went out to dinner and we asked Micah what he wanted and he said, "Soup!" In addition to soup, his favorite food is waffles, which he asks for often: "Faffle?" A new phrase he said yesterday is, "No way!" hahahaha! He also loves art. He likes to draw with pens, crayons, markers, and colored pencils. He likes to paint with finger paints and water colors. I'm sure he would like other mediums, but that's all we have at home! (I need to go shopping.) He always wants us to write "a Y!" or "a M!" He can do dots, lines, scribbles, etc. Yesterday he created his own signature: a super-spikey M followed by a frilly spiral (my interpretation, of course). He laughs now whenever I write it with sound effects. Today we were water-color painting a picture of the bus from the movie Cars and he wanted to paint the stars yellow. When he finished them all, he wanted me to paint more stars so he could paint them yellow. He knows his colors (his favorite is brown, followed by red, green, black, and purple), he can count, he can name most letters, he knows animals and their sounds, and all manner of vehicles. Wow! Brett and I are constantly amazed at how much Micah knows.

He is also a very caring person. Here's a cute Micah story to leave you with. This happened about a month and a half ago or so. I was upset about something (can't remember what) and I was crying in the kitchen. Brett was comforting me, of course! Micah came in from the living room when he heard me and said in a high pitched imitation of what I sounded like, "Mama, mama." He came to me and wanted to sit in my lap. By this time I had snot all over my face and Micah knows all about Kleenex and what they're for. So, I asked him, "Micah, would you get me a Kleenex, please?" He got this look on his face like, "I know how to do this!" He bounded off my lap and tore into the living room. Brett followed him and found him standing in the middle of the living room looking around with his arms out - he was looking for the Kleenex box. Brett pointed it out to him and he raced over, grabbed about 15, then tore back into the kitchen and thrust them up to me while trying to climb onto my lap at the same time. Oh! It was so cute and fabulous! I sat him on my lap, smiled, thanked him, and felt much better.

We hope that you are all doing well. It means a lot to us that you check our blog, even though we have been remiss at keeping it updated!

With much love,
Sarina

Drinking like a big boy

2008-12-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

For some time now, Micah has been (mostly) successfully drinking out of normal cups. Every once in a while, he'll drop a cup, or pour water all over his face, but this is happening less and less frequently. When some mishap does occur, however, a well-timed and perfectly-intoned "uh oh" is in order.

Big pot

2008-11-21T13:36:00.004-05:00

Sarina and I enjoy cooking. We eat out only infrequently, and as a result, Micah spends a lot of time in the kitchen with us. Of course, he likes to do the sorts of things that we do, like haul around big pots. We try not to fall over while carrying big pots, but as Micah learns, sometimes this is unavoidable.

Taking to the stairs

2008-11-21T13:35:00.002-05:00

Micah has become quite a competent stair climber. He climbs with ... enthusiasm.

He's also started climbing other things, like chairs and the like. He's such a cautious boy in general that he hasn't taken in big falls. He hasn't bloodied a lip or anything. He's even managed to avoid major bruises. As a result, I don't think he's desensitized us to falling. Should we buy him a helmet?

... just kidding.

Walking and talking

2008-11-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

What's this? Can it be? A second post in as many days!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what about a video? At one minute long, and 30 frames per second, this video is valued at nearly 2 million words. Plus, it's Micah.

I'd heard many times that you have no better mirror than your children. Micah at one point began calling to us from distant rooms, and we quickly realized it was because we had set the standard. I think we both also walk and talk. Does it show?

Yes, we let Micah play with our cell phones. No, in general he doesn't drop them, though he does call random people and make changes to our contact lists. However, it is good entertainment, and we figure we're training him for the many hours he's likely to spend pacing the halls of his apartment, talking on the phone.

Sign language

2008-11-18T15:29:00.005-05:00

So ... it's been a while. How are you? We're fine. Busy, but fine. You know, we should catch up sometime. Now isn't a great time, but I have a special treat for you. We have a little video of Micah doing some sign language. I think you'll probably enjoy it.

Versatile Micah, proving that if you're coughing so hard you can't speak, you can still ask nicely for milk and cookies from Daddy if you know sign language.

Robeez Season of Giving

2008-11-17T16:08:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that Robeez, our favorite brand of baby shoes, is donating products to Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) based on easy things that we can do, like sending e-cards or posting on our blogs about it. This is an easy way to make a difference. See details here.

Thanks, Ian!

2008-09-29T21:41:00.004-05:00

Micah, in general, displays fantastic manners: he shares, puts things away when he's done with them, says please and thank you (in sign language). Of course, he is one, and he's a boy. He also has a close friend Ian (7) who can teach him things he might not otherwise learn at home. For example, hilarious hand noises. Thanks, Ian!

Eating with a Spoon

2008-09-01T22:18:00.006-05:00

Hello Everyone! We're back! I survived retaking two of the PC(USA) ordination exams and Brett passed his proposal. Brett is now in the middle of writing a paper for submission to DATE (a conference) and preparing for SRC TECHCON (another conference, in Austin, TX and we're all going). I am recovering from the craziness of the last month...whew!

We thought we'd update you with the latest and greatest in Micah's life tonight since we've been away for so long. Micah is now successfully and messily eating with a spoon. It is still just a new fun activity more than an eating process, but we are both impressed with his dexterity. He is also babbling up a storm. He'll rattle off whole sentences of babble very earnestly, looking you right in the eye. It's so hilarious and cute! The following capture both of these things.

This picture is Micah's I-live-in-the-'hood-and-I-eat-from-a-spoon picture.

Here's a video of dinner tonight. :-)

B-day Party

2008-07-31T07:00:00.001-05:00

Micah is ONE (as of 07/17/08)! I can't believe that we have a one-year-old. We threw a small party for Micah's b-day a week late. We wish we could have invited everyone we know and love, but we just didn't want to overwhelm Micah. Here are some pictures of the event, courtesy of Bethany Lomelino (formerly Sunquist).

Micah's cake was SO GOOD! Peggar Dixon made it. If you live in the Pittsburgh area and need cakes (or food for any event) she is the person to contact. When I was little my Mom decorated my cakes for my birthday. I drew the cow on Micah's smash cake.

Micah ate his cake with reckless abandon! He finished off almost the whole first layer. Amazingly, he went to bed at the normal time that night and fell asleep right away.

Here is a family pic. :-)

Happy Birthday Micah!

On another note, which will be very sad for most of you, we are going to take a break from posting until the end of August. We are going out of town, then Brett's proposal defense is happening on August 18th, then I take my (hopefully) last two ordination exams starting the end of that same week. There's just too much going on to keep up with the blog! We will miss you all, but don't worry...we'll be back!

Flashback filler: Look at the mess I made!

2008-07-30T07:00:00.001-05:00

As Micah's mobility has increased, so has his capacity to make a royal mess. Here's a look back at the beginning, when he was just beginning to hone his make-making abilities.

At least there is a strong indication that Micah will be a voracious reader.

Flashback filler: I see you!

2008-07-28T09:32:00.004-05:00

Micah discovered some time ago that he can look through objects at other objects. I'm sure there's probably a fancy name for this. I refer to this behavior as simply cute.

Flashback filler: A baby in motion

2008-07-23T21:20:00.005-05:00

Soooooo there wasn't a post on Friday, nor one on Monday! Sorry. There nearly wasn't a post today, either. Our lives are a little busy. Is that surprising? Anyway, here's a picture from a while back to fill in the space until we can start pictures from "up north" and, of course, Micah's first birthday!

When this picture was taken, Micah didn't know how to crawl. He could pull himself up on things, but didn't know very well how to move (cruise) in that position. One day, Sarina sat him down in the middle of the living room, because she needed to go and do something in the hall or bathroom, thinking that Micah would be fine sitting there.

All of a sudden, Sarina heard an "uuuuUUUH" noise, and turning around, saw this:

So ended the days of putting Micah down someplace with any expectation that he would stay there: Micah had most likely scooted (half-crawled) across the carpet, pulled himself up on an end table, and cruised along the wall around the corner into the hallway.

Micah now crawls very, very fast. He's also pretty close to walking: he's willing to take both of his hands off of support to turn, and such. He's testing his balance, and falling a lot as a result. We're having a lot of fun, but I think we're probably also more tired. If that's possible.

The OC, Part 10

2008-07-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

With this post, we conclude our pictures from the OC. This post is mostly made up of pictures that I couldn't figure out how to otherwise group.

Out on a walk, Clara wanted to push Micah's stroller.

Jeremy and I, however, got stuck pushing back up the hill.

Two serious moms hard at work (100% of moms featured in this post love Apple laptops).

The whole gang.

The OC, Part 9

2008-07-16T07:00:00.001-05:00

Micah and Ruthie in particular spent a lot of time together, since they enjoyed playing with the same sort of things. You know, Micah liked to chew on plastic corn, and Ruthie liked to play with plastic pots.

Micah also liked playing with this farm. A lot. Every morning. More on the significance of this later.

Anyway, before long it really seemed that Ruthie and Micah went everywhere together. They sat on the floor for drinks.

They were held or carried by the same person at the same time.

This was a bit of a challenge, of course. Who needs hand weights with these two around? Anyway. Micah loved the barn so much, that he invited Ruthie along once. It was a pajama-paci-date.

Could it be, love?

The OC, Part 8

2008-07-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

The three amigos spent a lot of time together, and played quite well.

Micah didn't get the memo that a picture was being taken.

And of course, they spent some time at the pool.

I love this picture. Somehow, this captures what life was like on our visit: packed full, everyone looking (or going) in a different direction, and mostly smiles on faces.

The OC, Part 7

2008-07-14T07:00:00.005-05:00

So I was a little delinquent with posts last week. To make up for it, we're going to finish off the OC pictures with a little OC marathon, Monday through Thursday. Hopefully we'll see pictures our trip to Northern WI starting on Friday.

Clara got her whole own movie, so to make things fair Ruthie is getting her own mini-photo shoot. Cute tongue, eh?

Ruthie is infrequently separated from two very important things: Hannah, and one of her many pacifiers.

If you can peel her away from both of these things, there's something you should know: she is absolutely not ticklish in her neck, and really doesn't like it if you try.

There are a lot of cute pictures for us to get through before we can move on, so really you're getting two posts for the price of one today. Nice deal, eh? The next three pictures are from a trip to feed the ducks.

Here's Micah feeding the ducks.

When he was awake, given bread to feed the ducks he preferred to feed himself.

Clara, on the other hand, demonstrates perfect duck-feeding form.

No trip to feed the ducks is perfect without some time in the swings.

The OC, Part 6

2008-07-07T22:10:00.007-05:00

We got back from Wisconsin late last night, at 11:50 PM. Micah had a good flight, and he kept us very busy. This is the first time he's really been aware of his surroundings on a flight, even more so than when we left for Wisconsin. He waved to the people around us, and was entranced by the view from our window.

Anyway, since we returned so late, I've had little time to put together a post for today. Here's one picture to remind you of where we were with our pictures, with more to come in the coming days.

There's something about Micah in this picture that just says welcome to my home.

Don't try to go in, though. That's not why he opened the door. As you'll recall from the movie, he opened to door so he could shut it again.

Update from Iron County

2008-07-02T07:00:00.001-05:00

So we're on another trip right now. We actually left last Saturday, and are now in Iron County, Wisconsin with my family. As you're reading this, hopefully we're fishing or swimming or something. And hopefully Micah isn't falling in the lake. And if he is falling in the lake, hopefully (1) he has his life jacket on, (2) someone is there to catch him, and (3) someone else is taking a picture.

Anyway, we're back this coming weekend, and we'll finish up OC pictures and start some at the beginning of next week.

Oh, and I finished writing my dissertation proposal the Friday before we left, so one thing I'm definitely not doing as you read this is worry about that. Which is nice.

The OC, Part 5

2008-06-30T07:00:00.001-05:00

This dance is awesome! Need I say more?

The OC, Part 4

2008-06-27T20:47:00.004-05:00

Micah really, really enjoyed playing outside in the Heis backyard, as you'll be able to see in this nice little video. Also appearing: Ruthie!

The OC, Part 3

2008-06-25T22:00:00.002-05:00

We had the privilege of staying with our friends the Heis' while visiting the OC. The first pic, of course, must be a picture of Clara, who couldn't help but find herself in front of the camera. Her shirt says it all!

For those of you who miss them dearly, here are some nice pictures of them all.

The UC Irvine campus is very close to a large ecological preserve. Here is a nice family picture taken after we took a walk there.

Here's a portrait of Clara, taken at the same reserve.

Ruthie is banging these cups together at high speed.

Micah really enjoyed a week with two fun sisters! They challenged him to become more mobile. Mealtimes were also more fun with a companion.

The OC, Part 2

2008-06-25T07:00:00.003-05:00

The next day Sarina, Karina, and Micah went to Irvine Spectrum, a very nice mall. We ate at a Mexican restaurant because I was really craving Mexican. :-) Micah enjoyed some black beans off my plate, but he really enjoyed the lemons, in that "Whoa that's sour! Give me more!" sort of way.

We were later joined by Karina's parents, Mirta and Luis. We ate together, then went outside and enjoyed the nice weather for a bit.

Karina, and Micah and I then took a ride on the carousel. Micah seemed to really like it. :-)

While in the OC, we stayed with some good friends from Pgh, the Heis family. We will post some pics from our time with them in subsequent posts. We simply felt that Micah's encounter with their screen door couldn't wait.

And Micah hanging with Karina at their house after dinner.

The OC, Part 1

2008-06-20T22:29:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this post up ... I've been sick this week, and it's been all I could do just to get to work and home again.

We were in southern CA all of last week, ostensibly so I could attend Design Automation Conference once again, but really so that we could visit the Heises and see Sarina's friend from UCSD, Karina.

We went to dinner with Karina and her beau, Pete, on Sunday night. We ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Bac, because Sarina wanted to try some "authentic" pho, or at least more authentic than what the trucks on Carnegie Mellon campus have to offer.

Micah, miraculously, cooperated to the extent that a 10 and a half month old can (he was 10 and a half months old at the time; he's 11 months old now-- Sarina wanted this to be clear). He only dumped most of his crackers on the floor, and sat for at least five or ten minutes before needing to cruise around the patio. When we got him back in his seat, he spotted a problem that only a 10 and a half month old can solve: there was a door that needed to be closed.

Micah couldn't help but stare, almost longing at this door that needed to be closed. If only he wasn't trapped in his high chair, then he could crawl to the door and close it! Micah loves closing doors ... and then opening them, and closing them again ... and again ... and again ... you get the picture.

We topped of the night with some frozen yogurt and a photo op.

Update from Orange County

2008-06-07T16:25:00.002-05:00

We're all out in California this week, so I can attend Design Automation Conference again this year. Because DAC is in Anaheim, which is pretty close to Irvine, we're staying at Chateau Heis!

Because we're out of town, there probably won't be any blog posts until after we return; check back on June 16th! If you're obsessed with Micah, like Karina is, you might be rewarded by checking back before then!

Memorial Day

2008-06-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

We went to a Memorial Day party at a friend's house. Micah's friend Andrew was there, and Micah was happy to see him.

It's a lot of fun to watch babies interact, since they tend to do things to each other that they don't do to adults.

Then Micah spent some time working on his lock picking skills. He needs more practice, evidently.

Of course, there's always interesting things to look at in the grass. Micah has figured out that he can take his pacifier out to drink from a cup, but hasn't made the connection with eating things yet ... thankfully.

Micah has figured out clapping! What I haven't figured out is why he claps. I'm not convinced he does it for the same reason we do (to indicate that something is good). You can tell, even with his pacifier, that he isn't clapping right now because he's overjoyed.

Gardening Part 1

2008-06-02T09:11:00.005-05:00

I have recently discovered a love of gardening. It all started when I got completely sick of the forest of weeds growing in our front yard. We rent the second and third floor of a house owned by a really good friend so I asked him if I could do some landscaping. He said yes. I consulted a friend with a green thumb and she helped me pick hearty, low-maintenance perennials to plant in the front yard. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the yard before I did all the work. Below are pictures of the front yard after I finished planting. The only things that were there originally are the four lilies, the azalea, and the ground cover on the hill. Everything else I planted!

Florida, Part 4: A dog!

2008-05-30T13:18:00.005-05:00

Micah didn't discover his love of dogs in Florida, but the trip presented the first opportunity to document it. Micah and company came across a local golf-cart-riding dog during a walk.

Micah saw a dog up close first at his friend Sierra's birthday party a couple of months ago. He "chased" Indy, a giant lab, all over the place, giggling and grinning as wide as his cheeks would allow.

His response to seeing any dog is quite predictable: giggling, chasing and grinning. And patting/grabbing when he's close enough to do so.

A couple dogs Micah has encountered have also been kind enough to give him licks. Micah seems to appreciate this as well (indicated by, if possible, increased giggling and grinning).

Despite Micah's undying love of dogs, it remains to be seen if Micah's parents will oblige and buy him one of his own.

Florida, Part 3: Swimming

2008-05-28T21:25:00.004-05:00

And we're back!

Micah also discovered a love of swimming in Florida. At first, it didn't look promising, and like most things, Micah approached it with grave seriousness.

Then, Micah realized that he was, in fact, sitting in an enormous cup! Joy! Would Gran let him drink from it?

If not Gran, would Granddad let him drink from it?

Woo hoo! This is awesome!

Alas, the large cup isn't for drinking, but it's pretty cool when Granddad blows bubbles.

We've since started Micah on swimming lessons, and he absolutely loves it. Especially the look-mom-and-dad-I'm-in-an-enormous-cup! part. The swimming is nice too.

Florida, Part 2: The Joy of Reading

2008-05-21T13:41:00.004-05:00

Micah also likes to read. He has his favorite books, too, which is cute, because he'll walk to the bookshelf and consistently pick them out. One such book, is the Peekaboo book. Each page obscures a picture of a baby with a large flap. Because this book is a favorite, it made it to Florida. Apparently, having books to read on the plane is a great way to distract someone who would otherwise not be contented sitting in the same place for two hours.

The process is:

1. Turn the page.
2. "Where's the baby?"

3. Micah reveals baby.
4. "Peekaboo!"

It's a blast. (Really.)

Incidentally, Micah has recently lost interest in this particular book. He's trying to branch out, but not always with success. For instance, he'll go to the bookshelf and consistently pick out "Big Red Barn," but after a couple pages he remembers that he doesn't quite have the patience for it, and goes back for another.

The attraction "Big Red Barn" could be the cows. Micah is currently obsessed with cows. More on that later ...

Florida, Part 1: Driving

2008-05-19T14:54:00.002-05:00

Micah and Sarina went to Florida last month to visit Sarina's parents for a week. They had a wonderful time, and Micah got to experience many things for the first time. The subject of today's post: driving.

Micah likes to drive. And don't you even think about putting your hands on the wheel: he was born for this.

Flashback: Church Retreat, Part 3

2008-05-16T09:10:00.004-05:00

And sadly, the adventure in nature comes to and end ...

Micah was quite excited to be outside.

For a while, he had the best seat in the house, and was able to play with the leaves on the trees above. Also, he experimented with how to direct me by pulling on my hair. Go left! Go left!

Micah spent a bit more time on another rock, this one covered with moss. He's trying to decide whether or not to put the acorn in his mouth.

Flashback: Church Retreat, Part 2

2008-05-14T08:56:00.004-05:00

The adventure in nature continues!

Do you remember the first stick and rock you played with? No? You mean your obsessive parents didn't take a picture of them? You must be truly dismayed at your misfortune. Micah, however, will experience no such disappointment!

Apparently dried leaves are also very interesting.

Flashback: Church Retreat, Part 1

2008-05-12T10:11:00.005-05:00

At the beginning of April our church had its annual church retreat at the Laurelville Menonnite Church Center. The church retreat is always wonderful, as it represents one of the few opportunities to gather as a church family for an extended period of time. It's also in a beautiful part of southwestern PA. One afternoon, we decided to go on a walk and take Micah on his first woodland adventure.

Flashback: Watch out for bed bugs

2008-05-09T10:51:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since we've posted a video. I think you'll enjoy this one.

I sometimes play a little game with Micah where he sits on our bed with his legs covered. I create some suspense by moving my hand toward one of his legs, and then, like most games I play with him, he gets tickled. What I love the most about this particular game is his anticipation. Now, I frequently don't even have to touch him before he falls over laughing.

Flashback: Baby faces

2008-05-07T09:29:00.004-05:00

I love taking pictures of Micah, in part because of how expressive he is and how quickly his expression can change. Here's an interesting series of pictures we took at the end of February.

Flashback: Brushing teeth

2008-05-05T07:31:00.002-05:00

Now that Micah has teeth (one on the top, two on the bottom ... we need a new picture of his teeth to show them all off), we've been trying to get him playing with a toothbrush when we brush our teeth. Here's one of his first times with a "baby" toothbrush.

Flashback: Bear snuggles

2008-05-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Micah started rolling around when falling to sleep, which led to a number of funny and cute scenes. The cute ones are typically along the lines of Micah snuggling a stuffed animal as he falls asleep.

Holly Johnson's birthday party

2008-04-30T07:00:00.001-05:00

We were invited to the birthday party of a little friend, Holly, the daughter of a colleague of mine.

First of all, party goers had to wear party hats.

Baby party games were played. Micah really enjoyed "parachute," and we have since played this a number of times with him ourselves.

And Micah made a friend!

It's good to have a friend close by when the bubbles come out.

Flashback: Random

2008-04-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of older pictures (meaning a couple months), with no particular theme.

Micah and mommy! So cute!

Micah enjoys eating straps. I'm not sure what it is about the nylon, but he likes it.

Out by the fence

2008-04-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

The house we're living in has a fenced backyard. Sarina took Micah down to play the other day, and he really enjoyed cruising along the fence.

The hat stayed on for a while ...

... but eventually came off.

And hats, by the way, are a serious matter.

Flashback: Christmas in Madison, Part 4

2008-04-23T07:00:00.002-05:00

As you may or may not be aware, a lot of snow fell in Madison this winter. And by a lot, I mean over 100". When Pittsburgh gets snow, it doesn't last long (sadly), and so we had to take advantage while we could: we took Micah outside.

Micah was treated to his first sleigh ride ...

... but I get the impression that Sarina enjoyed it more than he did.

Flashback: Christmas in Madison, Part 3

2008-04-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

This week we'll finish off the Christmas pictures from Madison.

Of course, Micah also had a nice time playing with Mom and Dad while in Madison. You've already seen him on xylophone; Micah is also working on playing the piano.

Dad's shoulders are nice for sitting on, and there's this great stuff to hold on to!

Seriously Playing

2008-04-18T07:00:00.003-05:00

We babysat for friends of ours across the street not long ago, and Micah really enjoyed one of Jadon's toys. Jadon (pictured below-- check out the lion slippers!) is a year old and walking around; Micah, however, was happy just having a chance to stand and play.

Flashback: Christmas in Madison, Part 2

2008-04-16T07:00:00.001-05:00

Micah had an excellent time with my family. Who can complain about having so many more people to play with?

Micah was able to test his theories on beard removal.

He also had time to come to an understanding with Cory.

Forced perspective is interesting-- I love how Micah's head look so large in this picture. Beware the monster baby!!!

Flashback: Christmas in Madison, Part 1

2008-04-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

We have a lot of catching up to do! We have pictures going back to who knows when that we haven't shared. There's a lot of cuteness awaiting, that's for sure. Just so you don't get bored, we'll be sure to intersperse more recent happenings, too.

How often can you expect to see Micah? Daily Micah appeared to be a bit too frequent, but then oh my gosh are they dead?!?! was a bit too infrequent. For the sake of all you addicts, we're going to try a three-days-a-week thing, with new posts approximately on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

This week? Christmas pictures!

We were in Madison, WI visiting my family for Christmas this year. Fortunately, Sarina's family was able to come around one night too, and we got a nice family picture.

Micah also was able to have some nice time with my grandmother.

Baby in the Flowers

2008-04-11T19:59:00.000-05:00

It's springtime! Micah has a book that has a daffodil in it so I decided to take him out to see and feel real daffodils. How cute!

Another day in the flowers, but this time a bit more serious.

And We're Back: Micah Makes a Mess

2008-04-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

I tell Micah that he makes messes because his name starts with "M." I might be onto something. Especially because he makes the most messes when he's with me, and my name (Mommy) also starts with "M." Here Micah is in the middle of trying to figure out how a bowl works.

He understands how a spoon works: you put it in your mouth. Sometimes it has food on it and sometimes it doesn't. He understands how a cup works: you put it in your mouth and tip it up and water comes out...don't forget to swallow! He understands that a bowl is like a cup in the sense that it's hollow and holds stuff, like water or food. So, he put the edge of the bowl in his mouth and tipped it up. I think he got some mangoes and pears in his mouth, but most went on his face. Apparently, this was really fun.

And We're Back: 8 Months Old!

2008-04-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Micah is 8-months-old (almost 9!). Why take him to a studio when you can take your own a-little-bit-less-than-studio-quality photos at home? Here is Micah with his favorite toy - his giraffe. He falls asleep with his giraffe snuggled onto his face. So cute!

And We're Back: Micah the Musician!

2008-04-02T21:30:00.000-05:00

One of the things I liked to do while nursing Micah was sing hymns. He now loves sheet music! I got the doxology printed on card stock for him to play with. Here he is pouring over the sheet music with his first instrument at the ready...

Micah has sort of learned how to play the xylophone. He knows that if he shakes the yellow sticks they have a chance of hitting the xylophone and making a loud noise. Every time he shakes them he winces in anticipation. Most of the time he missed the xylophone.

While he was playing with this music I sang it a few times, then I tried to figure it out on the xylophone. Eventually, Micah took the stick away from me and banged it on the music...presumably to get me to sing again? So I sang again and he seemed happy with that result. :-)

Sporadic Micah: Flashback, sitting on a dad

2008-02-25T22:25:00.004-05:00

Another flashback: we took a picture of Micah on my shoulders back in early September, and another more recently.

He can see (and be seen) a bit better now.

Sporadic Micah: Flashback, sitting in a chair

2008-02-21T22:20:00.003-05:00

We took a picture of Micah a bit ago sitting in one of our living room chairs. We later remembered that we had taken a picture of him in the same chair when he wasn't yet two months old.

For your reference (and enjoyment!) here are two other pictures from the same days respectively.

Sporadic Micah: Cool baby

2008-02-20T22:29:00.004-05:00

Cool baby? Cool baby.

Rock 'n' roll.

We're not dead!

2008-02-18T22:11:00.004-05:00

... just busy. I'm sorry about the lack of pictures! I imagine you're all simply starving to see a picture of Micah. Micah, of course, is not starving and is as chubby as ever.

Micah turned seven months old yesterday, and this picture is from the day before.

Sporadic Micah: What's that?

2008-02-02T16:08:00.000-05:00

So I've been a little remiss about daily posting. Sorry! I'll try to get back into a groove this week. Goodness knows there's picture and stuff to post. I haven't even gotten to our Christmas-in-Madison pictures yet! Yikes!

But before we get to that (probably tomorrow), a brief game of I-spy.

I spy (with my eye) something white!

Is it small?

Yes!

Is it in Micah's mouth?

Right again!

Is it a tooth?!

It is! Be sure to click the picture to get a good view.

Memorial Service, Part 7: The next morning

2008-01-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

The next morning we stopped by to visit Sarina's grandfather one more time before heading to the airport. Micah, dressed in his Farve jersey, enjoyed some more precious moments with his great-grandfather.

Memorial Service, Part 6: A little tired

2008-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

After the reception, Micah was a little tired. And by a little, I mean a lot.

Memorial Service, Part 5: Service and reception

2008-01-27T22:00:00.001-05:00

The memorial service was really special. Sarina worked closely with her family and clergy in Austin to carefully plan the service, and she officiated it. The other grandchildren all read or said something during a time of remembrance. A pastor from the church where the service was held beautifully sang the Lord's Prayer, and the pastor that lead the service that Sarina's grandparents attended gave a touching homily. In all, it was a wonderful celebration of Billy Ruth's life.

After the service, a large group of friends family attended a reception. This, of course, proved a great opportunity to get some nice pictures. In this one, Micah is being a little cheeky.

Perhaps you're thinking, 'why is Brett so under dressed?' I'll tell you why: Micah enthusiastically vomited all over my suit coat.

But that minor detail aside, how do you like my tie?

Memorial Service, Part 4: Getting ready

2008-01-25T07:13:00.000-05:00

When we got back from communion and Micah had had a nap, it was time to start getting ready for the memorial service.

Rob and Micah watched as I tied my tie.

I liked the way that Rob had done his, so we struggled together to figure out how he did it.

You'll just have to wait for the next post to see how it all turned out.

Memorial Service, Part 3: Saturday morning

2008-01-24T23:59:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning we gathered with Sarina's grandfather (or GD, short for Granddad) for communion. Micah and GD seemed to connect.

Then Micah connected with his foot.

Memorial Service, Part 2: Friday night

2008-01-23T22:11:00.000-05:00

We arrived on Friday, picked up dinner from an excellent Mexican restaurant, and went to see Sarina's grandfather. Micah was in rough shape, after having his day thoroughly messed up by travel.

We didn't stay long, and as soon as we got back to our hotel, it was time for bed. As we were getting ready, we spotted a happy, chubby baby.

Memorial Service, Part 1

2008-01-22T23:17:00.000-05:00

We were in Austin, TX last weekend for Sarina's maternal grandmother's memorial service. We'll share details and pictures over the next couple of days, but here's a great four generation picture to get things going.

The whole weekend, Micah was fascinated with Sarina's grandfather. Precious, indeed.

Daily Micah returns on January 21st

2008-01-17T23:59:00.000-05:00

Today is Micah's six month birthday, and that's a pretty good excuse to put up fun stuff ... sorry to disappoint. We've been packing tonight to go to Austin for Sarina's grandmother's memorial service. Daily Micah will return after we return.

To celebrate Micah's monumental growth and development, we will be starting a series of "then and now" type posts once we're back.

Daily Micah: Mobile? Feet!

2008-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Micah is easily, and often, distracted.

My mobile!

Ahh, I love my mobile ...

Hmm. My feet?

I love my feet!

Daily Micah: Wash cloths are yummy

2008-01-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

As we've seen previously, wash cloths are yummy.

Whenever Micah is finished eating, we wipe him off, but then let him play with the wash cloth. He seems to rather enjoy this.

And when you're done, drop it on the floor!

Daily Micah, Late Edition: Basketmobile

2008-01-14T21:55:00.000-05:00

Micah has sat in a clothes basket before, sure, but has he driven one yet? Well, he has now!

At first, I pushed him a bit too fast, and he got concerned. Maybe he isn't a need for speed kind of guy. He seems to better enjoy cruising and seeing the sites.

Daily Micah, Late Edition: Baby face

2008-01-11T23:18:00.000-05:00

No endearing story this time, just a baby face.

Daily Micah, Late Edition: Taking it easy

2008-01-10T23:24:00.000-05:00

This is the life.

Still in p.j.'s, mom scratching the back, one hand in mouth, the other on toes. Does it get any better?

Daily Micah, Late Edition: Whirled Peas

2008-01-09T21:57:00.001-05:00

As we mentioned in a post yesterday, we attempted to feed Micah his first real food: peas! Who doesn't like peas?

Well, last night, Micah didn't seem to like peas.

Note: this is the longest video we've ever posted, at about 3 minutes, so it could take a while to download. Your patience will be rewarded.

We tried peas again tonight, with greater success. The trick? We added more water and spent more time mashing. This time, he wasn't completely disgusted by them; though, he remained worried, he kept opening his mouth for more. Perhaps he has accepted that life is full of suffering and trials, and this is simply one of many to be endured.

Action Action News Flash Update Extreme!

2008-01-08T22:21:00.000-05:00

We offered Micah his first taste of food beyond breast milk and rice cereal: whirled peas.

He wasn't impressed.

In fact, he made it quite clear that he prefers cereal, even if its mixed with water, to peas. We took some video and once I have a chance to do some editing, we'll have a side-by-side comparison of him eating peas and cereal.

Daily Micah, Late Edition: Paying Tribute to His Royal Shortness

2008-01-08T22:05:00.000-05:00

As you will recall, not long ago we presented his royal shortness.

The holidays are a special time for royalty, when loyal subjects bring gifts to honor and pay tribute to them. It was no different for his royal shortness.

I know what you're thinking. Yes, those are all his. No, we only bought two of them. In fact, none of his gifts from my side of the family are even pictured here.

Like any gracious recipient, he immediately demonstrated his appreciation for the gifts.

My mom says that you can't spoil a baby. Maybe not. However, you can spoil a baby's parents. We've been so thoroughly blessed by the generosity of others that I'm not sure we're going to know what to do when his royal shortness grows out of all the things we've been given for him.

Though his royal shortness took great interest in the wrapped packages, he didn't enjoy the process of them being unwrapped. There's something about the sound of tearing paper that he just doesn't enjoy yet. I'm sure next year he'll be better adjusted.

Daily Micah: Who buried me?

2008-01-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

One of the things I enjoy most about being a father (there are many) is doing various things to Micah to see how he responds. I love watching him think, and I love seeing what he'll laugh at. I take after my dad, too, in that I love messing with him.

One day, I had him sitting on our bed. Sarina uses a rather large pile of pillows to support her back while nursing him, and so I started stacking them around him.

Of course, if the idea is to see how Micah reacts, we have to take the pacifier out.

I figure he's saying something like hey, who buried me?

And of course, that's an easy question to answer. Daddy did.

Daily Micah Returns: Sitting up (and falling over)

2008-01-06T21:06:00.000-05:00

Daily Micah returns ... on the 6th, rather than the 3rd (sorry Karina!), but as you might have gathered from the previous day's post, things have been difficult since our return from Madison.

Sitting, as it turns out, is also difficult, if you're a little 5 and a half month old. Yes, yes, of course you've seen pictures of Micah sitting. This is old news, right? Sort of. He's essentially mastered sitting when using his arms to support him, provided he doesn't try to do anything with his arms. Like play with a block.

Whoops! At least falling over is unexpected, and therefore fun, and usually gets a smile (though you can't tell here, due to the paci). How could face-planting into the carpet not be fun?

Billy Ruth Has Fallen Asleep

2008-01-05T11:11:00.001-05:00

My Mother's Mother passed away yesterday. In the words of the Apostle Paul, she has fallen asleep and will wake up in the presence of the Lord. I look forward to seeing her again, perhaps in 65-ish years.

This post is dedicated to her life. I only have pictures of our most recent visit with Micah on the computer because all previous visits were not recorded with a digital camera.

Here is a picture of my Grandmother and Grandfather who has survived her.

I have a couple of short videos taken on our regular camera. They aren't very good, owing both to the fact that there is a limited amount of time one can video things on our camera and the fact that I didn't realize that the camera would pick up sound. They're pretty cool, though.

Here's my grandparents together with Micah.

Here's a picture of my grandmother with Micah.

Here's a sideways video of my grandmother with Micah in the same pose.

Finally, all three women in a four generation pic with Micah.

Just before she died, someone asked her, "Mrs. Rubottom, how is that grandbaby?" She replied, "Micah is wonderful. They send me pictures." It is a joy to know that she knew Micah.

These pictures are only of my Grandmother in her last days. The following activities will always remind me of her:
- eating apricot jam on toast
- drinking tea with sugar cubes
- playing Solitaire
- playing Go Fish
- playing Bridge
- watching tennis on TV
- getting a manicure
- going to Nordstrom's
- putting on make-up

I will always remember her beautifully put together with perfect make-up, wearing a nice dress and heels, manicured nails, hair perfect and brown. I will also remember her wonderfully joyous laugh. I think I inherited it. :-)

Now that I'm thinking about her I just remembered that she taught me that one can cry when one it happy. She got something for Christmas from my parents. They had come to visit us when we still lived in Los Angeles. When she opened the gift she immediately started to cry. I have no idea what the gift was. I remember being completely confused and she explained to me that she was crying because she was happy and that sometimes that's what people do when they're happy. :-)

I cried when I heard she has passed, but there is a lot to be grateful for. God was extraordinarily kind to her and my Grandfather in all of this.

I loved her very much and will miss her. I look forward to seeing her again in the presence of God.

Bye-Bye Billy Ruth

Daily Micah Returns on January 3rd

2007-12-27T12:06:00.001-05:00

We're traveling tomorrow to see my family, and in the spirit of taking a vacation from absolutely everything possible (which isn't a whole lot these days), we'll be taking a vacation from Daily Micah as well. Stay tuned for more exciting pictures and video, when Daily Micah returns on January 3rd.

Christ is Born!

2007-12-25T08:33:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

We hope and pray that you have a safe and blessed holiday.

Christ is born!

Daily Micah: Big Spoon

2007-12-23T14:30:00.000-05:00

In the proud tradition of sword swallowers, I present Micah, eater of large spoons.

Daily Micah, Late Edition: Phipps Conservatory

2007-12-22T22:25:00.000-05:00

We went to Phipps Conservatory on Friday to see the Chihuly glass exhibit. It was spectacular. If you live in the area and haven't seen it, you should; it's open until February 24th.

What, a picture of us without Micah?

Phew, there he is.

Daily Micah, Late Edition: Chins

2007-12-21T22:49:00.000-05:00

Micah's cheeks aren't his only prominent facial feature. His chins are also rather pronounced. In fact, his "real" chin is actually rather tiny.

But you know, maybe the stuff around it isn't extra chin at all, but rather simply the expansion of cheek into other territory. Are Micah's cheeks imperialistic? You be the judge.

On a sad note, Micah will soon weigh too much for his jump and go. He's gotten much better at going, but still hasn't really jumped. He does bounce, however, which is a start.

Daily Micah, Late Edition: Engineering Christmas Cookies, Part 2

2007-12-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

After you make cookies, you have to play with the baby. It's a rule.

First, you have to compare cheeks. I'm sorry, Brian, but I think Micah's are still bigger.

Then you have to make him smile.

Daily Micah: Engineering Christmas Cookies, Part 1

2007-12-18T07:13:00.000-05:00

We got together a while ago with our friends Brian and Robin to make Christmas cookies. It was a lot of fun, especially since Brian, Robin and I are engineers. What happens when engineers make Christmas cookies? Precision!

Micah is clearly still too young to appreciate the view, though judging by his cheeks you'd think he was already a cookie lover.

Daily Micah, Late Edition: Pacified, Part 2

2007-12-17T23:59:00.000-05:00

While pacifiers have really helped Micah deal with his need to chew on things, there are two disadvantages. First, you don't get to hear his voice as much. Micah can be quite chatty, and pacifiers just make it harder for him to speak his mind.

Second, pacifiers hide his mouth, so it can be harder to tell when he's smiling. Periodically, therefore, I remove the pacifier to check out what his little mouth is doing.