What a Voice!

Elisa's been enjoying squealing a lot the last couple of days. It can get rather loud at times. I think she just likes hearing herself talk.

One Day Down

Quick Update: Elisa did great today. She played at her friend Sydney's house while I was at work. She took a two hour nap, drank everything out of her bottle, and was playing happily when I went to pick her up. Thanks so much Linde!

Greg's Away... Mom and Leesi Play

Greg is gone. He left this morning at 3 am for the annual ACSD (Association of Christians in Student Development) Conference. This year it's at Cedarville in Ohio. He'll be there just over a week.


I'm so sad that he's gone. Ever since I woke up this morning I have this uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's like a nervous queasy feeling. It's silly. I know that a lot of people are away from their spouses far longer than a week, but I'm not used to him being gone so long.


I'm also a little nervous about Elisa. I work three days while Greg is gone, and Elisa will have to be watched by someone else for about 5 hours each day. I haven't left her with anyone but Greg for that long before, and I'm kind of nervous about it. I know that she'll be in good hands, but I'm nervous about how she'll do. Will she drink out of her bottle well? Will she sleep okay? What if she cries the whole time? I guess it's normal for me to be nervous about this. I just have to remind myself that it's better that this is happening now, before she's at the age of separation anxiety.

Cute Elisa

Man, she just gets cuter and cuter every day, if that is possible.

Here's a picture of her after her bath the other night:

And here's one of her eating cereal. We tried feeding her cereal twice last week. But we've decided that she doesn't really need it yet. So we're going to wait a couple more weeks and then try again.

Here she is with her friend Sydney. Sydney was born two weeks after Elisa and they're best friends :-)

Five Months

Today is Elisa's five-month Birthday. She has grown and changed so much in just five months. We are so grateful for the last five months with her... she is such a joy. And we look forward to many more months ahead.

She doesn't mind her car seat and is a great road trip taker. Here she is in her car seat on our day in Eureka Springs.

She's very curious. In this picture she's checking out the flowers that are embroidered on her skirt.

She's getting good at grabbing things and wants to have everything in her mouth - including your face. Here she has the ribbon from my Mother's Day gift.

A Visit from Anna

So our last scheduled visitor, Anna, came last week. She was here for four days, and it was great to be with her. Elisa loved her Aunt Anna! One day we went to Eureka Springs to do some touristy type stuff. We ate at the balcony restaurant and Anna and Elisa "danced" together to the live music. What fun!

Mother's Day

A Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there. And thanks to my Mom for all your love and nurturing!

This is my favorite poem, and just happens to be perfect for Mother's Day. READ IT!

The Lanyard

Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

Elisa's New Room

It's official. Elisa is in her new room. She's slept in it for 4 nights now... and so far so good. It's nice having her out of our bedroom. For so long we haven't been able to use our bedroom when she's napping. It makes our house feel bigger having our bedroom back.

I thought that I wouldn't sleep as well for a couple nights, because I would be worried about her being so far away from us. But that hasn't been a problem at all.

Anyway, here's a video of her beautiful room. She loves it. And I like it too!

Oklahoma City Memorial Half-Marathon

We did it! Last weekend we ran our half-marathon. It was (dare I say this?) fun. You can read all about it and see pictures on Greg's blog.