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September 30, 2002

Sensible Transit

Would you invest in a project to build 14 mile long streetcar line that costs $2.4 billion? If you would, then go here for some common sense alternatives to this crazed madness that is Sound Transit.

Posted by clappstar at 02:31 PM | Comments (1)

September 29, 2002

Center Of Attention

Grandma and aunties visited little baby. She is a voracious reader.
Dada makes a good jungle gym. Nearly sitting up with cute momma.

Posted by clappstar at 01:00 PM | Comments (2)

The Brain Is Interesting

The first class has already been held, but there are four more. The class is an investigation into the human mind as discussed and elaborated on by a pastor and a (brain) scientist. This series is worth it regardless of your spiritual faith in that it brings up a complex level of debate often overlooked in discussion on thought, mind, brain and behavior.
The Mind Alive: A Christian Understanding of the Human Mind
Presented by UPC Senior Pastor Earl F. Palmer and John Medina, Founding Director of the Talaris Research Institute
Wednesday Evenings, Sept. 25-Oct. 23, 7-8:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary
This series of lectures will ask the question, ÒHow do we think ChristianlyÓ? We will explore the ways that the human mind works and stays healthy. We will explore the biblical understanding of wisdom and the wholeness of Christian thought.
Let me know if you are going and I'll meet you there. 206.271.8891 Jonathan

Posted by clappstar at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)

September 28, 2002

Walk To Starbucks

Baby and Dada took an early morning walk to our local Starbucks. The end of September weather in the Northwest seems more like middle of summer. Big blue sky and bright morning sunlight bathed our walk in color. Estella loves to go for walks. Sitting in the baby bjorn frontpack carrier, she gets to see everything as we walk. She gets real quiet and observant and just watches. She likes to see motion, so when someone walks their dog by us she follows its motion with her eyes.
I took her out of the pack at Starbucks and we chatted and pbserved people walking in and out. Then on the way home, about half way, I let her suck on my *clean* little finger and she almost immediately fell asleep. As I type she moves around in her crib behind me, sucking her thumb.

Posted by clappstar at 11:18 AM | Comments (1)

Movie Star

We took Estella with us on a date to see a movie. She cooperated nicely, sleeping through the entire show, the ride home and then the whole night. I woke her up this morning and enjoyed three hours of smiles, conversation, babbles and play. Fantastic baby.

Posted by clappstar at 09:02 AM | Comments (1)

September 27, 2002

Falling Asleep

Hilarious! This morning the babe and baby drove me in to work. So I got to watch Estella theatrics in action. She had been awake for much of the morning playing and babbling so on the way to work she was working on falling asleep. At the outset of the trip, she was still looking around and cooing. Soon she was only interested in putting a blanket up to her mouth to suck on and make some goo-goo noise. There was a moment of calm where she just looked around anxiously. Then it was clear that falling asleep was indeed difficult. After stopping to visit the Sad Man for some great coffee, Estella started shutting her eyes and crying out while gently thrashing about in her carseat. Getting close to downtown we pulled up to a stoplight where we were able to observe the cutest behavior. Crying, Estella finds her hand and quickly figures how to get her thumb and she begins sucking, eyes closed and silent. Too tough! Her arm starts moving and she loses the thumb - WHAAA! But only for a few moments until she finds the other hand and immediate silent sucking. Again she moves her head and loses contact and begins to cry. But now, with eyes closed, it is only a whimper. A grimace and a whimper disappears and a peaceful silence comes over her. The car bumps over rough Seattle streets and the grimace and a half-hearted cry rings out. Right away her hand finds her mouth and peace is restored. I gently support her arm to keep it near her mouth through the bouncy car ride. Suck, suck, suck. She is asleep. I let her arm drop to her side and just watch. Her peaceful countenance is lit up by the morning sun. A faint suckling motion still moves her baby lips and chin. She is beautiful. Precious. What an event to watch...falling asleep.
It is so tough to be a baby.
:)

Posted by clappstar at 08:47 AM

September 26, 2002

Day Trips With Dada

Sure, Momma and baby do all sorts of walks and outings and errands and such. But Dada and baby have special afternoon time three days a week. Today it was at the Ballard Hiram M. Crittenden Locks. We saw loads of fish hanging out on the salt water side of the fish ladder. We watched a couple really big boats move through the locks.
Nowdays, Estella would much rather suck on my hand then take a pacifier.

This morning Estella looked cute in some slacks.

Posted by clappstar at 12:10 AM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2002

Alternative Meals

Robyn has found two pretty cool services that help save time preparing and planning meals. In the Seattle area, Pioneer Organics delivers a selection of vegetables and fruits every two weeks for us. Just north of Seattle, Dream Dinners is a 2.5 hour event where you put together 12 pre-made dinner meals. Both services are cheaper than just going to the grocery store (at least they are when cooking for just two) and they save lots of time planning, plus they give really good ideas about meal planning. Just thought I'd share some info that has been real helpful for us lately.

Posted by clappstar at 07:38 PM | Comments (1)

September 18, 2002

Sleepy Baby

Estella is getting into a pattern of taking a nap at the end of a long walk with dada. On Monday, she fell asleep halfway around Greenlake and today she fell asleep halfway through our trek around Golden Gardens.

After she falls asleep I carefully transition her into the baby carrier where she nestles into my chest for a nice long sleep.

Posted by clappstar at 10:14 PM | Comments (2)

September 13, 2002

One Hundred Days Of Joy

One hundred days ago (this morning at 12:31am) at Northwest Hospital, my wife gave birth to a little baby. It was a miracle and a grand experience, we had a little daughter. She needed extra special care at first and, without modern technology, would have had a tough time recovering on her own. After a week in the hospital and many tears shed watching her get better, our little baby, Estella Faith, came home to live with her momma and dada.
These few months and the time before when we could feel her kicks and see her on ultrasound have been fascinating. It is so exciting to wake up each morning and watch her drift in and out of sleep and then to awake. We are getting to know her and introducing her to the world. She is totally dependent on us - or maybe more on Robyn, because she is momma's baby.
Given that responsibility, we take good care to keep her clean. I love caring for her and watching her every reaction and mood. She is a voracious but efficient eater and adheres to a strict 3 hour feeding cycle between 6am and 9pm. In between, she takes short naps, intently observes, blows bubbles, smiles, cries, lounges, bounces, plays with toys, bathes, etc.
She is quite the little lady, very careful to make dainty little girl sounds.
Today is a nice round age - 100 days.
Congratulations my big little baby Estella. More so to Robyn, because she did most all of the hard work.

Posted by clappstar at 12:18 AM

September 02, 2002

Trying To Understand

The emotion and energy associated with having a little baby are quite hard to articulate. At nearly three months, Estella hardly knows on a conscious level what she is doing, though she seems to know Momma and Dada and responds with chatter and a smile when we babble at her. These very sounds, smiles, her general pretty constitution and just her little self overcome me with love and emotion, an unexplained connection between two people, father and daughter, generating a sensational energy.

The energy is often diffused while I gaze at her or lost in my careful silence listening for her sounds. Harnessed, however, the possibility of such power is practically unlimited. I feel like I could dunk a basketball on Shaq, fly to the moon unaided by rocket power, swim across the sea, hike over a mountain, etc. These things I feel capable of, the aburdity of me accomplishing them notwithstanding, when I see her well up a smile. The glimmer in her eye and the clenched hands and then the smile...I melt. The sounds she makes are crafted so carefully from only three months experience with functioning vocal chords. In their simplicity I find great beauty. I could listen to it all day long. She is a new creation, a gift from God - with perfect constitution, we are so blessed. Observing it all is nearly painful, for there is no way for me to adequately express the emotions and my reactions to being hers and her being mine. I want to run all over town yelling about how thankful I am for her, how I cherish and love her. All that fire, all that emotion, all that love generated from my interaction with my baby, her smile, her cry, her laugh seemingly cannot be quenched. So it is with a humble, soft voice that I speak, just a simple whisper, a prayer, "Thank you God. Thank you for my baby Estella." I could still run all over town, but now I have perspective. Man, I still want to just scream.

Posted by clappstar at 11:00 PM | Comments (2)