I realize that the average person does not take a job at a fast food restaurant due to an extraordinary level of competence and expertise. But, being my father's daughter (Sorry, Dad!), I expect some basic level of competence pretty much everywhere--like the ability to transfer the order from my mouth to the register without grave mishaps or the knowledge that, if the cost is $10.55 and I hand him $11.05, I get 2 quarters back. Or. . .
we went to Wendy's yesterday, and I ordered a Mandarin Chicken Salad. I frequently order the MCS, and they've never before asked me what type of dressing I would like, because it comes with a sesame dressing. But the guy at the drive-thru window asked. We told him I wanted the dressing it came with. But when I checked in the bag as we pulled away, he had given me Balsamic Vinaigrette. So Kevin parked and I went in to trade. I asked the lady at the register if they had the Asian dressing. She looked at me like I was an idiot and said, with a very un-customer service-like attitude, that they had never had an Asian dressing. I, very kindly in spite of a certain irritation, pulled the vinaigrette out of the bag. "Well, this isn't what normally comes with the mandarin salad. Do you have any of it?" She looked over at another employee. . .and asked for the Oriental dressing.
Excuse me.
12/15/2008
12/05/2008
Carolyn and Bob Dylan
Earlier this week, Carolyn was (for the first and, I'm sure, last time in her life) a little bit fussy. I was looking online for the words to the folk song "Froggy Went A-Courtin'." I found them, along with a recording by Bob Dylan, which I played.
Fussing stopped. Smiling ensued.
Music stopped. Fussing ensued.
Music began again. Fussing stopped. Smiling ensued.
Too Funny.
Carolyn likes to sing with us when we sing to her. In fact, if the person rocking her to sleep is not singing, she will probably sing herself to sleep. She's quite the vocalist, as my dad said, and we recorded her first smash hit to share with you.
Fussing stopped. Smiling ensued.
Music stopped. Fussing ensued.
Music began again. Fussing stopped. Smiling ensued.
Too Funny.
Carolyn likes to sing with us when we sing to her. In fact, if the person rocking her to sleep is not singing, she will probably sing herself to sleep. She's quite the vocalist, as my dad said, and we recorded her first smash hit to share with you.
12/02/2008
Thanks for Kevin
As always when Thanksgiving rolls around, we gave thanks for Kevin's birth! This is what happens when you actually light and extinguish 26 birthday candles. . .
For Fathers
This post by Doug Wilson is a good reminder for parents. I have memories of various iconic moments with my dad; they are good ones, and I am thankful.
11/25/2008
Breakfast Art
I enjoyed a bagel sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar for breakfast this morning. The remains inspired this creation. Yes, it's copyrighted.
11/21/2008
Aunt Rebecca Comes to Visit
My aunt came to meet Carolyn last week. I think they got along well. . .
Monster Invasion
If you missed the inaugural post on these mutant horrors they insist are crickets, look here.
They're taking over our basement.
I saw the first one in late summer, at night. So I stopped doing laundry after dark.
Now, with winter and daylight savings, they come out before four o'clock in the afternoon, and I've seen more of them than I care to recall.
It's seriously affecting my laundry upkeep.
One of them even ventured into my kitchen last week.
I really don't think of myself as especially squeamish. I'll grab a garden-variety cricket and toss him outside any day of the week. I don't like spiders, but, if there is no masculine personage about to do the job, I am capable of killing them. (Shhh! Don't tell my husband. . .he'll think he doesn't have to spring to my rescue anymore.) Snakes don't bother me, unless they're dangerous ones. Mice may startle me if they suddenly scamper across my floor, but they don't scare me.
But these unholy things are something not meant to be bred, like the undesired outcome of a spider drunkenly mistaking a cricket for its mate. I think they're an evolutionary precursor of the orc. (That was a joke. I don't buy into macro-evolution. And I know orcs are a fantastical creation of the imagination. Though I did try to convince Kevin that, if we ever have a little boy, we could name him something like Oscar Roland Clark and have our very own real, live ORC. But I digress. . . .) They're starting to inhabit my nightmares--which would be common, pleasant dreams if they stayed away--and gazing at them in an effort to rationallly remember their harmlessness and brave the basement floor from the stairs to the dryer sends convulsive shudders down my spine.
It's really quite a problem.
They're taking over our basement.
I saw the first one in late summer, at night. So I stopped doing laundry after dark.
Now, with winter and daylight savings, they come out before four o'clock in the afternoon, and I've seen more of them than I care to recall.
It's seriously affecting my laundry upkeep.
One of them even ventured into my kitchen last week.
I really don't think of myself as especially squeamish. I'll grab a garden-variety cricket and toss him outside any day of the week. I don't like spiders, but, if there is no masculine personage about to do the job, I am capable of killing them. (Shhh! Don't tell my husband. . .he'll think he doesn't have to spring to my rescue anymore.) Snakes don't bother me, unless they're dangerous ones. Mice may startle me if they suddenly scamper across my floor, but they don't scare me.
But these unholy things are something not meant to be bred, like the undesired outcome of a spider drunkenly mistaking a cricket for its mate. I think they're an evolutionary precursor of the orc. (That was a joke. I don't buy into macro-evolution. And I know orcs are a fantastical creation of the imagination. Though I did try to convince Kevin that, if we ever have a little boy, we could name him something like Oscar Roland Clark and have our very own real, live ORC. But I digress. . . .) They're starting to inhabit my nightmares--which would be common, pleasant dreams if they stayed away--and gazing at them in an effort to rationallly remember their harmlessness and brave the basement floor from the stairs to the dryer sends convulsive shudders down my spine.
It's really quite a problem.
11/20/2008
Drawn to the Light
Carolyn likes light. This is not unusual for infants, of course. We make some effort, however, to keep her from gazing at the television when it is on--which she likes to do.
Last night, she was laying across my lap while Kevin was playing the Wii. I didn't think she could see the TV, because there is quite a collection of items piled haphazardly on our coffee table. She continued to stare fixedly in that direction, however, so I moved a small box on the coffee table directly in her line of vision.
!!!
A good ten minutes of plainly dissatisfied chattering ensued, in which Carolyn clearly and not-so-concisely conveyed her displeasure while we. . .well, I'll confess it, we laughed.
Last night, she was laying across my lap while Kevin was playing the Wii. I didn't think she could see the TV, because there is quite a collection of items piled haphazardly on our coffee table. She continued to stare fixedly in that direction, however, so I moved a small box on the coffee table directly in her line of vision.
!!!
A good ten minutes of plainly dissatisfied chattering ensued, in which Carolyn clearly and not-so-concisely conveyed her displeasure while we. . .well, I'll confess it, we laughed.
Quote of the Day
from Thomas Merton, via Wittingshire:
There's not much to add here. The first sentence reminds me somewhat of what we know as the Serenity Prayer, which I've never been particularly fond of (purely for its popularity, I suspect). The last sentence, both by its structure and its content, is striking as well.
Ultimately the secret is perfect abandonment to the will of God in things you cannot control, and perfect obedience to Him in everything that depends on your own volition, so that in all things, in your interior life and in your outward works for God, you desire only one thing, which is the fulfillment of His will.
If you do this, your activity will share the disinterested peace that you are able to find at prayer, and in the simplicity of the things you do men will recognize your peacefulness and give glory to God...For the saint preaches sermons by the way he walks and the way he stands and the way he sits down and the way he picks things up and holds them in his hand.
There's not much to add here. The first sentence reminds me somewhat of what we know as the Serenity Prayer, which I've never been particularly fond of (purely for its popularity, I suspect). The last sentence, both by its structure and its content, is striking as well.
11/13/2008
Vignette the First
I had some green tea from Panera today, and--between juggling Carolyn, checking my lunch (which wound up being left off the order after all that work!) for dairy, and ordering Kevin's lunch--I didn't have time to stir it after I added honey to sweeten. I forgot about it. . .until I got to the bottom of my cup, that is, when I was pleasantly surprised by a sweet liquid dessert!
Perhaps I shall regularly "forget" to stir.
Perhaps I shall regularly "forget" to stir.
Vignettes
For this new phase of life, in which time to type protracted posts is rare, we present a new category: Vignettes.
We could call them Short Rambles, but that sounds far less important and far less complimentary.
We could call them Short Rambles, but that sounds far less important and far less complimentary.
11/08/2008
Carolyn Rolls Over
Today, I left Carolyn on her tummy on the bed, then left the room to get some things. She was fussing, then screaming, and when I came back a few minutes later. . .she was flat on her back screaming at the ceiling! Too bad I missed it!
11/07/2008
One More Election Post
Dr. Albert Mohler on the election
the Archbishop of New York on the black and white nature of abortion
Randy Alcorn on abortion
Doug Wilson on the election
the Archbishop of New York on the black and white nature of abortion
Randy Alcorn on abortion
Doug Wilson on the election
One Election Post
I'm sure it won't surprise anyone to know that I did not vote for Barack Obama on Tuesday. But let me tell you why I am heartsick that so many did.
Unless you've had your head stuck in the sand, you have to know that Obama has the most pro-abortion record of anyone in the Senate. As a state senator, he even opposed legislation to save babies who survived their abortions and were born alive. That is repulsive. The Freedom of Choice Act, which Obama has promised to sign, relaxes even the limited restraints on abortion many states have enacted. America already has the most permissive abortion laws in the world.
Yes, I disagree with some other Obama policies, policies that may disappoint, frustrate, or scare me. That is part of our political system, and it's a good part--different people with different ideas on governing make us stronger. Many of those issues have large gray areas. Abortion is black and white. And you cannot, absolutely cannot, be a good leader while considering any class of people sub-human, be it for race, age, culture, or faith. If the only ill in Hitler's philosophy was the perceived right of others to exterminate anyone of Jewish descent, could he have been a great leader? There is no "he's a good man, with the exception of thinking murder is okay." Thinking murder is okay eliminates the possibility of being a good man. That so many people, even people of faith who claim to value life, can turn a blind eye to the issue of the legalized killing of any class of people. . . .
Please don't quibble over whether unborn children are people. Babies show their personality even in the womb. Can you look at current ultrasound pictures, pictures that show babies moving and sucking their thumbs, and deny that they are human? Can you look at the pictures of Carolyn and tell me that, had we chosen abortion--as our first doctor repeatedly advised us to do in the 2 visits I had with her--we would not have been claiming the life of a person? The person that is Carolyn would have been lost--no identical replacement next time around. Every baby--every fetus--is unique and different.
It is ironic that, as we celebrate the progress America has made from the days when men of Obama's skin tone were denied basic human rights, we do so for one who would deny children even the right to life in favor of their mother's convenience and freedom from responsibility.
Unless you've had your head stuck in the sand, you have to know that Obama has the most pro-abortion record of anyone in the Senate. As a state senator, he even opposed legislation to save babies who survived their abortions and were born alive. That is repulsive. The Freedom of Choice Act, which Obama has promised to sign, relaxes even the limited restraints on abortion many states have enacted. America already has the most permissive abortion laws in the world.
Yes, I disagree with some other Obama policies, policies that may disappoint, frustrate, or scare me. That is part of our political system, and it's a good part--different people with different ideas on governing make us stronger. Many of those issues have large gray areas. Abortion is black and white. And you cannot, absolutely cannot, be a good leader while considering any class of people sub-human, be it for race, age, culture, or faith. If the only ill in Hitler's philosophy was the perceived right of others to exterminate anyone of Jewish descent, could he have been a great leader? There is no "he's a good man, with the exception of thinking murder is okay." Thinking murder is okay eliminates the possibility of being a good man. That so many people, even people of faith who claim to value life, can turn a blind eye to the issue of the legalized killing of any class of people. . . .
Please don't quibble over whether unborn children are people. Babies show their personality even in the womb. Can you look at current ultrasound pictures, pictures that show babies moving and sucking their thumbs, and deny that they are human? Can you look at the pictures of Carolyn and tell me that, had we chosen abortion--as our first doctor repeatedly advised us to do in the 2 visits I had with her--we would not have been claiming the life of a person? The person that is Carolyn would have been lost--no identical replacement next time around. Every baby--every fetus--is unique and different.
It is ironic that, as we celebrate the progress America has made from the days when men of Obama's skin tone were denied basic human rights, we do so for one who would deny children even the right to life in favor of their mother's convenience and freedom from responsibility.
11/04/2008
Weekend (Plus) in Review
It's been a busy few days! Kevin's mom and aunt came to visit last Thursday and stayed until this afternoon. Saturday was our 2nd annual apple outing with several families from church, and Carolyn's 2-month appointment was yesterday.
We really enjoyed the apple day. The weather was beautiful--sunny and nearly 70 degrees. After buying a whole bunch of apples (guess what I'll be doing for the next couple days!) and going to the dairy, we went to a state park and grilled lunch before taking a group hike through the lovely fall foliage. Carolyn slept much of the time, but she woke up during our hike and thoroughly enjoyed gazing at the great outdoors.
Carolyn's appointment yesterday went very well. She weighs 12 pounds and 10 ounces and is 22 inches long (more or less. . .she's not exactly cooperative with the stretching out and being still for a height measurement!). She got her first two vaccines, screamed heartily, and then slept through almost the whole evening. She woke up at 3:20 this morning running a good fever, but promptly vomited any grape Tylenol I forced down her throat. Fortunately, her fever subsided on its own in a little over an hour. We went back to sleep, and she slept soundly until 10 this morning. She's slept more than normal today also, but other than that seems to have no ill effects.
We have decided that Carolyn definitely has a serious sensitivity to dairy--any dairy in my diet results in great gushes of sour milk from her a few hours later. So I'm on a dairy hiatus until Christmas, when we'll try again and see how she handles it. Many infants grow out of a dairy allergy, so we are hopeful that will be the case here.
That's the news. Here are some photos to complement:
Daddy's the entertainer
The Five of Us
"Life is Good."
Family Photo
We really enjoyed the apple day. The weather was beautiful--sunny and nearly 70 degrees. After buying a whole bunch of apples (guess what I'll be doing for the next couple days!) and going to the dairy, we went to a state park and grilled lunch before taking a group hike through the lovely fall foliage. Carolyn slept much of the time, but she woke up during our hike and thoroughly enjoyed gazing at the great outdoors.
Carolyn's appointment yesterday went very well. She weighs 12 pounds and 10 ounces and is 22 inches long (more or less. . .she's not exactly cooperative with the stretching out and being still for a height measurement!). She got her first two vaccines, screamed heartily, and then slept through almost the whole evening. She woke up at 3:20 this morning running a good fever, but promptly vomited any grape Tylenol I forced down her throat. Fortunately, her fever subsided on its own in a little over an hour. We went back to sleep, and she slept soundly until 10 this morning. She's slept more than normal today also, but other than that seems to have no ill effects.
We have decided that Carolyn definitely has a serious sensitivity to dairy--any dairy in my diet results in great gushes of sour milk from her a few hours later. So I'm on a dairy hiatus until Christmas, when we'll try again and see how she handles it. Many infants grow out of a dairy allergy, so we are hopeful that will be the case here.
That's the news. Here are some photos to complement:
Daddy's the entertainer
The Five of Us
"Life is Good."
Family Photo
10/29/2008
This One's For Me
I'm going to be extremely honest here.
I like people. I like cleaning my house in anticipation of hosting visitors, whether for an afternoon tea or a prolonged stay. I love to prepare food for others to enjoy. I do.
On the other hand, I'm far more of an introvert than not. The peace of my own quiet, empty home is bliss. Nothing could be more ideal than being here, caring for my husband--and, now, my daughter--with only the outside interruptions I choose.
Unfortunately, the two persuasions clash. Though I get excited to entertain, the temporary opening of my quiet haven sometimes erodes my endurance too early. And, though I love our happy home, I sometimes get impatient to open it to others.
It's a ridiculous position, I know.
The best definition of an introvert I've heard (by which of course I mean the one that best describes me), is someone who gets his energy or "recharges," so to speak, by being alone. When I'm around a lot of people--or around people a lot--I just get tired. My mental and emotional endurance wanes. I crave the solace of solitude. That is why Nancy Wilson's recent post on greater hospitality grabbed my attention and why I continue to seek grace for a larger heart.
I like people. I like cleaning my house in anticipation of hosting visitors, whether for an afternoon tea or a prolonged stay. I love to prepare food for others to enjoy. I do.
On the other hand, I'm far more of an introvert than not. The peace of my own quiet, empty home is bliss. Nothing could be more ideal than being here, caring for my husband--and, now, my daughter--with only the outside interruptions I choose.
Unfortunately, the two persuasions clash. Though I get excited to entertain, the temporary opening of my quiet haven sometimes erodes my endurance too early. And, though I love our happy home, I sometimes get impatient to open it to others.
It's a ridiculous position, I know.
The best definition of an introvert I've heard (by which of course I mean the one that best describes me), is someone who gets his energy or "recharges," so to speak, by being alone. When I'm around a lot of people--or around people a lot--I just get tired. My mental and emotional endurance wanes. I crave the solace of solitude. That is why Nancy Wilson's recent post on greater hospitality grabbed my attention and why I continue to seek grace for a larger heart.
10/20/2008
We're Still Here
In case you are going into withdrawals for Carolyn-related blog postings, I'll just let you know that we're still here. Kevin has been working day and night this past week stripping paint from our doorways, window frames, and columns, so we've been staying at a friend's house.
Carolyn is coasting along like a model child, as long as I don't eat much in the way of lactose-loaded sustenance. Then she turns into a fussy baby for a couple hours before she spews everything she's ever eaten out on whoever is holding her. So methinks I'll not be eating much dairy for a while--at least, not much at one time. She does fine if I have a little bit.
We go back to the doctor in 2 weeks, and I fully expect Carolyn to weigh in at 12 or 13 pounds. She's developing a bit of a routine, with the exception of a day here and there, of cat-napping and eating all morning and early afternoon before sleeping 3-6 hour stretches through the evening and night. She's even put herself to sleep a couple times in the past week, without a tear. Currently, however, she's registering her complaint at being left to her own amusement this long, and I am being called to the rescue.
Pictures will come when we get settled back into our house.
Carolyn is coasting along like a model child, as long as I don't eat much in the way of lactose-loaded sustenance. Then she turns into a fussy baby for a couple hours before she spews everything she's ever eaten out on whoever is holding her. So methinks I'll not be eating much dairy for a while--at least, not much at one time. She does fine if I have a little bit.
We go back to the doctor in 2 weeks, and I fully expect Carolyn to weigh in at 12 or 13 pounds. She's developing a bit of a routine, with the exception of a day here and there, of cat-napping and eating all morning and early afternoon before sleeping 3-6 hour stretches through the evening and night. She's even put herself to sleep a couple times in the past week, without a tear. Currently, however, she's registering her complaint at being left to her own amusement this long, and I am being called to the rescue.
Pictures will come when we get settled back into our house.
10/11/2008
A Messy Week
This photo belies the story below. :-)
We've, ummm,enjoyed cleaning up after our little daughter this week. The climax of the week had to be on Thursday. . .
Carolyn only had a tiny bit of diaper rash, but it was evidently extremely sensitive. I hurried to change her diaper when she started screaming like the world was ending in the middle of the afternoon, only to discover there was barely anything there. She wasn't even wet, which is usually what prompts apocalyptic screams. Nevertheless, I changed the diaper and had almost gotten the cover secured when the screaming commenced again. Repeat performance. And again. By this time, I had gotten the message that the rash was sensitive. Hoping to soothe it, I ran a bath of warm water and got in the tub with her.
Evidently, it worked, because we were soon sitting in a tub of water that closely resembled a fish aquarium whose cleaning was overdue.
I decided I needed a shower.
So I emptied and cleaned the tub, still holding and comforting Carolyn, then put the infant tub in the shower, so she could continue to soak in warm water while I took a shower. She was perfectly content. . .until I took her out of the water and wrapped her in a towel, when the world began to end yet again. So, swaddled in blankets, we sat on the bed for a while while she nursed and dozed. . .until she followed her first act by soakeing the blankets, my robe, and the sheets.
Friday followed, when Carolyn expelled the entire contents of her little stomach, soaking her clothes, my clothes, and the couch. And today, as we speak, our bed sheets are in the washer after Carolyn couldn't wait for Kevin to get a diaper back under her when he changed her this morning.
And that, folks, has been the week with our almost-six-week-old angel.
We've, ummm,enjoyed cleaning up after our little daughter this week. The climax of the week had to be on Thursday. . .
Carolyn only had a tiny bit of diaper rash, but it was evidently extremely sensitive. I hurried to change her diaper when she started screaming like the world was ending in the middle of the afternoon, only to discover there was barely anything there. She wasn't even wet, which is usually what prompts apocalyptic screams. Nevertheless, I changed the diaper and had almost gotten the cover secured when the screaming commenced again. Repeat performance. And again. By this time, I had gotten the message that the rash was sensitive. Hoping to soothe it, I ran a bath of warm water and got in the tub with her.
Evidently, it worked, because we were soon sitting in a tub of water that closely resembled a fish aquarium whose cleaning was overdue.
I decided I needed a shower.
So I emptied and cleaned the tub, still holding and comforting Carolyn, then put the infant tub in the shower, so she could continue to soak in warm water while I took a shower. She was perfectly content. . .until I took her out of the water and wrapped her in a towel, when the world began to end yet again. So, swaddled in blankets, we sat on the bed for a while while she nursed and dozed. . .until she followed her first act by soakeing the blankets, my robe, and the sheets.
Friday followed, when Carolyn expelled the entire contents of her little stomach, soaking her clothes, my clothes, and the couch. And today, as we speak, our bed sheets are in the washer after Carolyn couldn't wait for Kevin to get a diaper back under her when he changed her this morning.
And that, folks, has been the week with our almost-six-week-old angel.
10/07/2008
Quote of the Day: Halloween
from Doug Wilson, who offers some worthy thoughts on celebrating Halloween.
". . .I would strongly urge that no one have their kids dress up as members of the other team — witches, ghosts, devils, imps, or congressmen."
9/25/2008
Carolyn goes to Wal-mart
Carolyn made her first trip to Wal-mart today.
She got lots of attention.
I haven't actually done my own grocery shopping in almost a month, and, though my list wasn't that long, a lot of extra things found their way into my cart. I was also hungry. A month out of the grocery store and an empty stomach make a bad combination for grocery shopping.
We dropped Kevin off at work and went straight to Wal-mart, since early morning is the best time to go--usually, I don't even have to wait in line to check out. By the time we got in a parking place, though, Carolyn was rather upset. So we sat in the backseat together for half an hour while she ate, cat-napped, and ate again. Then I loaded her in the kangaroo carrier and we ventured inside. The bright lights on the high ceiling caught her immediate attention. . .and held it for the first 5 minutes or so. She just stared up. Then she looked around for a while. She started to fuss about halfway through the list and I was wondering if Kevin would actually get food for breakfast tomorrow or not--but she quickly buried her head in my chest and drifted off to dreamland, where she remained until we got home. Very impressive. If only shopping could always be this easy. :-)
This afternoon, we're off to Annapolis to run an errand for Kevin. I hope it goes as well.
She got lots of attention.
I haven't actually done my own grocery shopping in almost a month, and, though my list wasn't that long, a lot of extra things found their way into my cart. I was also hungry. A month out of the grocery store and an empty stomach make a bad combination for grocery shopping.
We dropped Kevin off at work and went straight to Wal-mart, since early morning is the best time to go--usually, I don't even have to wait in line to check out. By the time we got in a parking place, though, Carolyn was rather upset. So we sat in the backseat together for half an hour while she ate, cat-napped, and ate again. Then I loaded her in the kangaroo carrier and we ventured inside. The bright lights on the high ceiling caught her immediate attention. . .and held it for the first 5 minutes or so. She just stared up. Then she looked around for a while. She started to fuss about halfway through the list and I was wondering if Kevin would actually get food for breakfast tomorrow or not--but she quickly buried her head in my chest and drifted off to dreamland, where she remained until we got home. Very impressive. If only shopping could always be this easy. :-)
This afternoon, we're off to Annapolis to run an errand for Kevin. I hope it goes as well.
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