Housing..

We're still in NC, and I'm posting from Wendy's computer. I think we've found the perfect thing, after an exhausting day! Ironically, it's the one house I was thinking of skipping over if we ran out of time. The ad and the pictures didn't do it justice. It's not large, and it was the cheapest house we saw. But it's 15 minutes from David's work, and here's the huge bonus, it has a beautiful, huge, screened in porch! I love it! I adore screened in porches! Also it has a very nice back yard and deck, and another big bonus, a WOOD BURNING fireplace. Also, there are two outbuildings for some of our storage stuff and a child's play gym in the large back yard. It's very homey. Wendy and Jon went around with us, and they were SOOO much help. They thought of things that we couldn't have because we haven't experienced home ownership yet. We all agreed this was the place for us! I'm soo excited! I'm already mentally decorating in my head. I'll post pictures when we get back; I took the little digital camera with us. The Lord is sooo good to us!

Pennsylvania and the Great House Hunt of 2007

Ah, the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. Seth and I had a very refreshing time there with Amanda and Perry. We went up on Monday afternoon and stayed through Wednesday morning. This picture was taken last year, but I forgot to take pictures this time, so it'll have to do. This is the Barbee's back yard. Jealous yet, anyone? This is a land of many farms and farmers. The local farmer calls A. and P. when he's going to be spreading manure so they can shut their windows. =) I saw a young Menonite mother tilling her garden with a baby in a carrier on her back while I was driving there. You turn off on Lower Snake Springs Rd. from 30, and you're on 8 miles of winding country road before you get to their house. You won't pass many cars on the way. It's absolutely beautiful, and I have fond memories of the area because we used to take that drive so often to visit Dan and Kelli and the girls at WSS. Amanda's middle name is "hospitality." Whatever we needed, she was on it. Someone else cooked dinner, and I got to watch. I got to use a washer and dryer that were in the house. I had a babysitter while I took a leisurely shower. Amanda found my sizes for me when we went outlet shopping; she's a great personal shopper, BTW. Paradise... We're going to miss being able to take a restorative country retreat to their house when we move.

And speaking of moving...we got back and BAM!, the House Hunt was on. I walked in the door and listened to my answering machine, and I got a message about an incredible lead for housing. If this option works out, we would be living in a larger, nicer house than anything Ellen has ever prayed for before. I won't say much more, but hearing about this option was enough to get my head spinning, and it's still spinning. This matter needs to be bathed in much prayer. We're going down to Raleigh this weekend to look for a rental house. We'll be seeing that house and several others, hopefully. Please pray for us. It's been stressful trying to get everything set up to see houses. It seems that we have to set up something individually with each of the rental agencies whose houses we want to see. One of the agencies doesn't show on weekends. Realtors don't want to help because they get so little in comission if you rent a house they show you. And on top of that, we have a very specific price range, and there aren't a lot of homes in good areas in that range. We want to be good stewards of the money God has given us, so we don't want to go over budget on this. Top that off with not having a clue where we're going, and that we'll have to find our way from house to house in a town that we don't know, and you've got a girl who's worried about marital strife over getting lost. =) We know that God has His perfect place for us to live in Raleigh. Now we just have to let Him lead us right to it. Please pray that the journey will be easy.

Smiley boy...

Awww. He's finally getting past his fascination with the camera, and I'm now more able to take a smiling photo of him. We had a very busy weekend. We spent Saturday morning at Eastern Market at Capitol Hill, wandering around, looking at fresh produce that we didn't buy. We didn't buy anything because Seth and I are going up to Pennsylvania tomorrow to visit Amanda and Perry for a couple of days. I'll catch you up when we get home! Wish us safe, happy, car travels!

Sorry, all...

I had to take down the earlier post. I hope those of you who might care got to see it before it got deleted. David was worried about it being up at this point in the Court term. It will come back later on, don't you worry...

In other matters, Seth and I just spent a lovely day with a professional photographer! We have a law school friend who married a cool guy who just happens to do this for a living. He's working on getting a portfolio of kid's shots together, and he asked if he could do Seth. For free!!! He's giving us all the pictures he took on CD, and we also get a free print by him. I wish I could show you some of his kid work, but it's on a protected website for his client's privacy, so I can't. If you want to see some other things he's done, though, you can at www.belf.org. Suffice to say, I'm excited. He came around 11:00, and he stayed until 3:00, following us around, watching our daily life. I felt like I did jumping jacks and stood on my head trying to get Seth to smile. He was too fascinated with the big, black, clicking thing. It took awhile for him to start ignoring it to smile at me. It was a little nervewracking at first. I was trying so hard for Kim to get a good shot. And of course, I couldn't get Seth to sleep so that he could get a sleeping baby shot. Maybe Seth just didn't want to nap in a cradle draped in black velvet. =)

In other news, we are finally, cross my fingers, at the end of a nap boycott. Seth started out the week by deciding that he was done with napping. On Tuesday, it felt like I spent the entire day listening to him cry in his cradle. He would nap for about 20-30 minutes out of every 1 1/2 hour nap cycle. He did this all day. It was truly awful. I would go in there after thirty minutes of crying and try to rock him back to sleep, but it wouldn't really work. By the time David got home, I decided it was a cigarette, martini, bubble bath, huge candy bar kind of day. I had the latter two and needed them desperately. My nerves were shot. I didn't know what to do. But finally, on Thursday, Seth found his THUMB!!! Praise the Lord and Hallelujah. He loses it every once in awhile, and I get to hear whiny, tired, crying for a few minutes while he tries to find it again. But that's a lot better than persistent, loud crying for an hour at a time!

Why didn't we quit long ago?

Last night, David and I decided to stop swaddling Seth. Yes, I know, many babies stop being swaddled long before this. But he just seemed to like it so much, and he would wake himself up when his arm got out, so we kept doing it. I just bought a larger Swaddle-Me when he outgrew the little one. But he's been getting out of it and waking him and us up in the middle of the night lately, so David thought it was time to try something else. He'd been the one getting up to re-wrap him while I snoozed. =)

Both of us were a little cranky about it, frankly. We figured, "If he's been waking himself up by working his hands up to his face in the middle of the night, what will happen when they're free to wave around?" We shuddered at the thought, and we girded up our loins for a long night. We started out the evening with the ultimate weapon: our incredibly loud dishwasher with a 2 hour cycle. Seth's cradle is in our tiny hallway, right across from the kitchen. We've noticed that running the dishwasher at bedtime puts him out like a light. So last night we ran a dishwasher with 6 dishes in it. =) Thank the Lord that our utilities are included. Somewhere, an environmentalist is crying.

But, lo and behold, the stupidity of new parents reared it's ugly head. Seth loved having his hands free. They did not wave wildly and wake him up. He slept like, well, a very good baby all night. He woke up to eat an hour later than he usually does, and he went back to sleep after that, despite the late hour. I heard him fuss a little bit, but then he went back to sleep until 8:00. I hypothesize that he may have sucked his fingers to help him go back to sleep this morning. And hear we were, all worried about it.

In other news, David found out that he won't be able to get an important test on his vocal cord done until July 13. They only do it every other Friday, and he couldn't go at the end of June because the clerks in his chambers are meeting with the Vice-President at the White House that day. He was down about it all day yesterday. It's hard on him not to have his voice, and that test would've been the next step for him to get a shot that should help him be able to speak normally. I'm praying that the point of this is that the Lord wants to heal him before then without any shots.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'...

Seth rolled over today for the first time! I had just put him down for tummy time right before David got home, 10 minutes early. So David didn't miss it! We both were sitting there with him, cheering him on. Seth looked kinda stunned. We're so proud. =) He'll be 5 months old next week? Is this early? Hmmm...

Finally...a good family portrait!

Finally! I have been trying to get a good family portrait of us for awhile. I try and pose us near a good background, I have someone take a ton of pictures, and somehow, lightning just hasn't struck. I don't get anything really good. Well, today, I was very proactive. I freshened up my make-up, brushed my hair, and I posed us. Charles took these photos. He did a great job! I'm so excited. I think these are worth framing, don't you? Family, you'll be getting copies of these for your fridge and wall. Let us know which you would prefer. Should I crop the top photo a little bit? I'm looking for opinions.

Happy Father's Day, David

Happy 1st Father's Day, honey! It's been a full weekend. David's lifelong friend, Tim, and his wonderful bride, Lauren, came to visit. They were the first visitors, besides family and Sarah, that have stayed with us since Seth has been born. We talked and talked and talked, and they got the Court tour. And I think Seth charmed them. He was such a good boy. Tim said, "This isn't good. I was hoping he'd be bad so that I would be fine with waiting a while longer to have kids." =) They stayed Friday night through this morning. We headed off to church, and had a really nice service. Then we went to Charles and Christine's house for Father's Day bbq. It was also Chuck's first Father's Day. After a long struggle, they are the proud parents of baby twins, Max and Rose. Seth is a giant in comparison to them. They were pretty premature, but they're really doing great now. We've been friends with the Neffs since law school. It's been so great to get to spend time with them since we've been back in D.C. They are some of the kindest, most hospitable people that I know.

Isn't Rose adorable? Max was snoozing inside, so I only got a picture of her. Such a cutie...

All in all, it was such a nice day. After we got home, we took a nice, long family nap together. And then we strolled down to Baja Fresh for dinner. David loves their sauce and salsa bar. He enjoyed eating so much hot stuff that his lips went numb. =) I'm glad that made a nice ending to his day.

David has been the father that I knew that he would be. He loves to spend time with Seth, and he's such a help to me with him. I don't know another man that is as good of husband and father as he is, especially on close inspection. This morning, he wanted to do everything to get Seth ready for church. He gave him his bath, and he picked out his outfit. It was fun to see him enjoying his first Father's Day so much.

The Testing of Faith

"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produced perseverance. And let perseverance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1: 2-4.

This is David. As Ellen's last update explains, the doctors have found no major problems and expect that one way or another, I will be able to speak normally again. =) That being said, hearing that my right vocal cord is not working (and may never work) is never fun news, and it is easy to worry.

I have been reading through the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers in my daily devotions(right now I am in the middle of Numbers). One of the most interesting things about these books is the story of the Israelites refusing to learn the lesson of God's faithfulness. Again and again, the Israelites face challenges (oppression by the Egyptians, lack of food, lack of water, people trying to kill them, etc.). Again and again, the Lord is faithful to help them in these times of crisis. Yet, when the next crisis comes along, the people respond with a lack of trust in God to handle the situation. While God is incredibly patient with them, eventually he must punish them for their lack of faith (Numbers 14). Reading through these passages, it is easy to criticize the Israelites for their lack of faith. Yet in life, it is easy to make the exact same mistake that they did.

In facing our latest trial, it is easy to worry about the worst possible outcomes and wonder how we are going to face such situations. But in the context of my life, such an attitude seems crazy. This is the same God who brought me a wife when I never dated anyone until the age of 21 (and thought I was too shy and nerdy to ever find someone). This is the same God who provided a good job for me in Birmingham, despite our concerns because of a lot of closed job doors in law school. This is the God who miraculously gave us a child after three years of infertility. In retrospect, we can even see why he made us wait three years. And this is the God who provided the wonderful job that I have now clerking for the Supreme Court.

Like the Israelites, God has performed major works in our lives. In the midst of our struggles, God has proven faithful. It would be utter lunacy not to trust him now in this latest trial. Regardless of what happens, God is in control. All he wants right now is for us not to worry: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34. True confidence comes from God--not doctors. And God has been faithful every step of the way.

MRI results...

David got back from the ENT doctor 5 minutes ago. She said that the MRI showed nothing wrong. Basically, they were ruling out something like a tumor on his vocal cords or other abnormalities. They didn't find anything abnormal on the MRI, except that it did confirm that his vocal cord is paralyzed. The next step is that she's referring him to a specialist in laryngitis in their Maryland office. This doctor did his residency in this, and he's supposed to be very good. She said that he'll run more tests on David, but the end result will probably be that David will have a shot in his vocal cords. The shot is supposed to enlarge the paralyzed vocal cord so that it touches the one that isn't paralyzed. That should make his voice go back to normal. It doesn't make the vocal cord start moving again, though. He would have to have this shot every 3 months to continue to get this effect. This is a stop gap measure to make him able to talk while they determine if his vocal cord will start again on it's own. If they run tests, and time has passed, and it looks unlikely that his vocal cord will begin working again, they will do some sort of minor surgery to enlarge the paralyzed cord more permanently, doing basically what the shot did. It looks like they don't have any way to make his vocal cord work again from what he's telling me, but I could be wrong. I have all sorts of questions about all this, like, "Are you sure his voice will be completely normal?" "What happens if the other vocal cord just stops working for no explainable reason?" But, once again, trying not to worry. Please pray that his vocal cord just starts up again. Also, if not, please pray that the shots give him back his normal voice. Seth and I are leaving soon to go to the Court to the happy hour. Today, they're having a kid's birthday party theme for the families. So that's why I'm not calling those of you who've asked for info. Thanks for your prayers, though.

Seth, 4 1/2 months...

I thought it was time for some new photos for the doting grandparents, aunts, uncles, people who just like to look at babies, etc. This was Seth's first time wearing a baseball cap. He was sooo cute in it. The picture doesn't do it justice. I get all melty looking at it now. =) Gooey mommy.

Ok, he's starting to be more ok with tummy time. He smiles for the first few minutes now, IF I sit there and cheer for him like he just made Law Review! =) Maybe he will roll over eventually. I'm not in a hurry. I like my baby who can't get from one place to another on his own yet. I know these days will end all too soon.

Ok, I just thought this one was funny. I took a couple of others where he is totally enchanted with this own feet. But he looked up at the camera, and the pose was priceless. "Hey, Mommy, what are you doing?/ Uncle Sam wants...YOU!" =)

MRI...

David had his MRI this morning. It went fine, but he doesn't know the results yet. He took a CD with pictures of his neck on it up to the specialist before he left the building. He has a follow up appointment with her tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, we'll have some idea of how to proceed after she looks at the MRI. The prednisone did nothing to help him, so this isn't a virus, I guess. I'm trying not to worry, but it's hard. I'm afraid of another time of hardship for our little family coming so soon after the last. David went to a UVA law school luncheon the other day with another clerk, and he realized after he got there that it had been a mistake to go. The restaurant was so loud that no one could understand anything he was saying. He said it was hard not to be able to participate in conversations. People would ask him questions, try to hear his answers, and then give up when they couldn't understand. It hurt my heart to hear him tell this story. I wish I could've been there to help. We agree that we'll have a much greater appreciation for the gift of speech if/when this is over. I'm praying hard that it is God's will to heal him from this...soon.

Fashion disaster...

Last Christmas, I was given a $50 mall gift card by the parents of my preschool class. I recently remembered that I had this card, and I started to panic, realizing that I had to use it or lose it. After all, it's no good to me if I move 300 miles away from said mall. So today, Seth and I headed to Tysons Corner shopping center. I had some specific items in mind. I wanted a simple sundress that I could nurse in, a big, tall order, I know. At the least, I was hoping to find a simple, cute skirt and top with my gift. This mall is the largest one in the area, so I figured that a full day of shopping should yield something acceptable.

I was so, so wrong. And why was I wrong you ask? Because retailers have decided that they want to harken back to the dreaded decade, the 1980's, for their inspiration. I was a child during the '80s. I've seen my photos, and let me tell you, it isn't pretty. Purple courderoy pants with butterflys on the back pockets look good on no one, my friend. The orange mummu does not need to come back. Neither does the green tent shirt with multicolored hearts on it. Most of the shirts out there are so long that they look like dresses...almost. If they're not long and tentlike, they're long and skintight. If they look good on the rack, you try them on, and instantly, you look like you belong in the Red Light district. Super plunging necklines are in this year. I may have the cleavage to wear the clothes, but I have no desire to do so. The purpose of Forever 21 is to remind you that you will never, ever, be 21 again. I wear an extra large in their clothing, if I can squeeze into it. And I don't remember dressing like a hooker at 21 anyway...

I wandered the entire mall today and came away pretty much emptyhanded and totally disgusted. I saw nothing that I could afford that I actually wanted to put on my body. And if I did see something that I wanted to wear, I tried it on and discovered that it was indecent. The higher end clothing stores are charging $100 for a simple sundress that probably cost them $12 to make in some sweatshop in Honduras. I don't feel like paying their prices for something I'm hoping I won't fit into in 6 months.

Whatever happened to simple, modest clothing? What happened to something timeless and gasp, pretty? Where has all the good fashion gone? I'm not the only one out there that thinks this is a problem. According to a recent article in Market Watch, retailers posted the weakest month of sales on record in April. The reason? Here's one speculation: "While retailers were quick to blame mitigating external factors, independent analyst Jennifer Black said the culpability goes beyond that. 'The overall product assortment was not compelling,' she commented. 'Fashion trends continue to have had a mixed response with no real trend focus.'
You can say that again, to put it mildly. The article then goes on to list the drop in sales of places like Bebe, Limited, and American Eagle.

So today, I resorted to spending my money on some classic, cotton, boatnecked, solid colored shirts at L.L. Bean. Yes, you heard me, L.L. Bean. I was the only person my age in the store, but darn it, at least I got something that covered my body and didn't make me look like an 80's refugee. I've had it with "fashion." This is the last time in a while that I waste my day at the mall, looking for clothes. I join the consumer boycott until styles get better.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

One of the quick meals that I do is homemade pizza. Sometimes I buy a premade pizza crust in a tube, and today, I'm trying a quick Martha White pizza dough mix. Before baby, I made my own crust in the breadmaker. No longer...sigh. But I have been using a Papa John's sauce clone recipe for awhile now. Seth let me make it today while he whined away in the Bumbo on our countertop. My attempts to interest him in the process, ("See, sniff the garlic powder!") fell on deaf ears. He went down for another nap early today. This recipe is good, it freezes well, and it has no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. I freeze it flat in 3 ziploc bags after it cools. I find that that usually makes enough for 3, medium-sized pizzas. Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1 large can of crushed tomatos
2 T. sugar
2 t. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. basil
1/4 t. thyme
1/4 t. garlic powder

Put it all together in a small, non-stick saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Banquet Piece with Mince Pie, 1635

When Seth and I toured the National Gallery this week, this was the last piece that I saw before we walked out the door. I was getting tired, and I almost didn't listen to the audio commentary on it. I'm really glad that I did. This little image that I stole off of their site doesn't do this masterpiece justice. I love the fine detail in the painting.

This is the scene after the guests have moved on. They have carelessly left quite a mess for their host to clean up. The tablecloth is disheveled; a wine glass is broken. The food in the scene includes many items that were delicacies to the 17th century Dutch. Heda's original audience would've recognized that right away. Those who have eaten this decadent meal ate their fill and pushed back from the table, not bothering to preserve what was left of the expensive food. This speaks to me of dinner guests who are used to a lifestyle of excess and opulence.

There is a clear message in this painting. Heda did not just paint a still life. He wanted to comment here on the emptiness and fragility of the opulent lifestyle. Some of the more obvious symbols of life’s transience are at the left of the painting: a snuffed-out candle and a lemon, only half-peeled. But what really caught my attention was what he said through a simple dinner roll. It is the only food item in the painting that hasn't been touched. In Heda's day, bread was symbolic for the Bread of Life, Christ. Heda's dinner guests had eaten heartily of everything else on that table but Christ, the ultimate food.

I've started a new Beth Moore study on Daniel. The first half of the study will focus on Daniel's refusal to become sucked in by the rich, opulent Babylonian culture. He was offered the finest foods from the king's table, but instead, he pushed it aside to only partake of the food that God had said was best for him to eat. In this study, I've already been challenged to think about what parts of our modern day culture of more, more, more, have taken hold of me. There are so many choices out there. Which ones conform me to sinful things in our culture? Which things should I refuse? Which things take my attention from God and put it on worshipping self? Beth Moore doesn't offer any easy answers, but I am looking forward to probing this topic and learning more about how easy it is for me to become duped by a culture that focuses on me and fulfilling my needs instead of focusing on God and serving Him alone. One thing I know...I don't want to leave the Bread untouched on the table.

The National Gallery and misc...

Today I got up this morning and worried and prayed and worried and prayed some more for/about David's throat. I called him a few hours after he took his first dose of prednisone, hoping that he'd sound improved. He sounded exactly the same to me. But while I was worrying and praying and rushing around, getting the baby ready to go out, this feeling of peace came over me, and I felt like God told me not to worry about it anymore, that it would really be ok. So I'm trying to rest in that. He still isn't any better tonight, but that's ok. This isn't the end of the story, I'm sure.

Another thing that's been going on with me this week is that this extroverted girl who worried before she had a baby that she'd go crazy alone with a baby all day long finally started to get affected by the alone-all-day-with-a-baby thing. Frankly, David and I were surprised that it took this long to affect me. Settling into a routine and getting used to getting less sleep must've kept me so busy for the last four months that I didn't notice that my busy life had come to a screeching halt. (David reminded me that there was a time when I was a graduate student and a preschool teacher.) I didn't care that it was a huge accomplishment if I got groceries AND put them away in one whole day. But this past week, I started to care. I started to get frustrated that I wasn't doing more than the basics every day. Last week, I realized that we're getting to the point now where Seth and I can do more every day. So, darn it, we are! Summer is here, and the weather is nice, and I do not have to be a slave to his nap schedule. He can still nap in his car carrier in the stroller, so I've got to take advantage of this while I still can!

I decided to start a new summer Bible study, and on Monday, I did the first video session while Seth took his morning nap. That was a huge accomplishment, in and of itself! But I also stepped into high gear on Monday and got the weekly grocery shopping and the laundry done! This was all so that I could go out today and do something I've been meaning to do since we moved back to D.C. Today, Seth and I went to the Court on the Metro for the very first time. We ate lunch with David, and then we strolled on down to the Mall.

And then, Seth and I spent a lovely afternoon together at the National Gallery of Art. There is just something about the atmosphere there that soothes and quiets me. The Gallery is my favorite museuem in D.C. It's cool and serene like no other museum that I've experienced. People speak in hushed tones. Everything echoes a little. You are surrounded by quiet beauty everywhere you turn. There are sofas in the galleries where you can sit and enjoy the minute details of the individual paintings. There are fountains with gently trickling water, and there are seats near them so you can enjoy the beauty. The ceilings are sunroofs, so the changing light from outside changes the lighting in the galleries, transforming the paintings with shifting shades.

Today I spent $5 and got a handheld audio tour. Most galleries had one or two works that had a little tour number next to them, so I just punched in the number and heard a little about that painting and artist. It made the experience so much more enjoyable for me. Seth took a good, long nap snuggled up under a blanket in his stroller, since he'd missed the early naps of the day, and I got to just wander the museum in solitary pleasure, filling my brain and my pleasing my eyes with new information. There is so much more that I didn't see/listen to! I've decided that we're going back at least one other time before we leave D.C. in July.

So here's to getting out of the house and stimulating those brain cells! Yeah!

Not speaking update...

Well, we got a diagnosis from the ear, nose, and throat doctor. She put a tube up David's nose (ugh), and she determined that his right vocal cord is paralyzed. She seemed surprised that it wasn't some sort of inflammation, but it's not. She prescribed prednisone (sp?) for it, and she said that it could be caused by a virus, and if so, hopefully that should get it moving again quickly. She also said that this kind of thing could also just happen spontaneously, and he might need a shot of something to get it moving again. He's also scheduled for an MRI in case it doesn't clear up with the steroid. Something about looking to make sure he doesn't have damaged nerves. I'm not happy about any of this. Please pray that the steroid will work right away. I'm a little afraid, even though she didn't seem to think that there was much to worry about. I mean, c'mon, an MRI and some sort of shot in the neck? Damaged nerves? Wouldn't you be nervous, too?

Still not speaking to me...

David still has laryngitis. And he's had it for two weeks now. It has improved a little bit, but that improvement is still not enough not to shock his parents and keep him from being picked on mercilessly at work. He's going today to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist. Please pray that they can diagnose the problem and give him something, anything, to clear it up. I'm getting tired of not being able to tell what he's thinking and feeling from his tone of voice. He's getting tired of having to be more quiet so that he can rest his throat.

Mom and Dad's visit helped with the stress of this, I think. It was nice not to spend Saturday alone, since David had to work all weekend. I really appreciate all they did to help me/us out this weekend.

1. They did all the dishes around here!
2. They took the baby for a nice, long walk so I could nap on Saturday afternoon.
3. They just hung out with me so I wouldn't be lonely, and they didn't even seem too disappointed that I didn't have the energy to go out and look at all the sights of D.C.

One of the things I like best though is how persistent they are at trying to get Seth to get to know them. I feel guilty about handing them a baby that I know will cry after a couple of seconds in their arms. No problem. They take him, and they kiss him and hug him, and they just let him cry. And, shock of all shocks, after a few minutes, he resigns himself to the fact that Mommy won't be taking him back, and he stops crying. I have to remind myself of this again and again. I want him to be happy with his grandparents, but I have to make myself let him cry some with them to accomplish this. I'm thankful that they don't mind the crying. It makes it a lot easier. He cried through his bath with Mom. He cried through his post bath lotioning with Mom. But Dad and I walked out of the apartment listening to his crying and her cheerful, persistent singing of "Look All the World Over, There's No One Like You." And she actually wanted to do it all again later. =) And he did better the next time around. We're working on it, Nana and Papa. Seth will get used to you one day. Thanks for working with him.

A couple of photos...

Mom and Dad are visiting this weekend. Seth has had a hard time getting over his Mommy centrism, but after a few hours of fussy holding time, he started enjoying Papa time. Dad put him on his shoulders, and David got this shot of a spontaneous, uncoerced, smile! Wowsers! He's getting so much more personality every single day. And he was holding on to Dad's hair for dear life. Good thing Dad still has a lot of it. =)

Seth HATES tummy time. I'm beginning to think he'll roll over at 8 months, the way we're going now. I have to time him on the clock to make myself force him to stay on the floor. He cries the whole time. This is the first time he cried until he fell asleep on his stomach. He was soo cute that I had to indulge in a photo before putting him down to nap properly.