Be Careful Little Hands…
My little Brody is five months old tomorrow, if you can believe it. I can't, but that's beside the point. He's at that age where he's starting to figure out that a lot of the stuff that flashes in front of his eyes all the time is actually connected to him. Like his hands, for instance. He grabs one with the other like it is a cool new toy, examining it all over. He also will grab an actual toy now, and is just beginning to realize that he controls its movement. He's a little jerky with it all, and always surprised when it does what he wants. It's funny to me that, even though we are fully aware of our hands, and all their movements, we still act like infants when it comes to...
57 Kisses
Last night, Lilli and I went through our usual bedtime routine. When I visit, it seems no one else will do when it comes to performing such rituals. We read books, sang songs and said prayers, then I tucked her in and kissed her precious face no less than 57 times. About an hour and a half later, I, very quietly, snuck back into the room to climb into the other bed. However, it appeared the bed was occupied. I went for a closer look, and there was my little cherub, all snuggled up against the wall, presumably so I had room. I pulled back the comforter and found that she was bound up in three of her own little blankets. She was making little noises and acting fitful in her sleep. I gently...
You say what you eat. Really.
My granddaughter, Lilli, introduced me to a children's cartoon called Martha Speaks. I haven't seen any children's TV that I've liked in a long time, until Martha the talking dog entered my life. Long concerned about the dumbing-down of the English language, I'm thrilled to see this dog, who ate alphabet soup, share his new-found words, and their meanings, with all the little viewers. I've written about words before. I love them. Our interaction with others depends on them, and the words we choose make all the difference in the quality of relationship we have. You can explain and apologize away some bad word choices, but you can't ever erase them. Their effect can last all a...
One New Person
Mornings in Grandbabyland are unpredictable at best. Well, they're that way when I'm here, at least. With five people typically in this house, they fall into a regular rhythm, but just one new person throws the whole thing a different direction. I never cease to be amazed by it. Valé sleeps in a different place when I'm here. Lilli wakes up much earlier than usual because she wants to see if I'm still in her sister's bed across the room. If I've snuck out to feed the baby, or write (on the blog if I'm really lucky, but mostly on my phone as a FB post), she gets up to investigate. Meanwhile, her brother does NOT go right back to sleep after his feeding, as is his norm, presumably...
What I Do for a Living
I made a discovery yesterday. I've been visiting with my two girlfriends this weekend, Karen, formerly in a high-powered corporate job, now in full-time ministry, and Mary, once in non-profit management, now a Christian speaker, author, and in talent acquisitions for a cruise and event company. We were at church, where Karen is on staff, and a friend of hers walks up. She was an attorney, and she, meeting Mary and I for the first time, asked what we did. For years I've answered that question with pride and confidence, "I'm blessed to stay home to raise my kids." But my kids grew up and, even though I'm not raising them anymore, I am still at home. I was surprised, as I stood there with...