Atticus hasn't been feeling too well lately. This week he had a high fever in the middle of the week and was "out of sorts" for days before and still today. He has really been into his blankie which he calls his "Bip". It gets shockingly dirty because I can't wash it when he's sleeping with it, and he gets so upset when he can't see it that I usually decide not to fight that battle. I finally snuck it in the wash when he took a long bath Wednesday.
Strung out, but comforted by his friend Bip
Convalescing,,,He loves books and the animals in his sticker book and his new fishing pole bath toy from his Grandma Nancy. Both Nancy and my mom sent great cards and fun stuff to celebrate Valentine's Day.
Still sick...taking a break from watching the Pixar movie Cars, which I think we've seen 10 times since buying it two weeks ago. It is truly a fantastic movie -- even after 10 times in a row. Still...
Loves his blocks...playing with Daddy...
Dietrich plays with his new telephone rattle. He stuck it in his mouth today (Friday) -- the first time he took something in his hand and put it in his mouth. He was so happy with himself -- and surprised.
This never ceases to hurt my heart -- he is so beautiful. I feel the same way when I watch Atticus sleep -- for that matter, when I see Brad sleeping. What is it? -- Peace? Artless self-forgetfulness?
Dietrich enjoys his swing so much. He swings there kicking and waving watching whatever is going on. Whenever we turn to talk to him, he just smiles and coos and laughing, laughing.
Watchful...always listening, watching...
Brad getting work done in the evening, watching Dietrich so I can catch up on housework and such. Brad has been so busy at work the last week or so -- and he's had a nasty, nasty cold. But he comes home every evening and is so gracious to spend some time with Atticus before putting him to bed and then holding Dietrich for most of the evening. I'm so thankful that though we've been almost too busy and tired to really interact much, we've had a few nights of playing guitar together, playing a couple quick card games, and even praying together a little. We try to make the most of dinner to catch up on the day and get an idea of who has the car the next day and what we've been reading or listening to music-wise or in the news. It is enough right now. At least we didn't jump into this kid-thing thinking it was going to be easy as can be -- I feel like we are both learning so much lately -- from sorrows with some of our friends and the celebration of a new niece or nephew on the way (Congratulations, Jon & Robyn!) and realizing some new areas, levels of personal sin that we've been blind to (me -- especially anger in the form of frustration, discouragement or a kind of despair). I've had time to start reading again -- a range of fiction and non-fiction...new and old. And the Bible Study I've been going to has been good for me -- not because it is so brilliantly deep or new but because the study of Proverbs, the pursuit and application of wisdom has always been such an important thing to me, and always pierces me with new realizations of sin and folly in my life. I feel like my life right now is such a fast-paced (zing there! zing here!) hotbed of opportunities to be changed, to be sanctified -- like if I will only submit myself fully to all these situations I will sink into this roiling place of dross-burning, you know? And I feel so very inadequate for all the myriads of relationships and concepts and dirt-down tasks set before me. Yet, rather than feeling like sinking into the depths, I want to pull harder, run stronger, farther -- like easing into that burning state of active stasis in the middle of a long hard run. And I think when I pull out of this leg of the race into the next there are going to be so many rewards, so much that we've experienced, been changed by, have been able to give to each other, to others that this will be always remembered (if we have time to remember it at all in the height, the heat of the next part of the story-race) as an unbelievable wonderful catalytic fire with all its blaze and glory. Yeah, I think so. This is how I feel even on another February day in Minnesota with a blank, pale sky blinking at me and spit-up dried on both shoulders and crumbs smashed into the rug I just vacuumed 12 hours ago and a dish full of dirty snack cups. Blazing, glorious bon-fire of a life!
Trellis & Nancy came up to be apart of Dietrich's dedication service...
In case you were curious -- the banners behind us were the ones I finished the night before I went into labor with Atticus. The second one from the left is covered by the pulpit banner cover so it looks odd.
In case you were curious -- the banners behind us were the ones I finished the night before I went into labor with Atticus. The second one from the left is covered by the pulpit banner cover so it looks odd.
