... but you can't take the 'Ham out of the Lewis: 01/01/2007 - 02/01/2007

... but you can't take the 'Ham out of the Lewis

What's going on up here anyhow?

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

2 Baby Day - The End





Kyle and Rory just picked up Jonah. It seems so quiet here with just me and Theo and Todd. Rory played for a few minutes while her dad buckled Jonah into the car. I can't wait until we can have a 2 Baby Day with her. She and Theo are only a month apart in age, so it would be even more like having twins! All in all, the day was great. Both boys took an afternoon nap and they both woke up happy and ready to play. It was a very gratifying day and even though some people would comment that I "didn't do anything all day", I can't think of anything I would've rather been doing. I was nervous about caring for both of them at the same time, but it was great and I can't wait to do it again. So, Lindsay and Jasmine, I'm up for it. Anytime. I consider it an honor that you trust me with your precious kids!

2 Baby Day - Near the end




Kyle will be here to pick up Jonah in about an hour. Both of the boys have been fed, changed and rocked. Even our doggy boy is resting too. I am going to take this free time to read and have a cup of tea. What a day!

2 Baby Day - Middle







Everything is going so well and the 3 of us are having a great time! Theo woke up around 10:30 and was very curious about who this other little guy was. I plopped both of them in the crib and they grabbed at each other and played with toys. Jonah crawled all over Theo and they both thought that was pretty fun. I fed Theo while Jonah crawled around on the floor and then we all jumped into the stroller, backpack and leash (of course, this one was for Todd!) and went for a nice, long walk around the neighborhood. I thought the weather was too nice to stay inside all day. After we got home, we fed Jonah his lunch. I set up Theo's highchair this morning and Jonah's meal was its maiden voyage. He is a very eager eater and ate all of his food in record time. It seemed like maybe he was going to go to sleep (while he had his bottle), but no dice. Maybe he'll nap later. As of now, both boys are well rested and content and very pleased to be playing together. I guess having twins (born 3 months apart) wouldn't be too rough. Of course, this afternoon Jonah will go home and I will go back to having a "quiet" one baby home. I'm sure Theo will miss the entertainment though.

2 Baby Day - Beginning



Jonah just arrived for "2 baby day". He is the 8-month old son of our friends, Nick and Jasmine. Our other friend Kyle (Rory's Dad) and I are sharing the joy of watching him today while his mommy is at work. Theo and I get to play with Jonah during the midday today. We have really been looking forward to it. I think Theo was so excited that he wore himself out before Jonah even came! Theo laid down for his nap around 9:00 and is still sleeping strong. Jonah is playing on the rug and thoroughly enjoying Theo's Jaymar piano. I'll try to post a couple of other updates during the day.

Friday, January 26, 2007

A Quiet Birthday at Home







Yesterday was Andy's 27th Birthday! We have had an inordinately busy week, so I decided to plan a party for him at home...just the 3 of us. We'll have a chance to celebrate with our families when we all get together for Theo's baptism on President's Day weekend. Andy's students gave him a gift (a great dinner gift certificate complete with an offer to babysit while we go out!) and had a cake for him at school.

Theo and I were hanging out with our friends, Stephen and Simeon, while their Dad was at work, so we grocery shopped for dinner, bought Andy's birthday gift (Greatest American Hero: Season 1 and some butter toffee peanuts), and decorated the house with streamers and balloons. They are still up and it looks very festive!

Dinner and dessert were great and quite the adventure for me because they were recipes I had never tried. We had chicken mole' soft tacos and melting chocolate cakes for dessert. Both were delicious. I have linked the names to the recipes, so give them a try. Both of them were incredibly quick, easy and impressive. They both also used mostly ingredients I always have in the cupboard. Who doesn't like that! We actually ate at the table (something we don't often do, but are trying to make a habit of) and Theo happily sat in his bouncy chair and watched us eat. I can't wait until he can sit at the table with us in his high chair. Just another month of so and he'll be ready to start tasting things!

After dinner I sat and nursed Theo for a while and then we watched 1/2 of the pilot of
Greatest American Hero while we ate our yummy dessert. Did you realize that pilot is 2 hours long? The plot is fairly complex, so I guess they needed the extra time to establish all of the characters and such. If you haven't seen it (I never had), you should watch it. It's very charming and somehow believable. Andy's parents say he watched this show faithfully as a toddler and would run to the TV when it came on saying, "Hero Guy!". I can see why he liked it. The characters are easy to like.

Theo fell asleep while we were watching TV, so we tucked him into bed (he woke up about 10 minutes later!) and got ready for bed ourselves. Theo was awake more often than usual, so I didn't get a great night of sleep, but he's cute, so I'm not too upset.

I am just glad that Andy's birthday was a day we could spend time together as a family and celebrate his 1st birthday as a dad! Here's to many more family celebrations together.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Back to Bible Study







(Here are some pictures for you to compare. The 1st one is of Theo's first bath last August and the 2nd one is Theo's bath on Monday night at almost 5 months old! He's a growing boy!)
I am excited because Theo and I get to go back to the Women's Bible Study at church this morning. We went regularly last year and the beginning of this year, but I have had either a La Leche League meeting or an interpreting job the last 2 weeks, so we haven't been able to go. We're going back today! I haven't even looked at the lesson, so I'll just have to be there to soak up the conversation and time with my friends. Perhaps this will motivate me to get back to doing the studies. They are so interesting and I love doing them, but it's hard to write when you've got a baby around. Maybe I could type out my answers (I can type while I nurse him) and then print them out to take to Bible study. Hmmmm...that's an idea. Well, we'd better get moving if we're going to be on time! Have a great day!!

Saturday, January 20, 2007

A fun grandparent visit




My parents came up for the day today. They'll be leaving in a few hours and we will miss them. It's been fun to see them snuggling and playing with Theo. We all went to lunch at Busara (which is where we went while I was in labor; see pic) and the food was great! We had some awesome curry fish cakes and I want to make sure I remember them so I can have them next time we go there. After we got home we went on a walk with the dogs. It was kindof cold outside, but I was fine since I was carrying Theo. He's much lighter if he's on my back. When I carry him in the front, I still feel like I'm pregnant! I put him in the Eden carrier on my back and he really seemed to like it. I had tried it for the first time last week and he liked it then, but I was sure it wouldn't work a 2nd time. Luckily, I was wrong! Here are some pics my mom took of me tying Theo on my back all by myself.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Theo will roll over soon



I just know it. He has finally become interested in moving around. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? We came home from visiting my elderly clients today and I really, really needed to go to the bathroom, so I sat Theo down in his bouncy chair, but I didn't buckle him in. I should tell you that I seldom buckle him in unless I'm getting into the shower and he's sitting in the chair in the bathroom with me. I went to the bathroom and wasn't gone more than 2 minutes when I came into the living room to find Theo completely wiggled out of the chair and almost all the way on the floor! What a guy! Now whenever I do buckle him in he arches his back and tries to roll onto his side in the chair! Since he changed so much from Monday to Tuesday, I'm curious what kind of changes tomorrow will bring. Here's a cute picture of him that I took this morning while Daddy and I were hanging out in the kitchen (Andy's school was 2 hrs. late this morning, so we had lots of time to play together before we took him to work)

Sunday, January 14, 2007

We're home again. Aaahhhh!


Theo and I got home from our retreat at about 6:00pm tonight. We missed Andydaddy, but we had a wonderful time hangin' with our girlfriends, dancing, talking, praying, connecting, and eating delicious food (I never knew what chicken piccata was, but I now love it!). Here's a cute pic from the weekend of Theo and his "Auntie" Anna snuggling this morning. He got lots and lots of love and kisses! What a lucky boy to have such loving and devoted friends!

Saturday, January 13, 2007

I'm glad I'm married

Because I get really bored on these days when Sarah and Theo are off gallivanting about the countryside, or in this case Orcas Island. The zenith of my day was when I found two boxes of Honey Bunches of Oats at Deals Only that weren't past their date yet! I also made sure to eat quite a bit of that same cereal because it's easy to pour cereal into a bowl and I wait until I'm crazy hungry to actually eat.
I did have one responsibility today at church. I ran sound for a memorial service and will get paid. I probably would have done it for free, but the money is always welcome. It was interesting to be at a service for someone I think I may have seen once or twice at church, but didn't actually know. I felt like I was intruding on their private time to remember and grieve (of course I was in the sound booth which made it really feel like I was spying on them).
That will have to constitute my church-going for the weekend because I am going to my friend's house to watch the Seahawks play tomorrow morning at ten a.m. His wife is out of town this weekend too, so we'll be hanging out together for most of the day watching football. Then we'll come back here because we are hosting small group at our house. This means that tomorrow will fly by compared to today and will be infinitely more enjoyable. By the time the football games are over tomorrow Sarah and Theo will be on their way back home! I do miss them, but I'm going to appreciate the night of uninterrupted sleep (especially since I'm trying to get rid of a cold).
Speaking of sleep, I need to get to bed at some point. First the dishes, then the sleeping. Actually, I need Todd to quit barking at people closing their car doors outside, then I need to do the dishes, then I need to go to bed. Go!

Friday, January 12, 2007

We're leaving :) :(


Theo and I are going on a 2-day retreat with the other teachers from the studio tomorrow. We'll be staying in a beautiful island condo and spending time talking with friends, dancing, and planning June's show. I know it will be fun, but I really don't like the idea of being away from Andydaddy and the idea of taking Theo away from home when he's had a little cold this week. He has been extra uncomfortable and fussy and I hope that he does alright being in a strange place for a night. I guess I will just have to pray for patience, peace and health for our boy and that God would equip me to be a good momma to Theo while he's sick and crying. At least Andy and I both have the day off for MLK Day on Monday, so we'll have plenty of family time together. The best part is that I will be with dear friends who will do their best to help me with Theo and won't get annoyed by his crying (at least they'd never admit it to me!).

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Snow again?


It snowed here in Bellingham last night. There isn't much on the ground and Andy's school still started on time, but I'm still a little shocked! Snow again?!? This feels like deja vu. Theo and I will be going to the La Leche League meeting in an hour...that is...if he wakes up! He slept so soundly last night (not straight through, but with minimal waking up) and seems to be enjoying sleeping in. I should probably use this opportunity to take a quick shower and get myself ready for the day. Here's a pick of the snow.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

A week of funny firsts

Theo had 2 funny firsts this week. On Wednesday he pushed the button on his toy mat and made the fish sing its song all by himself. I've always pushed the button for him before. I don't think he realized what happened, but it's so cool to realize that he can reach it and push it hard enough. It seems like just a month ago that he could barely reach it at all. He also blew his first raspberry yesterday. Now every time one of us does it, he sticks his tongue out and tries. I know he'll do it again...probably today. I know these aren't firsts that are usually on the baby's 1st year calendars, but they were pretty fun to witness. I know there'll be lots more....and all too soon! We'd better start babyproofing the house while we can still set him down somewhere and have him stay.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

QTpi


Our son is adorable. He is handsome, growing and funny. He makes the strangest noises and sweetest smiles. We are blessed to have him. My only disappointment is that he is growing and changing so fast. I know he won't ever be a tiny baby again! :( He and I will be taking a music class starting in February and I am really excited to spend time making music for him to enjoy and experience. The program is called Kindermusik and they have classes from newborn to older kids. Our friends' son is in the older kids program (he's a 1st grader) and he can read music and play the glockenspiel and dulcimer. He played a few of his songs for me today and he was very proud of himself. I am mostly looking forward to the opportunity to be with other parents of kids Theo's age and to have dedicated time each week to learn new songs, games, and dances to play and do with him. I know Andy and I are both very musical and we already sing, dance, and play the piano with him, but I still think this will be very beneficial and fun! The best part is that he will be a little over 5 months old when the class starts and 8 months old when it ends. He'll be doing some big changes during that timespan and we'll be singing with our friends each week right through it. Here is a picture of him I took today in his Harley Davidson onesie our friends Erica and Aubrey gave to him. He looks like quite the big boy!

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig









We came home from our Christmas travels yesterday. We had spent 8 days in Port Orchard and then drove to Dave and Lydia's house in Kennewick to ring in the New Year. We feel like we've been away from home for a lot longer than 10 days! We had so much fun and Theo did so well. He even slept through the night several times including Christmas Eve. Even though we enjoyed the trip, we are also so glad to be home. Theo is napping and Andy and I are playing with some of our Christmas gifts. I go back to work at the dance studio tonight, so I guess things will be back to normal all too soon. Here are a few pics from our holidays. They were great! As GrandDad would say, "We've greatly enjoyed the visit!"