Football hold

Joel is known in some circles as a "baby whisperer." It's all in the hold, he says. It's true, he has real talent in this area. Lucy is always happy to settle into his arm.

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August in Eugene

Poor boys.

Their mamas make them take swimming lessons in the rain.

Walker, Liam, Milo

Milo and Walker

Caught in the act

Cold boys

28 days

Lucy is a month old. How does that happen? Time is a strange way to account for the growth and change of a child. Some days take 24 hours while others take more and still others less. What is a month? I don't know. Lucy is fairing well out of the womb although it does make one wonder why there are no places to go to recreate the womb, I mean with the sack and the liquid and the feeding tube and all that. I know new agers like to do the whole rebirth thing but I am thinking more of that movie altered states, if that is what it is called out of my memory. I am sure there must be a place in Japan where you can rewomb yourself or in Northern California, they would feed you wine and goat cheese through the tube in your belly. Alas, I digress. Lucy is one month old or one month new or ten months old, perhaps she has been in the ether around us for a millenia. What is god? I ask Lucy. She poops and there you have it. All wrapped up nice and neat in a cotton tortilla, hopefully you want seconds and thirds throughout the night while you would rather be sleeping. I really like the waking up in the night to change diapers moment. It really makes me feel useful and somewhat manly. I don't know why it takes a man to change a diaper in the dark but in this house it does. I change the diaper prying at the cracks and creases with my little white cloth checking again and again, no diaper rash here. The being manly part is fun and rewarding, I swaddle the monkey and then back to the breast, not for me for her. I go back to my edge of the bed and I try to imagine what I want to dream of and then make that dream happen. I feel at times in the dark like this having changed a baby that I never really sleep and never really wake up. Time once again is elusive here in the middling hours between day and night and I am often lost. Back to the baby. The Baby. Lucy is swell. I have been thinking about how nice it is that Lucy has two big brothers that are interested. They watch the baby and coo and in general are sweet. They try to comfort the baby. Little boys reassuring little girls is fun and interesting to hear. It almost makes you feel as if you have done something right. Lucy calls, I must go. -joel

Early Morning at the NW Art & Air Festival

Dad woke us up at six in the morning today to go to the Northwest Art and Air Festival. It was a long drive to Albany in the car. I played a lot of gameboy on the way back because it was kind of boring. When we first got there it was freezing! But I got used to it at the festival. There were so many balloons! I took a lot of pictures. Then Dad found these things called Zingwings - they're like folding wings that you shoot into the air. The festival was AWESOME! -by liam

Good Morning

Colorful Dots on a Blue Sky -by liam

Cool Triangle Balloon -by liam

Two Patterned Balloons -by liam

Up Up And Away -by dad

3 weeks old

Lucy celebrated her three week birthday with a visit to Dr. Marks, her pediatrician. After sitting around naked (Lucy, not me) in his tiny office for almost an hour, he finally came in and pronounced her healthy and in the 96th percentile for height and weight. She's three weeks old today, and weighs in at 10 pounds, 10 ounces, 22 1/4 inches. We then proceeded to the lab, where they pricked her heel and took blood for some tests. She hated that. After spending the better part of the afternoon in the doctor's office, we both needed some R & R, so we came home and had a beer (me) and some milk (Lucy) and took a nap on the couch.

Papa love

A few words about Lucy's personality.

Lucy is 17 days old. We're slowly getting to know each other. We know that she likes to make old-man faces and stare off into space at things only she can see. She knows that we'll pick her up the moment she cries. She doesn't like to be alone. She likes to be held. She likes movement, whether it's the rise and fall of breath as she lies on a chest, or the vibration of the car as she rides in her bucket. She is a serious girl, examining the colors and shapes of the world around her with a concentrated frown. Sometimes though, she'll look at our faces with clear eyes and an almost-smile that seems to say -oh yes, I know you.

Small parts

Thank you Kirsten...

...for your great company, good food, a clean house, and many uninterrupted showers. We miss you already.

Mama love

Lucy's favorite spot.

Lucy's second favorite spot.

Sibling reunion

All my siblings were together last night for the first time in a long time. Unfortunately, Liam and Milo were not here to join in the fun - but they're having a grand time in Portland at Zoo Camp. So it was up to Lucy to represent their generation.

Sweet boys.

Uncle Teja

Uncle Kavi

And sweet girls.

Auntie Rohanna

Lucy's first bath

Sweet cheeks

Brother love

Lucy distracts Liam from Pokemon