Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Star Wars

Alma is in a stage when she wants stories on demand.  Real stories from our childhood, fairy tales and completely ridiculous stories are all fair game.  I spent most of today telling her different versions of how I rode on Dumbo.

But tonight at dinner, after telling her the story of Cinderella, she asked me to tell her the story of Spiderman.  I explained that I didn't know that story but Daddy could tell it to her when he sees her in the morning (he is working late tonight).  Then she said, "Well then tell me the story of Star Wars!"

I am giddy with excitement to tell Joshua that his daughter is so excited to hear his favorite stories!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Long Weekend

 We have needed a long weekend without guests or traveling to reconnect and recoup and this past weekend was perfect.  We started off with Saturday morning cartoons (an extremely rare treat for Alma),  I got to attend a group fitness class that kicked my butt and left me hopelessly sore all weekend, a long walk along the Lehigh River when we got caught in a perfect summer thunderstorm, time for yard work and running through the sprinkler, and ended the weekend with a backyard bbq and picnic.  Couldn't get any better!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Sunday, May 27, 2012

5 Months

* James still prefers to be held but this hasn’t prevented him from developing muscles.  He's a sturdy kid.
* Rolling over to reach things and can wiggle body to spin around
* It is cute to see how excited Alma is to teach him things -- from the names of our pets, to things we see outside -- and has even started signing again rather regularly so that he can see that too.  I couldn't have imagined how much she would love him (and how much he seems to adore her) nor how helpful a toddler could be while parenting an infant. 
* Double stroller is awesome.  Good workout, although usually one seat is empty as Alma wants to walk or James gets fussy and needs to be held in the carrier.
* Eating bananas.  He got the hang of it quickly and cries for the next bite.  It is nice to have Alma during these first meals because it makes each one feel special and exciting.
* Snugly baby.  My favorite is when he digs his way into my neck with his head.  So sweet, I could just be there all day.
* Lots of baby noises
* Holds his toes and tries to bite them but isn’t quite flexible yet
* Grabs things when he is in my arms.  This has made getting things done around the house even more challenging as he jumps out of my arms to grab things.  His enthusiasm makes me laugh.
* Big blue eyes
* Kicker and arm flapper like Alma when laying on his back
* Two teeth, which arrived at the same time.  This caused some sleepless nights for both of us but he basically got through them like a champ.
* Favorite snack/toy is fingers -- his own or anyone else's. 
* Loves to watch us read books.  Alma is great about always making sure that he can see the pictures in the book. 
* Likes rattle noise, especially in the car, which isn’t his favorite (read as, he often screams for the entire car ride)
* Sucks in his bottom lip often

[Never did get around to cataloging all of James’s 4 month attributes so some of these things have been happening for a while.]








Sunday, May 13, 2012

Thursday, May 10, 2012

I may end up with "mom hair" sooner than I was planning with this little guy around. 

Photo catch up

Since our main camera is on the fritz, I've been snapping a ton of photos with my new phone which takes decent photos.  But I never have time to email the photos to myself to post them on here ... until today when I realized that I could just post them directly to blogger.  So here is the backlog of photos from the last two months. 
I'll figure out how to twist them soon enough.

Update: Ack!  On our laptop I can see what crummy quality these photos are.  We may be back to  the drawing board, folks!














Sewing Project #1: Dress for Baby Pilar

<p>Today's craft during James nap was making a dress for Alma's beloved Baby Pilar.  It included picking the fabric, measuring, cutting, helping me operate the sewing machine and lots of talking about how much BP was going to enjoy the dress.&#160; So much fun!</p>

[I just downloaded the free Blogger application that allows me to write entries from my fancy new phone but I haven't figured out all the bells and whistles like turning a photo the right way.]


Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Fantastic Four... (by Joshua)

Several years ago Emily, my wonderful sister, gave me a T-Shirt that said across the chest "Mr. Fantastic."  If I remember the story line correctly it was Emily's way of telling me to cheer-up and to feel good about my self.

A little while after that gift I met my future wife (awkwardly of course, where after about 10 trips to a drinking fountain at Stone Gardens I mustered the courage to say, "Hi I'm Josh").

When I knew Laura was the gal I wanted to be with forever, I decided to propose to her using a T-Shirt that read "Mrs. Fantastic."  This was the day after I had to convince Laura I was not going to propose to her just so she would be surprised, to say the least when I presented the shirt Laura was a bit confused.

As our family moved to the East Coast the "Fantastic" remained a constant theme in our lives.  When Laura announced to me that we were expecting our first child she had another shirt made for me that read "Fantastic Father."

Given this theme, and just a week away from Emily's Birthday I figured this would be a good way to announce the new installment of the Fantastic Family line....The Fantastic Four!

If you indulge me I will now geek out a bit and take this way too far.


               

Mr. Fantastic.....Laura, in our family aka Mrs. Fantastic is the leader, and like her Male counterpart she has the power to stretch and bend with everything that life throws her way.  She can be everywhere at any given moment, holding babies, toddlers, groceries, barking dogs, and the cat by the scruff of the neck, all the while she is with another hand working on a computer doing research for work, paying our bills, doing our taxes, and finding amazing coupons to save us a few bucks.  I don't know how she does it and I love her all the more for it. 
     
Invisible Woman...Alma, in our family aka Alma Fantastic, like her female counterpart has a tendency to at first be very quite and almost invisible in room that is new to her.  She will observe things, get a feel for them, and then immerse herself confidently.  She also has a power...those big blue eyes that pierce through everything, I'm a sucker for them.  From her love of Motorcycles to her desire to wear a "party-dress" and dance most days.  She is both beauty and power bound into one wonderful person.  Alma is also an amazing big sister. Alma sings to him, gives him toys, "reads" to him, includes him in conversations, kisses his head and simply cherishes him.  

                   
Human Torch.....Baby James aka Baby Fantastic.  Of what we know of James' personality he does not hide how he is feeling.  If he is happy you get one of the most wonderful smiles either wide open mouth or just one cheek popped up.  If he is upset or uncomfortable he let's us know, turning fire red he belts it out and this boy has some lungs.  Like the Human Torch he is the little brother of the Invisible woman, and James could not adore Alma any more.  When James gets in a frustrated mood, nothing calms the flames like his big sister singing the alphabet, it is beautiful to watch how much they have already bonded. 




                      

 The Thing....Me, aka Mr. Fantastic for our family.  Anyone who has spent more than 2 full days with me knows that inside I'm just a hairy, sweaty, kid who will always wish he had super human strength.  Like my counterpart I can be a bit grumpy and a bit of a downer, but after an intense physical exertion I can usually get my head on straight.  Beneath my sighs and the classic Chisholm scowl (furrowed brow) I'm a loveable guy, who just wants to be a superhero to take care of and be with all those I love and cherish.

I love you all family and friends so much!