on the move

as of yesterday, Caleb is a crawler! we're quite proud of his latest accomplishment, and obviously this changes a whole lot of life around the house. this morning we were setting up his stacking cups, which he loves to crawl after and knock down. but once he looked over, saw a toy he wanted instead, and promptly went after it. his mama and I exchanged a look of surprise, pride, and maybe a bit of fear. I think we'll be investing in a baby gate quite soon, and the dog is in for quite a shock once he starts chasing her. should be fun.

here's a video of his crawling prowess. (5 MB)

better

how to make a really rough day better:

coming home to roses, jelly beans, moose tracks, newcastle, and 2 beautiful smiling faces.

she certainly knows how to make me feel loved.

sometimes I hate computers

really I do. yucky hardware failure on the server. clients freaking out. genious bossman's wife goes into labor. midnight call to come rescue. I'm underqualified. crappy backup software is behaving crappily. and slowly. server shrieks like a windstorm for 8 hours as windoze is reinstalled. tissues in my ears after 6 hours. havent slept in forever. miss my baby and my baby. curse you hitachi hard drives. curse you veritas "recovery" software.

on the bright side, Isaac Michael Sunder is now with us. a bit early, but just fine.

easter portrait

it seems that our family easter traditions have boiled down to a family portrait and the basket-hunt, as well as some sort of egg-themed gathering with friends. we kinda skip the whole special easter dinner thing (having leftovers for the past couple years, and out for sushi the year before), and we dont see much family, as my folks are always doing the choir music for their church and hopefully soon Michelle's folks will be leading their new church.

so here's the yearly portrait. last year Caleb was in utero, so it's much nicer to be able to see him this year, even though he's more interested in the dog than smiling for the camera.

we also had the basket-hunt, and Michelle hid mine quite well. Caleb slept through this event, but he did get to share my basket with me, although his part was playing with the giant egg after I ate the contents.

and we had the usual crowd (formerly known as the Alias Group before we stopped watching Alias together) for egg decoration, and as usual, they made some wonderful creations. Michelle's egg has a personality all its own, which she'll have to explain sometime.

in other Caleb news, his creeping is turning into crawling more each day. he's into knocking down towers of stacking cups, and if placed a foot or two beyond his grasp, he'll manage to get on his knees and scoot forward. he's able to cross a room in about 10 minutes like this, given enough encouragement and praise. it's really cool to see him take satisfaction in his little triumphs. have I mentioned that he loves drinking water out of a cup, gnawing on apples, and can feed himself cheerios? and tooth #4 is almost through. it's quite a cliche, but he's growing up fast, and we're loving each little milestone.

family gardening 2005

once again we will try our hand at gardening this year. this time Michelle is interested in growing herbs in pots on the porch, thus avoiding having to subject her back to the toils of the ground. she's planted lots of seeds indoors, and will release them to the wilds of the porch before long. we'll see how it goes, but if her enthusiasm is any indication, it should go quite well.

our little plot in the back yard has been declared daddy's domain. so far I've got snow peas coming up, and after a slow start they've come up quite well. I've reconstructed our trellis system, which is made of electrical conduit that's been drilled and zip-tied together, to achieve a trapieze look. instead of twine for the plants to climb, we're using netting used to protect bushes from birds. it looks a little odd, but I'm sure it'll work well. last year's snow peas were oh-so-good, so we're looking forward to another good crop.

I'm trying out spinach this year for the first time. having heard it's hard to grow, I didnt have much hope, but about half of my seeds have sprouted, which isnt bad. we both love spinach salads, so hopefully we'll have some success.

we've got a bunch of tomatoes started inside, as well as cucumbers and marigolds for the garden. this is the first year we're trying to do all this stuff from seed, so we're wondering how well it will go, and can already anticipate all the more the satisfaction of success from growing your own. sure, a small tomato plant is just $1, but it's certainly a lot more fun this way.

flirt

he may be only 7 months old, but my son is quite a flirt. he is not shy about smiling at anyone and everyone, and he's quite methodical in how he gets people to react to him.

when he sees someone he likes (which is just about anyone), he'll smile directly at her, and look for her eyes. he's pretty patient with this too. sometimes he'll babble a bit as well...super cute "bah bah bah" kinda stuff. when the intended victim finally acknowledges his plea for attention with a look or a smile, he'll positively light up and give a big grin.

I've watched him do this in a room with folks coming and going, and when a new person enters, he'll watch her cross the room, hoping for interaction. as adorable as he is, he usually gets it, and everyone is quite happy.

I have no idea how common this behavior is, but I find it rather hilarious. I'm generally shy with new people, but Michelle is usually outgoing, so maybe his mama's personality is coming out here.

we have a friend with cute kids, and I know that they know it too, as she told us once that she addressed her 3 year old son. we'll call him Caleb.

mama: "hey Caleb"
boy: (interrupting) "I know, I'm cute"

while I love having a cute kid, I hope that it doesnt go to all of our heads.

"holy crap!"

the pear trees are in bloom, the daffodils are all up, and we're pregnant again! we're overwhelmed and excited and scared and joyful all at once.

Michelle's system has never been predictable, which is why it took a while for Caleb to come along. but it seems that her first pregnancy kicked things into gear, as she's been rather normal since Caleb's been born. we were quite thankful for this development, and of course unsure about how it would all work out. would we really be able to get pregnant easily next time? we figured probably not.

we prayed and talked about when we'd want kid #2, and decided that we'd like to have another before Caleb is 2 years old. figuring that it might take a year or so to get pregnant, we both had a peace to start trying this month. we both knew that it was quite possible to get pregnant the first try (not that we were really timing things and all that jazz), but the possibility seemed remote. we both prayed and put all this in God's hands. if He knew better than to give us 2 small kids, then He'd have us wait. if otherwise, then bring on the baby!

so, amazing as it sounds, we got pregnant on the first try! if we've figured correctly, the baby will be here around the end of November. Caleb will be 15 months old. this is the aspect that has us most nervous: two little kids in the house, and just one mama. I'm sure some folks will think that we're nuts, especially with Michelle's recurring health issues, and maybe we are. but we both love being parents so very much, and trust that God will provide, just like He always has.

so bring on the baby! pray for Michelle and the little one and for me and Caleb too. we pray especially that breastfeeding will go well this time, and that God will continue to bless all of our health.

the little story about how we discovered all this: Michelle has been tracking her basal body temperature for a while, just to make sure things are working as they ought (and obviously they are!). when she had a bunch of high temps in a row, we started to suspect, as that's one of the tell-tale signs. she looked for a test at her sister's house over the weekend, but to no avail. meanwhile her temps kept climbing. so we finally had her take a test last night, and it came back with one pink line (not prego). we let out a sigh of relief, figuring it would indeed be best to wait a bit. so she put the test on the table and we watched our home videos from last the weekend. she put her cup of water down on the table a few minutes later, glanced at the test, and shouted: "HOLY CRAP!" the second pink line appeared, although faintly. we were in shock and all those crazy emotions. I was a little annoyed at the test, since the second line was so faint, but it was undeniably there. I kept yelling "INCONCLUSIVE!" followed by nervous laughter. after consulting her sister as well as google, we came to the inescapable, wonderful conclusion that there really is another little bun in the oven.

today we went to the doctor's office to get a blood test. they did a normal pee test first, and we went through the same routine. at first, the nurse tech shook her head and said "not pregnant." michelle was rather excited at this news, and I was a bit confused. but as she took it over to us to let us see, she said "oh wait" and showed it to the doctor. it was faint, but indeed there. we'll know the blood test results tomorrow, which should be more definitive.

as I think about all the joys of this past year, I remeber a recent article about a basketball coach, who was so happy with how his players had done this year. his quote basically sums up what I've been feeling about being a daddy and husband: "You know you're in a very special place when your realities outweigh your dreams. And that's where I am."

praise God for blessing us more than we dare to dream.

weekend pics and details

lots of pictures from the weekend can be found here.

many congratulations to Brad and Renee. the wedding was so nice and a lot of fun, and I was quite honored to be a groomsman. of course the boys (Caleb and his twin cousins) were a big hit with all the family. Caleb also enjoyed meeting his great-grandparents as well as Michelle's old friends in Lancaster.

as promised, life was a bit crazy with everyone under one roof, but the red, red wine helped ease the tension, as well as a mad evening of karaoke (thanks to DJ Steve). highlights included Wind Beneath My Wings, Respect, Sherry, Michelle, Piano Man (with spanish subtitles), and any song that Steve belted out.

the twins also had their dedication at church, so it was great to be able to be there for that special time with the family. we pray that all our kids will know and love Jesus their whole lives.

many thanks to the family for putting us up, putting up with us, and for all the fun and good times. we're looking forward to another crazy fun time this summer at the shore. by then all the boys will be mobile, so the craziness factor should increase all the more.

we're so thankful that Caleb traveled well, and for a nice place (and adoring dog) to come home to. thanks to those that looked after everything. we didnt expect Katie to be excited about Caleb coming home (since she doesnt really pay him much attention these days), but this morning she was positively giddy to see him. it's so cool to see them becoming buddies.

now back to life. work is rather busy, and my folks will be here soon. we're so glad it's springtime too! it's hard to believe that Easter is here already, so pray that God will continue to change our hearts to love Him all the more during this weekend of celebrating His and our resurrection.

avoid graco

I'm sure we have some Graco baby gear products, as they are one of the bigger names, and get generally good reviews (unlike Safety 1st, which seems to put out nothing but crap). but if I can help it, we'll never buy another Graco product again. I can understand making a product and having it be accidentally dangerous, but covering up the fact that it's dangerous is unforgivable. once again, covering up the mistake is worse than the mistake itself. check out the news.

back

we've arrived safely home after a family-filled weekend in PA. the flights home were mostly on time, but Caleb didnt enjoy the ups and downs so much this time. but overall it went quite well. details and pics later.

travel note from today: if you're sitting in an exit row, and that exit row has 50% more leg room than the row behind you, and the row behind you is occupied by 2 adults averaging 6'1", and these adults are also carrying an infant, it might be considered rude to have your seat back THE ENTIRE TIME. but if said infant is kicking your seat and/or screaming in your ear for much of the journey, then perhaps you're getting what you deserve.

arrived safely, but late, in philly

we're in philly after a long day of traveling and waiting. we're so thankful that Caleb did great for both legs of the flight. the bad news was that our 7am flight from Chatty was delayed due to weather and whatnot, so we had to wait a while to get the Memphis, and then of course we missed the connecting flight, so we had to wait something like 4 hours in the Memphis airport to catch the next plan to Philly. it actually went by rather quickly, and Michelle talked them into giving us food vouchers, so free food always helps matters.

again, we're so thankful that Caleb did great. thanks to everyone for their prayers. his ears didnt bother him and he was generally happy the whole time. he ate relatively well, and caught naps when he could. even though from door to door it took about the same time as it would if we drove (without the baby at least), we're glad we flew. Caleb did his best to charm all the folks in the rows behind us, smiling and giggling more often than not. he definitely gained a few members of his fan club.

the meeting of all the cousins was a lot of fun too. many pictures and videos were taken, so we'll post them soon. it should be fun to see these kids interact this weekend, and Casey definitely enjoys her only cousin.

wedding festivities start tomorrow. should be a crazy fun time.

first flight

very soon we will take to the skies as we head to PA for Michelle's brother's wedding. please pray for us as this is Caleb's first flight, and we're not quite sure how it will go. we're excited to be able to fly out of Chatty, which is oh-so-nice and quaint compared to atlanta madness.

we're staying with family which should be a crazy good time. there will be 7 adults, 1 preschooler, 3 infants and 1.5 bathrooms under one roof. should be, umm, interesting. pray for love and patience for all.

we're excited about the wedding of course, and especially about seeing all the family we havent seen in a long time. we havent met caleb's twin cousins yet, so we're looking forward to seeing them and having the kiddos interact a bit.

and here's yet another clip, this time of Caleb doing his latest tricks and being just about as cute as humanly possible.

mando baby

there are very few major things in my mind that I really want Caleb to be or do as he grows up. the first and infinitely most important is that he'll grow to be a Christian. God has many promises for him as a covenant child, but I know that only He knows if Caleb will be with Him forever. so we pray and try to faithfully raise him up.

on the far-less-important scale, I do hope that Caleb grows to be musical in some form. it would be so much fun to be able to sing and play with him as he grows up and we both grow old. he's got something of a musical heritage, as all his grandparents are or were quite involved with church choirs and such, and his mama and I both enjoy singing and playing (quite inexpertly) our various instruments.

when he's in his jumper, I'll often get out the guitar or mandolin and play some songs for him, which he seems to enjoy. I dont want to be the overbearing dad that hopes to see his own dreams of musical greatness realized in his son, but I certainly want to teach him to appreciate and enjoy music, and even better, use it to serve others.

so here we are at his first mandolin lesson. he seems to be catching on rather quickly.

caleb video

the latest video of our little scooter:

original, darker, mpg, 7 MB
or
compressed, brightened, mov, 1.2 MB

superheroes

I would really like to know why kids get so obsessed with superheroes, and if my kid catches the fever, where might be the line between obession and unhealthy obsession?

a bunch of our friends have boys who are REALLY REALLY into batman, superman, and of course spiderman. there's one kid who I've had in sunday school for a couple years. he's got an amazing memory, but, in my opinion, he uses his powers for not-so-good, as he can quote, in full detail, volumes of various episodes of "teen titans" and scooby-doo and whatnot. of course he's also quite good at learning our memory verses and such, but he is forever talking about superheroes and other various cartoon characters.

as a sunday school teacher, it drives me a little nuts, as a friend of his parents, it causes me some concern, and as a parent of a little boy, it kinda freaks me out. I know this kid's parents are great, and they actually limit their kids TV time, so it's not like he's watching it all day. but I have a feeling he's thinking about it all day.

something inside me says this cant be all that good. is it completely unrealistic to want kids to be that excited about Jesus? I know it doesnt have to be one-or-the-other, but still, why all this passion and energy over something that's just make-believe? (these are actual questions, by the way, for any who care to give an answer).

I was never really into superheroes when I was growing up, so maybe that's a sticking point for me. I went through a star wars phase, but I was mostly a transformers and lego kid. I think I can see the appeal of the supernatural in the superhero stuff, as it seems as if we were made to desire and admire things that are greater than ourselves. but if in a couple years all Caleb can talk about is spiderman this and spiderman that, is there, or should there, anything to be done?

shy scooter, etc

at almost 7 months, the boy is becoming more and more mobile. he can slowly scoot himself around in just about any direction but forward, and we're pretty sure he'll get that down soon too. just yesterday he figured out how to get up on his hands and knees (as opposed to flailing on his tummy). he gets all excited and quickly rocks back and forth before collapsing into a belly flop. now the rush is on to put those thingys in the electric outlets and figure out a good way to close his closet doors.

and he's suddenly shy around other people. he used to light up at just about anyone who smiled at him. now he turns away and hides his face in my shoulder. when we take him out, he still takes in every last thing, but instead of a look of happy excitement, it's more of a serious, if not sleepy, study of things. it's strange to us that we may be the only ones who know him as the happy, smiley, wiggly kid that he is. but yesterday michelle took him over to the neighbor's house, and he warmed up after about 10 minutes. maybe he needs time to adjust to things now.

he certainly seems fascinated with the out-of-doors, as can be seen in a few pictures we took recently: february pictures here.

we're thankful that everyone is healthy again. now we need to get back to getting up before the last minute so we can have time to spend in prayer and the Word in the morning. we're so glad that spring is coming, but it was also nice to see some snow this morning too. I've given up hope for enought snow to play in. maybe next year. in a few weeks we'll be off to PA for a family wedding, and we'll get to see our new nephews (born 11 days before Caleb). should be a crazy fun time.