anonymark

Baby blue

Leah — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:39:07 +0000

It was my favorite marble, out of all the treasured ones I kept in that faded-denim bag with the red drawstring. It was one of my “shooter” marbles, and it was clear, with a beautiful blue swirl frozen inside the glass like smoke. I loved to hold it, rolling the smooth, pure-blue beauty of it against my palms. At the time, I couldn’t imagine that any other shade of blue would ever be so lovely.

Then I saw your face for the first time. And I looked into your eyes. They were dark blue, rimmed with breathtakingly long lashes. And on the bridge of your nose, next to your left eye, was the most delicate, milky-blue vein, just beneath the surface of your skin.

When we take you outside, you arch and twist to see the leaves outlined against the blue sky. Once you have just the right angle, you relax into the green-and-blue marvel of it all, staring with a steady curiosity that makes me weak with awe and gratitude.

You are, by turns, curious and reflective, joyful and funny. You grin at everyone, and you’re prone to the most infectious baby giggles I’ve ever heard. You are affable and easygoing. Your “voice” is darling and delightful. Even though you’re only four months old, I can tell that you will be kind and thoughtful, charming and lighthearted.

Early in the morning, when you first awaken, your sister gets into our bed, and we all nestle close under the covers and look into your eyes. As we “talk” to you and each other, you smile that incredible, full-body-wiggle smile of yours. Then I open the shades, and you look out the window. The sun is just beginning to rise, and the trees stretch their tall branches into the sky. You stare, mesmerized, at the big, wide world.

I would give anything to hold this moment–this memory of me there with you, and your dad, and your sister in the pale-blue dawn. I want to capture it forever, a wisp of smoke frozen in glass.

Moment of cuteness

map — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:27:47 +0000

It’s bundle-up weather all of a sudden.

Moment of cuteness

map — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:50:17 +0000

Em’s cuteness was on full display over the weekend in Decorah, where we’d traveled for the Klevars’ annual apple cider event. The boy seemed to have a good time, but he’s just so generally happy that it doesn’t really matter where he is. Last night, before we fell asleep, I looked over at Leah and told her I hoped Emmett’s personality doesn’t change. I knew as soon as the words left my mouth that it would never be, so I’ll just go with the flow for now and enjoy the happy baby he is.

Moment of cuteness

map — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:50:39 +0000

Truth be told, I spend all this time taking pictures of the kids so that someday Leah will relent in her insistence that we have “professional” shots done. It’s not that I don’t believe in professional photography. I just don’t see a pro getting anything much better than, say, this:

Sitting pretty

map — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:41:46 +0000

A friend of Leah’s let us borrow this nifty little seat for Emmett. He seems to get a kick out of it, though he does start to tip over after sitting in it for a while.

Today is Day 3 of being home with Emmett while I’m on furlough. As I type, he’s getting in a nice, long nap (which is good; he was up late). I hope to get some photos of him when he wakes up and after he eats, which is usually a good time to take advantage of his happy disposition. We’ll see how it goes.

He’s back

map — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:23:38 +0000

You may be surprised to learn that Emmett is growing. It’s true. And he’s doing all sorts of cute and cool stuff these days, like laughing at his sister’s antics and rolling over from his back to his tummy; that’s his most recent favorite. I haven’t caught any video of the actual roll yet (heck, we all know what the looks like anyway, right?), but I did get some footage of him post-roll as he held his head up and peered around while his sister eggs him on.

I’m home with Emmett this week. He’s being a good little baby, if a little poopy. The score this morning as of 9:45 was: Emmett’s bottom: 2 Onesies: 0. At least I’ve managed to escape another shorts leg covered with liquid love, which was yesterday’s highlight. But it’s still early, people.

Moment of cuteness

map — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:06:38 +0000

And you know it’s major cuteness if the boy’s looks can make up for my presence in the photo. Picture by Leah at our impromptu anniversary dinner this past weekend:

Moment of cuteness

map — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:27:16 +0000

Another shot taken with camera gear I could never hope to afford. But it sure is fun to use!

13K

map — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:59:59 +0000

I suppose it makes sense that a photo of Emmett is the 13,000th image I’ve uploaded to flickr since late 2004. I’m just glad it turned out to be a photo that I’m happy with, even it is was taken with a rented lens.

Sisterly love

map — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:41:13 +0000

Ava brought this home from kindergarten today:

I do love the kid’s use of color, but I’m a little dismayed that someone’s already turned her on to the little dots at the intersections and ends of the lines on her letters. I guess she’ll be ready to join a sorority one day.