To the Mouth

Hamilton has just started to have more control over his hands, being able to move them to a toy and then the toy to his mouth. While we're so excited and proud now, I know eventually the everything-to-the-mouth action will lose its luster. And some toys literallly will.

Westerns

Sadly I think Hamilton may already enjoy watching television. While I feed him, I pass the time with a movie, show, or whatever series looks interesting on Netflix. After he finishes, sometimes he wants not to sit on my knees and look at me for playtime, but instead he wants to sit in my lap and watch our big-screen with me. Yesterday he enjoyed an old, shoot-em-up western with Mr. Morgan. Pops will be proud that Hamilton is being introduced to westerns so early.Please notice the burp cloth draped across Hamilton's body to catch any errant drools and spit-ups, which can be frequent when sitting with his daddy.

Bedtime Story

Mr. Morgan read Hamilton a bedtime story last night. We've been reading through our collection of Beatrix Potter books at bedtime. Some of the stories are sweet and others make little sense. I think last night Mr. Morgan asked what Beatrix was smoking when she wrote The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes. Hamilton made lots of noise while Mr. Morgan read, and he seemed to be looking at the pictures in the book most of the time. Maybe he understands Beatrix Potter's stories.

Say What You Mean

The President argues about the meaning of a word with a guy reading from a dictionary.

Step-Stepdad

Again tonight Claire was saying how happy she is that her daddy wasn't hurt in his wreck. She said she would scream if he'd been killed, and she asked, "Gray, you wouldn't get married again, would you?"

Mr. Morgan piped in with, "Yeah, she probably would." And I nodded my head in agreement.

Then Claire said seriously, "It would be so weird to have a step-stepdad."

New Baby 'Blog'

I'd like to welcome the Hardee-Whites into the world of blogging about your baby most especially for the faraway grandparents. Sadly, this is not a blog. I guess "not a blog" means we won't get any written, witty posts, but I can hope. There are some cute videos of little Grady and funny, video-recorded commentary by Hardee.

God's Been Good

Saturday Mr. Morgan was in a three-car wreck. His role in the wreck was so minor that he informed me via text message. (It's much easier not to overreact or worry when I see "Got in a wreck. Im all right. Be home after while" on my phone's screen.) He's fine, the Explorer is hardly damaged, and he wasn't to blame--all good things in spite of the wreck.

Claire was happy that he was unhurt, and in typical Claire fashion she told us many times of her relief. As we were loading ourselves in the Explorer this morning headed for church, Claire again said she was so glad that her daddy was OK. Then she added, "God has been so good to our family lately." She didn't elaborate on what specifically she meant, but my thoughts settled on my own list--sweet, precious Hamilton who adds such joy to my life, my dear friends from Charlotte who visit often, my husband who escaped harm, and dear Claire who so simply reminds me of how great and good our God is.

Video After Nap

Sunday was a busy day for Hamilton, so between church and lunch afterwards with friends he didn't really get a good nap in. He caught some catnaps in his car seat, but those don't really count toward good sleep. When we finally got home, he easily took a nap late this afternoon. I had to wake him to feed him dinner, and I got a video of his waking, as I'd promised earlier.

Claire's Soccer Game

This afternoon Claire played in the second soccer game of her budding career. She's been begging for over a year now to play on a seasonal team and not just week-long soccer camps during the summer. She's been practicing twice a week and now has games every weekend. Last week she scored a goal and her team won!

This week she played well, but her team lost 3-0. She didn't seem too dismayed or disheartened that her team had lost; she was more concerned that the ball had the audacity to hit her in the face. I tried explaining to her that soccer was a contact sport, but I think she still holds a grudge against the ball. Of course, this is Claire who stopped running after the ball during the game to apologize to the little girl who'd fallen down next to her. Well even if not competitive, she was cute in her uniform.

Fatty, the Cat

Last night Mr. Morgan worked on his banjo song, Come Ye Sinners. I helped him by playing the piano melody and singing while he worked out his rolls, specifically the alternating-thumb roll. We worked for half an hour or so and finished to find Fatty curled up, cat-like in the banjo case.

Mimi's Visit

Hamilton and I have been looking forward to Mimi's visit all week. She finally arrived yesterday! I got some pictures of their time together. Mimi, of course, wanted to give the little stinky one a bath.Sometimes I'm afraid she might just eat him up.Mimi's old-school way to clean and dry a baby is the "choke hold." Try at your own risk.

Waking Up

I woke Hamilton up from his nap this afternoon and got these great pictures. I tried to video his stretching, which is so cute, but the light was too dim. I'll try again soon with more lights on.

Disapproval

I'm glad the House of Representatives thinks the best use of its time these days is to officially disapprove of Rep. Joe Wilson--a member who has already apologized and whose apology was already accepted. It's not like the House has more serious issues to talk about.

Kids in Towels

No matter the age of the kid, he's so cute wrapped in a fluffy towel after a bath or swim. Hamilton was so cute on Saturday after we gave him a bath; I couldn't help but snap some pictures of him cuddled in his own fluffy towel.

March on Washington

I read lots of reports about the 9-12 March on Washington, and I would have loved to have been in attendance. Dale and Deb were part of the mass of folks--only because they were already in Washington, D.C., with Travis who was sent for business. They enjoyed being part of the march, calling me to rub it in that morning as they were walking in the thick crowd. Dad's favorite protest sign was "There's a village in Kenya that's missing its idiot." Here and here are pictures of some other clever protest signs.

Sept. 11

The anniversary always makes me think--as it probably does to everyone--of exactly where I was back on that fateful day. I was a college student visiting Keene State College in New Hampshire as a national exchange student for the fall semester of 2001. Being less than five hours from New York City was interesting because so many of my fellow students knew New Yorkers. Instead of my morning class, we watched The Today Show with Katie Couric talking on the air to Jim Miklaszewski (NBC's Pentagon correspondent) when the Pentagon was hit. We watched on live TV as both towers fell. I remember feeling so far away and alone, especially since I'd only been at this new school for two weeks.

Last year I picked up Claire from school, asking her if they'd talked about Sept. 11 and its significance. She had no idea what I was talking about, and she didn't know what "Sept. 11" meant. So, I explained to an eight-year-old what happened on that day. I was totally bawling by the end, and I think Claire thought I was crazy. I don't care if it sounds cliche: We really must never forget. And, for those kiddos who didn't experience the horror of that day, we must tell them so they never forget either.

UPDATE: I found a great article written by my favorite political writer, Victor Davis Hanson.

Hard Week

I've felt a bit under the weather this week as I've been fighting a cold. It's not the piggy flu. However, just feeling a bit poorly makes taking care of a little one about all I can do during the day. I've felt pretty wiped out all week, so posting has been light. And, of course, so much happens when I haven't the energy to post--Obama's speech on healthcare with all its promises, Joe Wilson's outburst, backlash from said outburst, Sept. 11, Obama's address to school kids, parents' aversion to said address...

Two-Month Checkup

Thursday I took little Hamilton for his two-month checkup. All his vitals checked out just fine, and we don't have to go back until he's four months old. He weighed 11 lbs 8 oz and was 24 inches long. He's a growing boy! I've already had to put away his newborn clothes, which was a bit sad since I liked some of them so much. I'm thankful to have a healthy, happy baby; even the vaccine shots weren't so bad.

Grandma Judy

We've discovered a baby picture of Judy at two months old that looks a lot like Hamilton.

Hamilton's Highchair

Mr. Morgan opened up Hamilton's highchair box today and assembled it. Hamilton needs somewhere to sit when we're eating at the table--besides in his car seat on the floor. I thought he'd enjoy being in his highchair, since he'll be able to see everyone and everything that's going on. It's a great one with lots of adjustable settings from the seatback incline to the seat's height off the floor. From his test-drive, I think he'll enjoy the highchair.It looks a little big for him now, but he'll grow into it.

Two Months Old

Hamilton was two months old yesterday and nine weeks old today. We gave him a bath this afternoon, and we took some pictures with his friends. He's getting so big and outgrowing most of his newborn clothes.

Since the photo shoot was getting close to nap time, Mr. Morgan entertained the little one trying to get some smiles.
There's the smiling boy. After the smile came some spitting up and irritated crying. Photo shoot over.

Fun with Bubbles

Claire and Dawsey enjoyed making and chasing bubbles this afternoon. Claire ran out of bubble mix, so she looked up a recipe on the Internet and mixed it herself. The mixture worked well after we determined that the "g-word" she described was "gelatin" and not "glycerin" or "glucose" like we had suggested to her.Claire did let Dawsey have a turn at the bubble wand, though she had a hard time not taking over when she wasn't telling him what to do. Those two got along fairly well, and they played together all weekend, each wanting to always be where the other was. Dawsey was so cute chasing all the bubbles that Claire would create.

Cool September

September has started out as a delightfully cool month with temperatures hardly above 80. We've been enjoying the patio in this nice weather. Mr. Morgan's brother Wade got here yesterday to stay for a weekend visit. Wade brought his boys Spencer, 17, and Dawsey, 2, with him from Tennessee. Dawsey is a typical boy, finding the dirt in the yard quickly.He then quickly covered himself in the dirt before Wade told him to rinse off in the dogs' pool. First Dawsey examined himself to see if indeed he had sufficient dirt to warrant an impromptu bath.

Three Years

Three years ago Mr. Morgan and I tied the knot: I can't believe it's only been three years, and I can't believe it's been three whole years. Sometimes it feels like I've lived a lifetime in these last three years already, but I'm excited about the next year and the next twenty. He's a wonderful husband, and I don't thank God for him enough.

UPDATE: My wonderful husband sent me beautiful flowers for our anniversary! He's the best!!

Grammar Rules

Coming from a technical-writing background, I have a hard time not noticing mistakes in printed materials. It's always fun to find that other folks notice as many grammatical mistakes as I do.

Law & Order

At least the "stimulus" is helping to accomplish something worth noting.

Bath Time

We gave Hamilton a bath this past weekend, and he finally now seems to enjoy it. Well, he's tolerating it, at least, much better than he used to. I'm sure he'll eventually play in the water during bath time, but I'm satisfied for now with no screaming.
He always smells so good after we bathe him, followed by his promptly spitting up on himself. But for a brief moment he's clean and smelling good.