arrrr...happy talk like a pirate day, everybody!

shiver me timbers.

Video game troll

We need to warn all of you who might be owners of video game consoles - there is a video troll on the loose.  We returned home today to find that our house had been visited by said troll, and, though we have not removed our gaming equipment from the TV cupboard for over three months, this (see picture) is how we found our living room upon our return - two controllers and a microphone removed and left on the floor.  We don't believe there is any danger in being the receiver of such visits - nothing else in the house was disturbed, and even the gaming equipment was unharmed and left in neat little piles, but we wanted to let you all know anyhow.

[Disclaimer - it is highly likely that no such troll exists and that, instead, the disruption of equipment that was noted upon our return is due, in its entirety, to a cat wishing to enjoy the warmth inside the entertainment cabinet. ]

Brief but beautiful

Today was a very special day for all three of us - today was Calvin's baptism.  In the Presbyterian church the sacrament of baptism takes place within a normal worship service immediately following the offering, so we fed Calvin during the sermon so that we'd have a better chance of him being happy and alert during the actual ceremony.  There we were, parents, godparents (Ann and Curtis), and ministers, gathered round the font with a very alert and happy Calvin.  Throughout the reading of the charges Calvin was completely taken by the speaking minister, gazing directly at his face with a look of befuddled concentration - the congregation seemed to be holding back giggles.  Even cuter, however, was the broad grin Calvin gave him a couple of times when he paused in his speaking - and the congregation stopped holding the giggles back.  The sweetest moment, however, was the walk of introduction when, following the administering of water, the congregation sings a hymn (this time, a hymn written for Calvin by his father) and the minister walks the child through the aisles for the church to meet their newest family member.  Calvin seemed to know it was his moment to make a good "first" impression, and, as the minister held him high and faced him towards the people in the pews, he gazed out at all those people with his best "you have to love me" look - and, so we were told, many of them cried.  We know we did.  It was a moment that we had been eagerly anticipating for, well, three months, and now it is over.  It's amazing how fleeting the most important points in our lives are; this one lasted for less than ten minutes, but it was as beautiful as it was brief.

We are very blessed to have such an accepting and loving church, and equally as blessed to have such supportive families.  The day was made all the more special by the presence of so many family members - all four grandparents, as well as Cortney's Aunt Wendy and Uncle Jack, and her Aunt Cookie (who happened to be visiting from Washington), Calvin's Aunt Ann, who is doing us the honor of being his Godmother, and Patty and Uncle Curtis, who is doing us the similar honor of being his Godfather.  Following the baptism we continued our celebration of this wonderful new life by going to brunch at the Gandy Dancer, where we even got to talk to Cortney's cousin, Kate, via phone connection all the way from the Netherlands.  We all laughed and had a wonderful time.  Calvin is very loved indeed.

The other problem with gripping...

...is what he grabs.  Today he grabbed the washcloth that was the "protective covering" during his diaper change, and, as soon as he had removed it and tossed it over his head, proceeded to pee all over his mom (not himself, his mom).

A milestone we wanted, and one we didn't

The good news first.  Calvin has always been a good sleeper, staying down for six to eight hours most nights, which the pediatric medical profession calls "sleeping through the night."  But let's face it - if he goes down at nine, six hours later it's still only thee AM!  Even eight hours later it's only five.  We consider three AND five AM to be part of "the night"  and we don't call that sleeping through.  For the past almost two weeks, though, Calvin has consistantly gone down at nine and gotten up at seven.  Now we're talking!

Now the bad news.  Calvin has his first cold.  We can't say we were surprised - Cortney had a sore throat and sniffles last week and, even though she washed her hands in hot hot water so often that they started to peel, we figure that if the antibodies she has didn't protect her they won't protect the little guy.  We could tell on Sunday that something wasn't right, but yesterday and today have really been the toughest.  We figure he has a sore throat, which, of course, he wouldn't understand, poor little guy, so he is uncomfortable while eating and doesn't want to talk as much.  And, of course, he is fussy all the time and does not want to be put down!  On the bright side, he is really tired all of the time so he is taking his naps really well!  And, just for a bit of mommy humor, Cortney dressed the ornery little bugger in a onesie with crabs on it;  if he's going to be crabby he might as well dress that way.