12 January 2008

Update of sorts


It appears that the muse has not inspired me for some time now. Or maybe my creativity dried up. Or maybe it was being away for a week. I suppose the busyness excuse won't work, huh?

Well, here's a quick update on Jackson:

He's smiling often, and finally getting back on a schedule of naps and dealing with being alone. He lost this ability when we went to CT for a whole week, but he's finally getting used to it again. Of course, his lungs and diaphragm are still growing stronger, so the crying is getting louder.

As many of you have, we've seen lots of friends and family in the past month. So Jackson has gotten lots of attention and introductions.

He met Wayne & Michele Kruzek (who have their own news...!) during an enjoyable evening of conversation and Jenga.

Within the past week, Jackson figured out how to roll over -- but only from stomach to back. And unfortunately, he sleeps on his stomach and dislikes lying on his back. So we're trying to teach him the reverse process.

In other random news:

I'm actually basically done with second term grades a week early! This is largely due to Jen's helping with grading so much this year, which in turn encouraged me to keep the grading folder relatively slim. I'm very thankful for the result. I also only have to write 3 midterms this year, which is great. I've ordered a new cell phone (Motorola W385), mostly because it was free and newer phones often have better voice quality. I've also been messing around a bit with Linux recently, including installing Ubuntu 7.10 on my old college laptop. This is mostly a reflection of a burning desire to avoid all things Microsoft (with the only exceptions being Excel and MS computer mice). I've also personally been encouraged by real quality conversations with friends (including Jen of course) over the past few weeks.

Well, I'll be updating our Picasa picture site a bit here and there over the next few days.

cheers

02 December 2007

Snow Day... Days?



So we had a snow day today; TBC canceled all services because of inclement weather. Our family webcast the services from Tenth Pres in Philadelphia. Drs. Ryken and Tripp preached well and profitably on Solomon and choosing the right path in life, and God's love and our love as Christians respectively. We saw two of our friends - Sarah and Anne - in the congregation, which seemed rather like stalking, but we didn't choose which video feed to post....

Jen & I had a very relaxing and refreshing evening without Jackson last night, which included patronizing Baja Fresh and Starbucks, bringing towels to flooded friends, a brief stint as take-out delivery people, and Yahtzee. Do NOT ask about our Yahtzee scores. (Jen says, "Wow, that's a low score" ... looks over at mine "oh, um... oops" laughs)

Jackson slept through the night and had to be woken up at 7:00! Woo-hoo!

The weather forecast seems to indicate that school will not be hindered tomorrow morning. I will refrain from comment on what I prefer. Suffice it to say there may very well be snow-dancing tonight. Ask Wayne about where this came from; I'm not really that pagan.

Well, check the online picture album for several recent additions including videos.

Cheers

01 December 2007

The Rest of November

There, my title covers me from being criticized that I skipped weeks of Jackson's life. Speaking of Jackson, three of the five who took our recent poll are to be commended for correctly identifying Edward as NOT being one of "Stonewall" Jackson's names. His full name was Thomas Jonathan Jackson. Check out our new poll ... whenever I write it.

Since last post, Jackson got to see 2 of his aunts baptized and added to the Grace Reformed Baptist Church in East Haven, CT. Of course, Jen and I are very thankful that 2 more sisters are now also sisters in Christ. The Cute Little Fellow also met his great grandma Lee, great uncle Gary and his new wife Delana. See our Picasa album for documentation of Jackson's first Thanksgiving. More pictures will be added once we've gotten contributions from the other cameras present.

Jackson slept through the night for the first time a few weeks ago, and was on a roll until a few nights ago. Now he's making a stink around 4AM every day. Maybe it's because he's already outgrowing his bassinet (thanks to the Seversons for that great gift!), and is now transitioning into his Pack-n-Play as crib.

Jen & I took Jackson with us to Willowbrook Mall yesterday afternoon. I hate malls. A lot. But Christmas shopping beaconed, and it turned out to be a useful trip. Jackson got cranky pretty quickly, and I had to keep walking in loops out in the halls (isn't there a better name for the halls in malls?). This meant I got exercise, lots of time with the little guy, and a serious allergy problem. How is it possible for every store that sells scented anything to pollute the entire airspace of a whole wing of the mall?!? (Don't tell me, Brownian motion, diffusion and all that good stuff.... It's still irksome, even if science seems to demand it.) Anyway, Jen had a useful trip, we even saw Tim Hartline there (and I had a "yeah, I NEVER come here either!" moment with him), and we got to introduce Jackson to Borders. And then I made my sole purchase... ok, technically there were two: a medium cappuccino and a 5"x8" planner/ address book. (It's Moleskine, it's "the legendary notebook, used by European artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin" website brags. Don't worry, after trying my dad's "if it doesn't list a price it must be free" line, I got it for the price of a smaller sized version. And then I used a 25% off coupon. So I'm not snobby-because-I'm-artsy-simplistic. I'm practical.) Anyway, back to the main point: Jackson didn't like the mall, and I was pleased by this.

Oh, and one more mall trip complaint: That 23/46/80 interchange that is STILL under construction is STILL life-threatening, and now there's another bridge in the area closed (actually one-way) for no apparent reason. Finish the project this decade please!

Jackson gets to have several hours tonight with Grandpa and Gram so that Mommy and Daddy can share a few sane hours without worrying about feeding, crying and diaper changing.

This just in: My sister Alison was accepted to a creative writing masters program at prestigious university in the British Isles. No word on whether she'll take them up on it.

I've probably forgotten things, but I've got to get back to work. G'day.

11 November 2007

Sunday update

I am feeling better - finally! - today, and am hoping to go back to work tomorrow morning. Please pray that I will have the strength to go and that I'll be able to get things back in order at school and home.

Jen has been taking pictures like crazy. I thought it was new fathers who are legendary for their picture-taking mania, but apparently this includes new mothers. Anyway, due mostly to her efforts, there are 25 new pictures on our Picasa photo site. Alie and Dani, don't even think of viewing them all at once. Spread the experience out over a few days, or else you'll be on my back by Thursday that I "haven't posted anything new in forever!" :-)

On an entirely different note, Andrew Hanko had a fantastic race for Navy XC on Saturday at the NCAA Div.I Mideast Regional. Click this link to view his results. Grove City College mens and womens teams also did very well in a very competitive region. Email Coach Severson your congratulations if you concur.

Good night.

05 November 2007

Long time coming


My apologies to those of you who have been checking our blog, waiting for another installment. Between classes, grading, TCS athletics, church and softball, I've been running around.

Then this past week I accompanied the 7th and 8th grade classes to Spruce Lake. We had a great time - excellent chaperones, great weather, intense ping-pong and air hockey, cliff rappelling, quality devotional times, no major injuries etc.

On Saturday, I played on the victorious (although admittedly a little stacked) Parents team as they battled the junior high soccer team. We won either 4-0 or 5-0, I honestly don't recall which. I scored 2 goals, one of which was the result of hustling when the kids didn't, and one of which they gave us by a hand ball 20 yds from the goal.

But the thrill of victory was short-lived. Jen & I left Jackson with Grandpa and Gram and headed over to one of our favorite places anywhere, Caffe Buono (which McKayla prnounces "Cawifawnia"), to do some grading. I started feeling particularly achy all over and unable to mentally focus. This was not so out of the ordinary, so I wasn't worried. I mean, I'm getting old; Jen reminds me of this frequently. But then we got back to the Lee parents' home and I started getting extremely chilled. Yes, folks, you guessed it - a 101*F (where's the degree sign on Blogger?) fever... and by the next day it was clearly the dreaded flu. So I'm home sick from school, missed my softball game tonight, and am feeling pretty useless. We got a little grading done, at least. The latest "PC World" got a little attention, as did Michael J. Behe's excellent recent volume The Edge of Evolution, plus a little time on a work of forensic fiction. (Detective Cross....)

Jackson is doing well. Jen figured out the source of some of his crying... let's just call it #3. He's been well behaved, and we're told he's unlikely to get sick from his daddy's current ailment. As I write, he's crying for no reason we can tell. Please pray with us for a buyer for our condo so that we'll be able to buy the larger condo that we're under contract to purchase.

Head over to our Picasa site for pictures from the past couple weeks. Sorry, I didn't bring a camera to Spruce Lake. Oh, wait, y'all don't care about Spruce Lake, only about the little guy. Fair enough.

21 October 2007

Weekend update

Jackson met so many people this weekend in Connecticut.

Well, first he suffered through the longest trip from NJ to CT that Mommy or Daddy has ever suffered through. Almost four hours. And he didn't cry once. Starting getting a little worried a few times, but Mommy assured him we were still there, and he was just fine.

Here are the relatives he met: Grandaddy, Aunt Emma, Uncle Zack, Uncle Ger, Cousins Gavin & Chase.

He also sat through his first service at the Grace Reformed Baptist Church of East Haven. He heard Grandaddy preach the whole sermon until the applications section, when I had to hold him at the back. All the woman at GRBC loved him, of course.

Oh, and I forgot my church clothes in NJ; don't even ask what I wore to church. Good night, our faithful readers. (There are new pictures on our online album, of course.)

17 October 2007

This just in...

5:50 PM Jackson just laughed for the first time! He's been smiling more regularly the past few days, and now actually laughed.

14 October 2007

Sunday evening



Jackson has not yet met the Reformed Baptist pastor who is sure to most appreciate his name. (For guesses as to who this is, write in the comment section; it should be obvious.)

However, he did have the special privilege of briefly meeting one of my few most esteemed heroes, Pastor Edward (Ted) Donnelly. Pastor Donnelly's preaching was used by the Lord in my own salvation. (This series of sermons is available here: Donnelly on Heaven) He is not only one of the humblest, funniest and most eloquent preachers I have ever heard (with the coolest accent!), but one who evidently knows the Lord. Would that the Christian church had more men with his ability to clearly open the Word. We hope Pastor Donnelly will be to Jackson another godly man to emulate.

Sunday morning


Today Jackson was introduced to two of his future pastors, should the Lord be pleased to save him and bring him into our church. He heard (though of course without any comprehension) Pastor Carlson in Sunday School, through the webcast. And this evening, he heard Pastor Dave Chanski preach by webcast. I informed him I hoped these would be his pastors, but he didn't seem to care much. Seriously, though, we pray he will care greatly in a few years.

Our little son also experienced Trinity Baptist Church this morning for the first time, though he was not up to being present for any of the service. He met his Aunt Julie and Uncle Jeff (and it was decided that they could still be Aunt and Uncle to him, though I have called them that for years). This means that he has met all our pastors (and planned pastor) except his father's namesake Pastor Martin.

13 October 2007

Condo listing


Check out our condo listing at http://www.forsalebyowner.com/listing/4B4AD

Feel free to send this link to family, friends, acquaintances, etc who may be interested. This condo has been a great blessing for which we are thankful. But it's feeling crowded with a crying baby. So pray for the Lord's continued provision.