Quote from Lileks

"Nothing’s more pathetic than returning to a place where you used to work, and expecting some sort of hail-the-conquering-hero reception. The new people don’t care about you – in fact they’re rather peeved, since you’re being shown around like King Former, and they don’t see what’s special. The old people may resent that you got out – or, if they like the place, resent the implication that you were better than they. Or they don’t care one way or the other. A few strained words with the old crew, an attempt to reuse a catchphrase or some job-specific lingo, and then it’s done. Never works. Always makes everyone feel off. Never go back, I say."

Ponder, ponder.

Grocery Store

Today at the grocery store I left my cart with my purse a few feet away while I was looking at the meat. (I had Lucy with me in her little sling.) As I turned back to it, this lady comes up to me and starts lecturing me on how I shouldn't leave my cart unattended. "Someone could've been in and out of there in just a second." I was annoyed, so I said with a little smile, "So why didn't you?" She seemed to think I was serious and explained how she wouldn't do that. I said, "Look, I've kinda got my hands full here." Seriously, people are weird.

2 month appointment

We all got through admirably. i remembered the diaper bag, which was good because she peed through her outfit. I didn't cry when she got her shots, but will confess I came close. The NP told us to use regular shampoo, and not baby shampoo... weird!

She's 11 lbs 6 oz and 23 1/2 inches long. That's my little chunker!!

Oh, and big news for me... I'm back into one of my pairs of belted pants!! Hooray!!

So happy 2 month birthday, Lucy! I'm just glad we haven't broken you yet!

The pictures below are at birth, one month, then two at two months. Check out the Earle blog updates (link in my sidebar list... don't have the time at the moment to figure out how to do a link in the post.)

Colic

I wouldn't have said it myself, but my dad described poor Lucy as exhibiting behavior "consistent with colic." Inconsolable evening crying (read "screaming") and overactive gurgly intestinal activity. Poor baby! And yes, poor us. At least it is afternoon/evening and not night. We are hoping for some medicine at her 2month apt next week that will give her some relief, as the gas drops don't seemto do a whole lot. In some ways it's good to give it a name... sort of justifies my withdrawal from the wold and my jumpiness when she starts to fuss. And thankfully she balances it out with smiles and coos.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Jennifer Earle
562.943.8008

BREAKING NEWS: LUCY ELIZABETH EARLE GETS CUTER BY THE DAY

La Mirada, Calif (March 17, 2006) -- Infant Lucy Elizabeth Earle wows audiences with coos and smiles, a recent development. Bystanders making cooing noises next to her face are occasionally rewarded by puckered lips, smiles, and return coos. Laughing is under development.

Earle, born January 27, 2006, has been developing at a stunningly rapid pace over the last several weeks. She has grown four inches and gained three pounds, garnering parent approval.

"It really amazes me how one little person can grow so much in such a short amount of time," observes Jennifer Earle, mother of the newborn.

Earle is reported to eat, sleep, and evacuate her gastrointestinal system multiple times per day in addition to playtime. All indications point to an incredibly intelligent child, as well as a skyrocketed cute factor.

The Earle household was established March 10, 2001 by Steve and Jennifer Earle in La Mirada, CA. Visit us on the web at http://web.mac.com/earle

Glory Hallelujah! My baby slept through the night!!

I was thinking...

I'm interested in some kind of doctrinal statement I can use to go through so that I can share my faith more effectively and just for my own personal growth. The two I thought of first are the Biola doctrinal statement and the catechism I did as a junior high kid. I would welcome stories or thoughts from others about how you share your faith and how you ground it.

I'm also thinking about Kees (sounds like case) and Fatima who just lost their premature baby. It wrenches my heart, and I hardly know how to pray. It reminds me to thank God hourly for my Lucy, for one thing... but so many more inexpressable emotions.

I'm also thinking how content I am right now, even though not everything is perfect. I may want more money or things... I miss dumb stuff like recreational shopping and expensive shampoo, but I am so aware of God's overly abundant blessings in so many arenas

Pink, Pink, Pink

You know your husband has really become a father when you hear him say, "That hat is the wrong color pink for her outfit."This is particularly funny when your husband is color deficient (not color BLIND, color DEFICIENT).

Happy Anniversary, Beloved

5 years ago today! So hard to believe. What a wonderful day it was.

We intended to have dinner out tonight, but Lucy had other ideas. She was the fussiest she's been since the night at the hospital, and wanted to eat almost every hour. She cried hard and loud, not like her normal, consolable cries. I was so frazzled that I couldn't think of getting myself together to go out. She continued to scream and eat all night while we ate in shifts... Italian take-out. We did get a few moments, and she is now sleeping. I am winding down and will go to bed soon. Ah, new parenthood. People say, "Nothing can prepare you for it." Well duh! But I knew there would be days like this. It's hard, but I know they won't all be like this. And poor baby, I hope she isn't too traumatized! =)

Favorite wedding memories later. =) Some photos for now...

We wish Greg and Kristen and Mandi and Eric could have been in this picture... they were all there except for Greg!





I loved this picture...



We always have fun together!

My home

When Steve and I were engaged, it came up that both of us had the same dreams for our home. We wanted it to be open to people for us to love them and minister to them, and yet safe and private. Just today alone that dream came true once again. My brother is living with us. He is a person who loves and needs solitude, but also has needed family for that very reason. A friend of his who is in school is often in our home between classes. He was over today to relax a bit, and recently was able to find some comfort from us about being burned out. My former student worker, who I mentor, came by to catch up briefly. Steve's sister moved to L.A. recently and is so busy with her new job that we're really the only people she knows is us. She shared a meal with us tonight. And as I type, Steve and I are sharing a quiet moment with our (almost) sleeping daughter. My dream come true in one day. And in return, all those people minister to us, too.

Bible Study

I just have to say a quick word about how grateful I am for the group of men and women that Steve and I have had fellowship with for the last 7 years. We are all so different, and yet we still manage to learn to live out loving each other.

I was so appreciative tonight of the out loud reading of big chunks of scripture. We are going through Ezekiel, which probably sends chills up most peoples' spines, but we are having some incredible discussion, and the out-loud reading for 30-45 minutes is so valuable.

So Kudos to my family away from family!

In the mail!!

Happy day! My taxes are filled out and in the mail on the way to the tax guy! We really ought to do turbo tax, but I had a couple of questions that I'd rather have a human look at. Ahhhh, I feel better. I had wanted to get them done before Lucy came, but alas, 2 weeks early.

Bad days, good days

Yesterday I didn't get much done at all, got very little sleep, Lucy was fussy most of the day, and when Steve came home, I was in tears. Even in the midst of that I knew it was just a bad day, and not a bad life. Today was as good a day as yesterday was difficult. Lucy slept a lot, had some good awake time (like not screaming while awake) I got more sleep, and was energized by all the things I got done. Lucy was good enough to hang out in the sling much of the time, which helped a lot. To satisfy my check-list needs, I feel compelled to list out much of what I did today. You don't have to read this... It's more for my own sense of satisfaction.

Showered
Dried hair (these are 2 separate tasks)
flipped mattress (w/ help of Eric) and changed sheets
Picked up bedroom
Picked up kitchen
Made dinner (in the morning)
Walked to Biola for lunch with Steve
Fixed Biola ID card access
Did 2 loads of laundry and put it away
suckered orange tree
moved dead blood orange pot
shredded old paperwork from file cabinet
wrote thank you note
wrote note to Aunt Hazel in England
made cards with Lucy's picture on it for Aunt Hazel
took a nap (sort of... never quite got to sleep)
Played with Lucy
Changed Lucy
Fed Lucy
Posted on blog
There's more little things... but that is quite enough to trigger the satisfied sigh of completion.

One month down, about 800 to go

Happy Birthday, Lucy-girl! Or as Emma has tried to spell it, Loce... sounds like the way Ricky Ricardo says it. The pink outfit is the day we brought her home (Eric says when we say that it sounds like we brought home a pet), and the white is today. The collar on her outfit turns up all the time, making it look like a big collar on the back of a wicked queen from a fairy tale. But of course, that belies her very sweet nature... most of the time. She is *almost* starting to smile, and yesterday she really did say 'Ah-goo!" Eric told her that it was a little cliché, but cute nonetheless.

New Parent Blunder

Yesterday I had my check-up with the gynecologist, so just in case, I brought Steve so he could keep an eye on Lucy. Why it didn't dawn on us until later that he could have stayed at home with her while I went is beyond me. Could have something to do with the nearly sleepless night the night before. The real ideocy came when I FORGOT THE DIAPER BAG! I had it next to the car seat, so I wouldn't forget it, and then I up and left without it. And wouldn't you know it, she chose this time for a monster poop. Soaking through the outfit and all. So no extra outfit, no diaper, no wipes. Luckily Pediactrics gave us a diaper and we had wet paper towels and a blanket. But what a dumb new parent mistake!

On my own

So tomorrow is kind of the beginning of my "real world." My in-laws leave tomorrow, so I am at the beginning of being on my own taking care of my family. I think I'm up for it, though I will miss having someone else hold my kid while I nap. I have to say, I really love being at home, sleep deprivation excepted. I love taking care of my home, I love not really knowing what time it is during the day. I feel like there is more light in my day, since I'm spending so much time in a room with lots of windows. I like that I can go at my own pace, too, and I don't feel like I have to produce all day. Spending time with my daughter is time well spent.

Spring

Wish there were a "before" picture. I was too pregnant to get out in the yard, and it was overgrown with weeds. My vincas were dead and gone, as were my salvias. My folks came to the rescue. We took out my grasses (which bite!) and put these in.

If...

My brother is teaching a high school Geometry class to homeschool kids twice a week. At the beginning of every class, he asks them a question to get to know them. For example, favorite car, favorite vacation destination, favorite candy bar. To help him out I fished out a book I got years ago called "If." It asks questions like, "If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be?" We had some fun batting around the answers. My husband can never seem to answer them in the real world... he always chooses something fantastic. "If you could spend an unlimited amount of money in any store for one hour, what store would it be." Like a chump, I say something like Pottery Barn. Steve says, "Well, what has the most resale value? How about the BMW store?" =)

The one I'm thinking of currently is, if you could choose any music and musicians to play at your funeral, what would you play and who would play it? I think I'd have to have a choir, preferrably a professional but Christian choir, led by Loren Wiebe, singing one of the Rachmaninov Vespers and a Lauridsen piece. But I would want some happy music, too, and not just reflective music. I haven't figured it out yet. I'd want Kari Ellis to sing, as she has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard, maybe joined by Katie Van Kooten. I'd have them sing an Ed Childs arrangement of a hymn. I'd have to commission him to write one of my favorite hymns, though I dont' know which one yet. Here's to dreaming!

Worshipping the baby

I read a quote somewhere that described the adults as "worshipping the baby, just as the holy baby was worshipped centuries ago."

Shameless

I'm super excited... my kid is starting to look at things. I know it sounds like not a big deal, but we just discovered that she's able to start tracking, so we put some little toys in front of her, and she's totally mezmerized. My poor audience... you guys are going to get sick of finding out every new little detail about this kid, but I had no idea that it would be so cool to watch.