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This is Ben again. Dateline - Federal Way, WA, USA, N. Amer.
Joy and Baby Gracie are both home now, and Miss Gracie Boo has been properly greeted by both her older sisters. Her enthusiastic greeting by Oreo was not well received, although Oreo found the smells to be most interesting. Katie very much enjoys Gracie in small doses, but she finds the crying to be upsetting and overstimulating. (The same can sometimes be said of Daddy.) She is happy to have Mommy home, although Ma-mama (that's my mother) has been a wonderful and well-received substitute.
Joy is tired, but I suppose that's understandable. However, I still expect a full Thanksgiving dinner from her tomorrow - enough of these baby birthing excuses. That complaint can only go so far, you know.
Actually, I'm "cooking" dinner tomorrow. My day begins with a drive to a local restaurant from which I have pre-ordered dinner for 7 adults, one 3-yr old, one 6-mo old (actually, I forget how old Essie Belle, my littlest niece is, so that was just an approximation), and one 2.5-day old. I (or more likely my mother, or Ma-mama) will then sweat all morning (30-40 minutes) over a hot oven and underpowered microwave to warm over the already prepared food.
Meanwhile Dad (Pawpaw) and I will hold to our holiday tradition of watching (or sleeping through) war documentaries, played at high volume to hear, perhaps even feel the atomic blast, canon percussion, musket shot, arrow volley or rock throw, depending upon the time period of the program. We will root on the efforts in the kitchen from our vantage point of the reclining sofa downstairs, safely barricaded from the women, babies and excessive conversation about delivery rooms, breast feeding, vitamins, hormones, feelings, relationships, etc. There's no time for conversation when there are wars to be fought.
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving, too!
Well, here are some more pictures of Baby Gracie coming home to her big sister and even bigger doggie earlier today.
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This message is from Ben, who is now the proud daddy of not just one wonderful little girl, but two! Emalyn Grace Koltenbah, a.k.a. Chunker Cheeks, Chunker-roo, Chubby Bunny, etc., was born around 7:24 p.m., Novemeber 24, 2008. She weighed in at a not-so-delicate 8 lb 13 oz (including the cheeks), about 20" long. Mama and baby are doing fine. No doubt Miss Joy will have more lurid and loquacious details for you after she comes home. Thanks to all for your prayers during this time. Here's a picture for you. I'm sure there will be many more to come.
P.S. In case you were wondering, "Chunker-roo" is Austrailian Aboriginal for "baby with gigantic cheeks."
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When I read the newspaper, I have NO patience for celbrities and all their endless affairs. Nor do I have patience for how immature they behave (like a bunch of spoiled brat diva's - whether they have a shred of talent or not) and how many people flock to them and "revere" them. It's all so pointless and stupid. Now that may have sounded a touch judgemental on my part but I value so little of what they strive to do.
I am content to enjoy my quiet life with my happy family in my little postage stamp of the world. I would like to think of myself as reasonably non-judgemental, loving and a peacemaker who tried to do what she can for the Lord.
So imagine my shock when I was informed that I am a food diva. And to make matters worse, I can't deny it. Nor do I mean this in any kind of a complimentary way. Woe and shame unto me! But it is true and I never really realized it till now. I have a hard time eating food that I didn't pick out or cook myself. I am spoiled now - shockingly so, considering how reasonably I was raised and how poverty in college no longer seems to have left their print on my habits. Or maybe they have and I am overcompensating in the other direction.
Regardless of the reason, I need you all to send up a special prayer of patience for my mom-in-law who has sweetly agreed to come take care of us when Grace is born. She has lovingly offered to cook whatever I want, clean the house, care for K and help me with Grace in what ever ways I need. How blessed I am among women! I fear I will tax her patience with all my "diva" opinions and have so many pregnancy hormones that I may speak before thinking. So any kind thoughts you may send up to the Lord for my poor family as they attempt to survive my fickleness is appreciated.
So now I just have to figure out how to be less picky and less demanding as to what exactly goes on my plate and into my mouth. (Much of it is a texture thing.) And more praise to come out of my mouth.
Pity and support for my poor family! I had no idea I was such a control freak about food.
And if you ask Jen, she'll also add that I am a crazy nut about how the stickers in K's sticker books need to be "on just right" and how I spend HOURS doing all her stickers for her. Poor child, she'll never get to enjoy stickers unless I am not there. How do I know this? Because in Bible class, they get to do stickers "without mommy" and all her stickers come out either lined up in rows or grouped by color and no section touches any other section. Aahhh! I have ruined her already! :-)
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Dear friends -
Ben, Kate and I are all heading out of town for a week. We will be delighting in the very rare opportunity to get to see some of his extended family at a family reunion in Tenn. Yes, it will be a temperature shock to go from our current high of 55 degrees and cloudy (or frequent drizzle) (yes, I am currently wearing a fleece shirt and am still spending most days in a sweater) to the roasty toasty 90's and "quite humid" as the lady on the phone called it (do you think anyone will notice if I simply run around naked?). But it will all be worth it to catch up with family that I have lost touch with and for the 2nd cousins to be able to meet Kate. We are going to be staying on a farm (I do believe the title "small, posh ranch" may apply) and there will be lots to do there and in the surrounding area. I hope to bring home some silly pictures and will update you all on how delightful the plane ride (4 hours+/-) and the car trip (5 hours+/-) went. Hope the sun shines for you all here and you have a great week!
And to brighten your day - I thought I might share... the happy turtle. Kate insisted that turtle wanted to wear her shoes that day. So then it was quite natural to make him dance in the chair like a marionnette... We wish you random moments of delight! |
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This evening, my darling daughter was hungry. Very hungry. She is learning the valuable lesson that you eat enough of what is on your plate to be full all night long - or you will be hungry. She also keeps hoping that maybe the next meal might be even tastier, so why not keep asking, "want some-ting else?" Alas, the cupboard is nearly bare and I'm not cooking any more than necessary - sorry kid. So, back to my story. She was bored with snacking on plain black beans while I was shopping and by the time dinner was on the table - she was ready to eat. Not only that - it was YUMMY! I do declare that she may have eaten an entire half pound of fresh strawberries and a third of a roast chicken (besides all the other stuff on her plate) all by herself. I am afraid that by the morning, I will find her so chicken stuffed that she will be sprouting feathers and clucking! But hey - she was in a REALLY great mood for the rest of the evening. :-) The bizarre part for me is that she rarely eats meat - doesn't seem to really like it much. Oh well, that's a toddler for you.
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