Wednesdays With Callum #2 (and Happy Birthday Baby Garner!)

Hi everyone. Amanda here for my second installment of 'Wednesdays with Callum'. I just have to say that Callum is such a good boy. He is content to play on his own and entertain himself while I do my work. I do take little breaks and play with him too - I can't help myself. He is just too cute to leave alone.

On Wednesdays we have breakfast and lunch together. I have been using a food mill to grind up food for Callum. I love this thing - Callum can eat whatever we're eating, and he loves it! For lunch today Callum had ham and brussel sprouts. He LOVES them as you can tell!

He also had a great time playing with my leftover pizza crust.


We got the news this morning that Baby Garner was born at 4:47 this morning! I hope I got the time right... Congratulations Michelle and Chris! So, after Jared got home from work and I finished my last hour of work, we piled into the car to head over to the hospital. Callum has actually enjoyed riding in the car lately. Especially when he has his turtle buddy.

And here is Baby Garner. Now, I'm still calling him 'Baby Garner' because he doesn't have a name yet. Hurry up, Michelle and Chris! Give this kid a name! Jared and I have been calling him Yernerd all day because that's what Michelle's nephew Emerson thinks the baby should be called. I think Michelle and Chris are leaning towards Reid, but we will see...

Baby G is a little peanut - weighing in at 6 lb. 7 oz. Here he is snuggling with his Mommy. Michelle looks great and you would never know that she gave birth less than 24 hours ago!

Being at Thayer (the hospital) brought back a lot of memories. I can't believe it was 10 months ago that we were there welcoming Callum into the world. What an amazing time, and it just keeps getting better everyday. Callum just couldn't resist reliving the first few days of his life...

After we came home I put Callum to bed, finished making a big pot of chicken noodle soup that I had been simmering all day, and now Jared and I are about to relax and watch some TV. One last picture of Callum -- how can I have a bad day when I have this?

A Spring(?) Afternoon

Hey, wa happen???

Ya know...just hangin' out....eatin' a tape measure and such....

Be more.....

Dare I say it? I mean, its the middle of April, and we still have a fire every single day--usually in the early evening and through the night. But I am done with the wood stove for the year. Period. We'll just have to use the furnace if it gets cold, because I dont want to eat into next winter's supply of wood, and I just feel really weird about lighting a fire on April 14th.

But this afternoon was very nice indeed! Lynne had an appointment in Portland, so she and George brought Callum to me at school. He got to visit with some teachers and students, and he was eager to show everyone his clapping and Patty-Cake skills. I then brought him home, changed his diaper, and set him up in his stroller for a walk over to Lawrence High School where the Winslow .Black Raiders were playing the Lawrence Bulldogs. This is very difficult, because I am a Black Raider, but Callum, technically, is a Bulldog, because he (as of now) will go to Fairfield schools. Its quite the quagmire....

Anyway, it was great to be outside, walk to the school, and watch some great baseball and softball games. There were some other students and teachers there, and its always fun to socialize and decompress in an "out of school" setting. Plus, you can't hide that Black Raider pride...

Today was also special because I took my first road ride of the season; I've actually been DREAMING about riding my bike outside....pretty sad, huh? So today, even though the wind picked up in the late afternoon, I did a short ride (about 11 miles) just to see how out of "bike shape" I am. I've been doing a lot of longer runs during the winter and early spring....but biking is a totally different set of muscle groups. Nevertheless, it felt AWESOME to be on the open road...there's so much beauty around here.

Jeez...as I write this, I realize just how much I pack into my day. Its no wonder why I crash every single night, huh?

Three more days til vacation!!! I can't wait to go to the Collier House with Sally and C.S.

HE IS RISEN

Happy Easter 2009. Wow...you're all in for such a special treat, as this is my second post of the day (see below post as well!). Too bad no one reads this....

Callum looked adorable today in his new Easter outfit; Amanda actually bought him two down in CT this past weekend (thanks Grammy!). He was so excited about his Easter "Tonka Wheel Pals" that he couldnt even look at the camera. Here he is with me before we left for church....Amanda is always able to get a smile out of him!

Church was absolutely beautiful; besides having a pastor whom we truly love, we also have an outstanding....and I mean OUTSTANDING organist who handles the music of the service. Tom, our organist, went to grad school for music at Notre Dame, and he always includes amazing selections. Today, being Easter, we were treated to the organ plus two trumpeters....Callum really loved this! The sermon was spot on, as usual, and it was good to see everyone all celebrating this special day.

Lynne, George, and Handy-Pop (my new nickname was Ensign) came over at around 1:30 for Easter dinner. After getting home from church, I literally ran out the door to get my run in, then came back, then finished off the beans and ham, then enjoyed a great dinner. The menu consisted of Mello-Gold Ham with a Wickman-inspired root beer glaze, Ortiz's special recipe of Boston Baked Beans, Ensign's famous cole slaw, potato salad, and asparagus. For dessert, Amanda baked cookies, and Lynne brought an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.

Callum enjoyed some ham, asparagus, and even a "little" ice cream cake (but I wouldnt let him have that much....sorry, I'm the bad guy).

Here's a nice picture of Callum and Grampy after dinner. I think we would all agree that Grampy has a great smile and we should see it more.

Its been a whirlwind of a weekend, from travelling down to CT on Thursday night, to spending time with the Favry's, to driving back to Maine last night, to preparing Easter dinner today....I am exhausted. I'm actually looking forward to school tomorrow, to get back on a routine. I used both of my personal days in the last three weeks...plus I had a professional conference I went to last week as well. I dont like missing school this much. PLUS, this is the last week before vacation!

Lastly, in honor of this special day, we remember those not with us at Easter this year. The line that is cut off on top says "The Easter Lillis that Grace..." You are able to read the rest....

Back from Ledyard....

A good visit down south to the Favry's house to meet their latest addition Jackson. We drove down Thursday night, arriving in CT at around 10:30 or so. Callum was actually pretty good, and went right to sleep when we did. I dont know about Jackson though....haha

On Saturday at around noon, Nannie drove down to visit her TWO!! grandsons. Here is the first of what I know will be many pictures of Nannie with her "boys."

What a proud Nannie.
And I was a proud uncle, getting my fill of Jackson as well. It is so weird to hold a newborn baby again, and it brings back such a slew of memories....mostly beautiful memories...hehe. Its also amazing to think about how far Amanda and I have come as parents since bringing our little guy home from the hospital just about 10 months ago...I can't believe it! Here I am with Callum and Jackson. I could not IMAGINE having twins.....

I even got to change two of Jackson's poopy diapers, which was a very special treat, as now Callum eats all solid foods and his bowel movements are....well....different. Okay. Enough about that.

Looking at this picture is like looking at a flashback of 10 months ago. Jackson is so tiny....even though he weighs more than Callum did at his "age." Hmm....maybe Amanda and I should have another one....Sure. As soon as we move. Amanda knows the deal.....

We managed to squeeze in some fun "activities" during our visit. On Friday afternoon, we took the boys to the mall to get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny. What a freakin' sham that was! First of all, it was like 23 bucks to get the picture, and the Easter Bunny looked like something out of Spring Street in Brockton. Only Timmy das Grick will understand this reference. For sho'! Anyway, a very creepy and evil looking bunny. After the mall, we picked up Valentino's, which may be the best pizza in all creation. Anthony and I also patronized the new "packy," Sonny's. I tried a new beer in Otter Creek's "Copper Ale." Not bad. They were actually giving out SAMPLES at the liquor store....this stuff called "Baron Jaeger," which is like Jaegermesiter (sp??) only with honey in it. Oh, and then there was this:

Yes....tweedle dee and tweedle dum spent the majority of the weekend playing Mariokart on Ninetendo Wii. Let this picture serve as "exhibit A" for the next time I hear how I am always "on the internet" or "on facebook" or whatever else....haha. And, I am actually going ON RECORD here: I actually enjoyed a few Wii games myself. I can't believe I am saying this!!!

This picture needs a caption:

"Come on Jackson, let's play!!!"

"Come on cuz....Nannie is here...let's hide!!!"

"Hey, my mommy and your daddy are off Wii for the first time today...let's go tear it up in Gears of War!"

"Are you going to eat that little puff on your chest?"

And such and such.....

On location in CT

Hi folks

So Amanda and I took today off (friday) so we could travel to Ledyard to visit the Favrys and their new addition, Jackson. We got in late last night, and today has been a lot of fun....Sally Piles and Twon have been playing MarioKart on Wii for roughly 4.8 hours, Chelsea is chasing jelly beans, Kristin is trying to implement essential fine motor skills like walking into her daily routine, and I am catching up on some reading, playing with the boys, and nursing a bad headache. Right now CS is napping, and when he gets up, we are off to take the boys to get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny. So, here is a meandering....if Santa comes from the North Pole, then where does the Easter Bunny come from? What magical land belongs to E. Bunny?? Just wondering. Anyway, enjoy the photo of the new cousins playing!!

Meanderings 49

1. If I could pick one sport to be the best at, it would definitely be skiing. And I've thought a lot about this, trust me. Its not really the skiing I'm interested in--I mean, yeah, going really fast down a sheer ice face is pretty cool I guess......but I'm interested in all the stuff that goes "along" with being a skier. I mean, with running, you run, and then you take a shower, and go back to work. And with baseball, you can get a massage from the trainer after. And the list goes on....

But skiers get to sit in wicked cozy lodges by nice glowing woodstoves or fieldstone hearths....and they get to wear jogging pants and thick, warm, woolen sweaters. And they drink a lot too; yes I am sure beer is involved, but also they drink hot chocolate and tea. They get to play in the snow all day, gravity is ALWAYS on their side (unlike runners and cyclists), and at the end of the day, they get to relax in a log cabin. That is my kind of sport.

2. I love it when you're watching one of those "mystery" shows like 48 hours or Dateline Mystery or something, and they inevitably show you some conflicting clause from some random legal affidavit or something, and, through the magic of digital imaging, they sort of "pull out" that random passage from the legal affadavit, in order to enlarge it for the viewers benefit....and when they do, they make sure the passage has those cute little digitally enhanced "rippages" around the edges. It makes me feel really important....almost like they ripped it out just for me. I wouldnt feel as good if the edges were straight. It just wouldnt seem right.

3. What's the deal with regular people who become rich celebrities and then all of the sudden make all of US feel so guilty about the way we live OUR lives....through the exploitation of poor people in some third world country or something. Yeah, what's up with that?

4. Does any place in the world have the area code of "123?" OR....does anyplace in the country have the local exchange of "456?" I guess what I am getting at is this: I want to know who in America has the telephone number closest to (123)456.7890. Even if they are a few digits off, it would still be cool.

5. I dont eat lobster because its ridiculously overpriced and terribly overrated as a flavorful food; my aversion to lobster has absolutely nothing to do with any of these so-called "inhuman" acts of boiling them alive, torturing them, etc. If I DID eat lobster, do you know why I wouldnt feel bad for cooking and eating them? Simple. Any animal that isnt smart enough to evolve, over the last 300 years, to NOT be stupid enough to fall for the easiest trap in the known universe, doesnt deserve ANY stupid hippy advocating for them. If they were intelligent enough to be hurt by boiling water, then they'd be intelligent enough to STOP going into that green net in that wire box that all their disappearing friends have been going in for the last few centuries. Actually, I AM going to start eating lobster. Just because they are stupid.

6. Everyone knows that if I were president, the one and only thing I would do is prohibit tractor trailers from driving on the roads EXCEPT between 10pm and 7am. I have written extensively about that. But I've added another item to my platform. I would absolutely and unabashedly ban the playing of that "On Broadway" song from any radio, concert hall, shower, or iPod. First of all, its the suckiest song ever. Second of all, the freakin' song NEVER ENDS. That no-talent-ass-clown who sings the "popular" version we hear so much just keeps "scatting" for like ten minutes. It makes me want to go swim with lobsters.

7. U-Haul had a sign out front the other day that said they had "moving boxes" for sale. I am definitely going to hold out for just regular "stay-still" boxes, since when I do decide to pack stuff up, I want the boxes to stay in one place. It'd be neater that way.

8. Sorry about there being no Callum pictures today. Our memory stick is full, and we have to upload all our pictures onto the computer, and I havent had time because I write nonsensical and meaningless fodder like this all day. But tomorrow.....

hmph....hmph.....she said "member"

After being big fans and consistent listeners for several years, the Goldsmith family are now members of MPBN (Maine Public Broadcasting Network). We signed up to be "Evergreen Friends," which means that we'll donate a small sum each month. It feels good to support public radio in Maine; it really is the only place I get my news, and it is definitely the only place I trust. Being "public" means they arent influenced by corporations telling them what to do, what to say, what not to say, etc. A counter-example of this, of course, is how Fox News, the biggest supporter of FORMER!!!! President Bush's policies is, in fact, owned by people in the Bush family. Go figure....

In addition to being (in my serious opinion) pretty fair and unbiased, I also love how there's no "sensationalism" in the news; you get real substance.....not some fluff-piece about how K-Fed was spotted leaving Starbucks without paying for his latte the night after Britney did three guys in a hot tub. And such and such.

But the news programming is just a SMALL part of what we enjoy about Maine public radio. Our real interest involves all the great arts and culture stuff you get--Friday night jazz, A Prairie Home Companion, This American Life, Selected Shorts, World Cafe, Wait, Wait Dont Tell Me, Classical music, and more. We just love listening to the radio, we love the good programming, we love the lack of commercial bias, and we love supporting something local in the great state of Maine. So we became members.

Plus, Renee Montagne is hot

If you are stuck in a rut with the same ol' crap on the radio, check out NPR! If you live near us in Maine, tune to 91.3. Or, if you live in Mass and want to check it out, arent you in for a treat...you've got three great stations. 90.0 is BU's station, and they do strictly news and information. 89.7 is the famous WGBH, and they do exclusively arts, music, and entertainment programming. And, finally, 91.9 is UMASS Boston's station, and they do all folk music.

Expand your horizons.