the chemistry of love

the baby stage is so short. if we've had a conversation, no doubt you know that it's not been my favorite time in life, not good expedition behavior as maf would say. but e.m. is starting to change so much, she eats solid food and even chews with her gums. she touches and handles things carefully rather than batting at them. she has teeth. she is emotional. she loves bearing weight on her legs. she is developing tiny, subtle, wonderful idiosyncrasies.

children make time palpable.

every night, i read em a book, swaddle her, turn out the lights and give her a bottle. she falls asleep. i sit and stare at her for a long while, partly because she is so very sweet when asleep but really it's just because i can. because one day she won't fit in my arms, one day she will be embarrassed of me for some reason, and one day she is going to be more comfortable in a bed than on my lap. and i can think back to the first part of her life, when, every night, i held her, smelled her hair and her breath, felt the warmth of her cheeks and watched her mouth twitch. i will remember that every night i held her, we were at peace and things were just right.

of course, most of the time, especially during naps, this is how our relationship feels:

little sprout

i have been trying to get a shot of e.m.'s newly sprouted teeth for days. DAYS. she's squirmy. today, after a few tries and jeremy's help, i got one!

she suddenly had to jerk around and stare at the refrigerator that has been in the same place for four years.
and suddenly the floor is mesmerizing.
i really thought this was going to be the shot...
tada
we have also initiated the gray shirt indoctrination. you can't live in our house without a deep and enduring love of heathered gray t-shirts.

p is for pterodactyl

christmas was really fun this year, it's definitely a good time with kids. the echols came over in addition to my family, so every seat was taken at the table, which i love. food was so good, and even though my dad did talk about mother korea a lot (life in the military, korean liberation day, what the death of kim jong il means to him), we had a nice time. i wasn't a comprehensive photographer, but here are a few snap shots.

this is after paul asked evan, "is cousin being cute?" his response was yes, which was demonstrated with an index finger to the cheek. em doesn't seem to like that evan thinks she's cute. oh i can't wait for them to get older and be buddies.
9:30p. yep still awake. she's hanging out with jeremy in her new swaddle, called a woombie. it allows more freedom of movement than her previous one, it's (one of) my attempt to transition her into sleeping without one.
a grain mill, my christmas present from jeremy. after the grid goes down, we will be eating apple turnovers and challah bread. what will you be eating?
i used some freshly milled flour to make this tarte tatin. believe me?

high five months

esther margaret is five months old. it's been a big month!
first, she learned how to wave.
and, she can sit up on her own.
she has even learned how to stand up!
jk. she doesn't even roll yet. no teething either. we're just hanging out. she did ask me why her jeans are sandblasted, i didn't have an answer.

baby bear, baby bear, what do you see?

love at first bite