Those Martins

As she gets older, Esther is getting better and better about knowing when she needs to sleep.

This morning, she woke up around and 6:30a and wanted to eat some yogurt. I carried her to her booster seat, got her a cup of yogurt and watched her eat. After she finished, I lifted her down from the table. She immediately walked down the hall to her bedroom and stood next to her crib. I lifted her into her crib and she curled up and went right to sleep.

She slept for about 45 minutes, then came out and played in the living room for another 45 minutes. Then, she grabbed a Nuk and her blanket and walked back to her room. This time, she turned on her CD player and stood next to the rocking chair. I rocked her for about 10 minutes and then she went to sleep in her crib again.

Something similar happened last Monday. Christine had already left for an early morning appointment. I was in the shower and Esther was playing in the living room. As I finished up my shower, I could hear her whimpering somewhere. After getting out and getting dressed, I went to find her.

To my surprise, she was in her room, standing next to her crib. She had pulled one her blankets out of the crib and was holding it in one hand. She pushed her other hand between the bars of the crib and was resting her arm on the crib mattress. She’d been standing there, waiting for me to get out of the shower and help her get into her crib. As soon as I lifted her in, she went right to sleep.

Because she’s getting so good about bedtime, we’re thinking about setting up a real bed for her and retiring the crib until her new baby REDACTED comes along. I think the only thing she would miss is the ability to hold onto the sides of the crib and jump up and down.

We bought our first dishwasher today.

Once we decided that our time is more valuable than our money, we started working on upgrading our kitchen. The most obvious way to cut the amount of drudge work was to stop washing dishes. But we value hygiene too highly to simply let the dishes remain unwashed. Thus, a dishwasher.

But this old house has never had a dishwasher before. The previous owner did put washer and dryer hookups in the kitchen. We decided to piggyback on that water line and to install a dishwasher next to the washer and dryer. That wall of the kitchen doesn’t have a countertop to put the dishwasher under. So, we’re also going to install a second countertop and some additional cabinets.

(This is also why you shouldn’t ask me to scope a project for you. Instead of going with the easy solution — a portable dishwasher — I chose to go with the much more expensive kitchen upgrade package.)

We’ve been working with Stoughton Lumber to plan the project and decide what we’ll need to buy. After we’ve bought everything we’ll need, a friend from our church Life Group will help me install it all. Because I lack pretty much all handyman skills, this will be a real learning experience.

Christine’s been watching the sale flyers for a while now. She’s also been researching dishwashers and checking out the Consumer Reports rankings. This week she saw a good deal on CR’s Best Buy. So we went out and bought it at Quam’s Appliance. They’ll hold it until we call them up and tell them we’re ready for it to be delivered.

We thought about buying our new dishwasher from Sears. Sears was willing to more than match the advertised price from Quam’s, but insisted on charging a $75 delivery fee for any purchase less than $399. The price match would have cut the dishwasher down to $344. The total price (including delivery) would have been $419. Quam’s sold us the dishwasher and delivery for only $389. Done deal. Sears wasn’t willing to price match on the delivery and that cost them the sale. Their loss, our gain.

Now we just have to finish the overall design, buy our new cabinetry and countertop, and do the installation. We can’t wait.

We went to the zoo today. Madison’s zoo, The Henry Vilas Zoo, is fairly small — it only takes about an hour to walk through the whole thing. It has two redeeming characteristics: it’s free and it’s small enough that young children can see the entire zoo without getting too tired or cranky.

We walked through the entire zoo with Esther. She enjoyed watching the chimpanzees climb around their cage. The zoo staff setup an indoor habitat and covered it with climbing ropes and nets. Esther enjoyed watching the chimps climb around the ropes.

She was starting to look tired by the time we reached the goat pen. As soon as she saw the other kids feeding the goats, she wanted to have a go of it. She climbed out of her stroller and started reaching up towards the goats. We helped her find some food that the other kids had dropped and she tried to figure out how to give it to the goats. Her idea was to just hold it between her finger and thumb and put it into the goat’s mouth. We helped her lay it on her hand, for the goats to eat out of, so she didn’t accidentally lose a finger.

After the zoo, we went out to dinner at Broux-Nellie’s. We ordered macaroni and cheese for Esther. Before her dinner came, she amused herself by eating most of a cup of ice and watching everyone else in the diner. Once her dinner came, she ate most of it herself. It was so much fun to see her scooping up bite after bite herself, using her spoon like an old pro.

This week I past a major milestone — I can now feed myself an entire container of yogurt. Watch me eat.

[flv:http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/08-0610%20Feeding%20Myself%20Yogurt.m4v http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/08-0610%20Feeding%20Myself%20Yogurt.flv 640 360]

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Esther at 16 months:

She has grown up fast.

In this action packed movie, Esther first figures out her mother’s new water bottle, then rocks on her rocking horse while watching a tobyMac concert. Next she dances on the couch while enjoying more of the concert. She finally finishes up by emptying out her toy bin, from her lofty perch on the couch.

[flv:http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/08-0531%20Fun%20in%20the%20Living%20Room.m4v http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/08-0531%20Fun%20in%20the%20Living%20Room.flv 640 360]

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With this classic home movie you can relive one of Esther’s first trips to the park again and again. Enjoy her sliding down a slide, climbing up a slide, crawling through a tube, swinging in a swing, and much, much more. All of this can be yours for just 3 easy payments of $19.99.

[flv:http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/08-0504%20Playing%20at%20the%20Park.m4v http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/08-0504%20Playing%20at%20the%20Park.flv 640 360]

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Esther’s at a fun age right now. She really likes to pick things up and move them around. Books, CDs, magnets, clothes, toys — nothing escapes her desire to rearrange her environment.

At the end of April, I got some video of her moving clothes around and moving around her refrigerator magnets.

[flv:http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/08-0426%20Moving%20the%20Clothes%20and%20the%20Magnets.m4v http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/08-0426%20Moving%20the%20Clothes%20and%20the%20Magnets.flv 640 360]

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Last night, Esther wanted some popcorn before going to bed. I popped some on the stove and let her eat it while I was uploading her latest videos. After eating some herself, she decided that Papa needed to eat some popcorn too. So, she gave me some.

[flv:http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/04202051%20Sharing%20Her%20Popcorn.m4v http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/04202051%20Sharing%20Her%20Popcorn.flv 640 360]

Esther has Mommy read her one of her alphabet books. Then she tells Mommy what the wolf and the porcupine say.

[flv:http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/04190900%20The%20Wolf%20Says.m4v http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/04190900%20The%20Wolf%20Says.flv 640 360]

A year ago, Esther could barely move on her own. Now she’s jetting around the house and the neighborhood, with an insatiable curiosity. It’s fun to watch, but the progress can be a little overwhelming at times.

[flv:http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/04191307%20Walking%20Sequence.m4v http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/04191307%20Walking%20Sequence.flv 640 360]

Esther loves playing with Alpha Baby on our Macs. Every time she sees us using the computer, she wants to join in and make things happen.

[flv:http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/04190929%20Alpha%20Baby.m4v http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/04190929%20Alpha%20Baby.flv 640 360]

Esther often watches her Mommy and Daddy sit on the couch, reading books. As she gets older, she wants to read too. She loves to carry her alphabet books around the house and Daddy likes to tell her what each book “says”. She’ll often walk around making the “h” sound, while carrying the “H” book. This morning, we walked in to find Esther relaxing and reading one of her books.

Esther also likes to watch us typing on the computer. Of course, she’s not content to just watch. She wants to type on the computer too. Last week, Daddy found the perfect program for his Little Daughter: AlphaBaby.

My kids love to play with the computer. Unfortunately, they also have the habit of renaming my hard drive to “axlfkaj”. So, I wrote AlphaBaby so they could safely use the Mac without inflicting too much damage! AlphaBaby lets even infants and toddlers have fun playing with the computer. Every time a key is pressed or the mouse is clicked, a letter or shape is drawn. Sounds can be played every time something is drawn. Your own sounds and pictures can also be used. AlphaBaby helps kids to learn letters, plus provides a safe environment for kids to have fun “typing” on the keyboard! Both an application and screen saver version of AlphaBaby are provided.

We put the screen saver on all three of our computers. Now when we’re not around, Esther can walk up the closest computer and type away just like everybody else. We snapped this picture while she was pressing keys, so AlphaBaby would make noise. She enjoys that.

Last night Mommy and Daddy took me to the shoe store to be fitted for new shoes! I had fun walking around the mall after we bought them. I even got to pick out a toy at the shoe store because it was my first time buying shoes.

A week ago, we dedicated Esther at Blackhawk’s baby dedication ceremony.

[flv:http://disk.wordflood.net/public/Esther/2008/02160955%20Baby%20Dedication.flv 320 180]

Welcome to the family. We can’t wait to meet you. Whoever you are.

We’re driving through the woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We haven’t seen another car — or any other sign of civilization — in several miles. You can almost imagine Pa Ingalls stepping out of the trees, tracking winter game.

Anyway, we’re driving from Madison (80 inches of snow this year) to Houghton (140 inches of snow this year) for a career fair at Michigan Tech. Along with two other co-workers, I’ll be representing Epic to Tech’s finest. (At least, we hope they’re Tech’s finest.)

We stopped for dinner at the Applebee’s in Wausau, Wisconsin. (Epic motto: Wasau is wausum! From what I could see, it’s certainly true.)

There is, of course, snow on the road and the ground. The roads are reasonably clear after the ice and snow that blew in over the weekend.

(We continue to have some truly impressive icicles hanging off of our roof. They’ll probably disappear when warmer weather crawls in this weekend. No matter. The warm weather will only last long enough to tease us with thoughts of spring before winter once again tightens its grip. The icicles will return when the cold returns.)

As we drive, I’m reminded once again of the sheer wealth of our world. We’re driving through the deserted wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The overnight wind chill is -5 to -10 Fahrenheit. The nearest house or gas station is miles away. If not for the warmth of our car, it would be quite easy to freeze to death tonight. Yet, here we set. Listening to music. Reading eBooks on a laptop. Playing World of Warcraft on a laptop. What sheer unmitigated wealth. Truly amazing.

Me, I’ll spend the next two days enjoying the sights of Houghton, Michigan. It’s my first trip to Michigan. Mike tells me that the Michigan Tech Winter Fair recently concluded. I’m looking forward to seeing the traditional ice sculptures. Each time I step outside, I’ll be reminded of how rich I am and how thoroughly we’ve mastered nature. Thanks be to God for the world he’s created and the ability he’s given us to master it and care for it.

Oh — you want to know how I’m writing this? I’m using my trusty MacBook. In full power saving mode, I have another 5 hours of battery life. That’s more than enough to last me to Houghton (three hours from now). I’m sure you’ll be reading this shortly after we arrive.

This video is very, very late. But better late than never!

After we came home from North Carolina, Esther got to open her presents from Grandma and Grandpa (in Buffalo). She had a bit of fun. Bonus footage: Esther reading a book.

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Dear Great Mom,

I got the present you sent in the mail yesterday, but Mom and Dad are making me wait until Friday to see what it is. I will let you know how much I like it when i get to open it.

Love, Esther

We arrived in Louisville, KY for the night after about 12 hours on the road. We left Waxhaw, NC at 8:40am. We had lunch in Knoxville and escaped with only 2 or 3 stops on the way.

More details (and pictures!) to come.