A day that will last in infamy...

Hunter is growing, growing growing. The other day he managed to keep his feet when using the ottoman for support as he stood. He is eating so well now, gladly taking the spoon into his mouth with each of his two "solids" meals each day.

His hair is strawberry blonde and his eyes remain blue. Only time will tell if either of those will change.

Also, its been so many weeks since a blow out, a ramification, no doubt, of having eaten enough solids to pack his little intestine track with something serious to digest.

One of my favorite things is his attitude toward bathing. Hunter absolutely loves to bathe. Custom at this point has Hunter bathing each night after his evening meal. We've found bathing to be more pleasant and productive for him than a full body wipe down after wearing his food--what used to be the norm when we started solids.

Even though he's shifted to eating a good 80% of what comes on the spoon, he is a baby. What can you expect but smushed chicken and rice paste up the nose, in the hair, between every finger and covering the face?

Did I mention up the nose? Yes, you read that correctly--no need to read it again. Hunter snorted part of his meal tonight. But no worries grandparents, the little guy is fine. He gave it back later without complaint. He's good at sharing already.

Tonight bath time was running late. The whole of the evening was late, with Kim and I starving as a result. I fed the little guy, ran the water for his bath and got him cleaned enough for transport to the changing table for the standard strip search for the usual dirty diaper.

Thankful for the wet, dirty diaper, it was urine and a BM, I cleaned him up. Comforted by the fact he had went, I headed to the bathroom. Finding the water a little too hot, I got in and kept him above the surface while i ran som more cold.

To my surprise, Hunter decided to help out and started the yellow fountain.

I laughed and decided he had probably done that lots of times before. No harm--what kid doesn't pee in a pool at some point?

Kim came in a we shared a laugh at the situation, Hunter the all the while sitting calmly on my leg.

I tell you I got the water right tonight. It must have been body temperature because when Hunter pooped on my leg I felt nothing out of the ordinary.

It wasn't until I noted something dark and black sliding along the tub floor to my left that I realized with horror the pee was meerly a precursor of things to come.

Signs and portents came drifting my knee as I held him up and grimmaced at the evidence before our eyes.

Kim laughed and pointed as Hunter continued to relieve himself of more mass.
While Kim and I laughed, Hunter proved just how well developed his little bowls are.

  

#2 Bath

Oh fatherhood 

Has done me good

Blessed this Spring

With many a wonderous thing,

But never did I call

For yellow rain to fall

Nor the Hunter's dirt 

My toes to skirt. 

So it flows--

Drifting. 

Draining. 

Hunter's Stand

Today I made "daddy" history and gave Hunter his first chance (with me) to stand. I placed him near the couch and  ottoman where the two pieces made a corner. His little hands reached out to grasp the Ottoman's top and I let go. He didn't fall people, that means he stood on his own power, if only for a moment.
He was unstable, naturally, so I did as any father should and gave a helping hand. I put my palm beneath his diapered butt and offered slight support as Hunter giggled and wobbled, his chubby knees quivering.

As I gave him the aid he needed to stand, an act he desires to do solo but can't, I was struck by the simularity between my life as a Christian and Hunter's attempt to become a baby who can stand. I desire holiness but can't attain it. I desire to be pure and righteous, but my best works and deeds are inadequite rags compared to the God's perfection. Yet, He enables me to strive, to find courage to stand after falling and faith. His Spirit gives all these things and goes one further, providing me a quickened heart, that beats out a rhythm, desiring God. Here the parallel breaks down as Hunter has a desire to stand all His own.

But, who designed Hunter to stand? I suppose the same individual who put the desire for the highest good in us each. Even as I write I'm struck by how even that has parallels to Hunter desiring to stand as for him, perhaps his percpetions are such that what he sees as the highest good today is to simply stand.

Thankfully, life doesn't have to be one long string of achievements waiting to be had, a never ending ladder who's purpose is as empty as the threat that it simply is. We are more than this, being fearfully and wonderfully made. I hope that I can help others see the unanswered longing deep down in thier bones has a satisfying answer. I hope I can offer it as one person in process to another, one imperfect, sinful human in desperate need to another.

Divine Design

Today, Kim and I had our sit-down with Dr. Douglas of Covenant Theological Seminary. He is the local guru on personality profiling and how a person's profile impacts thier compatibility with various types of work.

Sound interesting? I found it to be more than interesting as it was immensely helpful.

To start this process Kim and I both completed our own 80 page packet that allowed us to self examine and come out the other side with a description of our strenghts and weaknesses.

While much of my results weren't that surprising, some of the categories we had to look through opened my eyes to weaknesses I hadn't yet named as well as outlets for strengths I've been at a loss to use.

Thanks to the gift of technology, I was able to use my MAC laptop to record the entire 2.5 hour session.

Kim and I are almost the exact opposite, but apparently, we're in good company as many seminary couples bound for vocational ministry are in the same position. Apparently we compliment each other in our giftings. I am weak where Kim is strong so she is able to help me out when i get stuck and vice versa. The one problem is, such is not easy. Being so radically different in what drives us can make for challenges.

However, there are great things like this example:

One of my weeknesses is a loud internal critique of myself. I can see lots of possibilities, its a gift. Turned back on itself I can see lots of ways things can go wrong. This often drives me to work harder than I need to on something and expect the worse.

I did that Thursday when I told Kim I expected to fail my Greek quiz on Friday morning. The situation was simple, I had new vocab and new grammatical structure I was given 3 days to learn and hadn't studied it at all--I simply had too much to do and I chose to give way on greek, knowing I could catch up on the weekend. I figured I'd take a minor hit with a failed quiz and move on.

In any case, Friday morning came and I reiterated my emminant failure. Sure, I had studied the night before, but you can't put off the study of a second language and get away with it, particularly when its stuff that doesn't exist in your own language.

Well, I got a 100% on my quiz. Kim kindly exhorted me about my false expectations and warned she would laugh at me the next time I forecasted doom.

When she asked if I'd learned anything I replied "I suppose the Greek quiz wasn't as hard as I expected."
Her response was simple but good for me to hear: Maybe the reason is that I am good at learning Greek and didn't need to assume I would fail if I missed out on a study session or two because I could catch up quickly.

I felt rather silly. That's exactly what I did. I missed out on some study and I made it up.

Thanks Kim for keeping me grounded!