Joseph's New Sisters Pets Dinner

Last Friday I made an impulse buy and came home with 5 baby chicks. Fortunately for all of us, Aaron and I were already planning on getting chicks. (That's why I was already at the store - buying supplies ahead of time.) And I did talk to Aaron while I was at the store to see if it was okay. So I suppose it was only an impulse compared to most of the purchases we make.

They're pullets, which means they're all girls and will lay eggs when they're about 5 months old. They're ready to eat in about 4. I hope Aaron lets some of them live. I wasn't having an issue with attachment until I began seeing them as future egg-producers and long-term residents of our home.

My favorite is Red. She's a Rhode Island Red. The other two will be white (what breed?), and there are two grayish/blackish ones. Right now they're in our living room in front of a south-facing window, under a heat lamp. This is officially Aaron's thing, and how attentive he is! I tried to get him involved in the garden, and he just couldn't muster enthusiasm. He thought livestock was more his thing. This was our experiment. I think he was right. If they weren't chickens (and if he didn't insist we should look at them as dinner), I would say he "dotes" on them. But, of course, he's just "tending" to them.

Anyhow, Joseph thinks they're fascinating, too. Especially when they're moving and making sounds at the same time. It's almost better than a tv. :) I have to admit, though, he shows more interest in the heat lamp. Hey, it's aluminum and large. What else is there?

It'll be interesting to see how these next few weeks and months go, as Joseph's motor skills develop right along with those of the chickens. I hope they can be friends.

(Nearly) 7 months

It's fascinating the way babies will grow, whether you help them or not. It's dawned on me that he's 7 months old and he's not learning to drink from a sippy cup, doesn't know any Baby Einstein Flashcards, and can't sign one word. I always thought I'd be the type of person to over-estimate what a baby can do; but my baby still seems to be the newborn in August. Aaron reminds me he's not.

This doesn't mean, though, that I have to be doing those things. Because I'm not. I do other things, like hold him, talk to him, show him our baby chickens, read to him, explain to him covenantal theology and perseverance of the saints - you know, your normal, everyday, reformed baby things.

Despite my own busyness, and my ignorance of certain things, he seems to be doing well. He crawled today! Really crawled. I'm talking up on his hands and knees, scooting said knees alternately forward toward an object. He maxed out at three knee moves. I'm so proud.

He also has two new consonant sounds that he discovered just since Sunday: "d" and "n". This makes Aaron particularly happy - especially the "d" one. ;)

I have a love/hate relationship with the Holidays and, now, Sundays as well. They're wonderful for the Church, but bad for babies. I'm seriously considering whether it's worth it or not to go to a church just because the service time is 3 pm. And with the traveling and strange schedules of the Holidays, Joseph has missed quite a bit of church, and nearly all of his training time. This past Sunday he was pretty rotten had a rough time. I need to get back on track here. So, today, around 11:20, I announced "listening time". Joseph didn't seem to understand. He lasted 5 minutes. Friends, that is 5 minutes! And most of that he was whiny. We have serious work to do. I'm glad God provides grace for change in all things.

If you notice in the first picture above, Joseph's discovered that he can hold and play with two things at once. He's discovered he can shake or bang one item to make "music". I'm looking for those alphabet wood blocks. I would love to see him discover stacking soon. I don't know why, but this fascinates me the most.

Joseph's diet is still looking like Mama, for the most part. Which is fine with me. He'll eat yogurt and avocado occasionally, and we're gaining more courage to let him taste new (stranger) things. He's teething (I think). But still no teeth. We pray for teeth around here.

We're doing Lent. We gave up red meat and treats (except Sundays). As a first-timer, though, I completely forgot and had a beef taco (twice), two peanut butter cookies (and brought some home for Aaron), and ordered him a steak Chalupa (since I know he loves steak!) - all on the first day. After that I told Aaron that I needed some daily focus. :)

The Payne clan is doing well. We're busy busy with our new baby chicks and the garden! Top that with a furniture-making class two evenings a week for Aaron and starting a new part-time job from home for me, and we're learning how little discipline we have but how much we need. Grace, grace, God's grace! We trust He is more than sufficient for all our needs. :)

Joseph's Literary Future, Part III

For a child to know that there is sin, sadness, evil, disappointment, deception, consequences for sin, fleeting happiness in sin, poverty, selfishness, and greed in this world makes them shrewd - not polluted. Knowledge with a proper persepctive and guidance will lead them to more fully undesrtanding the world, its temptations and who they are in Christ. But knowledge without the proper perspective or guidance will lead children to take up worldly ideas of life.

Now, where it gets sticky for me is in actually discerning which books/music/art/movies are "reflectional" and which are actually "sensational". What I have gathered is that it is not true that Christian = Reflectional and Secular = Sensational. As I said before, I have read "Christian" novels that are sensational in that they encourage young women to lose themselves in a silly love story that only makes them discontent with their own life, or encourages them to lust after some boy like so-and-so did in the book. I have heard "Christian" songs that have an awful lot to say about themselves and not much about Jesus; or that lack skill or beauty. Or even Christian movies (say, "The Omega Code") that don't have a point. What about that movie will lead me to reflection that changes my heart?

Aaron and I both listen to "secular" music quite a bit. We love their willingness to disucss life - its beauties, attractions, pleasures, but also its disappointments, hardships and surprises. Nonchristians know about life, that's for sure. And there are many lessons to be learned from the author of a song who has messed up his entire life by pursuing vainly all the pleasures of this world, and is still hopeless by the end of the song. It makes me think about my own life and what I'm pursuing, and it makes me praise God for redeeming me and giving me peace and true life. Or the movie "Braveheart". It is exceptionally graphic (and is a "borderline" movie in my opinion), but William Wallace inspires us to think about what is truly important, what we're willing to die for, and what we truly live for.

Charlotte says that one key thing is that if you're not reflecting on whatever you're reading/watching/listening to, then you won't glean anything anyway. It doesn't matter if it's a "great" book or an "awesome" song. If you don't think about it and study it, it might as well be a "sensational" book. It's produced the same shallow results.

I am most willing to acknowledge that the line is fuzzy for me. What is okay and what isn't? What is too graphic? What focuses too much on sin or its pleasures? What is age appropriate? Is there a different tolerance level for boys and girls, and each individual? Does the moral always have to be obvious?

Aaron and I have much to figure out, but we are working through these principles. Aaron put it this way: "When children are very young, they need fairy tales and storybooks to help them develop emotionally and morally; and when they're older but still young, fiction is the step between childhood and adulthood. They're not ready to enter the world and face its reality. Fiction helps them with that."

My husband is a genius. :)

Promised Pics

Problem: Get both laundry basket and baby into bedroom efficiently.

SOLUTION!

Joseph's first bath in the sink. He discovered "splashing" and thinks it's great. :)

Joseph's Literary Future, Part II

But Charlotte is right (no matter why, which is another question), a young person will seek out knowledge of "life". Men like Arthur Pendennis (see previous post) and women like myself often find this worldly knowledge in those who most obviously possess it (like the popular cheerleaders and confident, rich businessmen). Oftentimes these youth are disappointed and hurt by the results of first-hand knowledge of the world, and are grieved by the world's betrayal or rejection of them. "What can be done to fortify these against the special temptations that belong to their time of life?", Charlotte asks.

She suggests novels. An odd idea, I know. Yet, think about what a novel offers a young person: "Here is the very knowledge of life the young person craves; the personages of the novel play their parts before him, and he is admitted to greater intimacy with them than we often arrive at with our fellows...If the novelist moralise a little here and there, it is but to relieve his own feelings. He is not preaching to the young reader, to whom the lessons of life come home with illustrations never to be forgotten."

Not just any novel would offer us these kinds of "lessons of life" and knowledge that helps. Charlotte distinguishes between "sensational novels" (of which I've read my share: they evoked a blush from me much more than a contemplative "hmm") and "reflectional novels". "The reflectional novel is one which, like this of Pendennis, awakens reflection with every page we read; offers in every character and in every situation a criterion by which to try our random thoughts or our careless conduct. If we bear in mind that the obvious reflection proposed to us is as vicious in its way as the sensation suggested, we shall find that this test––the property of arousing reflection––eliminates all flimsy work, and confines us to the books of our great novelists. "

Novels, if properly chosen, can bring about in our children (and ourselves!) a kind of reflection that leads to evaluation, and then change. Of course, reflection without a standard by which to judge it would be useless. And I think Charlotte assumes that. If your children read about a slothful boy who becomes desolate and poor, you want them to be hard workers after reading that book. Making sure their minds are filled with "he who does not work does not eat" and "work in all things as unto the Lord" will help, I think.

All this is why I want Joseph to be exposed to the best literature we can find. I want him to meet all sorts of people who inspire him, educate him, enlighten him. Characters who will show him all the sorts of goodness in this world, and the evil. But there are objections to this method of education. Even in the 19th century, mothers were still saying, "'I have striven to bring up my family in innocence, and wish to keep them still from that very knowledge of life which novels offer'" (374). This is a particularly popular view in mainstream churches. Mothers (and fathers, too, I suppose) don't want their children exposed to "secular" anything because they fear that knowledge of the world will rob them of their innocence.

It's a fair objection to pose. Yet "we must remember that ignorance is not innocence, and also that ignorance is the parent of insatiable curiosity" (375). It's one thing to pollute yourself with the world by drinking deeply of its knowledge, for "it is shameful to even mention what the evil do in secret" (Ephesians 5: 12). We should not discuss/describe/ponder all the details of sin. Examples of this (I think), are sex education in public schools. Or the "sensational" novels that have breathy descriptions of being in rapturous love (even in some "Christian" romance novels) that tempt us to want to feel as the characters do. Or the graphic descriptions of the lives of drug addicts. If all a novel does is portray sin in a way that appeals to your emotions, tickles your ears, or encourage morbid fascination, then of what value is it?

Joseph's Literary Future, Part I

The following is a "thought" post. I should have known this would happen sometime, and so should you. Don't worry, this blog is still about Joseph. And will still include pictures. :)

Have you ever heard of Charlotte Mason? She was a Christian, British woman who lived from 1842-1923 and was aboslutely dedicated to truly educating students and to education itself.

Charlotte Mason wrote a series of discussions of education and I've been reading a selection of one today. In it, she discusses the book Pendennis, by William M. Thackeray (most famous for his book Vanity Fair). Arthur Pendennis is the hero, a young man raised to think himself far superior in ability and rank than he really is. This Arthur comes of age and begins to surround himself with men who are successful, based on shallow (read, worldly) standards, which encompasses money, good taste and snobby manners.

Why do young people often seem to fall for this? Even today? Charlotte says that "there is no art than that...about which boys are more anxious to have an air of knowingness" (CM Series p. 372). As children, they adore and worship their parents. "We elders are hardly aware of the ingenuousness of the young mind, of the ignorance and simplicity of youth; and, at the same time, we fail to realise the reverence in which young people hold us just for our experience' sake" (371).

But, "the young folk will have a knowledge of what they call 'life.' If we offer them our scraps of, perhaps, secondhand experience, they generalise and conclude that we are not really the worthy and perhaps rather saintly persons they had taken us for...Here we perceive the cause of the incomprehensible attractiveness of bad companions––they know life" (372).

How true that is! I remember feeling this very thing as a 13-year-old girl. Sitting in a classroom before the teacher arrived, I listened to other students talk and was enamored with this girl or that one because she knew so much more than I did. She had experienced more than I (be it going to the movies alone, wearing make-up, a dramatic fight with her best friend, or having a boyfriend), and she was my hero for that. It's interesting that what was impressive was actually silly, unimportant, and even harmful - things that don't matter if what matters is family, love and faithfulness. But they matter to the world: popularity, power, sex, influence, independence.

Aunt Carley - Master Photographer

Last night we got back from a trip to Tulsa. We came home earlier than planned because Joseph developed quite a cough and was not sleeping much at night. On our way out of town, we stopped by Uncle Donnie (Aaron's brother) and Aunt Carley's to say good-bye to the family one last time.

I think Poppie took this picture (or was it Aaron?). It's me, Joseph (watching Nana hold a very interesting octopus toy), Carley and Jared. Cousin Jared is just one month older than Joseph (he was born a preemie - he was due one month after Joseph. Quite an ambitious boy, I say). We're looking forward to the fun times these boys will have as they grow up. :)

Carley took this pic of Daddy and Joseph. Aren't they handsome???

And here it is, folks. The all-time greatest picture of Joseph. Taken by Aunt Carley herself. How she was able (in her second attempt!) to capture my sweet baby's elusive smile, I'll never understand. This is the happy boy I see all day long! :)

Thanks for sharing your pics, Carley!

Joseph Jump-Up

Today I went to get some teething supplies for poor Joseph, and I also bought a Johnny Jump Up. I put it together while he napped and I couldn't wait to see him try it. It took him a couple of minutes of spinning around (see pic below), eating the straps, reaching for the doorframe and looking at the books on the shelf, before he realized that he could bounce. And bounce he did. He'd give it a tap, look at me, and smile. Then he'd tap more and more until he was a full-fledged Tigger. Aaron tells me that his family used to call him that, because he loved to bounce. I wonder if little Joseph has inherited the trait? We'll see!

Joseph's 5th Month of Life...

has come and past. All you faithful doters of Joseph (i.e., readers of this blog) have checked this page without any satisfaction for over a month. And that little boy is so changed! Here are the highlights:

• Joseph celebrated his first Advent and Christmas. We spent Christmas in Fort Worth and I was so glad the family got to know him a bit more. It was strange celebrating our first Christmas with a child - we forgot to think of getting him a gift! We wouldn't have gone crazy anyway, but what a shame that it didn't even cross our minds! We did end up getting him several books, though, including The Children's Book of Virtues.
• He is nearly sitting without any help! You just can't help but giggle when you see him sitting erect, look to his right, and slowly lean in that direction as he heads to the floor - without any apparent awareness of it all.
• We *believe* he is teething. My sweet little 12-hour night sleeper is no more; I can bank on a night waking at least every other night. Now, this has been going on for some time (at least 2 months), but in the last 2 weeks it is different. He wakes very fussy and has trouble going back to sleep (usually 45 min to an hour). He's a fountain of saliva and will occasionally turn his bubble machine on toboot. He pulls at his ear (common, they say, because babies don't know where it hurts). He has a sputtering cough (because of extra saliva?). And he'll bruise your finger if you leave it in his mouth for too long. Pray for Joseph's discomfort!
• We're working on teaching Joseph some new things. Like how to sit in church quietly. Our sweet boy has such a calm disposition that he already had a head-start on this. I practice with him at home and have "listening time" on my lap, at the same time the sermon would be on Sunday. I play a sermon or lecture or something while he sits. I time how long he can do this calmly (we're up to 15 min.). Then, when he's on the verge of fussiness, I give him a toy (he has a Sunday toy that is only used at church, to keep him more interested when it really matters) and see how much longer he'll play quietly with his toy (10 min.), and when I see signs of discontent, I end it and say "You did so well at listening time, Joseph! Mama's so proud!". At church, when this happens, I change positions a lot more and will end up standing at the back. He's getting better each week! He went for 30 minutes at church last Sunday sitting happily on my lap!!
• We're also trying to teach Joseph to lay his head on our shoulder when we tell him. It's very cute to see how he reacts. I'm trying to teach him this because sometimes at church he gets tired and won't go to sleep even though he's desperate (where's my bed?!?!?!). So, at home we practice when he's tired. We say "lay your head on my shoulder" and then pause to give him a chance to respond (rare), then put his head down for him. As soon as he raises his head, we repeat ourselves and do it all over again. And again. And again. And again. Until he gives up and leaves his head down. I only expect him to leave it down maybe 15 seconds to consider it a success. I have no idea what's going on in his brain. But I know he can learn. Just today I was practicing and the first time I asked him to lay his head down, he did and it stayed put. Good for him! And this is happening more frequently. I would say 2/5 times he'll do what we say. Babies are amazing. We're trying to teach him this not only because it's a convenient thing for him to learn, but also because we wanted to find something to teach him that would already be paving the way to a much bigger lesson we want him to learn badly: obedience the first time. So, pray for Joseph's little heart. God is already molding him, softening his heart and preparing him to be a faithful son of God. We pray that God continues in His faithfulness toward Joseph!
• We've dropped feeding him eggs for now. I've never smelled anything so raunchy as Joseph's passing gas after eating eggs. It was gross. He wasn't digesting them very well, and after a few incidents, Aaron pulled the plug for a while. So, we've moved on to avocado. He loves it! And he digests it very well. I'm just trying to figure out how often to feed him. Every day? Whenever I want? Does it matter? Any ideas?
• Joseph is still perfecting the art of being a proficient left- and right-handed thumbsucker.

I'm sure there are more, but here are the pics: Joseph's life in December. They start around early December - can you see him change in one month?

Although he looks like a reclining baby model, he really just happened to fall over while playing with Ostrich.

He looks so different to me! Just one month ago...

Sleepy Joseph...

Sleeping Joseph.

The week before Christmas, Joseph finally wore his first pair of shoes. We took them off before we left, though, because he kept removing them himself.

While in Fort Worth, Joseph tried some whole-milk, creamy yogurt. I couldn't figure out what he thought.

Meme was very happy to see him. :)

I spy a baby avoiding his nap - all week long.

Once we were back in Norman, we continued the holiday by celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas. Here we are opening presents. (He loves being with Daddy, huh?) :)

And these two were taken today. When I see this I think, "Hello?". :) Look at him sitting up! He still needs to prop himself up (or be propped up), but it's amazing how quickly a baby can learn to do this.

Still has his Daddy's big, beautiful, blue eyes -despite suggestions that they are turning green. ;)

Joseph is sleeping, so Mama is going to take the opportunity to read some of Emma and plan her garden. Happy Epiphany!

Speaking of firsts...

Joseph had his first solid food last night. Soft-boiled egg yolk. Yummy.

First impressions. It seemed to grow on him, though...

All done!

Baby's First Words

At least a month ago, Joseph spoke his first words: guk non. It was clearly enunciated. "Guk non." We've decided this must mean "I love you, Mama".

Today, just now, he spoke his second words. Just as clear. Full of meaning.

"Wee woo".

Hmm. What could "wee woo" mean? Here are some of my ideas:

• Thank you, Mama
• I'm full
• Wall
• Fun!
• Please get me off my back
• Pretty
• Bright
• So, what's next?

Since the "wee woo" came with a happy sigh, I'm going to go with "Thank you, Mama" - I always hope for the best. :)

A 4 Month Check Up

Today Joseph went to see Dr. Wilson for a check up. All is well! Isn't God gracious? He has preserved (much more than that, even!) our son in every way for over 1 year, blessing him with excellent health, a developing brain, and a sweet disposition that we pray becomes a soft heart toward God. Our Lord is faithful, indeed!

Some details:

• Joseph weighed in at 13 pounds, 12 ounces. If I'm not mistaken, that's just about 2 pounds more than his 2 months' weight. Yay for weight gain!
• He is 25 inches long, and his head circumference is 16 3/8 inches.
• There are no signs for concern as far as development goes: he's talking, laughing, reaching, pooping, drooling and eating his toes - just like many other 4 month olds.
• Dr. Wilson gave the go ahead on solids. He usually recommends rice cereal, but approved heartily of my ideas: soft-boiled egg yolk (no white), mashed avocado, mashed banana. He thought giving Joseph whole-milk, nearly organic, yogurt (we use Brown Cow's) would be fine. Since there's no lactose in it, and it's chalk full of helpful bacteria, it will be very easy to digest. We'll see if I'm brave enough to try it soon!

In other news, the weather 'round here has been rather strange lately. The picture below was taken last Tuesday or Wednesday, when we were enjoying fine weather. It was in the upper 60's, and only slightly breezy. Joseph enjoyed getting a bit of fresh air.

But then, on Thursday, a gianormous system moved through that dropped many inches of sleet and 6-8 inches of snow right on our door front. It was absolutely beautiful! So we went spent most of Thursday bundled up together (he in my sling, that is), listening to Christmas music, and putting out the Advent decorations. :)

Joseph's First Thanksgiving

A first it was for Joseph: His first time on a farm. His first time to meet Grandma and Grandpa Payne. His first time to eat his feet. His first bonfire and hot dog roast. His first hay ride (and mine!). His first ride in a 1979 Chevrolet Bonanza. Everything about this holiday was memorable.

We all enjoyed ourselves very much. Aaron was as proud as a daddy could be, taking his wife and son to his grandparents' farm to celebrate the goodness of God. :) And celebrate we did. We ate. We talked. We slept. We ate more. We read good books. We reminisced. We laughed. We worshipped our Creator with feasting and praise. Thanks be to God!

His morning cup of coffee...Well, just morning cup, really.

Grandma Payne with a fascinated Joseph.

Grandma had him as he discovered yummy toes!

The Amish bakery wore him out, apparently.

The barn on their farm is at least 100 years old; the rafters are made of logs, from a time before saw mills.

This Black Walnut tree is in the yard, and the swing has been hanging on it for over 50 years.

The view looking across the front yard toward the west.

The farm means so much to my husband, and to the entire Payne family. Aaron's grandfather bought it, his father grew up on it, and Aaron's fondest memories come from it. I know he wishes that his son, too, would have a love for this piece of earth that God has given his family to work and to enjoy. Who knows? Maybe Joseph will carry on the Payne family farm someday. He does look awfully cute in overalls. :)

3 1/2 months

Mama doesn't have (or have had) much time to talk about how God is growing this little boy, but, if a picture is worth 1000 words, then I suppose a few of those are sufficient. :) Friday, Nov 17, was Aaron's 24th Birthday. To celebrate, we had a surprise *chocolate* party for him. Joseph was happy to attend. But he did end up being a bit of a party pooper, having gone to bed at 9:00.

Joseph's Papa and Uncle Mark were able to come from Fort Worth for the party! And boy, did Joseph love seeing them!

Although Meme wasn't able to come, she sent along a little gift. Flannel and plaid from Gap - Joseph is, indeed, Aaron's son.

So, wearing her gift to show his gratitude, Joseph expresses his sadness at Meme's absence.

On Saturday, Joseph spent some time upright on the couch. Although he enjoyed it, he would much rather stand up on someone's lap. Better view?

Sunday, after a beautiful walk through Sutton Wilderness, Aaron played a few songs for Joseph, who adoringly smiled and listened - and chewed on his hands.

On Monday, Joseph took it easy after his busy and exciting weekend. He relaxed in his crib, holding onto Eeyore for company, and watched his mobile til his little eyes couldn't take it.

And now, this afternoon, we're off to Missouri, to spend time with family on the farm, and to give Thanks for God's abundant blessings this year.

Foiled Again!

I checked on Joseph at 7:00 am, at which time he was laying flat on his stomach and sleeping soundly. At 7:35 am I go in again and here he is! On his back, sucking his thumb/playing with blankets, for the second time. I have yet to see him do this!

Photography isn't a Language

Sock it to me (in his new shirt Linda found!)

Sunday morning, 7:30 am: No noise? No cry?

Here he was, flipped over, and playing by himself!

The mullet *shudder*

Drool machine