Someday these little feet will be used for walking, jumping, dancing, running, swimming, kicking and jump-roping. But for now these new toes, only nine weeks in this world, are just kissed a lot by mom and dad.
A baby’s feet, like sea-shells pink,
Might tempt, should Heaven see meet,
An angel’s lips to kiss, we think,
A baby’s feet.
Like rose-hued sea-flowers toward the heat
They stretch and spread and wink
Their ten soft buds that part and meet.
No flower-bells that expand and shrink
Gleam half so heavenly sweet
As shine on life’s untrodden brink
A baby’s feet.
– Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909)
In an attempt to write about something other than my fascinating baby, I will now turn the discussion to gardening. The garden has been somewhat neglected for the sake of said baby—it’s awfully mean to subject her to 90+ degree heat and hungry mosquitoes—but fortunately we’re at the stage of garden growth where little is required of me. I am reminded why my backyard looks incredibly barren in the winter as our little patch of fruits looks amazingly like a jungle right now. One zucchinni plant is so enormous it can’t even stand upright any longer and the cucumber vines are planning a garden coup d’etat; really, I fear for the safety of our beefy tomatoes. The first Romas were plucked yesterday. They don’t look the greatest, as the “zipper” effect shows, but I’m sure they’ll taste just fine. We’ve been enjoying fresh zucchini and cucumbers for a couple of weeks now. There’s just nothing better than fresh cucumbers and Ranch dressing to accompany a meal.
In the foreground of the second photo you’ll notice a sunflower… This one grew from some birdseed that fell to the ground. In the background you can see another one in the form of Jack’s beanstalk. Last year I grew one of these gargantuan flowers; this year we have two. The bold cucumbers are attempting to overthrow Sunflower #1 as well. Sunflower #1 simply scoffs and continues to demonstrate his skyscraping abilities. We have yet to see the actual flower heads on these mammoths, but they’ll show up before long.
Please don’t tell me that this is an actual CNN.com headline:
“Schwarzenegger’s ‘girlie men’ line under fire”
This is news? According to the article, some Democrats are protesting the comment as “sexist and homophobic.” Oh no… Someone shoot me now. Actually, I wasn’t aware that these lawmakers have the ability to claim what a homosexual does and doesn’t think about a particular choice of words!! How exasperating. Poor journalist who had to cover this story… I think of my dear friend Haley Wachdorf and know that usually such professionals don’t choose their topics!
Call it the tragedy of the century in television programming: Freaks and Geeks lasted only one season. Apparently, Jeremy and I caught most of its 18 episodes when it aired in 1999 and 2000 while we were at seminary. But we’ve been enjoying it again, in all it’s DVD glory, over the past week. It’s one of the best programs ever… The characters are delightfully rich. Where the writers could have stopped at caricaturing Freaks and Geeks, they chose instead to give each one depth — and thus the beauty of this show. My favorite? Bill. If anyone knows what he’s been doing since Freaks and Geeks, let me know. Favorite scene? Sam and his Parisian nightsuit. Someone give the kid an Emmy for that performance!
Band of Brothers is the other DVD series we’re knee-deep in. Having watched it once before and having read Stephen Ambrose’s book, I understand the manueverings of war much better now. This HBO creation is simply outstanding and I highly recommend watching it at some point in your life. It’s television like this that actually makes me wish I was teaching again… History brought to life with such realism and interest. I hope the men of E Company were honored by this depiction of World War II.
I like to read directions. I cannot do complex tasks late at night. Come Tuesday I’m reading directions to this new camera when? Late at night. Oh yes… All the knowledge I’ve garnered about the way I operate disappeared in my zeal for camera usage — thus my first photos. I now have nicer shots with crisp, clean edges, photos with flash used only when necessary, etc, which will be shared shortly. But for now, my fellow bloggers, you can share in my learning process as I share my darling child.
I love the first picture because it shows how Livia sleeps — flat on her back, arms and legs spread out, not a care in the world. She sleeps the way adults would kill to — ah, to sleep like a baby! Picture #2 was a great revelation to Mama Tredway: Livia loves mobiles! She coos at them and, quite opposite to her relaxation in sleep, kicks and punches furiously at the spinning toys. Super cute. Finally, the last pic is Livia and Halle Cutler, roughly three weeks apart in age. Halle’s mom and I are thrilled to have baby girls so close in age. I’m already anticipating sleepovers in coming years.
I’ve listened to this clip about three times today (the first just to get my bearings and the second and third to laugh out loud). Andy is a Covenant alumnus and a friend of Charity’s, as well as an excellent photographer. I got our new digital camera today… Hopefully I’ll be taking some great Livia pics and movies soon.
Wishing:
…I had more time to read Anna Karenina and that the Lincoln City Libraries would grant a special allowance to me whereby I would never be charged overdue fees.
…This wall hanging was in Livia’s nursery… or that an artiste would paint a mural for free.
…A magic wand could be waved over my home and all my clutter would be brilliantly organized. Oh to be Mary Poppins right now!
…I could tape Livia’s pacifier to her nose (just for short naps and only ’til she figures out how to hang onto it).
…The fruits of the Spirit would flow from me constantly. How wonderful would it be to always be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient and full of self-control? Darn my self-serving nature.
Wishes Fulfilled:
…The Amazing Race 5 series premiere is airing again tonight! Woohoo!
…Jeremy & Livia.
Dear Livia,
Yesterday you turned two months old. When you’ve only lived eight and a half weeks, each month is a big deal! We brought you home to Lincoln on July 2nd and you arrived at the Prairie Box to a host of family and friends. They were all terribly excited to finally meet you and hold you and cuddle you and kiss you! You took all the attention in stride and managed to look quite adorable in the process.
Mama and Daddy were especially happy to be home for the 4th of July. Your Grand aunties hosted a barbecue in your honor and we had lots of fun on the back deck. There were several backyard parties on our block—lots of fireworks, too—and the noise didn’t bother you one bit. That night we walked over to Miss Dena’s apartment to capture a fantastic view of the Lincoln skyline. The night breeze gently cooled us as we watched the brilliant colorful explosions in the sky. We marveled at God’s blessings on our family and our country as we took turns gazing at you and the fireworks. It was a great evening. (Thanks again, Dena, for the party and the photograph!)
In the past few weeks you’ve learned how to suck on your fingers and how to smile great big happy smiles at friendly faces. The finger-sucking is quite important… You haven’t perfected it yet—your hand still tends to move away from your desperate mouth—but your technique has improved greatly in a matter of days. We simply LIVE for your smiles. I’ve seen five grown-ups standing around your small body, making all sorts of crazy expressions just to catch a glimpse of this grin. You have the power to make us act really silly! Uncle Adam believes you are one of the most interactive two months old ever and, of course, your daddy and I think you’re just fabulous.
We love you. We are amazed by you. We praise God for bringing you into our lives.
Much love,
Mama
PS. I forgot to mention that your first 4th of July weekend was all about FAMILY! You met lots of family members within a few short days. First, the Tredways… Great Uncle Bob and Great Aunt Laurie and their children and grandchildren, Great Uncle Kurt and Great Aunt Diane and their boys as well. Then Great Uncle Steve and Great Aunt Cathy Lawton stopped by after Ben Shannon’s wedding in North Dakota. We have Uncle Steve to thank for the beautiful flag photo! He takes amazing pictures. Finally, your dad’s cousins came by… Keri and her little boy Brian, and Michael. You are so blessed to be a part of such a huge, loving group of people!
Can you hear my cries of frustration?
I’ve been looking forward to one (count that, ONE!) television show for months now… And I missed the 90 minute premiere tonight! ARGH!!!!! Yeah yeah… so I’m a mama now and I’ve got more important things to do like make ninety million formula bottles a day and change umpteen wet diapers, not to mention do everything possible to make this darling child smile. (And oh, what a smile! It melts hearts of stone, topples crusty dictators, cracks uncrackable codes. It’s simply amazing.) Was I smiling so hard that all thoughts of The Amazing Race fled through my widened eyes and stretched lips? I think so.
Friends, fellow television viewers and owners of VCRs, please please please let me know if you just happened to tape the premiere of my FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOW EVER. I’m dying here. Can you feel my pain?
For some time now I’ve intended to explain the title of my blog… “View from the Prairie Box.” So here goes.
Our home was built in 1915 and is called an American Foursquare. It looks like a huge place, but really, what you see is exactly what you get… A square box with a basic four room layout. We fell in love with the wide front porch, lovely oak woodwork and yellow pine floors, and special touches like our built-in linen closet upstairs. Apparently homes like ours were built from a Sears catalog floor plan in the early 1900’s. Another name for the American Foursquare is, you guessed it, the Prairie Box. Someday I will research the history of our home and hopefully I can find pictures of this portion of Lincoln around 1915. By that time Zion Church and the larger homes on our block had been built. I imagine the homeowners of the day could sit on their wide front steps and watch the trains roll by, puffing out clouds of black smoke just a few short blocks away. Now we have lots of trees and a great green park, not to mention multitudes of houses, between us and the railroad tracks. But what what was it like in 1920 during the Prohibition? or in the ’30s under the strains of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl? or in the 40’s while World War II raged on in Europe (and Germans in Nebraska were under much suspicion)? or in the rock ‘n roll days of the 50’s? the racial tensions of the 60’s? the Vietnam, hippie 70’s? I just can’t help but wonder… What has the Prairie Box seen?
