Let me ask the parents, what did you do with the bellybutton scab? Did you keep it like a treasure? Put it in a mason jar and wait to spring it on them for their 16th birthday? Bury it?
Charlie’s fell off today on our way to his checkup at the doctor’s office. I think they just threw it in the trash. Blood, scabs, poop, urine, spit-up. We live in a convalescent home.
His fleshy bellybutton, the last physical reminder of his tie to Kathleen, is red with a little blood. It looks painful but he doesn’t seem to mind. If I was him and I woke up seeing blood come out of my bellybutton I’d probably call an ambulance. Our doctor prescribed some antibiotic ointment and we’re hopeful that all should be well pretty soon. And he was so calm the whole time. He barely complained at all from the time we left the house to the time we arrived home, even with all the conversations, dings, bells, pin pricks, diaper changes, passersby asking how old, and gale force winds blowing in the parking lot.
Our son is tough. And pure sugar.
I’ve been using Microsoft’s Vista operating system at work for the last two months. This advertisement from Apple pretty much sums up my experience.
Yes, we have the cutest baby. I’ve added more photos to the week 1 photo set.
We’re doing much better. Kathleen and I are starting to get into a rhythm. My throat feels better. Kathleen is still in pain but isn’t coughing as much. We’re getting used to the sleep. After our fun start last Sunday, any sleep feels heavenly, so one hour here and one hour there isn’t so bad.
Charlie is … weep … wonderful. What a gift! On Friday I taught him Life Lesson #1: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Proverbs 1:7) And some of you may be saying “whah?” Fear? In a way, yes, fear is a little part of it, but in the same sense that you would fear Mount Everest as you climbed it. You’re not running away from it and cowering waiting to be struck down. At the same time you have a healthy respect for something so grand and majestic and dangerous. The word used in this instance is the Hebrew word Yirah, which means “reverence for the Lord.” I want Charlie to know that, above all, we stand in awe of our God who gave us life and chose not to spare his own. That kind of love is terrifying.
Lesson #2 was doing his multiplication tables, which he memorized.
Cheers.
Hi.
We don’t get much TV around here. It hasn’t come to Seattle yet. We all just use our Macs for entertainment. All of us. Seattle. Hip.
Anyway, I’m a fan of The Police. Even more than you. I destroyed “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” in high school as the vocalist of Poetic Justice. I even know to spell The Police with a capital T. And we’re kinda homebound at the moment. Can you see where I’m going with this?
Would one of you be so kind as to record and then illegally upload tonight’s Grammy Awards appearance to YouTube or something?
Thanks. I don’t care about the rest. Just The Police. And maybe Prince. And anyone else you think I need to see. You know me and I trust you.
Our son, Charlie, was born Monday, February 5, 2007, at 6:20pm, weighing in at 9 pounds, 2 ounces (0.65 stones). He was a little over 20 inches long (51 cm).
Here is a slideshow of pictures from his first week: http://www.flickr.com/photos/loveoirs/sets/72157594525817218/show/
In addition to learning how to live again and recovering from labor and delivery, Kathleen and I are trying to recover from illnesses we acquired before the birth. Kathleen has a cold and a bad cough and I have strep throat. So, please be gentle when you email or call.
Speaking of which, we really do appreciate the well-wishes and the support. I am overcome emotionally by all the love we have received bringing Charlie into the world and in the near future I hope to write about what this experience has meant (and is meaning) to me. He is here–and we are surviving–because of all of you.
That said, while we would love to call or email all of you, our most likely action right now will be to not. We’re in biggest-bang-for-the-buck mode, so if we have anything to say, we’ll probably say it here as it reaches the most people at once.
So, that’s it for now. Take care. Until our next communiqué, this is Harry writing on behalf of the Love family in Seattle.
Our son’s not here yet. Just keeping you updated.
While you’re praying for us and our big day coming up, please keep my mom and step-dad in your prayers. They live in The Villages, which was decimated by a tornado early this morning. They’re alive, obviously, but they had a pretty scary night. The roof of their house collapsed onto their bed just a few seconds after they made it into the bathroom. All of their windows blew out, leaving glass all over the house, allowing debris to come flying in. Their garage door blew in several feet, locking the vehicles inside. My step-dad’s truck was wrecked. They lost a big part of their roof, and their furniture was damaged. There is mud in many parts of the house. Their outdoor plants were shredded.
And that’s just their place. All of their neighbors’ homes are damaged as well. It’s going to be a difficult time ahead for them. It’s hard being completely across the country from them. If we didn’t have a baby on the way I’d be on a plane. Please pray for them and their community.
Thanks, Harry.
Update: Here are some photos of the damage.
