Some of Logan's Favorite Spots

Logan has been busy during the past few weeks of November. He even went to his 1st wedding! Then, appropriately enough, he went hiking at Lake Wedington. After such treks, he enjoys the cozy corner of our living room with mommy. One Saturday, we went shopping with our friend Lori Johnson and her daughter Caroline in Springdale and had lunch at Neal's, an old diner with lots of guns and animal heads on the walls. Sometimes he goes walking around the neighborhood in his bjorn with Daddy and Mama or just curls up with one of us as we do a little computer work. We have a lot more pictures and lots of catching up to do, but this is a sampling of Logan's recent outings. Coming up next will be Thanksgiving pictures and news.

At church and at rest

Here are some pictures of Logan in the sanctuary of the church where we worship in downtown Siloam, taken on Sept. 23 (I'm getting caught up on blogs). It is a loving congregation with a reverent and timeless mode of worship, drawing upon early creeds, the doxology, and good old-fashioned hymns. Breck Castleman is our pulpit minister and his wife Robbie coordinates many ministries including those for college students. We hope to have Logan dedicated to the Lord in a service soon.

The other pictures are more recent, one of Logan napping in his cradle made by Great-Grandpa Heldreth and formerly occupied by Amanda in her infancy, and the other of Logan in his camouflage outfit talking to Daddy.

Sir Logan & The Dragon

Yesterday was a big day for our little Logan boy. He went on an evening hike with Mama and Daddy at Lake Wedington, riding in the Baby Bjorn with Daddy and watching the stony ridgeline as we walked along the trail, but then sleeping on the way back after we had reached the lookout point to watch the sunset. He amused a cowboy afterward as we dined at Crackerbarrel, providing the dinner entertainment; the man said it seemed like only yesterday that his 28 yr old was an infant. When we got home, Logan's toe found its way out of his pajamas (look closely). Then later Logan made the acquaintance of the Daddy Dragon (Logan's best friend is the mini-dragon son, whom he clutches while in his car seat).

Logan just gets larger (and heavier!) everyday. He is finally filling out with plenty of chub. His thumbs and feet look like little boys' appendages and not just infants'. His hair is growing in, and he babbles and cooes like never before. He laughs heartily, sometimes downright giddy, with alternating cackles and throaty guffaws. He can lift his neck up when on his tummy, though he hasn't rolled over that we know of, but he seems right on track for a 4-month old.

On Thursday, Aunt Melba & Uncle Don passed through town after visiting relatives in Bella Vista. Logan enjoyed having lunch with them at Wooden Spoon.

Medieval Faire

Jonathan and his colleague Scott Jones organized the second biannual Medieval Faire at JBU, and once again the Faire was a big success, with booths featuring medieval fare (meat pasties, fruit custard pie), medieval hobbies (beekeeping, a scriptorium), weaponry (swords, axes, spears), jousting, and even a sock puppet play about Bishop Boniface. Logan and I enjoyed making the rounds of the booths, meeting students and other faculty, and listening to Logan's daddy recite the Waldere poem--an epic fragment--in Anglo-Saxon, to much applause. Everyone loved Logan's knight costume, made especially for him by his Grandma Jean Himes.

Halloween

Logan received 3 costumes to wear for Halloween. Grandma Vivian Estep sent him the pumpkin and puppy dog outfits, and Grandma Jean Himes made the knight costume for our little guy, which he wore to JBU's Medieval Faire, coordinated by his father Jonathan. I took his picture in the pumpkin costume out on our front walk since it was such a nice day. Later, we met up with several other JBU faculty members and their children to go trick-or-treating in the dorms. Logan doesn't yet eat solids, so his parents have been forced to sample his Halloween candy instead.

JBU Homecoming

JBU's Homecoming occurred early in October and was made even more special by the presence of Hadden and Betty Wilson from Northern Ireland. Jonathan and I so much enjoyed getting to know them when we co-led the Irish Studies summer programs with Hadden in 2005 and 2006. The Irish Studies Program celebrated its 10th anniversary: some of the past leaders and team members stopped by for this picture.

Logan's 1st Starring Role

Yesterday Logan starred in the role of a lifetime as baby Jesus in a nativity skit at Watts public elementary school over in Oklahoma. Holly Allen, a JBU professor of children and family ministry, asked if he could take the part for a class project that her curriculum students present each year for school kids. I was squeamish about letting our precious son loose into the cold, cruel world of germs and sinners at such a tender age, but I suppose that's exactly how our God felt about sending His son. Even though Logan is now 3 months old, I was reluctant just thinking about all the runny noses out there and someone possibly dropping him on a hard floor, but thankfully the college student who played Mary is an experienced babysitter of 6 week-old infants and she was very careful. The Bible story and skit were well done, and I think it was a good outreach to this lower-income community.

Logan is now saying "Meh!" instead of "leh" when he wants milk. Maybe he's shifting over to "moo." His trunk and legs get longer and chubbier every day. He's getting ring-around-the-cranium (little bald patches) from his little hats since he is growing so much. Sometimes he wakes up around 9 a.m. and whines mildly but then lapses into cooing and just patiently waiting for the day to begin. It gives me time to brew some coffee before I change his diaper and hand him off to Mama. He had a bit of indigestion and fussiness for a few days after our Texas trip, but I think he is getting back on track. What a blessing he is!

Bathtime

This morning before church I gave Logan a bath in the sink at my parents' house. He enjoyed having his hair brushed afterward. What a cutie pie!

Logan goes to Texas

Last night we drove down to Texas to see our families during JBU's Fall Break. This morning Logan, his mama, Aunt Jerusha, and Grandpa Estep drove to Longview so Logan could meet his great-grandma for the first time. The Senior citizens at my grandma's assisted living residence all loved Logan, some even offering to keep him permanently! Logan's great-grandma enjoyed holding him and my dad had fun tickling the baby on his chinny chin chin. We will have to make a return visit soon. Logan has spent a lot of time in his car seat on this trip: in the picture he really would like some milk but is making do with a pacifier until we get back to Palestine.

Logan the Long-limbed

Logan seems to get taller and larger every day. He's already starting to outgrow many of his favorite outfits; it's hard to fit his head through many of his onesies, and he's too long to fit between the shoulders and rear end of the little suits. This striped one is from Uncle Brent. Look at how happy he is, and how his smile is reflected in the little mirror of the playmobile. Logan is using his hands a lot more, trying to hold his bottle (see below left with Daddy). At some feeding times he bats at Mama a little and uses an insistent "Lleh!" which I think stands for "leche!" (milk).

He has definitely put on weight; his waistline has expanded, making his outie a tad less prominent, and his thighs are more thunderous. His legs nearly hang off the end of his car seat now. Daddy hopes this means that basketball is in his future. He's a lot more regular now, thanks to a little prune juice in his formula supplements. He's been such a good lad when we've taken him out with us to eat or go to church, though he's starting to stay awake in church and complain just a little of the lights in his face. He had his second baby-sitter, Mandy's work study Melanie, this Wednesday when we both attended a faculty meeting. In future, we might trade off going to these.

We're hoping he might start sleeping from midnight to five a.m. now that he's caught up on weight, but last night he woke up without my assistance at two a.m. and drained nearly 5 and a half ounces of formula (the latter with my assistance, of course)! He makes great cooing sounds, and he definitely has inherited the Mama Carlon sneeze, a primal scream that shakes the rafters. The other day he did this and afterward made a surprised, high-pitched "hooo!" in response to his own outburst. His neck is getting stronger, almost able to support itself. Whenever we prop him up to sit and burp, he looks around the room, taking stock with a curious expression on his brow. Mama sings a variety of songs to him throughout the day, including hymns and nursery songs, and reads to him. His favorite book is called Look at Me! which has a lot of baby faces. Another book has a small mirror that lets him see his reflection. Soon he'll be reading Beowulf and Pride and Prejudice.

Tough Guy

Logan got his first round of shots yesterday. Mama says it was sad to see him cry harder than he ever has before, but the squalling lasted only 3 minutes or so. We gave him infant Tylenol, but it seems he didn't develop much of a fever like they said. He even slept from midnight til five a.m. without a fuss! (Actually, Dad was supposed to do the usual feeding in the wee hours, but he was so wiped out after raquetball and teaching that he slept right on through it for the first time!) They weighed him, too, and he's now 11lbs 5oz., which means he's gained an ounce a day over the past week.

Logan has resumed making little humming tunes as he nurses. My favorite is the one that sounds like he's going, "oi, oi, oi, oi, oi." We have framed pictures of him in his sailor suit at the 1 month mark here and in our offices. My favorite is the one where his hand seems to be making a secret sign known only to Masons.

It's been getting a lot cooler. Last night it was downright chilly on our neighborhood stroll, and we had stepped out without jackets or sweatshirts, not expecting the windiness. But Logan drifted right off in his stroller beneath the mosquito netting. I think he has forgiven us for those nasty shots -- he only complained with a few irritated whimpers yesterday afternoon from where the nurses had stuck the needle. But he's been smiling again since last evening. He's our tough little guy.

Logan's Smile

As I (Mandy) write, Logan is sleeping in my arms. I love looking down at his little face--when he was a newborn his eyelashes were just stubs, but now they have grown in. Over the past 3 weeks Logan has started smiling real smiles. They split his whole face and his eyes light up; often he laughs too. My favorites are the ones where I smile at him first and he responds. It is amazing to watch this little baby developing a personality. I absolutely adore being Logan's mamma. I'm also grateful to his daddy for running this blog and keeping Logan's grandparents and friends updated on his life. We love you all.

The Little Fella Enjoying his Saturday

Scroll all the way down to see more photos that complement old postings!

A Wooden Spoonful of Sugar. . .

We had success last night taking Logan to the Wooden Spoon! He slept peacefully the whole time as we enjoyed the company of Holly and Leonard Allen and the great made-from-scratch foods such as fried catfish, bread, baked beans, green tomato relish, and a brownie sundae. It was good to catch up with the Allens who teach for JBU (Holly), work as editor for ACU press (Leonard), and do the bulk of the gardening in our plot out back. The Allens share our love for good detective fiction and films like the Sherlock Holmes and Brother Cadfael series, among other things like theological conundrums within Baptist/Church of Christ circles.

Logan went to the doctor for his shots on Friday, but the receptionists failed to note while making the appointment that he's four days short of two months, and therefore legally ineligible to receive them until he reaches two months of age exactly. But the doctor apologized and gave him a checkup while Amanda was there, and we learned that Logan is now 23" long, putting him in the 90th percentile of tall infants, but in the 50th percentile with a weight of 10lbs 13oz. Dr. Duncan said some babies are just tall and a bit thinner than others, but we will try to keep increasing his weight over time. A colleague of mine in the engineering dept. who has 8 children told me yesterday that those percentiles are based on "Iowa corn-fed" babies, giving skewed standards, thus his kids are consistently in the low range.

The doctor performed the routine reflex tests and so forth and said he's perfectly normal. He can now be placed on his tummy with supervision for a few minutes each day to aid his development and build up his muscles to support that beautiful baby head. Speaking of which, Logan has had a small red ovular mark on the left between his temple and crown, a mark we thought was one of the small scabs from the forceps. But Dr. Duncan said this is just a birthmark that may grow slightly as he gets bigger, but will eventually go away. It will be covered by his hair at any rate. He has another teeny-tiny one on his back but it's the size of a pin prick.

Today Logan made cute bellowing sounds like "A-oooo" to let us know he was ready to feed. It reminded me of a family saying, one always directed to wee ones: "Can you say, 'A-boo'?" I have no idea what that means. Here's another: "Yetchanoyetch, honey." I finally figured that one out after I heard a line in an old black & white movie where an actress said to a baby, "Yes, and oh yes." I put that together with my parents' palatalization ("ch" sound) of the sibilant "s" and determined it was just a bygone expression obscured further by baby-talk pronunciation. By no means do I look down on it; I use it freely myself without even thinking, as we revert to those native terms of endearment that spring most readily to the lips.

Today it is raining cats and dogs, and so we'll try to take more photos of Logan sporting his favorite outfits and then post them. For this video taken today, it shows up better if you tilt your screen downward and maybe adjust the brightness. He's our hungry caterpillar!

Logan's 1st Babysitter

Last night Amanda and I went to hear Dr. Brad Gambill, Director of the JBU Honors Program, deliver his presentation on Native American literature at the annual Lee Balzer dinner/lecture. The food was decent and the company was excellent. It was just great to be out with other adults, especially our intelligent and compassionate colleagues. Logan slept the whole time we were gone while being looked after by Kate Sullivan, a wonderful student of ours from last summer's Irish Studies Program.

Logan is gradually building up more chub around his belly, his thighs, and his upper arms. He seems just a bit longer and larger every day. One frustrating thing is how differently each brand of pampers fits him. When we run out of one type, we have to relearn how to wrap them around and fasten them securely enough that he won't wet on us completely while holding and burping him. Why can't they be 1 size fits all? Or why can't they engineer the things in a more standard way? Oh, well. At least he's such a good baby. He doesn't complain much or even cry for very long.

For the past few weeks, Logan has been smiling back at us whenever we come over to greet him. It is a consistent behavior -- his whole face lights up with euphoria as we say his name and talk to him with big smiles of our own.

Mandy is just now leaving to take him to the doctor for his shots. We hope it won't make him too fussy the rest of the day. We were hoping to try eating out at our favorite Friday night destination: Wooden Spoon, the Mennonite restaurant in Gentry. Our friends the Allens wanted to meet us there. If Logan is calm by that time, we might pull it off. We tried to eat there a few weeks ago, but the line was out the door even before they opened. We had better luck another weekend at a Thai restaurant that isn't crowded, and so we know that eating out with Logan can be done; we just have to be careful at more crowded places.

Dinner & A Movie with Logan!

Last night Mama and Daddy finally managed to see a movie after eating out with Logan! It was his first trip out of town, actually. We had been wanting to take him to the 112 Drive-in Theatre in Fayetteville for a long time, and we got our chance when our plan to see "Becoming Jane Austen" in Rogers fell through: even though we started packing up an hour before leaving, the delays are never ending, and Rogers is 45 min. away. So we settled for dinner in Tontitown at Venesian (a favorite Italian spot) followed by the drive-in showing of Ocean's 13.

Boy, we had an adventure on this outing! About 4 miles outside Tontitown, we hit either a sharp rock or a bear trap in the road that popped our right front tire. Since I'd read so many accounts of fatal accidents this year from people changing tires, we moved out of the car as fast as possible with Logan in his car seat, toward some trees on a wide shoulder of clean grass far from the highway. We put his car seat on the stroller and shaded him from the sun. As I prepared the jack for our first flat tire, I realized that our used car dealer had put in a crank without the lug wrench on the end! We started phoning friends on our cell phone, but pretty soon a friendly couple pulled over, filled our tire with Fix-a-Flat, and went to borrow a tire iron that would fit our lug nuts (their own wrench was too small). The sealant was strong enough for us to reach the next gas station 5 miles away, where the nice people brought us the wrench. We had a great dinner afterward and an enjoyable night on the town. At the drive-in we sat on camping chairs with a citronella candle and a blanket for Mandy to wrap herself and Logan, sipping cokes and eating movie nachos and M&Ms. Whenever Logan needed to eat, the car was dark and private enough for nursing and changing. A pretty good setup, it turns out.

Logan is looking longer (not in the tooth yet) and less lean. His fingers look more like a little boy's, and the finger-nails are not so miniscule as they were at first. He has been expanding his repertoire of sounds with high-pitched inquisitive cooes, sounds like laughter, and "nga" and "llla." While we watched the movies last night, he practically purred like a lion cub and made contented sighs. We take him on stroller walks almost every evening with a mosquito net to protect him, which puts him to sleep unless it's still light out, and then he enjoys looking around. this Labor Day weekend, we'll be doing chores in the yard and enjoying the first day off granted by JBU for the holiday. For me, that means more housework and book editing! But we'll be spending our free time with our favorite little tyke, videotaping his antics with a JBU camcorder and just enjoying his company. We love his little voice and can't wait to hear his first words.

Logan is growing!

from August 26, 2007 - Sunday

Logan is a well-mannered little manchild, but during the first month he would really fuss and get enraged in the wee hours of night during Daddy's shift. I would "shush" him loudly, which is a way the books say will comfort him if he can hear it over his own cries, since it reminds him of the sounds in the womb. Then I would sing old hymns and songs by Queen including a lullabye called "Dear Friends" and an Arthurian theme song called "Father to Son." We bonded in those late, late hours, and it was great to stare back into his eyes as he calmed down and listened. Vivian would be on call then from 4 a.m. til the next feeding. We gradually discovered the little guy was antsy because he wasn't quite getting enough milk, even though Mandy fed him all day and night on a tight schedule. Blocked milk ducts are a common ailment, and it's been a tough situation. We got him weighed after 6 weeks, and he was a pound below the norm for his size, so we have been supplementing nursings with formula. In just 3 days he had gained nearly the whole pound back (9lbs. 6oz.)! Now his arms, thighs, and even his little digits on hands and feet are getting chubby.

Our pastor (a word I'm not used to yet, coming from a church of Christ background) led a prayer that included many kind blessings on Logan and for us as parents the Sunday after his birth. They had a rose at the front of the sanctuary in his honor, which they gave to us. (We've attended this loving, reverent congregation since January even though we're Armenians masquerading as Calvinists. But they will baptize by immersion and at an age of accountability, if that is what parishioners feel a conviction for. It's a compassionate church that resists the latest fads and technological gimmicks, retaining instead some high church liturgical traditions like saying the apostles' creed each week along with the doxology. It observes rituals of reverence that keep the focus on God and not on hyper-seeker-commercialism, and so ushers one into a sacred encounter that is a special time, a holy time, unlike the rest of our lives bombarded by secular distractions.)

His eyebrows are starting to grow in, and his eyelashes sprouted sometime in the second week. Right now his baby acne (cheeks and forehead) is starting to recede. His hair, which looked well-groomed at birth with perfectly squared sideburns as if he'd just stepped out of a barber shop, is getting longer, and he still has peach fuzz growing on his shoulders. We have to clip his finger nails every week! His feet are definitely bigger, and his toes are not quite as stubby as they were. One of his cutest features is his big toes -- they're like bulbous little balloons down there.

He has always flailed his beefy arms about like a conductor or a rock star making dramatic sweeping gestures. He growls contentedly sometimes while nursing, during the first weeks almost like a song. I have enjoyed carrying him around in a sling-wrap we ordered online for $25 or so. It is another trick for making him feel the security of the womb, and it frees me up to be mobile and use my hands to type at the computer or get coffee when I'm "on duty." The other godsend has been the Snap 'N Go carseat stroller, which allows you to take a newborn out on walks by attaching the regular car seat into the frame, facing you as you push. It's helped Mandy and me get outdoors into the fresh air and stretch our legs, meanwhile exposing Logan to new sights, sounds, and smells. His first stroller ride was Aug. 7 while Jerusha was here. The whole family went, including Heidi. Jerusha refinished an endtable for us, sanding and staining it for the den. And she made reuben sandwiches and other tasty meals, too. While Vivian was here, she also did some sewing projects for the nursery and constant cleaning and laundry assistance. We could not have survived without all this help!

Mandy and I will be adding new posts to Logan's blogsite, so stay tuned for more details on his development. . .

Logan’s Run

from August 25, 2007 - Saturday

From Logan:  I was born on a convenient date to remember (7/11). I weighed in at 8lbs. 14oz. and was 20" long. I started slimming for a while, but now I'm over 9lbs. and 6 oz. and I've grown 2". Daddy says Logan is a good Gaelic name that he and Mama both liked when they tried it out many moons ago. Alexander is the last name of a great author of stories adapted from Welsh legends. But Dad realized while talking to Grampa H. after I was born that both names are significant in Arkansas: Logan Springs Cave is a protected habitat of endangered species near my hometown, and Alexander Cave is one of the largest in the state, well known to spelunkers, and the first wild cave Daddy ever explored, back in college days. Some of my remarkable features: big barrel chest and round shoulders, Mama's pretty eyes, Daddy's nose, rich dark chocolate hair with 2 crowns at the back, a dimple on my chin (rather dashing), detached earlobes, and an outie.

We spent this summer getting ready for Logan: putting the nursery furniture together (crib, dresser/changer, toybox, wall borders); getting the house and 1 acre in order (fixing mowers, weeding garden, stump removing, repairing car upholstery, removing mold in shed and on eaves and replacing a windowscreen, etc.). We feel like we're finally settled in after 4 years. Our new furniture makes it much easier and more fun to host friends and family. Jerusha spent her spring break making the place have the feel of an old English manor with some accents and furnishings she and my Mom picked out.

Mandy was induced on July 9 due to high blood pressure and yet her water broke on its own and her contractions were doing just fine by themselves. Logan was strong and experienced no difficulties; he wasn't troubled too much by the pushing as many babies are; his heart rate remained even. The only complication was that he came down the pike at a slight slant (not breach), which made the final pushing hard for Mandy, lasting 3 hours out of 30 for the labor. Even with the epidural, the pain was excruciating for Mandy, but she was brave and tough! She had to breathe oxygen toward the end, and Dr. Crownover used forceps so expertly that it hardly left a mark. Of course, Logan had the "conehead" that most babies get, but it was nearly gone the next day. The doctor offered to let me cut the umbilical cord, which I had planned to avoid, but it was so neatly pinned on both sides and the doc so laid back about it that I couldn't refuse. A pretty painless and clean set of snips, actually, was all it amounted to. Vivian helped the whole time, getting ice chips and helping Mandy through each contraction by stabilizing her legs with me as I breathed with Mandy and counted. Quite an ordeal, but we all got through it with lots of prayer, and God answered every single one. The Allens (Holly and Leonard) dropped in to see us in the hospital, as did Lori Johnson and Becca Weitemeyer.

Vivian stayed with us the next 3 weeks, and Logan certainly kept us all on our toes. We soon had many joyful rounds of visitors: Uncle Wood & Cousin Patty; Merl, Ross, and Jerusha; Mom & Dad (Jean, Glenn) and Toni; Jerusha again for more household assistance; Nathan & Joanna; Sonya Sawyer. Dad was able to stay at a rehab center, which made it possible for him and mom to come: lo and behold, one of my graduated English majors was on call there for her summer job, and she took good care of Dad. Many local friends from JBU and church brought us meals or groceries: Robbie Castleman, Ed & Julie Ericson, Karla & Brent Swearingen, Ben & Becca, Patty Gambill, Galen & Lori Johnson, Ann Jones, Susan Vila, Judy & Don Balla.



















Our home computer crashed the day after Logan was born, so it took a few weeks of troubleshooting, ordering parts, and going to a local tech shop to get it repaired. In the meantime I printed birth announcements at Walmart, and eventually I was able to get a little editing done on the C.S. Lewis book, but sleep deprivation definitely took its toll this summer. It's all been worth it, however, as God has forced us to slow down and drop everything for others. Pampering (feeding, cleaning, burping, bathing, dressing) Logan has been good for me: learning to be patient and trust that God will provide, no matter how many setbacks we face. I like nothing better than to be interrupted nowadays. What a joy to see that little chubby face with bright eyes being brought in to see Daddy! I have been attempting to carry over this attitude and work ethic into my job, and I already feel more at ease in spite of the usual stresses.

Mandy has been amazing. No one could have done a better job in these challenging phases of Logan's life. She has faced a protracted recuperation, blocked milk ducts, less sleep than ever in her life, and constant nursings around the clock, both night and day. Her fortitude and patience have been a great example as we all learn to cope with new routines. God has truly blessed us this summer, giving us strength each day, and with many answered prayers we're able to attend church again and get to work (Mandy in the morning and me in the afternoons), where we enjoy teaching our delightful college students at JBU. The days surrounding Logan's arrival were filled with blackberry picking and cobbler baking, movie watching, reading, writing, and gardening. It's been the most challenging and most fulfilling summer of our lives, and it has come to an end.
I will post Logan's developmental details in the next blog, so stay tuned. . .