Visiting Family

This weekend, Laine and I ran in our first race since Linden's arrival. We have run in the Christie Clinic races in Champaign for the past few years so it was nice to return to such a familiar race this weekend.

Laine ran the 10k and I ran the half marathon. My parents came to Bloomington on Friday evening, spent the night, and followed us to Champaign Saturday morning.
We ran our races while my parents watched Linden and met up after to head to my dad's Aunt Neva's house (Linden's Great Great Aunt Neva).

Linden enjoyed meeting more family and though she slept most of the visit, my aunts were happy to hold her while she slept.

There's still family on both sides who haven't had a chance to meet Linden yet, but we're looking forward to introducing her to everyone over the next few months.

We took our first step to prepare Linden to meet her family in Canada this week when we submitted Linden's passport forms. Laine and I were both required to be present when we submitted the application and it was funny to see her get her passport picture taken. We took her out of her car seat so that the guy at the post office could lay down a white sheet, then we put her back in and he snapped a picture.

They always tell you not to smile in your passport photo and Linden obeyed. We're still firming up plans for our first trip with Linden to Canada but plan to make the trip before the fall. Grandma Strachan and her family are always great hosts so we're looking forward to our visit and to introducing Linden to her Canadian family.

Giggles

Linden is always a lot of fun to be around, but she's been extra fun ever since she started to giggle.

She's been flashing us smiles for months and laughing from time to time, but it's been only in the past month that we've been able to really get her going.

Things that make Linden crack up include mom rocking her (LB's) behind from side to side while calling her a wiggle worm, me giving her a strawberry on her belly (is that what they call it? I need someone to catch me up to speed on dad terms), and looking at herself in the mirror. It's a great parenting reward that keeps you coming back despite the difficult times.

Linden went through spell of puking most days. Each time it came with little warning though sometimes you could sense it was coming, like an old man sensing an upcoming storm through his bum knee. One time while feeding Linden I stopped to burp her because she'd paused. As I stood up, I sensed she was going to spew up the entire bottle. In that same moment, a calm came over me as I turned her face toward my neck and shoulder, playing the bodyguard for whatever was behind me on our floor.
As the warm, sticky formula slowly soaked through to my skin I felt I'd reached a milestone as a parent. One that, previous to Linden's arrival, I thought may never come. Let me explain.

I have a distinct memory of my brother-in-law Jesse getting showered in a gush of baby spew a few years ago. The amount of liquid that coated Jesse and the floor was at first shocking (how does so much come out from something so small?!) and then repulsive. I thought, then and there, I just may not be cut out for parenting.

So I peeled off my shirt and began the (now routine) Murphy's oil floor cleaning and felt a sense of pride.

All In

Photo taken by Miss Laura

Laine and I have been very busy the past few weeks. Work has thrown some curveballs at us both but we've been able to lean on one another to make sure that Linden is well taken care of and that we're taking care of one another. I'm in awe of single parents. I have not idea how you can do this without a partner who has your back.

I posted a photo of me and Linden at an Illinois Wesleyan basketball game and the Titans kept winning, advancing all the way to the Division III Final Four. We didn't make the trip to Salem, VA to be there in person but we did watch the game as a family at the Hansen Student Center.

The week leading up to the Final Four was also spring break for IWU and for the school our day care provider's kids attend. So Miss Dee and her family took a road trip to Florida for the week and Linden got to visit some of the wonderful people who'd looked after her before she was ready for daycare. She got to spend time with Erika, Lexy and Laura and they were all so happy to see her and surprised at how big she is and all her new tricks.

Linden is now sitting up with medium assistance but she's really starting to master her hands and feet. She still looks at her hands in awe from time to time, but instead of being awed by their existance and proximity, she's now awed by their potential. She once shook them wildly but now she's much more deliberate with her movements. She brings pacifiers to her mouth, is selective in what she grabs, and even passes toys from one hand to the other. Just today I noticed her using her feet (while she was sitting) to bring a toy to her hands.

These past two weeks have been exceptionally busy for me at work. Illinois Wesleyan held it's second (annual?) "All in for Wesleyan" day on campus. The first All in for Wesleyan was last July 17 and was a very successful one-day fundraising campaign, promoted entirely over email and social media. We raised over $480,000 from nearly 2,500 donors. This year we held the day on April 2 but it was once again a surprise event. Since class was in session this year, we had an opportunity to involve the campus community. We kicked off the day at midnight with over 500 students at our athletic center and went all day. The numbers are still being tallied but it appears to be a huge success. Likely about the same number of donors as last year and over $700,000 raised. I've been preparing for this day for weeks, so I'm glad it went so well. And now I'm looking forward to spending more time with LB and relaxing over the weekend.

Kickoff event for All in for Wesl