Almost Obi-wan

Elven Magic

2007-12-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm Gonna Get You

2007-10-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Gareth has been struggling with Halloween costumes. Over the last several weeks, he expressed interesting in being Darth Vader, Superman, Batman, and a pumpkin. A couple of nights ago, however, he put together his own costume. I was cleaning the kitchen after dinner when I heard footsteps creep up behind me. A voice spoke: "Daddy, I'm gonna get you." I turned to see this terrifying image.

Before deciding on Slasher With a Lightsaber, Gareth tried several other costumes. The baker costume was too messy.

Presidential protester was too political and might limit the amount of candy he receives while trick or treating. His shirt reads, "My IQ is higher than the President's"

Batman is a dark horse costume; we're not sure he's ruled out that option entirely.

Random Pics

2007-05-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of random pics from around Easter.

Snow Day!

2007-03-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, winter finally descended on Decorah and Gareth experienced his first snowy play day.

Hangin' with the Boys

2007-02-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

Gareth and I spend a great deal of time together. Thanks to the flexibility of my schedule, I'm home with the G almost every morning. One of our favorite activities is to cuddle, Dad sitting in his desk chair and Gareth slouching in Dad's lap, while we watch the infamous Mr. Noodles of Elmo's World. Those two vaudevillian jokers really crack us up.

Some mornings, Gareth's hair makes the punkiest of punk rockers envious.

Eat your heart out Johnny Rotten.

The Decorah Home for Phlegm Convalescence

2007-02-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

Everyone in our household is presently sick. Gareth is recovering from pneumonia, Kathleen is struggling with a chest cold, and I'm just getting over a sinus infection. What the heck? We're fairly healthy folk--we eat WAY healthier than most folks in these parts--and we're the ones who get sick. Ick. Despite all the illness swirling around, we've still managed to snap on occasional picture or two of Gareth. Sick or not, he's one good looking kid.

Enjoy!

Clamor

2007-01-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

Gareth's fans have been clamoring for new pictures. Who am I to say no? We're all a bit under the weather--a cold is making the rounds--so no witty commentary this time around. Sorry to disappoint the fans.

Here's the Gman hanging out in the office sometime before the holidays.

Happy Yule! Gareth had no problems picking up on the rip the paper off the present aspect of the holiday.

When Gareth tired out, Bishop got into the act.

Here's Gareth poking his head out of his new play tent.

Gareth has some of the messiest hair I've ever seen (with the exception of my own). What a thing to inherent from Dad, eh?

This is Halloween

2006-12-13T06:08:00.000-08:00

Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween

Well, that's just fine
Say it once, say it twice
Take a chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night

Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee
Make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everyone scream
Wont' ya please make way for a very special guy

Our man jack is King of the Pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King

Springs

2006-12-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

I just love this set of pictures. I'm not sure of the exact time frame, but I think these were taken in early October. The weather was still warm--not so warm anymore--and we decided to do some hiking in the local bluffs.

Thanksgiving Day Repairs

2006-11-23T17:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the virulent stomach virus running through our household--we've apparently infected almost everyone with whom we've had contact, too--we postponed Thanksgiving dinner until Saturday. Everyone in our house has had a touchy stomach the last few days. I was feeling a bit better today and decided that Gareth and I should have our first father and son repair session. The garage door needed a new gear, the weather was warm, and Gareth had the afternoon free. So, I climbed the ladder to make a preliminary inspection.

Yep, the door still needed a new gear. I'm not all that great with tools and after a few attempts at removing a rather tricky nut, I turned over the task to Gareth.

Brandishing his trusty rachet wrench, he made quick work of that pesky nut.

How does he make it look so damn simple?

And he left me to tighten things up when finished. He retired for a snack and a nap; I stayed in the cold garage and cleaned up his mess. Figures.

Strange One, Indeed

2006-10-29T22:44:00.000-08:00

Given the fact that Kathleen and I are his parents, we knew Gareth had a good chance of being an unusual child. We'd accept nothing less! What we didn't anticipate, however, is the way he's taken to strangeness like a fish takes to water. Gareth is definitely a quirky kid . . . and we love it! Case in point. The minute Kathleen pulled out the Halloween decorations, Gareth spotted a goofy fabric candy bag and promptly looped the handle over this head.

Here's our little bundle of joy screaming at us to play with stuffed Yoda.

And here he is being too damn cute.

About the time we'd grown accustomed to our own little version of Batboy running around the house, not to be confused with the Bat Boy of the Weekly World News

Gareth introduced us to colander head.

I guess it beats a lampshade, eh?

Stick around as it gets even stranger. I wish I had an audioblog to share the way Gareth offers up a ghoulish "Mwahahahaaaaa" every time he sees a skull.

Me and My Shadow

2006-08-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

By special request, a couple of father and son pics.

Rest assured, dressing alike will never become a habit. In fact, this is probably the only time you'll see this particular phenomenon.

Gareth is a Punk Rocker!

2006-08-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Recent pics of Gareth rockin out in his Ramones t-shirt.

Rock on!

A future album cover pose?

Practicing the infamous stage slide.

Crawling home for the night.

Walking!

2006-08-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

We knew it was coming. Despite our best efforts to keep him grounded on all fours and, thereby, at least a little bit manageable, Gareth decided to take his first honest to goodness steps earlier today. Sure, he's taken one tentative step here and there for the last couple weeks, but this was the real "look at me take a half dozen steps" deal.

"Look at me! Look at me!"

And we're off!

Leaning a little to starboard.

Time for a bit of a rest.

Mom and Dad cheered each step loudly and Gareth loved the attention. With every stumble (he does more of an intentional belly flop on the carpet--we're not sure exactly what that's about), he got back on his feet and took a few steps. After five minutes or so, he found himself distracted by Dad's Green Lantern toys and gave up on walking for the day. We're sure to see more in the future. Egads.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea

2006-08-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

At the end of July, Gareth, Kathleen, Tess and I celebrated the local Norwegian heritage festival, also known as Nordicfest, by participating in many of the festivities. One of those festivities was an early morning 15K run. Gareth wanted to go with me, but I decided his added 20 pounds would hurt my time.

Rather than running, he relaxed on a blanket.

A few weeks earlier, Gareth went for his first official swim in Grandma Holly's pool.

The water was a bit cold and he didn't enjoy the refreshing dip all that much.

He was far happier on the raft than he was in the water proper.

One

2006-06-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Although it's hard to believe 365 days have flown by, they have; Gareth turned one on June 17. So many things have changed in the past year and he's becoming more of a little boy than a baby. For example, Kathleen and I don't need to hand feed him at every single meal or snack. Gareth's becoming quite adept at eating things like banana, cantaloup, pears, cheese, veggie burgers, and macaroni and cheese. He even tried a little bit of green pepper a couple nights ago. He really seemed to love his birthday dinner of veggie burger, cheese curds, cantaloup, peaches, and pear juice.

When we asked how he was enjoying his meal, he was unavailable for comment as his hand was stuffed in his mouth.

After dinner proper, it was time for the best part of a birthday: cake!

We ordered the cake from a popular local bakery (yes, we have more than one bakery in Decorah) and Kathleen and I were a little disappointed with the lack of festive cake decorating. Gareth gave us an "Is that it?" look when he saw the cake, too.

Given that the important part of a cake is the flavor and not the overall appearance, we all suspended judgment until the tasting commenced. Gareth took the first bite honors.

After giving his approval . .

we all commenced a cake feast! Indeed, the cake was quite good. Gareth wasn't sure he liked the feeling of cake squishing between his fingers.

We decided he inherited Kathleen's sense of cleanliness--dirty hands just won't do. He pleaded with Kathleen to get a baby wipe.

A good, cake eatin' time was had by all.

Crawlin' Two: Infant Boogaloo

2006-04-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

He's still crawling.

When he stops, he finds himself in some unusual places.

Once in a while, he stops for a snack (that's dogfood in his hand).

With a full tummy, he's off for more adventures!

Goin' Mobile

2006-04-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

It had to happen sooner or later. We would have preferred later rather than sooner, but there's no going back and our lives have changed forever. Gareth is crawling. Clear the floor and get anything dangerous or breakable out of his reach; Gareth is going exploring. By his mischievous grin, you just know he's looking for trouble.

Trouble? Did someone mention trouble? How about playing in the doggie water bowl!

How about climbing Dad's office chair?

Let's play with DVDs!

Crawl, crawl, as fast as you can
You can't catch me, I'm the g-man!

Across the Arctic Tundra!

2006-04-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

For someone who hadn't spent a single winter in the midwest, Gareth was amazingly prepared for the harsh conditions. If the temperature was in the upper 20s, he insisted we take him for a long walk in the stroller. He handled the cold weather far better than either of his parents. We attribute his cold weather hardiness to his most excellent hat.

When I informed him that a below zero stretch was about to begin, he seemed thrilled by the prospect.

When we informed him that he'd one day inherit the chore of shoveling snow, he seemed less than thrilled.

More Family Fun

2006-03-17T20:19:00.000-08:00

Gareth also had the chance to catch up with the Sweet side of the family. He spent time with his Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, and cousin.

As you can see, Grandma and Granpa weren't at all thrilled to spend time with Gareth.

Gareth is no doubt reaching for some of Grandpa Sweet's ice cream, or some other confection, in this picture. Grandpa Sweet is, no doubt, letting Gareth get into whatever he wants (Grandpa Sweet used to sneak Ryan ice cream when he thought noone was looking).

And finally, a picture of Gareth with his mom, Aunt Suzanne, and Cousin Ryan, relaxing on the bare floor of The Albatross.

Family Photo Time!

2006-03-14T21:43:00.000-08:00

During their recent trip back to Colorado, Kathleen and Gareth took a ton of pictures. As one might guess, most of the photos included various family members and friends. This current post includes several members of the Burns family.

Gareth played with his cousin, Alexander.

He also spent time with Aunt Svoboda and Uncle David.

Grandma and Grandpa Burns did their best to spoil Gareth rotten (as grandparents should).

Gareth can't wait to make the return trip to Colorado in just a couple of weeks.

Miscellany

2006-03-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

I was looking through Gareth's online photo storage area and discovered a handful of pictures that really don't fit any particular category. So, these are a bunch of Gareth pics with which I didn't know what to do.

Snoopy Pants!

Mmmmm. Hands taste good.

Huh?

Get me out of here.

GET ME OUT OF HERE!

Where's the baby?

Flannel Man

2006-02-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

Can anyone say enough about the wonder fabric that is flannel? Since the days of high school, I've worn flannel on a regular basis. That's right, I was grunge about a decade before grunge was cool. Ripped jeans, t-shirt, and an unbuttoned flannel shirt? Now that's style. Thankfully, Gareth is following in his father's footsteps.

A Boy and his . . . Chicken?

2006-02-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

Some fun pics from Kathlen and Gareth's recent journey back to Denver. These pictures cracked me up.

If that big chicken doesn't give him nightmares when he's older, nothing will.

Sleeping Mind

2006-01-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

Stars drift overhead
As dreams delight sleeping mind
Gentle wind whispers

Tummy Time!

2006-01-18T22:13:00.000-08:00

Gareth has mastered the art of rolling from his back to his tummy.

Once over, however, he makes like a turtle. That's right, he thrashes his arms and legs but can't make it back over. As Admiral Ackbar would say, "He's trapped!"

Thankfully, Gareth is equipped with an organic rescue beacon: his mouth. You should hear him holler when he gets tired of being trapped on his belly.

In all fairness to Gareth, Kathleen reports he has managed to work his way over from his tummy to his back. Twice.

Fight! Fight! Fight! for Iowa

2006-01-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, this post was made with my folks in mind. My dad, and most of his brothers, attended the University of Iowa. In fact, until my sister and I attended Colorado State, I'm pretty sure our blood ran black and gold. I think my grandfather probably rolled over in his grave when I decided that Iowa, an out-of-state school, wasn't in the cards.

All is not lost, family. Believe it or not, Gareth is already starting to look at potential schools and we think he's leaning toward the University of Iowa!

The word is "Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,

Let every loyal Iowan sing;

The word is "Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,"

Until the walls and rafters ring (Go Hawks!)

Come on and cheer, cheer, cheer, for IOWA

Come on and cheer until you hear the final gun.

The word is "Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,"
Until the game is won.
.
.
.
Or at least until someone finishes sucking on his sock.

Good Eatin

2006-01-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

Everything seems to find its way to Gareth's mouth. Food? In it goes. Paper? Lick. Toys? In the mouth. Dog sitting next to him? Better give it a taste.

Gross.

Celebrity Comparison!

2006-01-02T22:36:00.000-08:00

The comparisons between Gareth and celebrities just keeps on rolling. Gareth has been compred to the Flukeman and Modok. Recently, one of his parents suggested a similarity with a royal muppet of Farscape fame.

Dominar Gareth I

Dominar Rygel XVI

Dominar Gareth I

Uncanny resemblance, don't you think?

Happy New Year!

2005-12-31T22:23:00.000-08:00

What? It's 2006 already?

Time flies when you have cool parents like mine.

Happy 2006 to all our friends and family.

More Swinging . . . and Exersaucering!

2005-12-31T08:42:00.000-08:00

What? More pics of me in the swing?

That's right, Gareth, more pictures of you in the swing. When you smile for the camera, we're going to take lots of pictures.

You're pretty darn cute when you're playing, too.

Swinger

2005-12-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

In the mornings, when Mom heads off to work, Gareth hangs out with me in the office. He's quite content to lounge in his swing while I check email, read the news, eat breakfast, and have a cup of java.

Every once in a while, I catch him leaning toward the bookcase. He seems drawn to the works of Gadamer, Bakhtin, and Derrida. A philosopher in the making?

Seconds later, his attention is drawn back to his stuffed Spider-man. If you can figure out how to interwine Bakhtin's heteroglossia and Spider-man, you'll have a successful future as an academic, Gareth.

Happy Solstice!

2005-12-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, December 21, the day of the Winter Solstice, we celebrated Yule. As it was Gareth's 1st holiday season, we did our best to capture the spirit digitally. Kathleen did a marvelous job decorating the Yule tree. Doesn't the tree make our place look festive?

Gareth's choice in wardrobe really warmed my heart. Go Nuggets!

With the prelimary photos out of the way, we turned our attention to the task at hand: presents! We outfitted Gareth with an avalanche beacon just in case he got lost in the mountain of goodies.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. Here he is giving us the, "Uh, what's going on?" look.

Gareth tore into his first package . . . and found himself distracted immediately by the crinkley wrapping paper. He become so interested in the wrapping and tissue paper, that he essentially ignored the toys/clothes/books inside the packages.

The only thing that drew his attention away from the paper madness was our threat to put him in the zoo.

That's right, Gareth, the zoo.

Overall, we had a lovely Solstice celebration and owe our friends and families a great many thanks. Thanks for all the heartfelt gifts. To each and every one you, no matter what holiday you celebrate this year, we hope your celebration is filled with love, light, and laughter.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2005-12-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

As a child, my family and I didn't travel a whole lot. Oh, we made the frequent trip over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house, and the almost annual family vacation to Colorado. And who could forget the summer vacation to Branson, Missouri and Silver Dollar City! Gareth, we will never subject you to a frontier oriented theme park. Your mother and I promise. In defense of my own parents, I should mention we stayed at a motel with a nice pool and a killer shuffle board court. While we did the travel around the Midwest bit, my family and I never traveled by air. In fact, I think I was well into my teens before I ever flew in an airplane. Kathleen, on the other hand, had a very different experience. With a commercial pilot as a father, she was jet-setting by three or four years old.

Before Gareth entered our lives, Kathleen and I decided we'd try to take him everywhere. When he arrived, we followed through on that commitment. From two weeks old on, he's been zooming around with us on errands, hiking the wooded trails of Iowa (two months old, I believe), and, most recently, flying the friendly skies. Oh, and riding the rails. That's right, our recent trip to Boston exposed Gareth to a whole host of planes, trains, and automobiles. And we caught it all on film!

We began our journey with a three hour drive, through a snow storm, to Minneapolis, the city of departure. After staying overnight in a hotel, we hopped into an airport shuttle. That's vehicle number one! Alas, we didn't think to snap a photo of the van. We'll let everyone use their imagination for that leg of our journey.

Arriving at the airport, we passed through a full security sweep (why does this always happen to me?!) and made our way to the gate. Gareth could barely contain himself with all the excitement.

With a brief layover in Chicago, we finished our flight to the east coast, caught another shuttle, and arrived a few minutes before our train arrived at the station. That's right, Gareth also traveled by Amtrak!

A couple weeks before we left on our trip the airline decided to discontinue their Chicago to Boston flight and shifted us to another airline for that leg of the journey. Unfortunately, that airline only flew to Providence, Rhode Island, about 40 minutes away from Boston. So, we booked a train to take us from Providence to Boston. Gareth couldn't wait to get on the train!

Arriving safely in Boston, our stack of luggage in tow, Tess greeted us at the train station, hailed a cab (another vehicle!), and took us to our lovely inn. To this point in the journey, Gareth had traveled by car, shuttle (twice!), airplane (twice!), train, and cab.

The next day, we hopped a commuter rail line to the Back Bay area of Boston. Here we are waiting for our ride. Please note the rails in the beautifully framed photo.

Gareth loved looking out the window at the passing sights.

Just so we don't forget to mention one mode of transportation, Gareth also rode about town in his mom & dad powered stroller.

After a long day of journeying, Gareth retired early.

The last day of our visit to Boston, we played tourist and visited the historical areas of the city. I had to visit the esteemed Samuel Adams, a man with whom I became intimately familiar while writing my MA thesis, Samuel Adams and the Rhetorical Requirements of Leadership.

Gareth paid his respects to Mr. Adams, too.

Sunday morning, we woke at 4 AM and started the trip back to Iowa: Cab>Train>Shuttle>Plane>Plane>Shuttle>Auto. All in all, Gareth was a marvelous traveler. In fact, several people approached us throughout the trip and said, "He's an amazing traveler." But of course! We raised him that way.

Miscellany

2005-12-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

No witty banter this time around, just cute picks of Gareth. Enjoy.

And finally, a boy and his dad's dog.

I love that last picture.

Guest Photographer

2005-12-02T22:28:00.000-08:00

Time for a little change of pace. Three weeks ago, Kathleen, Gareth, and I traveled to Boston, MA for the National Communication Association convention. Kathleen and Gareth were lucky--I only subjected them to two hours of textbook browsing. While in Boston, we hooked up with our dear friends Tess and John. Tess and I did the geeky convention thing (we're both academics by trade) and John showed Kathleen and Gareth around the city. During the trip, John snapped a few digital photos and that's how he became Almost Obi-wan's first guest photographer. This entire post is brought to us through the digital magic of John.

I'm kind of sad I missed this magic moment. Look at Gareth eyeing that cup of coffee!

A little over five months old and he's already showing an interest in coffee?! Is there any question the kid has my genes?

John also captured a full-fledged smile/giggle moment.

Now that is a happy baby.

John also captured a meta-photo moment. Here's a picture of me taking a picture of Gareth.

Finally, John used the timer function on his camera and captured a moment of John, Tess, Kathleen, Gareth, and Derek hijinx!

Nice work, John!

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

2005-11-22T20:25:00.000-08:00

Gareth experienced his 1st Halloween a few weeks back. After a great deal of deliberation, he decided to go with a Dad-pleasing costume . . . The Green Lantern!

As this picture attests, Gareth was shocked to learn about the Halloween tradition.

That's right, free candy!

Hearing the word, "candy," Gareth jumped right into the action.

He's still struggling with the concepts of "candy" and "not candy." Still, he seems to enjoy trying to eat everything and anything.

After a quick Halloween card snack, we headed off for tricks or treats!

He was obviously still a little stunned by the whole concept. Still, we gave it a good go. Here we are making the rounds at one of the Luther residence halls.

Yes, Gareth, that's a wig. Mom's hair hasn't been blonde in quite some time.

Rounding a corner, we found ourselves attacked by a bat!

Good thing Batty Bat won't bite!

Ubiquitous Prunes

2005-11-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

Autumn, a friend of ours from Aurora, offers the following Haiku as a response to Gareth and his new food adventures.

Luke, be not spoon-fed
By the Dark Side of the Force
Ubiquitous prunes.

Almost Obi-wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the Dark Side. Gareth must obey his master! Or his dad, whichever the case may be. Together, we will rule the galaxy as father and son!

The Food Dude

2005-11-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

Exciting news in the world of Gareth over the last couple weeks. First, he passed his four month doctor visit with flying colors (15 lbs 3 oz, 25 inches). Second, the doctor gave him the okay to start solid food. The old school approach to feeding a child suggests holding off on the solid stuff until 6 months; the new school approach says your child is ready when he or she is ready. The new school approach also says there are no rules regarding what to feed your child, provided the food is well smooshed. So, we made our way to the store and picked up a variety of smooshed foods.

Some parents report difficultues getting their infants to eat solid foods. We have no such problems. He started with pears . . .

and devoured the fruity delicacy as fast as we could shovel the goods into his mouth. In fact, you'll note his hand on Kathleen's wrist. When we're not feeding him fast enough he screams, grabs the spoon hand, and shoves it toward his gaping maw.

While he likes pears, his present food favorite--by far--is prunes. Yes, prunes.

Make sure you take note of Gareth's cool Darth Vader bowl. Only the best of geek dinnerware for our child. Prunes are bit messier than pears.

Actually, the color of the prunes makes the process look messier. Feeding an infant is not a task for those who can't stand a mess.

Look, Dad, a prune goatee!

Very funny, kid. Very funny.

To date, Gareth's list of food experiences includes:
pears
prunes
sweet potato and apple surprise
rice cereal.

Next week we venture into green vegetable territory. Stay tuned!

Reality Check

2005-10-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

As much as we'd like to think all our friends and family stop by Almost Obi-wan to check on Kathleen and I, we're hip to the reality of the situation. People stop by this blog to see Gareth. And see him you will. I've pulled together a handful of pictures taken over the last couple weeks.

Check out the young rocker!

Whoever thought of the AB/CD t-shirt is a genius.

Here's a shot when we're on one of our outdoor adventures. Unfortunately, I don't remember which adventure. Thirty-seven and my mind is already slipping.

Believe it or not, Gareth is typically smiling seconds before we snap these pictures. When the anti-red eye light illuminates, he always gives us a quizzical look.

I'd like to think the light induces some Pavlovian response to drool, but he's pretty much drooling every second he's awake. Everything we own has been christened by Gareth drool.

Right down the chin and onto his shirt. Yuck.

On the Road Again

2005-10-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to take advantage of the nice weather before the Midwest winter keeps us huddling indoors. Gareth, Kathleen, and I go for some kind of walk almost every single day. A few weeks back, we discovered a nice hike less than 10 miles from our front door. Gareth, as usual, rode in style.

We trudged deep into the Iowa wilderness.

Weaving through the elm trees and poison ivy, we finally made our way to the endpoint of our journey: a spring! Having lived in a semi-arid, borderline desert for years, we're still amazed by water bubbling out of the ground.

Not so amazed, however, that we'd forget to attempt our traditional family self-portrait. Our first attempt produced the usual result--not quite there.

Taking a deep breath, we tried again . . . and nailed it!

Timber!

2005-10-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Remember when I mentioned Gareth was starting to sit up with a little help? Well, I should note that as often as he sits up, he also tips over. Oh, it's not a big dramatic fall or anything but he's getting exceedingly good at the face plant in the sofa.

The fall always begins with a malfunction of the infant gyroscope mechanism.

A mayday call to the mothership or fathership--note the desperate "I need help!" look in his eyes--always comes just a moment too late.

With no viable way to stop his descent, Gareth stops his momentum by burying his face into a cushion.

Little Bundle of Boy

2005-10-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

The feel of Fall is finally in the air. The upper 80s of early Autumn have departed and brisk 40s have arrived. brrrr. Unfortunately, it's going to get a whole lot cooler come January . . . about 40-50 degrees cooler. Yikes! Forunately, the Sweet family stocked up on frigid weather apparel. Rather than wait until the onset of arctic conditions, we decided to test out our gear during recent outdoor events. Preliminary results indicate a complete success in the Avoid-Freezing-Your-Infant category.

Gareth faced a chilly breeze as he made his way to meet playmates.

His fleece jumpsuit allowed him to sleep through a cool Homecoming parade. By cool I mean temperature, not the parade. The parade was lame, even by small midwest town standards.

His Gnomish hat kept his huge noggin warm as we braved the crisp autumn air and rendezvoused with Grandma and Grandpa Burns for dinner.

Finally, he risked shivery conditions and ventured into the hallowed lands of the Effigy National Monument.

Bookworm

2005-10-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

I once heard my father say that babies aren't all that exciting; there's some truth in that statement. Until recently, parenting Gareth has been nothing more than meeting his needs. Feed. Change Diaper. Rock to sleep. Repeat. Yeah, it's cool watching him grow but it's not all that engaging. Let's face it, infants are little more than needy blobs of flesh.

Recently, however, Gareth has started to interact with his surroundings. He's learning to use his hands--he tries to hold his own bottle, he reaches out and grabs our shirt/hair/piercings when we pick him up, and maneuvers anything he can snag, like a burp cloth, to his mouth. Baby drool covers almost everything we own. Despite the grossness of all the drool, Gareth's newfound interest in his surroundings means playtime is upon us! When we talk to him, he reacts. He looks in our direction, smiles, and makes any number of indecipherable noises. He's just starting to laugh and giggle. I swear, most of his laughs and giggles come at his dad's expense. From his reactions, Gareth thinks I'm pretty damn goofy.

Of all the new things he's learning, his discovery of books has to be the most satisfying. When we read to him, Gareth stares wide-eye at the pictures and listens intently. From time to time, he reaches out and tries to touch the book. He really likes the crinkle notebook he received recently. He grabs the entire book and smashes it into his face.

His favorite book of the moment is Batty Bat (how goth is that?).

Did I mention he's able to sit up for short periods of time? Yeah, we have to prop him up with a pillow or place him in the corner of the chair, but he keeps himself from tipping over . . . most of the time.

Guy Smilie v3.0

2005-09-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

He's still smiling . . .

Most of the time.

Gareth is a Punk Rocker!

2005-09-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all gifts from our goth and punk friends, Gareth has an excellent alternawardrobe.

And here's a photo of the whole darn alternafamily. Gareth and Kathleen visited school last week as guest speakers. They talked to my Media & Society class about living as members of a resistant subculture.

Gareth Can Moo! Can You?

2005-09-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Oh, the wonderful sounds
Gareth can do!
He can sound like a cow.
He can go MOO MOO*

He can sound like a bee.
Gareth can BUZZ.
How about you?
Can you go BUZZ BUZZ?

He can sound
like an owl . . .
HOO HOO HOO HOO

He makes lightning
SPLATT SPLATT SPATT
and it's very, very hard
to make a noise like that!

*Thanks to Dr. Seuss for the inspirational literature.

Effigy Mounds

2005-09-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, before school started, Kathleen, Gareth, and I took a trip the Effigy National Monument. Constructed over the course of thousands of years, the mounds served as burial sites for local Native Americans. With our interest in Native American culture, as well as more than a passing interest in alternative spiritualities, we thought a visit was in order. Exposing Gareth to different belief systems and getting him accustomed to day trips of the hiking variety were also motivating factors. So, we packed up the Element and the Baby Bjorn and headed east.

Since we couldn't afford a 4WD drive stroller, Gareth road up the bluffs in style.

As we approached the summit, we tried to take a family self-portrait. As many of you probably know, Kathleen and I are famous for photos taken at arm's length. Taking a well-framed picture with a third person strapped to my chest proved a bit difficult.

We tried once.

Hmmmm, who's missing from that picture? We tried a second time.

A little better, but not quite there. We tried a third time.

Hey, is that Gareth?! We tried one more time for the perfect picture family picture . . .

And it just didn't happen.

With the family photo out of the way, we resumed our walk and encountered some beautiful scenery.

Yep, that's the mighty Mississippi.

Our tour of the sacred burial ground complete, we walked down the bluffs. Gareth slept the entire way.

That is, without a doubt, my favorite picture to date.

Leaping Lizards!

2005-08-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

We're not sure why, but Gareth frequently adopts a unique pose when sleeping. When he sleeps like this, which is quite often, we refer to him as Frog Boy.

If any future comic book based movies feature Batroc ze Leaper or The Toad, we figure we'll try to get Gareth an audition.

Mon dieu!

Lick This!

2005-08-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

One of the most stressful parts of Gareth's arrival into the world was varied and sundry advice we received from the lactation specialists (or as one specialist referred to herself, The Boob Lady). Due to some of the complications with birth (low blood sugar), Gareth received formula soon after making his entrance. Introducing him to the bottle made for a tricky transition to feeding au naturale. Every lactation specialist had a different suggestion. One specialist, however, evoked the contempt of both Kathleen and myself. This particular milk quack decided that Gareth needed his frenulum clipped. That's the webby thing that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth. Ms. Milk Quack, with her numerous medical degrees (note the sarcasm), suggested, quite fervently, that without a frenulum clip Gareth would never be able to stick his tongue out and successfully breast feed. Apparently, a baby needs to be able to stick her or his tongue out past the bottom lip to feed properly. Whatever. I'm still mystified by the need for a lactation specialist. Haven't humans been breast feeding babies for tens of thousands of years? Gareth, his mother, and I were all a little freaked out by her suggestion. Gareth still gets a little weird when we bring it up.

In case you don't recognize it, that's Gareth's signature "WTF" look.

Thankfully, we told Ms. Milk Quack to get stuffed. As my sister, the speech therapist who specializes in the workings of the mouth & throat, stated, "You don't start messing with the mouth a day after delivery. There's every possibility that his frenulum will turn out to be just fine." Guess what, it did. Ms. Milk Quack will be happy to know that Gareth is quite accomplished at sticking his tongue out. These are directed right at ya, lady.

Look out Gene Simmons!

Guy Smilie v2.0

2005-08-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

More smiles from Almost Obi-wan.

Is this Gareth or the Happy Buddha?

Keep the smiles coming, kid. Mom and Dad like it when you're all smiles. The crying? Not so much.

Giggles

2005-08-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

One of the pleasures of being a parent is watching Gareth change on an almost daily basis. Three weeks ago, he was essentially a blob that wiggled once in a while. He ate, he cried, he wet his diaper and not much else. Today is a different story. A couple weeks ago he started smiling in response to our actions. At least once day, usually in the mornings, we get a visit from Guy Smilie!

Slumber Party

2005-08-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

We've arrived at our new home and I'll start updating Gareth's site regularly. In the mean time, here's a photo of Gareth and I taking a nap at our old Colorado residence. Actually, he's sleeping and I'm watching. I'm always afraid he's going to slide off my chest when we sleep together. The photo is a few weeks old--you won't believe how much he's changed.

Hip Mommy

2005-07-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Gareth and I think Kathleen should be on the cover of Hip Mama. Check out the new dark hair!

The Daily Howler

2005-07-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

Life Aquatic with Gareth Zissou

2005-07-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here's Gareth ready to direct and narrate his first underwater documentary.

We're getting him a Speedo and a cap. Welcome to Team Zissou!

The Star-Spangled Baby

2005-07-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

As you can tell by the smile, Gareth enjoyed his first 4th of July a great deal.

The sound of the fireworks drew his attention almost immediately.

He loved the grand finale of the fireworks!

He was very disappointed to see it all end.

The night took another exciting turn, however, when some moron fired a bottle rocket into our 3rd floor balcony. Gareth and dogs found the whole affair very disconcerting.

Confessional: We didn't actually attend any 4th of July celebrations. Taking a two week old little person into the germ infested masses? I don't think so. Maybe next year.

The Daily Howler

2005-07-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Gareth isn't always a happy baby. For instance, he really didn't like his lion socks.

Actually, Gareth doesn't seem to like socks period. Whenever we put them on, he cries and kicks them off within minutes.

Let's hope this little undergarment issue doesn't develop into a dislike of all undergarments. Gareth Michael, going commando. Yikes.

Road Trip II: Peg Perego Bugaloo

2005-07-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

Gareth's car seat wasn't the only form of transportation put into play over the last couple weeks. Gareth also broke in his Peg Perego, the Alfa Romeo of strollers. The stroller has more bells and whistles than our cars. The fine piece of precision engineering includes umbrella folding, adjustable footboard, open/close child tray, multiphasic shielding, 4 wheel suspension, swiveling or locked front wheels, independent back wheel brakes, a photon/quantum torpedo launcher, five point seatbelt, height-adjustable handles, and, most importantly, a coffee cup holder! His squeals of delight were so overwhelming that we gagged him with a pacifier.

Destinations included a computer store, bookstore, and coffee house/cafe. Kathleen also took him for a long walk around a local lake. They saw loons, geese, and ducklings.

Road Trip!

2005-07-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

There comes a time in every boy's life when he must take those fateful first steps into the world. While it will be some time before Gareth actually walks on his own, Kathleen and I began his introduction to the world-at-large. His first adventure, albeit brief, included a trip to Wild Oats and Target. Get used to those stops, kid. I think we keep those companies in business. Safely buckled into his crash proof seat, we jumped in our trusty Element and journeyed about the city. His mother and I made sure he travelled in style.

After 30 seconds of taking in the sights, Gareth went to sleep . . .

for the remainder of the 1.5 hour journey.

Is it me or does Gareth have a passing resemblence to Modok, the mutated killing machine affiliated with Advanced Idea Mechanics?

Gareth:

Modok:

Gareth may not share the same megalomaniacal goals as Modok, but he would love to have that cool hover-chair.

slumber

2005-07-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

moonlight approaches
coyotes yip playfully
while infant slumbers

Charades

2005-07-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

Gareth was a little bored on Thursday evening. He was tired of eating, sleeping, and messing his pants and didn't know what to do. He gave it a great deal of thought.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind!

"I know," he thought to himself. "Let's play charades! Okay, the first word sounds like 'rocks'."

As his mother and I were totally clueless that we were playing charades, we attributed his animated expressions to gas. With nobody offering a correct guess, Gareth kicked his legs and drew attention to his cute little feet. "The answer is socks!" he offered in gibberish. To his mother and I it sounded like, "bleh eeh!"

Spooky socks rock.

Meet the Parents

2005-07-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

As one would expect, Gareth gets to spend a considerable amount of time with his proud parents. During much of family time, Kathleen and I stand around admiring our handiwork and making comments like, "What a beautiful baby. We really outdid ourselves. Seriously, some kids aren't all that cute but he's really good looking." Not that we're biased or anything. With all the parental adoration, he's probably doomed to live life as a narcissist. Self love is a good thing, right?

Here's Mom telling Baby G that he has the most beautiful. eyes. ever.

Here's Dad reminding Gareth that it's necessary to be beautiful both inside and out. We're sitting in front of the computer reading an article on rhetoric, performativity, and subjectivity.

Is he engaged in the scintillating material or what?! A philosopher in the making, no doubt.

And before anyone thinks we spend too much time admiring our child, here's a self portrait of the entire family. We think we're all pretty damn hot.

Gareth is lamenting the fact that we're stealing some of the limelight.

Sleepy Time

2005-06-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

When Gareth finally winds down for the evening, usually about 4 am, he likes to crash in his safari themed Pak 'n Play.

I really pushed for a Godzilla or Green Lantern theme but was ultimately vetoed by Kathleen. Rest assured, when we move to our new midwest home and Gareth has a room all to himself, there will be plenty of Godzilla and Green Lantern decor.

As long as we're talking sleep, here are a couple other sleep oriented photos.

Notice how his hands are free from his swaddling? No matter how we try to bundle him, he always manages to liberate his hands. Freedom!

Finally, here's a picture of Gareth and I hanging out late at night. I was reading him the The Tao of Pooh when he finally crashed. It's a very calming book.

Note the unentangled hands.

Flukebaby

2005-06-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

Remember the bizarre X-files episode with the flukeman?

I give you flukebaby!

Somebody call Scully and Mulder!

I Have Hands!

2005-06-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

In the last couple days, Gareth discovered his hands. He's done a great many new things with this new discovery.

1. He gave me the "rock on" sign. \m/
2. He offered the Vulcan "Live long and prosper" gesture.
3. He poked himself in the eye.
4. He tried to cram both hands into his mouth simultaneously.
5. He flipped off his parents.

A chip off the old block, eh? I'm still trying to fit both hands inside my mouth at the same time.

Hospital

2005-06-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

Making an early entrance into the world (6:42 am), Gareth scored no points with his nightowl parents. As you can tell by the smiles on our faces just moments after his arrival, Kathleen and I were both glad he arrived safe and sound.

Okay, so you can't really tell from the picture that I'm smiling. You'll have to trust that there's a great big smile behind the mask.

During our hospital stay, Gareth met his grandparents.

GrandBurns

GrandSweets

He also had plenty of time to hang out with mom.

When it was time to head home, Gareth hopped into some of his cool new punk clothes. Oi!

Almost Obi-wan

2005-06-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

When Kathleen and I discovered we were having a little boy, the search for a name was on. While we chose Gareth, a name that rose to the top of the list very early in the brainstorming process, I always thought Obi-wan held a certain degree of appeal. Naming a child after one of the most interesting characters of the Star Wars saga would have been a tribute both to my son and the fiction hero I admire more than any other. Since we obviously went with a more conventional name, I decided to name this blog after Gareth's almost moniker. This is Gareth's blog, or at least my attempt to keep friends and family up-to-speed on what's new in his world. For the most part, I'll post new pictures. From time to time, however, I reserve the right to wax poetical about the adventures and misadventures of the new addition to our family. Enjoy.