Musical Interlude

Bradlee has loved the piano since I first played it with him on my lap.  He was too small even to keep himself in the upright position so it made playing very interesting.  His love has not abated one whit and he now plays the piano with both hands and sings along.  Granted, his songs are made up on the spot as his hands wander the keyboard and his voice may or may not match the notes played either in key or tempo but he's learned to be gentle with the keys and it's all somewhat pleasant to hear.

He climbed onto the piano bench Christmas Eve when everyone was here and played a bit.  Then he recalled that I look at a book on the music rack while I play and occasionally turn pages so he picked up a Rodehever's Hymnal that was lying to the side.  Nick didn't want him damaging my hymnal so traded him for the first book at hand....a crossword fill-it-in.

As Brad began playing and singing, Mike announced that we were listening to "Crosswords" in B-flat major.

Life as viewed by a Two-year-old

I took all the pictures off my camera the other day and loaded them onto the computer.  As I scrolled through them, I was puzzled at first with some of the subjects.  Then I remembered that Bradlee had had possession of the camera a few times.

This is Grandma.

 

The face comes into the picture when playing Hide and Seek. 

This is Papa.  You can tell by the jeans, belt, and shoes...

...or maybe just jeans and belt. 

Uncle playing a non-energetic form of Hide and Seek...

 ...so the face is no longer in the picture.

Is Uncle going to get me or is he faking?

I don't know what Auntie Richelle is doing but it looks like fun.

Grandma took the camera away so Papa is playing "Cut the Rope" with me on his phone.

I found it interesting how there were no faces in the picture unless the person was interacting with him. I'm not so sure it was just inexperience with cameras.  He was looking at the screen when he took the pictures.  

I remember identifying my mother in a group by the skirt she was wearing.  I clearly remember at convention one year when I was quite young taking hold of my mother's skirt when when she was standing with a circle of ladies in the shade of a tree.  There was merry laughter from the ladies and when I looked around to see who else was there, I was confused to see my mother's skirt across the circle.  I took another look at the material I had clenched in my hand and saw it wasn't right so I walked across the small gathering to the skirt made of the right pattern of material.  My mother put her hand on my head and I leaned into the comfort of her presence. 

Of course, I now know the merry laughter was at my expense of mistaking someone else's skirt for my mother's but it literally and figuratively went over my head at the time and left nary a blemish on my psyche.  So I find it intriguing to look at the pictures Bradlee takes.

Preparing Breakfast with Bradlee

Let me state from the beginning that I love twins.  Especially baby twins.  The sight of two little ones the same size, dressed alike, is one my eyes feast upon.  And if they're identical, I have to be firm with myself not to be rude with the feasting.

Having said that, I'm glad Bradlee isn't twins.  It takes all my attention to stay ahead of him and most days I feel successful when I stay even.

Like this morning, for instance.  We had the privilege of having Bradlee overnight and he slept soundly from ten until five-thirty this morning when Mike's showering woke him.  Mike led him by the hand to me and I woke up to the sight of a smiling baby at my bedside.  I patted the pillow and he happily climbed up and rested for about ten minutes before deciding he was quite finished with this sleeping stuff and felt it was time to get on with living the new day.

In due course of time, I was in the kitchen preparing breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast.  Every time I opened the fridge, Bradlee hijacked something from the door.  In short order, I had half a dozen jars and bottles scattered about my kitchen floor.  Shaking a jar of yeast while sucking on the lid of the soy sauce pales after a bit so he turned to the drawers.  By the time I could finish turning a piece of bacon and put down my fork, he'd wielded the salad tongs like a pair of loppers, tossed them to the floor and was reaching for the can opener.  I firmly discouraged him and closed the drawer so he went to the cabinet farthest away from me and started dragging out kettles.  He can't hurt kettles - not yet, anyway - so I let him play in peace.

His stillness caught my attention after a while.  I turned to see him standing above a kettle, an open squeeze-bottle of caramel syrup upside-down in his hand, making swirls, curlicues, and other fancy stuff in the kettle.  He seemed somewhat mesmerized by his creation and the method thereof and didn't make a sound when I removed both bottle and kettle.  Indeed, he didn't move until I had the floor cleaned up.  Not that there was much to clean up. He'd drizzled maybe two tablespoons of syrup and only about one teaspoon landed on the floor.

My thought at that point was, "Bradlee, I'm so thankful you're not twins!"

Baby Bradlee

Here's the latest addition to the Miller family corner.  Little Bradlee arrived Tuesday, July 20th at 9:22 pm.  He weighed in at 8 pounds even and measured out at 20 1/2 inches long.  He has a head full of dark hair and long fingers and toes.

While Jenn was on oxygen because of minor complications......

Nick was catching up on a bit of missed sleep.

Proud Daddy!

Happy Mama!

New Grandma

New grandpa

First bath

We've got the diaper on and we're content.

He's adorable and we love him to pieces!!