Teaching Benji bad habits

Benjamin had already been showing a fondness for watching TV when Matthew introduced Benji to the Game Cube this week. I'm not so sure a 7-week old should learn to play video games, but it sure was funny to teach him. Matthew chose his football plays based on Benji's moves (i.e. if he waved his arm, it would be a throwing play) and even gave him the joystick. I'm told Benjamin called some good plays and some bad ones, and he even caught an interception when he had the joystick.

moM and grandbabY.

Another baby picture.

Since you asked

Benjamin is doing quite well. We went to the doctor earlier this week for his one-month checkup. He now weighs 9 lbs. 11 1/2 oz. This puts him at the 50th percentile in each. And, it means he's had sufficient weight gain since we took him off the formula supplementation. He's officially allowed to get all his nutrition from mom (although we are supposed to start giving him vitamins). We can also let him go longer between feedings at night if he wants to. Right now he's decided to go one stretch of 5-6 hours between feedings at night (that's measured from the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next, so that's not 6 hours of sleep for us, but it sure is better than 3-4 hours between feedings at night).

He's also beginning to have more alert time. He gets overstimulated easily, but it sure is fun to watch him watch his world. He gets really fussy at least once each day so we go on at least one outing a day. He just loves car rides and walks in the stroller -- especially on brick or other bumpy sidewalks. It feels like he's growing up so fast!

My musical monster.

The most interesting of my current handbell projects was supposed to be a nice little arrangement of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" with some fresh new harmonies, a couple differing sections, get out in 70 measures or so, etc. That is not what has happened. "The World in Solemn Stillness Lay" is currently 88 measures long at the front end, 69 measures long at the back end, and I'm probably going to need at least 50 additional measures to connect the two ends in a fashion that makes sense. That, if you're me counting at home, would make it either the second or third handbell arrangement I've ever seen to break the 200-measure mark. And at the 88-92 bpm it'll be performed at, it's probably easily pushing eight minutes; I only know one handbell-only piece that's broken that barrier. I have not a clue what publishers will think of this piece.

Electioneering.

Probably the most-watched race nationally this election day is Virginia's gubernatorial race between Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Jerry Kilgore. While I generally trend about 60/40 Republican in my chad-punching (sadly just replaced in our county with touch screens), I'm relatively enthusiastically voting for Kaine: He's nearly as conservative as Kilgore on the issues I'm conservative on, he's much more liberal than Kilgore on the issues I'm liberal on, and he's about 10 times more competent for the job of our governor than the other guy. And to help matters, Kaine's likeable and funny, even if his attempts at being humorous in a campaign ad failed miserably. (Click on "Dad.")

I mention this only because President Bush came to Richmond yesterday to stump for Kilgore, and the AP article about Election Day printed these two sentences (and only these two sentences) from Bush's endorsement of the Republican candidate, which gives what seems to be the two most important reasons he thinks Kilgore should be governor: "The thing I like about this fellow is he grew up on a farm. He doesn't have a lot of fancy airs." Based on those qualifications, my Dad should be the next governor of Virginia.

For every other spot on the ballot, I'm writing someone in (and I haven't yet decided who): The two Lt. Governor candidates are so ultra-conservative and ultra-liberal respectively that I can't bear to vote for either of them, the Attorney General candidates are yutzes who spent weeks of commercial time arguing who gave more plea bargains to more sexual predators, and our House of Delegates candidate is running unopposed (and I nearly always write someone in if a candidate is unopposed). I am sure you are all more interested in this than what is happening with our baby.

Halloween baby.