Quinn's first solid foods! Nov 2008

Quinn is now 4 months old, and he just started his first solid food: rice cereal. He loves it!

Treasured plant

What's with the picture of a half-dead lima-bean plant, you may be asking? This little plant has a big place in Gabriel's heart. Let me explain.....a few weeks ago, at library storytime, the children did "science." Each child sprayed a couple of lima beans wrapped in paper toweling and put them in a plastic baggie, with instructions to give them a home in a sunny window. Gabe was SUPER excited when he checked on his seeds one day and they had GROWN INTO A PLANT! Mom was pretty excited (and shocked) too! I told Gabe that we would pick up potting soil for his plant "one of these days." The days flew by, with mom constantly forgetting --what? Potting soil for little lima bean.

Today, Gabe brought me his little plant in its baggie and said, "Mom, my plant is curbed over, it was straight-up but now it's curby." I took a look, my heart sinking. Yes, my suspicion was correct: the plant was pretty dead. I said something to the effect of, "oh, my, that plant doesn't look well!" Gabe ran off with it, and came back within a few moments. "Mom, I think I fixed it! Look!" I once again took the baggie; the plant did not look any better...I'm not exactly sure what maneuvers Gabe had attempted in order to revive the poor thing. But it hadn't worked.

I said, "Gabe, you know...I think....I think that this plant is, well, dead." Gabe looked at me, and carefully opened the little baggie in his hands. He gently bent his head down and said into the bag, "I'm sorry plant." Then he walked it over to the garbage and placed it in. He hung his head so low that I could not see his eyes, and he walked away from me into the living room. After about ten steps, he burst into deep sobs.

I hugged him as he asked "why, why??" and I began to cry myself. This little boy had done everything he could to make this plant grow. And here my neglect to buy potting soil had killed it! I explained how it wasn't his fault, it was my fault. Then it struck me: I needed to pull that plant out of the gargabe and see if it could be revived. To my AMAZEMENT, inside the mangled contents of a dead plant and it's paper towel wrap...was a LIVING (barely) lima plant--I then remembered: we had planted TWO beans that day!! I revived Gabe's hopes and dried his tears, and Daddy brought home potting soil this very same day.

Gabe hasn't seen the plant's new home yet; he will be waking up to find it at his seat at the dining room table, just in time for breakfast:) I hope this plant lives at least 20 years.