The Sloth Game (Parts I and II)

Click here for some serious belly laughing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGuRS4FA99E

its 6:20 am . ..

Isnt everyone up, playing with bath toys, listening to music?

first piggy back ride

Performed by a professional - ali. We should point out that Bob and Ali have quickly become some of Alden's favorite people. If not for the piggy back ride, then for the fact that they will sing him "Wind Beneath My Wings" acapella, for no apparent reason.

Namesake

On the morning after Alden was born, we commented to one of the nurses that we were amazed at how peaceful our new baby seemed. Despite the ordeal he had just been through, he had barely fussed and seemed content to sit in our arms and watch the world he had just entered. We guessed that perhaps this was the “honeymoon period” we had heard about and that Alden’s true temperament would come out later on. However, the nurse told us that in her opinion, babies’ personalities are evident right away and that based on his behavior at 12 hours old, she thought Alden was likely to be an easy, sweet baby. For the most part, this has been the case and we have felt very fortunate for it.
In thinking about how Alden came to be who he is, I often say (partly joking, partly in earnest) that we owe his mellow, easy, and ever-patient personality to Carl – surely he did not get these traits from me. But today, I’d like to give some of the credit to my side of the family, and specifically, to Alden’s namesake – Lindsay. Today would have been Lindsay’s 39th birthday, which is hard to believe and leaves my family wondering what she would have been doing if she were still with us.
One thing is certain though – Lindsay would have been a wonderful aunt. She had all the delightful characteristics that we love so much about Alden: she was calm, thoughtful, inquisitive, intelligent, funny, loving, and never one to complain. Although Alden won’t get to meet Lindsay in this lifetime and together compare the blue of their eyes, he will surely know all about her through the stories and memories we will share with him. And as he buries his face into yet another book (granted, for the moment, trying to eat it), we won’t credit only Carl – Lindsay, too, loved to read.

scholarly grandpas

Within the last two weeks, both of Alden's grandfathers have been recognized for their scholarly achievements. We are proud of the long, thoughtful hours our dads have put into their work, and the big contributions they have made to their respective fields, one paper or chapter (or book) at a time. For Alden, the tandem recognition equates to being loaded, genetically, with a potential hunger for intellectual greatness, which makes us happy to think about. Congrats to both grandpas.

Fred Feldman, Ph.D.

Department of Philosophy

University of Massachusetts at Amherst

College of Humanities and Fine Arts Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity

“Congratulations! The research award committee has unanimously chosen you as the winner of this year's award. We commend you, Dr. Feldman, on what is obviously an influential and substantial body of work. The College is surely richer for your presence and your significant contribution to our research endeavors.”

Timothy Koschmann, Ph.D.

Department of Medical Education

Southern Illinois University Medical School

Excellence Through Commitment Award for Outstanding Scholarly Work

“Timothy D. Koschmann was selected by the School of Medicine to be honored for outstanding scholarly work during the University’s “Excellence Through Commitment” awards dinner. Dr. Koschmann studies interactions (language, gesture, other forms of nonverbal communication) between two or more people in order to understand how humans learn. This knowledge helps train doctors to serve patients more effectively. He also is interested in understanding how surgeons train their residents and has built a unique video library of surgical teaching interactions that assist other researchers.”

trip to Springfield (part 2)

trip to springfield

Photos curtosy of Gramma K . ..

red tent, front lawn

Finally settling in after being on the road for a week, returning with time zone swtiches, an under-the-weather nanny, and some work demands on both parents. Alden took to the front lawn with his red tent to take in some rays and de-compress a bit. In other news, the kid is more and more mobile -- rolling around and sitting up with increased dexterity. Also (not pictured here), he is eating pears by the bowlful. ..

talking carl

We are closing up a wonderful week touring Ann Arbor and then seeing family in Illinois. Lots of stories and new experiences for Mr. Bear (first train ride, first dog lick on the face). Perhaps the most dramatic first was an introduction to an app on Gramma's Iphone called Talking Carl. Among other tricks, Talking Carl repeats back everything you say in his own voice. Captured here, is Alden's first true conversation, as Talking Carl is completely fluent in Alden-speak. Enjoy . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gceT4sGfFXk