Bienko Babies

Things They Say

2010-11-03T10:31:00.006-04:00

If there was one thing I know I will regret, it's not writing down nearly everything that comes out of Harper and Rilke's mouth. Kids are so full of adorable phrases. Every mispronounced word and innocent thought is so precious. Here are a few from the past year...
Harper and Rilke

8/13/09
Harper opened his bedroom door for the first time ever (after being put to bed), peeked his head out and said "Mom, I think Rilke has to go pee pee on the potty." My hero!

8/31/09
Harper: "Mom, what's today? Is it Thursday or Tuesday or Threesday or Foursday or Elevensday?"

7/10/09
Right after Rilke got her hair cut, Harper said, "Oh my gosh Rilke you look so adorable! You look just like an old lady!"

9/10/09
Instead of saying "Winnie the Poo" Rilke says "Winnie the Poop" and the next day refers to the bear as "Doggie Poop".

10/27/09
Harper: "Her name can't be Jasmine, she's a girl, her name is Jazgirl."

10/28/09
Harper: "Mom! Rilke scratched me! My blood is leaking, it's just swimming out!!!"

11/11/09
I put pigtails in Rilke's hair and when they curl under and tickle her ears she gasps "Mom, there's a butterfly in my ear!"

11/20/09
Harper: "Mom, do all wishes come true? Last night I wished we would go to New York today and it didn't come true. (Tears in his eyes) I will make that wish again and maybe it will come true but if it doesn't I won't wish it anymore (sniff sniff). I will wish a different wish."

2/09/10
Harper said "Bo and Luke made a wrong landing in the General Lee. This is NPR News."

2/13/10
Rilke: "Mom, may I have some cereal with no thank you milk?"

3/11/10
Rilke looked up from her bowl of Cheerios across the table to Harper and said "Harper, you're my best friend." Then Harper said "Mom! Rilke just said I was her best friend! She's never said that before!!!"

3/12/10:
After dropping Harper off at pre-school one morning, a sad Rilke said "Mom! My brother's gone! I feel so missed it. Where did he go?"

5/01/10
Rilke: “Harper, you’re my best sweetest!”
Harper: “Oh Rilke, that’s so sweet it makes me want to marry you! Don’t worry mom, that’s just an expression.”

5/25/2010
Rilke: “I’m going to take everything to my birthday!”
Harper: “Rilke, you can’t take everything, just some things”
Rilke: “Can I take my teddy bear?”
Harper: “No. A bear would eat the whole cake. You can bring a puppy.”
Rilke: “Can I bring my pillow?”
Harper: “You can bring half of it.”
Rilke: “OK.”

9/01/10
Harper runs into our bedroom at 6:30 am and says “Mom, Dad, the moon is golden! Come look! I already thanked Jesus.”

Lastly, some of the words Rilke used to mispronounce. Sadly, she doesn't anymore...
Bruth the teeth, pacuz, foom instead of spoon, You thagot!, and referring to Grandma and Grandpa as “My Grandpa and Grandpa…”

A Moment to Gush About My Baby

2010-10-18T20:27:00.003-04:00

Today Harper is exactly 5 1/2 years old. Five has been a big number for us. So much has happened since April. First, our baby boy learned how to swim this summer. We are so proud of the effort he puts into getting across the pool. His little body works so hard to get to the other side.
Then, in August Harper started Kindergarten. We prepared ourselves for a tough adjustment period, especially with Harper being in the Dual Language Program. Thankfully, it hasn't been tough at all. I know there will be bumps in the road along the way but our little man is off to a great start. Just yesterday he told me there were "siete dias de la semana"!
Just a couple weekends ago we took the training wheels off Harper's bike. Our neighbor started riding a two-wheeler and I think Harper was inspired. I never could have predicted this. Harper is such a cautious boy, I figured it would be years until he was ready. Again he surprised us. First he struggled to gain his balance, then he struggled with the weight of his bike. After he figured that out he quickly mastered stopping and starting on his own. Now he zooms around with his friends and has so much fun.
The other thing we've been working on is reading. After the first month of school Harper's teacher explained to me that she would like the kids to be able to read Level 1 books by the end of the school year and that Harper can currently read Level 2 books. I have to give credit to the book we are using. It definitely it accomplishes the task of teaching the basics of reading. Harper also gets some credit for his determination.
I know I sound like a super proud Mama. I am! This is our first time through all of this. There is so much mystery and excitement that goes on with having school aged children! We are definitely enjoying almost every minute of it.

Rilke's 1st Day

2010-09-08T09:36:00.005-04:00

This year our baby girl will be going to preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Last year she accompanied me every morning as we dropped Harper off at preschool. Every day we would bring Harper inside, say hello to the teachers, hug Harper, and then say goodbye. In the afternoons, when things were less rushed Rilke would wander around Mrs. White's classroom while I collected Harper and his things. I would spend time talking with the teachers and Rilke would make herself at home playing with toys and visiting with the little girls over by the doll house. We fell in love with that preschool which is why I enrolled Rilke in the 3 year old class.

By the time the first day of school arrived Rilke was ready to get to it. She told everyone about her teachers Mrs. Dawson and Mrs. Hennings. She has a friend in her class and other friends across the hall so she's always seeing familiar faces.

As we were getting out of the car in the parking lot Rilke looked up and said "Mom, will you protect me?" I nearly passed out. Although I wanted to promise to protect her every second of every day for the rest of my life, I know she really just needed me to carry her across the parking lot and then hold her hand until she felt ready to be on her own. Josh and I walked her to her class room, smothered her with hugs and kisses and then we watched her wander in and head straight toward a bright yellow pile of play-dough.

When I picked her up a few hours later she was very happy to see me and super excited about her new painting. The more excited Rilke gets the louder and squeakier she gets. I stood there listening as Rilke happily shrieked and shouted her way through the story of her day. Mrs. Dawson confirmed there wasn't a single tear from anyone in the whole class room. I breathed a big sigh of relief and then we headed out for some Maggie Moo ice cream.

Kindergarten day One

2010-09-07T20:50:00.003-04:00

Harper's first day of kindergarten was a blur of nervousness and excitement (for me). We practiced getting from the front door to the class room over and over. We practiced his teachers names. We practiced how to open his water bottle. No matter how confident we were that he would like school there was still that nervous voice in the back of my head that worried about him getting lost, overwhelmed, or mistreated.

Josh and I were full of suspense when we picked him up on the afternoon of the first day. He hopped in the car and didn't say much. Finally he let us know that it was "GWATE!" Josh and I both wanted to hurl a million questions at him but we tried our best to pace ourselves.

I told Harper that on every first and last day of school we would go out for ice cream. He picked Ben & Jerry's. As we ate ice cream together as a family we took turns asking questions and tried to figure out how it went. It sounds like it was a day full of information and rules. In Harper's world that equals a perfect day.

New York 2010

2010-08-25T21:57:00.046-04:00

Another great trip to New York. The kids and I arrived in New Jersey to the open arms of my Mom and Ariana. It had been a long and exciting day of travel and we were SO happy to see their smiling faces. It had been a year since we saw Ariana and a few months since we saw Oma. We started the week off by hitting some fun places for the kids.

Fresh off the obstacle course at Shannen Park.

Time to head home to set up the slip n slide and cool off.

Here we are at the Delaware River in Milford, PA. We splashed in the cold water, skipped rocks, counted the passing kayaks, and built stone walls out of the rocks and algae.

Here's Harper embarking on his first ever fire fly hunt. Kyle and Ari were so kind to run around the lawn and help him.

We were able to meet my friend Lisa and her daughter at the Greenville playground. Rilke, Kameryn, and Harper climbed on the playground, hiked the trail, built bird nests, danced on their pretend stage, and finished the morning with a race.

Next, we spent a few days celebrating the Summer with Poppy, Nanny, Uncle Alan, Aunt Leah, Emma, and Jackson. We arrived on Friday evening. Nanny and Poppy traveled up from Virginia to meet us there. Ithaca is always a ton of fun for the kids. We headed downtown to a pizza place for dinner. I was dark out and the kids were super excited about being up late. They didn't get to bed until almost 11 o'clock that night. By far the latest they have ever been up. The next few days were full of fun things like playing in the giant sand box, jumping on the trampoline, kayaking with Uncle Alan on Cayuga Lake, visiting Ithaca Falls, Stewart Park, playgrounds, Taughannock state park, playing with puppies, and wrestling beets out of the garden of course!

Jackson just days before his 8th birthday.

Caper the handsome little monster that we love so much!

Dinner at the Boatyard.

Swinging in the backyard.

It is awesome to have an older cousin like Jackson.

Oma and Ariana joined us in Ithaca and we headed to Little Leaf Orchard on a hot morning to pick blackberries, raspberries, and peaches.

We left Ithaca that night and returned to Westtown. We picked Josh up from the train station and got right back to having fun. Here we are in the back yard...Kan Jam! Just moments later Oma, Booma, and I went into the kitchen to get dinner started while Josh continued playing in the yard with the kids. We heard josh yell "Bear!" We ran outside to see a giant black bear walk past Josh, climb over the stone wall that's behind him and dissapear through the neighbors back yard. Welcome to upstate NY!!!

Back in Pennsylvania. Hiking and climbing the 245 steps to see the top of Dingman's Falls.

We spent the last few days of our vacation enjoying the wonderful New York weather. It was the perfect mix of warm and cool. We sipped cocktails on the porch, cooked dinner on the grill almost every night, ate outside, made campfires, toasted marshmellows, and set off lots of fireworks. On Sunday we enjoyed an amazing visit from Aunt Joyce. We were able to catch up on the past year and enjoy her yummy food and spectacular company.

On the last day of our trip we celebrated Rilke's birthday! Our baby girl is 3 years old. We decoated the kitchen and baked a pink cake. Oma showered her with many gifts, two of which were a Jesse doll and a princess dress. Needless to say it was a perfect birthday.

Heading into Summer

2010-06-17T20:37:00.002-04:00

A few pictures to catch up...

A trip to Ft. Lauderdale to visit JaJa, Uncle Jona, and Uncle Jer. Swimming in the ocean, building sand castles, The Miami Art Basel, dinners out, dinners in, and a card game I will never forget.

Playing on the tennis court

Strolling through Research Park

Field tripping with Harper's class

Harper's 5th Birthday. The first of many times we will be bringing cupcakes to class.

Listening to live music downtown

A couple weeks into life at our new apartment

Swim Lessons to start off the summer with Coach Mark.

We'll be at the pool all summer long...

Harper's First Day of Pre-School

2010-01-18T20:35:00.003-05:00

I've gone back and forth about having Harper go to pre-school the year before kindergarten. After talking it over with some friends and visiting some schools we decided to sign Harper up. We picked a school that came highly recommended from a good friend. I was a little worried because their three morning per week program was full which left Harper in the five morning per week class. I got a good vibe from the teacher so we decided to go for it. We visited the school a couple times and Harper was super excited. From his very first minute in school he has loved it. He loves it more than I could have ever imagined. He has so much fun, learns tons of stuff, and adores his teachers and friends. Harper's wonderful teacher is Mrs. White. For the first several weeks of school sweet Harper only called her Snow White. I miss those days.

Heading out for the first day of school

The arrival. Seeing some friends in the parking lot definitely made the good bye a little easier.

End of Summer

2010-01-06T20:34:00.003-05:00

A few photos to catch us up...the end of summer...

We headed out to King's Orchard a couple times this year to stock up on strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and honey. I was so hot.

Our last day at the pool...the very last day of summer. We swam countless times this summer. I really wanted to go swimming on October 1st this year but we got some strange cool weather at the end of September and the water temperature dropped. Even though it got hot again in October I chickened out. By mid October the pool was closed so we will have to try again this Fall!

And then our beautiful baby turned two.

I heart NY in the summer

2009-08-13T21:48:00.011-04:00

This summer we spent 2 weeks in New York visiting family and friends. I had been dreaming of this trip for months and it exceeded my expectations in every way. I got to watch my kids soak up attention from Grandmas, Grandpas, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, and friends. My heart was overflowing with contentment as I watched my kids beam with joy every minute we were there (not counting the trip to the ER).

We arrived in Ithaca after a day of flying. We were so excited to breathe in the beautiful crisp NY air. We headed straight to Leah and Alan's house where we barbecued and relaxed the evening away in the back yard.

The next day was spent preparing for the weekend that lay ahead. Nanny and Poppy came all the way up from Virginia to see us and have a 13th Birthday celebration for Emma. I think it was Friday...we spent the morning at the Stewart Park, had lunch downtown, did a little shopping, stopped at the amazing Alphabet Soup toy store for the kids, did a little playground playing, and then headed to the store to pick up some groceries for dinner. I guess Rilke thought we should add one more adventure to the day so when we got home she promptly body slammed herself into the foot board of the bed. Off we went to the Emergency Room (the very same hospital where Harper was born). Rilke handled it like a pro. She stopped crying by the time we had her buckled in the car. After about an hour (and seven stitches) later we on our way back home.

We spent the next couple days celebrating Emma's Birthday, visiting with our good friends Euni and Kai in Beacon, and then heading over to Westtown to spend a few days visiting Oma, Booma, Ariana, and Taylor.

Once again we we overwhelmed and smothered with love and attention from everyone. We got to properly celebrate Ariana's high school graduation with a dinner party and a battle with a slip n slide in cold 60 degree rainy weather. I'm pretty sure the slip n slide won. We also planned the ultimate play-date with lots of friends from high-school and their lovely little ones.

We returned to Ithaca with more family members in tow to spend the last few days of our vacation. We hiked and played in the water at taughanock, explored the Ithaca Science Center, ate lots of ice cream cones, counted slugs, shaved Jackson's head to match Harpers, got muddy, drank wine, painted nails, played cards and board games, watched movies, met new friends, and absolutely dreaded leaving.

Harper constantly says "Mom, can we go back to New York tomorrow?" and when I say no he says "Ok, how about the day after tomorrow?" I hate to think it will be more like 330 days after tomorrow. Needless to say we are already dreaming of next summer's visit.

I wish I had it all on camera

2009-06-07T00:34:00.003-04:00

Today was an adorable day for the kids. One of those days where you wish you had a camera rolling to catch it all so you could re-watch it over and over. Since today is saturday I let them run into the living room to watch a cartoon after brushing their teeth. Harper was still wearing his pajamas but Rilke only had her diaper on. At some point Rilke rummaged through the front closet and pulled out her fur lined Crocs. She put them on and watched a cartoon. A few minutes later I was in the other room doing something and Rilke runs in totally naked except for one furry Croc on her left foot. She is triumphantly holding her diaper over her head saying "I did it! I did it!" It was the first time she had ever taken off her own diaper. Conincidently it was the first time she had ever used the phrase "I did it".

Later that day Rilke was yanking on her diaper as I tried to read her a story before nap time. She looked at me and said "Rilke get the pee pee's out?" I asked if she wanted to go on the potty and she said "Yes!" So I took her in there and sure enough that little peanut went to the bathroom on the potty! She was so proud of herself and the second I took her back down to the floor she shimmied right over and flushed the toilet. I have no idea where that all came from. Her first success on the potty! It was really more adorable than anything else. She is such a tiny thing and to see her swinging her little legs on the potty is about as much as I can handle. I'm pretty sure we will wait until swim season is over before we start actual potty training but I can't help but be curious about how it will go.

That same afternoon I was returning a movie and there happens to be a giant gum-ball machine in the store. Harper has admired it many times before. It's the kind where the gum-ball zooms toward the bottom of the machine on a spiraling ramp. Today I said he could get a gum-ball. This is probably the third or fourth time Harper has ever had gum. The first couple times he just didn't get it. He would chew it and swallow it. But today I could tell he was up for the challenge. The first thing he said to me was "Mom, it's Ok if the gum goes in my tummy." I explained that he should give me the gum when he was finished chewing it and I would throw it out. He said OK, bit of one third of the gum-ball, and put it in his mouth. He bit down one time and then spit it in his hand and said "Here you go Mommy, I'm all done chewing it." After explaining he could chew it some more he agreed to chew it until we walked across the parking lot to the car. Once we were at the car he gave it to me. I gave him the second third of the gum-ball. He declared he would chew it until we got to his friend Dalyn's house (about a 5 minute drive). Meanwhile I gave Rilke the last third of the gum-ball. Although giving a 22 month old a piece of gum isn't ideal, I didn't see how I would get around it. Rilke keeps a close eye on my gum chewing habbit. I chew it almost every day. She doesn't make a big deal of it but I know she watches. Sure enough she pops it in her mouth and chews away. After a while I asked her if she was finished and she adamantly says "No fank soon!" which means "no thank you". That little peanut chewed her tiny share of the gum-ball for almost 2 hours while we played at a friends house. As we were leaving I gave her the option of putting it in the garbage. So she took it out of her mouth and chucked it in the bin. My two babies share their first gum chew success on the same day.

Fall 2008

2009-03-11T23:23:00.014-04:00

The weather probably didn't start cooling down until November. Josh and I have been so thankful for the warm days. After living through our first winter and seeing the beginning of spring I can honestly say this is the best climate we have ever experienced. Even during the coldest months you can always look at the 5-day forecast and see a high of 60. The chilly mornings remind us everyday to appreciate the warm afternoons. I always know a warm day is just around the corner.

Last October we went to a Fall Festival held at the St. Clare Monastery, where the nuns support themselves by raising miniature horses and by selling ceramics. It's a fascinating place even without the Fall festivities.

Here we are partaking in a different Fall Festival. This one was located in downtown Bryan and was sponsored by the Children's museum.

This year's Halloween was by far the most exciting one for us and the kids. It was Harper's first time dressing up and going trick-or-treating. The day prior to Halloween we went to a party with Harper's friends Ava (Super Girl) and Ruby (Giraffe). The best part of the night was when all of the kids were running around a grassy field after dark. It was probably the first time Harper had been outside playing with friends after the sun had gone down. It was just as much fun for me as it was for him. I absolutely adored buckling his sweaty little body into the car after all of that playing and talking about it the whole way home. The following night we went trick-or-treating with Valerie, Dale, and Cruz. It was a beautiful night of excitement. Choosing the houses, seeing the decorations, getting candy, meeting new people, and again being out after dark were all equally delightful. Harper tried to engage every single person answering the door in a lengthy conversation. He would have stayed and chatted with every single mom and dad that answered the door if we let him. As always it is so endearing to see him passionately tell a story to a perfect stranger.

Playing at the Central Park (TX) pond.

On an evening walk at Central Park (TX) during the holiday season. They have a paved path that circles the park. During the month of December it is completely decorated and lit up with lights.

The holiday season was really great for us this year primarily because we got to see lots of family. The visits started with my Mom and Billy (aka Oma and Booma) arriving in November. We soaked up a lot of Bryan/College Station which included many trips to the park, going to World Fest downtown Bryan, taking Harper to the Harley Davidson store, celebrating my 30th birthday together, and of course cowboy boot shopping.
Then next visit began just a few days after we said good bye to Oma and Booma. We welcomed Josh's Dad (Ja Ja) and Rosemary. The highlights of the trip included celebrating Thanksgiving, Josh getting to golf with Ja Ja, dinners out, and tons of attention showered on the kids.
We had to wait four whole weeks before welcoming my Dad (Poppy) and Dawn (Nanny). We got to enjoy some sunny December weather, check out some new restaurants, and best of all celebrate Christmas together. Harper got two big gifts for Christmas that really marked what a big boy he is becoming. First, Harper got a new bed. He moved out of his crib (which he loved) and into a twin sized bed. I am so proud of him and it is so wonderful to actually be able to snuggle next to him under the covers and read books before bedtime. I don't actually get to do that much because Josh and I generally put the kids to bed together and Harper likes to claim Daddy and Rilke likes to claim me...for now anyway. The kids are doing well going to sleep at the same time and in the same room. Some nights they drift right off to sleep, some nights the talk and make each other laugh, some nights we hear Harper informing Rilke that "It's time for sleepies! Night, night!", and some nights things escalate from fun to tears and Josh or I have to intervene and settle things back down. We are definitely making progress though. Second, Harper got a bike with training wheels (thank you Nanny and Poppy!). Harper loves his new bike and really, really loves the helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. I will post some riding photos soon. Rilke got a baby stroller, a baby, and a baby bottle. She loves pushing the stroller and jamming the bottle at the babies mouth. My favorite is when she props the baby up on her shoulder and pats its back and says shhh, shhh, shhh. Just today at 19 months old Rilke spotted and acknowledged a real baby for the first time. First she pointed it out to me, then she approached the baby, said hello, and stayed for a while to stare. It just about melted my heart.
I have to say we were on cloud nine for such a long time after seeing our family. Harper and Rilke reveled in the love and attention they received.

Finding the neighborhood park & other favorite places.

2009-03-11T22:56:00.011-04:00

Not long after moving here we found our neighborhood park (Tanglewood). It's just a couple tenths of a mile away. It has two great playgrounds, fields, picnic areas, paved paths, tennis courts, and a splash pad. With weeks of arriving here I was at the park and on separate occasions met two lovely mamas named Valerie and Sarah. Valerie has a little boy named Cruz and Sarah has two little girls named Ava and Ruby. All of the kids range in age from one to five. I cannot express what a blessing it has been to have them in my life. I can't imagine Texas without them. Pictures of their children are sure to find their way on this blog because we are always together.

Here we are at Tangle wood (summer 2008).

Figuring out what a splash pad is.

This is pretty much the only action the tennis court sees at our apartment complex. The kids love it. They do countless laps around the net.

Before Rilke figured out how to walk she would hang on to the handles of this scooter and run. The scooter could barely keep up and it would just bounce around underneath her. It wasn't completely airborne but it certainly wasn't rolling either.

This scooter was given to Harper by the property manager here at the apt. She is a sweet person who has a son just a bit older than Harper. It is absolutely perfect for Harper. He feels safe on it which is probably his favorite thing about it.

Here we are going for a walk around another favorite place, Blue Baker. You can see the giant fountain in the middle. If the wind is blowing enough the water will mist over you as you walk by which is just perfect on a 100 degree day.

Here is Harper at the Children's Museum. We make an appearance there about once a week. There are so many different activities at their disposal it really gives me a chance to see what Harper and Rilke each gravitate towards.

Texas Arrival

2009-03-11T22:07:00.010-04:00

So we arrived in Texas on August 1st, which was pretty much the hottest part of the summer. I'm not sure if it was the heat, the apartment, or our general surroundings but we altogether underestimated how hard it would be to complete the relocation process. After 6 months here I think we are finally starting to settle in.

Our first weekend here we headed off to Houston to visit the Menil Collection which is in the lovely and charming Montrose area of Houston.

Rilke turned 1 just weeks after arriving in Texas!

On August 16th we celebrated Rilke's first birthday. Rilke was totally uninterested in the cake or opening presents but Harper totally embraced the idea of making her a cake and helping her eat it.

Here we are making a little trip to the bookstore so Rilke could play with the trains and pick out a book. I think she ended up picking That's Not My Dinosaur and That's Not My Truck. Oma had recently given us a book called That's Not My Tracter which was a big hit.

Summer 2008

2008-09-09T21:48:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite summer-time activities is berry picking. There is no better sight than a 3 year old finding the perfect strawberry or a 9 month old covered in squashed strawberries. Washington Farms is the perfect u-pick farm. We went early in the morning before it got too hot and Harper and Rilke could eat berries, help us pick, and giggle at the goats on the way out.

This summer Harper took swim lessons at the Y. Here he is patiently waiting for his coach. The lessons went really well. Thanks to an awesome coach Harper became much more independent and adventurous in the pool which basically meant more fun for him.

Legion Pool was wonderful as always. While Harper was busy adoring lifeguards and schmoozing with all of the familiar faces in the pool Rilke was usually passed out on one of us. This year the pool was really Harper's home away from home. Just so I don't forget I have to mention how much I loved seeing Harper's face when he heard a long whistle. He'd wait for the lifeguard to shout "Adult swim!" and then Harper would scream the same thing from the top of his lungs, adorably oblivious to the attention he attracted. About half way through the summer Harper took a nasty spill on the concrete while getting a running start for a jump into the pool. He was totally fine but the bump on his head scared us into making a pit stop at the ER before heading home. Months later when we go to the pool he still finds it his civic duty to emphatically tell all children to "stop running!!!"

Getting in some playground time.

Rilke giving me the ol' sniffy face.

A beautiful day at the beautiful Botanical Gardens.

Another day...another playground. Here is Harper with his friend William shortly before we left for Texas.

That wraps up our summer in GA. It was a wonderful season and all together a wonderful three years. I couldn't have wished for a better town or better people, all of which will be missed dearly.

Spring 2008

2008-09-03T21:43:00.014-04:00

Lots of long overdue pictures from this past spring and promises of more frequent posts to come.

Uncle Jona came to Athens and his visit couldn't have been more perfectly timed. We had so much fun at the MFA show together.

Rilke makes the funniest faces. She always has. She growls, wrinkles her noes, sniffs and squints like crazy, she's just plain silly and we can't help but plant kisses on those pouting little lips all day long.

As you can imagine Harper has been big brother extraordinaire. Right now my favorite big brother mission Harper has embarked on is making sure Rilke always dismounts the coffee table feet first. She'd love to dive off head first but with Harper tugging at her feet and anchoring them to the floor she doesn't have a chance.

Here we are at a UGA Iron Pour. We will miss those.

Playing at the UGA track...

This April Harper turned 3. He loved his cake and I was a very happy mama.

Harper visits dad at work and sits in on a critique.

A climb through the sinks and call it a day.

An awesome visit from Jen, Joe, Dana, & Curtis where Rilke and Harper got to spend some time with their adorable baby cousin Isabella.

Playing in the lovely yard at my good friend Amy's house. We miss her!

A good bye to the old LDSOA.

After this display I knew we had to go strawberry picking.

A trip up north to see the family. Here in VA with Poppy and Nanny.

Then up to Ithaca where Harper met Willow and and the hug fest began!

visiting Priscilla at her Little Leaf School.

Then to Orange County, NY where Jackson and Harper hung out at Taylor's Volleyball practice. Such a cute little fan club.

A ride with Ariana, definitely a highlight.

Very first tractor ride at my Mom's house.

A lovely spring.

Spring

2008-03-17T22:06:00.011-04:00

Since our last post we quietly welcomed the New Year and a few days later Rilke had a minor strabismus surgery on her eyes (now they are perfect). A few weeks later we had a wonderful visit from my mom. We cooked so much yummy food, visited the botanical gardens, played in the freezing cold rain, and did our best to get months of catching up done in just a few days. Not long after we saw flurries in GA! The first time for us in three years and a pretty big deal for GA. We also had a wonderful visit from Stephanie (one of my best friends from high school). We endured some more freezing cold rain and just couldn't resist letting the kids jump around in the chilly muddy puddles. The visit was perfectly timed, a much needed distraction from missing Josh while he was in Texas.

The warmer weather is here and I can’t wait until I can take out the summer clothes for the kids. I am so excited to see Rilke in an itty bitty dress with little chubby thighs and bare feet and I am looking forward to hitting the pool again with Harper. Harper and I had so much fun swimming last summer that this year we might try swimming lessons.

Harper will be three next month and we are just amazed to see our little toddler turn into a sweet little boy who talks and asks questions non-stop. It’s really amazing to watch him learn. For example, Harper really pays attention to where I am driving these days. He knows the streets and once the car is pointed in a certain direction he will ask if we are going to drop off the recyclables, go to the YMCA, grocery shopping, the bank, FedEx, Post office, Book Store, Chrissy’s apartment, Amy’s house, the park, the car wash, etc. The other day we passed by Chase St., which takes us to Rt 129, which takes us to the lake. We haven’t been there in 8 months or so but when he saw the street he asked if we were going to the beach. I love moments like that where you can marvel at their sense of perception and memory.

Harper’s days are filled with Mommy, Rilke, and our friends we have here in Athens. We’ve had fun cooking together lately. I tried asking Harper to help me in the kitchen once and he was totally captivated by the process of measuring, pouring, and mixing. I try to let him help me when ever possible; at the very least I let him make me a cup of coffee in the afternoon. I am tickled by how serious he takes the task. He is completely immersed with pouring the water, scooping the coffee, sprinkling the cinnamon, pushing the button, adding sugar, tasting sugar, adding cream, stirring, and finally tossing the spoon in the sink. All in a days work!

When Josh gets home from school Harper’s world stops. He starts by saying “Daddy, What a surprise!!!” Then Daddy gets the biggest hug and kiss and is immediately asked to play Mr. Lightning McQueen, Does Harper like to eat, Look who’s coming, I’m stuck, Team down, Steam roller, and many, many other games they have invented together.

The above picture is at Discovery Place in Charlotte. One day during a wonderful trip to NC. Harper is still saying "No jumping on people Sadie" and "Vikii!!!! Use the doggie voice!"

Rilke is still the same boundless little girl she was months ago. She will still look at us with the most loving eyes. She bounces, kicks, rolls, squirms, and squeals with excitement. Above all, nobody can maker her smile and laugh like Harper.

About a month ago Rilke got her bottom two teeth. Since then we’ve started feeding her cereal. Trying to get the food in her mouth is absolutely comical. Sometimes she will lock her lips and spit bubbles entertaining herself as I go through my entire routine of trying to get her to taste some delicious oatmeal. Other times she is so excited about eating you’d think she was trying to catch a fast moving target. I’ll slowly approach her with the spoon and she’ll whip around, mouth wide open with enthusiasm, hands flailing trying to grab the spoon or the bowl. It has been a test of coordination and speed; I think we’re making progress.

She can roll over and wiggle enough to get her anywhere she wants to go. Rilke loves to put her feet in her mouth, especially if she has her shoes on. I love when she does that, it’s exactly what you picture silly sweet babies doing.

Other little habits that just melt me are when she plays with my hair, holds on to a handful of my shirt, nuzzles her sleepy little face into my shoulder, growls, and stomping her feet when she wakes up. My favorite little trick is when she whips off her hat. She’ll be wearing her winter hat for a long time and then all of a sudden she’ll get the idea that she wants it off. Then she reaches up her hand grabs on to a handful of hat and whips it off so fast. She’s left looking at me with this unruly wild wispy hair. I can’t resist sneaking the hat back on her head just to watch the whole sequence unfold again.

Wishing everyone a wonderful spring! Miss you all!

Rilke...baby sister...4 months

2007-12-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

It seems like we blinked and 4 months went by. It’s been busy and hectic with Joshua juggling school and home and all of us balancing a life that revolves around a newborn. Harper welcomed Rilke with the utmost affection and it hasn’t slowed down since. He frequently asks throughout the day if he can “give Rilke a nice gentle kiss on the cheek?” He brings over a collection of toys for her to look at when she’s lying on a blanket and meticulously places them about a centimeter from her face so she can see them. He congratulates her on all of her daily accomplishments by exclaiming, “Good burp Rilke!” and “Good poopy diaper Rilke!” My favorite is when he hugs her and says, “I’m so proud of you Rilke.” It is so fascinating to see how siblings interact even on the simplest level.

Rilke has been growing into such a happy little girl. She is very smiley and treats us to the most amazing coos and squeals of excitement. She smiles with her whole body and looks at us with such loving eyes we can’t help but smother her with tons of kisses all day long.

Admittedly, the first six weeks were really difficult, the second six weeks were still a little tricky, but now things are really settling down and I feel like we are in a much more peaceful place. Although Rilke isn’t much of a napper, nights have been so much better. It was stressful putting her to sleep in the first few weeks. She was so persistent and would fight it with all her might. Now she is falling asleep all by herself and only wakes up two or three times a night to eat. Just last night I walked into our room at around 10:00pm to get something and I heard her rustling around. Within a couple minutes I heard her slurping away on her thumb. It was the first time she had found it and then she used it to snuggle herself back to sleep. Josh and I stood there crowded around her crib in the dim spotlight of a cell phone screen; we were so proud of her.

The past few months have been really great for Harper too. He can experience and appreciate so much more now that he’s getting older. He notices the sun setting early and he loves when we’re outside as it’s getting dark. Falling leaves, carving pumpkins, celebrating Josh’s birthday and my birthday, Thanksgiving, and now seeing Christmas trees everywhere mean so much more this year than they did last year. We will be getting a Christmas tree for the first time this year and I just can’t wait to see what Harper thinks about it.

Harper has been very consistent in his love for music. All day long he requests different songs to be played so he can sing along with a pretend microphone or drum along with a pair of wooden spoons. Right now the top requests seem to be Counting Crows, Dave Matthews, and lots of Elvis. Josh has been so good at introducing new songs every couple weeks which is great because after hearing “King Creole” a couple hundred times I am ready for a new one. Harper’s other love these days is his stuffed puppy. It was a gift from my friend Kate, meant for Rilke but snagged by Harper the second he laid eyes on it. It was affectionately called brown puppy for a few months but now is called Sadie (named after Curtis and Dana’s new dog).

A new fad Harper picked up is calling Josh “Babe”. I think it’s going to be a short lived phase so at the moment we still think it’s really silly and funny. He will pretty much substitute Babe for Daddy when he’s talking to Josh and he’ll even use it when Josh isn’t home. He’ll ask me, “Where’s Babe?” or say “Babe will be home soon”.

Josh and I have been blessed in so many ways. As we stumble our way through parenting we realize how fascinating the parent-child dynamic is. It’s hilarious to be on the other side of parenting, realizing that once we left the room as children, our parents might have been discussing whether or not they totally blew that one. Yep, Josh and I have had that conversation once or twice. We try our best not to go back on our word and we try to be consistent but sometimes Harper’s cuteness is just too much. Like the other day, we were in the car and we told Harper twice that he could eat as much of daddy’s sandwich as he wanted but he couldn’t hold it. I guess Harper though he just needed to request it in a more polite articulate manner so he said, “Dad, may I hold it one time please?” How can you deny a request like that coming from a two year old? Anyway, Today was Josh’s last day of class. We are SO excited because after a nice Christmas break Josh only has one semester left until graduation; we can’t wait to see what comes next!

Rilke Leah Bienko

2007-08-18T20:09:00.000-04:00

We knew it was going to be a big day. Thursday was the first day of the last year of graduate school for us. I woke up early to have copies of my syllabus printed and to tie up some loose ends before the school year began. I taught Color and Composition at 11:00 and then had a Graduate Crit class at 2:00. MJ and I hadn’t talked all day, which was sort of unusual, but with the hustle and bustle of the first day of school, sort of expected. I called MaryJo shortly after class (which went for the full 2 hr 45 min on the first day of class!). She said, “I’m kinda struggling. Are you coming home soon?” When I got home, she handed me a short grocery list and asked me if I was done for the day. I had two things to do still, so I swiped Harper up and the two of us took off to, “help Daddy go to college.” Sidekick in tow, Harper and I overnighted a letter, made a seating chart for a 300 person class, and went to Kroger to get the things on Mom’s grocery list. Mom stayed home and exhaled. After all, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, she had been taking care of an energetic two year old all day while in labor. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her or talking to her.

When Harper and I returned, Mom stayed in the bedroom, readying herself while I readied Harper for bed. MaryJo called the midwife at the hospital who, (exactly like last time) doubted her level of labor because of her calm, pleasant demeanor. We called Sean Mills, a recent Digital Media grad and a great friend. Upon receiving my phone call he dropped everything and said, “Do you want me to run there, because I will.” I picked him up, briefed him and by about 7:30-40, MaryJo and I were off to Athens Regional Hospital. She had bags pre-packed, clothes for Harper pre-laid out and instructions for a babysitter pre-written out. In short, she was pre-pared.

Unfortunately from here, there is little to tell. We arrived at the hospital, registered, (which took over ten minutes and two maybe three contractions) and headed up to the delivery room. MaryJo smiled at me during our registration and said quietly, "Imagine how long it would have taken if I hadn't pre-registered!?” We laughed together while we looked around for some sort of Candid Camera crew. You wouldn’t believe how many people it took and how many times they had to hit the F10 button to let us in.

We met our Midwife Tanya, who said she would go ahead and check if MJ had made any progress. She was floored to see that MJ walked into the hospital, (once again) 7cm dilated. I’d love to take you through the next two hours step by step, but I can’t. It’s a super-real experience that won’t translate. My love and my admiration for my wife are incommunicable. I went to fill her Gatorade bottle half way through and a team of nurses stopped me to see if I was with the girl they had all apparently been talking about. They asked me if she really was 9 cm dilated and “THANKING her husband for rubbing her back DURING her contractions!” At 9:50pm Thursday the 16,th our second child was born. We asked that the nurses not reveal the sex of the child. Instead, the baby was put on MaryJo’s chest immediately. We smiled and kissed and quietly gave thanks for our blessing staring at each other and the baby. My wife looked so beautiful.

After about five minutes, we couldn’t take the suspense. We peaked under the blanket. Maybe it was dark, maybe I didn’t think it was possible, but it looked like a girl. MJ looked and asked the nurses for confirmation. Indeed our eyes had not deceived us. We had a beautiful baby girl. We named her the next day, Rilke Leah Bienko.

This morning, a new midwife came in to check on us. She said that the midwife from the night before had relayed the story to her. She said that in all her years, she had never seen such an amazing, beautiful birth. She said, “those two are something special.” MJ said that was so sweet to hear, and thanked her. I think it meant a lot to her to hear what an amazing job she did from someone else. She was and is, amazing.

Harper is adjusting wonderfully. All he wants to do is "Kiss Rilke?" I wish you could hear the way that he says it. He tells us, "The new baby is very delicate." He is going to be an excellent big brother. Here are some pictures of our growing family.

Harper is Two!

2007-04-20T22:06:00.000-04:00

One year ago we were here in Athens celebrating Harper’s first birthday with my mom, sisters, and Harper’s cousin. It was such a wonderful time and I still feel like it was yesterday. But one whole year has passed and it’s amazing what has happened. Harper has grown into such a little person. He talks to us all day long and we constantly get to overhear him singing songs and reciting his favorite books. Harper absolutely loves to be outside. We try to go the park every day that we can and although he enjoys the swing and the slide we think he likes to tell us about them more than actually use them. Either way he has plenty to do there, especially when he finds a nice long stick which makes a perfect golf club to practice his swing in the wood chips. He loves to climb around the jungle gym and because Harper is so sweet and a bit shy he spends a lot of time dodging other toddlers as they zoom around.
It’s somewhat comforting to see that Harper hasn’t changed at all in some ways. His favorite things to do are still reading, singing, and golfing. He still runs to the window every morning and waves to Daddy as he leaves for work, he still gets really annoyed when our neighbors do anything noisy like using a saw, leaf blower, lawn mower, etc, and most of all green blanket is still numero uno!
Harper also has some new interests. He loves playing the piano and we think Julie Andrews may be his hero. We had a feeling he might like Marry Poppins and it is by far his favorite movie. Aside from Baby Einstein World Animals it’s the only movie he requests.

We celebrated Harper’s 2nd birthday with cake, presents, and a trip to The Interactive Neighborhood for Kids. It’s a make believe neighborhood for children that includes a grocery store, vet, doctor’s office, beauty salon, dentist office, library, bank, theater, etc. Every thing is child size and in the center of it all is a really great jungle gym.

Although Harper didn’t really grasp it was his birthday he definitely realized the day was special. We all had so much fun and it was such a happy day.

16 Months

2006-08-17T20:04:00.000-04:00

Harper will be 16 months old tomorrow. We celebrated by shaving his head. He has had a mohawk for a while and we thought it was time to try something new. Coincidently Josh just shaved his head, so again they are twins and it is so cute.

This summer we embarked on Harper's second big road trip. We drove from Georgia to New York and back again. Harper was such a sweetie the whole trip. Although Harper was still a bit shy, he managed to enjoy himself alone with Oma and Aunt Leah. It was so sweet to see him slowly start to appreciate all of the affection emanating from my lovely mom and sister. A few days into our trip Josh and I both noticed a change in Harper. He seemed to be getting older right before our eyes. He was becoming more observant and more particular by the day. Apparently Harper is on a learning growth spurt. For the past month he has picked up so many things. It's hard to keep up with it because it has happened so fast. For example Harper knows the sounds of about 10 animals, he has started stringing 2 or 3 words together, he can eat almost effortlessly with a fork, and he can recite several letters of the alphabet. He also understands so much more of what I say. He will correctly respond to so many requests like, please throw it in the garbage, put it in the washing machine, go get a book, please give it to Daddy, sit down on the couch, etc. Sometimes we'll say something not expecting him to understand and he does. I know it is so typical of a toddler to surprise you every day with their capacity to learn but I never expected to be this amazed.

Harper is currently obsessed with two things: Daddy's Moped and buttons. He spends all day trying to get a hand on the keyboard, cell phone, television, and dvd player. When he's not doing that he is telling me all about the Moped. He has the cutest routine in the morning. As soon as Josh gets his sneakers out Harper will say "Daddy! Scooter! Brrrmmmm! Buy Buy! Scotter! Scooter! Scooter! Brrrmmm!" He concienciously works on his pronuciation. For scooter he'll say "sssss-doe-doe", for fan he'll say "fffff-dan".
Harper is definatley a handful but everyday brings more fun and Josh and I are enjoying every minute of it.

Rememberance of Things Past

2006-03-29T11:06:00.000-05:00

11 Months Old

Literally, you blink. You blink and that six month old rolling around in the laundry is now tugging at your leg saying "up up up," because he's tired of walking around. In the past three days, Harper has decided that walking is ok so he's just gonna go for it. In the previous weeks he has been comfortable walking from Mom to Dad and then back but apparently that wasn't cutting it. Now he just goes blazing off so condfidently marching himslf right over toys and books and Dad and then collapses when things get going a little too quickly.

Harper's first word was without a doubt, "hat." He closes his eyes and sort of picks up steam and then bursts with a "Hat!" He does all of the normal baby tricks, like "how big is Harper?" (both hands shoot to sky) and "Yay Yay, Clap Clap" (hands clapping). It seems like he's been fake sneezing and coughing for months now. That is a sight to see. His favorite books include Sheep in a Jeep (which he calls "Uh-Oh"). The books goes, "Sheep in a Jeep on a hill that's steep." Harper predicts the next page with "Uh Oh, The Jeep won't go." He only gets the Uh-Oh part for now. His favorite book of all time is Five Little Ducks. I've even tried beating him at his own game and reading it until he just can't stand it anymore. I have not found his breaking point yet. Neither MaryJo or myself can decipher what this means but as soon as you begin to read this book to him he looks straight into your eyes and makes the "brrrrr" sound. He does it so seriously like it's something you really need to know. "Brrr!" "BRRRR!" "Sheesh is anyone listening to me?"

He is not eating at night anymore. Five out of ten nights he sleeps from about 7:00 to about 7:00. If he does wake up I get to go into his bedroom and try to rock him back to sleep. He has a very very soft white Blankey that comforts him at night.

Unfortuntely his favorite toy bar none is the computer and the mouse. He would do anything to have five minutes with that keyboard. The sadest funniest thing that happens is, when he gets on his toes and starts grabbing for the mouse I say, "Harper, no no," and I go over and pick him up. He instantly begins sobbing, and shaking his head, no no. It's so damn cute, I end up laughing. I try not to but it's really hard.

Six Months Old

2005-10-26T20:01:00.000-04:00

bulldog laundry
sheep
new smile
hood
first bite
dad overalls
crawl
sleeping harper

Five Months next Sunday

2005-09-10T22:50:00.000-04:00

Georgia Bulldawgs. We won tonight. We beat USC. 2 and 0. I watched the game on ESPN. When the cable people came to hook up our Internet we told them we didn't want cable TV. We shot the shat with them for a few minutes. I told then I loved to watch golf. MaryJo said we don't need the distraction. When they left they called MaryJo and said, "Tell your husband to put golf on… Welcome to Athens." Free basic cable just like that. ESPN comes in fuzzy so there's no sound but we just turn on the local radio station and watch the game on mute. The radio tells us what will happen on TV a half second before it happens. It's Preemptively American.

Harper is keeping MaryJo and I both entertained. He is a bundle of joy during the day, especially in the morning. We are patiently awaiting a book that will hopefully help us wean him from the Orthodontic Pacifier. We refuse to call it Binky. He has learned to roll himself over onto his stomach and he's working on making his way back to his back. He's so close. He's old enough to do this to his neck, "Who's my little goof ball?" and nestle your nose right in between his chin line and chest and he laughs and laughs. You have to be cleanly shaven of course. I don't get to see him much Tuesday through Thursday but by Friday we get to spend a lot of time together.

School is going very well. I am completely busy as expected. When I'm not in class or in the studio or at a lecture or at an opening (three in three weeks), I’m home reading or drawing or writing. It's absolutely heavenly. I don't want to look back three years from now and wish I had done more. I've spent my entire life doing that.

MaryJo is staying home with Harper and working part time. Her job couldn't be better. She works only when they need her and even then it is only about 15 hours of work a week, which doesn't sound like a lot but is. That's three hours a day, but if you only get in an hour and a half one day then it's four and a half the next. It adds up very quickly. She is enjoying the weather thoroughly, taking Harper for walks all over the place. We live about 2 tenths of a mile from downtown Athens and about a Mile from Campus. We are 1.6 miles from the Cedar Street Studios (where I paint). Our apartment is perfectly located. There is a very pretty coffee/bakery just down the road from us that I can see us frequenting.

I haven't golfed since I left Ithaca. It hurts. It hurts bad. I just keep telling myself that if I work hard enough I'll be able to get a job at a college that gives incredible faculty discounts on season passes.

Also, I bought a moped. Gas was $3.40 a week ago and a parking permit, which would not permit me to park anywhere near the studios, was three hundred dollars. Add that up over three years it’s $900 plus whatever I spend in gas. This moped gets over one hundred miles to the gallon. Yes, I deal with a modicum of pointed fingers and smirks but it's worth it. I smile back and usually try to do a pop-a-wheelie. This makes the smirks down right laughs.

8.5.05

2005-08-05T19:23:00.000-04:00

We're geared up to make our move to Georgia. I thought I should snap a couple of pics before we go. MJ and I have discussed this and we both tend to agree that although newborns are very cute and very new born, a three month old is what it's all about. They smile and laugh and hold hands and shoulders and kick and listen to songs and play giddyup (discovered this today). They're just a joy. He sits up in our arms now so walking around the gorcery store with a kid on your hip is a likely occurence. He is apparently in the 85% for height and weight. He's a big boy and strong as can be.

Harper J.

2005-06-29T23:24:00.000-04:00

This kid is a trooper. He smiled an coo-ed through a long drive to Georgia, long days driving around looking for an apartment in Georgia, a long trip to Florida and then the long trip back home. There were, of course a few exceptions where Harper had had enough driving. This was completely warranted.

He was so good during our trip that MaryJo and I started feeling guilty. We'd been driving for hours and Mj would crawl into the back seat and he'd smile and do his version of a laugh which sounds a bit like someone coming up for water, but because he's a baby it's cute, and we'd feel bad. You kinda want him to scream at you for asking him to be good for 18 hours, but no. You crawl back into the back seat and he's all, "Daddy! There you are. I've been sitting back here for 18 hours wondering where you and mom were. You're here! (Sound of coming up for water and a big smile)

Harper has become an individual of sorts. He smiles a lot. He cries when he's hungry and he has this little long weak moan he does when he's ready to sleep but isn't exactly ready to do the sleeping part. He prefers to be held facing out which is a little bit sad because you don't feel like you see him much this way. It's sort of funny because you hold him for twenty minutes and then you turn him around and he's like, "Mommy, there you are! Where have you been?! (Coming up for air, big smile.)

Any way, here are some pictures his mom took. We weighed him tonight. He is 13.5 lbs. He is closing in on ten weeks old.

Check out these kicks. He's rockin his first pair of Nike's. Someone gave us this big bag of clothes and inside was a pair of Jordan's. I don't know if I've ever been so happy.

Harper's Weekly

2005-06-03T13:01:00.000-04:00

Here are some more photos. He's got about a million new faces he's trying out. I don't think he's settled on which is the look for him yet.

Week 3

2005-05-07T23:03:00.000-04:00

This has been an incredible few weeks. Harper seems to be acclimating to the world well. He is now weighing in at about 10 pounds carrying most of the weight in his lips, nose, hands and feet. He is sleeping through the night, waking only to eat. His patterns during the day are changing, but for the past week or so he sleeps most of the day until around 8:30. From 8:30 to about 10:30/11:00 he sings songs to his mother and me about wanting to eat and about wanting to pass gas and about not wanting to sleep. I have a number of tricks for these hours. Swinging him in his Moses basket works sometimes but is physically tiring. He has passed out a number of times lying on my knees, stomach down or over the shoulder. It seems like he really likes to be burped, although he doesn't love to do the burping part.

The end all of tricks is the old pinky in the mouth bit. Add a rocking chair to this or a bouncing Mommy and its lights out Irene.

He is growing very quickly. He smiles occasionally and although this smile is scientifically not authentic, it feels authentic enough. It's incredible how a smile from that little boy makes you feel. Today he smiled while I was dancing with him and it literally made my day. The Land Rover broke down on my way home from Mother's Day shopping and I was just crushed. We don't have any money and the idea of now fixing a never inexpensive Land Rover was painful. But man, that kid smiles at me while we're dancing and...I don't know. I don't have words poetic enough to say.

Here's a picture of a very happy Ja Ja (Czech for Grandpa) holding his first grandchild. It is quite an experience to see your Father hold your newborn and know that one day, those big hands held you. It doesn't seem like my hands could ever be that big. Perhaps Harper feels the same.

This is Andrew Johnson. He was a Professor of mine at Buffalo, who I admire greatly. He came to visit the baby. We talked about painting and school, the world of academia, and the baby. We talked about the colors in Harpers face, greens and yellows, grey blues and bright pinks. I didn't hear him say this and I don't think anyone but Harper was meant to hear it but MaryJo overheard him anyway. He said to Harper in a voice made for small students to hear, "I couldn't paint you because people would accuse me of not being subtle." MaryJo told me after he left. I thought that was a beautiful thing to say.

More soon... I promise to take some pictures when his eyes are open.

Harper J. Bienko

2005-04-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

All right, I'll make this as quick as possible. At 10:00pm Monday night MaryJo decided to head into bed. We both had a long day. I went golfing with Gorss, Rob (a great new friend) and Alan (my brother-in-law) in the afternoon to celebrate Gorss's 37th birthday. The ladies, (Sarah, Gorss' wife, Kristy with a C, and MaryJo with a baby) hung out at the Gorss homestead. They went for a long walk outside enjoying the same sunshine we were enjoying. They talked and laughed and shared excitement about babies that were already there and babies that were still to come. When we finished golfing we all headed to the G homestead for some pizza. It was a gorgeous day.

So at 10:15pm I went into the bedroom to tuck MaryJo into bed. She had on relaxing music. She was concentrating on calming her entire body. I rubbed her back slowly for about 45 seconds. She was almost asleep when she sat up and said, "My, my water just broke." She stood out of bed quickly to confirm. We called the midwife right away. She told us to try to get some sleep and call her by at least 7:00am. About two hours later, MaryJo felt that her contractions were about two minutes apart. We called the midwife again who decided, despite MJ's relaxed demeanor on the phone, it was probably a good idea for us to head to the hospital. We made one stop at the ATM on the way and arrived just short of 1:30am. Despite my calm demeanor and facade of peacefulness, I decided to deliver the pizza I had eaten at Gorss' onto the construction fence that outlined the hospital. If you know anything about me you know that this is a standard occurrence that I look forward to being done with. I felt like a million dollars. The stingy fence did not offer me a tip.

We walked to the Maternity Ward of the hospital taking breaks every two minutes. We met our Midwife (Graham) at the front desk. MaryJo was not having a contraction then so we met with smiles and small talk. It was approx. 1:30am. Here is a basic outline of what you know as a husband going into a birth. You start at zero cm dilated. Your wife must be dilated 10cm before you can deliver. It takes about an hour per cm. You do not generally show up at the hospital relaxed and in control when you are 7CM DIALATED! The midwife and MaryJo were pleasantly surprised. I had no idea what any of that meant.

We spent some time in the bed, some time on the birthing ball, traveled down the hall to the big Jacuzzi for a while and then back into the bed. I'll spare you the details but my wife is an amazing woman with strength that I do not have. She was very brave and very in control. I was by her side throughout. It was a heroic three hours spent breathing and rubbing and moving. By 4:35am, a 7lb. 15oz., 18 & 3/4 inch baby was laying on MaryJo's chest. We asked that the nurses not tell us the sex so we waited a minute and then checked under the towel. Judging by the monstrous hand size and the big old feet we had both guessed it was a boy. Mj said, "Is it a boy?" and I said, "Is the Pope German?" Just kidding. We had a boy name picked out but we hadn't settled on a girl’s name. Apparently this is integral in deciding the sex of your child while in the womb. If you come up with a girls name and no boy name, dude, yer getting a gal.

We spent the next hour or so just starring at the baby and each other thanking God quietly for the experience.

We spent the morning dosing on and off, checking the baby and each other. It seemed uncanny how alert, healthy and beautiful my wife looked. I know not every birth is like this and I'm sure TV wouldn't be as exciting if they were but I've got to tell you, it's nothing like you see on TV. There was no screaming, MaryJo took no drugs, and she wasn't sweating and swearing at me. It was beautiful. It was trying physically for MaryJo all of which was natural and expected. I'm not saying it was easy I'm just dispelling some of the myth that birth is such a traumatic experience. I've never seen anything as miraculous.

This is the first picture taken after the birth.

This is our awesome midwife. I predicted that she, out of the six midwives, would be on call the night of our birth.

Harper is getting a first look at how pretty his mom is.

I hadn't slept much at this point. That doesn't explain the hair I know.

This is Mom and Harper at home in the kitchen

Harper J. Bienko

2005-04-19T18:55:00.000-04:00

I would like to introduce you to our beautiful baby boy, Harper Joshua Bienko. At 4:30 am on Monday the 18th of April, by the unlimited grace of God, Harper J. Bienko was born. Surely I will relay the entire story of his birth to you in the very near future along with as many pictures as I can, but for now I must go hold our little buddy. I can tell you that the birth was incredible, from the water break at 10:30 pm the night before, to our trip to the hospital at 1:30 am to the birth three hours after we arrived at the hospital at 4:30 am. MaryJo was laughing and talking as soon as the baby was out and is feeling great today. She is by all estimations well on her way to recovery. We are home now and enjoying the smells of baby skin and hair and fingers and toes and bellies.