Posted too late.

I was hoping to get these pictures posted a little earlier, but it's been one of those days. I think Niki has teeth coming in again. There are moments when nothing makes her happy, but Seth called me from Guam yesterday, which made Me happy, so that's something. If I had gotten these pictures up earlier, he would have been able to see them today, but now he'll have to wait until his next stop. Sigh. I guess he'll just have to be content with the memory of my voice.

I know I say this with every post lately, but Niki is almost crawling. She can get up on her hands and knees now. She just hasn't connected that idea with the idea of forward motion. She is also getting the notion of grabbing on to things above her, though I think it will be a long time before she begins to pull herself up.

My parents came over for the weekend to attend a cousin's wedding shower and of course to see their grandbaby. My father was delighted that Niki is big enough to begin playing some of his favorite games. This one is called "Trap the kiddo between my legs and don't let her go." Niki was pretty impressed with herself and the general standing position. I was pretty impressed too. She's practically standing by herself right there. On the way over to the shower, we stopped at McDonald's, and Niki had her first french fry. I think she likes apples better, especially if she gets to hold the whole thing and chew on it at her own pace. She's also doing things like waving bye-bye at unexpected moments, saying "pa-ta-ca" when she claps her hands, saying "Oh-ooooo" when the dog howls, and just generally making me wish that I had a video camera attached to my hand so I could capture firsts instead of fifteenths. Good-night, everybody. God bless you.

BIg Praise!

CHINA -UPDATE – Prominent House Church Leaders Released by Police – China Aid AssociationOn Oct. 27, China’s Public Security Bureau released Pastor Zhang “Bike” Mingxuan, his wife and sister-in-law from detention, China Aid Association reported. Pastor Zhang’s sons Jian and Chuang, who were severely beaten by police officers on Oct. 16, have been forced to vacate their Beijing apartments, and are currently residing in Nanyang City, Henan province. Praise God for this family’s release. Continue to pray for healing for Pastor Bike’s sons. Ask God to continue His watch over this courageous family that continues to stand unashamed for Christ.Psalm 91:1-7

Just cuteness.

Niki's new skills include sitting up all by herself and very nearly crawling. She also has this weird little wiggle dance in which she rubs the back of her head on the floor and wiggles all her limbs at once.

She has completely gotten over her fear of the camera. Sometimes I think she looks around just to see if I'm watching before she smiles.

Niki tried her first whole apple pieces the other day. The apple was a little green, but she put it away pretty quickly, or so I thought until I took her out of the chair and found the whole thing jammed down in her seat.

She's curious about everything: furniture, keys, packages, bits of paper, computer mice, fingernail clippers. She likes to lie under the high chair and move it back and forth.

We broke out the winter coat for the first time last week. I find it ironic that a baby who barely fits in size 18 mo. onsies is completely overwhelmed by a 12 mo. coat. She seemed quite happy with it, even though she looked like the Michelin man (R).

And this last picture is just cute. I think she's trying to tell us something.

The wiggle dance

On a happier note.

Now that we've discussed religion and politics (see previous post), I'll make you smile. Niki discovered laundry baskets the other day. I assure you that none of these poses are arranged. She did them all by herself.

We've also discovered the value of the Pak'n'Play since she started scooting. She's very fascinated by the dog bowls, which upsets the dog and worries me that she's going to end up face down or at least sopping wet in one of them. So into the playpen she goes, and most of the time she doesn't seem to mind.

And no baby blog would be complete without pictures of baby making a mess in the highchair. These pictures are of Niki's first big people food -- grapes. I cut up a few grapes and let her have them with her rice cereal. I'm not certain that any of the grapes actually made it past her gums, but she sure seemed to have fun trying, and she made Max very happy with her leftovers.

Matters of policy.

Well, the election is over, and I have to agree with my friend delta sierra (as she calls herself). I'm disappointed. And for the past two weeks, I've been bombarded by emails from friends and from my pro-life sources talking about how the pro-life movement (which is very important to me) will be facing its biggest challenges since its inception under Obama's administration. I was fully prepared to submit to gloom and doom and pray myself sick, but two nights before the election, I had a dream that stabilized me again, and I'd like to share it with you.

I was staying at my parents' house temporarily when an early, unnatural darkness covered the whole Valley. It was too dark and thick to be clouds and too early to be night. It rolled in like a storm, but it covered everything in less than five minutes. Almost every light outside was blotted out, and inside, even though I had turned all the lights in the kitchen on, they only worked like a strobe light, flashing briefly and palely and then blacking out completely. Needless to say, this frightened me, and as I was running over to another lightswitch to turn it on, I saw a tall dark figure in the middle of the dining room which frightened me even more. But when I bumped into him, the light flashed, and I realized that I was looking up into my father's face. He had come downstairs to make sure I was alright. (pause for moment of feeling good and reassurance) Of course, being the detail-oriented, will-manage-it-myself sort of person that I am, I didn't stop to take comfort in his presence; I went to find more lightswitches.

I'm pretty sure that the symbolism is obvious. My parents' house translates to the place where I grew up -- good old U.S. of A. The darkness is the situation we find ourselves in. My father represents our Heavenly Father. The lightswitches represent human effort. The lights represent faith, which happens apart from our own efforts.

Now I am not saying that Obama's election ushers in a great storm or a preternatural age of wickedness. I really don't expect the overall state of the American populace to change that much. Like my husband says, the most liberal American politician is still miles to the right of China or Iran or places like that. I do expect a storm of doubt. I have a suspicion that organized Christianity might lose ground in political, economic, and academic fields, especially if we don't respond with faith and prayer or if we're not willing to give up trying to blend in with the populace at large. But I think the point of my dream is pretty plain: in the middle of the darkness, our Heavenly Father is standing there, watching to make sure we're okay.

In the meantime, waiting must be accompanied by action. As soon as he is in office, Obama has promised to sign a bill called the Freedom of Choice Act which completely deregulates the abortion industry, overturns state authority over local abortion practices, subjects every current law limiting abortion practices to new scrutiny and probably rejection, and prohibits new laws limiting abortion from being passed. Not only would such an act be unconstitutional (all powers not specifically named in constitution belong to the states, not the federal government), but it would also remove safety regulations, parental consent laws, and informed consent laws that have saved thousands of lives.

Please go to this website and read the analysis of this bill:http://www.FightFOCA.com. If you feel so led, please sign the petition. If you have no faith in web petitions, please write to your congressional representatives and let them know how you feel about this bill.

Thanks and God bless.

Jennifer

First Halloween & First Chocolate

Let the season of milestones begin. first Halloween, first costume, first autumn leaves -- we are so there. Here are some pictures from Niki's first Halloween Harvest Party. Unfortunately I was working most of the evening, so I didn't get any pictures, but the church photographer managed to get a one of Niki and a few of me. Niki was supposed to be a dalmation, but she overran her diaper all over that costume, so

she went as a tiger cat instead. You can't see the ears or the cute little nose because she refused to leave the hood on. That doesn't bode well for when the weather gets cold.

The lady holding Niki is Lavonne, an old college classmate of my parents who goes to my church. Ain't it a small world? (Lavonne's husband Will was the Will who went in for a marrow transplant but eventually succumbed to leukemia. She appreciates prayer.)

My costume was supposed to be Marian the Librarian from The Music Man, but it turned more into an Anne of Green Gables sort of thing. Alas for shoulder-length brown hair when it should be long and red. Someday I will learn to make my hair stay put under a hat too.

Now these below were taken this morning after church. That is Niki with her first chocolate cookie. I hadn't been intending to give her chocolate until her first birthday, but she took the cookie right out of my hand and proceeded to plaster it all over her face, as babies should do. And the photographer just happened to be near by enough to catch us once again.

I'm so glad he was there. Some moments are meant to be recorded.