The Arrival of Allison Ella Rutherford
Oct. 11, 2004

I am lying in bed, my son next to me, sleeping somewhat uneasily. His life has just changed and he's not sure how or why. He takes a deep sigh and snuggles his foot under my leg. He knows how to charm his Daddy. I love his long, lanky toddler body. He is an exuberant, intelligent, magnanimousspirit in a strong, very young body. He constantly impresses his Daddy by learning new words, concepts and skills. He is an amazing jumper and can leap from one chair to another. He knows his shapes and can point out a circle or triangle or semicircle in the real world. He knows what a rainbow is and gets excited to see it and point it out. He knows and loves sheep and cows and likes to visit the animals kept by our neighbors. He has particular tastes in music and has gotten upset when his mommy has changed the radio station while he was enjoying a specific song. He likes to color with crayons and markers on a construction wall. He has the attention and can sit through all of Finding Nemo, Toy Story 1 or 2, Monsters Inc and Peter Pan (the computer animated ones are the main trend). Yes, I'm a proud daddy.

His little sister, Allison Ella Rutherford, was just born today, October 11, 2004, at 4:06. She was 7 pounds, 14 ounces and 20 inches long. She is both heavier and taller than Elijah was at that age. This delivery came so much easier to Kari. She literally pushed for only 20 minutes and out the baby came. It still astounds me, how quickly dramatic, the impact of seeing a child come out of the woman I love. My Kari made that beautiful baby. It didn't take long, with either of my children, for me to fall in love with them. Yes, I could just eat them up. Allison has the cutest little mouth, and now that her hair is washed (yes, she has hair!), it is the softest, fuzziest little mop of hair you could hope for. Her scalp skin is loose and wrinkly and her little hands rarely leave the proximity of her face. Her little ears are folded over, ever so slightly and her intelligent eyes scan and probe her surroundings. She is absolutely perfect.

She has already pooped and has even held up her head a bit, the little overachiever. Her tongue appears to be normal and she can actually nurse, a feat Elijah, for all his talents, could never achieve. My boy has many other talents, so we won't begrudge him this one. He was so cute around his baby sister. He calls her “Baby Sister” or “Baby Allison” and likes to stroke her head and face. He even offered her his blankie to borrow, a true sign of affection for a boy who loves, no, cannot live without his blankie. While he may have been a little tired and hyper, he was very gentle with his sister, the one who just dethroned him.

I got to take her picture several times, but unlike last time with Elijah, I have a video camera and was able to film her getting her first bath and lifting her head up the first time. She is so beautiful and I am impressed by her little spirit. Have a look at some pictures of my little angel.

Pictures of Ally