Happy Birthday to Me

I know, I know. I've been a bad blogger. Forgive me. I've been terribly busy, with conferences, prepping for school, and now actually teaching. Very busy, but not with anything that anyone would care to hear about.

Anyway, I'm sitting here on my 25th birthday wondering about this crazy journey we're all on. Because I refused to do any real work once I got home, I laid down on a blanket with Little Man this afternoon and just watched him with complete awe. He was completely content just watching his own hand open and close. He'd take a break and suck on his toes for a minute, then roll over and play with the ties on the quilt. Being a mom is the most fulfilling, rewarding, heart-wrenching experience I've ever had and I'm so grateful for it. Being a part of this beautiful family is my greatest blessing.

I have to brag about my sweet husband for a minute. He accidentally scheduled band practice for tonight and just realized last night the mistake he'd made. But he really made up for it in every possible way he could have. He sent me flowers at work, and when I got home, he had baked me a cake, there was ice cream in the freezer, and there was a present waiting for me. He also put a very sweet note in my lunch box this morning and even called me at lunch time to say happy birthday again. I've decided that birthday's are completely un-special when you grow up, but he really did a great job of trying to make it a good one for me. You're the best, sweetie.

The school year is off to a great start. I feel like I'm doing a great job, for once. In my regular classes, we've drawn pictures, sang songs, done several hands-on activities, and haven't wasted one single moment of class time. Kids are actually waiting even after the bell rings to hear my final instructions. It so exciting. I feel like I'm that fun teacher, that class that kids can't wait to get to (let me pretend, anyway). AP Chem is also off to a good start. I jumped right in to the content, and we're already through the the first chapter. Most kids seem to be keeping up and doing just fine so far. The question will be whether or not I can keep my own head above water. I knew it was going to be a lot of work, but I didn't know it would be this much work. Besides that, I'm really enjoying teaching the "smart" kids who are in my class because they want to be. It's a pleasant change.

Little Man is adjusting quickly to being in daycare. He's sleeping better there than he usually does at home. He was pretty cranky yesterday (he wouldn't even crack a smile). James and I decided he must have been mad at us for ditching him, but he was more like himself tonight. He had lots of smiles and giggles for me. He's almost sitting up, too. Tonight, he sat up for 5 - 10 seconds by himself. He was even able to bend over and pick up a toy without falling over. I've also discovered that if you put your hands on his feet while he's on his tummy, he'll push off, one leg at a time, and scoot across the floor. It won't be long before he's doing it all on his own.

James is not adjusting to school as well as the rest of us. He's feeling very uninterested and unmotivated by his classes. Hopefully, the learning bug will bite him again, and he'll be able to buckle down and finish quickly.

And finally, a few pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Who does this remind you of?

Mom, Lindsay, and her girls came to visit us last Friday. Little Man really thought the girls were great. He kept beaming and giggling at them.

I can't get enough of this messy face. We've now switched to oatmeal cereal, which he loves. I'm not sure how much I should be feeding him. Anyone have any ideas? He gets a half serving of cereal and a full serving of veggies or fruit at dinner time. Is this enough? Is this too much? How do you know?
This one is from this afternoon. He had been sucking on his toes, but as soon as he saw the camera, he got distracted and stopped. He's still a cutie, even without his toes in his mouth.

Pride and Joy

Yesterday was James' big day. His band played at the Kids Carnival at Wheeler Farm, which was a bigger deal than I thought it would be. There were a lot of people there! He was so nervous but everything turned out really well. Once they started playing, I just sat there and beamed. I was so proud of James. He has such an amazing talent. He was a little critical of his own performance, but I don't think the average person could tell when he messed up. (I only noticed once myself, and that was only because he stopped playing for a minute to let the rest of the band catch up; if he wouldn't have stopped, I never would have known.)


One of the songs they played was Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Pride and Joy." The singer even told the crowd that this song "featured" James on guitar; it really is his song. Here's one of the solos from it:
(Disclaimer: James wants me to make sure everyone watching this knows that the tone is crappy and that he didn't do it on purpose. He accidentally left a pedal on and didn't realize it until the song was over. He keeps saying, over and over, "It sounds like I was trying to sound like Cream, not SRV." And I keep telling him, over and over, "I promise nobody could tell the difference. You sounded great.")


There really isn't much in the way of Little Man news today. He was very good yesterday, considering that he only got one 45 minute nap yesterday afternoon, instead of the usual two 2 hour naps. He also ate more last night than I have ever seen him eat. Normally, you have to do all sorts of tricks and sound effects to get him to look up and open his mouth for the spoon. Last night, he gobbled up all of his cereal, half a container of carrots, plus half a thing of applesauce with no tricks required, then nursed. Needless to say, he slept very well last night!

Daddy and Little Man in their hats:
My little (slobbery) heartbreaker:

A weeks worth of news

I've been feeling slightly guilty about not posting anything lately. Part of the problem is that it's been so long that I don't really know where to begin. The other problem, my dad reminded me, is that I've been reading whenever I have a spare moment instead of blogging. But my book is finally done (sigh), Little Man is sleeping, and James is at practice. So here we go...

Noteworthy Item #1: Little Man is officially on solids.
Little Man had been unusually fussy last Wednesday and Thursday. I thought that he might be hungry, like that last time he was fussy for several days. So I did an experiment and gave him some sweet potatoes (he hadn't been a fan of the cereal). He loved them! I started with just a tablespoon or so, but he ended up eating the entire container! He was kicking in excitement and cried when the bowl was empty. It was really cute how he was sucking and chewing on the spoon. Since that first experience, I've added extra solids, since he was obviously ready. So now he gets half a serving of fruit in the morning, and cereal (organic brown rice cereal now; he seems to like it much better) and sweet potatoes for dinner.

Noteworthy Item #2: Little Man and I spent last weekend in Logan.
We spent last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with my parents. I'm a bit of homebody, so I'll admit that I didn't have high expectations for the weekend. I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed spending time with family, though, especially my parents. Since Little Man was born, I've really come to appreciate my family, in-laws included, so much more. It was wonderful to just relax and chat with my family. I was also glad that they all got to spend some quality time with Little Man. I was also very struck by how much love my parents have for each other. I've really noticed a difference in their relationship lately (or maybe I'm just finally noticing something that's always been there). They are so patient with each other and so loving. I am so grateful for their example.
The reason for the big trip was to go to Idaho and celebrate my aunt's birthday (I won't say what number it was, Aunt Bea. ;) ) It was a surprise party and she really was surprised! I hadn't been up to visit in about 6 years (I'm a homebody, remember?) and I really enjoyed myself. It was the first time most of my extended family had got to meet the little guy and I do love to show him off. He was surprisingly good, probably better than he should have been considering he barely had a nap for two days.

Four generations:

Noteworthy Item #3: James went camping while I was gone.
James has been back-packing into the Uintas practically every summer since he was 3. He wasn't able to go with his dad this year, because of work, so him and his brother went on their own over the weekend. He didn't say much about the trip, other than he was bored because they both forgot to bring anything to do and he got eaten alive by mosiquitos. I'm just glad he was able to go when I already had plans to be gone so that I didn't have to spend two weekends away from him.

Little Man was so happy to see his daddy when we got home!


Noteworthy Item #4: Stephenie Meyer's new book, Breaking Dawn, was released.
Although I was responsible and skipped the mega release parties, I did get a copy of the book the next morning. I spent the next 5 days savoring the last book of the saga. I went back and forth about whether I was liking it or not, but when it was over, I decided it was wonderful. Everything got tied up, even if it was in a slightly, anti-climatic way and I feel good about how the author left it. Part of the reason why I didn't like it at parts was because, last winter, a student of mine told me about a "theory" she'd heard about the new book. Somehow, the "theory" was actually what happened. I was slightly disappointed that it was spoiled for me, especially because I'd been so careful to not read anything about the new book at all before it was released. But I ended up liking it well enough once I got over that, and have pledged my undying love for Stephenie Meyer and have promised to own any book she ever writes.

Noteworthy Item #5: I have mastitis.
Sometime on Tuesday, I noticed that I still felt "full" after I'd nursed Little Man. I didn't think that much about it, but by evening, it was obvious that I had a blocked duct. I rubbed, and massaged, and applied heat, but I couldn't get it to un-clog. I finally just went to bed and when I woke up, it was all red and swollen and very painful. I called my midwife and she diagnosed me over the phone. She called in an antibiotic and told me to plan on spending the day on the couch. I never felt very sick, just very, very, sore. Things are a lot better today, but things are still a tad tender.

I think that's about it. Do you see why I've been putting this off? Sorry about the novel. Just as a reminder, James's band has their first gig this Saturday at Wheeler Farm, from 12:20 to 1:20. I hope you can all come!

Here are some more random pictures from the week.

Little Man is already a couch potato, just like his parents. He loves to watch TV.


Little Man is getting better and better at rolling around. He's even getting to the point where he'll roll to go get something, versus rolling just for the sake of rolling. He started in the center of this blanket
Little Man has a new habit of grabbing your face while you hold him, especially when you're trying to get him to sleep. He was being so soft and sweet this night, just patting me and staring into my eyes. It makes it all worth it.

As an experiment this morning, I just handed Little Man his bottle. He knows what it is, but I didn't know if he knew how to work it. He took it with both hands, then tipped it up and put it straight into his mouth. He didn't hold it up by himself for very long, but he certainly knows how to.