i remember why

how easily i forget why i cant be a sahm (stay at home mom)! but last night dave was kind enough to remind me during a fabulous debate on finances! you see i made the bold decision to purchase seventh generation laundry detergent due to my recent enlightenment on chemical properties (& subsequent health risks) of commonly used household products. you see...i just want to take baby steps...and start changing over piece by piece.. to more environmentally friendly products. albeit, generally there is more initial cost...which is where the debate came in. dave is against spending more on such silly nonsense. this is when i started remembering why it is that i make my own money. bc unless you are married to a saint...there is some power play from the money maker in a one income family...whether it be outright or more subliminal...and yes...i admit..i am "damaged goods" in that I come from a long long too long previous marriage where i was financially violated and thus have a huge ole chip on my shoulder about money power struggles....so long story short. I LOVE MAKING MY OWN MONEY. Its allows me true independence...without the constant need to compromise. So the simple solution to our difference in opionion was to say..." No problem sweetheart...I will just pay for it out of my own account". and thats the end of that. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh sweet freedom.

Regarding the pic: The Crab Nebula is a six-light-year-wide expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion. Japanese and Chinese astronomers recorded this violent event nearly 1,000 years ago in 1054, as did, almost certainly, Native Americans. This is one of the largest and most detailed view taken by Hubble, and in addition, the highest resolution image ever made of the entire Crab Nebula

Cosmetics Breakdown

Im going to stop putting poisons on my child's skin. Its one of those things where I was lax - and now im realizing the error...so im going to work at fixing it. Especially since he has exzema. Why did i stop using olive oil & move to lotion? when did that happen? im pretty sure i was lured in by those baby frangrances...only to be tricked into possibly doing more harm than good. why am i using a soap with a 10 yes 10 rating on the following site? (please check it out! it has adult cosmetics too) . Because it was easy and available and .........DER.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse.php?maincat=babycare

So the good news is mama is waking up....from her green slumber...and that i really rethinking what i am putting on him...and in him. Please do the same for yourself and your family.

P.S. the pic was from when little grant was 4 months old :)

pro green space

Found this on a thread on space.com...what a cool site! Food for thought:

"A little bit of greenery in urban areas can cool off the hotter and stickier summers that city residents face as a result of global warming, new research show. An additional 10 percent more green space could reduce surface temperatures by 7 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a team of British scientists.

Extra parks and green roofs could counteract the predicted rise in temperature until 2080 when summers are expected to be hotter and drier and winters wetter. Because American cities are more prone than British cities to high summer temperatures, University of Manchester biologist Roland Ennos said green space has an even more important function in the United States.

In cities around the world, planting more grass and trees could keep people more comfortable and reduce air conditioning costs and energy expenditures, Ennos said. "It should make life more pleasant climatically," Ennos told LiveScience. "Many studies have also shown that it improves people's physical and mental health, sense of wellbeing, and can result in reductions in crime." Rest of the story: "

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070518/sc_livescience/smallparkscouldcoolbigcities

TGIF!

oh how i love fridays...oh how i love fridaaaaaaaaaaaays..oh how i love fridays...because freedom is so close (to the tune of "oh how i love jesus"...of course)

of course im always in a state of freedom...bc ultimately i choose every step i make, every decision i take..on and on...etc etc...but the weekend is especially free and delicious..even when that freedom includes painting a house, going to lawrence for my kid's chiropractor appt, picking up a freecycle coffee pot, planting my vegetable garden, getting my dogs stiches taken out & maybe even getting the oil changed. sounds fun huh? it is actually bc im all about family...and that requires some maintenance. oh the joys of adulthood. sometimes i would rather be stubbing my toe on the sidewalk.



hopefully we can have another pool party with miss vivian and sarah again soon (pic)...although it has turned cool this week...luckily we were able to sneak it in while it was stil hot hot! those kids do have a good time together...even though they generally act smug and ...like to poke each others eyes out.




grant is doing great. guess the daily dose of singulair is really helping his allergies stay at bay...and that is keeping the respiratory response at bay...which is GREAT..we sure dont miss Mr. Misty (nebulizer treatments).

Have a great weekend!

9 days and countin'

Florida....ahh...Florida...days spent doing nothing but laying on the beach...or swimming in the expansive pool with my family! sounds delicious....and we are so close now i am counting down the days..the hours really. IM SO EXCITED for my boy to experience the ocean (ya i know he is shark bait)...and be around his family. Sure hope my brother and his family make it...they arent positive yet.

Grant took his first steps Monday...while i was playing hookie from work..how kind of him to choose such a day for his momentus milestone! He walked back and forth from my mother and i over and over and over...3 & 4 steps each time. He laughed and giggled and screamed with delight...like OMG...im doing IT!!! It was precious to see and my mom and i both teared up in motherly emotion.

Dave and i officially started painting the house last night!! i guess the stars are alighned just right or something...or maybe its just no precipation for a week...either way...the side of our house is a dark blue (blue on blue to be exact)..so we gotta keep going now...no way out. We didnt get the color just right till last night..after dave spent an hour painting..OOPS...but i just cant have it toooo light..i detest the powder blue look...so lucky number 4..yes the fourth color we had mixed and tried out...was the right one for us. Cant wait to see the finished look! We are going to do lots of white trim to really make the dark blue POP. will post a pic of the final product...be nice if that was before florida...but dave and i are resolved to the fact that this is a HUGE project..and we will just keep pluggin away till its finished...whenever that may be.

Peace

happy 10 month birthday grant!

seems like grant has a new personal joke everyday! something he just cracks up over....yesterday it was the old "high five, down low..too slow" omg..he LOVED it. i tell you this kid is mr personality. yes he knows who his mama is...and he has a bit of separation anxiety..but not much at all! he really warms up to people quick and gives them love and smiles and attention. its great to watch him make people feel good. i sure do love that little guy.

dave and i are working on preparing healthy snacks for our little muncher. he really enjoys picking up small pieces and aiming for his mouth. so far he has enjoyed kix (at daycare), peas , carrots, advocados & apples. in the works are sweet potatoes & a large variety of veggies & fruits cut into little pieces...some frozen...and some fresh...all easy to use on the go and after work. im excited to get this process streamlined. many times im caught at work with no snacks for him (other than breastmilk of course..thank god for that)

off to work...grant is thriving and happy..and so are his parents.

Nursing in public

Read this on the http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/

I agree with it! Breastfeeding is OK - and people who have a problem with it in public..need to get over themselves.

"Tobin had an inalienable human right here that is being denied. The right of a human child to human milk, to nurture and nourish when its psychobiology requires it.The offended onlooker does not have any rights to be protected. The offended onlooker has a personal issue, a feeling of discomfort and unease, that requires handling. A cultural dissonance, that needs acknowledged,responded to, engaged with and hopefully smoothed away. The nursing dyad has no such personal issue in this paradigm. The nursing dyad is not operating out of a cultural context. The nursing dyad has supreme importance and protection in this scenario.There is a simple truth here, that is so awesome and complete in its simplicity, that it's in danger of being overlooked: breastfeeding an infant is not a lifestyle choice. It is not a cultural convention. It is not a personal statement. It is a biological imperative. It is our essential nature. It is an essential element of our species, and the continuation of it. It is a biological norm.We do not choose to breastfeed. We can choose not to. Likewise, we do not choose to breastfeed in public. We can choose not to. Breastfeeding is not a cultural construct. Not breastfeeding, is. Nursing an infant when the infant needs it, is a biological norm. Deciding that this needs to be done in a certain place, at a certain time, or in a certain way, is a cultural value."

i do have an issue... where professionalism and public breastfeeding some in to play. I feel I should be discrete when at work and i even feel that i should be discreet when out in public in tongie...bc i am essentially paula the rec commission asst director 24/7 - an "in the public eye" kinda position. and in tongie i am more likely to see people i know. am i a hypocrite? am i weak and cowardly for not breastfeeding as casually/openly as I do in lawrence? i always try to keep from flashing nipple all over the place..but it is SOOOOO much easier..and sooooo much more enjoyable for grant and myself when im not fighting with a slippery blanket or running for cover. so its an interesting situation i have.......im pretty comfortable with how i am presently dealing with it......but i must admit im not a hardcore lactivist when it comes to the professional crossroads. anyone have an opinion?

I LOVE GRANT!!!!

fountain of youth

Its may its may! may rocks.

grant is turning 10 months on monday the 7th. the year has flown by on one hand yet on the other is has crawled in the way of the tortoise. ive certainly grown in leaps and bounds..infact...im barely recognizable as the same woman.

this hadnt happened in months..but last night over dinner...i had that "OMG we have a baby together" sensation. wierd how that happens.

we had a nice weekend.....starting out on friday with decluttering, laundry & a bit of spring cleaning (our bedroom closet had begun to grow things). you may say...well that doesnt sounds so great...but wait it gets better...that was just the lead in.....then satuday morning grant and cleaned up and left for lawrence...while our super dooper house cleaner kristen did her thing.....ahh to walk in to a fresh house is just amazing...and a PERFECT way to kick start a saturday. in lawrence...we shopped at the farmers market and purchased LOTS of items including pastel eggs, herb plants (chives & dill), english lavender, zucchini & raisen bread, sweet rolls, black cherry jam, 3 potted zinnias & gourmet doggie treats. then we strolled over to zen zero for a fabulous lunch complete with oyster sauce! we also shopped a couple baby boutiques and ended up with 2 cloth diapers & a baby einstein video. it was a great time. of course we missed visiting with sarah, vivian & ben......but serendipity solved that disappointment. sure hope we get to see them next weekend. lastly we ran in the merc for some grant probiotics, rice milk & shampoo. so now you know hehe.

saturday evening was spent at the legends at sharons my space dinner party. we had hibachi at stix and then meanered the mall there. grant had a wonderful time playing in the fountain with dad (pictured). it was sooooooooooo adorable! that was grants first fountain experience. dinner was yum yum and the library land company was very nice. grant was super well behaved and wasnt a terror at all:).

sunday was a hang at the house and chill kinda day. grant and daddy played in the yard under the shade of the tree while i dug up the garden. it was so precious to see them smiling as the breeze tossed their hair around.......i just swelled with love...as i do often. we did manage to force ourselves to grocery shop that evening , then a quick piano lesson and off to bed we ran.

on monday i went on the best date of my life! sharon babysat (a whole nother story) and from 7:30 - 10:30 dave and i enjoyed dave and busters at it best...which is FREE. we ate, drank & played unlimited video games (bartenders ball - distributors paid for it all)........which was a dream come true for me...it was great to play all the big games im usually too cheap to play! oh and i hit it big on a silly tickets game...so we had over 400 tickets and actually could buy something cool. ok not cool...but fun! i got the gigantic clapper, a deck of blues cards & a reaching/grabbing monkey contraption. it was such a blast! even though grant didnt do so well........we needed that time away...it was sweet.

grant is doing wonderful...we are managing his breathing/respiratory challenges and he is a happy , healthy , growing boy. he is scooching around fast now..and pulling up to all kinds of things. neal at day care said he was scooching around the entire house...with the other kids..they run in the circle..and she said he was about 4 laps behind them but he kept on trucking..and the other kids just keep saying..come on grant come on...he really does play with his friends there. i know he gets beat up a little too...but thats kids for ya.

thanks for visiting

hello...anyone out there?

so i really just wonder if anyone but sarah and amy read this thing. sooooooooo if you woudl please indulge me....leave a comment...even just your name...so i know you are reading this. i may need to send out another recruitment blast to lure innocent folks to this site. i just think its nice...especially since we live out here in the boonies....to have grant updates so he isnt just a figment of your imagination...and more like a real growing baby.

dave and i are making progress!!!! he wrote down the first phase of his requests! and you know it is already helping. i told him how excited i was to be truly communicating without all the drama of emotion and tone...and we are planning to continue a written dialogue! yae.

have you heard of flat daddies? dads who over seas in iraq....can have their life size images sent to their kids...and family...and that way the babes still recognize daddy on his return. at first i thought it was strange...strange but cool...and now im totally into it. infact...made me think of my own brand of flat grandmas! why not? have their life size faces in the house so he will quickly recognize them during a brief visit. he already knows my moms voice from the speaker phone..which has helped. this could really work.

grant and i are going to the chiropractor today...ive been putting it off for over a month now..the trip is just a lot of work..at least im not doing it BEFORE work..instead im taking off work to go..much better! so hopefully he can work out our kinks..man i need some help. and grants allergies are on overdrive right now...it would be nice for him to get some relief too. fingers crossed.

btw....grant is officially into everything! he is just all over the place...grabbing, reaching, crawling, scooching, rolling, pulling up, standing, walking....ahhhhhhhhhh....so now the challenge has increased and how has it! he also fights for his right to party...by screaming and crying for a bit. limits are being set...and i realize that i need to stay consistent, calm and loving through it all..which has been going well so far. such as...grant...sit in the tub...no standing...sorry....grant....may i have that? thank you...........grant....i cant continue to walk you around the house bc my back is going to give out...sorry. etc etc. he is something else! wow.

ok back to work. but please let me know if youve been here. THANKS!!!

Happy Earth Day weekend!

yae...its earth day time again...that just reminds me of spring and festivals and FUN..and of course renewing our vows to green up and be better stewards of the earth. just found out theres a nice parade and party in lawrence tomorrow...working now on gathering friends to join me...especially since dave has to work (yuck)

grant is ever so adorable. im in the process of posting brand new pics...but it takes FOREVER to download pics and then upload them to photobucket so that i can post them here....takes a week or so with my harried baby loving schedule. so please be patient with me.the posted pic is maybe just 3 weeks old. by the way...grant is 9 months 2 weeks old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh and he said FOOD this morning...it was just a freak accident..but he did it! he loves the "f" sound....fffffffffffff....so i said....fffffffffffood...and he said it right back. too cute! but his mainstays are mom, mama, da da, daddy & dawg. ive noticed though that he says da da constantly in play ...but usually only shouts MOM when he is agitated with me...how is that fair?:)

tonight sarah, ben and princess of the universe miss vivian are coming to our humble abode to eat, drink and be merry. im looking forward to some "parents of babies" socialization time. i really feel drawn to mamas...and papas........and just chillin with others who understand the demands and rewards of living with babes.

happy earth day to you! please take this opportunity to think about the natural world...whose health is directly related to our own....and then do something nice for it.

Bananabeef

Life is spectacular in its never ending twists and turns.......a journey of discovery that continues on and on....beyond what we understand...and how fun it is to wonder about the unknown...and to revel in what we are experiencing right this moment....this day...this week...this year..this life. can you tell im kinda high on life? its not always this way...but i am a bit zapped in the present.

soooo...little bear grant (i tend to call him bear more than anything lately) has been an exceptional specimen as usual. he travelled with mama to the big city that is home to our family...st louis...on the train. ahhh does he love the choo choo. we had perfect trips..even arriving early....met delightful folks on both routes...even meeting new friends and exchanging contacts. grant was the star of the show...playing peek a boo around the seats with ladies acting silly back. by the end of each train he had been walked about by staff and passengers alike. he sure does make them smile.

st louis was wonderful. we had a very nice visit with my parents and brother, sister in law, niece and even 2 cousins and 3 aunts! they all poured on the love and grant just soaked it up like the love sponge he is. it was like he was on stage...bc he was just a social butterfly. he loves it when its all about grant...and when isnt it?:)

coming back to work was hard. grant and i had become so in tune ...being together every second of the trip...for over 3 days...and we didnt want it to end. sending him off to day care was a tear jerker...and i know he felt the same way bc he was grumpy on monday. sometimes i want to be a stay at home mom SOOO very badly. i try to figure a way to make it happen...but come up short each time. sure we could sell the house and rent a tiny apartment...but what about insurance? thats the kicker. my employer pays $10,000 a year for our family insurance! Can you believe it? rediculous.

took bear to the dr this morning...a pediatric immunologist at KU med center. it was a pretty good visit actually. it takes a month and a half to get in there...so we had been anticipating the outcome for quite some time. I was suprised when they decided to do allergy testing..since i had heard its not done on babies. The results were even more suprising....bananas and beef...they said it was a strange combo indeed. The good news is we can easily avoid those..and see if it helps! Pretty exciting stuff. Of course im not considering the test to be the end all...but its interesting in the very least...and who knows it may just be the answers we were looking for! They did say that allergens can cause gerd too...and asthma of course...and exema...everything being connected. Im excited about grant outgrowing all this stuff too! Little man has been through so much already.

I am so thankful to be so blessed.

Thanks for visiting our blog!

hott bunny

so being the easter bunny isnt all that fun.......only bc its hotter than Hades in there! i was almost passing out and it had only been 15 minutes! i plan on giving our real easter bunny ( the one at the hunt) a major pay raise! of course the preschool party this morning was a big success though and we had a record turn out of 38 peeps total....20 kids!

i love days that break the mold. this morning i was outta the house by 8:30 and off to lawrence...where i ran around searching for premium coffee without the premium price..and managed to find it at wheatfields...1.75 for a large and it was very delicious. i also picked up some fresh made bread at great harvest (does not sell coffee...they give it away which of course i sneered at :) )...no i just needed a lid...so anyhoo after finding my way through the matrix i arrived at sarah and vivan's abode where i had a lovely breakfast danish and we chatted a good bit while princess vivian and i developed our relationship (she let me play with her!). it was a great quickie special outta the ordinary kinda morning.

so now i sit at my desk and need to get started on all the easter egg hunt logistics that i have been putting off. its really not that much but we do need to get all the stuff to the park and just make sure all my ducks are in a row. or bunnies whatever.

so pray for sun and minimal wind...kansas doesn't play that im afraid. happy weekend to ya!

SUSHITASTIC

My 34th birthday was wednesday, april 4th......and it was a good one. Not merely because I get a number 4 this year.....but bc my people gathered around me and gave me love. I am so blessed. The day started off with a beautiful poem from Dave. We always exchange the same card...going back and forth between us over the years...and its nice to flip back and read the entries from the past. I considered posting the poem here...and still may...but he is so intensely private that I fear it may hurt him...so I am going to get clearance first. Then off to work we went...........and i must say that i was bummed out. Just not in my usually super hyper birthday glee. It could be bc my mother put me to sleep the night before on the sick story about a couple in st louis that just made headlines bc the man had been molesting her day care children for 30 years( grandma neal has been in day care here in town for 30 years)....ages 6 months on up!!!!!!!! It sickened and stressed me OF COURSE (prolly serves her right that she was up all night revisiting her labor and delivery of me!...isnt that wild that 34 years later it still has that much of an impact?) Or it could be that winter is revisiting us with a vengeance and is taking all my pretty flowers and it just plains sucks. Or maybe its bc grant has been tossing and turning again for 3 nights and the exhaustion is setting in. But its prolly hormones in combo with all the above said self pity. Anyhoo....i made an appt for a massage as 11am.....and it was GREAT. Very nice bday present to myself. So after that i was very relaxed...but almost asleep. Sharon the Librarian popped in with a lovely present...what else a book!! That was very sweet and made me smile..things were looking up. My boss took me out for lunch ...and then all of a sudden its time to pick up grant. Well he cheered me up! And then after work I came home to a twinkie scavenger hunt. Dave and grant had hid them all over the house for the gift that keeps on giving. I loved it...and there is still a few to find! I also had bday cards that had come in the mail...and they were SUPER DOOPER mushy....from my mom..and a separate card from my dad (he is getting very emotional in his old age) and from my MIL and godmother. Im saying...they were very very veyr very sweet and touching and i cried. Next we went out for sushi with my boss and his wife (who is a friend of mine). This dinner has been 2 years in the making. We have wanted to try sushi with experienced sushi connoisseurs. SO they ordered a dozen trays or so..and we munched hard......and we LOVE SUSHI! seriously...it was divine. so now i have another expensive bad habit ...GREAT :) Sarah and Ben wanna go?

Possibly the highlight of the day was when grant decided he knew how to clap. Yes he has been pattycaking for months....but not making the clap sound with open palms. Well now he is a clapper and is so proud of himself. Its adorable! Oh and he is mobile......although without crawling or walking. It takes him about 40 minutes to go 10 feet...by wiggling, rolling, leaning etc. Any minute my baby will be gone and a toddler will have replaced him...........whoa...im not ready.

Happy April!

Sweet Success

Ahh the sweet smell of victory....this morning I found the baby walker of my dreams....just down the street and a mere $2! I was amazed to find that they no longer sell them new (dangerous)..and that Good will isnt allowed to sell them anymore. It was quite the treasure hunt...and it felt kinda good to be exhibiting risky behavior hehe. Luckily the Tongie thrift shop hasnt caught up with 21st century extreme safety precaution culture....which albeit has good intentions but does take some fun outta life. Example B: teetertotters. I giggle with delight when i see one of them and trot over briskly to do the deed. Grant will be so pleased upon finding that this afternoon he gets to cruise the office..hopefully the commercial carpet wont slow him down too much.

Had a wonderful weekend! Our house guests were so sweet and we had a delightful time. Managed to get in some serious clothes shopping...and im telling you the stars were alighned because i found a whole bunch of cute stuff that not only fit in the budget but also fit my voluptious figure. The shopping spree started off my Birthday week....yes week....with Wednesday, april 4th (4/4) being the actual day i transformed from a amniotic fluid inhaling alien to an oxygen breathing baby. LOVE FOURS. So anyhoo...the visit was great and I got to know aunt mary rita a lot better and she is precious. with a tender heart and a great since of humor. Grant enjoyed getting to know his grandma burkemper again - and likewise she ate him up.

Sunday was spectacular. Not only did dave and i feel extra mushy for some reason (spring maybe?) but we had lots of outdoor time in lawrence...where we walked the river for a good while and introduced grant to the river up close.......then visited with sarah, ben & vivian. Together we walked their adorable old neighborhood with its vintage charm and gardens whose original gardener passed many many decades ago....and up to Mass street where we partook in ice cream splurges. The trek was fabulous! Good company...and god company (nature)...its a great combo. The kids loved it...especially in their baby carriers. Grant seems to really enjoy the new ergo...and we are getting the hang of it. The visit left me feeling optimistic, hopefuly & inspired. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I am thankful our paths crossed at the birth center...and we can now support each other in the great adventure of parenting.

So here we are at monday again...the ritual of survival.,....the routine of habit...the awesome life we have created for ourselves....its a mixed bag...but its darn good. ITs birthday week....i love birthday week.

Peace out.

Personal Jokes

One of my favorite things to share with grant is our personal jokes. When I find something that he thinks is hysterical...and then we just take turns laughing back and forth. To see him in a hard core belly laugh just lights up my world. He really loves to watch me laugh too.

ITs friday its friday. Im doing the friday dance. I still think a standard work week should only be 4 days long with a sweet 3 days weekend. That would be much more balanced.

Grant is trying to say DOG! That would basically be his first word..besides mama and dada. He is really into the old girls.

I watched Marie Antoinette last night...and this morning...and I REALLY enjoyed it. I would have to say its the perfect Paula movie. Only a split second of violence (and even it was only the aftermath), lots of gorgeous landscape and beauty along with opulent partying. I admit the film lacked on plot but thats exactly how i like them. I know im wierd. I just dont like for my movies to stress me out. I want to have fun. The ending was lack luster....but thats ok. I just keep thinking to myself...why didnt they just give the peasants some flour? What bastards.

Grandma Burkemper, Auntie Mary Rita and little Mary should be on their way. We are going to spend a warm and rainy weekend together. They should really get a kick outta little grant. He is such a character.

Happy weekend to ya! May you see many rainbows.

hump day

This morning started off on a different foot, which is a nice change of pace. My piano student, Quinn, invited me to his school performance day, where he was to play a piece. I made it out the door by 8:30 and was in the pew by 8:45. He was a smashing success..and even pulled off the bow I had encouraged him to do. HOW ADORABLE. I was a very proud teacher…and it was sweet to see him happy to have me there..peeking over the crowd smiling.
Grant made his folks super proud last evening..when he pulled up for the first time! Mama and papa clapped and grant just squealed with glee. It was a fun moment. That little guy wants to walk so bad. We are going to find him walker this weekend.

Work is very very busy right now…we are working with a professional web designer to get our website up and running…I am presently gathering all the info that we want on there. We also have the directory deadline coming up in 2 weeks. SO im programming for summer…looking for instructors etc. If that wasnt enough, I am using a new company for sending out my online newsletters…so its been tricky learning how to use it and such.

Grant is super adorable and I am enjoying him to pieces. He has such a wonderful since of humor and we can really get to joking around. I am so in love. This has been an amazing experience that I cant imagine my life without now.

Grandma B and Aunti Mary Rita & little Mary are visiting this weekend! We are all excited and anticipating the fun we shall have.
Off to work. I barely had time to squeeze this in.

thursday ramblings

can it really be thursday already? its strange how time flies like never before! tonight we get to pack our bags so that friday at 4 we can hit the road! columbia here we come. there we will visit with friends Marissa & Matt and then on Saturday we meet up with family in Jefferson City. It is going to be a nice trip. Fingers crossed Grant deals with his car seat in a passive manor.

Grant behaved beautifully last night. I always get nervous when I have a board meeting. We have had "issues" in the past...issues that include dad calling me on my cell begging (or was that demanding) that i come home immediately..and that i was never to leave him alone with grant again! HEHE. But last night he took an amazing nap of 1.5 hours then i nursed him and said goodbye. Daddy fed him some berries and then they played together and all of a sudden mama was home! I was greeted with bright and big smiles and wiggling. AHHHHHHHHh it felt so good to be home with the fam. Off to the tub we went.

Grant is in good humor even though he still needs breathing treatments...2 -3 times a day. We are just trying to stay on top of it and not let it get out of control. When he stops coughing we will stop giving him the treatments. Most of the treatments are given while he happily snoozes away. Occasionaly he gets one while awake. He definitely knows the drill and isnt afraid anymore. As long as we have an Einstein video on he tolerates them pretty well...just pushing the mask away a few times...and if I give him a break ...he lets me put it back within a minute or so. Sweet little baby. Such a trooper!

It is sooooooo cute watching him spin in circles on his bumm. He certaily has it down pat! He uses his heals to spin..and he knows exactly how to go in the direction he wants. Its adorable to watch him play while spinning. He will get a long lock of pop blocks and drag them on the ground while he spins in a circle...all the while zerberting or making other silly sounds and then if he sees something reachable he will tap it with the blocks. I love watching him play. His favorite toy right now just might be the wagon though. Its like he is a mechanic or something.

Spring has sprung and I couldnt be more pleased! Next stop flowers and sweet breezes.

the pics were taken in my office. he loves standing alone ...such a treat for him.

when its good its great

long time no write. ive been busy with a sick kid and then weekend guests. oh the roller coaster of life...its never dull.

hard to believe its march 20th already! thats just rediculous. before you know it my birthday will be here! yae. im still dreaming up what adventures i would like to take to celebrate the big...oh my goodness...34! at least there is a 4 in it. gonna be a great year.

its true.....we are all just kids inside aging bodies. sure we mature to some degree...but overall...the child inside of us is still playing, still aching to get messy with finger paints and itchy from playing in the grass on a hott summers night. hey maybe thats what i should do on my birthday hehe.

grant is FABULOUS. he is sooooo delightful when he feels good. his most recent obsession is walking. he wants to hold onto your fingers and walk anywhere youll go. he is getting better at it. he doesnt step on his own feet as much. balance is still very wobbly...but i would say he is getting the hang of one foot in front of the other. it wouldnt suprise me if he walks instead of crawls...and ive actually been saying that forever...but now i really can see it happen. of course...thats still months away most likely. it takes a ton of coordination to do the tango. he gets all excited when he is good at it and even does the high step in honor of the occasion.

even though he is only 8 months old....12 month old clothes seem to fit the best. he can wear 6-9 months...but many are very tight...and im all about the comfort. he is thinning out some....not super chunky anymore...and i can see his face changing. he still has an inch to pinch...which is soo much fun..and i love to kiss him all over and squeeze his girth.

grandma bb and grandma lo came to visit this past weekend. it was such a lovely visit! grant started feeling good on saturday and showed them his charming personality which was much to his mothers relief. it may be rediculous...but i so want other peeps to see the baby that i know he is...the happy go lucky, funny, silly, entertaining and loveable grant...who feels good. unfortunately the little guy has had more than his fair shair of yucky feeling days...which will make anyone a grump. but the grandmas did get to see his sweet baby side..and we had FUN. we all walked in the grand tongie st pats parade! grant barely stayed awake for it...but did enjoy it i could tell because he didnt complain. by the last turn he let himself go to sleep. you can tell in the pic how sleepy he was hehe.

much love!

sleeping arrangements

so this is our life - refer to cartoon...it made me laugh outloud for a long while. feels good to be understood! that is SOOO me in the morning...and SOOO dave in the morning. its hilarious.

co sleeping is amazing, precious, special, delightful, challenging, painful, insane hehehe....but really...i do believe it fulfills a purpose and does create memorable moments of bliss...when you look down and see the moonlight (or nightlite hehe) dancing off your child's profile as they breathe deeply in peaceful, contentment or when he reaches out just to feel that im there and then nods right off. to feel his little feet on my tummy where he likes to keep them....to feel his warm, milky breath on my chest.. and to see his big wide eyes in the morning right after he pats me awake. these truly are the memories i cherish.

caged bird

as i walked through the park with grant this afternoon.....i realized that indeed most of us spend the greater portion of our lives indoors. no wonder we get cabin fever. no wonder we ache for freedom. my office doesnt even have a window in it. and i cant even complain....i have a real office...not a cubicle.

fresh air is like manna from heaven. one thing i love about tongie is just that. the air tastes good ...it smells good...and it is just good.

i told grant today that we are going to spend as many lunch hours as possible doing just that...savoring fresh air, dancing on the path in each others arms, singing silly songs, observing wildlife & feeling the grass on our toes. spring is a passion of mine...that im thrilled to be able to share with my son. oh the simple pleasures of motherhood.