Random Thoughts

We've been really busy lately so blogging has fallen to the bottom of the to-do list.  Here's a random smattering of thoughts/topics that I've wanted to write about, but haven't had time (or when I did have the time, didn't have the energy).  I anticipate Rhys waking from his nap in about 15 minutes, so this will be more stream of consciousness writing than my typical posts...bear with me.

Since the day we brought Rhys home from the hospital, I've struggled with knowing how warm or cold to dress him, especially for sleep.  I personally find the right temperature to be very important in sleeping well so I'm always very anxious to make sure he's the right temp...and therein lies the problem - who the heck knows what the right temp is for him?!  The whole problem is exacerbated (in my mind) by the fact that we still don't put a blanket in the crib.  So whatever we dress him in has to be just right, because there's no blanket to help regulate our missteps.  The old man on the bus who scolded me the other day for not dressing Rhys warmly enough did not help my confidence in this arena.

I used to have a pretty impeccable memory at work.  Now if I don't write things down, they're gone.  It really stinks.  I blame it on the fact that my brain is full of things like worrying about how warmly to dress Rhys.  Only so much can fit in there.

On the topic of worrying...it kind if cracks me up how little I worry about germs.  I am an extreme worrier on most other topics (the kid must get enough sleep!  he must poop enough!  he must eat spinach!)  But when it comes to germs, I am about as laid back as they come.  It's good to know that I do have it in me to be easygoing.  I'll need that skill as Rhys gets older and parenting gets a lot more complicated than deciding between short or long-sleeved PJ's.     

Our weekends are much "longer" now that Rhys is around.  On a good day (like today) we get to sleep in until 6:20.  I used to sleep in until at least 8 and wouldn't really get going until 10 or so.  Nowadays I am likely to have done the dishes, folded some laundry, fed Rhys breakfast and gone for a walk by 9am.  You really can fit a lot in the day when it starts at 6am.

A friend's mom told me towards the end of my pregnancy that children had "ruined her sleep forever."  I was aghast at the thought and was sure it wouldn't happen to me.  Now, I am pretty convinced that it has.  Thanks to the lasting physical effects of childbirth, I cannot make it through the night without having to pee and once I get up to go, I have a terrible time falling back asleep.  So while Rhys is sleeping away, I am laying there frustrated.  Even when I am sleeping, it's so light.  It used to be nearly impossible to wake me from slumber.  Not so now.  In addition, napping, once a favorite pasttime, is just not relaxing because it has to be on Rhys' schedule, not mine.         

Ok, the sweet boy is awake.  Time to sign off and enjoy some playtime.

Opinions

Our baby is turning into a little boy.  A little boy that has opinions.  A little boy who isn't afraid to express those opinions, loudly.  On Friday Rhys had a playdate. (Our nanny's sister is also a nanny so the two meet up now and again).  Apparently Rhys had a grand old time and was none too pleased to leave.  Same thing happened later that day when they were playing with the nanny's dogs.  Brian and I experienced the fun on Saturday when Rhys was seriously ticked off that we were carrying him through REI instead of letting him down so he could play with all the little kids running around.

Even a quick photo shoot led to drama. We attempted to capture a few photos of Rhys in a cute outfit.  One minute all was well...

Next minute he's ticked because Brian won't let him grab the camera...

 

Oh, well, at least we finally got some photographic evidence of his teeth!

I think part of Rhys' general frustration stems from his desire to be more mobile.  He is very interested in exploring his world and crawling just ain't cutting it anymore.  He's using his walker more and more and gets frustrated when it gets stuck somewhere.  Unfortunately, because our house is about 12' X 6', that happens a lot.  Just when he gets some steam going, he runs into a wall!

As such, we decided it was time to take the fun outside.  We don't have a big 'ol yard to enjoy, but we've got plenty of sidewalks.  Rhys got a good workout; he walked the length of the block a couple of times:

Ahhh, freedom!  See ya Mom and Dad.

I wish Mama would stop slowing me down, but I'm a happy camper anyway.

Always gotta make time to stop and smell the roses.

Cuteness

Today the nanny put our boy in some shoes.  (Brian and I rarely put him in socks, nevermind shoes).  Between those and the awesome outfit from Gramma Wynne, he looked awfully cute.  

 

The shoes didn't seem to slow him down at all:

Yes, that is duct tape that you saw on our ottoman.  We are not as classy as we once were.