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.   

It was bound to happen...

Elliott scratched Rhys.  Apparently Rhys was trying to grab Elliott (big surprise) and he got a quick swipe in return.  Katie said he cried for a few minutes and then spent the rest of the afternoon chasing after Elliott!  So much for learning a lesson. 

You can see the marks under his right eye:

As a side note, can you believe how "old" our baby looks.  We were saying today how he's much more like a toddler than a baby.  Crazy.  We're getting excited to celebrate his first birthday.  Surviving ones first year of parenthood deserves a celebration for sure!  :)

Brian

I wanted to write this post on Sunday (Brian's birthday) but the computer was occupied by none other than the birthday boy himself.  Anyone who knows Brian at all, knows how hard he works and his birthday was no exception.  Of course I was disappointed to not spend more quality time with him on the big day, but it comes with the territory of being married to someone with such a strong work ethic.  And, though I complain, I'd much rather a little disappointment here and there than be married to a slacker.

One of my team members recently asked me for some marriage advice (her wedding was impending).  I said something along the lines of "don't sweat the small stuff."  (I told her that Brian's tendency to leave the counter covered in bread crumbs drives me bonkers, but I'd choose a kitchen full of bread crumbs over life without him in a heartbeat.)  I wholeheartedly believe this but my best advice is this - marry someone you like (hopefully she is, but just in case I offered the other words of wisdom).

Plain and simple, I like Brian.  A lot.  As I've said, before he's my favorite person.  He's easy to be around.  He's fun.  He's generous and kind and authentic.  He's a great conversationalist.  I know how lucky I am to be his wife.  I try my best to express my love and appreciation for him daily, but I welcome the formal opportunity of his birthday to make sure he knows how much I value and appreciate him.

Brian's birthday falls two days after the anniversary of Mat's death.  Remembering and grieving for Mat on the 21st just makes me want to celebrate Brian that much more on the 23rd.  My life is infinitely better because of him and I am so very, very grateful for his birth.

Happy birthday, husband.

Mat

Three years ago today our friend Mat died.  While running a marathon with his wife and her sister, he was stung by a bee, suffered anaphylactic shock and never recovered.  He was 28-years-old.  I hesitate to even write this post because I fear that everything will sound trite and cliche.  But I'll do it anyway because I want to keep his memory alive. 

We miss Mat. I thought that the missing feeling would shrink someday, but it really hasn't.  Without Mat in it, the world will always feel a little duller and smaller - as it well should.  Thinking I'd miss him any less at some point in the future was just wishful thinking.  We've learned to live with the missing, but we don't miss him any less.    

The third or fourth time we hung out with Mat I specifically remember thinking, "wow, Mat is as good a guy as Brian."  For me, that is the ultimate compliment... and he deserved it.  Mat was a genuinely good person.  He had a great sense of humor, he was completely comfortable in his own skin, he was quirky and unique, and he loved life.           

All of those qualities, plus the many more that are harder to define, are the reason we gave Rhys the middle name of Mathew.  We want Rhys to be his own person, and know he will be, but we're honored to have Rhys carry Mat's spirit on in some small way.

Mat would adore Rhys.  No question.  He would love his mad scientist hair, chubby knees and sweet personality.   

Mat and Greta knew without a doubt that they wanted children.  He would have been a terrific father and going through the journey of parenthood together would have been such fun.  That's another thing about missing Mat.  We don't just miss what was.  We miss all that should have been. 

We love you, Mat.  You'll never be forgotten.

 
       

Long Beach

Our long weekend at Long Beach was not stellar.  We loved seeing the family, but Rhys was starting his teething adventure and just generally "off", so it was less than fun for us.  We never quite got it together enough to even get our camera out of the car.  Fortunately, Auntie Megan took lots of great photos.

Sweet cousin Norah was kind enough to let Rhys hold Baby Laila. 

Norah was a big help in pushing Rhys in his stroller.

Rhys had a lot of a fun playing in the sand.  It was probably his best 40 minutes of the trip.

I was so pleasantly surprised (and shocked) that Rhys did not feel the need to eat any sand.  It certainly went everywhere else.

Uncle Mike teaches Rhys how to chill on the beach..

We all look a little tired....for good reason.

Norah was tough enough to swim in the frigid ocean.  Brian and Rhys opted for the tub - Norah was happy to swim there too!

Rhys watching some TV.  Can you tell that we don't let him watch at home?

The weather was less than ideal on Sunday.  It was our final motivation to head home early.  Here's to next year!