Part-time help

Last week, Lane incorporated crackers and baby biscuits into his daily diet.

So did the shorthair.

I can't complain, though.

It sure is nice to have some help cleaning up the kitchen.

I think I'll name this photo "Waiting for the cookie to crumble."

The Future

This weekend, a letter arrived for Lane in the post box.
Since Lane does not receive much mail, I decided to open it.


Inside, I found Lane's Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License.

Dear Lane,
Thank you for purchasing a Georgia Lifetime Sportsman's License....
The license covers all sport hunting and fishing activities for which a license is required ....

I am pretty sure Papa is behind this purchase. He is always thinking of Lane's future.

Catching up

I mentioned earlier this week how quickly life moves with Lane.

Each morning, Lane awakes between 6:30 - 7:30 am. Our first few moments together are spent playing and snuggling before heading downstairs for a breakfast of fruit - and just last week a little yogurt added too.

After breakfast, Lane plays in his highchair and listens to music while I do some morning chores: unloading the dishwasher, getting laundry started for the day, a morning Mom mom chat and cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

Before we know it, two hours pass, and Lane requires his morning nap.

A morning nap lasts between one and two hours. During this time, I do the mama rush: a shower, getting dressed, making the bed, and preparing for our day's adventure.

When Lake wakes, we head out. Our days are very busy now that my little man is fully aware of his surroundings.

Some days we hit the stores and run our chores. Usually, we will meet papa for lunch a few days a week.

Other days, we meet up with moms and friends from our mom's group for play time. This could be swimming at a neighborhood pool, going to a museum, having lunch at Chick-fil-A or McDonalds or many other things.

And some days, we just head over to hang with the Mush girls: Jen, Sophie and Chloe.

An afternoon nap usually takes place around 3 pm. Lane goes down, and I begin dinner preparation, most of the time. Sometimes, I steal some time for myself: reading, blogging or sewing (more on this to come in a later post).

When papa arrives home from work, Lane wakes and the fun begins. There is Papa and Who playtime, dinner, our nightly walk, visits to the garden and a tubbie.

After tub time, Lane and I head to his room for our nightly ritual. I dress Lane for bed, hold him tightly in my arms, nurse him down, kiss him good night and tell him just how much I love him.

Exhausted, I head to the bedroom to meet up with papa.

Sometimes, we snuggle.
Sometimes, we watch TV.
Sometimes, we do some more chores around the house.

Most of the time, our heads hit the pillows instantly.

The day ends. Lane is one day older.

And before I can blink my eye, the babe's coos come calling from his room.
And a new adventure begins.

Tuesday afternoon I tried to capture a little bit of our afternoon play.

We spent the morning craft shopping with the Mush girls and then met Paola and Andrea for lunch. (Try having an adult conversation when eating lunch with two six-and-a-half month olds, a five month old and a two-and-a-half year old.)

At home that afternoon, Lane and I needed some one-on-one. I pulled out the camera to capture him in action and to try to get some of those mama and babe hands-in-the-air photos I used to be able to easily capture.

Not any more. Lane moves quick. I have to be fast to keep up. And a shot of just the two of us - good luck!

Sprouting

I confess, dear blog. I have neglected you.

Sure, there have been a few letters and some photos thrown in over the last few weeks.

Yet, I have been lacking.

Life moves so very fast these days. I try catching it on film. Mostly, I find myself just enjoying the moments.

Lane moves so fast these days. Literally, moves so fast. Rolling from belly to back - and back again. Rolling from one side of the room to the other - in just seconds. Bouncing, bouncing, bouncing all day long. Last week, I noticed him worm his way across a blanket. Crawling seems to be calling.

A tooth sprouted. Another just days away. Pools await us a few days a week. Lane loves the water. Food of all kind finds its way into his mouth - from mama and papa and Lane feeding himself now.

Posts on all of these activities, and more, to come soon. I spent a week soaking it all in for myself. Now, I am ready to share. So out comes the camera again.

Lane, it seems, is not the only thing sprouting up around here. Nightly visits to this year's garden provide veggies of all sorts for our enjoyment. Already, squash, peppers, cucumbers and beans. Soon, corn and tomatoes.

And just as Lane surprises me daily - a few surprises in the garden: baby boo pumpkins and eight ball squash growing from what we believed to be yellow squash plants, and a volunteer watermelon growing in last year's watermelon plot. (Now home to carrots.) Oh, and a small squash plant growing under the deck.

We believe Elly might have "planted" that one last year.

Zinnias

Heirloom tomatoes

Butternut squash

Runner beans

Corn

Watermelon

Rows of corn

Carrots

Cucumbers

Sweet potato vines

Peppers

Squash, oh so much squash, some for us and some for Whootie

Surprise, baby boo pumpkins

A day for Papa

Birthday wishes

Happy Birthday Auntie Lanna!

We love you.

See you when you get home from the beach. Have fun.

Breaking news

Breaking news .....

Please excuse the temporary lapse in your regularly scheduled blogging while we anxiously await the arrival of Lane's first tooth.

As of Monday, 9 am, the first tooth was slowly breaking its way through Lane's bottom gum.

Baby is dealing with bouts of pain and discomfort. Parents are providing relief with teething tablets, frozen pacifiers and the occasional dose of Tylenol.

The culprit first appeared Thursday afternoon when the babe all of a sudden came down with a runny nose. The tooth continued to provide problems throughout the weekend by making babe cranky at times and very clingy to his mama.

Sunday evening, while shopping at JoAnn's, the tooth was first spotted.

As of right now, just the tip of the tooth has broken through.

As any new news breaks, we will keep you informed.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog.

Making Me Smile

1. Another Saturday evening out with Jen. This time, papas put the babes to bed and girls took the convertible to dinner and drinks.

2. Lunch dates.


3. Surprise veggies sprouting in the garden.

4. Treasure shopping with my babe: two hand embroidered pillow cases, a vintage dishtowel and a tablecloth.



5. Kiddie pooling on the back deck.

6. My Adirondack chair - painted red by papa.



7. Spending an evening making food for my babe.



8. Eating mulberries right from the tree.

9. Combining two of my favorite things to do: bathing in the sun Friday morning with the babe and The Mush Girls and talking crafts all afternoon while the kiddos took turns taking naps.

10. Going on a date with papa after the babe went down for the night - date destination, our basement to watch True Blood.

Happy Monday!

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,
Two years ago today, we boarded a plane headed to the most beautiful city on earth for what would be one of the best weeks of my life. When we set foot on that plane, we were not nearly prepared for what lie ahead of us: missed flights and lost luggage. Nor could we have known what the upcoming days would bring.

Although we didn't leave Atlanta until we were suppose to land in Michigan, we made the best of our time together. The flight to Germany, to get to Paris, was a little unexpected but at least we get to say we have been to Germany. And, me, me out of all people, the girl who packed six weeks worth of clothes for one week, is the one who ends up with NO luggage for the entire trip. But, that was OK. We made the best of it. A quick shopping spree to pick up some dresses for the week and a few little stops throughout the week resulted in plenty of clothes - and some of my now-favorite, go-to-outfits. (I was going to spend that money any way, right!)

Mom, I really needed that trip. I think I had given up hope at that point in my life. The "you don't ovulate" diagnosis had gotten to me. The miscarriage a few months before the trip had broken me. Paris' beauty brought me back to life. We saw all the must-see sights: the gargoyles of Notre Dame, The Eiffel Tower, The Grotto, and Marie's Hamlet.



And even when we weren't sight seeing, we found beauty every where we went.


That is what I loved about the trip the most: the company. There I was with some of the most amazing women I have ever met. All of us smart, creative, funny, adventurous and beautiful in our own way. All of you mamas. Yet each one of you had a story of trying, losing, wishing and eventually holding your own babe.

I don't know if all of you will ever know how much I needed you at that time of my life. You each gave me hope.

Especially that day in Belgium when we visited that church in that small little town. The church that is known for making miracles happen. On an afternoon in the middle of the week, people strolled in and out. As we approached the building, I think we all felt something special. As we entered, we all became silent. (For the first and only time during the entire trip, I might add.) Walking out, each one of us had tears streaming down our faces. No one said a word. We each held that feeling close.

Mine was the belief that one day I would become a mama. Miracles do happen every day.


And so there were plenty of moments like that. More importantly, there were a lot more moments like this: spontaneous, goofy, loving life moments - my favorite kind.



Before we knew it, the trip was over. Remember that last morning? We all woke up early and began to stroll through Paris. We ended up at Notre Dame. The sun was shining. We all felt so close to each other, as if we had been best friends forever.

In the van, on the way to the airport, we all cried. We didn't want it to end. We vowed to return again one day - all of us, together.

If I could be with you today, we could eat french food for lunch and reminisce. But you are at work today and I am at home with my babe.

I think I will dress him in the outfit we bought that afternoon. The red one we found in the fancy children's store. The one I knew would be for someone else's babe. The one you secretly stashed away for a few years because you knew it would be for my babe.

Before we left, you snapped this photo of me in our hotel window.
Mom, I love you.