These Moments

December 12, 2008
Eight days old

This morning, I brought Lane downstairs to hold him close and nurse him for the morning. As the sun started to shine for the day, Lane lie his head in my arm and fell back asleep. With a cool chill still in the air from the night before, I gathered a blanket around my son and pulled him in closer to rest on my chest.

Together, we went upstairs to cuddle in our warm bed. The moment reminded me of those not so long ago when Lane was still a newborn. The chilly air and fluffy covers sent me back to a time when Lane would spend his days asleep in my arms. For hours, I would hold him close and snuggle his little body against mine.

I knew those moments would not last forever.


More and more lately, Lane squiggles out of my arms quickly. There are blocks to hide under the couch, food to munch, places to crawl, music to dance to and toys to play with. He still spends time with his mama each day. He will crawl in to my arms when he is tired, when he is hungry, when he has one of his many bumps and falls each day or when he just needs a few moments of love. However, our days of snuggling each other for hours are gone.

This morning, I took advantage of his desire to cuddle and sleep in my arms. I admired every feature of his face: his chubby cheeks, button nose and long eyelashes. I basked in his perfection.

I made a wish for my son. I wished that he will always know how much I love him. I know these moments will soon fade. A time will come when he will no longer look to my arms for comfort. And after that, there will be friends, and sports to play, and girls to date. His mama will be the last thing on his mind.

However, my one wish for my son is for him to always know how much I love him. For him to feel that love years from now just as strongly as he felt it today.

And for him to have the confidence and pride to love himself just as much.

September 30, 2009

Magic Baby Kisses

Saturday, Stephanie and I took the boys down to Macon to visit with Emily - who is just weeks away from bringing a new little babe in to the bunch.

Emily was my very first roommate. Before we even met, she sent me a note:
"Dear Lana, My name is Emily. I am going to share a dorm room with you. Do you like the beach? I like the beach."
Deal Sealed. We have been buds ever since - 14 years this month.

Soon after Lane was born, Emily came to visit. She was ready for a babe of her own. That weekend, she asked Lane for some magic baby kisses - and voila, a few weeks later, there was a bun in her oven!

(I don't have to tell all of you that Lane is magical, right? We all agree that he is.)

Drew and Lane chilled in the backseat and watched Scooby Doo on the way to Macon. Then, they took naps.

Once we got to Emily's, her twin sisiter Ellen came over with her babes - 3 girls and one boy.

For hours, we all sat around talking and watching our babes play together.

Tristan kept a close watch on Lane. He didn't like sharing the baby boy spotlight. He especially didn't like it when his mama would hold Lane.

Emily was sure to get a few more of those magic baby kisses before we left.

Stephanie and I each rubbed on the belly for some baby magic of our own.

And then the girls each took turns jumping off the swings while Dean and I tried to catch pictures of them.

Before it was time to leave, all the mamas posed with their babes for a group shot.
(I love every single person in this photo!)

Let's all wish Emily a quick last few weeks of pregnancy and a healthy (and speedy) delivery. Next time we are all together, Addison Irene will be with us.
I can't wait.

What one year will get ya

It just so happened that yesterday I found myself in Hoschton. Exactly one year before, my mom and I attended an event for the library and before going in, my mom snapped some photos of me.

At 29 weeks pregnant, the babe really began making his existence known. Around this same time, James and I started taking my photo each week. My body changed so much during those last 10 weeks of pregnancy.

(To my pregger friends who read this blog, I highly suggest you take your photo each week. I know by the end of your pregnancy, you won't want to look at yourself much less have a photo taken but I truly do cherish all those pregnancy pics now.)

A year later, we stopped at the same gazebo to take some more photos.

I can hardly believe a year has passed. I thought it might be fun to share some of those pregnancy pictures with you - each week - and provide a few updates on Lane each week.

Just as he grew tremendously from September to December last year, this year brings many changes each week as well.

Here are some highlights from the last week.

*Two teeth have broken through the top gum. Two more are on the edge.
*He waves hello and good-bye.
*He shakes his head no - surprisingly he knows what this means and only shakes no when you ask him to do something he does not want to do or give him something he does not want to eat.
*His night time routine has changed a bit. He stays up a little later and prefers some cuddle time with papa before going to sleep.
*He will no longer make the Mr. Hinkle face for us.
*He discovered the Coke and Sprite cans in the pantry. He likes to take them out and act like he is drinking from the can. He takes them out. I put them away - at least four times a day.
*Everything in the house is a walking apparatus. His little chair. The step stool. His train table. If he can hoist himself up on it and push it around while walking behind it, he will.
*He now weighs 17.5 pounds.
*He will - and does - eat any thing. His favorite food right now is green beans. I think he has had them at least four times this week. LOVES THEM.

One Year Ago

September 24, 2008

Today

September 24, 2009

I deserve a blue ribbon

I did it. I think I deserve a blue ribbon.

Saturday and Sunday, Jen and I had a booth at the Blue Ribbon Affair in Marietta.
We *were trying to sell* our homemade baby items: dresses, bibs, burb cloths, and onesies.

The event was a total dud - due to the flood-like rains taking place all weekend.

Not a total loss.
It was my first show.
We learned a lot about set up and our booth.
We learned how to judge a crowd. (This crowd left much to be desired.)
And, drum roll please .......

I spent an entire day without Lane. My first since the day he was born.

I know this seems silly but I am a stay-at-home mama so it is kinda rare that I leave Lane for more than a few hours during the day. I am his primary care taker.

Papa spent the day with Uncle Pork Chop at a gun show so he took Hoo out to my mom and dad's for a few hours. According to Pops and Mom mom, Lane did great. He played, listened to his music box and ate a yummy lunch. Papa picked up Hoo a few hours later and can you guess where they went - Bass Pro Shops, of course.

When I got home Saturday night, the two were lounging in the living room.
I don't know who was more excited to see whom - me or Lane.

On Sunday, Papa went to The Falcons game with Pops and Uncle Pork Chop, who really wanted Lane to come too but I didn't think it was such a great idea. So, Mom mom came over to our house to hang with the Hoo. And, guess who else showed up? Aunt Stephanie and Lane's best buddy Drew.

Jen and I went to set up Sunday morning, and all the other vendors were leaving. We gave it a little time then packed up and headed home.

We really do have some cute stuff for sale. Here is Jen with her smock and reversible dresses:

Here I am with my bibs, burb cloths and cowboy and owl onesies:

All in all, the show sucked. But, I do think I deserve a blue ribbon. I made it an entire day without my babe and did not even cry once.

To all my Jefferson, Winder, Athens and Commerce readers, we will be at Mule Camp Market in Gainesville October 9-11. Come and see us.

Peace, Love & Unhappiness at The Brimfield Antique Show

Thursday morning brought much of the same from the previous day: an unhappy Hoo and more Brimfield treasure shopping. Before I tell you about the babe, let me tell you about Brimfield.

For more than 15 years, my dad has been traveling to Brimfield, MA, twice a year to work the Brimfield Antique Show. Upon arriving home, he always brings a present - something unique and antique. When I was decorating Lane's room, I wanted an antique baby washbin. I saw a few in some antique stores in Roswell and Savannah, but the asking price was too high.

Dad went to Brimfield in May and came home with two for me - spending a total of 50 bucks.

Let me explain, The Brimfield Antiques Show is the largest and best-known outdoor antiques show in the country. Brimfield is actually the name of the New England town where the event takes place.
Each year, thousands of dealers gather in Brimfield for one week, selling everything from the finest antiques to "junk." For about five miles up and down the main drag of the town, the show is divided in to fields, each with its own name and each featuring different genres of "treasures."

During the show, more than 5,000 dealers come to sell their goods. And, I can't get enough of it.

Some of the fields require an entrance fee and sell large, high-dollar items. I don't even bother. My favorite fields are named Mays and Quaker Acres. In Mays, you find the dealers with vintage kitchen items, home decor items, and fabrics. Quaker is the junk field. There you can find anything and everything your heart desires.

But the most fun thing about the show is you never know what you will find. Last year, I went with antique minnow buckets in mind for James' birthday. I came home with two. This year, I wanted an old outdoor thermometer. I didn't find a single one. But, I did find an old mining light, which I purchased for seven bucks and brought home for papa.

For myself, I purchased some vintage dresses, tableclothes and fabrics. Dad found an old dachsund boot brush for 20 bucks. Last year, we found one for $100 but passed on it. Lane got an old push toy that I have wanted for him for a while. I found a few on etsy for $8, and Fisher Price just reissued the toy for $23 at Target. I got his for 2 bucks. (You can see it in the previous post. He is holding it in the stroller shot.) Lane also got some old-school blocks, a tow truck so he can be like Uncle Pork Chop, a chalk board and some stuff for his Carnival birthday party.


Now, on to the items I didn't buy but did enjoy taking photos of just for you:

lots of old ornaments
plenty of vintage clothing

and sewing patterns

a basket full of balls

dump trucks

gloves

a tent full of old toys

I like the old picture and typewriter

this is for you Jen, an old Singer

I wish I would have gotten this for Sophia. I can just see her having tea parties in the back yard. I passed on it but don't worry, I did get a vintage dress for her that she can share with Chloe once she outgrows it.

some old coffee cans

and a lawn mower

And here is Lane. He slept through all of Quaker Acres. Poor guy. He dressed in his new Peace shirt just to impress all the old hippies and ended up missing out on all of it.

But wait, right as we were leaving, he perked up. Perfect for some last minute photos of this little hippie in Brimfield.

Here he is making his newest face. We call it the Hinkle, named for the pups he met the day before.

All Lane wants is world peace and more motrin to stop the teething pain.


Posing with Pops.

And this is where the photos end. We left town that afternoon. Lane continued to feel under the weather. Friday morning, I took his temperature. It was at 101.4. Later that afternoon, it was at 102.2. I called our doctor.

In his nine months of life, Lane has yet to be ill. We have never taken him to the doctor except for his well visits. I wasn't sure what to do. He spent all day Friday in my arms sleeping. He didn't smile. He didn't laugh. He didn't play. He didn't make his signature hoo sound once.

I called my mom. I called Paola. I called Jen. I was scared. When the doctor called back at 4:30, she told me to get him to an emergency room.

And that is just what we did. My mom found us an emergency clinic. With 30 minutes left before the only doctor who was willing to see a baby was set to leave, we got Lane there. Within 5 minutes, we found out what was causing our babe to feel so bad. The four teeth cutting through his gums caused his right ear to get inflamed and infected.

So our traveling babe got some medicine, and we worked our way home. By Saturday morning, he perked up a bit. Saturday night at 10 pm, we rolled in to Allison Drive with lots of goodies and lots of stories to tell our papa - and you too.

Maybe we will go back in May. Or maybe, we will just wait until next September. Hoo is sure to have a mouth full of teeth by then.

As a side note, we met two other babes at Brimfield this year. All three boys met up while in a tent. All three were visiting the show for their second time. Each had been there last year while in the womb. All three moms agreed that we liked having our babes actually see the show but they were much easier cart around last year!

Tales from the Road

Sunday morning, Lane and I packed up the Expedition and headed out to Hoschton to meet my dad. The whole family looked forward to Lane's first trip in an 18 wheeler - a right of passage for any one with Drucker blood.

The trip began beautifully. We drove until dinner, stopped at at Petro for Lane's first truck stop meal and continued on to Virginia. We stopped for the night before hitting the road again on Monday.

Labor Day meant work for the three of us. Dad drove. Lane and I enjoyed the ride.

On Tuesday morning, we made our first delivery in New Jersey. After Lane's nap, he woke up in the City That Never Sleeps. That is right. We took Lane to New York City. We started the drive right at the top of Manhattan and drove all the way down Broadway.

Sounds glamorous? Not really. But still, lots of fun to watch the city out the windows as we drove by.


While dad made his delivery, Lane and I crossed the street and entered a beautiful old church. It was a community center for senior citizens - and the old folks loved Lane. There was a beautiful garden - and I snapped a few shots of Lane. But then I realized it did not even look like he was in the city.

So, before we left, Dad and I each posed for a picture with Lane.

His first trip to The Big Apple - a whopping 15 minutes!


As we drove back up Broadway, dad jumped out and got us each a super pretzel. We promised Papa Lane would enjoy some street food even though we were there for such a short time.

Lane loved it. He munched on his pretzel for the entire hour it took us to get out of the city. When he wasn't munching, he was looking out the window and waving at cars as they passed. He got giddy when a cabbie waved back!

Here is a shot of Lane with his pretzel. Let me tell you, he ate so much of it he worked himself in to a food coma. The boy even held on to it as I put him in his car seat to nap.

We got to Brimfield, our ultimate destination, late Tuesday evening.

I don't really know how to explain the Brimfield Antique Show. The event is really one that must be attended to understand. But, I took a bunch of photos and will try my best to take you there with me in tomorrow's post.

For now, just play along.


Wednesday, we left our hotel a little late. Lane seemed to be a little under the weather. His four top teeth are coming in and the pain was beginning to get to him. We loaded him in his stroller and treasure hunted the day away.

The babe just wasn't happy. Even buying him an old toy didn't do the trick.


But these two did. Meet Wilson and Mr. Hinkles. These are two pups we met while out and about in one of the fields. Lane thought they were hilarious. We played with them for a while and even got a little smile out of the babe.

Eventually, Lane's stroller got filled with goods and he got sleepy. So, Pops carried him for a while.

By the end of the day, he was zonked out in the sling. Time to go back to the room. More treasure hunting on Thursday.

When Lane woke from his nap that night, Pops was gone making a pick up, so I decided to try to get some pics of him at our hotel. We stayed in the little New England town of Sturbridge. The hotel is located on a lake and is surrounded by old buildings.

I really wanted to get some photos of Lane with the wind blowing and the leaves already changing color. He was dressed in his blue jean jacket that he has had since before birth. It finally fits him and the Massachusetts air was just right for the wearing.


As you can see, my little guy was really under the weather. He just did not feel well at all Wednesday. I tried to get a few good pics.

Look at those cheeks all puffy from those darn teeth. You can even see all the drool. We thought for sure we would be coming home with lots of treasures and at least one new tooth.

I tried to get a smile for our typical mama and hoo poses.

No luck.

Then, when I got this, "Dear God, why me?" pose, we called it quits for the night.

We had another day of treasure hunting ahead of us.

And tomorrow, you will have another post filled with photos from the show.