Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Friday, August 6, 2010

I've got a new way to walk (walk walk)

William is officially walking more than crawling now - he smiles and shakes his hands in happiness as he toddles along! Today was really the day that sealed the deal - I was afraid to say anything too soon and jinx his progress, but there is NO stopping him now!

Until I get a good vid of him in action, I'll share our song of the week with you (courtesy of old school Sesame Street haha!). This one goes out to all of the fellow new walkers out there ;)

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Mamaaaaaa oooooh oooh oooh ooooooooh

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my favorite people in the world! She's smart - she's sassy - she makes me laugh more than anyone else I know...oh yes! AND she gave me life and literally has KEPT me alive (and halfway sane!) throughout my first (and then some) year of motherhood - my Mom :)

There's no way I could ever pay her back for the decades of fun she has brought to my life - the love, the adventure, the imagination, the patience. She is the kind of Mom I want to be - open, accepting, ready for anything. My confidante, teacher, and best friend - I love you Mama!

Happy Birthday!!!

Paul Simon always reminds me of the two of us driving around in the Brown Toyota (which i bet is still happily rolling around Duncanville somewhere) off to another adventure :)

Monday, August 2, 2010

August addendum

Flying back from Virginia, my route was Norfolk --> Tampa --> Houston --> Dallas. Southwest is a great airline, but it's certainly not in a big hurry to get you anywhere :) The flight from Tampa to Houston was amazing in more ways than...well, 5. It was my first time to see the gorgeous Florida Gulf Coast (my family's home away from home when I was a kid) from the air and I've never been happier to have a window seat - that coast was a gorgeous sight to see. The contrast of turquoise water to white sand takes my breath away every time and it was even more spectacular from the air! Flying over water for a couple of hours was slightly unnerving though (possible water landing?? Wait - where is my life jacket again? Push what to release it?? Oh geez.). The scariness of the thought of a possible (albeit rare) water "evacuation" was completely put into perspective when I looked out my window and saw something unexpected and much scarier - distant ribbons of orange and brown floating in the water 25,000 ft below.

Our route that day took us directly over the Deepwater Horizon drilling site and the surrounding spill. It was unbelievable. I hadn't even considered the fact that we would fly anywhere near it - too concerned with the bad weather we were flying into - and then there we were right on top of the mess! I can't imagine how bad it must be at water level if it was that horrifying from the air...the damage is massive.

Surrounding the actual site were numerous booms and larger boats with bright orange decks which I assume were connected with the relief well drilling. I speculated about it all with the couple in front of me - we knew very little about what we were actually viewing, but were all in shock. Wonder if the pilot had any info he could have shared...then again, I suppose it's not his place to play "oil spill tour guide".

Long story short, I was so into staring out the window with my forehead literally (gross!) pressed against the window that I didn't even bother to take out my phone...or my camera...or the Flip! and document any of it.

Luckily, many YouTubers were quicker on the uptake than I and posted quite a few! This is the least annoying of the bunch (from May, but still looks about the same) -

August!

In keeping with my new (soooo unintentionally uncool) once-a-month blogging trend, here I am! :) Did I mention that life with a (now) 13 month old is nuts?? I barely have time to shower, yet alone organize my thoughts into a post...or a grocery list...we need eggs...

Ah hello!

William (currently napping) is at such an amazingly fun age now! Yes, I realize I say that about each of his ages/stages, but it's the truth. He is the definition of cool - when he's not throwing a temper tantrum, that is. ;)

His favorite things to do lately include taking up to 10 steps at a time, being chased, having "arf arf!" conversations with puppies, drumming on everything, dancing to everything, being tickled, unloading toy boxes and the diaper bag, pushing buttons to make electronic items work, turning pages of books (very little interest in the actual story - just the turning), watching Mama Mia! and Toy Story, playing outside (heat doesn't bother him apparently), knocking over block towers, and eating (no more baby food! and we're weaning him off the bottle - slowly but surely).

He is really not very into talking - just grunting (which worries me) or walking - mainly crawling still (which also worries me), but I am constantly assured by his doctor and my Mom (my authorities on the subject) that he is totally fine. LOL! I swear - the day I gave birth to this little guy, one of the many IVs I was given introduced a "worry gene"" that I did not have before. Wonder how much they charged us for it...*scans itemized bill*

Anyway, lately W and I have been staying home more than usual - keeping ourselves out of the heat (105 today!) and keeping W's cranky/teething self away from the general public. This round of teething has been particularly tough on him, and it started while I was out of town visiting M in Virginia - inflicting the crankiness on my parents - which makes me feel awful! His fever is gone now though (whew!) and we are left with the bad moods and a diaper rash literally from hell. Extra snuggles, extra naps and extra Boudreaux = plan of attack!

In Daddy news - he is in town this week!! Hooray! M's being home with us has been a rare event this year as work has taken him out of town far more than usual. Weeks at a time. Months even. It's crazy difficult at times, but we are trudging through and hoping there is an end in sight. Cross your fingers please for a good response to one of the many jobs he has been applying to! While the job may take us to another city, they will keep M closer to home.

In Mommy news - I feel renewed lately after a 5 day stint away from home visiting my love in Virginia where he was stuck working (on his birthday weekend!). Last year, he was in Denmark for his b-day, this year Virginia...hope he'll be home for the next one, but knowing the sched, he has a better chance to be in Japan! Despite the fact that he had to work every day, we did manage to get some relaxing in and even took a little road trip to the Outer Banks (Nags Head) to hang for a day. Though I've been to the Gulf and Boston and NYC, the trip to Nags Head was my first official view of an ocean - it was lovely. And COLD! Loved it! Beaches make me happy. Other firsts from the trip included first hibachi experience, first time in VA and NC, first airport layovers/delays, first room service (really!), and the first time I've slept really deeply in over a year. Or had a delicious nap. Hilton beds are magical. So are their waffles. LOL

The trip really imprinted in my brain the importance of taking time away from your baby to be a better Mommy. Sounds very strange, but it's oh-so-true. I forgot what it was like to be alone in my own head - driving around in a cool rental car doing whatever I wanted! The time away cleared my head and allowed me to breathe - no schedule, no diapers, no tantrums, just a ton of selfish "me time". Plus hubby time! The trip also reminded me that M and I will be married for 2 years in a few months and we still haven't gone on a honeymoon. This is ludicrous! :) Yes, we got married in Vegas, but that was a very quick trip and was jam packed with things to do. We need a real vacation. A quiet one because we are old now. ;) Preferably an all-inclusive. At the end of the day, neither one of us wants to have to think or make any decisions. haha!

On that note, I'm switching my brain back into Mommy mode - a certain curly haired little munchkin is awake!