The Language of Mom

Little Dude has been sick.  Not sick with an ear infection, because the tubes fixed those.  In hindsite (with its infuriating 20/20-ness), I almost would have preferred an ear infection to this.  He's had a virus which made him spike the highest fever he's ever had.  Which, in turn, made his parents spike the most parenting anxiety they've ever had.  Records are being shattered left and right in our household.

On the lovely Presidents Day that dawned on Monday, I was looking forward to a fun day of relaxed adventures with Jack.  (What is a relaxed adventure with a baby, you say?  A trip to TJ Maxx, complete with a latte, animal crackers and a sippy cup. But, I digress.)  My hopes were sort of blown by his illness.  Don't get me wrong, I don't care.  Not one little, tiny bit.  But it's sad when Jack is sick.  He's sad.  His twinkling Irish eyes are flat because he feels icky.  It brings my heart to my throat.

Anyway, sick Jack = cranky Jack.  But errand Jack usually = happy Jack.  So, in a display of true ingenuity and fortitude, I decided to take Jack to Costco before our appointment with the pediatrician.  I thought this made perfect sense.  He likes Costco.  I needed various things, all non-perishable.  And it got us out of the house and moving.  Off we went.

At first, he was happy.  Or, at least, not crying and cranky. Because I will be the first to admit that this is the fakest baby smile I've ever seen.  How about you?

No, really.  I feel great and love being surrounded by bulk groceries.

I scurried around Costco, buying my paper towels and olive oil and such, all the while, feeling pretty smug that I was nailing this "get things done" thing.  After checking out, I decided to indulge in one of my favorite things: a piece of Costco cheese pizza.  If' you've never had it, don't judge.  It's dee-licious.  And it's cheap.  I think a slice and a soda is like $2.20?  It's ridiculous.  So, I am standing there with Jack and my overloaded cart of non-perishables, right on schedule, having a quick bite of lunch.  Win, win, win, mom.  And then I noticed Jack, watching me with baby laser-like focus.

I thought, "Oh, goodness.  I should let him try pizza!"  So, I blithely gave him a bit of bready goodness to munch on.  And then, everything changed.

His eyes lit up.  The pizza disappeared.  Little feet started kicking with enthusiasm.  In effect, a black hole had opened in my child's stomach.  The only solution was MORE CHEESE PIZZA.  He started wiggling and nomming with his mouth and doing all of the things a baby can do to indicate that HE WANTED MORE.

Okay, so I fed him a few more bites.  This was cute!  And going well!  Until I realized, that is, that I was running out of pizza.  I had so eagerly eaten my piece of pizza to stay on schedule that, uh, I didn't have any more.

My cart was loaded with goods and a baby on top.  That makes it heavy and hard to steer.  I had greasy pizza fingers.  I also have a post-surgery shoe thing on my right foot which makes me a little slower and less agile than usual.  Jack had a black hole for a stomach.  Sauntering back to the food line seemed an impossibility. What the hell was I going to do?

I contemplated it until I really was out of pizza, at which time, I decided that I was desperate.  I looked around, wishing that a friend or angel or pizza delivery person would appear out of thin air to save me.   I saw a cool-looking mom and her five year old son meandering over to the food line.  Bingo.

And then, I really, truly, did this:  I pulled a ten out of my wallet and pha-lumped over with my post-foot surgery boot (oh, that really adds to the mental picture, doesn't it?).  I thrust the bill at the mom and said, "I need you to do me a favor.  I need you to buy me a piece of cheese pizza."  I motioned to Jack, who was quickly turning irate for lack of bread and cheese and my attention about twenty feet away.  (Maybe thirty feet.)  I looked at her imploringly, hoping that my eyes conveyed the details and the urgency of the situation.

"Here."  I gave her the money. She nodded resolutely.  She understood.  Oh, thank God.  She spoke the Language of Mom. I pha-lumphed back to my baby and attempted to appease him.

A few short moments later, the five year old came over and announced to me, "WE GOT YOUR PIZZA!"

I smiled and said, "Thank you!  You know, moms need a hand sometimes."

His mom appeared, like a pizza angel, and handed me the pizza and my change.  I smiled at her gratefully and said, "Thank you.  Thank you so much."

And like that, she was gone.

And we had pizza.

To the mom who bought my pizza, thank you.  To all the moms who speak The Language, rock on.

Never underestimate the power of cheese.

Heather

The Almost One Year Update

It's been a while since I've broken down the deets on Jack.  He's about to turn one, so it's high time for an update.  Here goes:

Weight:  19 pounds, 6 ounces.  He's on the slim side.

Length:  I don't know, but he's long.  75% for height.

Sleeping:  Through the night, because he's a rock star.

Food:  He likes it.  Though, given his weight, we're trying to get as much food in as we can.  His current favorite things are:  macaroni and cheese, quesadillas, cheese (see a trend? and, can we say that he's my son?), oranges, and cold cold water from his sippy cup.

Talking:  He loves to babble out the "mamas" and "dadas," which makes us all melty happy.  But he also says things that sound reeeally close to "lucy" and "doggy."  So, we're excited about that.

Walking:  Not yet, but any day now.  He pulls himself up on literally everything, and will take a few steps if you hold his hands and encourage him.  He then gets bored and decides that crawling is faster.  Which it is, at least for now.

Dogs:  Lucy is still his biggest fan.  Pablo is coming around, primarily because Jack likes to drop pieces of food into Pablo's waiting "food retrieval area" (aka, the floor) when he's had enough.  Pablo seems to think that he's made enough sacrifices for this baby, and is glad that he's getting his now.  As a result, I think it's fair to say that Pablo has also become a big fan of mac and cheese lately.

Favorite Things:  The stairs.  We are training him to go down the stairs, butt first, because he is so enthralled with them and finds climbing them so easy.  Outside:  a perennial favorite.  For Jack, any bad mood can be ended instantly by walking outside.  Bathtime:  rubber ducky, you're the one.  Spoons:  Not to feed himself with, per se, just to hold.

Parents:  Loving life.  Because, with a kid this cute around, how could you not?

Hope this finds you well and happy, too.

Heather

Date Night. Aw, Yeah.

Last weekend, Durel and I had a long-overdue date night.  We attended the Austin Addy Awards, a local advertising industry award event.  The coolest thing about the event (other than our lovely company) was the venue:  the event was held at the W Hotel, in the new Austin City Limits venue.  I spent much of my time there wishing that I could make Dave Mathews appear, but my genie powers must be on the fritz.

We had a great time.  We hung out with friends, went to some favorite places, as well as some new ones, stayed out late and laughed a lot.  All the while, Jack snoozed snug as a bug in his crib, while his grandparents relaxed downstairs.  They're the best babysitters ever.

Slainte,
Heather

Flashback: Back Porch Time

Durel bought Jack the cutest chair, ever.  We enjoyed it a little bit before the Arctic Texas Winter began.  Little Dude was a bit unstable in it, but it caused him to lean and look endearingly at the camera, as witnessed above.

Given his new propensity to ride around in his sidewalk car, I have a feeling that the chair will be getting some quality hanging out time when spring arrives (which will be soon).

Here's to grilling and chilling,
Heather

Vroom Vroom, Okay?

Jack's increasing mobility amazes me.  I swear, it was just "yesterday" that he was rolling over for the first time, struggling with tummy time, or doing the one-armed army crawl.

Now, he's pulling himself up on everything (including Lucy).  He is taking steps, with our encouragement and assistance.  Independent walking is just a blink away.

In addition to walking, Jack has also taken to the sidewalks.

Aunt Geri, he wears the vest All the Time!
Aunt Jess, thanks for the loaner car!

Jack says, get out there and enjoy the sunshine, okay?  Vroom vroom!

Hope this finds you well,
Heather

Day Home with Dad

Little Dude is home today with Durel.  When I left for work this morning, both of my guys were in their pajamas.  One of my guys was playing with a firetruck.  The other was reading a newspaper.

This seemed more photo-worthy.

Thanks, Auntie Mer!  That is the bestest truck ever!

Happy Friday to all,
Heather

How the Boys Roll

Last weekend, Durel, Pablo, and Jack went to hang out in Zilker Park.  They left the ladies at home.  Lucy and I knitted and gossiped and drank tea.

Here's how the boys roll on a sunny Sunday in Austin, Texas:

Hope this find you rollin' with your homies.

Heather

Be Still, My Heart

Being a mom is a full-time job.  In addition to that, I also happen to have another full-time job.  In addition to that, I am picky about having a clean house, clean car, cooking healthy food, reading interesting books, staying in touch with my friends, and volunteering in my community.

I am a busy woman.

In my list of priorities, my family comes first.  Not just first by a nose, or first by a good amount.  My family comes first by a mile.  By ten miles.  By the half-marathon I am running in December with Jess once my feet heal.  My family is what matters.

See?

How could it be any other way?

It can't.

Hope this finds you well,
Heather

Stay Goofy, People

Don't babies have a wonderful way of reminding you to laugh?  Jack does.  And I love it.

Hope this finds you laughing.
Heather

Must Share

I love this so much I can't stand it.  So, I had to share.

Hope this finds you well.  And living your dreams.

Heather

Jack Says: Stay Hydrated, People

One of our new projects is introducing Jack to Ye Olde Sippy Cuppe.  He's not close to getting moved up to the next room at school yet, but when he does, he will be expected to leave the bottle behind.  In the next room, babies walk well, drink from sippy cups (or regular cups), and feed themselves while seated on little chairs at little tables.  In short, they behave like little adults.  I really do love Jack's school.  Have I mentioned that lately?

Anyhoo, enter the sippy cup.  Filled with, what else?  Water.  We do the juice/water combo, as well.  But today, it was just nature's best hydration.  Which was remarkably well received:

Delish!

It is SO GOOD!  Have you tried it??

Drink up and be well,

Heather

Jack in a...well, you get it.

Needs no explanation, does it?  Good times were had by all.

I know these are a smidge blurry, but he moves so stinking fast!

I was just warming you up for the total framer of the bunch.

Aw, yeah.  In a box, baby.

Hope this finds you well,

Heather

Heather and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I've been meaning to pick up this book for a while.  I have always loved children's books and do even more now that I, you know, have a child to read them to.

A charming excerpt:

Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in this hair.

And it got worse...

His best friend deserted him. There was no dessert in his lunch bag. And, on top of all that, there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV!

Yesterday, I had my own noteworthy day.

Heather knew it was a terrible day when she woke up nervous about her foot surgery.

And it got worse...

The baby was fussy.  It was 16 degrees in Austin.  The heater in her house broke!  And on top of all that, there were NO space heaters to be found in Austin and she had to sleep in a hotel!

It's 50 degrees inside my house.

Today got better, inch by inch.  The surgery went well.  The heater guy came.  The baby still rocks my socks.

That's good.

Hope this finds you well,
Heather