Mini-staycation

Yesterday, Josh, Noah and I took a 'staycation.' After months of moving and travel and visitors, I just needed a Saturday at home with my boys.

We started with a slow morning: coffee, the news, breakfast, play, nap. Josh even took care of Noah so I could sleep in! And (coincidentally?), Noah discovered that the giggle-head he'd been playing with for months (a gift from Grandpa) is actually a lollypop - his first candy!

By one o'clock, we were ready for an adventure: the walking trail from our neighborhood to downtown Franklin. It took about 20minutes to walk from our house to Main Street, where we stopped for lunch at the Franklin Mercantile. We walked toward The Square (where they were setting up for the Jazz Festival), stopped in at the new Cupcake Cafe, and then walked home for another nap. Around dusk, we hit the trail again and ended at the pool. After Noah went to bed, Josh and I had a home-date: pizza and a movie.

There were some less-than-perfect moments - when napping interfered with some of our plans, we couldn't decide what to do, it was hotter than expected, etc - but somehow they conspired with the great moments to make it still feel like a perfect day.

Most of all, it reminded me how grateful I am. I still can't get over the fact that we get to live in such a beautiful home and neighborhood and town. Walking downtown, I really felt like I was in a vacation spot - like when we visit my relatives on Nantucket, passing the fruitstand, drinking sweet tea at the local lunch spot, enjoying the mixture of small town and tourism and summer. I don't know how long we'll get to live this dream, but I thank God for it and pray we're using it to his glory.

Not a Mistake

I can't think of a city where I've visited friends and come away disliking the city. I've heard Cleveland called "the mistake on the lake," but I must say I've loved my visits there, totally because of the dear friends we've been visiting.

Last weekend was no exception: reunions with Nashville ex-pats, Greek festival meatballs, a serendipitous visit to Joann's fabric store (now there's a phrase I never thought I'd type), charming Tudor architecture, chats about babies, and yummy pastries (we managed to eat from 2 bakeries in 2 days).

I also learned a thing or two about flying with a crawler.

ON THE WAY THERE

1. Noah cannot happily go 4 hours or more without a nap and there's no conceivable way to travel door-to-door in less than that.

2. Noah will not sleep on the way to the airport, waiting in the airport, or on the airplane. It's just too exciting!

3. Window seats may help contain a "squirmy wormy," but they can also start to feel like a cage - especially when a Tennessee Titan is sitting in the middle seat. (Which means we had half a seat.)

4. If dogs are chick magnets, toddlers are people magnets. In the airport and on the plane, Noah made friends wherever he went, which means I made friends and felt the goodwill of those around me - even when he got whiny. It was very encouraging.

5. Take milk. They'll let you carry it through security, and (to my surprise) the airport restaurants and airlines don't carry whole milk.

ON THE WAY HOME

6. Daddy is very fun. Thank the Lord. (Note: I did bring a backpack full of books, but sometimes the safety information card is just more fun.)

7. Stakeout the middle seat. With Daddy inside, Noah in his own middle seat, and Mommy on the aisle, life is SO good. And another traveler has to be pretty desperate to ask a 1-year-old to give up his seat.

8. If possible, fly between 4:30-7pm after two very good naps.

9. Allow time for crawling around the terminal, and whatever you do, don't look at his hands and feet afterward unless you have wipes at the ready.

High, for a Year and Counting

One year ago, I thought I was on top of a mountain. I was in the hospital with Josh and our new son, trying to name him, introduce him to visitors, learn how to nurse him, drink as much cranberry juice as I could hold, and comprehend that the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen had just pushed his way out of my body.

I couldn't get over how much I loved him. Instantly. Even as I type, it brings tears to my eyes. And I felt great. A little sore - but nothing compared to the day before. I had to be the luckiest woman in the world. High on hormones, or fatigue, I knew it was a high, so I relished every second. Life couldn't get any better than this.

The next day, we went home. I was sad to leave the hospital because it meant the big event - Noah's birth - was over. But then I discovered that it was nice to be home with Josh and Mom and Dad and meals from our Sunday school and a very very simple agenda: wake, feed Noah, pray, change him, stare at him, pray, sleep, wake, feed Noah, pray, change him, stare at him, pray some more, sleep...

And after some time, I started to feel like a person of the world again. So Josh and I went out to Puffy Muffin. And then I raced back to see my little boy again. Not because I was worried about him, just because I missed him.

And slowly, as the months passed, I began to realize that I was still waiting for the descent - the other side of the mountain - the joy to wear off. We had sickness, bottle drama, leaky diapers, reflux, job flux, and lifestyle adjustments. But it was all part of the adventure of being Noah's parents, so I didn't want to miss any of it. And that was the "tough" stuff.

Every day, Noah says or does something that feels like a little miracle. Yesterday morning, he was banging on a mirror, so I grabbed one of his hands and said "no." So he banged on the mirror with the other hand. I grabbed the other hand. So he started banging on the mirror with his head. It was wrong, but creative! Last night, he figured out how to crawl behind the counter and then pop out to play "peek-a-boo" with me. This morning he followed Daddy from room to room as he got ready for work. You could just feel him wanting to be with Daddy, to be just like Daddy. It was so precious. And that's not even everything I've loved about the last 24 hours - like when Noah fell asleep in his stroller while we walked some trails, or that he ate carrot salad at Chick-fil-A, or how we snuggled with me in the rocker after naptime, or his shivering when we got in the pool last night. The moments are endless.

Which is my point. One year ago today, Josh's mentor stopped by our hospital room to tell us that the joy of parenting doesn't go away - each stage is better than the last - you don't want them to grow and change, but then they do, and you love it. I was preparing myself for a descent. He was saying, open your eyes, it's ok, it's a plateau - you can just keep going and love it.

It can be a rocky plateau. And some people experience terrible descents. But I've learned this year that parenting is not inherently mundane - it's inherently amazing. No matter the problems we face, I will always be thankful for Noah and our time together.

Which means I'm finally starting to believe it: Noah's birth wasn't the peak, it was just the beginning.

The Big One!

Thanks to everyone who came last Saturday to help us celebrate Noah's first birthday! We had a great time, though I think Noah will enjoy cake more in the future than he did this year...



"Why is everyone looking at me, singing?"


"What's that?"


"I'm not so sure about this."


"Slimey. Sticky. This can't be good. Can I go now?"




For the record, I did try to feed him a little bit of cake, but he knew better than to let something that extreme enter his mouth. I can't say I was too upset. For someone who's sweetest taste so far has been guava, I think icing might have sent him into a coma. Instead, he enjoyed the time with friends and family - and hopes everyone comes back again soon!

"Yours"? Never heard of it.

Noah has seen his cousins more than usual this last month, and it's been so good for him. He loves to watch them and interact with them; he can pick them out of a room full of people. They have also introduced him to a very important concept: not everything belongs to him. I was innocently taking pictures of the cousins last week. Looking back through the photos today, I noticed the following telltale sequence...

"That's a nice yellow cup you have there. I think I'll play with it."
(the theft)
(the protest)
(the call for help)
(the intervention)
(monitoring)
(resignation)

A Very Full Month

The last month has been a fun and furious adventure, living in 4 different houses, spending time with out-of-town visitors, decorating, celebrating, developing... A few snapshots from along the way:

Kicking the Tires
After cleaning, before painting, Noah had to check out the new place. "It's a cool, padded football field with windows! I think I'm gonna like this place! (The presence of tupperware doesn't hurt either.)"

Workin' Hard
7 - wake, nurse, work with Daddy, eat breakfast
9-10:30 - nap, nurse
12 - eat lunch
2-3:30 - nap, nurse
5:30 - dinner, bath
7 - nurse, sleep

Playin' Hard
Squeezed between all those appointments? So much to do! Blocks, the farm, the ark, the rolling lion, busy ball bopper, basketball...


He Sucks!
(i.e. learning how to drink through a straw)

A Blue Straw?
When I saw what he was chewing on, I just couldn't help taking a picture. Did he recognize his former nemesis? (and yes, I had thoroughly cleaned it - not that he cared)



In Progress
Painted. Moved. Messy.



Welcome to the World of Table Food
"Pizza tastes so good, I bet it looks good too! Let's try it in the hair..."







Courtesy of Grandpa
If you meet Noah and he leans in toward your head with his own head, be not afraid. He won't hurt you. He may not even know you. He just wants to head-butt you. It's one of those key milestone skills that we're so glad he learned early. ;)

We LOVE Visitors
A few of the fabulous friends and family we've seen lately:

Back in Business

We've cleaned, moved, painted, trimmed, unpacked, and partied. And now that we have internet access (and a home) again, I'm too tired to catch up on all the news. Let me just say that I am overcome with how God has blessed us and hope to share it with you very soon.