Just Another Manic Monday

Hopefully you can tell by the pictures that a good time was had by all this weekend. It was wonderful to get to spend so much time with Matt's aunt and uncle... and as always, it was so much fun to see Keri, Brian, and the kids. There was precious little sleep to go around, but after some naps yesterday and an early night, and I think we are almost recovered. Just in time to leave again!

Brody handled the trip very well, and it is giving me hope that the plane and car rides will be more tolerable than I thought. He has been in such a good mood lately, and I'm sure the constant adoration and showerings of love have everything to do with it. =) He just LOVES his Auntie B & Uncle Al, and can't wait to see them again soon.

Well, I suppose I should stop procrastinating... I don't think dirty laundry will magically get clean, or bags get packed even if I do twitch my nose a little or wave my wand. (Which really is a shame, because a hot cup of coffee and a day of resting sound SOOOO good right now!)

I promise that when we get back next week, I will have lots of fun things to share (and a million pictures) to make up for the void over the next 9 days... so miss me... k?

Baptism Pics

Weekend Pics

My Birthday Wish

Coming up in May there is apparently a "Thanks Mom" bone marrow drive, where the normal costs for typing are waived. It occurs Mother's Day weekend, which just so happens to be the weekend of my 30th Birthday. So my wish is that whether on-line, or in person, everyone who would care to celebrate me getting old, anyone who had any thoughts of getting me a present, would register instead. Please? I am still planning on making donations in honor of all who register.

I know most of my readers are friends and family who love Brody so dearly. This morning while he was playing and cooing, and being absolutely the adorable, wonderful little boy that we all love- they are making plans to bury their son. Their son, who is the exact age of Brody. Please, get swabbed... no needles, no pain- just a cheek swab.

Trevor Kott

I can't tell you just how hard the ton of bricks hit me while I was reading this story about Trevor. Brody and Trevor were born on the same day. This could have been our little boy. This story could have just as easily be ours. On Wednesday, Trevor left this world behind.

So today, there will be no complaining about lack of sleep. There will be no wishing that Brody wouldn't be grumpy. There will be no bemoaning the lack of teeth but the presence of teething, or getting frustrated by his stubbornness that he won't roll onto his tummy. Because he's here. He can cry. I can hold him in my arms while he tries to pull my hair or my lip or my ear. I can comfort him and make his boo boo's better. He will learn to roll, he will learn to walk. I will get to hear him say "mommy."

Though Matt is sleeping and doesn't know it yet- we will both be joining the National Bone Marrow Donor List in memory of Trevor. I beg all of you to search your hearts and consider doing the same. In fact, if you show me that you donated, I will make an extra donation to the National Marrow Foundation to help pay for someone else to get tested. Look at their photo album- search your hearts... and then register. Please.

(This post will remain at the top of the blog for at least the next month, please scroll past it for new posts)

Sometimes, it pays to be cute

Like this morning, when mommy was beyond exhausted from averaging 4 hours of sleep, and wanted nothing but to cover her head with a pillow and go back to sleep. And daddy had to leave to go to a meeting, so he couldn't get the baby up. But at least there were smiles this morning instead of our normal teething mess that he's been lately... and some mornings a smile is just as good as a cup of coffee.

But if you'll excuse me, the coffee pot just finished gurgling- and this morning, a smile could only get me so far...

The new camera!

Since I've been playing this morning, I figured I'd share a few pictures... I'm sure there are much more to come- but right now Brody would appreciate a little attention without the camera in front of my face! =)

Out of my every loving mind *UPDATED*

So yes... starting on April 27th- here's how the next 3 weeks will play out....

April 27-29th: Estes Park (includes 2 1/2 hour drives each way)
May 1st: Me, Brody, and Pap Pap fly to Boston
May 2nd: Me, Brody, and Pap Pap drive to Pennsylvania
May 5th: Me, Brody, and Pap Pap (hopefully with Great Grandma & Pappy in tow...) drive back to Boston.... and Daddy, MeMa, Uncle Chad, and Cousin Addy fly to Boston
May 9th: We all fly home....
May 10th & 11th: Frantically try to do laundry & re pack our bags....
May 12th: Daddy, Me, and Brody fly to LA & drive to Santa Barbara (did I mention this is my 30th Birthday???)
May 13th: Spend my first Mother's Day in Santa Barbara... revisiting to places Matt & I went while we were first dating....
May 14th-18th: Spend lots of time with Brodykins on the beach... in the pool... shopping... generally just slaving away while Daddy works Oh... do I have that backwards???? =)
May 19th: Fly home
May 20th: FINALLY have some quality time at home!

I think I'm in denial. Brody is the only one with clean clothes in this house... Without being sarcastic, I probably have at least 10 loads of laundry to do- not to mention what we wear daily. I have relatives in town that I haven't seen in way too long and need to see today- I have to go visit work tomorrow... Saturday, well, I think we are home... Sunday we have a Birthday Party to go to. Then I have 4 days to get ready for all of this madness. But yet... denial- because really, all I want to do is go lay back down with Brody and take a nap.

*UPDATES: I got in trouble this weekend for not having updated this to mention that we are not going to Santa Barbara in May- but are likely going in June... it is still up in the air if Brody and I will be joining Matt, but hopefully we'll be able to make it work.

New link

So you all will notice that there is a new link over there on the right... see it? Notice which one is new? But did you click it? Only to have it say that I've restricted it? Yes, I have, and I am sorry about that... well, not so sorry, but that's neither here nor there. I am mainly writing it for myself. A way to process through whether or not we are having a 2nd, and if so, when we might go about doing it. Basically, a bunch of infertility junk that I'm not sure everyone wants to be bombarded with, nor am I sure I want to share with the whole world. But... if you'd like to read, leave me a comment with your email address and I will send you the invite. (apparently it will make you sign up for some g00gle thing... sorry!) If anyone knows a way to password protect Blogger without individual sign-ons, would you please let me know? Thanks! (We'll be back to regularly scheduled programming a bit later!)

The Stats

He weighs 18 lbs 15 ounces, and he is 27 1/4 inches tall. Which means that he's slowed down the growing a bit and is now right around 75th percentile for both...

The rest of the appointment went well- the shots are always no fun, but there were only 3 of them, and he finished a bottle right afterwards, so he immediately forgot about it. She is very excited about his development and thinks he is doing great. He's starting finger foods... YIKES! Just drives home how fast my baby is growing up! =(

The PICTURES!

Here are some of Brody's 6 month pictures (all courtesy of Kiddie Kandids)... I have to admit- I haven't posted my favorites. There is still a part of me that has a hard time posting the things that are most sacred to me. Things that I have trouble sharing with the world until I've had time to sufficiently savor them for myself. So perhaps in a few days or weeks or so...

And in other picture news... as an anniversary present to ourselves, Matt and I bought this. There is actually a newer model, but for the $100 difference, there simply weren't many improvements, and I like that the older one is a little smaller & lighter than the new one. So I'm sure I'll have lots of fun playing once it gets here, and I SUPPOSE I might be able to share! =P

How did it happen?

That my little angel is already 6 months old? Well, 6 months and 36 minutes to be precise. =) I don't think I would have thought it possible, but I am more in love today than I was 6 months ago. I think 6 months ago, I expected days to become mundane at some point. I never realized what it was like to be so exhausted that I didn't think I could move, but still I sleepwalk into his room to try to squeeze a little more sleep out of him, just to have him smile as soon as he sees me, and have my heart completely melt. I didn't realize how proud I could be of him learning to sit on his own, or roll over, or smile on cue for a photographer. I didn't understand how frustrating it can be to see your own stubbornness reflected in the eyes (and grunts) of your child- and yet be so excited at how hard he is working to try to do something.

And oh the giggles- I could survive for years on the giggles. The way he laughs at his daddy, or even at himself while he's bouncing up and down. Or how funny it is to blow raspberries and get his breakfast all over mommy.

It's these moments that I knew I would treasure, long before I ever knew him- long before I ever knew that we would be able to have a child- but I never realized that they would come every day. That everyday I would fall more in love, and that everyday I would rather be with you than doing anything else.

So happy 6 month birthday little boy- I can't wait to see what you do with the next 6!

Easter Pics

Since I can't think of anything interesting to talk about... I figure I'll just give you the pictures that you really want anyway! =P
Blowing Bubbles instead of eating his blueberries!

Ok... so he was a Weeee bit tired, but he was still really cute!

OMG! She is just too cute for words!

"Pap Pap" reading to Gage & Reece.
Doesn't he look like he thinks we're going to drop him?

"Me Ma & Pap Pap" with Brody and Addy.

But what to write about?

I am trying to be better about posting... but do you want to hear what Brody ate for breakfast (blueberry applesauce w/ oatmeal), or how many poopy diapers he has a day (usually 2), cause really... there's just not much else going on. I could talk about the raging migraine that I woke up with this morning, or how much the PCOS is wreaking with my system again- but that's not interesting either.

How about my frustration that Brody shows NO interest in trying to roll from his back to his belly? That he doesn't mind if he can't reach his toys, and that really, he doesn't care much for his toys (except the aquarium in his crib). He can move around a little doing this little dolphin kick thing, but unless he's in his crib, he really doesn't. (Right at this very moment he's as close to trying to get something as I've ever seen him, and it's my toes that he's trying to reach!)

Any suggestions? Cause really... I've tried helping him over (just to totally piss him off because he hates his tummy), I've tried placing all sorts of toys just out of his reach. I've tried moving things behind his head to try to get him to see them. I've tried to realize that he's fine, and that I truly believe that he can do it, he just doesn't want to. And he has.... twice. Once on the doctor's table, and once on our bed. I think they were both accidents.

So yeah... I don't know that it was interesting for you- but at least I posted, right? But yes, I know what keeps all 2 of you coming back... it's the PICTURES!

(This is as far as he will roll....)