My Sweet, Attentive Boy

It has been one tough week. Myles' morning out program is taking a week off between summer and fall sessions, and Myles developed a cold on Monday that includes a nasty cough, runny nose, and occasional spitting up of sticky stuff. Yuck. Simultaneously, it seems he's entered into a stage where he is so active I can barely hold him. He's constantly trying to roll out of my arms, reach for things, inch his way with butt up in the air toward an undisclosed location. Grabbing at whatever we pass by. Wow. I don't know if I'll be able to take him into work any more, as he refuses to sleep on my comfy couch at work, where he used to check out so peacefully. And he's also out of his baby car seat, which means that when he has conveniently fallen asleep in the car, he almost always is rudely awakened by Seth or me trying to get him out of his new seat and up into his crib. We have not slept much this week. Whew. Sometimes I can't help but wonder how women in developing countries do it. Or how those women who were made homeless by Hurricane Katrina (I saw tiny, tiny babies in Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke) managed to not go insane. They never tell you some of these things about parenting.

Having vented about all that, Myles did the cutest thing this week. These are the moments that save you. I am growing my hair out (or at least giving it that annual "try"), and just bought this wide, gel-ly head band. Last night I was wearing it for the first time, with all my hair pulled back and so it looks a little different than my normal 'do. Seth, of course, didn't notice a thing. But Myles kept staring up at my head and reaching for my hair with a huge smile on his face. He noticed my new headband! So I leaned my head over and showed it to him and he giggled. Today I wore it again and as we were lying down together, he kept laughing at it and grabbing for it, so I took it out and gave it to him. He looked from his hands (with the headband) to my head, and back again. This may seem like such a small thing--the first time your baby notices your hair 'do. But it was absolutely magical that I knew exactly what he was thinking about as he was smiling and laughing and I was able to let him examine what he was interested in. Oh the love. My sweet boy. If he keeps noticing every time mama changes her look, and gives me those buttery smiles in response, he will keep scoring major points! (Seth, take note.)

Asleep at the Jumper

Today has been a great day. Seth got in an early morning mountain run where he was growled at by a bear from five feet away, Mandy got a yoga workout in, we bought Myles a johnny jumper and we took a family nap on the queen. The coolest part of the day (aside from being growled at by a bear) was turning the corner to find Myles asleep in his new jumper. Early this week Myles gave us a little dance routine from his high chair. Tonight we may go out for dinner and watch a movie; that is unless we get lured away by some fancy event downtown.

Mylestones

Well, he just keeps getting cuter. Just when we think it's not possible, he wakes up sweeter and fatter and more beautiful than the day before. He's in a very fun stage...on Saturday he will be 7 months old, I can't believe how the weeks and months have flown by, and it's a little startling to realize we can never re-live them. Foods: he tried yogurt today, and gulped it right down. Bananas are still a favorite. If he gets full, he gets a sly look on his face and begins to blow bubbles and spit his food into the air. He is also scooting with abandon. It's like a full yoga workout each night before bed with him rolling from one side to the other, upward facing dog, arms stretched to the side, and his own little version of down dog, where he gets his butt up in the air and then scoots forward until he's smushed up against a pillow, person, or wall. Seth is training for a crazy race in which he'll be on a team of 12, running along the Blue Ridge parkway. Each team member runs 3 legs, with a few hours rest in between. Seth will run a 9 mile leg, a 7 mile leg, and a 5 mile leg, if I remember correctly. He's out in the heat every day training. I'm ready for fall to blow in some cooler weather. The kids are all back to school down here. Oh, and this photo is Colleen and Tom, Myles' godparents. Colleen was holding Myles the other day while drinking some water and he was grabbing for her cup so she asked if she could give him a sip and I said sure. So he has started drinking water out of cups a little bit and seems to enjoy it.

We're Back!

We had a wonderful visit this weekend from my Michigan friend Erin (we met in kindergarten, for those of you who don't know her) and her boyfriend Fiddle. Both of them are incredible with babies...we only wish they were around more to babysit! While they were here we went to Best Buy and finally replaced our broken camera. We're back!

For the love of all things green

This is a shameless plug for a new fuel additive Seth and I have been using, called C-A-40. We heard about it on the Ed Shultz radio show, and decided to check it out. After several "tests" we can attest to the fact that it has improved our miles per gallon by at least 10%. It also claims to help the engine run cleaner and so your car will have cleaner emissions. If you haven't heard of it, it's because it's brand new. It was made by some really smart guys in Minnesota, and marketed first to farmers, who have been using it in their tractors. It's good for the wallet and good for the environment. You just add 1 oz. of the additive to every tank of gas. You can order it online at www.ca40g.com. Enjoy!

Rain on this Parade

Well, my friends, I have a little bad news this mild eve...Seth broke our camera. He took it out in a rainstorm, go figure. We will continue to recycle beach photos as long as possible, and I am hopeful he will go out and get a new one within the week. But for now, Myles is growing like a weed with no one to track his growth. These photos include: The Voss brothers (Cullen and Ashton), cousin Kaleb "snuggling" Myles (is he ready for his little brother to be born or what???), and Seth and Myles playing with a cool new toy that we found at the beach house. Old photos. You'll have to trust me when I say he's even cuter this week. Ah, it's been a stressful week. I preach on Sunday and one of my favorite colleagues at WAND is leaving for a labor organizing job in California. The good news is that we will be down in Atlanta next weekend for a day to attend a friend's wedding. This friend has quite the story...she met her fiance in 1993 when she was studying in Kenya, and after many twists and turns and time apart, he has come to the U.S. to be with her and they will be married, hopefully happily ever after. So I think it will be quite a wedding. The groom speaks 4 languages! It will be fun to take Myles to Atlanta and introduce him to all the WAND women. This week Myles tried bananas, and they were a hit! The first few bites he looks a little confused, but by the end of the bowl he's opening wide and leaning forward. Next week sweet potatoes? A shout out to Greg (if he even reads this!), happy birthday brother-in-law...we're thinking about you! And a shout out to Karson...who is an incredible inspiration in the way she is living through this chemo. We love you Karson, and we're praying for you! Bye for now...