Look what I can do!

Some days, it's really easy to forget that I can be a person in my own right. I'm "Mommy" all day long, and then, when the day is done, I'm typically unconscious because I'm also spending my energy making "Baby Two". However, over the last year, I have also been working on a novel. I'm pleased to say that I've finally decided it has reached an acceptable point to publish. It's currently available through Lulu.com (in paperback and eBook formats), Amazon Kindle, Kobo, and the iTunes bookstore. It should be available soon for Nook on BN.com.

Click me for more info!

The factions of the Ebony Throne territories have been embroiled in civil war for over a decade. Now, the end is near. Unfortunately for Darcasta, the rightful heir, that end does not look to resolve in favor of her family. Pushed to the brink of defeat, Darcasta and her allies prepare to take a desperate risk. To their northern border, the Storm Mountains house the greatest military force in the known world. Getting them to use that force, however, poses other dangers. Having endured the destruction wrought by the civil war, Darcasta wants nothing more than the return of prosperity to her homeland. For that, she's willing to take any risk and pay any price. At least, that's what she believed before she met the Storm Lord. His help could save her people, but bargaining with him creates a battlefield all its own.

Alex's Swim lesson

My son's first crush

Alex is in love. Sorry, all you little cuties in our toddler class, but Elsa's got you beat!

This morning, my perpetually happy son was grouchy. Diapers, teething tablets, food, milk, cuddling… Nothing righted his little world. He kept pointing towards the television. So, I tried everything around it, all of his toys, blankets, singing songs, playing around with him. Nope. Inconsolable. Finally, after over a solid hour of my son's unhappiness, I turned on Frozen. Alex promptly stared at the television and started bouncing along to the opening song. Elsa hit the screen, and the giggles began. So, yes, I turned on the television. Afterwards my son started laughing, pointing to the screen, and happily babbling at me.

The other day, at Disneyland, we watched a marching band perform. They played several songs for which Alex was fully awake, no signs of an impending nap. It was a marching band in close proximity after all. Alex couldn't possible sleep within that range of drums, trumpets, etc. Except then they started playing "Let it Go." Asleep before the end of the song. Played by a really loud marching band.

Dog walks Boy

Now that Alex is mobile, we try to do more exploratory activities outside. Already today, we've had a dog walk, playing in great-grandparents' yard, and a walk in the stroller. Alex enjoys walking the dog around our complex. He gets to hold on to the leash. Sometimes, the dog, Ari, pulls too hard and pulls him over, too, but he just gets back up and continues on with his giggling. Ari tends to be a very excited dog, always rushing to the next thing. However, if Alex has the leash, she walks very nicely with him and doesn't run when he drops the leash. She's done a pretty good job about not yanking him over. A lot of times, I hold on to the middle of the leash instead, but Alex enjoys doing the walk by himself. Even if I'm hovering…

Books are fun!

Books, books, and more books! I love that my son has chosen to play with books. They aren't much more than flat toys with pretty colors and a Mommy-provided soundtrack. But, he likes to grab them and hand them to me. This morning was particularly cute. We were reading Good Night Maine from his grandfather in Maine. Alex likes to help me turn the pages, which makes reading in a continuous fashion difficult. Alex turned the book open to the page with the lumberjack , and I obligingly read that page. He kept turning back to that page, though, and pointing to the lumberjack. When he realized his mommy wasn't getting it, he pointed to the lumberjack and announced: "Dada!" He proceeded to do this several times, of course while my camera was charging. Daddy, who grew up in Maine, has been a lumberjack and worn flannel, so the comparison is amusing in its accuracy.

Sometimes, when we're skipping over numerous pages without reading them, I have to remind myself that Alex is enjoying the pictures and the sound of my voice, not the plot. The plot of the story isn't of great fascination yet, though books are useful for building their vocabulary and teaching speech patterns. You can even read to him from one of your books (assuming you aren't reading too racy a novel).

My Son's World: What do we leave behind?

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."

We all want our children to grow up in a better world. We, of course, all have different ideas on what that world should look like. I'd like to share a simple version that I hope we can all agree we'd like to see. How we get there is apparently a matter of vicious controversy, unfortunately. But let's all pretend for a moment that it's possible. Then, let's think about how we can make changes in OUR OWN behavior to get there, rather than decrying others for the state of the world. This isn't about politics or which cause is supported or anything else. This is for everyone.

I want my son to be safe. I don't want him gunned down in a mall because the police were too afraid of repercussions to stop an armed gunman. I don't want him getting shot in school because someone decided teachers were to blame for their problems. I don't want him to be afraid of every person in our town. I want to feel like I can say yes when he wants to walk home from school because I want him to be able to be independent and confident. It's one block; I can see the entire walk if I stand outside my tract. Shouldn't that be safe, even if I didn't hover to watch? I live in a wonderful neighborhood, but that may not always be the case. I wish children would always be safe from the tragedies that humans visit upon each other, but that is unfortunately not true.

I want my son to breathe clean air. I want him to look up at a blue sky. I want him to value the world around him. We go visit the local zoos all the time because I want to instill in my son an appreciation for those creatures that would otherwise be nothing but a distant inconvenience for "progress". He's been to the aquarium and seen creatures whose habitats are being destroyed. We learn about conservation efforts and little things we can do to improve the natural world's problems. I know he doesn't understand it yet, but someday, I want him to stand on the side of protecting our planet for his children. If he never learns, how will he know what needs to be protected?

He should be able to dream and follow those dreams. As much as we want to do for our children, there are things they have to earn in order to be adults who can then move forward in their lives without us. I want Alex to follow his dreams, to work for them, rather than expect others to hand him everything. Someday, I'll be gone, and I want to know that I have left my son in a world where he can thrive, both because of the tiny mark I left behind and because of the man I help him to become.

The world is full of many things that can damage the future for all of our children. Let's try to make sure we aren't one of those things. My son wakes up with a smile on his face every day. He looks at me and a big grin just breaks over his whole expression. He is EXCITED to face the world. He shares that smile with everyone, wherever we go. He laughs and shouts for joy. I NEVER want to see that light go away. Please help me make the world into the one you want for your children.

Santa Ana Zoo with Grandma

Baby's Super Powers, or Adventures in Child-Proofing

What's that racing across the room? It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super Mommy! Even in a baby-proofed room, it seems like your child is always getting into something. I love seeing how intelligent my son is growing with every day. However, that means he has figured out his way around numerous safety measures. So far, Alex has attempted to exhibit the following super powers:

• Electro-kinesis from covered electrical outlets

• Super speed towards the nearest pending disaster

• Flight through the air from whatever surface he has managed to reach (including the back of his rocking moose)

• Spider-like climbing for use on the stove (using the knob covers as hand holds) or onto other furniture to practice the afore-mentioned flight

• Super strength to lift up the free-standing play yard

• Flexible, stretchy arms, the better to reach in and disable cupboard and drawer latches

• Omniscience about every possible source of trouble in range

With my little guy attempting to acquire all of these capabilities, it seems like child-proofing is just not reasonable. So, I continue running around after him to find the latest thing he's found. Watching him grow and learn is a wonderful experience, even when he has learned new and terrifying ways to defeat my attempts at keeping him safe.

Daddy isn't lazy

Women have simply evolved to hear the sounds of a baby crying when men do not. There are two studies that I've found referenced online that confirm this topic. So, when you're dragging yourself out of bed to attend to a crying baby while your husband is snoring happily, just remember that it isn't his fault. Now, you may still want to smother him with a pillow or kick him until he does wake up. Having done both of those things, I won't blame you. I will, however, describe both studies I've found in the hopes that you'll feel better about it.

An Italian study (found on livescience.com) showed that women's brains became active when they heard a hungry baby crying. Men's minds continued to wander aimlessly.

One study was done in regards to a nighttime cold medicine company studying what noise wakes up men and women. The study was done by Mindlab in the UK. It ranked the top ten noises that disturbed the sleep of each gender.

Top 10 sounds most likely to wake men:

1. Car alarm

2. Howling wind
3. Buzzing fly
4. Snoring
5. Noise from drains
6. Crickets chirping
7. Sirens
8. Clock ticking
9. Drilling/workmen
10. Dripping tap

Waking women?

1. Baby crying

2. Dripping tap

3. Rowdiness outside
4. Snoring
5. Buzzing fly
6. Drilling/workmen
7. Sirens

8. Car alarm

9. Howling wind
10. Noise from drains

I pulled this list from the New York Times summation of the study. A screaming baby isn't even on the list for men. The study concluded that men were more likely to react to sounds that indicated threats rather than more domestic issues.

Day at the Office

Today was his (Daddy's) first day at the new office! Alex dressed his sharpest, with a collared shirt and a tie. Upon arrival, he inspected the work stations to make sure nothing was hiding under the glass tabletops. Also, he was responsible for improving morale and personalizing the office. Daddy's desk now sports a framed picture of the little man.
After helping everyone assemble furniture, he bought drinks for the guys (aka: delivered water bottles).
After his long minutes in the office, it was time for a lunch break with his girls (Mommy and Grandma). The boss/Mommy sure gave him the run around and kept him very busy. Sometimes it felt like she was just sending him around in circles (indoor playground with a carousel).
Luckily, he was able to carpool home. After such a long day of work, it was time to relax. Pants-less, of course.

****

As of Monday, Daddy is the Chief Technology Officer of a digital advertising company with his own office close to home populated by two of our friends. They were opening their office that day and didn't mind the visitor. Alex and I are very proud of my husband. Having him working from home for Alex's first year has been an amazing experience. We'll miss him being around during the day, but we'll find more fun things to do!

Foods for little tummies

Beans, beans: the musical fruit. They make your booty go root a toot tooty!
This charming rhyme from my childhood should have made me think twice before feeding beans to my son. However, we try to make a practice of letting him try what we eat (within reason). Now, my poor little boy ate Daddy's food and is suffering Daddy-sized bubbles in his tiny tummy. I feel so awful for him, but, on the other hand, he really liked the beans.

In my toddler class, we talk a lot about foods our developing little ones need. Two cups of milk only when my son loves it enough to want it by the ton instead. Gerber puffs are a favorite, but they just encourage the future of junk food like chips and crackers. There are so any do's and don't's with our little people. How much water is too much? Sippy cups, straws, bottles, or spoons? Of course, there's the dreaded versions of: are they eating enough vegetables? Eating healthy is a challenge for any age, which makes it so very important to take the time when he's little to start down that road. I'm still figuring out our way along this path, but I know that I want our healthy choices to be more than what my son eats. He's going to watch us and mimic our bad habits unless we're careful. Beyond that, we want to be around as our son grows, and that means taking care of our health, too.