Stay Classy

Well, he WILL be...

Coming Spring 2010!
 

Trick-Or-Treat!

Given that Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, I was super excited in the weeks leading up to it. It's been a long time since I haven't had to work right through all the festivities, so I wanted to go full-out this year.

Then we all got sick, and all bets were off. I just knew that if I even tried to explain trick-or-treating to Brady and got him excited, he would absolutely get sick just in time to not be able to go. So we never even mentioned it, and on Halloween morning we had no candy, no decorations, and a kid who had never even heard of the holiday. By 5:30pm, there were pumpkins (albeit, fake) in the yard, decorations in the windows, a bucket of candy by the door, and a very excited toddler-sized tiger ready to hit the street. So off we went.

I think the whole concept just confused Brady for the first few houses, but he caught on quickly. By about the 5th house he started saying "Trick or treat!". A few houses later he would reach out, pick a candy out of the bowl, and put it in his bucket. Shortly after he even started saying, "thank you".

The truth is, we really didn't know if Brady would even get trick-or-treating at all. Paul and I had wondered if we were really doing it more for ourselves and the photo op, and I was fully prepared to go home after a few houses. But oh boy did Brady ever get it. He loved it.

 

I can't believe how far he walked. I thought we'd hit 5 or 6 houses, but we went to easily 20. I asked Brady several times if he wanted to go home or keep going and knock on more doors. He was very definitive in his answer: "More doors". So on we went.

I really don't think Brady had any idea that what people were giving him was anything he'd want to eat-- they were just fun, brightly colored little presents. He was even brave enough to go ask the witch down the street.

 

When it started to get really dark and Brady almost got run over a few times by charging groups of 7 and 8 year old boys, I figured it was time to go home and help hand out the candy. 

As soon as we got in the house, Brady sat down in the middle of the living room, dumped out his bucket, and spread out all his loot. He sat there playing with his candy for easily 45 minutes, with breaks to get up and run to the door each time he heard more kids.

I can't tell you how happy I am that we decided to "do" Halloween with Brady this year. It was probably one of the best nights of his little life, and one of those "we'll remember it forever" moments for ol' Mama and Dada.

Aaaaaand... We're Back

So I thought I had more or less beaten the swine when I declared myself better and went back to work on Tuesday. I had already stayed home sick on Friday and Monday, and figured that would be sufficient.

But then Paul got sick, and I ended up going home before 4 o'clock on Tuesday so I could watch Brady while Paul shivered and sweat and moaned about his 102 degree fever. I went back to work that night after I put Brady to bed and anchored the 10pm news, but I could already tell I was heading downhill. I had developed a deep, rattling cough way down in my chest, and my fever came back. I wasn't any better in the morning (and this was after 5 days on Tamiflu), so I called my doctor, who sent me to urgent care. Urgent care heard "already had a course of Tamiflu" and "asthmatic", and I had earned myself an unexpected trip to the emergency room. So I left Brady with the ailing Paul and drove myself to the ER. It all seemed highly dramatic to me, but I decided to just shut up and do what my doctors told me.

3 hours, a breathing treatment, and a chest x-ray later, I had a diagnosis of bronchitis (not pneumonia! yay!), a prescription for antibiotics, and orders to stay home for the rest of the day. (I do have to say that I heart Lincoln, Nebraska for things exactly like trips to the ER. I never even sat down in the waiting room-- just talked to the receptionist, who sent me off to a nurse, who put me in my own room. 10 minutes later a nurse came in, and 15 minutes after that I saw the doctor. Awesome. Still, I couldn't find George Clooney anywhere.) 

I let Brady watch way too many cartoons that evening while Paul laid in bed and convalesced and I laid on the couch and hacked up a lung.

I again fully intended on going back to work on Thursday, but after my follow-up visit with my doctor revealed "still a ton of wheezing", I was ordered to stay home again.

So here it is Friday, and I think we're all finally on our way back. I'm at work, Paul has been out of bed most of the day and is cracking jokes again, and Brady magically still has managed to avoid the evil H1N1 (we're keeping our fingers crossed!).

A few more highlights of Swine Flu '09:

-Since we canceled the movie channels a few months ago, being sick in bed now means watching whatever is on tv. As a result, I watched City Slickers, Chasing Amy, and Silence of the Lambs, as well as many, many episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the True Hollywood Story of Courtney Cox at least twice. Paul rented the movie Sunshine Cleaning for me, which I recommend.

-It turns out that one of the only things in the world that sounds good to me when I'm sick is a #6 Vegetarian sandwich from Jimmy John's (no mayo, add dijon mustard). I have literally had one on 7 of the past 8 days. Don't judge me-- we eat a lot of takeout when I'm sick.

-Taking care of a sick husband and a toddler simultaneously while you are still somewhat sick is hard, and by the end of all of it I probably was not as cheerful a nurse as Paul deserved. Thanks for not throwing a tray at me or something, hon. :)

-Brady now wakes up and asks, "Daddy sick? Daddy bed?" He also reminds me to go, "Check Daddy!" and sometimes to "Fix Daddy!" Apparently he said the same things about me when I was the one stuck in bed. Poor kid.

-I am so, so thankful that the H1N1 flu didn't hit us any harder than it did.

-Now go wash your hands, everyone! Go... sanitize something, and stay healthy!  

A whole week

That's how long it's been since my last blog, which is probably the longest I've gone (excluding vacations) since I started this thing. And really, I don't even have a good reason. I've just been feeling lazy lately, and not terribly creative. I took pictures for last week's Project 365, and then we ran around all day Sunday and I never found time to post them, and now it's Wednesday and I still haven't done it. I totally intend to, but that would involve actually sitting down at my computer at home, which seems to be something I avoid like the plague lately.

So what have we been doing? The regular stuff-- reading LOTS of books, hugging stuffed animals, dancing in the kitchen, singing the Wubba Woo song, watching football, making and eating soup, seeing friends, looking at pictures of family, etc etc etc. Life. A good life.

Life is good when Brady asks me to stroke his face ("Mama? Face.") and sing him the lullaby song, right in the middle of the day.

Life is good when Paul brings home chocolate that he knows I secretly want but would never allow myself to buy, and then knows that I'm secretly grateful even as I scold him for buying it.

Life is good when Brady suddenly understands what rain is and exclaims "Mama! Water on face!".

Life is good when my boys and I spend an afternoon at a horribly overcrowded pumpkin patch (nay, theme park), but still have a good time playing together.

Life is good when I get to anticipate a Saturday night out with two of my favorite girls at one of our favorite restaurants.

Life is a quiet, comfy kind of good right now.

And that's... good.

Kimmel Orchard (Finally!)

Man, have I been a bad blogger lately! I've somehow gotten way behind on the pictures I want to post, and the words just don't seem to be flowing recently. I think I'm just so busy these days that by the time I sit down to write, my brain is just tired-- as in nope, I will not be clever or insightful or relevant or even understandable.

But here I am! I'm trying, and that must count for something, right? Right? Pleeeease? Humor me, ok? 

Anyway, last Saturday, Paul, Brady and I drove the 50 miles or so to Nebraska City to take advantage of the beautiful weather and the end of peach-picking season. We had been to Nebraska City (actually, it's where Paul proposed!), but never to Kimmel Orchard. We were so impressed! This place is adorable, with a beautiful white barn, rolling hills of orchards and vineyards, and a little restaurant with all kinds of fresh baked goods made from the fruit they grow on the property.

We were given the options of walking the mile or so out to the peach orchards or taking a hay rack ride. There was no way I was pushing the stroller a mile on dirt paths, so onto the tractor we went.

 

(You can't tell by his face, but Brady really enjoyed the ride. You'll just have to take my word on this one.)

 

 

We stopped in the middle of a huge grouping of peach trees and hopped off to start picking. Brady got a huge kick out of this-- so much so, in fact, that we inadvertently filled the entire 10 pound box. Oops. At least they were only a dollar a pound, right?

 

 

 

Giant box of peaches in tow, we got back on the tractor for the ride over to the vineyards.

 

As much fun as he had picking peaches, I think Brady had even more fun picking grapes... mostly because we let him eat them right off the vine.

 

 

Spot grapes...

 

Pick grapes...

 

Shove grapes in mouth. Repeat as necessary.

 

Where there's a vineyard, there's probably wine, right? Thankfully, yes. Let the wine tasting ensue! And when the wine tasting happens in the middle of a farm store/bakery/cafe, it's totally not weird to have your toddler with you. In my book, that's a major plus. :)

(Note the 10 pound box of peaches behind me. I made peach pie and peach muffins and have eaten what seems like dozens of peaches, and still have several left over. Smoothies, anyone?)

 

Cheers!

In Good Company

At about 4:30 this morning, I woke up to crazy-loud thunder, hail pounding the windows, howling wind, and a crying baby.

Paul went in first to try to calm Brady down, but he was having none of it. Try as he might to comfort him, Brady just kept pushing Paul away and crying "Maaamaaaa!" Apparently when you're scared enough, sometimes you just need your Mama.

When I picked Brady up and he buried his head in my neck and hung on for dear life, I knew that trying to get him back to sleep in his room was futile. I brought him into bed with us, which of course wasn't much better. He was certainly happy to be in there with us, but it was just too out of the ordinary for him to sleep. Instead he laid there and talked to us. Out of the dark would come the occasional, "Mama? Nose."

"Yes sweetie, I have a nose.  Now please try to sleep."

I tried singing softly to him, but every time I'd get to the end of the song he's applaud for me and say "More!"

With the storm sill pounding away and a wriggly toddler in our bed, I asked Paul if he thought we were done sleeping for the night. He said, "I wonder how many people in Lincoln are having this exact conversation right now."

I imagine that there were quite a few. Not that I wish sleepless nights on anybody else, but somehow that made me feel a lot better at the moment. It felt like I was in some kind of weary parents' club.

The storm finally calmed down by about 5:30, I was able to get Brady back to sleep in his own bed, and we all slept in until almost 8am. That, I realize, was a luxury that probably only a precious few of the other members of the club got to enjoy. 

Mile After Mile

I think I may have created a monster.

From the moment he wakes up in the morning lately, Brady has a single focus: "Bikes!"

We've been riding a lot lately (well, I ride the bike while Brady lounges in the bike trailer). Last weekend alone we logged over 22 miles, and it's been at least 50 in the last week. We ride to several different parks, and this week we've been riding to Brady's swim lessons at the YMCA.

Still, the stops are secondary as far as Brady is concerned. We'll spend maybe 10 minutes at a park before he is yelling "Bikes!" and trying to climb back in the trailer. So we ride some more.

I have a lot of time to think while I ride. I think about my family, I think about the future, I think about the lyrics to songs I haven't heard in years. Sometimes I think about our country's problems, other times I mentally debate the virtues of various flavors of ice cream.

I also observe the other people on the trails. I feel a kind of camaraderie with the people I pass, especially when I ride really early in the morning. I have also noticed that there are three main types of people on the trails: those who smile and say "Good Morning!", those who smile at you only if you acknowledge them first, and those who stare straight ahead whether or not you say anything. I have also observed that those in the first group seem to be the happiest. I don't know if happy people are more likely to engage others or if they are happier because they engage other people, but I do know that I now make a point of giving everyone a smile and a "Good Morning!" when I ride.

Onward I ride.  

Lest I ever whine again...

This morning at the Y while we were waiting for Brady's swim lesson to start, I started chatting with a cute lady with a tiny baby. Teeeny tiny. She told me he was two weeks old, and I marveled at how good she looked and the fact that she was dressed in matching clothes and sitting on a pool deck at 9:30am two weeks after giving birth.

I was already impressed... and then one of the swim teachers brought over her 15 month old daughter. Holy cow. A 15 month old and a 2 week old? This lady was good, and I told her so.

She told me that she also has a 3 year old and a 4 year old.

I bow to a mommy prowess far greater than my own.

Breaking News: It was the 4th of July. I was not at work.

When Paul and I left the house at 9:28 on Saturday morning to take Brady to our neighborhood's 4th of July parade, we had no idea what to expect. Maybe a few kids on decorated bikes?

Instead, we saw this coming down the block...

 

A LOT of people! There was unabashed, blatant cuteness everywhere.

 

  

 

 

I don't think I appreciated just how many kids there are in our neighborhood. Brady will never lack for a playmate.

The parade wound around to the retirement home a few blocks away, where all the residents were outside and waiting.

 

The kids all paraded in front of them, and there were smiles and high-fives all around. It was downright heart-warming. We said the pledge of allegiance, a little girl sang the national anthem, and the kids had popsicles. My little neighborhood makes me happy.

We hung out and ran errands for awhile after the parade, and then Brady had spaghetti for lunch (at least it's red-- that's kind of festive, right?). As is usually the case now, he insisted on feeding himself with his hands, one noodle at a time. 

 

He ate until he was ALL...

 

...DONE!

 

Our evening was spent at a bar-b-que at a neighbor's house, where I got to know several neighbors who I'd never even met before. We ended up having a really good time (despite the rain! on the 4th of July!), and staying a lot longer than I thought we would. Brady got to stay up past his bedtime watching the neighbor kids set off fireworks, but by about 8:45 he was passing out. We took him home and put him to bed, and then hung out in the front yard with yet more neighbors watching the fireworks. And folks, there were a lot of fireworks. Apparently, Nebraskans really like to blow things up.

It was a good day.

Optimism

Instead of continuing to whine, I've decided to look at the positive aspects of getting up everyday at 5:30am (this morning was actually 5:15-- not that I'm keeping track).

For one thing, I don't miss a single minute of sunshine. From the first glimmer of sunrise to sunset, I see it all. 

Needless to say, it makes the day looooong. I have a full 8 hours before I have to leave for work, which leaves room for lots of activities. Today, for example, I got up, made breakfast for Brady and then myself, played downstairs for about an hour and a half, read all of Brady's books, did a 20 minute workout from the Exercise OnDemand Channel while Brady hung off my legs, hung out with Paul while he ate breakfast, and then got Brady and myself dressed to head out for a bike ride.

By this point, it was all of 9am.

I'm discovering that morning bike rides just make me happy. And, as it turns out, around 9am is the perfect time to go. All the early morning runners have long since gone to work, and the lunchtime walkers aren't out yet. For a lot of the ride, it was just the sound of my tires on the road, birds chirping in the trees, and animals rustling in the bushes. It doesn't hurt that Lincoln's trails are really beautiful.

 

I love how I just feel like I'm somewhere else when I'm on the trails. There are times when I'm completely surrounded by trees, and others when I'm riding next to traffic. There are marshy areas that smell like summer camp, and beautifully manicured backyards with vegetable gardens. I had no idea where we were going when we left today, and I ended up deciding to ride to the Children's Zoo just to find out how far it was and how long it would take for future reference.

The round-trip ride was just under 12 miles. Along the way, we passed no fewer than 5 different parks of all different sizes, ranging from huge play structures to tiny little parks tucked away in neighborhoods. We only stopped to play at one today, but I'm sure we'll hit them all eventually. As usual, Brady was so happy at the park, and even made friends with two little girls and their very friendly dog who licked Brady all over his face.

I also love that these rides force me to really push myself physically. On the way back, I was thinking that if I were riding a stationary bike at the gym, I probably would have given up 20 minutes ago. Obviously, that's no so much an option when I'm still 4 miles from home. Afterward, I feel gooood.

When we got back from our ride, I showered and got ready for work, and then Brady and I met Paul at Red Robin on his lunch break.

And then I started my day.

See? Maybe 5:30am isn't so bad after all. (Other than the exhaustion part, which doesn't really hit until I get to work. But we won't talk about that today because I'm not whining!)