"It will change on a dime..."

Several different people have reassured Eric that Everett's mommy phase will "change on a dime" in his favor.  And then of course, EVERYTHING changes on a dime in these first years of life!  Today was so strange.  There was a dime and he turned in a matter of a few hours.  We started our day with baby storytime at the library with friends.  It was so much fun, and Everett had a blast as always.

The Three Amigos

A little after we got home, Everett attached himself to me for a few hours, crying intermittently.  I suspected teething, gave medicine, teether toys, etc. 

And then halfway through feeding him pureed beets and greens, he pulls a Popeye and comes to life!  There's more intense than usual squealing, smiling, talking, laughing, motion.  I can't even describe it adequately.  All of a sudden, the little guy has stronger opinions on what he wants and is delivering clear deliberate actions to express this!  It was so bizarre and so neat!  And so very 9 months as these kiddos start to develop and express their sense of independence at this age.  To top it all off, he was totally content being held and soothed by daddy.  It's amazing what beets and greens will do! 

Another exciting development in the last few days:  mastering of the sippy cup.  Yay!  That was a real frustration for me.  I thought he'd never get it!  This sets us up to get ready for weaning once he can drink cows milk (12 months).

Now go eat your beets and greens!

Detachment

I'm sensing a theme lately. Bad luck? Or good luck? Depends how you look at it; and as a mother, I look at the world differently now. Allow me to demonstrate. :)

(of course, there's always some overlap both ways on these things, but these are the predominant thoughts.)

A few weeks ago: Dude runs a red light and hits my car (with Everett in the back).

Pre-child reaction: Aw $#*&! Yes, I’m thankful that I’m not hurt, but now my car is ruined, it’ll never be the same, I’ll be without a car while it’s in the shop, our insurance premiums will go up, etc, etc…

Post-child reaction: SO thankful that it was not different by milliseconds possibly hurting us. I could care less about the hassles of getting the car fixed. Seriously.

A week ago: We wake up to find our truck stolen from our driveway!!!

Pre-child reaction: $@&*! Are you kidding me?

Post-child reaction: SO thankful that the person/people stealing our car did not decide to come inside the house!

Yesterday: Eric tries to blow off steam from dealing with the AC people ripping us off as well as the above truck theft by going for a bike ride. He falls in the river and his brand new iPhone 4 is ruined.

Pre-child reaction: #@($*&! More money out of our pocket! Does it ever end?

Post-child reaction: SO thankful Eric did not hurt himself!

So we are definitely having some tests of detachment! And tests are a good thing! Being a mother has made a positive impact on my perspective -- and I don't curse nearly as much. :)

"Just as the plough furrows the earth deeply, purifying it of weeds and thistles, so suffering and tribulation free man from the petty affairs of this worldly life until he arrives at a state of complete detachment. His attitude in this world will be that of divine happiness."

-'Abdu'l-Baha, From the Baha'i Writings

Yay! He Travels Well!

We recently returned from our first major family vacation. I consider this one "major" since it involved an airplane. Our reason for travel was a family reunion to celebrate my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary! How wonderful to be married and in love for so long. It was beautiful to look around and see all the family that came from their union.


This cake was so cute. My cousin Emelie made it. It's a family tree with all of us represented on cookies. Here's Ev's...

Everett was a trooper and a half. He was at his happiest amongst all the people and all the love. He survived 6 hours on a plane, 13+ hours in a car, 4 different cribs, and 20+ relatives with very minimal fussing. I must say he was a little fussy to leave all that love and attention (and his two dog buddies). It was a great time. The weather was perfect for kayaking, sailing, and taking a dip in the cold water of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

During this trip, Ev learned how to wave. It was so funny to see how this developed. It started out like he was saying "5, 4, zero" and then looked like he was flipping pizzas with a flat hand waving in the air.

He talks a lot lately, and he (my mom and I swear) said "baby" in the car, plain as day. haha! I'm suuure this was maaaaybe not intentional and probably will not be repeated for many many months, but it sure was neat! And he hears it all the time, so why not! He also might have said "thank you" in sign language, but I'm not sure. We're working on sign language; I'll do a separate post about that sometime. I can't wait to see it kick in.

He's really close to walking; therefore, my number one priority right now is getting him to respond to his name. The second goal is to get him to come to me when called. I realize now I should have thought of this earlier, but now that he's close to walking, I do NOT want him to walk away in a public place and not respond to me calling him. I'm sure he'll still be close by, but you never know. He likes to go, go, go! Which is why he's so close to walking in the first place! Baby need new shoes!

Everett is so excited!

Because he's about to meet lots of family members! And gets to ride on an airplane!

Recycling

Ah, what to do with a big, beautiful wedding dress. I've had my dress for 4 years now. During that time, it has taken up an ample amount of space in the closet, and I've opened the bag and looked at it once, maybe twice. I'll never fit into it again. I'll never have an opportunity to wear it again. Any future daughter of mine will want her own dress. Any friend I could give it to will want her own. And I'm not into keeping things just to keep them.

So I've had my eye out for some way to donate it over the past years. I did not, however, want it to be on a thrift store rack, sold for $50 to become part of someone's Bride of Frankenstein Halloween costume. I got serious about finding something to do with it, and asked my friends for advice. That is how I found the Mary Madeline Project. This is an amazing charity that, through the handiwork of lovely volunteers, turns donated wedding dresses into infant burial gowns and blankets for bereaving parents of stillborn children and babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Wow. Pause. Deep breath. I had to take a second to process that.

This is exactly what I've been looking for. I cried as I poured through their website. This project touches my heart deeply, and I am so honored to be able to donate my dress. If that's not enough, they will place a memory tag on each gown created from my dress to honor my loved ones that have passed away. These tags will carry the names of my mother-in-law, Elma Keahey, and my grandma, Mary Potter. Though there are many loved ones to honor, these two women passed away while I was pregnant with our own child, so I feel they have a special place in this project. In addition, I know this charity would have a special place in their hearts - both having been mothers and grandmothers.

My motivation for writing this post is not for a pat on the back, but rather the hope that someone will read it and become motivated themselves to donate and/or spread the word about organizations like this. If you or someone you know has a wedding dress that is taking up space and doing a whole lot of nothing in your house, I would urge you to consider this organization. They also accept bridesmaid dresses and other formal wear in colors that would work for boys' garments.

www.marymadelineproject.org