Three Greggs

I was tagged by WorkingTitle

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

 1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

In June 1998 I had just finished junior year of college as a resident assistant in the dorm. That was a painful and poignant learning experience. I was anticipating my senior year of college, taking physics at a local university, contemplating what I would do with my duel marine bio/chemistry dual major. I was considering nursing in lieu of vet school. I was getting ready to counsel at camp. Though single, I was seriously yet secretively crushing on a guy I had known for 4 years, a friend from camp, a friend who would become my husband 6 years in the future. That summer we discovered that the crush was mutual. Yet nothing happened for another 4 years. I don't remember what my summer job was. I probably worked at a local drug store, maybe a temp job too. That was the summer I started running regularly, I got my hair cut into a short, stylish bob and dropped some serious weight.
 

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today?

Saturday morning: Make and eat french toast. This is our new favorite family tradition. Walk to the local farmer's market before the heat intensifies. Buy produce for the coming week at the local green grocer. Morning nap for Will. Answer Working Title's tag. Find out the asking price of my dream house for sale around the corner. My to-do list is slim and leisurely today. It's hot and humid and I want to enjoy family time. It's not a diaper or laundry day, the floors are swept and the bathroom is clean. These things usually populate my list and crown out the more people-centered things of life. You can see from my list that I am a doer and have to make myself plan for people time. Last on my list for today is the retirement bash for our dear pastor of 26 years. Sean and I plan to get to church early to help direct people to a sardine-tight parking configuration as the crowd is expected to be large.

3. Snacks I enjoy...

chocolate chips (specifically Trader Joes, but in a pinch any brand will do); coffee; chocolate chip muffins; fresh peaches; hummus with stone wheat thins or green peppers, banana with pb or yogurt and wheat germ; philly pretzel warm and fresh.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire....

Put away for our kids' futures, share with our family, endow my school, give more to our church and foreign missions, stay at home and house foster kids or adopt neglected orphans, go camping and travel the world a lot.

5. Places I have lived....

Easter Pennsylvania- born, raised and put down roots; Eastern Massachusetts - the OCEAN!- four years for college and a part of my heart still resides on Cape Ann.

6. Jobs I have had...

7. Bloggers I am tagging who I will enjoy getting to know better....

silver, One Feisty Mama, Pixiemom

One Feisty Mama

We're just back from a weekend with my siblings in the mountains. We had a nice time and I think my sister especially enjoyed spending quality time with the babies. We did a miniature hike, and by mini I mean more of a two minute walk in the woods before turning around for home because the toddler (not baby!), Will was tired and hungry. We walked to the lake expecting a chilly day and were pleasantly surprised by glorious sunshine, sandy beach and calm water. Unprepared for water fun, we let the kiddos wade to their knees trying to avoid the inevitable soaking and swelling of a non-swimmer diaper. They both plopped down on their bums and lots of splashing, smiling and diaper-swelling ensued. Will was obsessed with the foam football which the daddies were tossing in the water. It must've been the perfect chewing consistency because that's all he wanted to do. He didn't try to eat the sand, and that was a miracle in itself.

In the week preceding the vacation I was nervous, anticipating sleepless nights in a new place and nonexistent naps. On the contrary, he slept fine at night, and though he missed naps, the drama I expected presented itself in only muted colors. Though I did need a day of napping yesterday to recover from the weekend of chasing a toddler around a new place at early morning hours trying to keep him safe.

When naps fail to happen and the day falls apart, there is truth in this: nothing lasts forever, and tomorrow will be a better day. I keep telling this to dada who continues to fight this awful flu that had him sacked on the couch for 4 days straight and now plagues him with a terrible, relentless, hacking cough. He was sad after his doctor's visit yesterday not to receive a scrip for codeine.

Now we're looking forward to the next vacation. This one will be a camping trip with Grandma and Grandpa. We're bracing ourselves for camping witha  one-year-old. Any tips? We've got ourselves a "family-sized" tent, and plan to sleep him in the port-a-crib in the tent with us. We've never coslept, so I don't think this camping trip is the time to start. I'm glad we'll have two extra set of hands to keep track of our curious and exuberant one.

What ails him:

Nasty cold, runny nose, puffy-red-watery eyes, hacking cough, double ear infection, freshly cut molar, blood blister under the gums where another molar needs to come through, a swelling gum where the left lateral incisor is trying to pop out, nasty diaper rash, the heat and humidity.

What amuses him:

The puppy, his daddy's fake sneeze into his neck, balloons, clocks, my feigned surprise at the poop in his diaper, the baby on the Yo Baby yogurt container, dirt, his grandmothers, books (thank goodness), drinking from a cup, his amoxacillin, the empty syrup container flip-lid, the puppy's water dish.

What fails to amuse me:

His poop clogging our tub drain (he pooped in the bath tub - and I swear I thought I got it all out before it went down the drain!), his obsession with the puppy's water dish, malfunctioning air condtioners that can't be fixed under warranty because the company went out of business.

What amuses me:

His smile, his daddy's enthusiasm for his smile, his daddy's smile.

We haven't quite caught our breath. Will's first birthday party was spectacular. We are so grateful for the dear friends and family who came to celebrate with us in our backyard. On the hottest day of the year, thus far, the sticky conditions didn't seem to deter anyone's enthusiasm for barbecue chicken and scalloped potatoes. The babies splashed in the kiddie pool and adults lounged in the shade, thankful for a late afternoon breeze. They all had a front row seat as Will had his first taste of cake and icing. He had the whole bow tie to himself - yellow cake with chocolate chips and blue butter cream frosting with blue sprinkles. He seemed a bit unsure at first, and touched it, then gingerly raised his finger to his mouth. I think the sweetness made him pucker his face. Encouraged by daddy he planted his face squarely in the middle of the cake and took in a huge mouthful. Eventually he seemed to enjoy squishing the texture of cake and icing through his fingers more than the taste itself. After cake and a bath, presents and bubbles he was still on the go two hours after his bedtime. He walked around the yard holding the hands of his Grandpa, then climbed the many stairs to his attic bedroom himself, because he's a big boy now.

Many thanks to dear Katrina for helping me with the cake, and to our moms who helped with party preparations in more ways that I could think to name. At 11 am when our kitchen air conditioner refused to run and the temperature outside climbed past 90, I called my mom in a panic asking her to come take all the chicken for the party home to her fridge. The icing was melting on the cake as soon as we got it out of the tube. We ended up icing the cake bit-by-bit so we could refrigerate it between sections. It made for more of a hectic day then I had hoped. I'm glad we started out our day in our normal, special way. French toast and syrup with steaming hot Pike Place roast for me and a sippy cup for Will. At least there was a bit of peace in the day.

One year ago today I woke up at 4:30am with "a feeling". I woke up Sean. "I think something is happening," I told him. He thought I was talking about something on the street outside our house. He told me not to worry about it. It took a little while for him to realize that I meant something much more exciting. By 6am I called my mom who was getting ready for work to tell her about the contractions. By 6pm I was going in to see my midwife at her office to see why my contractions weren't progressing. She confirmed that I was in labor, I was 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced. Back home to chicken and dumplings, broccoli and fruit salad prepared by my mom, and then trying to rest, hot showers and draining the hot water tank multiple times, and timing contractions until we couldn't keep numbers straight. I still hate that darn digital watch we used. When it beeps I get a shiver of anxiety from my toes through to my thumbnail.

Some other memorables: When I first woke up with cramps I was sleeping on Sean's side of the bed, the side closer to the air conditioner. Man, that was so unlike me! As soon as Will was born those pregnancy thermal hormones went away, and I've kind of missed them. We had steak the night before at a local restaurant, Jonathan's. It had been a while since we'd driven the route to the hospital, so at 2am when we were driving the short drive, we found that the roads had been grated and were all rough. That was not fun midst strong contraction. I made Sean pull over with each one, thus extending a 10 minute drive by more than triple. Then he couldn't tell the ER admissions person my social security number, so I was moaning the numbers in the midst of the hefty contractions of transition labor. I'm sure I sounded like a dying cow.

The halls of the hospital are cold at 5am. I remember shivering uncontrollably as I paced the halls with my mom. I was so glad for my bathrobe and her warm arms to help me relax. There was a beautiful sunrise on the morning of the 7th. There was a lady giving birth to her 6th child while I was still struggling to handle pushing out my first. All the nurses were talking about it. I remember blue Powerade. I wish I drank more so I didn't get dehydrated.

holding you

I remember his cry, his ruby-red lips, his forehead creases, his long fingernails and big feet at the end of long, spindly legs. I remember the numbers on the scale: 6.09 pounds. With a knot in my stomach I remember the retracting of the skin over his ribs as her breathed, and with a sigh of relief I remember him crying and breathing just fine. I fought them tokeep him with me for an hour before they took him away from me. I had waited almost 10 months. I wasn't going to give him up just yet. I remember Sean's proud smile through tears of joy, and my mom's kisses. I remember calling my dad who was stuck in an airplane on the runway in Philadelphia and, with emotion-choked voice telling him his grandson had been born and named after him.

Lots more memories to savor, but now I'm going to go work on a birthday cake one year later. I'm going to go make some more memories today.

Birthday Boy

Guarding the Sleeper

Sharing the Toy

Will likes his puppy. Libby tolerates her boy.I was doubtful that this relationship would blossom at all. She's part chow (don't tell our home owners insurance company) and so she can get a little moody at times. She's been my baby for 5 years. I rescued her from a shelter in Jersey City. The Statue of Liberty was visible from the front door of the Assisi shelter so as I gave her freedom from the metal cage, I named her Liberty. We call her Libby, Libs, Doofus, Bert...She's been a great and loyal dog. She prefers to hike with us over romping with dogs at the dog park. That's just fine with us because hiking is a regularly scheduled part of our weeks. Adding in doggy park time would make things more tight.

On the Prowl

When Will first came home I asked Sean to gate the stairs at night so Libby couldn't come up and reach Will in hiscradle in the middle of the night. I just didn't trust her and tormented myself with visions of her snatching him out of the cradle by the scruff of his neck and shaking him as I had seen her do to groundhogs. Yes, my imagination is that out-of-control sometimes. As time advanced, sheshowed herself a loyal protector and remained at my side always. She'd sleep on the floor by the couch as I napped and fed Will and played with him, and she would wine to be let into his room when I'd rock him at night. When he stayed with my parents for a night she pushed open the door to the room where he slept and laid by the crib all night long. When we'd come home from errands she'd want to sniff him in his carrier, and when she would come in from a walk she had to go up to his room to make sure he was still in the cradle where she left him.

Love the Puppy

Once he became more mobile she became more wary. Poor Libby was constantly having to readjust her sleeping position to stay out of the way of our little, unsteady bulldozer. He would lumber up to her and grab fists full of her hair, tugging and yanking out clumps of fluff. He's finally learning to pet with an open palm. She's relaxing and letting him show his affection. He regularly bestows great big hugs and nuzzles his face in her chest. We draw the line at letting him climb over her because of her arthritic hips. When he wakes up in the morning if she is

Love the Puppy

there he smiles and points to her. He hasn't yet learned to say anything but tick-tok and E-YEH for "amen" - but I wonder if her name will be one of his early words.

Libby doesn't seem to mind that Will is intent on sampling her food and splashing in her water bowl. Will doesn't seem to notice that this is the offense for which he is most frequently told no. Maybe Libby considers her foraging under his high chair a fair trade. She's really excitable around older, hyper children. So I'm not completely at ease yet. But she's exceeded expectation in the dog-versus-boy realm, so there may be hope for a lasting relationship yet.

Buddies in the Grass

Will has the boogie bug. He likes to dance. If any music is playing his little head bobs and his knees bend and bounce to the beat. He's got rhythm. He's got his GGY's genes!

So I'm looking for some good music with rhythm for kids. Preferably music that won't make me want to bury my head in the vegetable patch out back. Lately we've been listening to Alison Krause and Robert Plant and a great Mozart CD, but that's getting a little worn out. I'm looking for other suggestions so I can fill his world with music!

I found a great site that reviews kid's music and I'll start there, but as with many other things, I like to use my fellow mamas as gineau pigs and use that which time and trial has proven worth.

Will says "Tick-tock" - though it sounds more like "Tit-tah." It's great. Will's Grandma and Grandpa have a cuckoo clock in the dining room. When Will sits at the table it is on the wall over his right shoulder. The first time he said tick-tock he was in the bath on a rainy Friday afternoon. We were passing the time and practicing drinking from abig-boy cup. He was splashing and chewing his floating turtles and then looked up at me with a huge grin and said,

Winding The Clock