Full Circle, in 16 Steps

My hubby and I were at my in-laws with our little guy to celebrate Father's Day. A good time was had by most (I had a little bit of an upset tummy Saturday and Sunday, but it went away with some medicine.)... until today. Bob woke up during the night with nausea. Then I did. Then he did again. We had planned on going to calling hours for my MIL's uncle (hubby's great-uncle) when we drove back home.

Plans changed. Turns out a simple 1: get in car; 2: drive to funeral home; and 3. drive home wasn't in the works.

Instead it became...

1. The tummy thing. We both had it and felt pretty crummy.

Eventually, we started heading home with MIL and baby.

2. About 10 minutes away from my in-laws' house, the battery light came on in the SUV. So we pull into a parking lot and call AAA. Then we decided to go to a dealership across the street instead to save time. That leads us to...

3. Turns out it wasn't the battery; it was the alternator. This, of course, means it's much more expensive (and time-consuming) to fix.

4. The truck that had transported items between dealerships (including the needed alternator) had already left.

5. We still needed to get to the funeral home.

6. As we needed to get home so hubby could do some business trip things, we couldn't use one of the dealership's loaner cars because we probably wouldn't be able to get back up to return the car right away...

7. Had to wait for the rental car company up the road to get to us so hubby could sign papers to get a car.

8. Couldn't fit all of us, including baby and MIL, into the car with the rental car lady... so we had to wait at the dealership while all of that was done.

9. Hubby crams most of our stuff from the SUV into the Cobalt we rented.

10. I fall asleep in the car and missed conversations.

11. We arrive at funeral home and don't go in, so as not to spread the ickies.

12. We stop for our first "real" food... and the restaurant doesn't have bland soup, much to Bob's chagrin.

13. We eventually get home.

14. Bob goes to bed to take a nap.

15. I start fretting about getting stuff we need before he goes on a business trip.

16. My tummy starts stressing out again.

So, now we're back to where we started, but at least we are home. At least we are safe. At least we didn't break down on the highway in 90+ heat and humidity in the middle of June with a baby and MIL in tow. It could have been worse... much worse.

My baby boy is asleep and snoring next to me.

My grown-up boy is upstairs asleep in his bed.

Life, as confusing and crummy as it seems sometimes, is still good. :-)

Blocks and other troubling thoughts

Today I had the little man to myself during much of the afternoon. He was playing much of that time with his blocks and some other toys and having the time of his life. At one point, however, he started to get upset. You have to understand that our little guy does not get upset often. Therefore, when he DOES get upset, he has our attention.

So I hear the little man starting to whine and grump and I look down to see what has him upset. It's a block... just out of his reach. I get down on the floor with him, but don't just push the block into his grasp. I wanted to see what he would do when something didn't come easily to him. (Call me a teacher doing a study in childhood development... I really WASN'T just trying to watch him suffer.)

Back to the block. It's about two inches out of reach, which must seem like miles for a seven and a half month-old. He would reach, turn to me with a face of distress, then reach for the block. I smiled at him, spoke words of encouragement, and positioned myself behind the block, in hopes that he would try to find some way to get to the block. With a gargantuan effort, he pushed with his legs and propelled himself forward... about an inch.

Then he looked at me. His face seemed to scream, "Mom, I tried. Would you PLEASE help me?"

So I did.

I nudged that little block about half an inch closer and with one more bit of effort, he was able to reach it and was so proud of himself. I was relieved.

Then I started to wonder... "Did I just become THAT parent?" Am I now the parent who will do things for her child so that the child won't try on his own? (Those are the parents who, as a teacher, drive me bonkers. They make up every excuse for the child or they just do the work for the child instead.)

I have to believe that I didn't just enable... I simply gave him a little encouragement and made success a little easier for him. I hope. Or is that what THOSE parents tell themselves?

The term for the parents who interfere so much in their children's lives (even into adulthood, according to recent articles I've read), is "helicopter" parents. ("Helicopter" due to the hovering nature of their actions.) These are parents who interfere with a coach's decisions, a child's grade on a test, and even college and job interviews.

Not blocks... right?

Or is this where it starts?

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-1/qid=1181508223/ref=sr_1_1/602-6356915-4019011?ie=UTF8&asin=B00008ZCGH

Too Cute!

While taking pictures yesterday, I got this gem. David's adorable personality really shines in this one. He is such a flirt, especially when the camera comes out. (Hard to believe that at seven months he can not only recognize, but also pose for, the camera.)

That smile.

Those eyes.

His cute little nose.

Yup, it's official. I'm in love.

Summer

Summertime and the livin' is easy! For someone who hates hot weather, I still have to love summer break!

Best part about break? Spending it with my guys! Bob is working from home, so I don't have to wait all hours to see him. David is working at home... well, playing all day is his job, right? I'm so lucky!

David is currently trying to figure out the crawling thing. He can move his upper body. He can move his lower body. It's this moving them in a coordinated fashion that is boggling his mind right now. :-)

Another skill he has reasonably mastered is undoing his bib. He can get pretty much every single one off now with just a few minutes of manipulation. Why am I picturing a Calvin and Hobbes scenerio in my future with this little man? :-D

Off to play with the short guy while my tall guy takes the dog on a walk.