It's been awhile...

Its been awhile since I've written.  If I was honest I would admit it is because we had a few rough days in there and after reading my last post, it is hard to post anything negative.  However, we're back to having good days again, so everything is looking up.  Miles has been doing some really funny things lately.  Yesterday he discovered that he could stand up on his feet and hands and look back through his legs.  I wish I got a photo of it, because he was seriously doing it all day.  But of course, he stopped every time I got out the camera.  He has also started waving bye bye to people.....ALL people.  At the grocery store, at Hobby Lobby, at the television, at Cooper our dog, Dustin when he leaves for work.  Let's just say he certainly knows how to draw attention to himself.  

Yesterday he got to go to his second artist reception and he seemed to have a lot of fun.  Mostly because everyone was looking at him rather than the art. :)  

Well, I'll close this post with some pictures of Miles, and my question of the day......Why can't I get this little boy to eat Strawberries - the most delicious fruit around, but he will put dirt and gravel in his mouth and chew on it all day long?

This is the cute outfit that my mom bought for Miles while they were out visiting.  It was perfect for our warm days this past week!

Miles in the Morning

**Disclaimer: At the request of Tiffany, I have been strongly urged to inform you that this post was not written by her. This was written by Dustin.** Proceed at your own risk. 

While Miles often wakes up from his naps upset (at least when I'm around), the morning is a different story. He quietly talks to himself until one of us gets him from the crib. Of course he does not cuddle with us, he'd rather squirm and wiggle...but that's okay. I'm not a morning person at all, but it's definitely worth getting up early for him! Maybe once you watch these clips you will agree. Anybody want to babysit? Anyone? Just kidding. Okay maybe a just little bit. 

When Miles is grumpy, as he was tonight for some reason, it is good medicine to sit and watch this and remember that he is not always fussy. I apologize for the shoddy and jittery camera work. 

 

We had a pretty good Earth Day today. Miles and I walked to One World for a meeting with students for their upcoming art show. I enjoyed some coffee while he opted for some warm tap water and a couple of bites out of the menu (just a snack). Of course he fell asleep on the walk home – that baby carrier really works wonders although I did feel a bit of a wet spot on my back where his head was laying. We had our first home visit which went really well. Miles showed off with his usual bit – 'How Big' and 'peek-a-boo' followed by chasing after the pets and then ending with climbing the stairs. Then to top it all off, he gave a nice round of applause (clapping is his new thing).

We continued our Earth Day adventures by working as a family out in the yard. Tiff pulled weeds and worked in the flower bed, I mowed lawn and reseeded some of the lawn that Cooper messed up. Miles sat and ate wood chips (with a dash of dirt and maybe some concrete). Then it was nap time. Yea!

Just so no one thinks I'm delusional with happiness.....

Here is the picture that was taken right after that lovely picture of him in the rocking chair. Do you think he wants down or something?? This is a classic Miles fit, and even though I'm not supposed to think so, and I'm sure this will change, I even think these are pretty cute. :) Maybe I am delusional.

Being a mom....

It's taken me a few weeks to get here. The first few weeks were filled with feelings of confusion, exhaustion, uncertainty, isolation, fear, and even a little bit of sadness. Of course there were the feelings of excitement and happiness and fulfillment, but they were overshadowed by these other feelings that totally caught me off guard. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't handle change well.......(I cried for four weeks before I got married) (I should say that it wasn't because of WHO I was marrying. :)) Well, despite all of that we are now on week 2.5 of being home and 1.5 of it just being Miles and me during the day. This is how it is going now.....

Being a mom is awesome. It isn't frivolous or convenient, but it is more amazing than I truly understood. Miles thinks I'm funny, even when I'm not trying to be. He cuddles up against me when I'm giving him a bottle, or rocking him. He sits quietly and plays with my hand while I'm reading him a story. Sure, he throws fits and tantrums, but right now, at this moment as I sit here listening to his monitor, I would venture to say that I got so lucky. He is everything I wished for, and more than I could have ever dreamt up. I think I got the best one. :) At this moment I think he's perfect and sweet and the best little boy I know. Right now at this moment I realize that being a mom really is awesome and having a hilarious, cuddly, energetic little boy is the best gift in the whole world.

It's Bundt, not Bunt....

Like many of you I'm sure have noticed, I spelled bundt wrong in the last post. This is a good lesson in following your instincts rather than Firefox's spellcheck. They obviously don't use bundt cake pans. But, enough of that........

Here Miles saw the need for a photo op right as I was getting ready to write today's blog......

Well things are finally getting on a schedule around here....a very loose schedule.  Basically it consists of eating, sleeping, eating things off the floor, mom vacuuming the floor so that he won't eat things off of it, climbing up the stairs, mom chasing him up the stairs and trying to teach him how to go back down them, and then playing in the trash.  

Today we mixed things up and went for a REALLY LONG walk downtown to the library to check o

ut my students' art exhibit that is up.  They did such a great job and won so many awards.  It was a great walk there - all down hill.  However, what goes down must come up again....and did we ever.  My legs still feel like jello.  Lucky for Miles he slept through the entire thing.  Now I feel like I could sleep into next week.  I make that walk all of the time, but never before with a stroller.  It's just another way my life has changed......just like the decision whether or not to make a "quick stop" at Target on my way home, or to go grocery shopping now or after Dustin gets home, or whether bath time should happen before The Office or after The Office.  The life of a parent is just FULL of moral dilemmas.  

Here Miles is playing with his new favorite toy - miniature bunt pans (is that even how you spell it?).  I'm just glad that he hasn't yet discovered the miniature ceramic bowls behind the bunt pans.  Thanks Nana for the cute monkey pajamas AND the miniature bunt pans! :)

Here is a picture of Miles after our walk today.  One funny thing that he has been doing...... whenever I pick him up and we walk up the stairs together (which is a pretty normal - run-of-the-mill activity) he looks right in my face and laughs and laughs.  Like he is waiting for me to find the humor in me hauling his 25 lb body up a flight of stairs.  EVERYTIME.  Inevitably I do end up laughing because it is so funny to see him laugh at it that I can't help myself. :)

Better late than never....

I know. I know.  I have waited too long to post.  Nothing drives me crazier than a blogger that doesn't blog for days.  It has just been because Miles has done absolutely NOTHING cute in the last four days to warrant blogging about......okay, everyone knows that isn't true. :)  

This was a busy weekend for Miles because Grandpa and Grandma came all of the way from Ohio to come see him, along with his uncle Ike.  He had so much fun.  They taught him how to say "So Big!" and he loved doing it.  However, he did get lazy and resorted to a single hand raise everytime he wanted us to say SO BIG with lots of enthusiasm.  We did not disappoint.  Here is a picture of Miles' first Easter Egg hunt.  Each egg was filled with a Peep that we let Miles try, and he did not like.......I guess that is a good thing?

I could keep going, but let's face it...this is only my second day trying to get together a schedule on my own and I have to get back to my grumpy little boy that just woke up from a nap.  Maybe tomorrow when Dustin's home I'll get more done.....we'll see. :)