Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Do You Mind?!?
Could you give a guy a little privacy, please?!? I'm on an important phone call with my grandma...can't you tell that I don't want to be bothered right now, especially by my mom and dad? What does a guy have to do to have a private conversation around here? I'm hiding behind a leaf but apparently that isn't enough to make you people leave me alone.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
One of 'those days'
You know those days when you don't think the sun will shine, when you think that the stars have aligned against you just for amusement, and when you feel as if no can possibly understand EVERYTHING that you have to do and go through? We're having one of those days.
'Those Days' often begin innocuously, with no outright indication that it will be 'one of those days.' You wake up, maybe have something to eat, shower, and if you're really ambitious, you plan a few goals for the day. And then, before you know it, there are no clean towels, the dogs decide that the doormat is just as effective as the grass for their 'business,' your child decides that he should scratch his face so that when you take him to the doctor 24 hours later, your parental qualifications are questioned, and then you realize you have no food even though you just went to the grocery store. Fabulous. Love it.
Without fail, when you have 'one of those days,' you are smacked in the face with people who seemingly never have 'one of those days.' There must be rainbows in these other people's lives every day, even when there is no rain. The smugness that 'those people' have when they talk to you becomes toxic, and all you can do is smile, look at them, and want to smack them. But you know you can't do that, so you graciously extricate yourself and then re-focus.
In the re-focusing process, you determine that your previous goals of completing laundry, going to the store, fixing a 5-course meal, catching up on work email, completing an expense report, building an ark due to the unbelievable amounts of rain that have been experienced, and going to bed early were perhaps unreasonable.
So, you decide to focus on small victories. Maybe it is enough to have clean clothes and to have been able to brush your teeth. That may be all you get today. And that may be an accomplishment in and of itself. So enjoy it. And then, when you see the smug ones who never have one of those days, remind yourself of the small victories. That is the only way you can get through 'one of those days.'
For those of you out there who have 'those days' on occasions, here's to you and your small victories. Cheers.
'Those Days' often begin innocuously, with no outright indication that it will be 'one of those days.' You wake up, maybe have something to eat, shower, and if you're really ambitious, you plan a few goals for the day. And then, before you know it, there are no clean towels, the dogs decide that the doormat is just as effective as the grass for their 'business,' your child decides that he should scratch his face so that when you take him to the doctor 24 hours later, your parental qualifications are questioned, and then you realize you have no food even though you just went to the grocery store. Fabulous. Love it.
Without fail, when you have 'one of those days,' you are smacked in the face with people who seemingly never have 'one of those days.' There must be rainbows in these other people's lives every day, even when there is no rain. The smugness that 'those people' have when they talk to you becomes toxic, and all you can do is smile, look at them, and want to smack them. But you know you can't do that, so you graciously extricate yourself and then re-focus.
In the re-focusing process, you determine that your previous goals of completing laundry, going to the store, fixing a 5-course meal, catching up on work email, completing an expense report, building an ark due to the unbelievable amounts of rain that have been experienced, and going to bed early were perhaps unreasonable.
So, you decide to focus on small victories. Maybe it is enough to have clean clothes and to have been able to brush your teeth. That may be all you get today. And that may be an accomplishment in and of itself. So enjoy it. And then, when you see the smug ones who never have one of those days, remind yourself of the small victories. That is the only way you can get through 'one of those days.'
For those of you out there who have 'those days' on occasions, here's to you and your small victories. Cheers.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Dear Syed Brian (vol. 1 iss. 5)
Today marks the end of month 5, and we are still smiling (most days). Your growth the past month has your father and I convinced that you might be a giant. You weigh almost 20 pounds and fill out your clothes very well. Because of your size and increasing quad strength, your dad is as optimistic as ever that you will be walking very soon. You have already started an intensive training program that has been initiated with daily practice standing up unassisted. We’re thinking of skipping the rolling over and sitting up and concentrating exclusively on walking. Rolling over and sitting are less critical for the achievement of your dad’s main goal: potty training. Sooo, start walking, buddy! Time’s a wasting!
You continue to experiment with different tones of voice. This month, you have discovered the high-pitched squeal. The high pitched emission is quite amazing and you are loud enough that you can successfully interrupt my conference calls from the other room. I like to think of it as you are merely expressing your opinion and joining the conversation rather than trying to gain attention. Only time will tell which of these is correct. Your dad is hopeful that puberty succeeds in dropping your voice a few octaves as the squeal is only slightly entertaining to him.
Rattles, stuffed animals, and your floor mat are your favorite toys this month. You will entertain yourself for a significant amount of time with these, allowing us some much needed space and time to maintain some semblance of order in the house. Your hands have become so much more functional this past month and you proactively seek out your favorite toys. However, you tend to be a bit fickle with your toys and like to have new ones introduced on a regular basis. Unlike Simon and Charlie, where your dad and I indulged their desire for a continuous supply of new toys, we have taken to a rotation with yours. So far, you haven’t figured it out and are content with this approach. We’ll see how long it lasts…
Tummy time continues to be a struggle. I eventually had to break your spirit (or so I thought) in order to help you realize that a little bit of time on your tummy really was not the end of the world. I don’t think you believed me and you were convinced that I was the devil who was sent to make your life as miserable as possible. I felt guilty about breaking your spirit for about 2 minutes...until you demonstrated that you are going match my willpower with yours. You see, after your time elapsed, I calmed you down and handed you to your dad. You smiled and giggled at your dad. Then, in one instant you turned to me, looked me in the eye, and delivered the following message: “AAAAHHHHH.” Just as soon as you delivered the one syllable message, complete with pouty lip, you turned immediately back to your dad and returned to your baseline state of laughing. It was a familiar reaction, and one that could be appreciated by your mother who is about as stubborn and opinionated as they come.
My favorite moments this past month have been on Wednesdays. I often fly home from my business trips on Wednesdays. You and your dad have been kind enough to make the trip to the airport to pick me up when I return. The highlight is opening up the car door and seeing you give me the sweetest smile. It makes it all worthwhile. So, thank you, for making me appreciate how lucky I am to have you as my son and for welcoming me home week after week.
Until next month…
Love,
Mom
You continue to experiment with different tones of voice. This month, you have discovered the high-pitched squeal. The high pitched emission is quite amazing and you are loud enough that you can successfully interrupt my conference calls from the other room. I like to think of it as you are merely expressing your opinion and joining the conversation rather than trying to gain attention. Only time will tell which of these is correct. Your dad is hopeful that puberty succeeds in dropping your voice a few octaves as the squeal is only slightly entertaining to him.
Rattles, stuffed animals, and your floor mat are your favorite toys this month. You will entertain yourself for a significant amount of time with these, allowing us some much needed space and time to maintain some semblance of order in the house. Your hands have become so much more functional this past month and you proactively seek out your favorite toys. However, you tend to be a bit fickle with your toys and like to have new ones introduced on a regular basis. Unlike Simon and Charlie, where your dad and I indulged their desire for a continuous supply of new toys, we have taken to a rotation with yours. So far, you haven’t figured it out and are content with this approach. We’ll see how long it lasts…
Tummy time continues to be a struggle. I eventually had to break your spirit (or so I thought) in order to help you realize that a little bit of time on your tummy really was not the end of the world. I don’t think you believed me and you were convinced that I was the devil who was sent to make your life as miserable as possible. I felt guilty about breaking your spirit for about 2 minutes...until you demonstrated that you are going match my willpower with yours. You see, after your time elapsed, I calmed you down and handed you to your dad. You smiled and giggled at your dad. Then, in one instant you turned to me, looked me in the eye, and delivered the following message: “AAAAHHHHH.” Just as soon as you delivered the one syllable message, complete with pouty lip, you turned immediately back to your dad and returned to your baseline state of laughing. It was a familiar reaction, and one that could be appreciated by your mother who is about as stubborn and opinionated as they come.
My favorite moments this past month have been on Wednesdays. I often fly home from my business trips on Wednesdays. You and your dad have been kind enough to make the trip to the airport to pick me up when I return. The highlight is opening up the car door and seeing you give me the sweetest smile. It makes it all worthwhile. So, thank you, for making me appreciate how lucky I am to have you as my son and for welcoming me home week after week.
Until next month…
Love,
Mom
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Maybe He's Not So Bad
Simon: I'm starting to think the little human might be okay. He can hold objects and move them. It's only a matter of time before he will cater to my unsatiable desire to play fetch!
Charlie: He also seems to be amazingly hungry...perhaps table scraps are only a few weeks away. The bottles aren't really that useful, in my opinion, as he doesn't have anything to give me to eat.
Simon: Have you noticed that he doesn't wake us up in the middle of the night anymore?
Charlie: Yes, he has finally figured out that we need our rest more than anything. The disruptions of our sleep when he makes funny noises do not enable us to be our normal,
charming, well-adjusted selves.
Simon: I know what you mean - I also need my rest to play fetch and then keep away from the big humans.
Charlie: He also seems to be amazingly hungry...perhaps table scraps are only a few weeks away. The bottles aren't really that useful, in my opinion, as he doesn't have anything to give me to eat.
Simon: Have you noticed that he doesn't wake us up in the middle of the night anymore?
Charlie: Yes, he has finally figured out that we need our rest more than anything. The disruptions of our sleep when he makes funny noises do not enable us to be our normal,
charming, well-adjusted selves.
Simon: I know what you mean - I also need my rest to play fetch and then keep away from the big humans.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
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