Ramblings, Pt. 2

So I know the repetitive "mommy" theme of this blog might be wearing a little thin.  Sure, you've got a kid, he's cute as hell, you love him a ton...is that all you got, Hopkins?  Truth be told, my life outside of time spent with the little monster is pretty ordinary.  For example, today I went to a city commission meeting, I hung out in the community garden at work, I read and wrote a ridiculous amount of e-mails, I made a bunch of phone calls, I missed buying Heck's sweet corn at the Farmer's Market, and then I stayed up entirely too late catching up on blog posts and current events.  Saweeeet. (I think I may be borderline grumpy after this long-ass day).  

I just wrote in my last post about celebrating the little moments that make the ordinary a little more special, so most of those little moments have been sourced by an 11 month old goofy, toothy grinnin' little boy.  His antics and budding personality are far more interesting than the regular stuff that takes up the day-to-day experience.  Not that I'm complaining about my day-to-day, I'm just telling it like it is. No one cares if I had a roast beef sandwich for lunch (actually it was ice cream), or if I got a parking ticket when a meeting ran late (no ticket...but I did do a massive curb check in my mother in law's car as I was leaving the bank drive thru...nice), but something about a chubby cheeked little boy that is learning to walk and talk and become a real-life little person seems like a topic with a little more substance.  And the fact that I'm in charge of that little person turns this interesting story into a hilarious comedy.  Yikes--that's a lot of responsibility for a twenty-something free-spirited Pisces.  Hell, that's a big responsibility for any person, period.  It might be a little delayed, but I think I might be going through post-I'm now a parent shock.   The same thing happened when I got married at the ripe age of 20...it took about a year to sink in, then Holy Crap! I'm married!  Now, almost 6 years later, it's Holy Crap!  I have a baby!  No...wait, he's not a baby anymore!  How did that happen?!  By some extraordinary twist of fate, my ordinary daily routine of meetings, emails, phone calls from mom, dinner with b, roadtrips on a whim, shopping sprees and travelling with ease got turned upside down and a sweet little baby rocked my world.  11 months later it is sinking in, and all that stuff that once made up my day-to-day doesn't look anything like it used to, and I'm totally ok with that.  Not gonna lie, sometimes I miss the good old days of independence and 2am bedtimes by choice, but as my friend Erin recently said, "I don't want to live in the past, just gonna keep on moving forward...",  so I'm loving it, embracing a new phase in life and seeing where it takes me.  I've always liked to refer to everything as an "adventure" or a "journey," and I may not be climbing mountains or saving the world, but life right now is definitely a new kind of adventure, dominated by a 3 foot tall (what can I say, the kid's gonna be a giant!) little dude.  Ok, definitely rambling.  Time for bed!

Ramblings...

**I started this post below about a month ago--whoa, baby time flies...Owen just turned 11 months earlier this week.  Yikes!

We had a great weekend.  A don't-want-it-to-end, sunshine and blue skies, fun and memories type of weekend.  The sky was full of those white, fluffy Simpson cartoon clouds and the open road was all mine.  I love that back-road drive to Burlington.  Something about the rolling prairie, farm ponds and fields of corn and wheat triggers a deep contented sigh and a true love for Kansas summer.  Not to mention, driving in the direction of home always brings a feeling of comfort.  O-Dawg and I trekked to Grandma and Grandpa's to celebrate Father's Day with my Daddio, complete with picnic at the park and playground fun.  I love watching Owen's face light up as he discovers new experiences and surroundings.  He revives my inner child, and I get just as excited as he does, seeing the world from a brand-new perspective.  We also had a gourmet shrimp feast at the lake with Nana and Papa.  A hodge podge of side dishes, paper plates and outdoor dining at its finest!  A little girl time, rest and relaxation, and celebrating B's first Father's Day, complete with a handmade card and a lotta love put the finishing touches on a wonderful weekend. 

Little man is 10 months old!  He has started to jabber and talk a lot more lately, although we are still waiting for consistent ma-mas and da-das to start rolling out of his mouth.  I know every child has their "timeline," and Owen has exceeded most developmental milestones, but I am anxious about him getting to this speech milestone.  As a mama, all these thoughts start going through my mind--is it because he's not in daycare?  Is daily interaction with other kids a crucial component in his cognitive development?  Has he hit is head one to many times since he has learned to crawl and pull up on anything and everything?!  Does my child have some type of brain injury as a result of his clumsiness? Am I so good at reading his non-verbal cues that he feels no need to speak or get my attention?  I mean, most of this is silly, but it does cross my mind.  I have found that becoming a mother has set off an instant panic button in my brain, but I need to remember to relax and enjoy.  This little tyke isn't so little anymore...it's all about opening drawers, crawling up the stairs, crawling like crazy and on the go, go, GO! Ayy, I'm pooped!  This motherhood gig is definitely a labor of love.  It's worth every minute, but juggling it all?  It ain't easy!

I think it comes down to celebrating the little moments. (So the moral of the story, kids...).  But honestly, there's a lot of good stuff that happens each day.  Maybe the good stuff serves as a reminder;  to live with gratitude, seek joy in the ordinary and to sustain us through the not so good stuff.  Happy (late) Father's Day to all the kick-ass daddios out there...that's a little moment worth celebrating, for sure! 

Playground and Pool Fun!