Doors

The following is a public service announcement.

It is common courtesy to hold a door open for others.  If someone else is in reasonably proximity to you when entering or exiting a room or building, the kind, mannerly thing to do is to wait a moment and hold the door open for them.

However.

This bit of etiquette does not apply to toddlers.

In the last nine months or so, I have been so surprised by how many well-meaning adults have held a door open for my toddler, allowing him to run out of an area that is obviously meant to contain him.  The most frequent sites of such incidents are the Chic-fil-a play area and the enclosed toddler areas at children's museums, zoos, and playgrounds.  

The scene typically goes down in one of two ways.

Scene One: An adult is entering or exiting the doorway with their own children, or is summoning their own children, and proceeds to stand in the doorway with the door wide open for a good while, with no regard for who else's children may be viewing this exchange as their own escape route.

Scene Two: My child is standing near the door, perhaps even pushing or pulling on the door, when an adult "helps" him open it, thus sending me on a wild goose chase to retrieve him from giving the cardboard Chic-fil-a mascot a hug at the opposite end of the restaurant.

Now I realize that I am ultimately responsible for my own child's safety and obedience.  But I guess it just seems instinctive to me to give a quick glance around the room for a child's parent before releasing him to run free in a public place after being enclosed in a place specifically for children.  We often end up dealing with a melt down because someone else has let him "go bye bye" when I had intended for us to stay inside the specific area and have to bring him back.  And to clarify, I am always nearby and watching when these situations happen, it's just that they happen so fast that I end up having to react to what has already been done.  

Does anyone else have an issue with this or am I just a party pooper?  

A Funk, and an Attempt to Get Out of The Funk

You may or may not have noticed that I haven't blogged in over a month.  I could say that life with two kids in a new place is busy.  It is, but the fact remains that you make time for the things that you want to do.  Quite frankly, I just haven't wanted to blog.  But I want to want to blog.  So hopefully I can fuel my motivation by just getting started and hoping that the desire follows the habit.

Life is good.  It really is.  The anticipation of all the changes in our lives was much worse than the transition itself.  My level of contentment with the circumstances that were so different from what I had expected can only be explained by God's gracious softening and changing of my heart.  Did you know that when you ask God to change you, He can actually do it?  It's true!  You should try it sometime.  It's a trip.  I live in a tiny rent house in Oklahoma, and I'll be darned, I actually like it!

Reconnecting with old friends and spending time with family have eased the loss of our community in Memphis.  I am so blessed to have a set of in-laws who I actually want living ten minutes away, and gosh, have they been good to us.  Having family near to help with the children after two years of no such thing is an unbelievable blessing.  Even more so, Jonathan and I genuinely enjoy their company, and the friendship of my mother-in-law has been a balm to my soul during this time of change.

Riggins learned to nap at MDO.  Jonathan is enjoying learning the ropes at the practice and will be fully licensed to practice in the state of Oklahoma after sitting for the state board exam this weekend.  Rhett is the sweetest little peach of a baby and I can't stop kissing his cheeks.

There.  That wasn't so bad.  Maybe I like blogging after all ;)

Three Months

July 5, 2012

Dear Rhett,

Sweet little Rhettaroo, you are three months old!  You continue to be the happiest little peach of a baby, and you bring so much joy to everyone you meet.  If someone just meets your gaze, your face bursts into a squinty-eyed grin that could light up a room, and often others gather round just to join in the fun of watching you smile and interact.

This month, you had one random instance of rolling from your back to your tummy.  I suppose it was just a fluke, but it sure was exciting anyway!  Your neck and legs have gained so much strength, and although you don't care for tummy time you are able to easily raise your head and shoulders off the ground for several minutes at a time before you wear out.  You have also started "standing" on our laps with your cute little feet, and grasping at the toys that hang down from your play mat.

You nurse about every three hours during the day and about every 4-5 hours at night, which means that you typically wake about once or twice after you go down around 8:30 or 9 p.m.  Although your first stretch of sleep is solid, you are often very restless after your night time feedings and tend to wake up and fuss off and on until morning.  We often bring you to bed with us around 5:30 a.m. just to get a bit more sleep before you brother wakes up!  You are still keeping the eat/awake/sleep routine, although your naps have tapped out at about 40 minutes, when you wake up rather unhappy.  I can often get you back to sleep, but sometimes we just have to call it good and try again later.

This month, you made a trip to the OKC Zoo and to Fort Smith to see your Grampy, enjoyed a visit from your Aunt Merdi, celebrated your first Independence Day, and helped Mama Anne celebrate her birthday!  You and I have enjoyed sweet days together while Riggins attends Mother's Day Out, and I just love running errands while you snooze in your carrier, and then going home to play together uninterrupted.  At three months old, you love bath time, your play mat and bouncy seat, your fuzzy blue puppy rattle, riding in the Ergo carrier, being outside, and watching your brother play.

Rhett, you are such a little sunshine and we love you dearly!

All my love,
Momma