Oh, What a Night!

I was not cut out to be a single mother.

Jonathan has been in Guatemala all week, providing optometric care in rural villages with a group of students and a few doctors.  Though I spent some of that time with family in Arkansas, the rest of the week was a one woman show back here in Memphis.  The absence of my husband illuminates many areas in which I depend on him, often without even acknowledging it to myself.  For example, Jonathan would have disposed of the dead bird that Weber proudly deposited on our back stoop.  I also had failed to recognize how truly rejuvenating it is when he steps in to help care for Riggins: taking over bath time, watching him while I work out, feeding him breakfast while I shower in the morning.  These are short little breaks, but their absence this week has definitely left me drained.

My need for my husband was never more evident than it was last night.  Riggins has not been sleeping well since we returned from Arkansas; he periodically cries out throughout the night and has been awaking around 5 a.m. and crying in bouts until I finally get him at 6 a.m.  Last night, the nursery was silent, and I just knew that there was a full night of sleep in store for me!  I hit the hay at 11 p.m., spooning with Weber as I dozed off to dreamland.

Until Weber hopped up at 12:30 a.m. and sprinted to the back door where she frantically rang the jingle bell, our little signal for when she needs to go outside.  I ignored her for a minute, but as she persisted in her ringing, I realized that she never gets up in the night.  I drudged out of bed, turned off the alarm, and let her out, standing on the back porch and watching to make sure she was ok.

And, oh, was she not ok.  There's no delicate way to say it...the girl had some major tummy trouble.

I waited to make sure she was alright, and then she returned to the house and we went back to bed where she laid there and whimpered until she fell asleep.

Until 1:30 a.m.

And 2:30 a.m.

Every hour, the poor lady went through the motions again.  Having battled with the stomach flu a time or two in my day, I could feel her pain!  And yet I was just a teensy bit frustrated that the night my baby finally gets a good night sleep, the dog picked up where he left off!

When she hopped up at 4 a.m., I followed her to the back door and opened it.  And there in the dead of night rang out our house alarm, which I had forgotten to turn off.  Brilliant.

I flew to the front of the house, turned off the alarm, and listened for Riggins' cries.

Silence.

Phew.

I flew back to the rear of the house, desperate to let Weber out before she had an accident all over my kitchen.  As I stood on the back porch, I finally decided to just leave her outside since it was close to morning anyway.

I crawled back into bed, and a minute later heard the sound of car doors shutting and muffled voices.  Peeping through the blinds, I saw four men coming up my front walkway before separating and each making their way to a different portion of my house.

My heart raced.

This was it.

Ever since we moved to Memphis, I figured that at some point the high crime rate would catch up to us and we would experience some sort of incident.  And now it was happening.  My home was about to be invaded and I would be robbed.  Maybe worse.  

Just before I hopped out of bed to hit the alarm and grab the baby, I got a closer look at one of the men.

A cop.

Apparently, flustered little Leslie forgot that after an alarm sounds, the alarm company calls your house before sending the cops, just in case it was a false alarm.  When they called, I happened to be on the back porch contemplating the fate of my sick pooch.  They assumed the worst and send two squad cars.

So there they were, four strapping young representatives of Memphis' finest, in my yard.

I threw on a bathrobe and opened the front door, and the four officers stopped their search of the perimeter.  I explained about my sick dog, my overseas husband, and my jumpy assumption that they were robbers.  They got a good laugh at my expense and moved on.

I got Weber and went back to bed, wide awake and mind racing.  I must have dozed off for a minute, because forty minutes later I was wakened by the sound of my little boy, who had slept through the night's adventures with never a peep, and yet he still decided to rouse at 5 a.m.  And so, yours truly has been awake every hour since 11 a.m.  

The moral of this story: Husbands are good for picking up dead birds that make your dog sick and for remembering to turn off the alarm when your dog is having explosive diarrhea (yep, I said it) in the middle of the night.  He would probably also be good at talking to cops on your stoop so you don't have to stand there in a short bathrobe feeling like an idiot.  Husbands are good for these things and much, much more.

That man of mine is going to have one happy lady waiting at the airport tonight!  And as soon as he recovers from his travels, I call dibs on getting to sleep in!

Swimming in Memphis

Our friends and family members have been calling, texting, and emailing to find out if we have been effected by the flooding that has been plastered all over the national news.  I am happy to report that our little homestead is dry and safe.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many of my fellow Memphians.  The expanse of the Mississippi River is absolutely mind-blowing; the water just goes on forever, and many of our riverside landmarks are under water.  We only live a few miles from downtown, yet we are on high ground that is not near any of the Mississippi's tributaries (the back-up of those smaller rivers is a big part of the problem here in Memphis as well).

And speaking of my beloved adoptive hometown, did you notice my new header?  (Those of you on Google Reader will have to just visit my site some time to check it out!)  My super talented friend Martha whipped it up for me and I just love it.  This girl has a gift for design, and I'm just kicking myself for not asking her to do it years ago!  She creates and sells some really fun graphic portraits and other fun things that you can see on her blog...go visit and tell her I sent you!

Just in case I'm wrong about us being fine in the Great Flood, rest assured that we have kayaks in the shed out back.  Tomorrow's project: teaching Riggins and Weber how to paddle!

Mothers' Day, Then and Now

Last Mother's Day, my first, I took my nine day-old newborn to church for the first time.  I can still see him tucked into his infant seat between the pews, sleeping soundly.  When they asked the mothers to stand, a lump rose to my throat as I looked at my tiny little boy and realized that I was now, 

indeed, a mother.  

This year, that little newborn is one year old.  I toted him into church so that my parents could have the joy of seeing their entire family in one pew together.  That lasted all of fifteen minutes, when I realized that my squirmy, squawky toddler was not going to be the ideal congregant.  I dropped him at the nursery, but ten minutes later was tapped on the shoulder by the pastor's wife who apologetically told me that he was inconsolable.  We are in the throws of the separation anxiety stage, and while he settles after a few minutes at his familiar church nursery, this entirely new environment with entirely new people was just too much.  So I spent the service chit-chatting with the pastor's wife in the fellowship hall as my boy flipped through a stack of Bibles.  

Gone are the days of a sleepy newborn in a car seat.  But the days of a spunky, busy little boy who is still happiest in the arms of his momma, twiddling my necklace, are pretty sweet in a 

whole different way.  

A Budget Birthday

In the months leading up to Riggins' birthday, I will confess that I got a little overwhelmed by all the blogs and Facebook photos of really spectacular first birthday parties.  Much like weddings and having babies, our culture seems to have morphed children's birthday parties into huge productions that might ultimately miss the entire point of the milestone.  One negative effect of the World Wide Web, I suppose; pictures and videos of others' events just seem to set the bar higher and higher until we've created this whole new set of what one "must" have at a certain event.  

It's no secret that we're on a tight budget.  When it came to planning this party, I forced myself to tune out the Internet; no more Ohdeedoh or party blogs making me feel like less of a mother for not spending a boatload of cash on my child's party.  I aimed to keep the party cheap, simple, and cute!  And just in case you were looking at pictures thinking, "Man, Leslie went all out...I bet she was exhausted and broke when that was all said and done," I wanted to write about how I pulled off a fun party on a shoestring.  

First of all, invitations.  This was one area that I didn't go totally cheap on, just because at the end of the day it's cheapest to do an Evite.  But I am a Southern girl with a deep love for stationary, and I just believe in real invitations!  When I saw this one on Shutterfly, I knew it was the perfect way to showcase all of his monthly photos, and serve as a fun memento for those who wanted to keep it (i.e. family members).  It was almost like a pre-party favor in my mind.  So I did pay for invitations and postage, but I was able to get free shipping AND a discount coupon code for Shutterfly, so I saved there.  I also kept the guest list short, so that helped too.  

Now for the decor!  My old office has a helium tank, so I was able to barter some helium in exchange for baking cookies for the next Student Activities Board retreat.  All I had to do was get balloons and ribbon, which I snagged half off at Hobby Lobby.  

My favorite detail of the party was the bunting that hung between the house and the trees across the yard.    Jonathan had a trash bag of old dress clothes that he was taking to Goodwill.  I pulled out all of the button-up shirts in shades of blue, white, and brown.  After making a rectangular template from the side of a cereal box, I cut as many rectangles as I could from each shirt, using every single part of the shirt; I even split the sleeves and got a couple rectangles from each of those!  

Then I bought a roll of twine at Home Depot for less than $5.  I measured the length across the yard, factoring in a bit of draping, and then cut the twine.  Then, I took it in the house, tied it between two chairs, and pinned each flag into place (I had ironed each flag with a 1'' hem to hold the twine).  I then machine stitched each flag into place.  It sounds tedious, but it really went fast...I cut the flags one night while watching a movie, then pinned and sewed another night while watching the CMA's Girls Night Out Special :)  

I used the leftover flags to decorate Riggins' high chair tray.  The seat itself was draped with a couple of yards of fabric that I already had, pinned into place, and then tied with some bows made from the same twine as the bunting.  All of the furniture is our regular old patio furniture and kitchen chairs.  

All of the food was set up on the patio.  Notice that the whole party was in the backyard, which is another way to keep things simple; I wasn't worried about my house being clean other than the bathroom, and I didn't decorate inside at all.  

I used a white sheet to hide the junkyard that my neighbors call their back yard :)  Then I made a bunch of tissue paper pom poms using this tutorial.  Cheap, cheap, cheap!  I arranged those with a bunch of paper lanterns that I bought half off at Hobby Lobby (each color came in a 3-pack of different sizes).  The table linens and serving pieces were all things that I already owned or borrowed from my mother-in-law.  Jonathan borrowed the big table from the optometry school.   

Now here's where the "simple" comes in.  You know that I love cooking and love food.  It is really hard for me to rein myself in when it comes to this area of a party!  But while my planning started with me having a cookout for all of our friends, my "simple and cheap" mantra steered me in a different direction.  We ended up doing brunch for 20, which allowed me to keep things really simple.  No standing over a hot grill or feeding the masses a full meal.  I didn't even have cake for everyone!  Just donuts from our favorite local shop, Gibson's, fruit and cream cheese dip, and mini quiche from Sam's.  I was going to make mini quiche/frittatas from scratch until I came to my senses and was reminded of my "cheap and simple" mantra.  I got them ready-made at Sam's instead!  For drinks, I made a simple citrus punch from pineapple, grapefruit, and orange juices with ginger ale, and mocha ice cream punch.  So essentially, the grown ups got their cake (cake donuts, that is!) and ice cream!  

I did make Riggins' cake (starting with a mix), and since I really don't have any cake decorating skills, I made a little topper that would keep me from having to do any writing with icing!  For the topper, I painted two kabob sticks, hot glued a piece of twine between them, and glued on little flags made from the leftover bunting fabrics.  Then I stuck on some foam stickers that I already had to spell out his name.  The blue decorative icing was from one of those canned decorating tubes in the baking aisle.    

And while favors definitely aren't necessary, I just had to do some iced sugar cookies from Paul's Bakery in Van Buren, Arkansas.  These were at all of my events growing up in Fort Smith, Jonathan and I had them as favors at our wedding and gave them as hostess gifts at Riggins' baby shower.  It was only fitting that we have them as favors at his first birthday party!  It doesn't hurt that they are super cheap...gotta love small town businesses!  I packaged them with treat sacks and ribbon bought half off at Hobby Lobby.  

The other way that I kept things simple is with the things that you DON'T see.  For example, while I planned to make a cute garland of all of his monthly pictures, I realized that it was one of those things I felt like I had to do because everyone does it these days.  Since those pictures were all on his invitation, that was one thing that I decided to eliminate.  There were lots of other ideas that I had that I just had to say to myself, "Leslie, no one cares about this but you!" and just eliminate it to save myself time, energy, or money.  I tell you what, folks, motherhood is mellowing out my inner perfectionist Martha Stewart and I really like it!  :)  

So there you have it!  It IS possible to throw a cute party without spending a lot of money or making yourself crazy over preparations.  Keep the guest list small, the time frame short, and the food simple.  Find creative ways to make do with the things you already own.  And remember the reason why you are celebrating...and that he or she won't remember this party at all!  

Even so, I hope that Riggins will look at these pictures someday and know how very loved he is.  But that we also love him enough not to spend his college savings on a Bounce Around or pony rides*.   

*Not hating on inflatables or pony rides...I just don't think Uncle Sam intended for us to spend our student loan money on them.  ;)  

Hip Hip HOORAY!!!

The verdict is in... HE PASSED!

That's right, folks.  My man killed Part I of boards, and I am SO proud of him!  The national passage rate dropped by 20% from last year, so he feels very, very thankful to have made the cut.  

To that I say, "Well, DUH, you made the cut!"   

So humble, that hubby of mine.  :)

I have already performed my best victory dance, and a special bottle of wine is chilling in the fridge!

THREE CHEERS FOR JONATHAN!!!!

ONE!

April 29, 2011

Dear Riggins,

One year ago, at 9:47 a.m., you entered this world.  When they placed your squirmy, wet little body on my chest, I laughed, cried, and said, "Hi, Buddy!"  And for the past year, you have been just that.  My little buddy, never far from my side.  Together, we have made it through this year, and it has been the best year of my life.

At one year old, you weigh 22.4 pounds (43%) and are 30 1/2 inches long (74%).  You wear size 12 month clothing and size 4 diapers.  You sleep from 6:30 to 6:00 each night and nap twice each day for an hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.  Though you still nurse when you wake up, before your afternoon nap, and at bedtime, you started drinking whole milk at meal times this month.  It took you a couple of weeks to warm up to it, but now you're chugging it like a champ!  You really love to eat, and your favorites include meatballs, macaroni and cheese, pot roast, eggs, pancakes and waffles, sweet potatoes, veggies, watermelon, cheese, and grapes.  

You are pretty steady on your feet these days, pulling up and cruising on everything.  You can stand independently for several seconds and "walk" all around the house with your push toy.  "Dada" is your word of choice, although you can gesture for just about anything you want.  This has given me a bit more inspiration to work on baby signing.  If you even hear the phrase "bye bye," you begin to wave, and you now wave hello as well.  After getting your 12-month shots today, you even spontaneously waved bye bye to the nurse in the midst of your alligator tears, red face, and wailing.  Sweet boy.  

Your little personality is has really flourished this month.  While you are still a very laid back and happy baby, we are starting to see a bit of an independent stubborn streak as well.  You do not like to be told no, and you respond by either feigning innocence and smiling back at us, or by literally hanging your head and crying.  It is so hard for us to hold back the laughter when you get dramatic!  

This month was full of fun adventures.  We visited friends in Kansas City, started a zoo membership, and celebrated your first Easter.  Of course the highlight of the fun was your first birthday party.  Both sets of grandparents made the trip to celebrate with you, and we were joined by a small group of our friends who have been a part of your life this year.  The morning was just as I imagined it would be, and it filled my heart with sweet memories that I will carry forever: your face as you caught a glimpse of balloons for the first time, your face-plant approach to attacking your first birthday cake, the joy in your eyes as you stood in your brand new wagon.  It was just a sweet, precious day. 

What I wasn't prepared for was how emotional your birthday would be for me.  The night before your birthday, I slipped into the nursery before heading to bed.  Instead of sleeping in a ball on your tummy as usual, you were laying flat on your back, completely outstretched.  Your little body took up so much space in your crib, and you just looked like such a big boy.  I tip-toed back to our room and just cried.  The lump in my throat was still there when I took you for a special birthday breakfast at Cafe Eclectic, and it surfaced again when I went to light the candle on your birthday cake.  

The night of your party, your daddy and I sat on the couch and cried together.  Not because we are sad, but because you have made us so very happy.  We love you so much that it hurts to know that our time with you is short, that you are meant to grow and mature and lead a life of your own.  But we rest in the wise words of many friends: it just keeps getting better.  So far, those words have been true.  And so, my buddy, the best is yet to come.  

Godspeed, Little Man.

Love, 

Momma

A Perfect Day

I am still a little sleepy.      

  

And I'll admit that I've been weepy.  

But I just couldn't let the weekend end without thanking God for a perfect Saturday morning in Spring,

spent with the people I love,  

celebrating the boy we love.   

  

Who found a new love....sugar :) 

A beautiful year celebrated on a beautiful day.  I am blessed.