Grunt 'n' Squeak

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mama's out there, (and that includes moms of various pets of all kinds as well as houseplants, cuz if you can keep houseplants alive, you should get some credit). 

This was our first official Mother's Day.  Or should I say Mothers' Day?  Or is there actually no apostrophe at all?  I dunno, does it matter?  Anyone who has been pregnant during a Mother's Day knows that THAT is their real first Mother's Day, because from the moment you know you are pregnant, you start worrying like a Mother, and damn it, you deserve for someone to make you breakfast and tell you that you are beautiful.  So I believe this was our second moms day. 

The boys were sweet and let me sleep soundly until just after 6 am.  What dolls!  I didn't get any breakfast in bed, but Ben and Grayson did, letting me nurse them while cuddling in the blankets, and catching a few extra winks, how lovely of them.  Let's face it, breakfast in bed is highly overrated anyhow, what with the trying not to spill, and the balancing your juice and eggs on the biggest cookie sheet your partner could find, because who really owns those cute trays that they have in the movies when they are showing idyllic scenes of scones and tea amid the downy white comforter?  Not us, anyway.  Then you have to hope the two dogs don't come tearing into the room and pounce like romping bulls into the bed, throwing everything askew.  Not worth it, I say.   I had my strawberry waffles with brown sugar and sour cream hunched over the coffee table in the living room, like a normal person!  (Oh, our kitchen table has been storing crap in the garage since Christmas when we moved it out the bring in the giant Christmas tree.  It never made it back in, because two high chairs took its place.)

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure how this Mother's Day thing was supposed to work in a household with two moms.  No one gets a day off when you are both supposed to have the day off, and when there are two little helpless munchkins depending on you.  Not really knowing the proper way to celebrate, I decided to just go to work, and take my six blissful hours off from being a mom.  It was a good call, taking that time away from the boys.

Before I left for work I was properly showered with several cards including hand prints from the boys, and two gifts.  The first was a cute pair of sock monkey slippers that I'd seen a while back at Target and liked.  Way cute.

The second gift was pictures that Amy had taken in secret while I was out of town.  Best other mama ever!  I know they're my own kids, but I can't get over how freakin' cute they are!  And by the way, Ben isn't really that much bigger than Grayson, he just sat up straighter and ended up a little to the front of every picture, exaggerating the difference.

Sanity Saver

I love my boys beyond reason, as I'm sure most parents would say about their kids.  I love that I get to spend every day with them, and I don't take them to day care (no judgements on moms who do, it's just that we can't afford day care for two infants).  I get to watch their milestones and discoveries.  While I'd love to say that every moment was like parenting magic, it's a joke to put on rosy glasses and make people believe that I'm a smiling ball of bliss all day long.  Most of my daily moments with the boys are filled with slopped baby mush.  I get up in the morning to get processed baby mush off the boys bums, and sometimes my hands.  I then go to the cupboard to pick out which baby mush they will eat this morning...spoon spoon spoon...slop slop slop...wipe wipe wipe....times two.  Repeat for lunch and dinner.  It's a lot of goo, all day long.  And it can sometimes turn me into goo.  Just ask Amy, who has become accustomed to coming home to a wife who is herself, now baby mush.  She does her very best to revitalize me, usually by making dinner and keeping her mouth shut about the outrageous messes around the house, and the mountain of laundry living permenantly in the hallway. 

This weekend, I got to get away for a sanity saver, all by myself, with no babies, and just one small suitcase and a knitting bag.  When Amy, Grayson and Ben dropped me off at the airport on Saturday afternoon to fly to Salt Lake, I kept finding myself looking around to see what I was forgetting.  There was no diaper bag spilling toys and spoons all over the floor.  There was no stroller, no car seats, no baby in my arms or being carted off for an emergency change of clothing.  The only babies crying were not my responsibility.  I marched into the airport to check my one tiny bag feeling possitively, rediculously giddy.

I got lots of knitting done while I flew to Salt Lake.  My mom and Jenny picked me up at the airport, and we went to out to a piano bar.  Jenny and I had a grand time requesting nostalgic 80's songs, and making fun of mom because the only songs she recognized were the Neal Diamond ones. 

Sunday afternoon was the whole reason I planned the trip in the first place.  I wanted to go see humor-writer-and-fabulous-knitter Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka The Yarn Harlot, speak on her new book tour.  I brought my mom along for the ride, and made her get there early.  We were surrounded by incredible knitting talent, including Miriam Felton who was spinning something lovely in the seat in front of me, and sock genious Nancy Bush was just a few seats away.  I made a complete fool of myself telling Miriam that I thought she was pure genious, and decided that I should just keep my mouth shut and admire Nancy from afar. 

Stephanie was everything you'd expect her to be...funny, entertaining, inviting, down-to-earth, and brilliant.  Then I made my mom hang around the library while I waited in line for her to sign my book.  I brought a pic of the boys, and she even invited me to hold the traveling sock for a blog pic.  Wohoo!  If you don't get it, that's ok.  If you do, you'll know it was the highlight of the trip.

It was an ideal weekend, and a good recharge for my soul.  I missed my boys just enough to make coming home a joy, and I got lots of knitting done, including finishing these socks for my mom (happy mother's day!!):

  Oh, and Knittyotter?  That bag you gave me was a huge hit with the Utah knitters, I was making them all jealous with my fabulous bag.  Best bag ever!  (you can kinda see it, right there, with the Yarn harlot! in that picture of me, with the yarn harlot! ha ha)

Dear Grayson

Dear Grayson,

You are only 10 days away from being 8 months old, and you are shooting up by leaps and bounds.  When you and Ben were brand new, it seemed like Ben was hitting all of his milestones just a little ahead of you because he was born a little bigger.  Now you are leaving Ben's shadow and finding new things to do all on your own.  You are certainly learning to stand all on your own terms.

You love movement of all kinds.  If anyone is nearby to offer a hand, you pull your little self up to stand on your legs, and look around from your new tall-boy perspective.  You love jumping up and down, when your moms toss you in the air, zooming around the room like Superbaby, and kicking your legs every moment you aren't standing on them. Not only that, you love to watch movement of all kinds.  The ceiling fan offers you an endless source of entertainment, the dogs are fascinating, especially if their tails are wagging, and the mobiles we have hanging around the house are sure to make you smile if mama blows them around.  You love watching whatever is going on, and moms sometimes have a hard time keeping your attention on them for much conversation or eating dinner. 

You are a great sleeper, and have been sleeping through the night for several months now.  We only have to give you a blanket and turn on your "TV". The crib-side music maker that lights up keeps your attention until you can't fight your drooping eyes any longer.  This month you have decided that learning to crawl is more important than sleep sometimes.  We often find you in strange places in your crib, sound asleep on your tummy with your knees tucked under you and your little tushy poking straight up in the air.   You aren't quite there yet, but as soon as you can stay up on both your hands and your knees at the same time, you will be off like a rocket. 

While it takes quite a bit to get you to laugh out loud, you are quick with your smiles and will offer one up to anyone who wants to say hello.  You love making friends, and seeing new people.   While you sleep well at night, you take short naps during the day because you just don't like missing out on the fun. You love your brother, and are very patient most of the time.  You seem to understand that your mommy can't always get to you right away, and you pleasantly wait your turn without protest, sometimes more often than is fair.  When you do cry right out loud, it's the saddest sound in the world, and great big crocodile tears run down your face...no fake crying for you, you really mean it.

You are an amazing baby and I can't wait to see what kind of little kid you grow up to be.

Love forever,
Mama