The one about off, out and apart.

Reed is a little destructive.  This seems to be a common baby trait so it's not like I'm worried, but it is a very interesting thing to watch.  First of all, he's a very busy guy.  Spend five minutes with him and you will see that he's not a baby that can sit in one spot and play with a toy.  He's always on a mission and he's always got something very important to do.
If it can come apart, he must take it apart. If it can't, he must give it a try.  He likes to rip magazines.  Not because he thinks its funny, like the "newspaper-ripping laughing-baby", no.  Its part of his mission to destroy all things.  When he comes across an end table or any other surface with items resting upon it.  He must remove all of the items in a violent fashion. This includes but is not limited to, swiping, tossing over the shoulder, and sometimes a quick taste before discarding it to the floor and moving to the next one.
He keeps a serious look on his face during these missions- he may raise an eyebrow if something happens that he didn't expect.  An unexpected sound or an unexpected taste.  Each day he re-examines his toys (or non-toys) as if they morphed while he slept.  At times, he is so absorbed in these missions that he won't even hear his name being called.

This is funny to watch because the flip side to my serious-engineer-man is this silly boy with a contagious smile and untamed laugh.  He giggles and wiggles when you poke his sides and gets a kick out of peek-a-boo.  His new favorite sound, besides good old "dada" is now "who- who", which prompts me to ask, "What does an owl say?" Hey, a mom will help her kids get the right answer, even if its a little sideways.

Reed is my shining star. He's my favorite boy in the whole world.  Snuggling his soft skin and covering him with kisses is the first thing on my list each morning and the last thing I do at night.  I want to give him every ounce of my "mommy-love" I can't imagine splitting my attention. So, when the time comes for Reed to become a big brother, I honestly wonder how that can work.  Will I not love that baby as much? Or will I forget Reed and shift all my love to the new baby? How do you split your love equally?

The one about Reed's trip to Wyoming

Reed is quite possibly the cutest boy in the world.  All you have to do is look at his face- I can't apologize for it because I truly mean these words.

Last weekend was Reed's first trip to Wyoming. He met my Uncle Jeff and his wife Maria at the airport and they drove us halway to Green River, where we met up with my Mom.

Reed got to see Grams' house and Aunt Jesssie's house.  He played with Grams' dogs and took a bath in AJ's tub. Grandma took him to see the wild horse adoption corrals outside of Rock Springs, but he fell asleep and snoozed the whole time we were there. At least I got to enjoy it.  I was interesting to read about the wild horse population in the west.

Reed has now been on 8 flights since March. Follow along: OKC to PHX, PHX to OKC, OKC to MEM, MEM to IND, IND to ATL, ATL to OKC, OKC to SLC, SLC to OKC. I know eventually I will lose count, but as of now I might as well tally them, right?  He is outgoing and a people pleaser. He loves to throw out an unsolicited smile to the random passerby just to get the desired reaction of goo-goo ga-ga talk. 

He's usually quite somber just after a nap when he's trying to wake up. Saturday morning we went to the Moose for breakfast because my sister was working one of her multiple jobs.  We waited till after his first nap, so when we went, he was pretty calm and still a little spacey.  We randomly bumped into our family friend Heather and some of her kids.  It was great to see her... I think it's actually been years since we've seen each other. 

Daddy had flown with us to SLC, but we parted ways at the airport.  Mike jumped in the car with Uncle Clark and they zipped down to Moab for an XTerra triathlon the next morning. Thankfully neither of them were hurt, but one competitor was life-flighted from the bike course after a pretty awful wreck.  Clark stayed with the guy, holding his head and trying to make sure he'd be okay.

Grams and I took Reed to the train bridge where he could watch the trains come and go.  He loved playing on the rails and crawling around exploring.  I was happy to take his picture in such a cool spot. Not only does the train bridge make for cool photos, but it's a place where you can see two of the most identifying landmarks of the town.  To the North you can see Castle Rock and to the South you can see Man's Face Mountain. I wish I could have captured the white GR on the side of the mountain, but it ended up being covered by the rail. Here they are in that order:

I regret not planning it better, he was sleepy and ready for a nap.  It was NOON which is the worst possible time to take outdoor photos- I know better, but that's what time it was when we were in the area. Sometimes you just have to make it work, you know? The shadows were driving me insane, but my mom was such a good assistant- Reed was just in the mood to explore- not in the mood to pose.  Grams was continuously turning him around and pointing him the direction I desired.  I think I might get her one of those shiny gold pop up things, that might help with my outdoor photos. *grin* For more of this photo shoot, please visit my google picasa album. Just click here, oh and save it to your favorites. 

I think it was one of my favorite trips back home, ever.  I had a lot of quality time with my mom in the car on the way too and from GR, it went so fast!  Saturday night we made crazy margaritas in my sister's food processor, which took the place of her missing blender. We always have a blast together. 

It's awesome to watch my mom and sister with Reed. I love seeing Jessie as a real aunt and my mom as a real Grandma. If I could capture one thing with my camera it would be of the love that you can see in their eyes when they look at him.  It's truly special. 

The one about me changing

How much have I changed since I had a baby? Is that even measurable?  I know that when I was pregnant, and even before that, I tried to imagine what it was going to be like to be a mom. I imagined days with Reed, playing together in his room, going for walks, the books I would read to him and the things I would teach him.
Even then, just trying to imagine it was such a stretch! It was like imagining a completely different life, imagining being a completely different person.

It doesn't feel that different looking back.

It feels so natural to be a mother. I remember thinking about that label and saying the word would make me feel all funny inside, but now its really nothing.  Reed and Mike are my family.  Nothing could feel more natural.  To continue my efforts to make our lives better is my daily goal.  That, and to make sure Reed doesn't choke on the caps from the springy door things on the wall.  Or break his neck trying to climb the dining room chairs.  He's obsessed with those two things currently.

What else has changed?
I know my body has changed. Although I'm within a couple pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight, things are still "softer".  I know it will never be the same, but I can accept what I can't change.
I look at the world with different eyes.  Its not about me anymore. Its about my family.  Threats are scarier, memories are more sentimental, and joys are happier.
I don't know why this little crawler can be such a huge influence in the way I think.  And, like I said before, I don't even think I can accurately measure all the ways I've changed, but I sure wanted to try and touch on it!