The one about over-sharing moms

When you’re pregnant for the first time, you come across article after article in your pregnancy and new baby magazines, you get emails from your chosen baby info website and one of the common messages is about how to deal with advice from other moms.  The author will tell you about how the moms will scare you with their terrible birth stories and how you can politely decline to hear the negative news.  They tell you about how you can expect loads of pushy advice from the know-it-alls and you’re supposed to give a courteous thank you and tell them you appreciate that they want to help. 

What they don’t tell you is that you will become one of these moms!  Well, where did you think they came from?  Shipped in on a rocket from another planet? Nope. They were once first timers, reading the same articles.  The thing is- having a baby is the biggest thing that ever happened to me.  It was the most exciting yet terrifying, most emotional yet beautiful, day of my life.  Of course I want to share it with the world!  Something that happens on a daily basis, more common that the common cold- is the thing that makes you feel so special and unique when it happens to you.

It’s my personality to share.  I share my experiences, my thoughts, my desires, my judgments and my discoveries.  I love hearing other people’s birth stories and comparing them to what happened to me.  It’s better than a compelling novel!  Especially in the months leading up to Reed’s birth and the months following, I wanted to hear every detail of my friends who were having babies. 

When I tell the story of my labor and Reed’s birth, I’m not looking to scare anybody. Not at all. I had never even considered that.  The honest truth is that it’s the best story I have in my arsenal.  It’s a love story with bits of action and adventure, comedy and mystery and a whole lot of drama mixed in!  Sure it it’s scary and suspenseful , but it has a beautiful ending.  I tell it for selfish reasons, I tell it because I actually expect people to care.  Just as if they asked about the time I went scuba diving in Mexico, or the time I flew in a helicopter through the Grand Canyon.  It was an exciting day and I love re-telling the story to anyone who cares!

So I apologize if I’ve ever offended anyone who didn’t really want to hear my story.  I didn’t intend to scare you.  I know I can talk a lot and be pushy with conversation and probably drone on and on when the conversation is long past it’s peak.  Everybody has their faults!  So, cheers to blogs! Where you can stop reading at any time- or read to the end if you wish!

*grin*

The one about the written warning

Our little Reed is getting quite mobile.  He likes to use anything that slides as a “walker.” For example: he’ll push around the kitchen chairs or dining chairs, a basket, our leather storage cubes … etc.  If it slides on the floor then it instantly becomes a walker.  Recently he has begun standing on his own as well. He doesn’t realize he’s doing it, I don’t think.  He will be holding onto something and then get distracted by something else and suddenly forget to hold on.  I love watching him stand.  However, I have loved watching him learn anything new at every step along the way! 

Have I mentioned he’s obsessed with wheels? He loves wheels. The wheels on his little trains and cars, the wheels on his stroller, the wheels on cars, bikes, anything, he doesn’t discriminate. He loves wheels.   His little brow creases as he concentrates on spinning the tiny wheel of his train with his index finger. 

And what is the deal with babies and plastic? Literally all my life I’ve found the warnings “Keep away from children. This bag is not a toy” ridiculous! I would think, “of course it’s not a toy? Who would let a baby play with a plastic bag? What an absurd notion!”  I know you’ve seen the same warnings, maybe unpacking your new coffee maker, and perhaps even like me, you’ve examined the bag with a suspecting eye.  Did somebody, somewhere really think this was a toy and give it to their child to play with?   They must have because I don’t think they just make these warnings up for fun!  

As a new mom I suddenly see, at least fundamentally, the need for these warnings!  Reed loves plastic! You can’t keep him away from it. He has to crinkle it in his hands, try to pull it apart, taste it, and smash it against things.  The sound of it is music to his ears!  I now realize why so many toys have that crinkle stuff sewn into the fabric.  Some genius out there was trying to satiate a baby’s craving for plastic. Au contraire, monsieur.  Try giving diet Mt Dew to my husband and you’ll come up with the same results.   Reed needs the real deal.  And, by the way, even though I now understand the baby’s interest in plastic, I still think the need for the printed warning on the plastic protecting my new small-appliances inside their boxes is outlandish.  Come on, give us parents some credit!

The one about our trip to Hawaii

How was your trip to Hawaii? How did Reed do on the flight? Did you guys have a good time?
I'm about to answer all the questions that have been plaguing your minds.  I know you're dying to know how the trip was!
First, I have to say that the flights out there were much different than the flights back home.  Both trips connected in Phoenix, but that's where the similarities end.  On the way out, Reed slept slept on the way to Phoenix, had his breakfast and played during the layover and then took two naps on each end of the nearly 7 hour flight to Hawaii with plenty of time to play in between.  It was more than we could have dreamed. He basically took 3 two hour naps and was up for 2 hours in the middle of the PHX to KOA flight.  Mike's parents were on the same flight from PHX, so they were able to play with him some, too.

On the way home, we took a red eye from Kona to to Phoenix.  So, of course, Reed had crashed before we even got to the airport and slept through security, boarding, take off and landing. Yes, the whole flight. However, he was pretty much the only one! Mike got a few hours, but since I had Reed strapped to me with the moby, there really wasn't much sleeping for me. Even at the end of the flight when Mike offered to hold him, I still couldn't get comfortable enough to get much shut-eye.  So that's how he did on the plane.  The moby is my best friend in airports- I strap him facing out as we walk around and he can kick his little feet and see the world. Once we're on the plane and he's ready to sleep- he goes in facing me and snuggles up for a good nap. The hum of the engines and the vibrations make it difficult for him to resist. He is just like his father.

So- Hawai'i~! Wow, right? Black lava rock piled all over the island, ocean waves crashing, palm trees, beaches, coconuts falling, exotic flowers naturally growing on trees everywhere you look, majestic waterfalls, dripping caves, steam vents and volcanoes! Too bad Reed won't even remember it!

I don't mean to start out with a downer- but the saddest thing was our little Reedster was sick for almost 4 days out of our week vacation!  He woke up in the middle of that first night and had a temperature of 103 degrees.  Mike and I got him to take some Tylenol and kept a cool rag on his head (much to his dismay).  This fever would subside and then spike again about every 4 hours.  It was comforting that he didn't have any other scary symptoms- just a plain old fever, but it really bothered us to not know what was causing it.  Finally Sunday afternoon, we got him on an antibiotic but his fever was on its way out at the same time so its a debate whether the virus was just done, or the antibiotic kicked it. I hate seeing my little guy sick.  He makes these pitiful whimpers and squirms around- I wish there was something I could do to comfort him.

Our main event was Mike's big race. He completed yet another IronMan 70.3 and although he didn't make his goal time, I was still the ever so proud wife.  See, the thing about having a husband who is a fast swimmer is that his glory is right at the start of the race.  It's exhilarating waiting for him to exit the water after a 1.2 mile swim- leaps and bounds ahead of gobs of people.  Mike was 18th out of the water at this race; they didn't have wave starts so it didn't matter age, gender, or level.  Mike started at the same time as the pros and came out ahead of many of them (nothing new here).  He was right on goal when he returned from a grueling 56 miles on the bike.  Maybe some of you have seen the IronMan World Championships in Kona televised- this is half of their same bike course for that event.  It's a very hot, full sun, and windy course.  You know you're in trouble when your bike course goes past a wind farm, right? With a sleeping baby in my arms, I snapped a picture of him starting the run.  He was full of pep and had quite a spring in his step.  This, however, is the best way to give me false hope.  As I mentioned, it was pretty warm.  Mike did not return on time and as I waited at the finish line, poised with camera just below my chin, ready to fire: I did as I always do.  I started to worry.  I know my husband isn't the fastest runner, he's fast for sure, but for one thing fast is relative. For another thing, for someone who loves warm climates, he sure doesn't perform well in them!  I'm not saying I blame him, I can barely walk 15 yards from one shady spot to the next while cheering at these races.
Well, it was still a fun and memorable race for all.  Mike didn't break 5 hours at this one, but he's got 2 more chances this year with Iowa's PigMan and OKC's RedMan.

Afterwards, we spent some time with our friends from OKC who also went out for the race.  We were staying in a condo in Waikaloa, so we had been doing grocery shopping and cooking our meals for the most part.  I threw together a pasta salad for the get together that night and watched everyone drink what looked like very refreshing beers.  I don't drink beer.  At one point the grill caught fire, so I pointed that out.

We played at the pool a couple times, and went to the beach... um... once. Unless you count the swim start of Mike's race.  See, the thing we never considered was how difficult it is to have a baby at the beach.  We were so excited for Reed to see the ocean and play in the sand.  We didn't think about how dangerous it is and well, its just a hassle.  He wants to eat the sand. First thing he did was pick up a fist full and slowly bring it towards his mouth and the next thing I know I'm trying to wipe sand off his tongue. Since Reed can't walk, he has to be right down there in the sand. Getting it in his mouth, his eyes, his ears or anywhere else that we really really don't want sand. So Mike and I made the best of our short time on boogie boards and then boogied out of there.

Our biggest day was our trip to the other side of the island where I got to reunite with my Aunt who moved there almost a decade ago. She and her husband gave us a grand tour where we saw three fantastic waterfalls, went down into lava tube caves and hiked around some volcanoes.  It was a great day complete with a picnic lunch with a view of a crater and steam vent.  Reed spent a lot of time in our hiking backpack carrier.

It was a great trip, many fantastic memories were made and beautiful sights were seen. Now if I could just adjust back to central time zone!

For the online photo album for Hawai'i just click here