The one about Reed's First Birthday

You hear this from all the moms that you know, "I can't believe my baby is turning one!" Or whatever age/grade/milestone it might be at the time.  It's really hard not to be so proud and so excited about these things even tho they happen to everyone that has a child. Yes, Reed turned one.  An entire year has gone by since I birthed him and changed our lives more drastically than we could have anticipated.  


A whole year of firsts. As my mom observed, he's seen all four seasons: bundled up in the winter and melted through the summer.  Experienced each holiday: dressed up for Halloween, woke up Christmas morning to presents, brought home Valentines from school friends, played with an Easter basket, and well... slept through 4th of July fireworks.  



A lot has happened in a year. He went from a tiny helpless miracle, to a determined force of destruction with a mind of his own. 


He walks, he climbs, he knows what sound a bear makes, he throws, he laughs, he points, he dances, he stacks blocks.  He amazes us all the time.  


Reed has three teeth. All across the bottom in the front. He had just two for over 4 months before another one decided to emerge. 


So I wanted to make Reed's birthday party really special.  It seemed like I'd been planning all year.  I had lots of ideas and just kept hoping that it would all be enough. Special enough, fun enough, entertaining enough, and memorable enough. We celebrated at the clubhouse in our neighborhood to avoid destroying our house. My big thing for the kids was the ball pit.  We filled an inflatable pool with 500 plastic balls (turned out we could have used more!) and the kids loved it.  I don't think there was a single moment that you could have glanced over and caught it empty during the party.  For treats, I set up a parfait bar in bright colored sand pails.  I made a delicious healthy granola to go with the berries and yogurt. 

 Also, the morning of the party I made 4 dozen gourmet cupcakes. Half were "Banana Pudding" and half were "Cookie's n Cream". 


Other decorations included Reed's full year of monthly photos in the basket that I had been taking since his birth.  They were strung along the wall and clipped to a blue ribbon.  I also created a slideshow of his first year in photos to display on our digital picture frame. 



One of the other fun elements were the name tags. I printed off sheets of printed name tags that said, Hi! I'm Reed's:
This allowed out guests to express their relationship to Reed.  Some were very creative, but it was fun to find out what people came up with.  We had, 
Hi! I'm Reed's: 
Creepy Neighbor, 
future girlfriend, (if Reed plays his cards right) Sophie
girlfriend Piper
Grandma Jackie
Dad's boss, Todd. 
Friend, Cassie
Play Papa, Keith
And many other great versions! 


I could have done some better planning day-of.  When we came down to the wire I was stressing at how much prep we had to do still.  Luckily our early arrivers were also great helpers.  Whew!


Reed was a wonderful birthday boy. He played hard- he mingled and made sure to hand out birthday hugs all around.  When it came time for cake he was more interested in sharing it with everyone else than eating it himself.  However, he did get in a few bites, even with 30 people staring at him. 


We had received a tremendous amount of RSVPs but when it came down to day of- there were an unfortunate amount of last minute cancellations.  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but there were so many cupcakes to bring home and my fridge is packed with yogurt from the parfait bar!
To all of you who missed it, I'm sorry you couldn't be there.  We had a blast!

The one where Reed goes to the mall playground

My mother-in-law came into town on Sunday afternoon and is staying for two weeks to help us out with Reed.  We are both blessed and thankful for her!  She arrived on Sunday to a family in shambles.  That is a bit dramatic, but her son was in bad shape and had been sick all weekend with a fever off and on.  Reed wasn't doing too well either.  He must have been bothered by something because he was a whiny monster all weekend- not allowing me to get anything done without him in my arms.
Much to my relief she was interested in joining me to the ice-cream social our neighborhood was throwing at the clubhouse.  Mike and Reed, of course, stayed home and rested.  We noticed that all my friendly neighbors were wearing name tags as they were enjoying their frozen treats but we decided to forego the ritual to avoid all of the, "you're both named Connie Franklin?" comments.  It was a much needed break for me, to get out of the house without those tiny hands pulling on my clothes or climbing my leg. Add the bowl of cookies-n-creme topped with almonds, strawberries, candy bar pieces, chocolate covered espresso beans and whipped cream? Well I was in heaven with a cherry on top!
Today we took Reed to the mall where they have a great play area surrounded by padded benches for parents.  Reed has never been allowed in the play area before.  Usually, if we go to the mall, it's a mission to get in and out with what we came for.  We are not mall rats in the least.  Today was different- we went to the mall specifically to fulfill Reed's needs and not our own.  Connie and I didn't even set foot in a single store except the one we walked through from the parking lot.
I have never seen Reed so happy, and that's saying a lot.  He could barely contain himself as he covered ever square inch of the spacious area with his ear to ear smiles.  He made sure to give all the other moms his most extreme smile so he could get their approval and compliments in return.  He plays so well with other children it makes me proud.
They have big shiny animals all around for the kids to jump, stand, crawl, and sit on.  The whole time we were there the group didn't get any smaller than about 10 kids.  They were all very well behaved, although highly energetic. Reed played for almost an hour and there was never any crying. Not only did he love climbing all over the animal shapes, he also loved all the other strollers in the area.  He has a thing for wheels- so we had to apologize to the other moms when Reed attacked their stroller.
By the time we were ready to go, he was so exhausted.  He could barely keep upright on his own two feet!

I'm on a boat! .... or Arc, I guess! 

The one about baby weight

When you're hauling around a baby under one year old, while pregnant, it's really hard not to be self conscious about your baby bump.  I don't know why I care so much but I sometimes wish I could wear a sign or just announce to the world that this isn't post pregnancy baby weight- I lost all of that. This is  new baby weight!

While I can't announce it to the world, the best I can do is announce it to all of you who read my blog.  I don't expect you to take my word without proof, and I won't disappoint. Here is a picture from April, when I set up the blow up pool in the back yard for Reed. He's 7 & 1/2 months old.  I have to apologize for how white I am, plus the exposure of the photo didn't help me out, there!
I am very proud to say I made it back to pre-pregnancy weight, and although I had a lot of "toning" left to do, my real goal was not to start another pregnancy with baby weight from the first one.

Carrying Reed around with this growing belly is becoming a little difficult.  I can barely imagine what it's going to be like in the next few months. I just keep getting bigger and so does he! I'm so glad he's walking now, which is great around the house, but when we go places I still have to carry him in.  I did test him on walking into school the other day.  I held his hand and walked with him but it wasn't very efficient. There were way too many "This way Reed"s and "Over here Reed"s.  Even with some tugging on his arm it took us about 5 times longer than usual.  Or ten times, I'm not sure. We will definitely  have to work on that.  At least its an option now that I've found shoes that I can get on his feet, and that he'll actually wear.  They're rubberoos, and they're like socks with rubber soles on them.  It's much easier to get them on and off than the other shoes we have and they don't seem to bother him.

For the past few weeks, Reed has really been into pointing. He points at people as they pass by (as if they can't see him pointing at them!) he points around the house (the door, the fan, the ball, etc).  What cracks me up is when Mike comes home from work, Reed is so excited to see him and can't wait for Mike to pick him up but instead of greeting him with a hug he immediately turns outward and his finger is pointing without him even deciding what the object will be yet.  He does this with a very inquisitive sound as well, "da?" or "groo?" or "beh?"  Reed is starting to communicate with us! This is just the beginning, but I'm ready to find out what's been going on in that head of his!

The one about family/friends gathering in Missouri

Our trip to Branson, Missouri at the end of July was a whole lotta fun! It was great to watch Reed interact with the other little guys, but the most amazing part was how much he learned! Most of the kids were slightly older than Reed, which means they could walk, run, communicate, and the like.  When we arrived on Friday, Reed record was past 20 steps and we were calling him a walker, but he was often falling to his but after only a few steps.  By the time we got home, he was so much better and more sure footed than we ever thought possible in just a weekend's amount of time!

The house we all rented was south of Branson, near the lake and almost fit everyone, but not quite.  Mike's parent's and Greg's parents were housed in a condo down the road. That meant Mike, Reed and I were in a room. David, Niki, Luke (2yrs) and Kyle (7mo) another. Greg, Kelly and their 18mo old, Evan had a room, which leaves the Foust family- Mike, Kat, Hailey (10), Natalie (3), and Grandma Mary.  One house. That's correct. It was great because there were always eyes on the kids- everyone pitched in for everything from kindercare to cooking.

On Saturday we rented a boat and took turns getting everyone out on the water.  Reed was a bit of a boat hog- he was on the boat for over 5 hours.  He enjoyed it, handled it really well and not to anyone's surprise wasn't afraid for even a split second. He wore his life jacket without a fuss, took bottles and a nap- but that's all boring stuff. What he'd really like you to know is how he played in the lake, jumped off the tube into Dad's waiting arms and even rode on the tube!  More pictures are in our picasa album when you're ready!

The one about transportation

I think it’s safe to say my baby is now a toddler.  For the last few weeks he has steadily been improving his walking skills.  At one point he was very comically using whichever mode of transportation was most convenient.  If he had pulled to a stand to play then he would begin walking from there until he fell on his butt.  At that point, he would start crawling.  To our amusement, if Reed was laying on his back, he would push with his heels until he was scooting around the hardwood.  Flat on his back, propelled only by his feet and the most serious face you could imagine, he would scoot his way to his destination.  Check out the youtube video on my channel. It’s hilarious.

This past week, Reed has really started to rely on walking to get anywhere. Even when he’s tired and he only makes it a couple steps at a time, he will push his butt up into the air, and get himself to a standing position to take two more steps before thumping back down to the floor.  Last week, if he hit the floor, he would just stay there so he could get where he’s going quicker.  Now he’s determined to master his steps and walk like a big boy.  He also has a new challenge he’s trying to conquer.  In our house, where the living room and the kitchen meet, the floor goes from hardwood to tile.  The hardwood actually slopes down to meet the tile and creates quite the literal stumbling block for a toddler.  Last weekend, I watched as my friend Melissa’s son, Ty, did a face plant as he ran through the house.  Luckily, at that age they just bounce right back up with a questioning glance to mom, “am I okay?”  Reed finds this little slope about as stimulating as a roller coaster. Up goes his butt, he pushes the floor with his hands until he’s at a stand and heads towards the kitchen tile.  As he unsteadily tries to navigate down the slope, he inevitably falls and with that rush of adrenaline the first thing he does is turn around and push himself back up to his feet to try it the other way!  And he toddles back and forth, one foot at a time up the hardwood slope (a slow process) and we’re cheering him on, because we just know he can do this.  His toes curl under for balance and traction – his arms are out for balance as well, the left is to the side and the right is up almost over his head until… thump.  Back to square one.  He continues to do this until he can no longer stand. Or until he sees the football and decides it’s time for a little game of catch.

Speaking of balls, we usually toss all of them into his pack ‘n play in the living room when Reed’s not playing with them.  He has a few racquet balls, a red and blue Giants football, a mini Chesapeake football, a mini soccer ball, a large green bouncy ball and a blue knobby “gerdy” ball.  All together this becomes his personal ball pit.  The other day it looked like Reed was trying to climb into the pack ‘n play.  He can almost do a pull up on the edge and he can get both feet off the floor, so I picked him up and tossed him into the ball pit.  45 minutes he spent in complete paradise.  I got the dishes done, changed the laundry, packed up for our trip this weekend (Branson MO) and didn’t have to worry about him in the least! Every time I walked by him, his face was covered in smiles and he was throwing himself all around the pack ‘n play laughing!  When Mike got home he was able to witness the last 10 to 15 minutes and by the time we got him out of there he was so sweaty that his clothes were damp! We were both cracking up.

As I mentioned, we have a big trip planned this weekend with Mike’s old gang.  We’re meeting up with his parents, his brother’s family, the Fousts and the Cissells.  It will be great to see these guys again, we always have entirely too much fun, but I wonder how much will change now that we’re all parents and have the little ones running around.  As I’ve heard said this week, that’s what Grandparents are for, right?

The one about heat, baby#2, and hunger strikes

It's hot. In case you didn't know, the heat dome is upon us and it doesn't look like it's letting up any time soon.  This is not ideal because it means Reed and I have to get our workouts in really early.  We have to leave for our walk by 7:30 and be home by 8:30, and I'm talking at the latest. By the time we get home we're both drenched in sweat and we only go on Tuesdays, Thursdays and a weekend day.  If we have other plans, such as a play date or any other special circumstance, then Reed doesn't get any time in the stroller and that makes me feel bad.  He hates being locked up in the house and longs for fall.  In the spring there were days that  I was taking him out in the stroller 3 times a day because he just loves to be outside. Somebody getting cranky? Hop in the stroller! Now that's not an option because I don't really want to subject my baby to heat stroke.

Either of them!
Being pregnant again is wonderful.  I don't have as much time to concentrate on the life growing inside me- as with Reed, but when I do stop to think about it, I feel that wonderful rush of warmth to my heart.  I've been pretty tired and my body is requiring more sleep of course.  This makes things difficult, but Mike has been my hero, getting up in the night with Reed as needed.  It's getting easier, he is becoming a much better sleeper, slowly but surely. Most of the time I rush around trying to clean up, cook meals, wash bottles and make myself presentable for the public.  When I plop down on the couch, exhausted after a 10 minute spout of energy, it looks like I'm doing nothing.  Do not let this fool you! I'm still very busy! I'm over here making fingers, toes, eyelids and everything in between! Sure it doesn't take a lot of concentration to build a baby in your belly, but it takes all the energy that you have.  At 13 weeks, I'm looking forward to the start of the second trimester where I get my energy back.
Its no secret that I am hoping for a girl.  I grew up very close to my mom and love how our relationship has evolved and grown over the years.  My whole life I've had a great relationship with my mom and I want that for myself. I want to be a mother to my daughter.  There are so many things to look forward to with a daughter and also the balance of having one of each.

If this baby is a boy, there are so many benefits. Reed will have a built in best friend.  They will grow up very close, much closer of course than a brother and his sister would.  Two brothers- they'll have each other's backs.  I guess these are the things you consider when you have two paths in front of you.  There can be only one, and once I imagine a future down both paths, I become attached and attracted to both options.  Knowing that I will lose one doesn't stop me from daydreaming about it.  I suppose I like to mentally prepare, because I'm not one to settle on one, because lets face it- its a 50/50 chance!  I have no way of knowing what gender this baby will be until they tell me, so how could I start planning for only one or the other?  I can't even imagine having a baby before the days of the ultrasound.  Oh the anxiety! I would go crazy!  I want to know as soon as possible! In fact, I think the stick should just tell you in the beginning.  "You're Pregnant, and it's a girl!"
I've been getting more serious about planning Reed's first birthday.  It's going to be such a blast! My mom just sent me her flight itinerary yesterday, so she's officially going to be here! Which is excellent, I won't have to skype her in.  On the other hand, it looks like we will have to skype Mike's parents in. Because Reed's mother's day out (child care) is taking a two week break at the end of August, Mike's mom, Connie, is coming for the two weeks prior to Reed's birthday.  However, she leaves on Saturday, the day before.  Mike and I were both very disappointed that the timing didn't work out better.
I really believe that this party should be more for Mike and me.  I also think we should be the ones getting gifts, I mean, what are we really celebrating here?  Mike and I survived the first year with a baby without fatally harming Reed or each other.  That's something to celebrate! I suppose that would be very untraditional of us, but I still get very knowing nods of approval when I bring up this option to other parents.
My sweet Reedster has always loved food, but recently has turned on us.  He now only eats what he wants to eat, when he wants to eat it.  He will eat something one day, and not eat it the next.  This makes it very hard to plan his lunches at school.  At least when we're home, I can just open the fridge and choose another option.  This hunger strike frustrates me because I spend the time and effort to arrange his meals and then he doesn't eat them.  It doesn't seem to bother Mike much, but I can't exactly hand over the feeding duties full time as he's the one with the full time job.  I was starting to get very worried but recently I read that it's very common once your baby starts walking.  This is great news and eliminates a portion of the worry, however it doesn't solve the malnourished baby issues I'm facing. 
I suppose when survival instincts kick in, he'll eat.  Either that or mom will give into his preferred diet of blueberries and black beans.

The one about a trip to see family, good friends, best friends, old friends, my friends your friends!

For the 4th of July weekend we took off on a flight to Salt Lake Friday afternoon and didn't return until midnight Tuesday.  Sounds like a long trip, but not to worry, I found a way to make it fly by and feel like just a few hours.  I have a knack for that- speeding things up when I really want them to slow down.
Friday night was an awesome dinner spent with the Stills.  Amy and Monte are the role-model parents that Mike and I talk about and compare to all the time.  Ella and Emerson are 4 & almost 2, and complete the picture perfect family.  Reed was unleashed into the back yard with them and was never happier!  It was great to watch him play and interact.  Ella has that nurturing maternal thing going on and loved smothering Reed with it- the most adorable thing you could imagine.

Saturday morning as the men went off for their bike ride- I hopped over to my dear friend Joni's house, who I haven't seen since we moved to OKC. More than 3 years, but you'd never know it.  Joni is fun, beautiful and full of wisdom.  I'm lucky to be able to call myself under her wing. She can really appreciate my love for Michael and Reed, which made it so special for her to be able to play with my little guy.  And play they did!!  My regret? Not getting a picture of them together! What's wrong with me?? I guess I was so wrapped up in the moment that I forgot that I wanted to remember it.

We drove up to Wyoming after that, to be with my family.  My mom was (sort of) patiently waiting, imagine her anticipation to see her shining star!  Reed got to play at the water park in Green River- hesitant at first and a little afraid of water that shoots from the ground, but soon he was exploring and playing.  I got plenty of pictures of this!
Sunday we drove north to Riverton, the town where I grew up with my best friend, Nicki.  I drove Mike through the old trailerhood so he could see where his wife really comes from.  It's hard to explain how it felt so familiar and yet so distant.  How I could feel connected and yet so completely removed. It was like a scene from a movie I'd seen a thousand times, but not actually the backdrop of my real life childhood.  You're not going to get a picture of it, because it was hard enough to take Mike there!

We had dinner at Nicki's house with her family.  Her parents, who were like 2nd parents to me are still just as wonderful as ever.  Her daughter Adrianna, (almost 10!) tried to make us feel at home, while her son, Aiden (16mo), tried to make sure Reed knew whose toys he was messing with. I love watching how differently kids interact.  Mostly I'm interested to see Reed's reactions to different personalities and how he deals with it all.  He's a pretty chill guy. He'll play with just about anything and if the toy gets taken from him he'll just pick up the next closest thing.  This is Reed at 10 months. We'll see how he changes in the next few :o)
We saw a couple sights in the Sinks Canyon and walked a nature trail along the Popo Agie (popo-ja) River.  Beautiful, fresh, clean air was quite a treat after the stuffy heat we've been suffering from for weeks.
Monday morning Mike was up bright and early for his first Wyoming half marathon in Lander.  He did amazing considering the altitude change and the hilly course that ran up the bench of the mountain. We are both convinced that had it been an acclimated course, he'd have broken 130.  But that's why you race em! They're always different and challenging in their own way.

After the race, we hung out in Lander for their 4th of July Parade.  I wish I could have gotten better quality time with Nicki and her family, it seemed like all the time we did spend together was pretty distracted.

Back in Green River that evening I was able to meet up with and old friend of mine who I haven't seen since my junior year in high school.  Beau was in town visiting his family at the same time and although both our schedules were very busy, he dropped by the neighborhood after his trip to the grocery store.  The benefit of the small town! You're pretty much "in the neighborhood" where ever you go!  Mike and I ran out to the parking lot and met Beau and his son Tyson, who have been living in Denver.  It was cool to see him again after all this time and meet Tyson in person (his pictures on facebook are pretty cute, but he's so adorable in person!)
Tuesday after lunch, it was back up to Salt Lake in the car for a visit to the old Williams building where the love connection all started.  I remember the first time I met Mike when he came strolling up to my cubicle.  I remember all the flirting and what it lead to... our engagement and relocation to OKC.  Reed got to meet some of the old gang but the building was pretty much a ghost town at 4:30 on a Tuesday.  I can't blame them- the windows wrap around the building and the mountains have their "reach out and touch me" taunting ways, there's no putting up a fight. When you live somewhere that beautiful, with that climate- you take advantage of it.  If you don't see people out on their bikes, skateboards, roller blades or running shoes, then you have your eyes closed. I swear you can almost count the population of the city with an aerial shot.
Dinner with our good(GREAT) friend Clark at Bombay House was the icing on the cake. How I have missed good Indian food.  I'm going to stop there before I get emotional about it.
Reed did pretty well on both flights, there and back.  They both timed out to good for sleeping, but our mistake was that he was overly tired at take off so it was a struggle to get him down both times.  I think I'm done flying with him for a while.  I bragged about how great he's been on all his flights and now he's to the point where he's got this mind of his own, and it's not very convenient.  He wants down, he wants to play, he wants to blow raspberries on the window- and we can hardly stop him because he's so strong.  I think road trips might be the wave of our future.  I cringe as I say that because I'm so NOT a road tripper.
Thanks to all the friends who made this trip so memorable! LOVE you guys!

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