April 21, 2009

One small step for man...

Toby started to take his first steps a couple weeks ago and is now walking all over the place. He seems so much happier with his new found mobility. My little baby is growing up! *sniff sniff*





And if you think Toby seems a little tall for his age - he is. He is in the 95th percentile for his height. Most of his clothing is in the 18 - 24 month range.




April 16, 2009

April showers?...hmmm

I think mother nature just wants to keep us guessing. Nick and I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning...
View from our backyard



View from our street (if you look closely there is a big branch that broke off- look at the tree on the right)





Poor little tree in our front yard...hang in there little guy!



Gotta love the fickle Utah weather. The thing that cracks me up the most is that of the snow has already melted off and this weekend is suppose to be in the 70's! Woo-hoo!
Now if I still lived in Alaska, I would definitely be in utter despair if I woke up to this snow. Because the sad reality is that it would probably stick around for a while longer. Maybe until June. Ugh.
Yeah, SO glad we are not there anymore!

April 14, 2009

A cruel irony

Nick is on his last stretch before school is out. Only two more weeks! I am so- whats the right word...ecstatic? Bursting with excitement? Or maybe........tired?

With Nick putting in 16 hour days with both work and school, I am making quite the understatement when I say the past few months have been exhausting and anything but easy. And though I can almost taste the school-free, sleep in mornings, I am convinced that Toby is bent on making these last couple weeks as difficult as possible. He continues to stay true to his most defining characteristic: he is consistently inconsistent. And more for ME than anyone else. For example, when Nick is around on the weekends to give me a break or some extra shut-eye, Toby transforms into a slightly easier version of himself. Let me break it down for you:

Over the weekend Nick only had to change 1 (one!) poopy diaper. Yesterday I gagged my way through 5 (yes five!) poopy diapers, and have had the pleasure of changing 3 more this morning.

Over the weekend Toby took 2 hour nap (this is a true rarity) during the day for Nick. Monday Toby went back to his usual 45 minute cat-naps.

Over the weekend Toby slept in until 7 am (this is even more unheard of than the 2 hour nap). This morning Toby woke up at his usual 5:30.

Over the weekend when Nick would put Toby down for a nap he would magically fall asleep in his arms without a fight. For me, I have to wear out Toby to the point of exhaustion, hovering over meltdown mode. And even then he won't fall asleep in my arms unless he has a bottle of milk beforehand.

I have read that when your child acts differently around you than other people, its actually a sign that they trust you as their caregiver and so you should be flattered with their Jekyll and Hyde behavior.

Hmmm...ok Toby I get it. You love your mommy. You can stop flattering me so much- particularly around 5 am. :)

April 9, 2009

My great escape

Now that the weather is S-L-O-W-L-Y giving way to more spring like weather, Toby and I have been taking daily walks around our neighborhood. Can I say that I never realized how therapeutic it is to be listening to your favorite tunes while enjoying the great outdoors? I am completely addicted, so much that I have almost thrown caution to the wind. Literally. After a comfortable, sunny 70 degree day, Utah weather threw us another curve ball and temps plummeted to the 50's, adding some rain and heavy wind. I actually don't mind the rain because it always makes me think of England (it poured non-stop on both visits). But the wind! I can't stand wind!! Wind to me is like someones cell phone going off in a movie theater - its completely unnecessary and annoying.

Well I was determined to get my walk in. So I bundled up Toby, put in my ear phones and began my defiant stroll, eager to get my endorphin fix for the day. Unfortunately, as soon as I left our house I realized I had made a terrible mistake: I had locked the front door and left my house key inside! Usually I carry my cell phone with me but decided not to take it along this time. I never use the bloody thing and of course the one time I really need it, I don't bring it with me (isn't' that always the case?)! Even though I know the whole situation was entirely my fault, I felt like shaking my fist at the gusts of winds that swirled about me and saying: "alright wind, you win this time." So I sat there on my porch for a good 10 minutes talking to Toby and trying to figure out what neighbor would be the least awkward to bother. I absolutely hate asking people for favors, especially if I don't know them that well. For a minute I actually wondered if I should wait for Nick to come home (he was to be home within the hour for lunch), but finally decided that was probably not the smartest idea since it looked like it might rain again. Feeling completely frustrated and indecisive, I decided to just take a walk, hoping the answer would come. I put in my ear phones once again and cranked up some Tom Petty. I passed a couple of older woman who were talking to each other and dressed as if it was a nice, sunny day. I was somewhat familiar with them; I at least knew their names but still felt totally awkward about interrupting their chit-chat. I slowly walked past them, debating in my head what I should do: Just ask them if you can borrow their phone, they are not going to care...... No, I will just go around the block once and then ask someone....ok I can't wait any longer, this wind is torture.... Of course both woman were extremely gracious and immediately let me into their home. With one phone call, Nick was on his way home from school and I was saved from enduring the wretched wind.

Well most of time my little walks are not so dramatic. Usually they go something like this: I am completely lost in my thoughts, sorting through whatever or whomever may be bothering me (if there is anything). Then I scroll through my mp3 player to find a song which best fits my mood and will allow me to unwind. Then I always become enraptured by the beautiful, majestic mountains that are basically in my backyard. Seriously, they never become "just mountains" to me; I am always complete awestruck by them. Then I babble with the Tobe-man and ask him how he is enjoying our walk. He usually just turns around and gives me a big grin and then goes back to observing his surroundings. He is such a funny boy. Most of the time, he always has something to say (or scream), but whenever we are outside he is completely silent and engrossed in every detail that passes by.

I would love for our walks to continue throughout his childhood. Even when Toby is teenager I can only hope he will set aside his "too cool" disposition for few minutes to take a stroll with his mama. :)