fun in a bottle

What's a good time? Riding bikes - ask any kid, right? I haven't had my own bike in decades (yes, decades). I've had roller blades (ended badly; broke my tailbone, and I'd like to point out that when people say they're going to put your butt in a sling, they're fibbing - there is no butt sling or butt cast. You just suck it up until it heals), but not my own bike. Until now!

I believe I've mentioned before here a bicycle that was delivered to my dad's house. We thought it had come anonymously from an eccentric family friend. Well, it turns out that it wasn't from the family friend--it was a delivery error by Schwinn. At an auction my dad found one of those carts that you pull behind your bike with your kid in it (he's been very quick to point out that it will hold two children - it will hold two, no mistake), but it was missing a few parts. Dad ordered these from Schwinn for me.

Apparently, someone at Schwinn got a little zealous with the address labels, and voila - bike at Dad's house coincidental with the time that he'd mentioned to a friend that I was looking for a bike. When Schwinn called and said that they'd made the error, my dad (who could, I'm convinced, get an eskimo to think he needed more ice) explained that he'd already assembled it for me and that he didn't want to have to take it back. He talked them into giving him the bike. Free bike after all!

Yesterday was our maiden voyage. Dad brought his own bike over, and I got to try my new one. It's true - I could still ride, though I wasn't as good as I once was (I'll get it back - don't you worry). Then we attached the cart with Little Man in the center (though, once again I'd like to point out that it will hold two children. I'm not sure why I keep pointing this out, other than because everyone else keeps pointing it out to me). We went for a little trip, I on my shiny new Schwinn with the cart, and Dad on his Schwinn, too. What a truly fun time! It was a short trip, but the wind on my face just like I remember, and on a perfect fall day, too. I can hardly wait to ride/tow over to the park with a blanket and play, maybe blow bubbles, and then ride back. I'm really excited to have another excuse to play outside! Oh, and the boy really seemed to like it, too.

Barflies--no, Butterflies

We are social butterflies, my son and I. Today I took him to a bar. I've always said I wouldn't be the mom who took her kids to bars, and today I took my son to a bar. In my defense, it was a gorgeous evening, and we sat outside on the patio with some friends, one of whom was back from out of town. There weren't many people, there was no smoking, and we didn't run into any too drunk people until we were leaving. The boy was a big hit, too - he had brought his cute and his flirt with him; he's irresistable when he's got all that in tow. We wore him out - I think he was sleeping before we made it out of the parking lot.

Back to being social butterflies, though. Tomorrow night we're traveling out of town with Daddy for a get-together (including lots of kids for him to play with), then home Saturday and another date for Little Man and me with some of my friends. Sunday we travel out of town again to visit Daddy's family for a few days, and you can only begin to imagine the socializing there.

Is what we're doing day to day important? No - you don't know these people (or us). However, what I think is a big step is that we're getting out and doing things. I didn't notice at first, but it's taken me awhile to get out since LM. It's not that I don't want him out, but I get so wrapped up in details that it's hard to take the time to make the phone calls, to make plans. I'm growing into my position as a mom, though, and getting better at it (hopefully I'll keep getting better at it - I'm still pretty new). I miss everyone, though, so I'm making a sincere effort - I'm normally the instigator of plans and get-togethers, so many of us have fallen out of touch since my boy's arrival, and not just me and my friends, but my friends and each other, too, which I find very sad. Recently, then, I've been making lots of plans so that we can keep the connections that are important.

I know that this being busy will make time fly even faster, which is a little hard to comprehend. Therein lies the quandry - I could try not to do much so that time would slow down, but then I'm not really taking advantage of what little time I have. On the other hand, I could try to take advantage of that time, which will make neat memories, but the time will speed up - is that possible? How does everyone else do this? Does everyone else blink and a month has passed?

Reason #952

And another thing I love about watching my Little Man as he grows and figures things out (as though there aren't enough). He's best at doing things when he doesn't know it. This proves my theory, to me at least, that he's got all the skills to crawl (and some other things) but doesn't know how to put them together. If he thinks about it and tries to crawl, no go--he just thinks about it, though you can see the wheels turning. If he doesn't think about it, well, that's a different story. Last night he was actually starting to crawl toward Daddy because he was excited to see him, but then he seemed to be aware all at once of what he was doing, and was unable to keep going. He ended up on his belly (which never makes him happy), and then sitting up again making "pick me up" noises.

In case you're wondering, his "pick me up" noises are nothing like the "pick me up" noises I've heard in various bars. His do, however, involve extra cuteness, if that's possible. He grins at you and waits for you to make eye contact. If you don't recognize his efforts, he slowly cocks his head to one side until it's parallel with the floor, and he never breaks his gaze at you, complete with hopeful grin. How do they learn the "cute" so early? I digress.

Similarly, he pulled himself up to standing twice the other day because he was in the midst of playing and didn't realize that he'd done it. All of a sudden he was standing there playing with his exersaucer from the outside of it, rather than standing in the middle. Normally, however, he can't pull up on things, or thinks he can't. I find it interesting that we can get in our own way so early.

As you can deduce, we're on the very precipice of mobility. Is the house ready? No. Do we have baby gates? No. Have we put breakables out of reach? No. Bumpers on sharp edges? Nope - not a one. There are, however, some safety gizmos in the sockets. It's a start.

a moment

So, it's 7:54 pm, and I have a moment. My Beautiful Son is sleeping on the couch next to me, and my Dear Hubby is at work. I've washed out the bottles and gotten everything ready for school tomorrow, and I've eaten and cleaned up after it (which was crucial today, as I realized at about 5 much to my dismay that I'd forgotten lunch). Right now, there's nothing else that absolutely has to happen before tomorrow. Not One Thing.

Rule #1

When I was a kid, my dad used to joke that Rule #1 was "The Dad is always right." Rule #2 was "If it appears that The Dad is wrong, refer to Rule #1." A multi-decade friend told me a great story this weekend that ended with the punchline from her 10-year-old daughter, "Mom, why do you always have to be right?" Will I always be right someday?

I remember a time when not knowing was the worst thing ever. I had to know, and I had to know now. It didn't really matter what the subject was - a birthday surprise or what my future career, husband, etc. would bring - none of it could happen fast enough for me. "Patience," I can hear my dad saying, and I would think, "yeah, yeah, nice for you to be patient; it's not for me." I always felt that I could be patient, if only I knew what the outcome would be someday. Not so much patient.

Right now, so much is in flux for me. I'm learning all about being a mom and a wife. My husband is changing jobs. My company has exploded (imploded?), and I'm looking at a new venture for myself. Every day at work is a challenge at best, and I haven't felt fully rested in longer than I can remember. I just don't know much right now, and I can't plan for much of it. One might think I'd be too stressed to function, or have any fun. The "old" younger me would be in quite a state.

The "new" me is taking the whole thing amazingly well. I just can't be as invested in things that I can't change or that don't really matter "in the light of eternity" (another gem from Dad). I feel pretty confident that there's an answer, even if I don't know what it is; I might as well enjoy the ride. So, off to morning cereal with the boy, some meetings and if I'm lucky, the swings at the park. The rest will wait. Great day!