Summertime...

I have never, ever, ever liked summer. It's hot. It's sticky. And to be honest, by the end of June I am bored.

Enter --- Robert Franklin. He's made summer such a fun time for me (kind of like the same way he's made me in to a morning person). From splish-splashing in the pool, storytime with friends, napping, and trips to the grocery store (which he likes almost as much as the pool and library).

Today we stayed home (heat index of 106, no thank you) and spent time...

Petting UGA - he absolutely loves this dog. Every-time he catches a glimpse of it, he makes a bee-line towards it. 

Helping mama prepare for her new teaching assignment next year --- AP World History. We are watching Mankind: The Story of All of Us --- today's episode detailed the rise of the use of iron tools and the expansion of the Roman Empire. 

Crawling --- he's actually crawling now. Not the army crawl that he has been doing for so long, but on his hands and knees scooting across the floor. Another milestone --- they're happening too fast... 

This weekend's movie selection is Toy Story. We watched a few minutes this evening after dinner. Movies (and TV in general) doesn't hold RF's attention for very long (thank goodness). We don't want RF watching TV all the time, but a kid movie every now and then won't hurt.

I am free from work obligations until July 9, so we plan on spending more time just hanging out as mama and son. And I am planning a little project for this weekend for RF and a bigger project for next week, so look for a blog post (depending on how they both go) sometime later this weekend and then again next week.

8 Months Old

We have an 8 month old bouncing baby boy. He is becoming more and more animated every day and I am absolutely loving all the time I am getting to spend with him this summer.

Eight Things RF Loves...
1. His mama --- a little bit of a mama's boy (which I'm ok with, by the way). When we picked him up from Lola's house yesterday, he wrapped his arms around my neck and nuzzled in to my chest. :-)

2. His daddy --- RA loves to make RF laugh - which he can usually do just by looking at him. RF lets out the loudest giggle when RA stands behind me and then pops out to one side, then he'll pop out to the other side, then he'll pop out above me --- RF just cackles. It's the best sound.

3. Food --- considering that he was a big boy when he was born and the fact that he's a Hawk, we figured he'd like to eat. Our favorite foods right now are carrots, green beans, peas, oatmeal, pears, and apples. He recently tried pumpkin and blueberries and enjoyed both of those as well.

4. His walker --- I had no idea he would love it as much as he does. I suppose it's the independence that it affords him and the chance to 'walk' around at his own speed. Or maybe it's the fact that he can chase after the dogs easier, either way --- he loves it. He did laps around Papa Tad and Lola's kitchen/living room this weekend. He has even figured out how to turn himself around when he gets cornered.

5. Water --- bath-time has never been a struggle with RF - he loves the water. He loves even more Papa Tad and Lola's pool. He spent more time swimming this weekend and was kicking his legs like a little mad man.

6. The grocery store --- I'm sure most of the folks in the store think I'm crazy as I walk past items and identify them to RF, but the kid loves the grocery store. He sits quietly in the buggy taking it all in, which is nice because I loathe going to the grocery store (seriously I'd rather clean the bathrooms and put up laundry).

7. Pulling up --- he has realized that he can pull up in his pack n' play. I heard him stirring from a nap one day, walked in to the living room and saw him standing up just a grinning at me. Silly boy.

8. His teeth --- we have two little teeth, although I can't seem to get a good photo of them because he is on the move so much. But he enjoys grinning really big to show everyone his new chompers. He realized that his teeth were sharp the hard way when he accidentally bit down on his own hand...ouch.

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Six Years

RA and I celebrated our six year wedding anniversary today --- six years. It seems like we have known each other all our lives.

Yesterday was RA's birthday so to celebrate both his birthday and our anniversary, Papa Tad and Lola offered to keep RF last night. It was the first time in 8 months that we have been away from RF for more than a few hours. We celebrated RA's birthday in true Hawk-style --- by hanging out at home, cooking together and watching a movie. When we picked RF up this morning we came home and spent the day celebrating our anniversary as a family of three for the first time. We had lunch, played with RF and spent the evening watching our wedding video --- an anniversary tradition.

When RA and I were deciding whether or not to engrave something inside of our wedding bands, I did some research to try and find the right words, phrase, or saying, but nothing I found fit us. And then one morning, as I was walking past RA's dresser I realized that it had been right in front of me all along.

So that's what we engraved in our wedding bands --- the first part in his, the second part in mine. And it couldn't be more true.

I read the poem below a few years ago and as time goes by I understand and believe each line in a new way. There are good days and there are not so good days, but at the end of every day we lie down next to each other knowing that our love transcends all.

WHY MARRIAGE? 
~ By: Mari Nichols-Haining ~

Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body...

Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won't hold them against me,
Who loves me when I'm unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential of me...

Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me,
With someone I feel blessed to hold...

Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love in friendship...

Because marriage is a discipline
To be added to a list of achievements...

Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them whole...

Because, knowing this,
I promise myself to take full responsibility
For my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness
I create me,
I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
Together we create our marriage...

Because with this understanding
The possibilities are limitless.

Happy Anniversary, Robert Alan --- I love you dearly.

RA's First Father's Day

RF and I let daddy sleep in on Sunday as we set out on an adventure --- it was 6:00AM and we were on a mission --- bring back breakfast for daddy --- his favorite breakfast --- Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

We were successful in our quest and once he woke up RA enjoyed his coffee and a few 'Hot Nows' --- YUMMY!

Warm doughnuts and RA's Father's Day presents --- a photo book, a collage of RF and RF's 2nd piece of artwork - a handprint monkey (one of RA's nicknames for RF)

Exploring on the front porch - actually I think he had just chased one of the dogs in to a corner...

We all spent the morning at home enjoying each other's company before heading to lunch at T.P. Crockmeier's with Papa Tad, Lola, Aunt Hartley, Uncle Michael and Aunt Haydn. The afternoon was spent napping (a favorite Hawk family activity) and spending some time outside. RF enjoyed time on the porch in his walker and was mesmerized by the present Meme brought him --- his very own tricycle. I am sure he will be riding down the sidewalk before we know it.

What is this, mama? And how does it work? 

A daddy and his little boy... 

We hope you had a wonderful First Father's Day, RA --- RF and I love you to the moon and back. :-)

Second Week of Summer

1. Our rough and tumble ouchie turned in to a full-blown ER visit last Thursday evening. A few hours after he hit his head, RF started vomiting (sign of concussion), so we made the decision to take him to our after-hours urgent care. On the way there, RF got sick again to the point where he couldn't breathe he was dry-heaving so much, so our after-hours plan quickly morphed into an emergency situation so we headed for the nearest ER. Our ER experience was not in any way the most pleasant, nor was the CAT scan. Although, in his time of fear - as he was quite vocal about his dislike of the CAT scan machine and being scared, tired and hungry - he did say, "Mama". Dr. believed it to be a mild (very mild) concussion. We learned a  number of things through this experience.

A. Have an "If there's an emergency, where do we go?" plan in place.
B. ER's are gross...really gross.
C. According to the pediatrician that saw us, the front part of the skull is stronger than other parts of the skull.
D. Also according to the pediatrician that saw us, vomiting can occur in children after an accident - their system is thrown in to a little shock-type situation.

2. More story-time at the library. RF loves story-time - I think it is partly the SUPER animated children's librarian that reads and sings with them, but hey, it's good for him on many levels to participate in story-time.

3. Crawling - he has made it to his hands and knees and has begun to really try moving in that position. I have couple of videos of him really, really trying (and getting a little ticked that he can't do it yet). I cannot wait to show them to him one day. So funny.

4. Dogs - the dogs have become even more interesting to him this week. When he is on the floor and spots one of them he takes off army-crawling in their direction. Gracie and Lucky are more patient with him and Charlie is still his old stick-in-the-mud grumpy self so he tends to walk away (quite quickly) when he sees RF headed his way.

5. His walker - He can now scoot around the house in his walker at lightening speed. He has figured out how to go forwards, backwards and even turn himself around when he gets stuck. The dogs are not a fan of the walker as he tends to try and chase them down our main hallway. 

Petting UGA...

6. Outside/Water - If it wasn't so darn hot, I'd let him hang outside more, but it is sweltering already. We've spent a lot of time on the front porch in the late afternoon/early evening as the sun is behind us. We usually take him outside in his walker, block off the steps and let him roam around the porch - he thinks he is big and bad. He still loves the water, too. We've spent time splashing in the washtub in the backyard, taking splish-splashing baths, and even playing in a puddle of water that spilled out of a cup on the kitchen floor.

Water, mama...

Watching it rain with daddy...

The First of Many

I saw my child's blood today for the first time in relation to a boo-boo.

RF has been trying to crawl in the last few days. He gets up on his hands and knees and tries to move them, but then ends up falling on to his belly. Well today we were playing on the floor in our living room, he fell on to his belly and shifted a bit enough to clip the pedestal of our coffee table. There was blood and there were tears (his and mine).

Once RF calmed down a bit and I was able to clean the cut some I snapped a photo and sent it to Lola (who just happened to be at the office - 2 minutes from our house). She came right over and as I was calling the pediatrician's office to find out whether or not we needed to come in for stitches she was able to get a good enough look at it to see that it was more of a contusion/cut as opposed to a gash. Whew...no stitches but he will more than likely have a tiny scar.

Wanting to document the goings-on of our little boy, I figured a blog post was in order. One day I'll show him these photos and tell him about how on the 69th anniversary of the D-Day invasion he managed to earn his first rough and tumble little boy scar. 

His first real 'Ouchie'

Laughing it off...thinking he's big stuff with his bloody eyebrow.

Little boys and their boo-boos...

First Week of Summer + My Birthday

Week 1 of summer was a success and I am looking forward to the next nine weeks of spending time with my favorite little boy. We were off work on Monday for Memorial Day and Tuesday was a teacher work day. After I had I wrapped up the 2012 - 2013 school year, I sprinted out to my car happy to have 10 weeks ahead of me to spend as I wanted to - mainly doing whatever I want to, with a few things I have to do sprinkled in. Wednesday and Thursday we mainly hung at home. RF has spent so much time on the floor crawling around that we rarely see him just sitting up playing with toys.

He is usually chasing (scooting toward) toys around the room. He gets frustrated when he gets almost to a toy and then swats at it only to have it move farther away from him. But to his credit, he is determined to chase after his toys and doesn't give up until he gets to it. He has even learned that if he can get the toy up against a wall or a piece of furniture that the toy will be easier to catch - smart boy :-). 

Since he is spending so much time on the floor (and outside), his clothes and his feet are getting those little dirt stains on them (while I hate doing laundry, I can't help but smile when I put dirty little boy clothes in the wash... :-). 

Thursday RA and I had to update our driver's licenses so we meandered down to the Satellite Courthouse in Fairhope with RF in tow. He enjoyed being out and about and of course, had all the ladies at the DMV smiling. 

Friday I had a meeting to attend, so RF spent his last official day with Lola as his caregiver. RA and I could never have asked for a more perfect caregiving situation for RF for the first seven months of his life. We are so thankful to Lola (and to Papa Tad) for taking her focus off of work most days in order to nurture RF. 

Today, I celebrated my 28th birthday. I woke up this morning to a smiling 7-month old staring at me, ate a delicious breakfast prepared for me by RA, enjoyed a cup of coffee while looking at a vase of beautiful morning glories from our backyard, scrapbooked while RF played with art sponges, spent time on the floor with RF playing, had time to make a weeks worth of baby food - including our newest food - green beans (which RF LOVED, by the way), had pizza for lunch, napped with RF and watched as he worked toward figuring out how a sippy cup works, had a homemade Mexican feast for dinner and Red Velvet cake ice cream for dessert. Quite a fantastic day, if I do say so myself.