Bittersweet

I missed one of Big B.'s milestones tonight:

He's pulling himself up to standing.

This is a big deal for us parents, and I was so excited when I heard my hubby's voice mail telling me he saw the whole thing happen after bath time. I can't wait to see him do it again tomorrow.

I just hope I don't miss the first steps.

I can't walk today . . .

...and my arms are like wet noodles, but I started my yoga practice again last night. I began practicing about eight years ago, and it always brings me peace. I've been lucky enough to participate in conferences and special workshops, and hopefully another yoga retreat will be on the horizon again soon.

But I hadn't taken a class since I was about ready to give birth, and prenatal yoga and vinyasa yoga are two different things. I have been pressing myself to go back for a while now.

Despite having Ana Forest flashbacks with turbo dog and uddiyana banda (things we yogis love to hate), I participated in many poses my body had been craving for months (well, some of these I would never push myself to do at home!). To my surprise, many of these postures came back so easily:

• Pincha mayurasana (forearm balance)
• Parsva bakasana (side crane)
• Adho mukha vrksasana (handstand...I wanted to do this every day when I was pregnant - key word wanted)
• Halasana (plow)
• Matsyasana (fish)
• Eka pada koundiyanasana II (mind you, I kept my back toes firmly planted on the ground
• Savasana (everyone's favorite)

Now there are so many more poses I want to get back into, and with dedication, I know I can do it. Full pigeon, here I come!

Wordless wednesday

I couldn't wait.

Guess who got her camera back?

I was so excited, I made this photo of my cat. It's a picture of Booty's booty.

His favorite things

His next mission: the pincer grasp.

Reason: to shovel more tasty Cheerios into his mouth!

Milestone

I was presented with my 3-gallon pin from Bonfils Blood Center yesterday. (They love me there since I have the universal blood type: O-.)

That's 24 pints of blood. It doesn't seem like that much to me because the first time I donated I was in high school. But if you count my hiatus during pregnancy, tattoo and piercing deferrals (about one year each), that's about five years I didn't donate.

Still, if one unit helped or saved one person, that's two dozen people I have impacted.

Whoa.

Melting

My boy just raised his arms to me, gave me the biggest hug and snuggle and then laid his head on my shoulder.

He wasn't sleepy, he wasn't grouchy or cranky, he just wanted hugs from his momma. It melted my heart.

(Also makes me wonder if we're reaching separation anxiety.)

I wish

There's a volunteer project through my company, and this weekend's task is to paint studios and hallways at the Colorado Ballet.

Since I would have B. with me, I didn't sign up, but I wish I could have done it. (I can't imagine trying to paint and entertain an 8-month-old.) Driving past the studios just last week, I was craning my neck to get a look at the barres that overlook Lincoln and 13th.

Sometimes I see a ballerina at that barre, and I always think, "What if." It makes me sad that this painting party probably was my one chance to finally see the inside of that studio. I trust the walls will need painting again, and I hope I'm available.

Sniffle

Here is the latest on Mister B. He does this sniffle thing, scrunching up his nose. Mom says I did the same exact thing when I was little.

Warranties rule

This is all my camera would record after it broke about 10 days ago. Thank goodness it's still under warranty, and I trust the skilled Canon people are fixing it as I type.

I should get it back by the end of the week, next Monday at the latest. Meantime, I'm going through severe camera withdrawal.

Can you read it?

Room mate

Look what is sharing our suite at the hotel.

I just paid $68 for a tank of gas in Taos. Ridiculous.

--
==================================================================
This mobile text message is brought to you by AT&T

From one parent to another

Dear Mom,
Dear Dad,

Thanks for nurturing me, taking care of me and raising me into the woman I am today. I now know what it's like to be a parent, and I can't thank you enough for all the love you still give me every day. I can see by your neverending support that parenthood is a lifetime gig.

I hope each of you has a very happy birthday today. It will be special to me just because B. gets to have you both nearby, something I know he enjoys. By the time you read this, we'll all be home, but I hope your weekend was filled with memories that will last a lifetime.

Love,

Doe

That's my guy

Driving around earlier this week, B. was having a hard time falling asleep in his car seat. He rarely fusses in his safety seat, but when he does, it's then that I wish he would catnap.

I drove and drove, and about a minute into a certain song, I realized he had dozed off. The iPod cycled through Blondie, Jimmy Buffett and Chemical Brothers (or something like it).

It was the fourth song that was familiar, a track from a CD I listened to nearly every day while I was pregnant.

Anyone care to guess? It was Elijah Rock by Harry Connick Jr. You're shocked, I'm sure.

But it soothed the little guy right to sleep.

Monotony

I just heard a postmaster say this familiar line, with a twist, to another customer:

Is there anything liquid, fragile, perishable, or - you guessed it - potentially hazardous?

Yet another eye opener

I can't believe my guy fits in his portable booster seat. This might not be very exciting to most of you, but I remember receiving this gift at my shower last September (thanks, Mule). I hadn't thought about it until Mom brought it up -- it's the perfect item to tuck into the trunk instead of one of our bulky high chairs. (Here he is in the contraption, strapped tightly to our cranky old desk chair.)

I just remember thinking back then it would be an item we wouldn't be using for a long time -- had I been thinking in years? Why? But now he's big enough for restaurant boosters, so why not this one? We dragged it out, scrubbed it down and it's ready to go.

Meanwhile, he's doing a lot of other things I hadn't anticipated so soon. He's figured out his nursery/crib sound and light machine (it's a rainforest theme in case anyone was dying to know). I was probably spending the 45-or-so seconds it takes to do my hair when I heard the music start up. I had put him in his crib while I finished getting ready, and he sat there with his toys, babbling away to himself (Da da da, ma ma ma, ba ba ba), and boom. There it was.



B.'s also broadened his menu. Avocados and bananas are among the top choices, probably because I stuff them in this gizmo and let him figure it out for himself. He ends up all sticky or green - or both. He hasn't figured out his pincer grasp, so chunks of food left on his tray basically just get smashed. He's getting there though.

Next week, I bet he'll be shaving.