Random Thoughts

At the risk of sounding like a big whiny baby, I am going to go on a short rant.  I awoke this morning to find it was burning hot outside, my stomach could not face one more serving of whole wheat anything and my email account had been hacked.  I long for the good old days. Problem is I'm not even sure what days those would be. The ones where I was so thin, my sister called me toothpick? The ones where I looked fit and trim because I worked out in the gym everyday ... and oh by the way I was a little anorexic (like being a little pregnant.) Or maybe I want to return to the days when the snow covered the car, and the winds howled. How about going to back to the day when we used land line phones to talk to people across the country and pretty monogrammed stationery to write letters that a postman dropped through a slot in the door. Better yet, what if I traveled back to the days my creativity couldn't be squashed and my sunny disposition remained in tact. I feel like ...

The first couple of days that Grace was here I had to push my sluggish body into keeping a baby's schedule and crawling around on the floor. I heard my knees pop a couple of times. My hip made a few cries for mercy as I tried to multi-task while holding a squiggly baby.  By the third day I think I got my groove back. My arms remembered how to enfold a baby as if the memory was embedded in the unused muscles.  Rocking soothed me as well as the baby. Tiptoeing past the sleeping baby's room reminded me of quietude's sweetness.  Old pleasures returned as Gracie experienced new things. Watching a little girl learn to pull herself up and wobble on unsteady feet. Listening as she discovered her song by beating on a Tupperware tom tom with a wooden spoon. Repeating words like kit-tee, ma-ma, G-Pa and Hallelujah Jesus! to help build her vocabulary.  Okay, so she didn't quite catch on to Jesus words, but she did laugh whenever we shook our hands in the air. That's a good star...

Great Grammy, GPa, Gracie, Ashley Ellington

I went to bed yesterday after the Gracie left. It was just too sad to look at all the baby stuff. Plus the house was too quiet to do anything other than snooze.  Sweetie worried about my emotions. Gotta love a guy who gives you a a man-sized hug to take the place of the baby-sized ones.  Gracie's mom and GMom hinted more than once that I might have spoiled her. In my book,  cottage cheese spoils, not babies. When she cried, I picked her up. What felt good to her, felt good to me. It was a win-win situation.  The first couple of days trying to get used to each other were a little tiring, but once I got in Gracie's groove, things worked out pretty good. Well, most things. She never did "love" her bath like  we were told.  She only went to sleep when she was ready, no matter what the schedule said. And I learned pretty fast that changing her diaper was to be done in the standing position. On the road again ... I think I adjusted pretty well. I noticed th...

I forgot how time consuming it is to chase after a little one. I've missed a few days of blogging about Gracie's visit. Today her mom and "Nemo" got home from their trip to Haiti. Sweet Gracie's face lit up when she saw her mom.  It was amazing to watch! I'll write more tomorrow when the house is quiet. Wishing for you a day full of smiles, Merry ME

"A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he deserves." Paulo Coelho One more stroll around the block before going night night. It feels very important to me to introduce Miss Grace to church.  Perhaps I'm trying to make up for what I didn't do with my own kids, or Gracie's mom.  I'm not going to spend too much time analyzing it. I'll just take her with me whenever the opportunity arises. As with most things, timing is everything. And this morning it worked out just right to get to church on time. She was up,  bottled, cerealed, played with and put back down in time for a quick early morning snooze. Then woke up just as it was time to go.  Yeh, it could be just happenstance, but I think maybe I had a Helping Hand. Grace was not exactly sure what was going on, but quickly found her groove. She sang every song...

Astrologically speaking neither Gracie or her G-Pa were born under a water sign. But don't tell that to G-Pa who has one week to turn his granddaughter into a "water baby." Yesterday after her mom and grandmother headed off on their annual mission trip to Haiti, I left Gracie alone for about 2 seconds. In that amount of time Little Miss Speed Demon had discovered the cat's water bowl, made a b-line to it, and splashed water on the floor. Damn if she didn't try to suck it up.  I know, it's gross. But not so gross that I couldn't snap a picture of it. Later, that same afternoon, I dangled Gracie's feet in the pool to help stave off dinner so she could keep on some semblance of a schedule. I know, seems crazy doesn't it? Whoever heard of a staying on a schedule while vacationing in Florida without your mom?  Well before I knew it, Gracie had worked herself off one step, was standing on the second then went for an all out swim with Sweetie. On...