8 Month Update

Since we won't know the official vitals for Little Guy for another month, I am going to give you a quick update. In a few weeks Little Guy will be graduating to the Infant 2 room at daycare....I mean school. :) There are three Infant rooms. The third being for those nearing 15 months. Little Guy has gotten to spend a day hear and there in Infant 2, to get him acclimated. He has enjoyed each visit as the pace is more his style.

Just the other day Little Guy and I shared a laugh, but it was at the expense of an innocent boy in the Infant 3 room. I was carrying Little Guy and on our way out I caught a glance of a little boy standing against the glass in Infant 3. I couldn't resist laughing because the thought popped in my head to stand Little Guy on the ground. I am certain Little Guy would have towered over him and he's nearly twice his age. I felt bad about laughing and didn't want to scare the little boy, so Little Guy and I kept on our way.

Although we don't have an official height and weight, all we need to know is that Little Guy is still on pace to be a Little Giant! He is healthy, strong, and full of laughter and smiles. I am predicting at his current growth pace, Little Guy's hands and feet will be the same size as Happy Mom's once he turns 3. Happy Mom is very excited at the prospect of sharing someone's shoes. (Sometimes she is such a girl. :))

New Workout

Ever get tired of the same old workout routine? Well I have a new workout for you. Really it comes from Little Guy, but he has yet to start writing so I'll help him out. To Little Guy it is called "Outta my way, I'm on a mission," but you can call it the Army Crawl.

To start, lie on the ground face down. Extend your left or right arm out as far as you can reach, then pull the rest of your body ahead without lifting off the ground or using your other hand to push. Think it's easy? Whether he's on smooth flooring or carpet, Little Guy moves ahead with ease. As for me, I manage to move on the wood floor, but the carpet...forget about it. Let's just say a snail would win the race and I'd still be at the start line.

Little Guy has just reminded me of how out of shape I am, how about you? Who says you can't learn anything from a baby? Happy Exercising!!

Pinch Hitting

Please bear with me as this is officially my (Big Poppy) first attempt at blogging. In order to keep our friends and family up to date with Little Guy, occasionally I need to pinch hit for Happy Mom. Little Guy is now 8 months old and becoming more and more active by the day. Here he is posing for his 8 month b-day with Jeter.

 Hmmm.....what should my first blog be about? How about responsibilities and babysitting? On two separate occasions I was posed with a similar question and my answer for one was responsibilities and the other was babysitting. Both were followed by laugther. Here's how the first conversation went; my cousin, from now on referred to as Half Pint, asked me if I would be making it to basketball? My response was "I can't make it because I have responsibilities." Half Pint laughed hysterically. I was somewhat dumbfounded. Since when is taking care of your son not a responsibility?

The second conversation took place weeks later with a friend, from now on referred to as Postal. Postal asks, "So you gonna make it to basketball this week?" I responded, "No I can't make it, I'm babysitting." Postal laughed and said, since when is watching your own kid, babysitting? I kinda get his point, but then again, why isn't it an appropriate response. Little Guy technically is a baby isn't he?

My response to Half Pint and Postal was to laugh and say, whatever!! I like both of my answers and it won't be the last time either are used. The bottom line is these two should be thankful I have responsibilities or need to babysit, as opposed to years past, so they don't get embarrassed on the court! :)

In all seriousness, call it responsibilities, babysitting, or what have you, I wouldn't trade spending time alone with Little Guy for anything. Little Guy is already starting to be less dependent on Happy Mom and I. Well, I guess it just means he'll be helping out with chores sooner.

Time Management aka Choice Management

I received this in an email at work. I have always firmly believed this and thought it would be useful to pass along. I cannot give proper credit to the author - if you know feel free to let me know I'll update to give credit. I know it comes from a monthly newsletter.

Time Management aka Choice Management

It's a great time of year to write about time management, especially since I don't believe there is such a thing. How many hours in a day do you have? 24? I know that to be true! So...how can you ever say, "When I have more time..." or "When I make the time..." or "When I find the time..."

I'd like to meet the person with that formula and retire rich.

What you do have is choice! You choose to get up an hour earlier and work out or you choose to sleep in. You choose to stay up an hour later and read a book or you choose to go to sleep. You choose to work on the weekend or you choose to stay home and play with your kids. Let's call a spade a spade here and admit that what you do or do not "have time for" is merely an excuse for owning your choices to not make it a priority. OK, OK, you can call it priority management or choice management but for heaven's sake get off the time management bandwagon. Stop buying all the books, all the organizers and own your time choices. When you do, magic will happen. You will see that you have miraculously "found" the time to accomplish more meaningful things in your life. It's all about life management. Now that's shrewd!

What choices are you making with your time?

Resolutions?

I'm not much for New Year's Resolutions. I am not opposed to resolutions. I am not opposed to New Year's. However, I am slightly opposed to New Year's Resolutions.

This slight opposition probably stems from two things:

1. I am perplexed why we (I do this too) say I'll start this or stop that on January 1. If it is something we should be or should not be doing, shouldn't you start/stop now?

2. New Year's Resolutions have a tradition of being generic or unattainable or too much at once. I believe you can start/stop just about anything when you put your mind to it (now if only I would put my mind to a few things...) but trying to do everything at once is no good. No good at all. People (I) give up because of all the changes.

Instead, I try to work on one or two things at a time. If I'm lucky, it becomes a habit. Part of who I am and I don't have to think about it any more. It's second nature, like breathing. I look at New Year's Resolutions as a time to evaluate how I'm doing on the things I'm trying to change.

The next time I say  you say I'll start Monday, Next Month, Next Year (Insert your own excuse), ask yourself, why? It's going to be hard to make this change part of who  I am you are. Babies steps can start right now. Perfection doesn't happen over night. Just ask Big Poppy. It took years for me to become perfect. :)

So Far, So Good

So far things are good. So good!

Life keeps getting better and better.

Just when I think, this it, I can’t be in a better place.

It happens. It gets better.

Don’t get me wrong, I can find plenty to complain about but really, my complaints are nothing. I could complain about:

1. The cold and I mean COLD weather but why? I live here, I could move and without the cold I couldn’t play broomball with Big Poppy on Saturday’s.

2. My aching back but whose fault it is that it aches? Mine of course. I know the best way to keep back pain away is to get my workouts in and I have chosen more often than not lately to stay snuggled into bed instead of getting a workout in.

3. The lack of smiles and hello’s from people in the morning but what have I given out to others? Before I complain I should consider if the appropriate amount of morning coffee has been consumed AND have I smiled and said hello.

Instead, I’m looking at what makes things so good. Like this past weekend:

1. Little Guy got to spend time with GrandB and GrandC while Big Poppy and I played broomball in the cold.

2. Big Poppy, Little Guy and I were able to attend a hockey game with Uncle Park-it and Favorite Niece (I changed her name, it fits better).

3. I got a knitting refresher and can click my needles along with other beginners again.

4. Little Guy is so happy. HAPPY! might be a better way to describe it. His smile warms your heart and his favorite new game it to put his arms out to be passed between Big Poppy and I, give a hug and then be passed back.

5. It’s very cute to see Little Guy put his arms out to Jeter, expecting to be picked up and hugged, but instead getting a quick kiss (followed by several more).

So Far, So Good.

What more can you say when you have so much good in your life? I believe in karma, especially when it’s convenient. Keep the happy, correct the unhappy, and keep moving along. And keep in mind:

Don’t give others what they don’t want

***Ever wonder what to do while taking a lunch break? Ponder life of course.***

Don’t give others what they don’t want. ~ Japanese proverb

Last night I had the pleasure to keep company with some pretty girls. They were smart ones at that. It is great spending time with those you like, respect and challenges your thinking. What can I say, I have a great book club group (and some time soon I will get you caught up with our reads and those to come).

We tried something new this December. The month was read free, at least in terms of a book club selection. We still met last night – if was not obvious from my previous thoughts – and talked about the holiday season, what our traditions were, live trees vs. permanent trees, December reads and a host of other items. There was also a white elephant book exchange where we were gifted a gently used book, whether it was our own or someone else’s who had long forgotten the book was MIA.

We played the dice game, my rules ;), and selected not only a much loved book but also a small pocket book one of the fair headed ladies brought for everyone. The little book I won is Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book on Eastern Wisdom. And after much prolog, we are now to what I wanted to talk about today.

When I flipped open Open Your Mind for the first time, my eyes rested on this:

Don’t give others what they don’t want. ~ Japanese proverb

At first glance I was shallow. How fitting, make sure your presents to someone reflect them, not your picture of them. I am embarrassed to admit this thought. Even more embarrassed to know too many times in my life where I have rolled my eyes at gifts better suited for someone else.
And then, this morning, driving to work, walking into the building, riding the elevator to my floor (some day I’ll take the stairs again), I started to really think about the Japanese proverb. It was not a conscious effort but the proverb kept playing in my mind. Something ate at me.

Don’t give others what they don’t want. ~ Japanese proverb

I got it. Don’t give others what they don’t want!

Really, how simple is this?

Do others want your bad attitude? I don’t think so; I can smile and be realistic at the same time. I know how to spin gold out of the pile on the floor. What gives me the right to give others my piss poor outlook on something?

Do others want your gossip? Well, maybe they do but do the ones you are talking about want you to be talking? There is no reason to talk about others in a negative way (though I do believe in the power of venting – then move on). I can take a lesson from Thumper’s dad…got nothing nice to say, then say nothing.

Do others want to hear all about you all the time? Probably not. At some point the daze eyes and the shift in posture should clue you in to see about them. Better yet, don’t wait for these signs to find out how they are doing; what is new in their life.

Don’t give others what they don’t want. ~ Japanese proverb

This is just so true on many levels for me. I plug along in my days and think how I am providing warmth and comfort for my friends and family and then something small, like this, reminds me I am also providing discomfort at times.

Don’t give others what they don’t want. ~ Japanese proverb

I need to keep this in mind.

Poser?

I am begining to think Little Guy may be a poser. A camera poser that is.

Let me give you a recent example. Like any good mommy, I decided to branch out Little Guy's food selection. I made him peaches. Who doesn't like peaches? They are sweet. They are tasty. They are peaches. The first time Little Guy ate bananas we could not shovel them in fast enough (that is still the case).

Given how much Little Guy enjoys bananas, I thought peaches would be a slam dunk.

How wrong I was. Little Guy tried to prove me wrong.

I tried to give peaches Little Guy. He refused. A head turn to the right and mouth claped shut.

Big Poppy made faces to get Little Guy to laugh and allow me to sneak peaches into his mouth. Little Guy laughed until the spoon came near. Then the mouth flew shut and Little Guy gave me the stink-eye.

And then I remembered, the camera. Any time the camera comes out Little Guy strikes a pose and usually something fitting for the situation. This was no different.

There are no signs of Little Guy's refusal to eat peaches.

You would never guess any time the camera was put down this poser sealed his mouth tight.

I mean, Little Guy's mouth could not be wedged open for anything...except the camera of course.

How many pictures does it take to finish peaches for breakfast? 17.

The lesson we learned. Little Guy will do anything we want with a camera around. He is a great poser.

Side Note: Little Guy eats peaches just fine after this first taste day. No camera needed.

Side Note 2: On the same day of the tasty peaches, Little Guy had cauliflower for the first time. No camera needed and Little Guy wolfed them down. What kind of kid prefers the taste of cauliflower over peaches?