In the summer time...

Summer time. I always have mixed feelings when this time of the year approaches. I look back over a successful year of directing and teaching and feel accomplished. There is no doubt though that I’m ready for the school year to wrap up and enjoy the time off but it also leaves me feeling melancholy. Saying goodbye to seniors and other students not returning, knowing that I will not have some students in class again, figuring out how to be a stay-at-home mom, instead of a working mom can be tough. Here are a few pictures from our first week of summer.

Not feeling good so he spent the morning watching cartoons and carrying his blanket around.

We went up to my room at school for a few minutes. I brought lots of toys to entertain him but he occupied himself with our class flag instead.

Playing with Charlie on the bed while I was getting ready.

Trying out the new slide!

So now the first week of summer has past, adjustments have been made and now the fun can really start. Carter is almost 17 months old and is so much fun to be around. He is making connections between things and is curious about everything. He has started feeding himself with utensils and is adamant about doing it himself. He is very patient when he’s feeding himself and he doesn’t seem to get overly frustrated when it takes him a long time or is difficult. He LOVES to be outside. We spend a lot of time playing with the water table or his Cozy Coupe or the pool. Yesterday, I bought him a slide just to add a little variety. Plus, it’s something he can play on that builds some independence. His vocabulary seems to be growing but it does require some deciphering. Here’s a list of his words/phrases and their translations (we think):

Oh ma= Oh, man!

Mo= Food and/or drink

Mall= ball

Dog=dog

Ninnie= Winnie and/or Charlie

Mom/Mommy/Mama= Me

Dada/ Da= Shelby

Me= Carter

Nee= Tree/Outside

Ernie= Ernie (as in Bert and Ernie)

Yeah= yes

No= No

He points A LOT to everything and to himself when he wants something. He claps any time we say “Good Job!” or when an audience applauds on TV. He likes to play peekaboo and patty cake. He likes to dance to music and he likes to make us laugh. He’s been teething, which is no fun for anyone. Yesterday, we took our first trip to the urgent care center because he was running a high fever. But thanks to medicine, our sweet, funny boy was back in no time. He is a serious player. I don’t mean with the ladies, I mean he plays seriously. There are times we hear him get quiet and find him amidst a pile of books, flipping through the pages. When he gets a new toy he studies it closely and intently trying to figure it out. Shelby and I have commented more than once how he really does seem to have qualities of both of us. When he has a new audience of people he likes to be at the center of it, he likes to entertain for sure. But he also observes new situations carefully and can entertain himself for long periods of time. This quiet time is great for me. It leaves me time to prepare for next year! Time to write new lesson plans and tweak others and hopefully have more time to update a blog!! 

My Kid and The Leibster Award

So clearly I fell down on blogging. I meant to, really I did. But you know how it is, one things leads away from another and before you know it you haven't updated your blog in ages. I guess it's a good thing I'm not a professional blogger. So here's what's been going on for me-school and Carter. Really everything pretty much falls into those two categories. Carter is walking, talking, playing, and just being plain awesome. He loves his blankie and basketball right now. We'll see what he likes most tomorrow. Everyday is different and so much fun. To be honest the only reason I'm blogging now is that a friend gave me a little push. More on that in a minute. In the mean time, let me put up a few Carter pics for those of you who enjoy that kind of thing. Probably you've seen many of them on facebook already. In no particular order...

In other news...

I’ve been nominated for a Leibster Award. It’s cool but it’s not what you’d think. The real "gist" of the Liebster Award is that there is no real award. There are no judges, no special rules. No website with an official team to congratulate you or give you a hand. It's mostly what you want it to be. If you receive the award, you can 1) accept it and 2) pass it along. It's that easy. My understanding is that it was originally created to get bloggers blogging if they have lost their steam. My friend, Charee Godwin-Smith, nominated me and I’m grateful for the jump start in blogging again. So here are the requirements:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link your post to their blog.
2. List 11 facts about yourself then answer the 11 questions given to you.
3. Create 11 more questions for your nominees, all of whom have 200 or less followers.
4. Comment on their blogs to inform them of their Liebster Award nomination

11 Facts about Me

1. I dream almost every night and they are VIVID. My dreams almost always deal directly with whatever I am currently engaged in. If I’m in the middle of directing a play, I’ll dream about the cast or not being prepared. Last week, I dreamed that the zombie apocalypse had started, so I had to scavenge for food in other people’s houses. Along the way I also grabbed a few books from their shelves for entertainment during the long invasion of the zombies. My reading selections you may ask…Batman comic books and The Bernstein Bears.  Clearly, all that can be chalked up to watching too many episodes of The Walking Dead and reading books with Carter. Still, such a weird combo.

2. My biggest pet peeve is when you go to the movie theater and there are plenty of seats available and someone sits down directly in front of me. For many of you this may not cause a problem, but for me, it affects my movie viewing in several ways. Number one, my feet don’t touch the ground in theater seats, so I have to put my feet on the chair in front of me so my back doesn’t start hurting from dangling feet or so my feet don’t fall asleep from sitting on them. And number two, sometimes I can’t see over people’s heads. Yes, I really am that short. Seriously, if you see my feet already up on the seat and there are plenty of seats still available in the theater, DON’T SIT IN FRONT ME. Sheesh.

3. I love BBC shows. I haven’t found one yet that I don’t like. I am particularly addicted to old episodes Poirot right now.

4. I could eat Asian food for every meal- Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian. You name, I’ll eat it.

5. I love my job. But besides teaching there are two things that I would consider to be my dream job. The first would be working for the Jim Henson Company. I would love to work on Sesame Street or anything to do with the Muppets, in ANY capacity. The second would be special effects makeup. I seriously geek out over a well done monster or fantasy makeup. I would love to go back to school to learn more about FX makeup. But those schools are all very expensive and very far away. Sigh.

6. I love reality television. I don’t watch nearly as much as I used to but thanks to DVR and On Demand, I still try and catch as many episodes as possible. Shows I’m watching now include, Project Runway, Face/Off, The Voice, Comic Book Men, and Something Borrowed, Something New. My favorites are probably The Deadliest Catch and Big Brother. My favorite part of summer is watching Big Brother. Really.

7. I cry at everything. A commercial, TV shows, YouTube videos, it doesn’t matter. I’m a crier.

8. I get excited every year around April 14&15 because it means that articles and documentaries with appear with the latest theories and discoveries about the sinking of the Titanic. It’s morbid and weird, I know. But after all these years, I’m still obsessed and can’t get enough information about it.

9. I introduced my husband to many of the things he loves most and sometimes he doesn’t give me credit. Arrested Development, ER, The Beatles, West Wing, any of these ring a bell, dear?!

10. I can’t wait to share all the movies I loved as a child with Carter. I keep buying movies even though he isn’t yet old enough to sit through a whole one and understand it. But the day we watch An American Tail together will be a truly happy day.

11. Sometimes I narrate events in my head like I’m in a movie. Is that weird?!

Questions given to me to answer from Charee

1. What motto do you live by?
2. Give me a favorite quote!
3. Favorite book (like one of your top 10)...
4. When was the last time you were inspired? Tell me about it.
5. Name your style.
6. What music are you listening to these days? Why do you like those artists?
7. If you could win a real award, why would you win it? (Screen writing? Acting? Singing? ??)
8. Tell me something about yourself that would surprise me.
9. If you could retire today and know that you could live comfortably, what would you do with your time?
10. Biggest pet peeve?
11. What is one major change you'd like to make in the next 2 years?

1. Be ye kind one to another is a something I try to live by. But I also like Wil Wheaton’s way of saying it, “Don’t be a dick.” (Sorry, Mom.)

2. Hard for me to choose just one but I think today I’ll go with e.e. cummings (also my favorite poet): "Love is the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness: the truth more first than sun, more last than star...”

3. I should say Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I initially read it because it is my grandmother’s favorite book but I fell hard for Rhett Butler. It’s a different read now as an adult than it was as a teenager though. BUT if I’m super honest I’d have to say that Jemima J by Jane Green is probably really my favorite. I re-read at least once a year when I’m feeling really bad about myself but since it’s a guilty pleasure book I don’t always admit to it.

4. I get inspired daily by my students but recently it was so cool to see them involved in an intelligent debate over a communication topic. I love those moments when I can SEE the spark of knowledge ignite and for a brief time they share my passion for the subject. I wonder often what they will take with them from their time with me. I’d like to know someday.

5.Vintage/Ecclectic/Classic- I like what I like, but I also try to stay up on what is trending and incorporate it into my style. I feel especially successful when one of my high school students compliments my outfit. Then I know I’m doing something right. Someday I hope to wear the clothes I see in magazines and on pinterest. But right now they don’t make a lot of those cute things in my size. Someday though.

6. The Beatles in my car CD player, the 60’s station on my Sirius Radio, The Head and the Heart in my classroom, and Mumford and Sons on my mp3 player. Again, I like what I like. I love what moves me. I don’t think I’m a snob like SOME PEOPLE I know (Shelby). In fact last night I surveyed the CD’s I had in my car and realized that I had hip-hop/pop album, a country album, a folk album, and several indie rock albums, with a little straight up pop thrown in. But The Bealtes just make me happy, music from the 60’s reminds me of my Dad and of a time I wish I’d been around for, The Head and the Heart are mellow and soulful which help in the chaos of a school day, and Mumford is just for me.

7. I’d want to win a Tony for Lead Actress in a Musical. I so wish I had THAT voice.

8. On a clear night when the stars are visible, I always look for Orion’s constellation. When I’d get home late from work in the costume shop in college, I could always see him as I walked up the stairs to my apartment. I always felt safe when I could see him. I started calling him my friend and would say goodnight to him. I still look for him and say hello, friend. And if I ever have a male dog that is black his name will be Orion.

9. I’d stay home with Carter and travel as much as possible. Although, I do feel pretty spoiled getting to have summers off with him & Shelby. I think I’d also try and go to makeup school.

10. I already told you about my movie theater pet peeve, but another big one is when my students read over my shoulder as I’m writing on the white board. It drives me nuts! Just wait until I’m finished and you don’t need to read it aloud!

11. Lose a serious amount of weight (I have a plan). I got into good shape before I got pregnant with Carter. I’d like to get back there and go even further. I know I just don’t have a very healthy lifestyle and I’d like to change that. Nothing crazy, just healthy.

Now for my nominees- Jeremy Hatley and Shelby Wilson
I know neither of you have a lot of time but I was thankful for the encouragement to write again. So when you get a chance, here are the questions I have for you.

1.What is your favorite book series? Why?
2. If you could be anywhere else right now, what place would you choose?
3. What was your favorite book when you were in elementary school?
4. Who is your hero?
5. If you could have a super power, which power would you choose?
6. What single music album has had the most profound effect on your life?
7. What movie had the most emotional resonance with you after viewing?
8. What's one thing on your bucket list?
9. Favorite sitcom of all time?
10. What is your biggest pet peeve? What really erks you?
11. What do you like most about yourself?

7.5

Carter with Digby- 7 months

I know, I know. I’m behind. Again. Here we are just a few weeks away from month 8 and I’m just getting around to 7. It’s time to just accept that the blog gets updated when it gets updated. The last month has been busy. I started back to work on August 13^th and have been settling into a new school year and a new schedule. I wonder how other teachers feel about the first day/week of school but I hate it. The transition time involving getting procedures solidified and kids in the right place is my least favorite part of the year. But now that I’m two weeks in things are going smoothly and I’m enjoying being back in the thick of school. Leaving Carter, after getting to spend the whole summer with him, was hard. I so enjoyed mornings watching Sesame Street and Sid the Science Kid. And I've said it before and I’ll say it again, happiness is a sleeping baby on your chest. I loved our morning and afternoon naps on the couch. He is changing so much every day and I hate that I’m going to miss stuff. But again, leaving him with my mom makes my life so much easier. I know he’s taken care of and that Nanny is having a good time with him. He is almost crawling and gets frustrated that he is not able to go where he wants to. But even through his frustration, we usually have a very happy boy. I think we might see the first tooth soon…at least I hope so. Teething is no fun! We added Puffs to his diet (easily dissolved cereal pieces) and he loves to eat them! Carter is getting to the stage where he doesn’t like when we leave then room. He really gets upset when Shelby steps out of the room; he loves his daddy. Shelby has been really busy getting ready for school to start. I went up last weekend and helped him get his room ready. He was very tired after the first week of school but survived with an excellent attitude. We have a lot of adjustments to make figuring out how to spend time together and still get all our papers graded! I’m really looking forward to the weather cooling off and getting to do all the fun Fall things with Carter. His first Halloween and a trip to a pumpkin patch are top on my list. And then Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner. My, how time is flying!

happy.

curious.

mischievous.

studious.

giggly.

athletic.

cute.

done.

Six...belated

 I know, I know. I've been remiss in posting Carter’s 6 month update. 7 months will be here before you know it. We've been very busy the last month. A trip to Michigan, three weddings, and the news that Shelby got a teaching job for the 2012-13 school year kept things hectic. So I promise to write more for month 7 but in the meantime here are a few pictures from the last month…

 With Digby at 6 months

Working on sitting on his own.

Blowing raspberries at Mom.

 Saying hi!

Watching Sesame Street. This is his reaction to the Muppet, Murray.

Shelby and I on vacation in Michigan

Watching TV with Daddy. Two peas...

Such a happy boy.

Ready to go for a ride. 

Hi, Mom! I'm ready to crawl...almost.

I love to swing!

Sitting on my own. Not for too long before I topple over, but I'm getting close!

Month 5-Food Frustrations and Middle Names

Month 5-Food Frustrations and Middle Names

5 Months with Digby

We have been staying pretty busy here at Casa Wilson. The last few weeks Carter has been changing so much. We’ve established a really good schedule for us and he is sleeping and napping pretty well. Well, most nights at least. One of the biggest changes was adding food into Carter’s diet. Feeding Carter has always been kind of a touchy subject for me. I wasn’t able to breastfeed as long as I had planned. We had to supplement feedings with formula from the day we brought Carter home from the hospital. I tried everything: prescription drugs, herbal supplements, and every wives tale in the books. It was an incredibly trying time for me and while the decision to strictly use formula was the right one for us, there were still feelings of failure and worries of judgment. But there have been a lot of advantages to having Carter strictly be a formula baby. Shelby can feed him in the middle of the night which allows us to alternate nights on and it has helped Shelby bond with Carter. Going back to work was a lot easier not having to worry about pumping and we quickly settled into nice routine.

Then Carter’s 4 month check-up rolls around and the doctor told us we can start Carter on rice cereal. I was initially excited about getting to feed Carter real food that is until we fed Carter real food. The kid HATED rice cereal. He was completely disinterested and, boy, did he get mad. We tried over and over again, but he never warmed up to it. We tried different consistencies, different temperatures, you name it. He wanted none of it. I quickly got frustrated, reliving the discouragement I felt while trying to nurse. My kid was never going to eat real food! He’d go off to elementary school with a bottle in his lunch box. But then I shook it off and did some research. My mom gave me this great book put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics and it has become my go to source for questions. That book, along with a few other websites, assuaged my concerns and was assured that some kids just aren't ready for food at 4 months and that rice cereal doesn’t have to be the first thing they eat. So just before he turned 5 months we tried green beans. The first try was tough with results similar to the dreaded rice cereal but gradually he started to eat. He mimicked us as we showed him how to chew and swallow. He started to open his mouth wide and slurp green beans off the spoon. I was elated! We’ve had green beans for two weeks and no reactions so now we’ll move on to other green vegetables (peas), then yellow vegetables (squash), and then orange veggies (carrots and sweet potatoes). The doctor told us to save fruits for last because that is all he will want to eat if we start with that. Anyhow, I’m glad to have survived yet another milestone!

First Day of Green Beans

Last Day of Green Beans

After looking back over the blog I realized that we never really addressed how Carter’s middle name, Quinn, came to be. After exhausting the list of family names and not finding the right one to go with Carter, we turned back to our first name list. Quinn was on that list and one I think Shelby and I both liked. I’m not sure the exact moment we decided on it but here are the reasons why we selected it. When I was growing up some of my favorite memories with my dad involve listening to Oldies music. My favorite band growing up was The Monkees and when I went to college my radio was permanently tuned to the Oldies station. One of my favorite songs was “The Mighty Quinn” (I used to want to get a really big dog, like a Mastiff, and name him Mighty Quinn). The version I was most familiar with was the one performed by Manfred Mann. It was only later that I discovered the song was actually written by Bob Dylan. Dylan is one of Shelby’s favorites and so he liked the origin of the name more because of that. I think one of the things that sealed the deal was when I was pregnant and “Like a Rolling Stone” came on the radio and Carter started moving and kicking really hard. When the song was over he calmed down (to this day Carter really likes when Bob Dylan plays in my car). So Quinn seemed like the perfect marriage of my sentimentality and Shelby’s rock and roll sensibilities. Plus, “Q” is a pretty cool and unusual initial and it sounds good with “C”. In case you haven't heard it before (or haven't heard it in a while), here ya go!

Here are some of my other favorite moments from the last month!

Relaxing

Getting used to the bouncer!

We love bath time! He has started turning the pages in the book himself!!

Life at 4 months, Parent/ Teacher Conference, and More!

4 month Check-In- I’m a little late in updating the blog this month. Things have been a whirlwind with school winding down. I finished my last day of work for the year on Friday and we attended my brother-in-law’s high school graduation. We enjoyed a lovely 3 day Memorial weekend and now Carter and I are left to fall into our summer schedule. Carter had his 4 month checkup last Monday, a week after he turned 4 months old. He weighed 14 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 25 ¾ inches long. His weight is average for a 4 month old but his head and length are that of a 6 month old. He’s a big, solid boy. I’m constantly amazed at how he’s changing and what he’s learning. He smiles at us all the time and is watching our lips as we talk to him. Sometimes it seems like he’s even trying to mimic us and the sounds. Carter is rolling over, not often, not because he can’t, but I think, because he’s perfectly content to stay put (Shelby informed me last night that he thinks Carter is like me and doesn’t like change). He is spending less time on his play mat and more time in his swing because he likes to be upright and see what’s happening around him. He smiles a lot at the dogs and they seem to like him too. They both periodically check on him and Charlie is quick to let me know when the baby monitor goes off (as if I didn’t hear it!) and he follows me into the room when I get Carter up from his nap, or when I change him. I like the idea that, to Charlie, we are “his people” and Carter is “his boy”.

 Parent/ Teacher Conference- As school wrapped up, I actually found myself not quite ready for the year to be over. With my maternity leave right smack in the middle of the year, everything felt very disjointed. Everything fell into B.B. (before baby) and A.B. (after baby). But I do know that some very strange things started happening at school. This year marked my 5th year teaching at Ascension and my 7th year teaching over all. I finished the fall semester very tired and very pregnant. I was so ready for maternity leave and I think my teaching had fallen into a rut, things got a little stagnant. But after I had Carter and returned to work, I felt rejuvenated. I was excited to be back amongst the students and my passion for teaching had returned. I did lesson units I had never done before and I was amazed at what my students had produced. And those students whose behavior often had me pulling my hair out just didn’t seem to bother me as much. I think all that came from becoming a mom. I am able to look at students in a different light. They are all some mother’s “Carter”. So, being a mom has made me a better teacher. But I also think being a teacher is making me a better mom. I so want Carter to love learning and school. I want him to love to read and write. I’m doing all I can at this age to stimulate and engage him, but I really look forward to doing all those fun activities that come later. (I know, I know, enjoy this time while it lasts…trust me I am!) Being a teacher has also helped me be a better time manager, which I’m learning is essential in motherhood. I still have a lot to learn about juggling a clean house, work, a baby, and my own sanity! This summer is going to be so much fun!

And More!- One of the highlights of the last few months has been my encaustic art class. Encaustic painting uses hot beeswax as the medium. It has been so much fun, not to mention incredibly therapeutic. It’s my mommy away time. On Saturdays, I watch Carter for a couple of hours while Shelby holes up in the office to write and work on his blog—his daddy away time. I think it’s been really great for both of us to continue to have time to ourselves to be creative. I think it makes us better parents to have time to do what we love to do. Here’s the link to Shelby’s blog: http://thepurgingofthepencontinues.blogspot.com/ and here are a few of the finished pieces.

"On the Road to Chillicothe"- 8x8 Photo Transfer on Encaustic

Photo by Kim Jackson

"1/14/12"- 8x12 Mixed Media Encaustic

"Dust Bowl Dance"-10x10 Mixed Media Encaustic

3 Months and counting

3 Months Old- With Digby

Today, Carter is 3 months old. I am amazed at where the time has gone. Every day is filled with new discoveries and more and more we are falling into a new routine of life with a baby. At Carter’s 2 month check-up he weighed 11.95 pounds (average weight of a 2 month old) and his head and length was the average for a 3 month old. So far our kid is tall for his age, which is a huge relief to me. I always hated being the shortest one in the class. The doctor said he looks great and we were relieved that his first vaccination shots didn’t affect him too adversely that day. In fact, that night Carter slept for 8 solid hours. He repeated that marvelous feat for 4 nights then we had a couple of weeks of up-once-a-night feedings. Then this week we’ve been graced with sleep-full nights, even one of 9 ½ hours! I am super thankful our kid is sleeping through the night.

We’ve started to venture out more taking trips to Pampa to visit great-grandparents and Colorado Springs to visit cousins for the first time. Carter is an excellent traveler. The day trip to Pampa was really great. We left around his noon nap, arrived, visited, played, and came home when it was time for his evening nap. We tried not to mess up his schedule and it worked out really well. Last weekend, for Easter, we went to Colorado Springs to visit my sister-in-law, Shawnda, and my nephews, Ethan and Bryce. On the way up Carter slept from Amarillo to Raton. We stopped to change him, make a bottle, and grab some food. Shelby sat in the back with him and fed him. Eventually he fell back asleep and slept the rest of the way to Colorado Springs. It was so good to be with family and it was even better for us to get out of our comfort zone. We took Carter to Garden of the Gods (he slept the whole time) and he went to his cousin, Ethan’s, 3^rd birthday party. Then we went out to dinner. Taking him out in public still makes me nervous. I’m afraid he’ll have a melt down and people will stare. Everyone keeps assuring me that it bothers me more than it bothers anybody else but still it stresses me out. Maybe that will get better. We celebrated Easter morning with pancakes and Easter gifts. The drive home was wonderfully uneventful.

With Great-Grandma and Great-Grand-dad

With cousins Ethan and Bryce

With the Easter Bunny

The last few weeks we’ve had lots of fun changes and discoveries. A friend of my sister’s shared a Baby Einstein video with her. Carter loved it. Since then we’ve been given several others and Carter is in heaven. He sits and watches them intently. He has favorite parts that he reacts to each time. He especially likes things that spin. He makes a lot of noise when he’s playing now and is very loud! At times it’s hard to tell the talking from fussing. He’s been gumming his lips which cracks me up because he looks like a little old man missing his dentures. He’s come close several times to rolling over and I bet that happens in the next week or two. He grabs everything now and his hands are constantly in his mouth. Time to invest in hand sanitizer!

Happy Boy

Family Picture