random summer/fall 2013

Life, believe, is not a dream
-Charlotte Bronte

 Building a bookshelf the week before Will was born.

Fresh treats.

Saskatchewan summer skies.

One of Will's many "impressed" faces.

Baby's breath and lavender from my flower bed.

Our niece Faith.

Nova.

Will.

Eyes are the window to the soul. Cello.

Our neighbor's yearling.

Nap time with Dad.

Whenever it gets cold I like to look at pictures from the summer to remind myself of greener times. Not to mention I've been working on family yearbooks (my plan is to make a photobook every year with my favorite pictures from throughout the year and call it our "yearbook") and the majority of my pictures are taken when the weather is nice out. Funny how that works.

This summer and fall have seemed to fly by. Will is over three months old now and I'm not quite sure where the time has gone. We've been so busy with company and appointments it seems like getting things done that don't pertain to the baby are major achievements for me. I finally got around to building a little console table during nap times and even though it's not my best work I must say I'm just a little impressed that I was able to pull it off at all. Keith has been wonderful, and often on nice afternoons takes Will from me and kicks me outside to play with the horses. Which no matter what mood I'm in I come back happy.

Winter is fast approaching. The garden has been taken out. The hoses drained and hung. Heater put in the trough. Oil changed in the tractor. Straw put in the doghouses. Nova is fluffy again. The horses are fuzzy and are now full time open to the back pasture. We hope they will be able to winter graze back there till January before we need to give them hay, but we'll see how the weather cooperates. Keith is of course the one to credit for the vast majority of winter preparation. We now have a dusting of snow on the ground and yesterday morning it was -15C. Thinking back to last year's awfulness we're doing quite good so far.

Life has seemed so busy. Quiet yet busy. However that makes sense.

I just need to make sure I remember to take pictures. 
 

Eat, Poop, Sleep, Repeat

Will is growing. Like growing way too fast growing. At our final checkup at the midwives he was 12 lbs 4 oz, and has just started slowing down a bit (he had been putting on a pound a week, the latest pound was over two weeks). At the pediatricians office he was in the 85th percentile for boys his age, and I have officially packed away the newborn outfits and he is fitting perfectly into three to six month clothes. I am frantically trying to remember every little moment and feeling of what he does, and part of me worries that I should just still and calm myself and enjoy all the little moments.

I can't help myself though. A lot of our days are spent with me staring at him and holding my silly iPhone camera in his face.

In the last couple weeks he is really starting to interact. Starting to look into our eyes rather than us just gazing into his. Starting to smile at us when he is in a good mood and make this little laugh. Starting to demand entertainment when the house is too quiet. He loves going places and seeing things, the more commotion the better. He's now been to two football games already and has been great for both. I'm thankful for when naptime goes long as I'm enjoying whatever quiet time I can get. As he quickly gets bigger and more and more busy I know he will keep me on my toes and my quiet "me time" will likely soon become a thing of the past.

For now, I'm enjoying the naps. The little sighs. The gummy toothless grins. The fighting to gain head control. The way he rests his head on my chest once holding it up himself gets too tiring.

And of course, all the blurry iPhone pictures :)

3 weeks (Things I don't want to forget)

I cannot believe that Will is already over three weeks old! Everyone says the newborn stage goes by so fast and I must say I agree. It seems like he changes every day. That being said, I would like to keep track of "Things I don't want to forget". Since my memory sucks (although I must say, my post-pregnancy brain is improving) I'm going to write things down here.

So to Will, some things I don't want to forget:

1. The biggest thing. You have made me want to be the best person I can possibly be. I feel such responsibility for shaping you into a nice, happy, kind, and thankful boy. For making you a good person.  I know that one of the best ways to help this along is to set a good example. And as such you make me want to be as good a person as I can. To demonstrate good manners and good values. To have as great a marriage as we possibly can so you have something wonderful to look up to. It's huge. And it's awesome.

2. The way your dad looks at you and snuggles you. Melts my heart.

3. When you're awake and you just stare off into space with your little newborn look. Not quite able to focus on anything, just enjoying looking. You spend what seems like forever staring out the window. Content to just be.

4. Your goofy newborn smiles. You have one where its just a grin and you show off your little cheek dimple, and then you have another where you scrunch up your nose and make a big wide smile. My heart is now a puddle.

5. The little noises you make in your sleep. Your muttering. Your little sighs. Sometimes you sound like a baby dinosaur and it's adorable. Sometimes you sound like you're really struggling and it terrifies me, then I look at you and you look perfectly content. Stinker.

6. Sometimes when you're done nursing you smile to lose your latch and it is just the cutest thing. You're usually sleepy when you do this and you just look so content and milk-drunk with this sleepy smile on your face and milk dripping off your cheek.

7. The way you peek out from your towel after bath time. Wide awake. Fuzzy wuzzy hair.

8. The way you smell after bath time. And in general. Newborn. Swoon.

9. How ridiculously comfortable you look all the time.

10. How simple and innocent your life is. You are so content so long as you have your momma and a nice place to sleep. No worries. As an adult ("adult") I'm noticing it so easy to get caught up in so many worries. Especially if you're a worrier like I am. Money stuff, job stuff, planning stuff, health stuff, social stuff... the list goes on and on. And looking at you just so content to be living it soothes me. It's grounding. I hope to keep your little innocent mind content like this and protect it from the world of worries as long as I possibly can.

Will

Life began when I saw your face...

Nothing could have prepared us for the feeling of taking this little one home. Our little one. Keith and I were both in shock as we left the hospital. "So they're just letting us take him? Just like that?"

The past nine days since Will was born have flown by. There have been sleepless nights. There have been good nights too. I have cried, I have smiled, I have been pooped on, I have felt completely overwhelmed by so many emotions, I have marveled at how innocent and perfect this little life is. We are completely enchanted. And every time I watch Keith turn to mush as he holds his son I want to cry with happiness at how blessed I am.