Valentine Schmalentine

So, I know it's been a while since Valentine's Day, but I took the time to take pictures of all the little gifts I gave Ryan leading up to Valentine's day, I ought to post them.

I started on Feb. 1st, and had planned on a gift a day until Valentine's day... but I ended up forgetting on some of the days I worked and such. So it's not a full 14 days of gifts. The idea came from a co-worker, who thought of most of the cute little sayings. I did throw in some of my own though.

I don't think I'll be repeating this little bit of fun. Ryan didn't seem too impressed. He appreciated the puns, but seemed un-exited about most of the gifts. Except the nuts, the kit kats, and the chex mix. Which isn't surprising as gift-giving isn't really either of our "love languages". I just wanted to make him feel special.

7 Months

I had planned do a sort of 7-month photo shoot of Malcolm, but the weather was crappy today and my inside pictures didn't work out. Then I looked at my picture supply and realized I've got more than enough! Especially since downloading the Instagram app on my phone. It's a serious problem really. I take hundreds of pictures a day of this kid. But I think I've managed to capture everything I'd include as an "update" in a picture.

So... at Seven months Malcolm is:

Super patient and chill. He sits in his stroller for a good 35 minutes 3 days a week while I run/walk my way to a triathalon. (oh, a triathalon includes biking and swimming? Huh. Guess I should do some of that eventually...)

An excellent sleeper.

He sleeps consistently 11-12 hours a night and takes two 50-120 minute naps a day. Plus a mini cat nap in the evenings for 20-30 minutes.
He also always goes to sleep on his own. In fact, Laura tried to rock him to sleep the other night and he just wouldn't do it. But after putting him in bed and walking away... bingo! Sleeping Malcolm. He usually cries for 3-5 minutes and then goes to sleep.

He wears hats. (What? not an accomplishment? Whatever.)

He loves baths

He got one cup in each hand the other day and started banging them together.
He bangs everything he gets his hands on pretty much. Everything gets shaken or hit against something else for testing.

Malcolm can stand with assistance.

He really doesn't know what to do in his Johny Jump Up. I only tried him in it again just yesterday. This picture makes it look like it was no good, but he was actually enjoying it. Though he just stood there and talked about it--no "Jump up"'s.

He still has two bottom teeth, but has been drooling in some top buds too.
Any day now they should be breaking through, I can just barely see them.

When you sit him down with his box of toys he will take every single one out of the box. (With a pause to of course bang and/or shake each one. or to mouth it.)

It's so fun to watch him watch everything and then test it out for himself.

New foods since last update: peaches, apples, carrots, cheerios

He's a big fan of feeding himself when he can. But he has no pincer grasp so it's just big rice rusks or things in his mesh feeder bag thing.

Trying Grandma's toast. He sucked the butter off like kids suck on wash rags in the bathtub.

Malcolm LOVES the cat, Afro.

And Afro likes him too. He will sit by him when he wants to be "pet". That is, have his fur grabbed in tiny fists. Really Afro doesn't mind, which is good. We'll see as Malcolm gets older though. Since right now Afro can easily step back a bit and Malcolm is out of reach.

He loves his feet and pulls off his socks regularly.

Often when I put him down for his nap he just sits in there making noises and talking to himself. Or screaming (the happy kind). I'll go in to re-wrap him in his blanket and get him to really sleep and he'll have at least one sock off soaking wet next to him.

Pretty much Malcolm is the coolest kid ever. We love being his parents. If you don't have kids, you totally should. They really are all they're cracked up to be.

Goblin Valley: Driving Home

On the last day of our trip Laura and Andrew came over and used our motel shower, then we packed up and headed out. It was supposed to be a snowy day so we decided we would just drive home. We planned to take the scenic route though.

Our Motel

This is pretty much Hanksville. Exotic, no?

I took a ton of out-the-window pictures on our scenic drive. We drove through Capitol Reef National Park.

I have done this scenic drive through Capitol Reef before with my dad and remember it being really cool. But you have to ford the river. We got to the river and just turned around. I don't think our cars would have made it. High clearance needed! If I had thought about it sooner, 5 miles before this part of the road we could have gone on a different section and met up with with it and not had to cross the river. I was pretty disappointed we couldn't do it.

After not being able to drive that road, Ryan remembered we were pretty near Richfield and remembered a little restaurant we had gone to years ago that had the best ham steak he'd ever had. (Me too, I tasted it. It was amazing. And I'm using the word amazing to describe ham steak--it was that good.) We decided to venture that direction next.

Well, after reaching the spot we thought the restaurant should be in (right next to the Richfield I-70 exit), to our dismay it wasn't there! But there was a Wingers, and Laura loves Wingers, so we went there instead. After stuffing ourselves, we headed out and low and behold... Richfield has two exits.... you guessed it. Yes, the restaurant was at the other exit. Bwa bwa bwa.
Oh well, until next time Richfield!

It was Dad's birthday, so we just kept on driving up to Bountiful for Sunday dinner and birthday cupcakes!

Bloglessness

I have been such a bad blogger lately. I just can't find the time! It takes so long for pictures to load, and I can't blog while doing other things--like say, watch a child, or spend time with my husband. So it's kind of fallen by the way side lately.

Which is unfortunate, as I really really like blogging! I want to do it as regularly as I used to, even a month ago. I don't know how I used to fit it in.

Wanna know where "mommy brain" comes from? Not from losing brain cells or anything like that. It's from too much to keep track of. At any given minute of any day you are always thinking about 3 hours ahead and planning for those next three hours. Then you're using whatever brain power you have left to focus on what you are doing presently.

And that's why I feel like an idiot most of the time. I can't remember anything.

I don't know what's going to happen when we have more kids. Or just when Malcolm gets older! I don't have time to do anything because I'm too busy doing everything!

Stuff I'm doing:
household chores
feeding baby
playing with baby
"enriching" baby
trying to train for a triathalon (TRY being the operative word)
planning what to make for dinner
maybe showering
finding leaking water in the basement
pureeing vegetables into baby food
finding some excuse to leave the house (I'm pretty sure there must be something I need at Costco...)
Visiting teaching
Young Women's
laundry
reading
cutting tiny fingernails off before they scratch tiny faces
letting the cat out/in
picking up baby, putting baby down, picking up baby, putting baby down
facebooking and taking pictures on my phone
watching my son do 8 million ridiculously adorable things all day long

Really, the list could go on and on.

Some very simple things I wish I could just squeeze a bit more time in for:
playing the piano
praying
time with Ryan when I am not already absolutely exhausted
exercising my brain--learning something new
Calling a friend on the phone


Have you seen the movie Date Night? Steve Carrell's character asked Tina Fey's character if she fantasizes about Mark-E Mark's character and her reply?: That she fantasizes about being alone in a room with no noise.
I have that fantasy.
Though noise is not the problem since Malcolm isn't that noisy.

I fantasize about one day, just one day, where I don't have to do anything. No responsibilities. No callings. No chores. No phone. No internet. No tv.
Probably a pool and some sunshine.
And someone else watching my child when he's cranky and I'll play with him when he's happy and I feel in the mood.
And Ryan, well fed and well slept and in the mood he gets at about 10 am that I usually miss because he's working where he gets sort of giddy and tells all sorts of witty jokes and goofs off. Damn lucky co-workers of his.

That's my fantasy.

What's yours?

Valley of Goblins

Goblin Valley is really fun if you're school aged, or teenaged--or if you haven't just hiked 4 miles. (or was it 6? --we really don't know how far we hiked in even a remote definite number so we just kept making stuff up. It got longer as we got tired-er.)

It's great for games like hide and go seek, man hunt, and marco polo. Other wise, you just do what we did: wander around among the hoodoos and take pictures of stuff. It really is a crazy valley of rock formations.

Our own little goblin:

It was a bit bright for any full face shots.

We went back to our motel to try to force a nap on Malcolm, but he just lay there making noise. So our hungry selves caved and we walked next door to one of the only places to eat in town.
This picture is funny because of Malcolm's face. He had just dropped his keys on the floor and Laura had taken them away and so you can see him looking at her like--"Hey, you key stealing..."

Look how tired he still was. It was an early bedtime for him that night. Which made me a bit sad because we had planned on having a fire at Laura and Andrew's campsite.