leaf through

all kids love books, right? so i guess assuming my child must be a genius because he is 8 months old and loves to read would be a little out there. i just have to say though the books he chooses do seem a little advanced.

the irregular thumb sucker

unlike most moms, i was thrilled when teddy took a hankering to, "the good ol' thumb." the first three months of his life pacifiers were encouraged, only to have them tossed from his stroller like cig butts from passing motorists. the thumb, we thought, was a solution! an attached comfort device. frankly, i was thrilled to find something he liked besides, well...me. i didn't care a bit when strangers came up to me at the store to say, "oh no, you've got a thumb sucker there. you know that's hard habit to break." stories of little boys and girls who sucked long past toddlerhood and ended up with buck teeth also did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. as long as my teddy bear had a way to calm himself and feel merry all on his own, i was as happy as a peach.

all continued to go well until last week. thumb sucking suddenly slowed to a halt. so here is the latest scenario: new crib time antics, both sitting and standing up, (two separate feats he accomplished in the same week) is leading to difficulty sleeping when sleeping is in order. every time he wakes up, he immediately springs into a sitting position grunting and huffing as he works himself into a stance (I watched him do it through the crack in the door.) sleep is by the wayside while he makes sure that indeed, "yes, i still know how to stand!" while upright, however, it appears he becomes scared, starts crying, and flops himself back onto the mattress. one would think he should be fine, he is back into sitting position so he can easily lie down and catch a few more zzz's...after all it is 2:30 in the morning. nope, he is still so upset by the whole episode that he continues crying until mom arrives on the scene to nurse. since the thumb is mysteriously done...

"teddy, would you like a delicious, green, super cool, pacifier to try....again?"

all things galena

our time in galena has nearly come to an end. it is a lovely city and we truly had a memorable experience. ryan successfully completed his first power plant outage project. he learned a ton and feels confident about the work adventures ahead. it was fantastic to experience another new place, but as always we look forward to coming home...because well, there is just no place like home.

two cool things about galena that i haven't mentioned before:

1. president ulysses s. grant lived here. his home is now a museum.

2. the dress scarlet o'hara made out of the velvet green curtains is also in a museum here in town....and that may just be a contender for my favorite things about galena!

let me preface the photos below with an apology. it is waaay too many photos for one posting! i wasn't sure if i should create a seperate photo album of galena pictures or just post them on the blog....the blog seemed easiest!

in town:

at home:

at the park:

the life aquatic

yesterday we spent the day at dubuque's aquarium. we made fishy faces. we honked at the ducks. we celebrated the blessings of a st.valentine's day filled with the love of family.

the next gene kelly

when johnny and i were children we loved to sing in the bathtub. i remember scrubbing his back while we sang,"singin' in the tub. oh, i'm singin' in the tub. just singin' in the tub." all to the beat of "singin' in the rain".


teddy too, is turning out to be quite the little bath time vocalist. there are specific times of the day that we normally sing. before breakfast we put on old show tunes, sing and spin in circles. during baths we usually hit up some of classics from sesame street or go back to the days of "singin' in the tub". before bed (my very favorite) we sing country classics and bluegrass. lately, if something interrupts that routine, teddy takes on the singing himself. he has gotten so funny about it! we will be upstairs nursing before bed, and if i stop singing for a second he starts making up his own ditties. nursing and relaxation will be completely interrupted as he works himself up into anthem! not long ago ryan was the one bathing him and disappointingly he forgot to sing. it didn't take teddy long to make do for himself! i managed to get this short video of him:



he is just such a sweet heart! he thrives on routine and loves knowing what to expect...even the little things like singing together :) i know teddy's favorite part of bath time is the melodies. my favorite part is right afterwords when i have a little baby boy, giggly because he is sleepy, all sung-out, and smelling like he was sent straight from heaven. i caught him last night fresh out with the photo below.

here comes the sun

i understand why we have wrinkles. despite health reports, the advice of our mothers, and maybe even a history of empty aloe vera bottles followed by the loss of more skin than a snake...we just can't get enough of the sun.

lately, our family has been feeling the itchy, restlessness that comes with a long winter. so when the sun finally flexed her muscles and the temps rose to a blessed 60 degrees this week, we were all gleefully soaking up the rays. over the weekend the three of us filled our days with walks through the sleepy town of galena, window shopping and taste testing the famous local fudge. there seemed to be an unspoken pact that as long as the temp was above 45 degrees all activities needed to be outdoors. today, weekend behind us, teddy and i were on our own to think of new ways to enjoy the warm weather. we decided with rubber blocks and a radio in tow to go sit on the little cement slab in front of our house. it took a second to find the one tiny area the dripping roof hadn't left wet, but when we did it was perfect. the simplicity of watching teddy play outside, rotating interest between twigs, wet blades of grass, and then back to the blocks was beautifully pure and organic. although he didn't last long on our small square of dry, it was the enough time to feel the warm breeze, get our moccasin socks wet, and our hands a little muddy. mondays tend to be a bit melancholy for teddy, he misses daddy after the weekend...well...okay, we both do :) i usually try and find a special activity to fill the day. today, a hour outside was alright.

"little darling, the smiles returning to the faces. little darling, it seems like years since it's been here. here comes the sun, here comes the sun and I say it's all right" ~ george harrison

we climb on two by two

sleeping in an attic.

sampling the snow on a winter hike.

just what i'm seeking.

blessed art thou

as we've now decided to record our travels, we can't help but feel a little regret that we didn't start this journal-of-sorts earlier. after all, it has been a whirlwind of growth and change since december 29th, 2006. so here is a brief photographic synopsis of where we have been and how we have lived........

catskill mountains, connecticut

honeymoon, january 2007

lawrence, kansas

summer 2007

ozark mountains, arkansas

fourth of july weekend 2007

clarksville, tennessee

august 2007 - december 2007

big lake, minnesota

forever

a wild goose who flys with the moon on his wings

teddy had a week of merriment and adventure on his first extended trip away from home! when we sing about our favorite things tonight there will be a few additions... :)

ryan works for a company that is based in appleton, wisconsin and although he works primarily in the field, once in awhile he goes to appleton for training, certifications, or simply to help out in the fabrication shop. last week teddy and i decided to fly out and stay with him while he did a little work there. although it is always easier to simply stay home with our little bear cub, sometimes it is nice to leave the old toys behind and create a new playroom. appleton was great because we were able to stay at a big resort. we appreciated its ability accommodate our desire for two separate bedroom spaces. a seven month old has distinct needs and having a quiet place for him to sleep is top priority. rest was particularly important during this week of many firsts. first time on a airplane, first time in a pool, first week eating out regularly...he did wonderfully. he is such a studious little guy who loves people. content much of the time to simply sit back and take in all that is around him.

our favorite part of the week was watching teddy play in the kiddie pool! he was completely giddy by all the water...nearly hyperventilating as he tried to get in as quickly as possible! ryan and i had said a few days earlier that we needed to get him a big ol' bouncy ball! you know the plastic ones you tried to knock out of the tall, wire cage at kmart when you were a kid. every baby needs a ball...what if "ball" is destined to be his first word, what if it is the secret to creating a crawler...anyway i'm getting off track... so we were so excited to see a whole basket full of balls at the pool. perfect! teddy loved them and although he didn't leave the pool and crawl back to our suite, the floating balls did encourage enough flapping arms and kicking legs that i swear it looked an awful lot like swimming!


the week was great for so many reasons. i like that i can now picture ryan's company a little clearer, it is nice that we found a great place to stay if teddy and i ever decide to tag along again, i am now reassured that teddy could make the aviation adventure required to go see a godmother in seattle or fantastic auntie in tennessee, but most importantly it was great because teddy liked it. he liked the pool. he liked his colorful bedroom. he liked being with his daddy. and at the end of the day that is all that matters.