Miriam Lynn: The perfect present

Our niece, Miriam Lynn, was born on 12/16 at 5:57 p.m.! Her parents, Craig and Anna, can't stop smiling. And, wow, do they seem rested for having a newborn. It's impressive.  :)

Miriam was 7 lbs, 11 oz and 20.5 inches long (at least that's what the hospital said!) and has tons of dark hair. She's an absolute doll. Latham loves his new cousin.

Miriam's mom's birthday is today (12/25), so I thought it would be fitting to post today. We're so happy for Anna & Craig and absolutely thrilled to have another niece to spoil and bring Disney presents.

Here's the little angel.

Latham liked being in the photoshoot for a moment.

He loves bestowing kisses on his cousin!

Welcome to the world, Miriam Wright!!

Christmas Card 2013

This Christmas card shall be written in the style of a toddler’s attention span and in Latham’s voice (though the ghostwriter is his mommy). Take note of how quickly I move from topic to topic, of how my emotions may fluctuate at moment, and how similar I must be to James Joyce.  I have deliberately made crazy thought-changes and, hopefully, you’ll find it enjoyable (not annoying) to read. I just wanted to try to emulate the wild, wacky, weird days of how a toddler (might) think about life.

 

 A Reflection on 2013....and how I rule the world

Towards the middle of last December, we went to Disney World. Speaking of Disney, Mickey Mouse was the theme for my first birthday party in April. Lots of friends attended as well as both sets of grandparents. I also saw Grandma and Grandpa Blose in January, July, and November at my house and in June at their house. Grandpa retired so he promised to be here a lot.  At my birthday party, I had chocolate cake. It is AMAZING.

If we’re talking about amazing, Daniel Tiger is the coolest. Uggamugga, for real.

Anyway, I saw Gran and Granddaddy Copeland in February, June, and August too. I also saw them in November because we traveled to Alabama for the funeral of Grandma Butler (Daddy’s Grandma). She was a delightful lady—so sweet and kind—and she will be greatly missed.

Aunt Carol came to visit in July and we had some beautiful hikes out in Shenandoah National Park. I saw Aunt Bethany in November, and met Uncle David for the first time in June. I also got to hang out with my cousins Ethan and Eva in June; they are the coolest and can take baths by themselves and eat with minimal mess. Wow. I also found out that I like hot tubs.

I had two new cousins born this year—Eliana, in August, to Uncle Luke and Aunt Laura and Miriam, in December, to Aunt Anna and Uncle Craig. They are both cute, but oh-so-small. It’ll be fun when they grow up and can kick balls and play with me.

December has been a month of seeing people. We’ll be seeing both sides of the family!

When we visit family or go on trips, though, I miss Mr. Oliver. I love Oliver; he’s so gentle and always lets me play with his chewed-up tennis balls. In March, we went to DC, our nation’s capital! I met several friends of my mommy’s and toured the Capital Building. I almost got to go to the White House, but snow interfered with that plan. There was snow in January, March, and November this year. Every time I get to play in snow, it just seems more and more interesting. My daddy loves the snow, but mommy just wants to drink hot chocolate whenever it snows.

Snow and summertime both start with “S.” Neat. Daddy went to St. Louis for a few days in the summertime. He sent me pictures of Clydesdales and baseball games, but he said he was there for work. Mommy went to Louisville in June; she made Daddy and I Facetime with her all the time, but she said she was there for work too. I wonder if they eat crayons during work. That’s what I would do if I was left unsupervised.

Not all of this year has been stunningly spectacular. I had to go to the ER in May because I had an infection in my finger. And, this fall, I had both croup and pneumonia. Mommy and daddy took very good care of me, though I know they were always worried.

To really get them worried, I decided to become mobile and start chit-chatting whenever I can. I started walking in April and haven’t stopped since…except to run, run, run as fast as I can. I started babbling a long time ago, but really began talking over the summertime. Talking is hilarious. Mommy and daddy act like I’m the first person who has ever mastered speech, so I know I must basically be the most brilliant person ever.

I did learn that I’m not the only kid in the world. Mommy teaches on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I got to go to daycare on those days. It’s so much fun. I have a ton of friends, sleep on a nap-mat, and try my best to obey Ms. Loretta and the other teachers. I even learned to bow at daycare when I showed off my Hallowe’en outfit.

Hallowe’en brought a fancy gentleman-pirate outfit; I looked dashing. Everyone said so. I went to different houses and they gave me candy. Funny thing, though, all that candy disappeared overnight. And Mommy was super-hyper the next day. I think I’m going to have to pay more attention next Hallowe’en.

Daddy cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving. I didn’t think I would like it, but, whoa, it was juicy and delicious. I also liked Mommy’s Chex Mix; the holidays are good for food! Mmm, we had some chocolate doughnuts too.

I love reading, running in circles, dancing, spinning, throwing balls, kicking balls, laughing, and being tickled. I started sleeping better in the summertime, but that got a little boring. Gotta keep those parents on their toes, right? Or at least give them an excuse to drink wine.

Seriously, chocolate cake. Can I have some right now?

18 months

My little guy isn't so little anymore. Geez. And, I have to say, I love this age SO MUCH! So many new words, expressions, actions. So much love. So much silliness.

I knew I was never a big baby person. I love them, and I think they're wonderful; they smell sweet and are so needy and cuddly and fresh. But the toddler age--it's AMAZING! I love watching how Latham learns things. He knows all his body parts; he says about 20 words; how he says "Choo-choo" is THE CUTEST THING EVER. And that's just Adam's opinion, too.

My Latham is the most perfect being I could ever imagine. I can't believe I gave birth to such a wonderful bundle. Of course, he can be naughty. But he even looks cute (and knows it!) when he has to go to his time-out corner. And, wow, he just is doing so much. He's so athletic! He loves hide-and-seek! He loves tickling and being tickled! He loves talking to relatives on FaceTime! He loves taking my phone, holding it to his ear, and say "Hey!" He loves cleaning up toys! He loves Oliver! He loves reading!

And, he sleeps. LIKE THROUGH THE NIGHT. FOR SEVERAL MONTHS! For me, that is the biggest mystery. He went from helpless, sleepless infant to interested, sleepless baby to ambling, kinda sleeping toddler to THIS PERFECT MAN! Whhhhhaaaaaaatttt? Seriously, when the sleeping-through-the-night thing took hold, it changed everything for me. Geez.

To conclude: SLEEP IS AMAZING. My son absolutely rocks. Life is wild, but my Latham makes life look (and feel) GOOD!  :)

 Baby to Toddler...amazing!

Being a proud parent

My sweet Latham started daycare yesterday. He'll be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I've been working all summer to get him ready. I moved him to one nap a day, and then made sure that nap happened after lunch. We've been practicing napping on a nap mat, eating neatly, playing nicely, obeying (as much as possible) adults, and much more.

All of this practice and worry (on my part), and the day ended up going fine. He napped very well, played well, ate well, and was happy. This good report and a solid night's sleep (he slept for 12 hours, and even then I had to wake him) made me rather reflective.

It wasn't anything that I did that made the day work. And, when he has a bad day in daycare (as will surely happen at some point), it won't be my fault. He's a toddler and he definitely shows his own personality all the time.

Latham is happy with life, and confident that he's loved and cared for. He's inquisitive. He laughs and dances and smiles all the time. He can also scream and yell like a maniac, and loves to ignore mom and/or make her chase him all over grocery stores, museums, etc. He's a little piece of perfection rolled up into a crazy ball of willfulness, covered in the most beautiful curls imaginable.

And it's okay to be proud and scared and everything. That's part of being a parent, I guess. But it's also important to realize that he's exploring his world in ways that I don't recognize. He's probably more laidback than I am (maybe he gets that from his daddy). But Latham is his own person. And, wow, that's weird to say. He was attached to my breast for the better part of a year. He needed (and got) cuddles from me or Adam every 3 hours or so...especially at night! I can read his expressions and I know what he's thinking (most of the time). But he's his own little person. Having experiences without me, not needing my attention as much (at least during the night!), and just generally showing me that he will live his own life. It's weird. It's unsettling. It's what happens.

But I'm proud of who my Latham is now, and I know I'll be even more proud of him as time goes on.

Sorry if this rambles....but, hey, at least I produced a blog post, right? Be happy with that, y'all!  :)

Happy birth day to Eliana Rose!

Congratulations to the happy parents, Luke and Laura Copeland! Their beautiful daughter was born super-early this morning. I know that they're exhausted but that they are celebrating such a happy, blessed day. Since Latham was also born early in the morning (2:57 a.m.), I was able to think of April 7th as my "pain-day" and April 8th as the "glorious, wonderful, awe-inspiring, cuddle-day" of Latham's birthday. I hope Laura can do the same with August 1st versus August 2nd.  (Bonus: I plan to use April 7th in future years to get Latham to do tasks/chores/not argue/etc.)

L+L named their daughter Eliana Rose. I had to look it up, but Eliana (el-ee-AH-nah) is of Hebrew origin meaning "God has answered." It also is related to the Greek "Helene" and Old French "Elaine," so I already know that my newest niece is going to be quite the lovely, smart, successful gal.

Luke--great job of supporting Laura during the birth. Start figuring out how to scare off all the neighborhood guys. (My brother-in-law Chris recommends--for my other niece, Eva--not letting any boys talk to her and/or deploying her brother as a shield. In that case, we could loan you Latham.)

Laura--I barely remember the first few months. NOT because it was a blissful haze (though I hope it will be for you!), but I know you have a lot of people near and far to lean on. So lean on all of us! And please let me know how I can help. I know that you'll love motherhood more and more every day. Also, tell Luke to take a couple of feedings here and there--you don't have to do it all!

Eliana--you just keep growing strong, healthy, and gorgeous. We absolutely can't wait to meet you. Latham already smiles whenever he sees you. We'll be teaching him your name right away.

Love and smiles to you, Nashville Copelands!

Happy birth day to the Prince of Cambridge!

I really thought it would be a girl. I did.
And I planned to have Latham marry said princess and become King of England Now, that plan is shot. Oh well...I'm sure my little prince will still rule the world!  :)

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess. I'm glad they've been able to keep things fairly private, and I wish them the best as parents. I hope their little prince sleeps well. 

Cheers!

I made it!

I went a whole week without seeing my Latham or Adam. I went to the AP reading in Louisville. I was pretty grueling work (read: no sleeping in here!) but I did get to visit with friends and have some nice dinners out. :)

The worst, though, was being separated from my dear Latham. Adam sent me a lot of texts, pictures, updates. We Facetimed as often as we could. And, Latham, bless him...didn't seem to miss me too much. He was travelling with Daddy and had Gran as a visitor and got new toys, met a cat, danced at a wedding, and ruled the world. I guess he knew Mommy would always come back...but Mommy missed him like crazy!

So, I can do it! I can be away from him for a week. I don't have any plans for another week away though. And maybe the next week I'm away, I won't work 60+ hours!

May 2013 Photoshoot

Last year, we had a wonderful photoshoot with our fantastically skilled sister-in-law, Laura Copeland.

This year, we wanted to have another photoshoot, so Adam asked one of his former students to photograph us. Leo Shuoda Wang, a native of China, did a spectacular job! Leo graduated in May and had worked as a JMU photgrapher. We had to catch him before he left for graduate school Glasgow...off on a fun adventure! We are so lucky to know many people skilled with cameras! :)

We had our photoshoot this year in downtown Harrisonburg. The colors, background, and everything just seemed to work perfectly. Latham's hair, of course, can be credited with making the pictures even more fantastic.  ;)

I hope you enjoy our pictures!