Blake's Week...

It’s been a crazy but productive week.  I don’t really remember everything that happened at the beginning of the week because honestly I often find that I’m so busy I forget to go to the bathroom before leaving the house.  That seriously happens.  All the time.  This is why I need to write more.

Blake ventured out on Wednesday to see my students before they went to prom.  I’ve had these kids since they were in 8^th grade so I feel super old.  I also feel old because I’m genuinely worried about them at prom weekend.  They like to tease me when I say things that are super “mom-like.”  They tell me I’m “such a mom,” which honestly isn’t offensive to me at all because being a mom is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life, and if they think I’m being mom-like to them they must realize how much I truly care about them.  I don’t mom it up to everyone.  When did I get old enough to worry about kids at prom weekend?  Keith and I always talk about how differently you look at things when you have your own kid.  It’s not something I can explain.  Everything changes though.  You realize that no matter what, that person is someone’s child.  Someone’s child can make a really big mistake or do something really bad, but at the end of the day, someone cares about them and loves them and raised them.

Anyway, I got a sweet 5 day weekend for Memorial Day thanks to a mild winter and leftover snow days.  I got to spend the day with Blake on Thursday while Keith still had school.  On Friday Blake got to meet his super cute new baby cousin, Reid.  Blake loves animals and loves other kids, but Reid is so new and tiny that I don’t think Blake even realized he was a little human!

Now that baseball is over for Keith my life will be a little less hectic.  I thought I had this whole thing figured out by the last day of the season—going to work after not sleeping through the night since December, coming home to a wild man who was just awakening from a nap and wanting to play, and even getting a homemade meal on the table (gasp!).  I made a pot of sauce, had the pasta in the water, and I was getting ready to give Blake his dinner while I waited for Keith to get home.  Then Blake pooped and freaked out when I tried to change his diaper and thankfully my Dad showed up to drop something off at the exact moment that I was about to actually consider taking Blake outside to just hose him off because it was that or have my house covered in poop.  So Blake gets a new diaper, goes downstairs into the kitchen, picks up Jame-O’s water bowl and dumps it on the floor.  As I grab a towel to soak it up, (meaning, I drop towel on floor and move on), Blake proceeds to go into the dining room, take a bottle of vodka and knock it over.  To be fair, I had it sitting on the floor…the whole liquor shelf situation will be taken care of as soon as we have time.  Which obviously means it may never be taken care of.  Because even when we have time we probably won’t do anything about it.  But anyway, he knocks over the vodka and the top wasn’t all the way on so of course, I now have vodka all over my dining room floor.  I clean that up, get Blake in his high chair, and see Keith pull in the driveway.  Deep breath.  Laugh.  There are worse things in life than Blake playing in vodka right!?

Blake’s big event this week: he got sneakers!  He loves them.  He likes when we put his Crocs on him, but when we tried his sneakers on, he was just glowing.  It’s like he knows that he is a big boy now because he is wearing sneakers.  Maybe it’s also exciting because he went almost a year without ever wearing shoes since his feet were too fat for them.  Where are the shoes for babies with chubby feet?!  They deserve to look cute, too!  Anyway, he got red converse.  I’m obsessed with them, and so is Blake.

We took our first trip to the lake today and Blake played with his new sand toys, loved the water, and thought it was super cool that he could walk in the water. 

Also, I wrote this entire thing on my iPhone because Blake was asleep in the backseat of the car.  Because that’s how I got him to nap.  But luckily I only have to drive 10 minutes to hit up the drive thru at Dunkin Donuts to get an iced latte.  And I can do that while Blake is sleeping in the car.  See how productive I am?!

A Few of Blake's Favorite Things...

Blake recently had his birthday and got TONS of new things.  In fact, he got so many fun things for his birthday that he literally couldn’t sleep.  He woke up screaming the day after his birthday at 1:30 AM.  It’s not unusual for Blake to wake up, but it’s very unusual for him to scream for an hour.  The longer he cried the more I started to think something was seriously wrong.  Finally I turn the lights on, convince myself that his lips are swollen, and decide I need to take him to the ER.  We throw some clothes on him, bring him downstairs (where his toys are), and he INSTANTLY STOPS.  This little punk wanted to play!  Dude…it’s now 2:30 AM…GO TO SLEEP!  Actually, I don’t care if you sleep, please be quiet so I can sleep.

Keith saved me and played with Blake while I went back to bed.  Isn’t he great!? So what did Blake get that he loved so much he literally couldn’t wait to play?  I’ll share some of Blake’s favorite things…

1.     The Radio Flyer Ranger Wagon with Seat.  Blake LOVES his wagon.  From the very first time we strapped him in he thought he was important.  He immediately began waving (at no one) and demanded to be pulled around our house.  I would have brought him outside right away if winter hadn’t decided to come back.  The seat belt is perfect to keep him strapped in and we’ve already used it to walk down the block to the farm to buy some herbs for our garden.  For an entire week Blake and our cat, Jame-O, sat together in the wagon every morning.  More about Jame-O another time – Blake loves him, I love him, he hates me, and Keith hates him.

2. The Little Tikes Swing.  Blake can’t get enough of his swing.  He actually laughs just walking over to the swing.  Keith mowed the lawn and I trimmed up our shrubs while Blake was in his swing.  Every now and then we’d give him a push and he just sat there laughing.  That’s parenting at it’s best.  He could spend hours in his swing and I think it is adorable hanging off a tree in our yard.

3. This Teepee from Land of Nod.  Just kidding, he actually doesn’t really care about its existence.  Jame-o loves it, and I think it’s basically the cutest thing ever.  Keith got so excited when it arrived at our house that he immediately put it together.  We brought Blake downstairs on his birthday and he pointed at it, did his signature excited grunt, and ran over to it.  Then he mostly stopped caring it was there.  But it looks super cute in my living room and I think that one day he will love it.  At least I hope so.  Or I’ll brainwash him into loving it…whatever.  Don't mind the patched in floor.  It will probably be like that for years.  

4. The Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair.  We love it more than Blake and I fit into it perfectly so I kind of want one.  He does grab books and climb into his chair and it’s just super adorable.  Blake feels important and knows it’s his.  Sometimes Jame-O naps in there…and sometimes Blake walks over and pushes him out.  It’s funny watching his little personality develop.  He’s so sweet and he will share anything with anyone, but when he wants something he wants it.

5. A bat and ball.  Blake and I showed up to Keith’s baseball game on his birthday and the parents were super thoughtful and had a gift for Blake.  It was perfect because the bat is just the right size and they are both soft.  Every night we have a little baseball game.  Keith helps Blake hit, I pitch, and Jame-o plays the outfield.  It’s perfect.  At the end of the day we are tired and don’t feel like moving and for Jame-o it’s basically a huge game of fetch.  He picks the ball up in his mouth and drops it next to me.  If it weren’t for the fact that Jame-O literally attacks me and I look like I get beaten, he’d be perfect. (He may have some other poor qualities too, but if I can overlook scars all over my body I can overlook him knocking things off my counters).

Of course, when Blake isn't playing with his awesome new toys he can frequently be found playing with my pot holders, tupperware, plastic spoons, or his all time favorite - plastic water bottles.

We Are Doing the Right Thing...

Everyone has things that are important to them – especially when it comes to raising kids.  Some people don’t really believe in bringing kids places until they get older.  They don’t see a point in dragging kids around “for no reason.”  We are the opposite.  We have been bringing Blake out with us since he was two weeks old and we are so thankful we made that decision. 

Every Sunday we go out to breakfast with my parents before Blake goes to swim lessons.  We go to the same place every week, which is nice because my coffee is brought to me the second I walk in.   We have taught Blake how to sit at the table.  I always have books with me in case he gets a little antsy waiting for his food.  I can’t blame him for that, he gets that from me.  This kid loves to eat, as do I.  His thighs show it more than mine but they are really cute! 

Last weekend Blake took me out for Mother’s Day.  We went to this really cute tea room that I’d been dying to try.  They told us they didn’t have high chairs so we brought our new portable high chair (the Babymoov Up & Go Booster) and Blake loved it.  Of course, it was a super quiet place filled with antique china so Blake was practically sitting in the middle of the restaurant in order to keep him away from the china on the table.  Despite them taking forever to give us menus, take our order, and bring us our food, Blake was behaving really well.  Then it happens.  Blake lets out a scream.  The waiter walking by jumps, as do the three tables behind us.  We apologize, make sure we don’t laugh (even though it was sorta funny), and tell Blake that he can’t scream.  I give him a book and he sits there quietly reading for a while.  Another scream.  People look at us.  I feel terrible that people are trying to enjoy a quiet meal and there’s my kid, screaming.  I start to get stressed before I realize that no one minds.  They can all see that we are not just allowing our baby to be a maniac.  They tell us how cute Blake is. (He’s wearing seersucker pants, a white collared shirt and suspenders – he’s looking GOOD.)  Then a woman turns to me and tells me that she can’t believe how well behaved he is.  He is screaming because he is happy, but he is SO GOOD.  I start to relax.  And I get this really proud mom moment.  Because Blake IS so well behaved.  He is so happy.  And I know that part of the reason Blake is so well behaved is because we have been taking him to restaurants with us since he was 2 weeks old.  I took a deep breath, relaxed, and enjoyed the rest of my Mother’s Day beaming with pride and reassurance that we are doing things right.

I’ve never sat Blake in front of the TV and I’ve never given him an iPad or my phone.  He loves doing things and learning.  He loves to figure things out.  Remember when I said everyone has things that are important to them?  It’s important to me that Blake does not watch TV shows on an iPad while we are out to dinner.  He is so social and I don’t want that to ever go away.  I’m not judging people who do that.  I know there are times when I’ve done things I swore I would never do because I’m desperate.  I know that one time I saw you give your kid an iPad at dinner could be the only time you did it because you were just trying to make it through.  Still, I am so grateful every time Blake walks over to his books, picks one out, and hands it to me.  He wants to read.  He loves when we read to him, and I love that when it comes to choices, he chooses to read.

Of course, Blake is not perfect.  He did get super cranky twice when we went out.  The first time was on our anniversary.  I know tons of people would have gladly left their kids home for a night out, but I wanted to celebrate with Blake.  We try to enjoy everything we always enjoyed in the past but include Blake.  Blake fussed the entire meal and the only thing that made it ok was that we were sitting outside and the only table next to us was a bunch of moms who had totally been there at some point, and even offered to pass Blake around their table if we needed a break.  The second time he was fussy – my parent’s anniversary.  But Sunday morning breakfast at the diner?  Best behavior.  Go figure.

I’m glad I got to celebrate my first Mother’s Day after waiting an entire year.  Blake wiggled his way into the world the day after Mother’s Day last year.  Here we are, exactly one year apart!

Blake is One!

Blake just turned one.  My baby is one.  I think back over the last year and I truly don’t know where time went.  At this time last year the struggle to (unsuccessfully) get my maternity clothes to cover my belly had just ended.  I was no longer second guessing our decision not to take any classes because, honestly, we knew we’d be fine.  The number one thing that people seem to forget about raising a child is that no matter what, you will know that baby better than anyone else.   While advice can be helpful, just because something worked with your baby doesn’t make it right for mine.  Just because you believe in doing something a certain way doesn’t mean that I do.  And that doesn’t make me better than you, nor does it make you better than me.  We are making the best possible choices for our children.  You know what does make you a bad person though?  Judging the decisions I make.  Verbally judging the decisions I make.

Anyway…

Now we have this little man with a huge personality.  Blake is funny.  He just has his own little sense of humor.  How do we know that?  Because we do stupid things all the time but he doesn’t laugh at everything.  I don’t know how he knows certain things are funny, but he does.  We sneak up behind him and scream.  He jumps, then turns around and laughs because he knows we are just being silly.  Sometimes he is sitting in the backseat of the car and we just hear him laugh.  He is SO HAPPY all the time. He doesn't really sit still long enough to take photos anymore, so he's just a perpetual blur.

Blake hates to nap.  From the time he was born he’s hated to nap.  Friends told us that our baby would never be awake when we first came home from the hospital.  Blake was never asleep.  He is so alert and so aware that he is missing something while he is sleeping.  I don’t blame him.  There are so many worse things my child could be than a “bad napper.”

Just a couple weeks ago I started getting super weepy thinking about Blake turning one.  I got these huge flashbacks to the days following Blake’s birth when I cried just about 24/7.  I couldn’t stop.  I started to get worried about how much I was crying.  Nothing even had to happen.  One minute I’d be sitting there hanging out, and the next I would be crying.  Then one day it just ended.   I enjoy every second with Blake, but so far, this little one year old phase is the BEST!  He is just so much fun right now that I never want it to end.  

Hello, World!

Let us introduce ourselves…

I’m Hayley.  I’m married to a self-proclaimed stud, Keith, and we have the sweetest one year old in the world, Blake.  Keith and I are both teachers and coaches.  Keith teaches Biology and coaches baseball and volleyball while I teach art and coach swimming.  We work hard all year to provide for our family.  I was a lifeguard and eventually a pool manager until 2013.  The winter between 2013 and 2014 I started thinking about not working during the summer.  I didn’t think I could afford to give up the money that job provided for our family.  After realizing that the summer prior I basically worked the entire summer to pay for our honeymoon, I realized that we could probably make it work.  You read that correctly—I worked over 40 hours a week all summer to pay for our 10 day honeymoon and I would do it over again in a heartbeat.  We talk about Peter Island on a daily basis and love the memories we made there.  Back to reality…

Keith and I decided that we work hard all year and wanted to spend an entire summer together having fun before having babies.  Let me clarify—we were never under the impression that our lives would end when we had kids.  We just knew it would be different.   We had the time of our lives.  It was an amazing summer.  I had never been so relaxed in my life.  The summer ended with Keith turning 30 the same day we found out that I was pregnant.  I’ll never work another summer!  I long to be with Blake every minute of every day, but the reality is that we can’t do it on one income.  Sometimes we have long nights coaching, but it allows us an entire summer together.  (Note the above photo: pre-Blake...taken in my favorite place in the world, St. Maarten.  Below is exactly one year later with the little man in the same place.)

At the end of every summer we think to ourselves, “How will we have MORE fun next summer?  This was the best summer ever!”  Then the next year we outdo ourselves.  This summer will be no different. 

We are two of the most irresponsible people in the world.  Sometimes I swear one of the qualities I find so attractive in Keith is his irresponsibility—only because it makes me feel more responsible.  I think one person in a relationship is supposed to be the responsible one.  Whoops.  Piles of laundry?  I still have clean clothes to wear.  Dishes in the sink?  We’ll do them tomorrow morning.  Mortgage payments?  Just kidding…we do pay our bills on time.  Anything else can wait.  It will always be that way.  Why?  Because we have fun.  I’m not staying in to do my dishes when I could be out doing something fun.  They say messy people have more fun, and I agree.

So anyway, responsibility.  We took a photo of Blake each month with those little numbers.  By each month I mean, anywhere from 4-8 weeks would go by and we would take the next one.  Close enough!  Baby book?  Whoops.  See here is where we are not responsible.  That first summer that we weren’t working we decided to post a photo a day to Instagram.  I felt like it would force us to make sure we did something fun every day since we were sharing it with everyone.  We stuck to it and posted every single day.  I hope this is the beginning of us keeping track of our summer with Blake.  I can’t slack on something other people can see…