There was a period of time where if someone woke me (especially through the night) I'd become angry and aggressive. During that same period, if someone were to wake one of my children (especially through the night), I just might rip their face off.
My oh my, how things have evolved around here. The first to have left my womb is almost 10. If I could go back to the fall of '05 and tell my 26-year-old self something, below is what it would be...
1. You will sleep through the night again.
2. Your shirts wont always smell like sour breast milk. Eventually they'll smell like laundry soap again. Speaking of which, don't waste your money on Dreft.
3. Don't worry about those pussy tear ducts, they clear on their own in 7-9 months.
4. Don't entertain him constantly. Set him down and let him stare at the ceiling once in a while.
5. Routines don't have be exact. Get a grip.
7. The dishes don't have to be done immediately. They don't go anywhere.
8. Memorize the smell of his skin.
9. Baby massage doesn't really do anything.
10. He won't starve if he doesn't eat every 2 hours. Seriously, quit whipping out a nipple every time he fusses.
11. Spilt milk sucks, but it's okay. You don't run out.
12. Did I mention you will sleep through the night again?
13. That pouch of tummy fat won't leave until he's 1.
14. The pasta sauce is what made him gassy.
15. He will have lots of friends and be a nice kid. Not perfect, but nice.
16. Don't watch Baby Einstein constantly. Feel free to watch Regis and Kelly once in a while without feeling guilty. It won't hurt him.
17. He knows your smell and your voice and your touch. He knows you love him.
18. Someday he'll eat red sauce.
19. Miralax will help for a year.
20. Take him to see his great Grandmas.
21. There will come a day when he's almost 10 that you actually wake him through the night to see the stars... on purpose.
Last night was that night. I'd heard all the type about the anticipated meteor shower occurring between 12:00-4:00 a.m. on the morning of August 13th. Mike and the girls were out of town which left Ross and I. Me, being a science nut couldn't resist the opportunity to show my boy the stars. I woke to my alarm at 2:23 a.m. and drug him outside to admire the canopy of white stars in the black sky. Wishing I'd put my contacts in and put on shoes, we stood on the gravel driveway of Grandpa and Papas house watching falling star after falling star. We listened to an owl in the distance that sounded like a woodpecker. It made us laugh. We only lasted 10 minutes before Ross became concerned with UFO's and we went back to bed.
10 years ago I wouldn't have dreamed of intentionally pulling my kid out of bed through the night. But like I said, times have changed. And I think were just getting to the good part...
I didn't get any pictures of Ross or I during the meteor shower, so I'll share these instead. Ross went camping in Missouri with friends last weekend. They brought along MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) for food. Apparently, Ross loved them. In fact, the family who supplied them gave an extra one to Ross to eat at home. Below are the photos of Ross making his MRE at home.
They come with a packet of water which you pour into a pouch. It causes a chemical reaction and begins to heat on its own.
Below you can see steam rising.
An enormous saltine cracker.
The cooked pasta with red sauce.
Ross eating 'red sauce' and liking it.
I'd have never guessed.
