My Famous Monkey

I haven't exactly been on my A-game when it comes to blogging lately.  When school started, life got a little hazy and my ideas weren't as fluid as they were this summer.  I'm caught in a storm of projects, and blogging has taken a backseat to lesson planning, paper grading, basement refinishing, baby booking, and family dinner nighting.  By the time Cruz goes to bed at night, I'm exhausted!  Although this new transition has been stressful at times, I'm finding a separation between work and home more than I ever have.  After all, it's nearly impossible to work through a stack of papers when my busy bee is attempting to help with my paper load!

My latest project?  

Some little monkey is turning one and we are planning a celebration.  Are you ready to monkey around with Cruz?!

Stylish Celebrations, a cute stationary site on Etsy helped me design these invitations.  Check her out here. 

Cruz is Eleven Months

Last night, as Beau and I wrestled with Cruz on our bed, we were stopped in our tracks when we realized that today, our little man is eleven months old.  This would be our last month of counting in 'months,' as next month we will celebrate our baby boy's first birthday.  Talk about bittersweet.  While we just love this stage he's in right now, I often dream of those first weeks at home, wrapping up his tiny body in a blanket, spending hours holding him in the rocker.  Life was overwhelming, but so peaceful at the same time.  A part of me feels like those days happened just yesterday, yet another part of me can't remember life before Cruz.  Raising a baby is nothing short of surreal, and the emotions that go with being a parent are unexplainable.  A lot of contentment, a whole lot of happy.

Cruz continues to light up our lives and fill us with so much laughter and happiness every single day.  He's funny, he's sweet, he's a cuddle bug, he's a pistol.  Most of all, he's his own little person, growing and figuring out more and more every day.  He's smart, and it's amazing watching him put the pieces of life's puzzle together.  He does all of this with such life, with such a spark.   

Lots of fun milestones to document this month!  While the calluses on his little knees prove he's quite the crawler, he's beginning to explore the world from a taller point of view.  No, he's not officially walking quite yet, but he's getting pretty comfortable on his own two feet.  He stands up to furniture, balances himself with one hand, walks around couches and dishwashers and his favorite, the toilet seat, and pushes his sit-to-stand walker (and our basement ottoman) all over the house.  He's let go of his base a few times on accident, and proves he is still a ways away from being a walker.  We're practicing a lot, however, and I have a feeling he'll be walking by his birthday. 

This new-found movement has ignited Cruz's quest for unlocking the treasures in this house: every wooden spoon, can of hairspray, and picture frame, every roll of aluminum foil, bottle of salad dressing, and roll of toilet paper hidden behind cupboard doors, drawer fronts, and fridge doors.  He's officially into everything, requiring us to keep a watchful eye on him all the time.  He's smart, and definitely knows when he shouldn't be into something.  And sometimes, he even listens to me.  It's pretty cute when he's about to touch or grab something he shouldn't and he hears me say, 'Cruz...no, no."  He stops in his tracks, turns my way with a smile on his face, and shakes his head no, no, no, in mid-stride.  Sometimes, he stops and crawls away, sometimes, he just grins and continues to disobey his mommy's request.  And a few times this month, he's shown the makings of a temper tantrum when we pull him away from something he really wants his hands on.

Putting his shoes away...

Earlier this month, Cruz became a 'Scooter.'  His move up the daycare chain brought many new experiences this month, from eating 'big kid' food like sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, chicken strips, and soft shell tacos, to participating in lots of activities like singing and dancing, finger painting and cleaning!  This month, I received a calendar outlining the different 'activities' Cruz takes part in every day.  According to the calendar this week, they're putting the Scooters to work!  One day says 'folding laundry,' another day says 'feather dusting!'  Last week, Cruz had his first 'homework assignment,' as I had to bring pictures of our family in for Cruz to 'play with.'  I love seeing what he gets to do every day at daycare about as much as I love picking him up every afternoon.  It's one of the best parts of my day!

Although Cruz is still eating some of my homemade baby food, he prefers big kid food now.  While he's a big fan of scrambled eggs, pizza, and mac n' cheese, his favorites still belong to the fruit family.  Blueberries and strawberries, peaches, mandarin oranges, and watermelon.  He's ordered off the kids' menu a few times: mac and cheese at Texas Roadhouse, mini corn dogs at Famous Dave's, and just yesterday, popcorn shrimp at Red Lobster.   He's still a good eater, and is paying less and less attention to his bottle all the time.  

He's only pretending here.  Giving him utensils only leads to lots of food on the floor.   

Cruz's personality has blossomed this month and he's doing so many cute things.  He's recently discovered clapping, and claps his hands 'on cue' all the time.  He claps his hands every time the wheel is spun during Wheel of Fortune, claps during church, and clapped the other night during President Obama's 'jobs speech.'  Ask Beau how he feels about that one ;) 

In addition to clapping his hands, Cruz also learned to give high-fives, blow kisses, and wave bye-bye.  And while the clapping and waving are two of my favorite tricks, my new favorite is Cruz's recent love of all things music.  He can spot a tune out of nowhere, and immediately starts dancing.  We dance when we play toys, we dance in the car on the way to daycare, and we even dance when I hum a tune.  And while I'm proud that my tune must be comprehensible enough to dance to, Cruz can carry quite the tune himself.  He hums little songs every now and then, and even dances to his own beat, a characteristic I hope stays with him as he grows :)

Another quirk, or 'tick' as I like to call it, that Cruz developed this month is his very own sound effect.  We hear it all the time, a clear 'kah' sound.  It's his own little sound, and it's become his own little habit.  There's no rhyme or reason for when he does it, but we hear it all the time.  Although it's pretty cute now, I do hope this goes away as he ages! 

Other newsworthy notes to add to his eleventh month?  Cruz finally got another tooth, his eighth total.  His favorites include playing in the fridge and throwing things down the stairs through the cat door.  He loves apple juice and crackers, his plastic basketball hoop, and his pop-up books.  

Happy Eleven Months, Cruz!  What a year it has been!  We are so very proud of the little person you are, and love being part of your adventure every day!  

Remembering...

I was just coming out of class, going to my locker to meet my boyfriend, Brock, just like we did every other morning.  For some reason, I can't remember what class I was in, but Brock was in his home ec. class, clear down the hall from my locker.  I remember that this morning, he walked faster than usual, and his face was far more serious than usual.  He told me what had happened, and together, we went to the library in time to watch the second plane hit the South Tower.  I was a junior in high school.  

I remember sitting in my driveway after school, my friends Brooke, Amity, and Stacia sitting in the car for a long time, crying and trying to make sense of what had happened in our country.  I remember thinking the world was ending, and if it didn't, we wondered what it would look like in our future.

I remember being glued to the TV for the rest of the night, watching desperate wives, brothers, friends, and neighbors fight to get in front of one of the hundreds of cameras, only to hold up a picture of their missing loved one, their desperate pleas of anguish filling the screen.  I remember the image of the brave firefighters fighting to climb up the narrow stairwells of the World Trade Centers, while everyone else fought like hell to get down.  I remember Mom crying on the phone with Grandma, and I remember wanting Dad to get home from work so bad.  I remember feeling scared, and remember wanting everyone home where it was safe.  

I remember the day of and days after, repeatedly imagining myself in the shoes of the thousands of people impacted in New York.  Picturing being on one of the planes, or on the other end of a phone call saying goodbye to a loved one forever.  Picturing being President Bush or Mayor Guiliani, or one of the firefighters, or one of the firefighter's wives.  I remember sitting on the edge of the couch, my heart breaking for the women who lost the fathers of their unborn children, for the babies who would never know their daddies.  I remember reading 'Let's Roll,' a memoir by Lisa Beamer, recounting the heroic efforst of her husband on Flight 93, and wishing so bad he would have been on any other flight but that one.  And I remember wondering how I would someday explain the events of this day to my own children, wondering how our world would even look by then.  

****

Today, we planted a flag for the 2985 people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.  Although Cruz is much too little to know what the field of flags symbolized on UNI's campus today, someday he will.  Days like this help us all remember, not only the lives lost that day, but the lives that continue to hurt today.  On Dateline the other night, Tom Brokaw interviewed eight firefighters who were trapped, but rescued in the days following 9/11.  When asked how they felt ten years later, one of the firefighters kept repeating that he didn't want anyone 'to forget.'  We can't forget what shapes us, what molds us into the people we are today.  It's the happy and the sad, the wins and the losses, and the hills and the valleys.  And just because life does keep going, even when we don't want it to, doesn't mean we have to forget those moments that mold us into the people we are forever. 

So today, we remember.  We not only remember September 11, but all the moments that define us.  Where we've been, and how far we've come.  And most of all, we hope.  Hope for days filled with much happiness ahead, and a world full of blessings for our babies.   

      

Blue Man Group...

...was amazing!  Although I had always heard great things about it, I really had no idea what the Blue Man Group was all about.  While they are known for their crazy talented percussion skills, the show and sheer talent of the three stars was unbelievably good.  A usually reserved, classy, and refined venue, Gallagher Bluedorn was transformed into a rock concert, complete with fist pumps, strobe lights, and lots and lots of toilet paper!  

When we got home from our night out, Grandma the Baby-Sitter asked how our night was.  We quickly began spilling out our excitement over the show, talking a mile a minute like two kids after Christmas.  

"They threw these huge beach ball-like things in the crowd...

and splatter paint on each other,

and do this really cool thing with marshmallows..."

We quickly realized that it didn't sound near as cool talking about it, that it was just one of those things you have to see to understand.  Which is probably the reason I had never really heard a lot about Blue Man Group.  

So, if you ever have a chance, see this show.  It's incredibly entertaining and will surely leave you asking the question, HOW DID THEY DO THAT?!?!

Refueling with Fall

Last weekend was Labor Day weekend, and all the signs proved that it was time to put away summer and dig out the fall decor.  I had an extra day of weekend, the weather begged for the windows open, and I was ready for scents of cinnamon and shades of burnt orange.  And this year, as I unpacked pumpkins and fluffed garland, I had a little 'helper' beside me.  A little helper who used my Rubbermaid container as a walker and pushed it all over the house.  

Last year, I crawled on top of the kitchen counters with an extra twenty pound baby bump.  And although it wasn't easy climbing to and from that kitchen chair, I savored my afternoon of decorating, knowing that next year would look a lot different.  At the time, I couldn't quite envision my life with an almost one-year-old.  I was nervous, anxious, and so excited to meet our little Baby J.  

It's hard to believe that this year, just one year later, I have to rethink where I place my glass votives and gourd jack-o-lantern for fear that my almost one-year-old will see them as new toys.  I take breaks to fill sippy cups, and attempt to occupy my off-task helper with three different sizes of pumpkins.  Thanks to my husband, an over-sized bean bag, and some Ritz Crackers, I was able to fill my house with my favorite time of year.  

There is nothing better than opening up the Rubbermaid and inhaling the smells of fall.  That, mixed with the crisp temperatures on Sunday and Monday were enough to make me pull out the hooded sweatshirts and crave a pan of warm apple crisp.  I love this time of year, and love taking part in the simple pleasures that a new season brings.  

Last year, I was looking forward to wrapping up a tiny baby in never-used blankets, rocking him to sleep with the windows open, spending Sunday afternoons eating chili and watching the Bears play.  My 'fall list' last year consisted of easy, but special favorites that defined comfort.  It was obvious I was nine months pregnant, as my list also consisted of a lot of food!  And while there will always be a place for wild rice soup, Pepsi roast, and a-corn squash on my fall list, this year's looks slightly different.  This year, my list is written with another perspective in mind, an almost one-year-old who's ready to pick out his very own pumpkin and sink slowly into a pile of crunchy tree leaves.

1.  I want to make this.  Pasta with whiskey, wine, and mushrooms just sounds like Fall, doesn't it?
2.  Finish our cave in the basement.  And when it's done, I want to have to a sleepover on our new futon.  All four of us, Jade included.   
3.  Breakfast for supper.  Lemon blueberry pancakes with homemade maple syrup.
4.  Take Cruz to a pumpkin patch.  Let him crawl around the pumpkin fields like Charlie Brown himself and find the perfect one.   
5.  Go on a dinner and movie date with Beau.  Preferably a rainy Friday night when sweatshirts and ponytails would suffice.
6.  Have a bonfire.  
7.  An afternoon of baking my favorites.  A pan of homemade apple crisp and banana crumb muffins, gooey chocolate chip cookies and caramel turtle corn.  
8.  Explore the beauty of our own backyard.  Hike through Hartman Reserve and find leaves so perfect that they beg to be flattened in books and kept forever.
9.  Take Cruz to a UNI football game.  Unlike last weekend, the weather at the UNI-Dome is guaranteed!
10.  Start a new TV series.  Some of the previews for the new ones look good, but I'm also a fan of Netflix.  I miss the days of The Sopranos or 24, where we would spend entire nights binging on cheap wine, homemade ziti, and mafia warfare.  We need a new TV show simply because I'm tired of Pawn Stars, Hoarders, and Dirty Jobs!  Any suggestions?!
11.  Start reading bedtime stories to Cruz.  Up until lately, reading books with Cruz is a challenge, as he's more interested in flipping the pages and closing the cover than the sights and sounds that fill the pages.  He's slowly starting to show some interest, however, and I'm hoping for cozy nights at home snuggled up on the recliner with a blankie and stack of books.
12.  Watch a scary movie with Beau on or around Halloween night!
13.  Go on a stay-cation.  A quickly planned, spontaneous weekend away from it all.  Again, taking suggestions!
14.  Get crafty.  I gave up on crocheting a long time ago, but would like to try a couple of new projects.  Stay tuned to see what I come up with.  
15.  Buy a tea kettle.
16.  Make fall inspired sugar cookie cutouts and decorate them with food coloring frosting.
17.  Tea lights in mason jars.  
18.  Nothing says fall like a Wallflower special at Bath and Body.  Autumn Leaves and Harvest here I come :)
19.  Buy a new fall scarf.  And maybe a coat.  And perhaps a new pair of boots while we're at it.
20.  A road trip through the leaves.  Apple orchards, hamburger joints, and maybe a picnic or two.

Would love to know what's on your fall wish list!  How do you welcome the changing seasons at your house?  
     

It all started with a Marriott laundry bag...

When Beau's Aunt Janet handed me the Marriott laundry bag and suggested it could be used as a poncho for Cruz in case of rain, I stuffed it in our baby bag, but didn't think twice about it.  It was Labor Day weekend, the Hawks' season opener, and Cruz's first trip to Kinnick Stadium.  I was sure nothing was going to rain on our parade and I was not about to cover up Cruz's black and gold jersey with a poncho.  

Unfortunately, our parade got some rain.  It got soaked.  A torrential downpour, followed by a 'Dangerous Thunderstorm Warning' flashing across the screen of my phone while the eight of us were in row thirty-nine of Kinnick Stadium.  This was after a series of rainy events that unfolded in and around the stadium on and before Saturday's game.  We had several 'seats' during the game, from a packed booth for six at Stella when we decided to forgo the game, to the temporary seat at a flooded stadium, but the king-sized bed and over-sized comforter in Mark and Janet's hotel room ended up being the best seat in the house.  

After all, it was dry.  

The day started exactly as I had pictured.  We met Janet, Mark, and Jillian, Beau's aunt, uncle, and cousin, and Ted and Jane, Janet's parents, at the Marriott.  Actually, we met Mark in the parking lot of Jillian's work, in a parking spot next to a flashy Yukon Denali, which we later found out held the legendary Hayden Fry, waiting for a cop to escort him to Kinnick.  Jillian, Special Events Coordinator for Iowa City Coralville, was pretty much in charge of the annual Fry Fest celebration, and we thought it'd be fun to check out the festivities.  Cruz looked so darn cute in his little Hawkeye jersey, and we had been practicing his touchdown dance in the car on the way there.  Sure, the sky looked a little sketchy by Cedar Rapids and as we pulled into the Marriott, but, I continued to be hopeful (or in denial), and focused on more important things like getting Cruz's picture by Herky the Scottish Highlander.  

Cruz was loving the atmosphere surrounding Kinnick before the game, clapping to the beat of the tailgate music and scanning the sea of college girls from atop Beau's shoulders.  He was even cool with the Marriott poncho after the first few raindrops fell just minutes before the gates opened.  We weren't phased yet, however, and huddled together under Janet and Jane's umbrellas, playing the name game and deciding the best plan of action for staying as dry as possible.  

Our plan, however, didn't hold out for long.  In fact, I'm not sure even a plan designed by Jack Bauer himself could have withstood Mother Nature.  As the rain began to fall and the sea of yellow ponchos flooded the ticket gate, I learned a few things in a hurry.  First, I learned that the college girls working the ticket booth had no empathy for a wet mama trying desperately to keep her baby dry with a diaper bag 'too big to take in to the stadium.'  And this college girl working the ticket booth didn't care that I had already talked to a security guard who said my bag was completely acceptable as long as I had my baby in tow with me.  No, she decided to argue with me in the rain, as well as tell us that we would have to ditch our umbrellas if we wanted in the stadium.  So, as the mascara began to run down my cheeks like eye black, and the only three diapers in Cruz's bag began to test their wetness capacity, we had a decision to make.  Either withstand the rain, ditch the umbrellas, and make a run for the sheltered concession area, or screw our tickets and find some place dry to get some nachos and watch the game on TV.  

After deciding Janet's umbrella was just too nice to ditch, we huddled together and made our way to Stella, a restaurant just minutes from Kinnick.  We squeezed in a booth, ordered a round of Bloody Mary's, and pulled our tickets out to let them dry, in hopes that the ground would dry by halftime.  This is about the time Mark casually approached the table, patting his chest and shaking his head...

Mark: "The tickets are gone."

Janet: "What do you mean, 'the tickets are gone?!'"
  
Mark:  "They must have fallen out somewhere between here and the stadium."

Yes, while I was battling with the ticket checkers about my diaper bag, Mark graciously kept our tickets in one place.  That one place, however, proved to be unsuccessful at keeping our tickets secure.  We tried to laugh it off, however, a sense of defeat exuded from the table.  And to top it all off, the TVs were cutting in and out at the restaurant.

The defeat must have been quite apparent, as only minutes later the host who had scored us a table earlier came over holding six tickets in his hand.

"Did you guys lose some tickets?"

Only in these conditions would someone actually return six game-day tickets.  We celebrated our find, celebrated the first Hawkeye touchdown from our booth, and celebrated a clearing sky.  About two minutes into the second quarter, we paid our tab, repacked our wet bags, and made our way to the stadium, tickets securely in hand.

For the five minutes he saw of it, Cruz loved Kinnick Stadium.  He clapped his hands, swayed back and forth to the marching band, and loved the jumbo-tron.  The excitement of the day soon caught up with him, however, and he was out halfway through the halftime show.  

If I thought the morning's events were wild, they were merely a glimpse into the mess that would ensue just minutes into the third quarter.  If the lightning, followed by the rush of people exiting the stadium weren't enough to lure us from our seats, the black rolling clouds did the trick.  By the time we finally decided we should make our way to some shelter, we were too late.  Row thirty-nine, a sleeping baby, and no umbrellas.  Hurricane Irene had descended on Kinnick Stadium, and we were trapped.  The rest of the afternoon is best described in a series of images that now leave us in hysterics.  Now that we're dry, anyway...

...Janet making the ultimate sacrifice, running out in the storm to retrieve the umbrellas she had hidden under a car before we went in the stadium.  

...Our decision to try and catch a spot on the Hawkeye Express Train, followed by me screaming at Beau to turn around as he made his way toward the tracks with Cruz in hand.  The wind was blowing so hard that his umbrella was completely inside out.  My mother instincts came out and I was ready to tackle someone.  

...Jillian shouting 'WOMEN AND CHILDREN' as we slowly made our way to the train in a huge line of others trying to escape.  

...Experiencing another 'Titanic' moment when our party was split just minutes before the train took off.  They had room for Beau, Jillian, Cruz, and I, but wouldn't let the rest of us on.  As we boarded, I looked over my shoulder to see Janet reassuring us, nodding her head, slowly mouthing the words, 'just go...'  

Thankfully, we all made it to the I-Hop, where a warm Marriott shuttle awaited us.  Dripping wet, but still in good spirits, we made our way back to where we first began.  The game delayed about the time we left the stadium, so we were able to finish watching the Hawkeye win from the comfort of a dry hotel room. 

What a day. 

Gary Dolphin, longtime voice of the Hawkeyes, referred to it was 'one of Iowa's weirdest weather games in history.'  It may not have been the 'sunny and 70' day I was picturing, but one thing is for sure.  We won't forget it.  

And Cruz?  Well, nothing seems to phase him.  He took a nap in the rain, ate Teddy Grahms in the middle of a hurricane, wore a laundry bag as a poncho, and had his diaper changed in a booth at an extremely crowded restaurant.  Good thing he's young enough to forget it; otherwise, I'm not sure we'd get him back ;)  

A Little of This, A Little of That

Now that we're falling into our back-to-school routine, complete with our three-family-dinners-a-week, early evening bath nights, and fighting to keep C-Diddy (Beau's new nickname for Cruz) up past eight, weekends are as valuable as a precious gem.  We welcomed Friday and kicked off our weekend with steaks at Texas Roadhouse.  It was a special night, as Cruz ordered off the kids' menu for the very first time.  Instead of a smorgasbord of foods from our orders, Cruz got his very own plate of mac 'n cheese with a side of applesauce.  He loved it!

The rest of our weekend was filled with lots of this and that.  A busy day on Saturday, followed by a quiet Sunday.  Feeling blessed to be adopted children of God at Orchard Hill's The Gathering, and watching Beyonce reveal her baby bump on the VMAs.  An airshow picnic, a new pair of shoes for Cruz, and a raspberry peach pie from the Farmer's Market.  A clean fridge, a nap with dad, and a grandpa on a birthday saddle at the Texas Roadhouse.  

Yes, we had Texas Roadhouse twice this weekend.  And yes, Cruz had mac n' cheese and applesauce twice.  The funny thing is, I think I could eat Texas Roadhouse again tonight.  It's just that good.    

While Beau, Jordan, and my dad celebrated his birthday with 50,000 other people at the Waterloo Airshow on Saturday, we decided it'd be safer on Cruz's ears if he'd just go shopping with us.  And since he couldn't hang out with the guys and watch stealth bombers soar through the air, we spoiled him.  His very own peanut butter blossom cookie at the Farmer's Market, a new pair of Robeez from Peekaboo, and a grilled cheese panini at Soho.  After a stroll through my favorite street in town, we spread out a blanket and did a little plane-watching of our own next to a go-kart track and miniature golf course.  

Cruz barely napped on Saturday, but proved to be quite the sport.  We put Grandpa Curt on a saddle for his birthday, and by the end of the night, Cruz was ready to lay his head in his mac n' cheese and call it a night!  

After Sunday morning's church service at Gallagher Bluedorn, a performing arts center on UNI's campus, Beau and I decided our church should really consider worshiping there every week.  There's something so thrilling about pulling up to the parking lot and seeing literally hundreds of people 'gather' together to kick-off another school year with Christ as a focus.  The theme for the service this year was on adoption, and I left Gallagher Sunday feeling more than blessed to be a child of God.  

After church, we visited the fountain at the Union and held tight as Cruz attempted to pry himself out of our arms to take a swim.  His only distraction from the water was a group of college girls writing on the cement with sidewalk chalk.  He thought they were cute, so he waved!

Lots of fun this weekend!  Looking forward to getting an extra day next weekend!

Happy Monday and Happy Birthday to Grandpa Curt!  We love you!