Simply Sara

So, I'm at Bi-Lo today picking up a few items, when I have this conversation with the checkout guy: Checkout guy: "Your baby is staring at me." Me: "Yeah, he likes to do that" Guy: "What's his name?" Me: "Lucas." Guy: "You don't hear that name often." Me: "Exactly. That's why we chose it. We wanted something unique." Guy: "No one names their babies normal names anymore." Me: "Well, my name is Sara and there are only about 50 million Saras around. And my husband's name is Matt, which is way common too." (Guy gestures to his name tag) Guy: "My name is Matt" Me: "Exactly my point" Guy: "Unique names are easy to make fun of" Me: "Not Lucas" Guy: "Don't take offense, but I can remember a kid in the 2nd grade called Lucas Puke-as" Me: "Well, then we'll just teach him to beat up all of the kids who make fun of him" Guy: "O...

Our house is super dark right now. I have the kitchen light on, but everywhere else it is dark like night time. A summer storm is rolling through Anderson right now, and I'm loving it. Like Meg , I too enjoy the way a summer storm makes the house feel cozy and dark. Back in middle or high school, I remember learning the meaning of the word melancholy. And I remember one day deciding that summer storms must be a literal definition of that word. Causing thoughtful or gentle sadness. Aren't storms like that? They roll in out of no where, and roll out almost as quickly. And in their wake, they leave a gentle feeling of mourning and healing. Back in my youth, summer storms made me want to write poetry. Now, as a wiser almost 24 year old, I realize that my poetry is mediocre, and a storm is no reason to flaunt that. Now the storm just reminds me to slow down, think a little deeper, and pray to the One behind the storm.

Thanks, Meg , for sharing this link on your blog today. Very interesting. It appears that Matt and I have a 40% chance of having a blue-eyed child and a 50% chance of our children having brown eyes. Lucas's eyes have been brown for a few months now and appear to be staying that way.

Our big boy fed himself for the first time today! A graham cracker, green peas (not pureed), and Gerber veggie puffs all go on the lists of firsts. To be honest, I gave him the cracker thinking that he would probably gag on it given our previous experience with texture. Boy was I wrong. The kid chowed down on that cracker like it was dipped in chocolate (not that he has tasted chocolate, but you understand what I mean). That success inspired me to share some of my peas with Lucas at lunch. Three peas actually made it into his mouth; the other 5 or so ended up smashed on the highchair tray. I'm so excited to see Lucas take the first "steps" into this new stage of fingerfoods and "real food". His top five favorite foods right now are sweet potatoes, green beans, squash, prunes, and oatmeal. I really do hope our efforts now will help him become a healthy and non-picky adult eater. Tomorrow he's going to try peaches. Yum.

So what do you get when you have a tooth that's about to break through the gums, a cold that won't go away, and constipation all at the same time? A cranky, baby Lucas, that's what you get! And what do Mommy and Daddy do? Dole out Tylenol like it's candy, apply oragel every chance you get, take walks around the cul-de-sac when the crying won't stop, and run to Bi-Lo for some apple juice and prunes. Just kidding about the tylenol. We only give it at the correct times. It's been a long day. Actually a long week. Teething is no fun. None what so ever. I ran into our neighbors at the grocery store tonight, where yes, I did buy apple juice and baby prunes to help with the pooping issues, who kindly offered me their spare bedroom when I told them of the drama at our house! I'm happy to add prunes to the list of foods that Lucas enjoys! We let him try a tiny piece of green bean today - big mistake. The boy has amazing gag reflexes and managed to bring up his ca...

My First Mother's Day! 5.14.06 

So it appears that today was senior-citizen day at Ingles. Well, not officially, but it sure seemed like it when Lucas and I went grocery shopping. I've never seen so many white haired, little old ladies in one place.... except maybe at my old church.... Anyway, they all wanted to tickle Lucas, grab at his toes and do a song and dance number to make him smile. Lucas shined through it all. Two women in particular seemed to be taken in by his charm. Standing by the dairy aisle, one lady transparently said to me after recieving a smile from Lucas, " I really needed that today." The other lady, a proud great-grandmother of a 9 month old little girl entertained Lucas while we waited in line for 10 minutes as the credit/debit card machines crashed and the clerks ran around trying to fix the problem. This woman oozed maternal love as she made funny noises that caused Lucas to squeal with delight. They bonded so well, I just about asked her to spend the afternoon with us! I r...

Lucas is finally asleep. Matt is relaxing after a hard day at work. The dishes are washed. And I'm exhausted. It's been one of those days. One of those days that only a deep, long night of sleep can hope to heal. I woke up this morning already feeling overwhelmed for no reason at all. I stayed busy around the house, making baby food (green beans and carrots), hand washing my "dry clean only" clothes, and of course, playing with Little Guy. We even went outside and sat in the grass for about 20 minutes. I thought for sure Lucas would start eating the grass immediately, but he was so distracted by his surrondings that only one blade made it to his mouth. I was impressed. However, everything fell apart at naptime. Lucas cried and screamed for almost 2 hours. I tried everything to console him until finally I concluded that he must be teething, so I gave him some tylenol. It worked. For about 20 minutes; and then he was back up again. We got to hang out with Andrew tonight...

"Mommy, can we come to the park everyday?" 5.09.06

Lucas and Kylie sittin' in a tree....  

5.9.06 Fun at the park 

You know you're a superstar when your face graces the pages of the avclub . Check it out.

Lucas has been tugging on his right ear for a few days now. I passed it off as teething. His right eye has been goopy, and I made a mental note to mention it to the doctor. For eight months now, Lucas has stayed almost completely well with only a one-time nasal drainage tainting his perfect record. But that all changed today, when I got home and noticed that he was burning up. The thermometer read 102. I just about freaked; He's never had a fever before. I waited about thirty minutes, gave him some lima beans and rice (yuck!) and took it again. 101.3. Time to call Dr. Dale. We got in to see the doctor within the hour and walked away with the diagnosis of Pink Eye and a cold. "Pink eye?" I exclaimed. "Where in the heck did he get that?" I asked. "Probably at the grocery store or just about anywhere you've taken him. That's life," was Dr. Treash's answer. Not cool. We left armed with a perscription for eye drops and a wealth of knowledge, in...

After a full day, I sit down and wonder what I want to do next. Lucas is asleep. Andrew just left after a fun afternoon of playtime, a nap, and graham crackers. Matt won't be home until late tonight because he has to close. Should I relax with a book or favorite television show? Or should I go ahead and start dinner, unload the dishwasher, and fold the laundry? As much as I would like to bum around for a while, the happiness that comes from marking items off my "list" is well worth the effort. Besides I can relax later. College really brought to my attention the fact that I am not good with managing my free time. Sure, I finish the things around the house that need to be accomplished each day, but when they are done, I am always torn between being a bum and starting on one of the numerous projects we have around here. Truthfully, our clutter and lack of organization has been so overwhelming to me, I haven't even attempted most projects. The photo albums, redoing the k...

Happy 8 Months, Lucas! You have enriched our lives in more ways than we can count! We love you! 

Am I cute or what?! 5.2.06 

Our internet is finally working again, YAY!! It went down Friday afternoon while L and I were at Target. Actually two things happened while we were there; the internet crashed and Patch, our somewhat adopted stray, had kittens. I say somewhat adopted because we feed her, but she is too skittish to let us pet her. There is this quiet voice in my head that tells me we are only at the beginning of kitten mania if we don't get Patch fixed. Her mother, Rosemary, also eats at our house and apparently was pregnant too. We discovered this when two itsy-bitsy kittens came tumbling into the carport last week to nurse from their Mama. That makes for 7 cats in all. Oh my. Any one want a free kitty?? Lucas is amazing us everyday. His newest thing is to carefully pull out multiple toys from a basket I place in front of him and entertain himself for about 20 minutes. He is rolling across the room, winding up in strange places, frustrated because a couch or table is blocking his next roll. I'm...