BIG change on the horizon!

Well, it's official! I am the new Undergraduate Program Coordinator for the Division of Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines! I have returned my acceptance letter and I also put in my resignation at DU. It was a REALLY tough decision, and there are a lot of things I will miss, but I really think this is an amazing move both for my career and for our family! I start the new job on June 20th. I'm a bit overwhelmed, but also incredibly excited!

The only real down side is that this means I have to take Griffin out of the YMCA. In fact, I have a LOT of anxiety about it. I ADORE that place and all of his teachers and what's more important is that I know he does too. They were able to make me feel comfortable and secure during my transition back to work and that is something I'll never be able to repay them for! Unfortunately, it is nowhere near home OR the new job. Drew and I will be touring a few new centers this week, so fingers crossed! Otherwise, Griffin may have to hang out in a cat carrier under my desk for awhile!

Big Day

Yesterday was a Very Big Day for Griffin! First, during play time, he rolled over!!

Propped up on his forearms, wiggling his butt! 

halfway over! this part took awhile.

and done! he was happy to have a better view of his toys.

We were SO proud of him and thankful that we were both there to see it! Looks like we're going to have to start baby proofing the place!

Then later, he ate his first solid food! We fed him a little rice cereal and it went over pretty well. You can see that for yourself (if you double click on it, you can make it full screen):



And here is the final product:

So overall, Griffin had quite the Big Boy day! I cant believe how fast he is learning and growing- it is amazing! It is also a tiny bit sad... each day and each stage that goes by is one we will never have again. Good thing we have so much to look forward to!

Some other Griffin updates:
- his new favorite thing is to lift both of his legs up in the air and make this happy, high pitched, half squeal/ half battlecry noise over and over. It is HILARIOUS. We'll have to capture that on video sometime.
- he is starting to really enjoy story time! I read to him every night before bed and now he will happily sit there in my arms listening to the story & looking at the pictures. It is very sweet.
- he is getting better at grabbing and playing with toys! Right now his favorite seems to be a set of brightly colored plastic rings. The sound interesting when he shakes them and he loves sticking them in his mouth! Drew is hoping he moves on to the football soon. :)

On the Mend

I haven't posted much lately because things have been crazy at home. Drew's ear infection kept him miserable and sedentary which left me dealing with a sick baby and all of our other responsibilities alone. I felt so bad for my boys, but I was EXHAUSTED. Luckily, it seems they have both turned a corner recently. While Drew's ear issues aren't over, he's in far less pain and he's starting to be able to hear a bit better. And while Griffin's cold isn't entirely gone, he's much less congested and he's waking up less and less in the night. Of course I've just caught another cold, but I don't even care. As long as the boys get healthy, life is good.

Griffin's four month check up was on Thursday and it went really well. His doctor and nurses adore him and he spends all his time trying to impress them with his smiles, coos and excited kicking. His doctor says he's quite the charmer- and it's true! The doctor also told me that Griffin is absolutely perfect & there isn't a thing he would change about him! He weighs 14 lbs 12 oz right now which is in the 45th percentile and he is 24.5 inches long which is in the 40th percentile, although the doctor said what matters most is not the percentiles because those can change so much from appointment to appointment, rather the overall rate of growth and he is right on target! We were also told that he's ready to start solid food! His main food source will still be breast milk for several more months, but the doctor said that now is the time to get him used to all kinds of flavors and textures. In fact, he said it's a myth that babies have to stick to rice cereal for any length of time and we can start feeding him a few tablespoons here and there of any kind of stage 1 baby food we want. We're going to start with rice cereal first since we have it in the house, but I'm also going to make my own baby food this weekend! I'm SO excited! Of course at the end he had his second round of shots which didn't go over very well, but at least it was over fast!

In exciting news around the 'hood, Edgewater is starting it's own farmers market!! It will be just down the street from us on Thursday nights. I am THRILLED. I'm sure it will be small to start with, but my hope is that it gets bigger and better each year! It will be fun to walk Griffin down there each week!

The Hat.

This is the hat my Aunt Diane made for Griffin before he was born. He's finally the right size to wear it.

One of my prized possessions on top of the kid that has become my entire world.

I wish she could have seen this.

the (second) best mother's day ever

On Mother's Day one year ago, after a sunshine filled bike ride along the Platte River, and after two years of trying, we found out I was pregnant. It was one of the best days of my life and I'm not sure there will ever be a Mother's Day that can top that. That being said, Griffin and Drew worked together to come AWFULLY close with this year's celebration.

I got my first gift on Friday when I went to pick Griffin up from daycare. Apparently his teachers got him to finger paint and helped him make me this card:

My heart grew so much with this first artistic attempt and I love it more than anything. I have put it in safekeeping so that I can add it to his baby book.

After that, Drew gave me a vintage Ohio University t-shirt! I had been missing Athens and I barely have any OU gear. GO BOBCATS!!

On Saturday, Drew (and Griffin) took me to EcoPolitan, a local green baby store and got me some SUPER cool re-usable sandwich bags and a diaper bag I had been coveting.

the organizational capabilities of this bag are AMAZING.

They are AWESOME. I was NOT expecting that!

Then on Mother's Day itself, I woke up to this:

the quote says "Mother, you've given me two things. One is roots and the other is wings."

Drew and Griffin finger painted together for HOURS getting this just right and I ADORE it. It is the tree of life with a gryphon perched in the branches. The trunk is made of Griffin's footprints and the leaves are both Drew and Griffin's finger prints. It also has a triple spiral, the celtic symbol for "mother", or the triple goddess. I've been wearing a necklace with that symbol for years and it means a lot to me. In the bottom left are the mountains symbolizing home and on the bottom right is Griffin's little handprint. It is sweet and perfect and is already hanging on the wall of our bedroom.

We went to a wonderful breakfast at one of our favorite places (where Griffin didn't even make so much as a peep!) and then we went to one of my favorite places in all of Denver, the Botanic Garden.

It was a GORGEOUS day and everything was starting to bloom. I was in heaven and even Griffin really seemed to enjoy himself! Unfortunately, Drew had woken up with an ear ache and it only got worse throughout the day. By the time we were walking through the park he was in pretty significant pain so we had to leave early.

When we got home, Drew went to urgent care where he found out that he has an ear infection. The pain got worse and he was out of commission through the rest of the day. He was so worried about the fact that he may have "ruined" my Mother's Day... but even if he and Griffin hadn't spoiled me as much as they did, it still would have been an amazing day knowing how loved I am!

Speaking of which, I think that this was the best gift I got of all:

It is so creative, personal, and from the heart. It made me cry! I am SUCH a proud and lucky woman. My home is so full of warmth and happiness and my boys are everything I could ever want!

six years

This weekend Drew and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. My parents generously watched Griffin while Drew and I went out on the town. We had a long, lovely dinner at Texas de Brazil with some of the most incredible food I've had in a long time, a beautiful bottle of malbec, a scrumptious dessert and actual alone time! It was a perfect evening. We talked about how long ago six years seems, yet somehow just like yesterday. And how we were such different people- if anyone would have told us then what our lives would be like now, we never would have believed them. How amazingly lucky we are.

After dinner we were tired (ok- maybe I wasn't used to having that second glass of wine) so we went to pick up Griffin, only to find out that he had napped the ENTIRE time! My parents were so disappointed, so we woke him up (it was time for his dinner anyway) and hung out for a bit before going home. My parents said they'd love to take him again any time, so we'll take them up on that sometime soon!

Drew and I have managed to grow together over the years as opposed to apart as some couples do. We have fallen even more in love and have become even stronger partners. Griffin has only strengthened that bond. When I look at them, my new and growing family, I am overcome by sheer joy and gratitude. I know that because of them, I am my full self, my true potential. Forgive me for sounding trite, but I am blessed. This is the proof that life is more than simply chance.