Happy Birthday to my husband, Andy. 

On our first date, I didn't know it was a date. I thought we were reconnecting since high school, over a cup of espresso. He shows up on my doorstep with flowers and takes me to dinner.  There, he shows me prints of his time in Africa. His voice was steady, slightly low, and melodic.  I would look at the pictures, then peer up to admire the skin crinkles around the corners of his eyes, which told me he smiles often. 


Our second date, he gave me a hug outside under a clear September night sky.  The embrace was so powerful, I went inside and passed out on the couch. Probably before he made it out of the driveway. I did not wake up until the next morning. He waited until this second date to plant a kiss. 


Our first year, we went through some growing pains together.  He had just returned from Africa, had lost his grandfather, and had lost a relationship.  I had also just lost a fiance and my father's marriage was beginning to fall apart.  We learned, through each other, trust, patience, tenderness, and that a relationship is meant to be a safe, secure and stabilized by shared principles and inspiration between one another.


My mother told me years ago she knew, since meeting him, that he would be the one I'd marry. He, always becoming, is 30 today. With him, I view aging as a chance to share more memories together.  Happy 30th, love.

Fun in the Sunset

  

My ring

A little tribute to my marriage ring.  It is the most beautiful ring to me.

Long before Andy and I were looking at rings, he knew that I did not want a typical diamond ring.  And if there were to be any diamonds in a ring, they would be conflict free. Opal is my birthstone, but beyond that association, I have a particular fondness for opal: I love opalescent color palates and things that softly glitter. I do find diamonds beautiful, and perhaps one day it will feel right to own one.  But now, it feels right to carry opal on my ring finger each and every day. I find opal soothing, a bit whimsical, beautiful, and not ostentatious. A reminder of how I try to live my life.

Potty News

Big news, Nate is officially potty trained. This is seriously a huge deal. After three weeks of consecutive potty use, I think it is safe to say that our little man is a potty-goer.

The whole process between us was nearly entirely intuitively driven.  I had heard about elimination communication, and even scanned a book at the library awhile back.  Kids, or at least our kid, enjoys feeling fancy free, so sometimes before/after bath time, he'd run around in the nude for a bit.  I started to see that he was more responsive to using the potty when he wasn't wearing a diaper. I started connecting to his rhythms, being more aware of timing and how other factors (food, drinks, exercise, weather, etc) could affect the process.

I would never expose Nate to a developmental transition that, as his mother, I didn't feel he was truly ready for, but I felt he was ready.  The result is probably a combination of him just being ready, because we didn't apply elimination communication since his birth or even during his infancy. But by removing the diaper he was more aware of his body.  For the last three weeks, he wore a diaper only once, and that was because we were going to a graduation party and I thought he might be thrown a bit being in a different environment. Not the case.  He asked to use the potty twice at the party, and we came home with a dry diaper.


I also didn't try to switch him immediately to underwear.  Intuitively, I knew it would complicate the process.  So he has been wearing pajama shorts round the clock the past three weeks.  The material is comfortable and lightweight enough to mimic the feeling of nudity. It has worked like a charm.  Plus, he gets little rewards for going potty, which no doubt helps. And lots, and lots, and lots of encouragement and praise. He has a stack of books next to his potty to keep him company. And will often take plush stuffed toy or his favorite pal, Prince, to sit by the cabinet while he gets to work.  Yesterday evening, we purchased three packs of little undies for him, at his choosing, and start wearing them today.


We are so, so, so proud of him.


6/23 post-script: We discovered having Nate's fav little pal, Mr. Prince, wear undies as well helped with the transition. They make quite a pair.

Old School

Andy scanned this.  Has it really been a decade since we were in high school?  Oof. Guess which one he is?

Go Cats.

Easter

Easter. A most special holiday. We'll be able to visit with Andy's family later in the day.  I'm grateful that we are able to spend time with them on this holiday.

We Easter eggs earlier this week. He held the uncooked eggs with a tenderness I actually did not know possible for someone the age of two.

After painting eggs, we went for a messy walk through the fields by our house.  There, we found a five-leaf clover.  Must be doubly good luck.  The clover is sitting in a small jar of water on our windowsill.  At this moment, the sky is one of my favorite colors: Alice blue. The sky looks so refreshing behind the soothing eggshell white on the walls.