Favorite Smells...YES Manders, I am borrowing your idea.

Some of MY favorite smells!

Fireworks
Autumn leaves
Grandpas woodshop
Babies!
Turkey in the oven on Thanksgiving day
Freshly mowed lawn
Bandaids... yes I am weird I know
Gasoline.. ditto
Lilacs
Sandalwood!
Hyacinths!
Freshly painted room
New tennis shoes
Fresh baked cookies
A tobacco pipe
Apple pie
Spring mushrooms (yes, you CAN smell them while you are driving down the road)
Homeade ice cream
Fresh turned earth
Smoke from a bonfire
Yeast rolls
Bacon and eggs
Christmas trees
Wassail
Orange blossoms

Childhood memories

Tonight I was making a post on the discussion board for my online class regarding memory. The question asked us what our earliest childhood memory was. After thinking for a bit, I have a very vivid memory that can't be from when I was much more than 3 years old. Dad would leave his boots beside the couch, and one night I decided that I wanted to wear Daddy's cowboy boots. Being 3, and very short legged that of course required that the boots be scrunched down for my feet to touch the sole. With the boots all the way up to my hips I remember falling down and laughing with Jason over and over.

In my class, most of the research points to the fact that most long-term memory isn't formed until a child is around 36 months, and at that point even, it requires strong emotional associations to recall the memory from "storage".

This just gets me thinking about what Iain's first memory will be. Obviously he isn't going to remember anything from this time in his life, or for quite some time, however this is the reason Mommy is taking so many pictures, so that I can do the remembering for him. Will his first true memory be a birthday, Christmas, or maybe a simple day at the park? I just hope and pray that his earliest memories are associated with good things and not negative emotions. Maybe that first time that he goes fishing with daddy, or the first time he hits a baseball with mommy, who knows what it will be, but I can't wait for that conversation we will have years down the road of what his first memory was.

New Pictures!

Well, I have been taking several pictures this week, and these are definitely some of my favorites! I am definitely getting a bit better at using my digital point and shoot. There are some times that I get some absolutely amazing photos from this little thing. (But I am still strongly considering a nice digital SLR...btw...Allen is going to kill you for this one Manders!)

The top one was while he was taking a nap in the chair... I noticed how all of a sudden the skin on his legs is so shiny, not from lotion, but because he is growing so fast it is stretching the skin nice and tight..lol. Well, when I noticed him from the back, I just couldn't resist getting this shot!

The black and white is my personal favorite right now. Allen and Iain were napping after church on Sunday, and I just couldn't resist opening the shades in the bedroom for this shot. It was so funny how both daddy and Iain were sleeping in exactly the same position, arms up beside their heads!

The naked picture in his bouncer is so neat to me because he was so wide awake and alert, I love how he looks like a little "big boy" in this picture... notice the great tan too...I think it is pretty funny how he looks like we have been out in the sun all week in this one, even though that complextion is au natural!

Finally, I actually managed to capture that cute little smile! He was sitting in his Bumbo seat in the middle of the table at supper watching us eat, when he just started to smile and coo. I took about 6 pictures before I managed to get this one. I just love his smile, he sure knows how to make mom melt!

Tears, Smiles and Frustrations.

Well, today Iain was quite a rounder for me. We did get to sleep in, however I think he slept a little too long! It seemed the rest of the afternoon for me was spent trying to soothe him from crying jags. I somehow managed to fit in 4 quick pieces of toast for lunch. Not sure how I did it though.

Go figure that when I go pick up Daddy from work, as soon as Allen hops in the truck next to Iain, Daddy gets a HUGE smile! One of our secretaries at work got Iain a little white teddy bear that dances to Elvis's 'Teddy Bear', Allen started the thing to going and Iain was all smiles the whole ride home. I will have to make sure that Pam knows he liked it so well.

This afternoon I talked to my athletic director at work, and I managed to volunteer myself into working one night a week for the last of my time off. I have missed working the ballgames, and it doesn't bother me a bit to do this. It is just particularly frustrating when the local college who volunteered their students to cover our games while I am gone are not showing up, and are not returning phone calls. They tell you that they are going to do something, and then when you really need them, they are a no show. ANNOYING!

Anyway, it is time for me to get my butt in bed, just past midnight... about 4 hours earlier than I managed to get to bed last night. WOO HOO!!! Good Night!

Wow... can't believe it!

Well, I have to say that it is rather amazing to see how a new baby grows so quickly. A week ago Iain went in for his one month check up, and we found him to be 9lb. 8 oz. a full 2lb. 10 oz. more than when he was born. We checked him on our scale at home yesterday (very close to pediatricians scales) and he registered at 10lb. 2oz! He has finally made it out of newborn diapers and into a size one, as well as into 0-3 month clothing. To this point it has just swallowed him whole. (most of it still does..lol)

Saturday night was pretty awesome! Iain was doing his tummy time, and of course was rather ticked off about it, when all of a sudden he rolled over to his back! I didn't think this was something he would do for another month, but my son seems to be in a hurry to grow big. He almost did it a second time, but was just too tired from the first time. Either way, it is pretty unreal to watch him growing so quickly. Where his forehead used to wrinkle, well they are almost gone :-( and he has finally grown into the skin on his legs. No more wrinkles there either. I am glad I got good pictures of those wrinkles though, because that is all there is left of them.. just little paper memories.

Wow! Amazing Mommy moments...

I have come to realize that the first few weeks of parenthood are very tiring, trying, and tearful. It seems that these weeks have been filled with almost nothing but lots tears from both baby and mommy, lots and lots of diapers to change, tons of crying and trying to figure out what each different cry means, as well as lots of 2:00 am feedings, which all lead up to a very exhausted mom. In between are cute little moments such as those "gas bubbles" that make Iain grin in his sleep, or those hiccups which even though they piss off my dear son, are quite endearing to me. It seems that those moments make all of the hard learning-curve of parenting worthwhile.

Yesterday it seems was a milestone day though! Iain had been having a particularly cranky day, crying, pooping, crying, pooping some more, when after he had finished crying again, he woke up from a brief nap in an amazingly happy mood. He would not take his eyes off of mine, so I started to stick my tongue out at him seeing if he would reciprocate.. sure enough after about 100 times sticking mine out, he stuck his tongue out at me finally, and capped it off with a huge gummy smile! OMG! You talk about making your heart melt. For about 5 minutes he smiled, and cooed, wrapping me around his pinky!

I have decided that God gives us a few roughshod weeks learning how to be a parent, so that when that very first REAL smile that isn't a gas bubble at all, is absolutely mesmerizing, completely spellbinding, and simply one of the most wonderful parts of being Iain's mommy!