Friday

I know this will seem like a piggy back from last week's post My Boys, but when thinking about my Favorite Friday Things I have to include, well, Fridays!

Since I work a Sunday-Thursday work week, Fridays are my day to just spend with my family. I don't plan to do any work, and rarely take work related calls or check work email. It's not easy, but I have to for my own sanity.

We usually try to do some type of family activity in the morning--out of the house and usually as cheap as humanly possible.

Today's adventure took us to the new playground at our local park. I read a blog post about how this park, located right around the corner from our apartment, had toddler appropriate playground equipment and was very intrigued. I also loved the fact that it has a library within walking distance. For a child who loves to play and adores books, this had "win-win" written all over it.

 

Like looking in a mirror.

 

I dunno about this thing.

 

Climbing! Now that's what I'm talking about!

 

Up or down?

 

Reading to himself. Priceless.

 

I love watching his little mind work. 

Climbing and reading?! Well this is just too much for one day.

Books. Piles and piles of books just for Thomas.

 

Soak 'em up little man. Every last one.

One person that was absent from this week's Friday adventure to the park and library was Daddy. My husband started back to school this week and classes prevented him from spending time with us this morning. We did get to meet him for lunch and chow down on some excellent pizza. This afternoon while he works we'll head to the pool for a few hours before we call it a night. Man, I love Fridays.

Happy Friday everyone!

What are some of your Family Day activities?

Nerd Love

Birthdays are always a super big deal to me. It's a day when people get an entire day celebrated to their life, their accomplishments and looking to the future. Today we got to celebrate my husband's birthday and in addition to its regular pomp and circumstance, there was one more thing that made this even more exciting:

My husband's birthday isn't until September 15. The reason for celebrating so early was because of his gift so I wanted to make it super special in addition to the early celebration.

Throughout the day I gave my husband clues that would spell out his ultimate gift. The first clue was a birthday card with a pirate saying, "Arrrr!" So "R" was his first clue. The next was a little bit easier: a new folder for school with a "N" written on it. Later in the day I changed his Facebook profile picture to the University of Alabama "A." (We both went to Alabama and are huge football fans.) A friend of ours randomly texted him the letter "G." I sent him a picture of a carbon dioxide sign. This was to represent "C," and two "Os." My son brought home a dye cut letter "N."

Finally he was given a Star Wars sound card from Hallmark with fifty dollars and a "D" inside."

RNAGCOOND

Got it yet? Unless you're a huge nerd (like my husband), you probably don't. So here it is: Dragon Con.

Dragon Con is a huge geek fest hosted in Atlanta each year during Labor Day weekend, hence the need to deliver the gift prior to September 15. There are all kinds of guest speakers, usually stars, writers and creators of Sci Fi movies and TV shows, workshops and some ca-razy costumes.

I'm totally not into the nerd scene, but he is. And I know he loves it. And he knows I am not. Our first date we rode 60 mph down the highway with him talking about role playing. Not naughty nurse/dirty doctor role playing, but what-dice-should-I-use-so-my-elf-can-kill-your-dwarf role playing.

I wanted to tuck and roll out of that '99 Chevy Silverado.

But this is his thing. He loves it and for the most part, I don't have to be involved in it--sort of like him and my blogging. He tells me about some of his "adventures," and I smile and listen because I love him and want to take an interest in what he loves. Over the years I've gotten into some of the Sci Fi movies and a few of the shows, but that's where I draw the line...so far. :)

Nerd love.

What are some things your significant other is into that you have little or no interest in?

Mom-xieties

I've always been a pretty anxious person.

For example, my sophomore year of high school we moved from Texas to South Carolina. We had only been in town a couple of weeks when I heard about alligators being found in area parking lots. Alligators? I thought those things only lived in lands where people spoke in strange, Southern dialects. You know, not regular Southern dialects.

I started freaking out about alligators being in my backyard, in my pool, in our garage and--get this--under my bed. That's right. Under my bed. Keep in mind, I was 15.

As I got older my anxieties became a little more understandable--college exams, job interviews, speaking in front of others. You know, normal things that most people freak out about except I would break out into horrible sweats and become unable to breathe.

Finding out I was pregnant was not easy for my anxiety. I've had type 1 diabetes for 26 years and had always been forewarned about the dangers of being pregnant, especially if it was unplanned. Unplanned is an understatement of what our pregnancy was. Everything went fine, but not without a lot of nights of crying, clinging to baby clothes and refusing to unpack many of our baby items until the final days of my pregnancy.

Then there was this.

Being a mom comes with a whole different set of anxieties. Mom-xieties. Worrying about a child while you're at work or running errands. Hearing thuds in the house and waiting to see if it's your child falling off the bed or the cat knocking something over in the next room. And the biggest one: how am I going to pay for this kid?!

Today we took Thomas for his 15 month check up, and we expressed concern that he's still not speaking. At all. He doesn't say "momma" or "dada" or "no" or "milk." Nothing. He'll babble his head off and imitate sounds when he hears them, but has yet to officially say his first word. With every blog, parenting magazine and birth board on the Internet declaring delayed speech as an indicator for Autism and other developmental issues, this of course has my anxiety on maximum overdrive.

Nurse Lesley, our PA who I absolutely love, isn't concerned at all. She pointed out awesome his motor skills are and how the babbling is a good sign that he wants to communicate. She asked questions about his social skills, and I told her about him walking up to strangers at the beach and laughing and babbling to them. She was even less concerned at that point and my fears began to subside. She gave me the numbers of speech therapists in the area in case I was still concerned, but I think I'm going to give it about eight more weeks before I do anything that drastic.

Mom-xieties are a part of most moms, especially first-timers. I think it's just a sign that we love our children and want to protect them as much as possible.

Just doing our jobs...

What are your mom-xieties?