Baby Book: Music Man

Part of the reason I keep this blog is to serve as a baby book. I know one day, this part of my life will seem so far away and I'll have trouble remembering the little details of when Nathan was a baby.  It gives me comfort knowing I'll be able to look back at this blog when he's older and remember when he was just a sweet little boy.

One thing I'm sure I won't forget is how much Nathan has always loved music. Ever since he was a newborn singing seems to make him happy. Below are some of his favorites.

99% of the time will stop him from crying: Wheels on the bus and Itsy bitsy spider

He can hum himself start to finish: Twinkle, twinkle

He (adorably) does the hand motions for: Five little ducks

I sang to him whenever I was nursing him or gave him a bottle: You are my sunshine (Interesting side note, have you ever heard the entire version of this song? I googled the lyrics today... it's actually very depressing!)

Guaranteed to make him laugh: How much is that doggy in the window?

Happily married (but also dating)

When I said "I do" three years ago I thought I was done with dating. I'd never have to come up with interesting small talk again. I'd never have to spend an awkward hour, counting the minutes until I could head home again. I'd never have to wonder if they'd call again. And yet somehow, I have landed right back in the dating scene. Why? Because I'm a mom and I want to make mom friends. I've been out of the dating world for more than 8 years so I'm a little rusty. But here I am, creating online Meetup profiles and trying to post flattering photos of myself and Nathan and include witty things in my bio.

The scariest part of meeting other mothers is that you just have to put yourself out there and that means the possibility of rejection. I've had a great conversation only to have the other mom just say goodbye at the end and walk away... don't you want my number??  I've had a really great play-date and the whole way home thought to myself "I really liked her, I hope she calls".  I've had high expectations to really hit it off and then been disappointed that we have nothing in common.

Meeting other moms is hard but when you find someone who could actually become a friend it makes all the awkward "dating" worth it. I've met some really nice women here and I'm hoping to end up in a serious relationship soon. (Just don't tell my husband!)

You're ok, you're ok, you're ok

I find myself saying this multiple times throughout the day. Between Nathan's confidence in walking and determination to run, he is falling left and right.  Most of the time he is fine, just a little caught off guard but his go-to reaction every time seems to be crying. So Will and I are trying to brush it off and teach him that not every stumble is that bad. If we don't make a big deal over it, maybe Nathan won't?

So while Nathan tries to master the art of running, I'll be trying to master the art of casually acting like his face-plants are no big deal, while inside I'm cringing and fighting the urge to scoop up my baby and say "Are you ok????"

Cape Cod summers

My childhood is full of Cape Cod memories.  Playing mini golf and riding bumper cars. Building sandcastles and jumping waves. Catching fireflies outside when the sun finally set.  My parents took us down the Cape almost every summer growing up. Sometimes it was a day trip in the car, other times a week long stay in a cottage. Since I'm a summer baby, I celebrated many birthdays on the Cape - jumping on trampolines, riding the merry go round, making my own ice cream sundae. I have so many wonderful memories of family vacations here. A week straight of "family time", playing cards and board games instead of watching TV and staying out way past our normal bedtime.

This week Nathan and I joined my parents in Harwich. In just a few short days, Nathan had some classic Cape Cod experiences. The beach in Chatham. An outdoor concert in Hyannis. The aquarium in Woods Hole. And an ice cream sundae in Dennis. Although I know Nathan won't remember these first few days, I will forever think back to them as Nathan's first Cape Cod summer, and look forward to making many more family memories here throughout the years.

Marginal Way

After years of taking public transportation anywhere and everywhere, Will and I did something very surreal this weekend.... we bought a car. I haven't had a car since 2002 and it was a 1986 Honda Accord named Sammy. Before that was a 1979 Buick Regal, aka The Zipster. So having a car after all this time is exciting enough but getting a brand new car is even more exciting. This thing has working AC. A CD player!!! And the seats are not held together by duct tape!

We have yet to name the car, we'll have to get to know each other first and see what feels right. So in an effort to bond with our new wheels, we drove up to Maine on Sunday and took Nathan on his first walk down Marginal Way. My parents took us here many times when we were kids and I know there's a not so flattering photo of me and my siblings there floating around somewhere.

The awful humidity had finally broken so the weather was gorgeous.  I can think of no better summer combination than warm sunshine and a cool ocean breeze.

We walked about a mile from one end to the other, did a little poking around the adorable downtown, introduced Nathan to his very first ice cream cone (he's a big fan) and then walked a mile back to where we started. One thing Will and I really miss about living in New York is walking so it felt good to spend the afternoon on our feet. We all came home tired and tan, proof of a successful Sunday  :)

Love/Hate

I love having a washer and dryer right in my unit so I can get laundry done when Nathan is sleeping.

I hate the insanely loud BUZZ my dryer makes to apparently let the entire world know it's done. I hold my breath every time hoping it doesn't wake the sleeping bambino.

The poolboy

In some ways we feel like we're settling into our new home quite well. We have lots of family nearby, we have a bigger apartment and we pay cheaper rent.   But in other ways, we still feel like we're in limbo. We are hoping to buy a home within the next year or two so we moved into this apartment knowing it would be temporary. While I dread the idea of having to pack up and move again.... this place does have its selling points.

And this week, when the horrible, mean old weatherman is telling me it will reach 100 degrees... the best selling feature is the pool! Nathan has been out there almost every day perfecting both his doggy paddle and his tan.