Happy Birthday Dawson

Well, the babies have done it again. This one's gone and turned one without even asking if it was okay to be so old, kind of like Lucy did.

Dawson will always be a special child to me. Crystal and I have been friends for 15 years and were able to go through this pregnancy together. Crystal was convinced that this baby would be okay because we were pregnant at the same time and it was meant to be. It was. I was also with Crystal at Dawson's birth (and she here for Lucy's), which gives me a different perspective on his life. That's something pretty special to be able to share. I know Dawson and Lucy will grow up knowing each other, and I love the time they spend together. So, I suppose, even though he didn't consult me before having his birthday I'll forgive this one. But when he turns two? We'll see.


Here Dawson is opening his gift from Lucy. She got him PJs, a shopping cart cover, and some bibs. Just what every one-year-old wants!

Big brother Dayton was all-too willing to lend a hand ripping into the gifts.

Mommy and Daddy with the birthday boy!

Dawson discovers cake ...

... and feeds it to his mommy. Yum!

I wish you the happiest of years to come, Dawson.

Ahhh, September

Can you tell I'm back to school? I'm working on juggling full time (getting Lucy out of the house by 7:00 and not home until almost 4:00) with essentially three new classes (new textbooks in everything with all my materials, homework, class practice, quizzes, etc. geared toward the old book) and have 106 students (once again the booby prize in my department with the biggest classes). And I was thinking about taking a class?

Hahahahahah!

Oh yeah, and this is Lucy's "My mommy is too busy to spend all day helping me push things around the house and reading books to me" face. She makes it a lot.

What a Baby Does

Lucy is a busy baby. All of the time. As I head back to school I'm already longing for the days where the hours seemed to stretch out ahead of us, when it was okay to push the stroller around the driveway for 30 minutes or take an hour for lunch. My days (mornings especially) from now until June will be a race to get us out of the house before 7am to make it to school in time. Now I can just wonder how Lucy fills her days playing with her friends at Kimmie's.

Last week, however, Lucy was ...

... playing with inappropriate toys. Here, the piece of wood we use to "lock" our sliding door. The list of other inappropriate toys includes the bottle of prilosec, the telephone and remote control, and bathroom items, lotion, combs, and if she can get her hands on it, the toilet brush ...

... letting mommy put silly things on her head and then snap photos. Lucy likes to play with headbands and has the idea that they go on her head but if one actually makes it there, watch out ...

... playing sudoku. This baby's got mathematical tendencies already ...

... pushing our stroller around the house, usually with a favorite toy riding. She can go back and forth across the house a hundred times without getting bored ...

... harassing Shorty. Poor dog just wants to eat her can of food so I set up a gate to give her some space. Lucy looks like the kind of girl who might jump those orange fences to ski in the woods ...

... exploring the box mommy put in the living room. There's always something exciting about a new object in the house, especially one you can fit into ...

... and sleeping. All of this activity can really wear a girl out, you know.

Week at Camp

It's finally here. The end of the summer. Sniff.

Every year the last couple weeks in August are bittersweet at our house, and were even before the arrival of Lucy. The weather here is generally beautiful and finally summery, but we are getting ready to go back to school (work). Eric is always more excited than I am; I dread my return to teaching, though once I get going it's usually okay.

To enjoy our last full week off we went to camp for four days, the longest stretch we've ever spent there at a go. With camp only an hour and a half away, it's not hard to just go for the day, but we made a mini-vacation out of it this time, which was nice. It made the three hours of cleaning you have to do to leave camp ready for the next person really seem worthwhile.

While there, I made the trip in to Millinocket to visit Aunt Harriett and Uncle Allister and stopped to buy Lucy some sand toys. She was less than thrilled with the rocky beach. One of her new things is to walk around the house and pick bits of debris off the carpet and hand it to me. I think she likes an unblemished surface on which to play, effectively making the beach frustration central. There was no way she was going to be able to get all those rocks up to prepare her play surface. Maybe next year.

Here are Lucy and I on the dock. Last time we went to camp I tried to get her to go in the water and she was terrified. Screamed and clutched, and even hated to go to the beach or out on the dock because it was close to the water. I thought this was the closest she was going to come to a swim, but I was wrong.

Eric took her in his arms and started to dip her feet and legs, which she didn't seem to mind at all.

So we stripped her down and sent her in. Perhaps she just doesn't like her bathing suit? Or maybe it was because the water this time was much warmer than her last swim? Who knows. Lucy and Daddy swam together for quite some time. She never seemed to love it, but didn't openly hate it, so we consider the adventure a success.

Here Eric is showing off his well-formed stroke.

Sara, Jacob, and Matt came up for the day on Tuesday and spent much of their time with us in the water.

Matt and Jacob found the snorkels and did some underwater exploring. They (gasp) saw a sunfish! It didn't, however, bite anyone's toes.

The boys went across the lake in the kayaks as well, and found a beautiful beach on an island straight out from our shore. Eric thought it had the good makings of a campsite for a night out.

Before the York-Gallons left, Jacob took some time to play with Lucy and show her how her toys worked.

Jacob is awfully good to her and she loves him right back. This was their best cousin hug.

We had a fabulous time at camp this year, wonderful weather, warm water, and good company. We couldn't have asked for a better week to be there, and lamented our return to civilization, a perpetually messy house, and the looming deadlines that come with a return to BHS and Husson.

Oh well. If summer lasted forever, it wouldn't be half as sweet, right?

Happy Birthday Lennon

Lucy's cousin Lennon turned one on August 11th, just 5 days after she did. We went to his party on Saturday, and Lucy arrived ready with a number of pointers about how best to enjoy a party.

Invite your friends. Parties are best when shared with other babies, and you'll always look cute in the picture next to your buddies.

Get a BIG cake. This ensures maximum cuteness when spreading the frosting around while eating your very own piece.


See above.

Finally, be patient and act interested when you open the mountain of gifts your friends and family bring you. Even though it may seem overwhelming, remember that all of these gifts are now yours to enjoy at your leisure in the future.

I think Lucy was a big help, though I'm sure Lennon would have enjoyed the day no matter what the advice we brought. Hope your second year gets off to a great start Lennon!

Recipe for a Party

10 simple steps to have a successful 1st birthday party:

1. Call your mother. Complain that you don't know if you'll even have a party, it's a lot of work, do people want to come, etc. This is the most essential step!

2. Call your father-in-law. Ask for permission to throw the party at his house. (This ensures minimal cleaning/preparation for you.)

3. Take offers of help. When someone volunteers to make a dish, say yes, no matter what it is.

4. Buy decorations and gift bags, but allow your mother to also buy the decorations she wants to have there too.

5. Arrive several hours early, but invite all your family to arrive early as well. This way you have help setting up.

6. Corral your husband into doing all the grilling.

7. When your guests arrive, make connections for them, so that they may entertain themselves.

8. Remember to purchase "big" play toys so the other kiddos at the party have something new to play on.

9. Enlist your friends and family (the stragglers) in the clean-up of the house that's not yours.

10. Sit back and enjoy your party baby!

Grampy York made Lucy this delicious cake. Thanks Grampy!

Waiting patiently to be fed.

Lucy enjoying her slice.

This is Lucy's friend Ellee. Her first birthday is in a couple of weeks so Lucy was showing her the ropes: how to open presents, which bows give the best shake and sparkle, etc.

Though Lucy has been walking for a week or so now she refused to lift her hands off the ground at the party and did this orangutan thing all day.

The new slide toy was a hit with everyone. Lucy was too short to go up the steps so she just climbed the slide. Her friend Marin is at the top waiting to slide down. She was NOT happy with Lucy for dawdling on the slide.

Lucy coming out of her new play tent with her new toy. It's not enough to have a play tent, the play tent must contain as many toys as can fit.

Happy 1st Birthday

It's hard to believe it, but my baby is one today. Is this even possible? It can't have been a year already.