Wordless Wednesday: Reason No. 43 to love cloth diapers.

 

I'm actually a little afraid to put this diaper on Jack.   I'm not sure that I can handle the amount of cute that will be present in that combination.

Wordless Wednesday: Man's Best Friend.

J.D. "Here Comes the Judge." Rest in Peace, dogman. Thanks for keeping an eye on my mom for the last few years. You were a great companion for her, and you will be very missed.

Wordless Wednesday: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

I know a secret!

 

 

 

 

 

Mama let me out in the snow with NO SHOES!

Whee!  I'm barefoot!

My wordiest Wednesday yet

It is our nature to want to explain away bad things, to say that "everything happens for a reason" and to think that good people have good things happen to them, and bad people suffer tragedies.

Maybe one of the most basic human fears is that none of that is true; that there is no fairness, no settling out of the good and the bad. That sometimes bad things happen to great people for no apparent reason, and that sometimes lightning does strike twice.

One of the most sweet, amazing, caring, wonderful women I've ever had the pleasure of meeting online is pregnant with a little baby boy. It is her second child - her first, a daughter, was born too soon last year and did not survive. It was a tragedy that no one should endure, but she endured it with grace and strength unlike any I had ever seen. And when we learned she was expecting again, it was such a celebratory event. She'd finally have a sweet, healthy baby in her arms.

After a pretty uneventful start to her pregnancy, she got some bad news and she is now on bedrest indefinitely.  She is only 22 weeks along at this time - it is much too early for her baby to be born.  When her online community of friends heard about this development we were in despair; we behaved as though the worst had happened. We cried, we bargained, and we asked why?  A cooler head prevailed and told us all to put our game faces on, to pray hard, and to send as many positive thoughts and words as we could to our beloved friend and her precious son.

We rallied. We put on our game faces. And we are praying hard for our dear friend.

Of course, since this is sort of a Wordless Wednesday blog entry, you expect photos.

Hang in there, TW and Baby M. 

Wordless Wednesday: A confession.

When I go to check on Jack while he's asleep in his room, I full expect to look in and see this:

My teeny, tiny little napper, with a shock of baby black hair, skin still yellowed with newborn jaundice.

It still surprises me when I see something like this instead:

Guys?  He's so big.  There's nothing newborn left, and even the traces of "baby" are giving way to toddler features.  Too fast.  Too, too fast.

Wordless Wednesday: Carrots

Mom, I love carrots. Eating them, wearing them - it doesn't matter to me. I just love them.

But Mom?  You really need to feed me faster. A growing boy can only wait so long between spoonfuls.  One second, maybe two, tops.  Step it up here, lady.

Mom!  I said I'm hungry.  Do you want me to feed myself?  I can, but it won't be pretty!

I can't believe you left this right here, right within my reach!  You're slipping, mom.  Totally slipping.

Got it!  Now, how does this thing work?  Are there instructions on the bottom?  The spoon usually just comes to my face automatically...it seems to be be broken today.









The answer must be in here...somewhere.  Maybe underneath all of these carrots?  Hmm, this is harder than it looked.

There we go!  That's how it's done!

Wordless Wednesday with the wee lad.

(Apologies to those of you who have seen these photos already, but there's no way I could withhold them from this week's WW post).

The Brand New Kilt (as told by Jack)

Momma and Daddy bought me my very first kilt. At first I wasn't too sure about it, so I tried it on and asked Daddy: "Daddy, what do you think?"

Daddy said I looked great, so I asked Momma:  "Momma, what do you think?"  And mean Momma said I looked like I was wearing a skirt!  So then I was all, like, "waaaahhh!"

But then Momma said she was just kidding, and she held me for a bit and we were all better.  So then I asked her again: "Momma, how do I look?"

And Momma said "Jack, you look great!  And don't you know, the ladies LOVE a man in a kilt!"  So then I was all like "Helloooooooo ladiessssss!"

So, guys:  what do you think about my new kilt?  I think I like it.

(and Jack!)

Wordless Wednesday: Gone Fishin'

Try as we all did, the only fish caught that day was caught purely by accident, and so tiny he was initially mistaken for part of a clump of weeds.

But as they say, a bad day fishing is better than a good day working.

Wordless Wednesday: Stuff Daddy does to baby when I'm not watching

Stages a battle of army men on Jack Hill.

Makes kneecap faces.

Takes photos of him chillin' au naturale.

Builds him cool hats.

Diapers his sweet lil' head.

Helps him rock a fingerstache.

Gives him monkeygoggles.

How High's the Water, Mama?

Fox River, Waukesha, WI

We had a lot of rain in Southeastern Wisconsin last week.  Rain on our already saturated ground meant flooding in some areas.  The Fox River swelled, swallowing up the scenic walkways on its banks.

60th and Mill Road, Milwaukee, WI.

The interior of my 2001 Mustang.  A total loss.

I was lucky to only lose a car.  Many people lost family heirlooms and some even lost their houses.  Sewerage backups into homes meant that much of what got wet was not at all salvageable - it became a health risk.

Plenty of company in the deep water.

To put it all into perspective, one young man lost his life when his car was swept from the road and into a fast-moving creek.  The whole thing was a damn shame.

Wordless Wednesday: My Music Critic (Video Edition)

Wordless Wednesday: Bird Search

How many birds do you see in my backyard?

Bonus question: Can you see the squirrel?

Wordless Wednesday: Reflections on Playtime

Wordless Wednesday: California Flowers

It is the one thing that we wish for our children:  that the happiness, delight and wonder of youth carry on throughout their days.

Jack learned how to stop and smell a flower.  I hope it was the first of many through a life that is full and fulfilling.

And once again, I fail at the "wordless" part of Wordless Wednesday.