A Vision of Things to Come

Just two dudes hanging out in a really comfortable recliner- I know I ask this a lot- but could they be any cuter? This weekend marks an historical date- We finally ordered our recliner. A recliner you say? Aren't those totally stodgy and out of date? Not this recliner...this recliner is from red, the mecca of all things fabulous and UP to date. We ordered it in a black and white houndstooth- and I am so excited to put it in our living room and do a little re-arranging.

Yahoo! I love adding things to and updating our home!

A Day in The Life

of Sam Bennett...

7:15 wake up to Davis either pounding on the wall or babbling in his room...walk in, say hello to Davis, get a HUGE smile, snuggle him a minute, then let him suck down his morning bottle while I shower.

next i plop him in his little walker- give him some puffs and he toddles around for a bit. he loves to chase me, fred flinstone style, and then he pokes his head in my room while i get ready.

usually before we head out- i give him some yobaby yogurt- which he can't get enough of these days. if you don't have it open before he sees the yogurt he grunts and squeals like a crazy man. it's so funny- he sits there with his mouth wide open- just waiting for that yogurt to hit his tongue.

8:10 I drop Davis off with Laura, Scarlett and James. One of the best parts of the morning is seeing what characters James and Scarlett are that day. They have more costumes and more personality than any other little kids I know. Sometimes James is Mowgli, sometimes he is Darth Vader...sometimes Scarlett is a ballerina, but mainly she is some sort of princess.

The mid-section of my day is work- where I "play" a very professional ad executive. :)

5:30 I scramble out the door as fast as my legs will take me to pick Davis up. Yesterday when I picked him up- he was playing in the yard with Laura while James and Scarlett did rain dances- complete with umbrellas and wearing nothing but underwear. Laura gets the most fun mom award for sure.

6:00ish we get home, have some dinner, take a bath every other day or so, which he LOVES! now when he hears the tub running, he goes over and pulls up on the side and just grins. He squiggles all around in the water- loving every minute- fearless until he gets his little face wet and then he gasps like he has just taken in SO much water. then we play. sometimes we play in his room, sometimes we roll around on Davis and I's bed- he smiles so big when I plop him down on the mattress.

7:00 he lays down with a bottle, wearing a onesie and socks. he has a bottle, and then usually he rolls around and talks for a while until he falls asleep. sometimes he cries. sometimes he throws his pacifier over the side and then he really wails. when i go back in- he gives me the biggest grin like "oh good- i see you've changed your mind. let's play some more..." and it's very hard to walk back out.

7:30 then i start my night. i either go straight to the gym to meet stacey and work out or sometimes i just lie on the bed or couch for about 10-15 minutes to catch my breath for goodness sakes. then i think about ordering pizza...then i tell myself i can't and that i must eat something healthy if i'm going to be back in shape by his first birthday. so i eat something boring. then if davis is in town- we hang out and sometimes just lie on our bed and talk and sometimes we watch TV together and sometimes we watch a movie and sometimes i just read while he works or sometimes we both work.

10ish then we certainly lie in bed and talk and then i usually read and go to bed while davis continues to work and then he goes to sleep a bit later.

all in a day's work. :)

I Love Boys that Love the Jets

First Kevin Arnold and now baby Davis. This is how we found him sleeping last night at 10 p.m. Doesn't look comfortable, but it seems to have worked for him.

Katy, Katie and Jodie

I am going back to work this morning feeling incredibly refreshed from my weekend in Katy. It was so great to catch up with Katie- we are both so busy these days- we don't get to talk as much as we'd like so now when we get together, the most important thing is to stay up late and catch up on everything. It feels a lot like college- which I love. Katie is 34 weeks pregnant and she looks like a million bucks. She looked good in her first pregnancy- but she has really stepped it up this time. I was telling my mom that she literally looked exactly the same as normal, but like she stuffed a ball up her shirt. Her nursery is so cute and girly and so was the shower. It was adorable and honestly, for the first time, it made me think "woah, wait a minute. I think i need to have a little girl..."

Saturday night I had dinner with my godmother, Jodie. It was so great to catch up with her, it always is, but I think the neatest thing is that it was the first time I felt like we were just two grown-up girlfriends chatting. I met Jodie when I was 13 years old. I was Mason's first and only babysitter and I basically grew up loving on both Mason and Lovell and totally admiring Jodie. She is the perfect balance of a creative and independent spitfire and an amazing mother. I hope to be a lot like her in that way.

Anyway- it was such a nice girl's weekend and I realized how much I need that every once in a while. THEN- when I got back- I got the best surprise ever. Little Davis was taking a nap, so i got to talk to Davis for a while, and then little Davis woke up crying. I walked into his room, expecting the usual response, which is not much...
But this time- I walked in and he went from crying to having the biggest grin I've ever seen...AND he kept smiling and then tucking his little head into his hands because he was so excited to see me. It was adorable. I picked him up, held him, then set him down and he just kept crawling back to me. Had I known I would get such a reception I would have walked in with a video camera. It was worth a million bucks.

This was a great weekend.

More Photos from Carrie

Carrie just delivered us the final disc of photos- she went above and beyond...and I mean beyond beyond because I was already thrilled with the 10 she sent over. The problem with her generosity is that we can't decide which ones to blow up and frame- there are so many good ones. Here are a few more that I think you haven't seen.

Work in Progress

Went to the gym today for my 3rd measuring/weighing session since beginning in June. Didn't do as well as I had hoped- but I sort of anticipated that to be honest. I lost a pound- so I am headed in the right direction- but with all the hard work- that doesn't feel like so much.

But- I am a work in progress...on many levels...and I am okay with that. I refocused, realized that I will do even better now that my summer weekend vacays are over (specifically boozing at the beach) and things will slow down. It's really about what you put in your mouth, so I'm going to re-focus on that in addition to all the working out.

I don't know if it sounds like I am obsessing over fitness or weight or whatever...but truly, though I have a ways to go, I feel better about myself than I have in a long time because I'm committed to something for ME. So yes I'm re-focusing and I do expect to see a significant change in the next four weeks- but honestly I am enjoying the journey, which for me is saying a lot because I'm mainly always trying to just get somewhere already.

Last night, Davis woke up around 10:30, pretty upset. Laura mentioned yesterday that he had his hands in his mouth a lot, and I think that she might be right and he might be getting another tooth...anyway, I was rocking him, and he kept trying to get comfortable and stretch out. When he finally got situated, he was lying straight out and his head was in the crook of my arm, his legs dangling around my knees. He is so big. He is not really a baby anymore, but a little boy. And I realize how much things have changed in the last year.

Certainly I have learned more in the last year or so than in many other years combined. Physically, emotionally, mentally- I don't even feel like the same person I was a year ago. And all for the better, really.

Okay- well this post is getting long and I know what my mom is thinking..."umm...where are the pictures of Davis?" so I'll sign off and promise to take some pics and post them this weekend.

Yay! I'm excited to spend time with Katie and have dinner with Jodie this weekend! Friends that are really actually family are the best.

My Little Man

My little man is walking up and down the length of the couch and he is just so proud of himself and happy that he can get around. I can't believe how fast he went from crawling to standing and then to taking steps while standing. I'm wondering how soon he will walk off on his own.

He is also liking his bottle less and less- he wants real food. He is using his sippy cup- but is quite messy with it. I guess I need to find a better one that doesn't leak everywhere.

In the morning- he wakes up with a huge grin- and when I get home from work- he loves to play and climb all over me. He is so happy and fun these days- I just love being his mom. It's seriously the best.

Separately- here is what is going on with me.
1) This weekend I'm throwing a shower for Katie in Katy. She is having a little girl- so everything will be pink and girly! It's so fun to think about girl stuff...it makes me realize how excited Katie must be because I know she's thinking about it every minute.

2) We just bought tickets to go see Kirsten, Chad and baby Andy in October. We cannot wait to see them, meet the baby, and also enjoy the beautiful weather in Washington. We had a great time the last time we went and I know it will be even more fun with baby Andy and little Davis.

3) Stacey and I graduated into phase two of our workouts: endurance. YES! Thursday I measure in for the third time- so I'm hoping I will see progress.

4) Davis is going to have a cousin this spring- Polly and Niles are having a little one! Very fun. At first I thought it would be a girl, but now I'm thinking a boy. We'll see.

5) Football season is about to start- and that is really fun when living in Austin. I am most excited about fall weather and getting together with friends and kiddos to chat and watch the game. I chat more than I watch- unless it's a really good game.

That's all for now!

A Whole New View

Davis' favorite thing is standing- and even more recently- stomping while standing. These pictures show him as I find him every morning when he wakes up. He is standing there shouting and stomping his brains out- I hand him his bottle- and he just leans backwards knowing that I will slow down his fall to a lying position so he can guzzle the goodness.

Last night, because he loves standing so much, I got him a walker. He hasn't quite figured it out yet. He goes backwards more than forward and while he is moving around- he hasn't quite realized the breadth of his new freedom. However- Nikki just sent me the new walker pic and it looks like he has moved into the kitchen. Nice work.

Cheers to standing up and also to such fine, muscular thighs. Click on the pictures to blow them up for a closer view of his chiseled legs.

LOVE

looks like this...


and this.

boss lady

okay occasionally my boss reads this blog, but i don't feel like she has recently so i'm going to go ahead and say i'm lucky to have her as a boss and friend without worrying about sounding like a huge brown noser. she has made the balance of my life with both working and being a mom so much easier. i feel like i'm able to have both- a great job that challenges me and keeps me sharp and the feeling that i am a good hands- on mom. and THAT, my friends, is invaluable.
that's all for now. thankful.

(and its worth noting that this post is a complete 180 from what i thought i would post about earlier this morning. davis' fever was 104.9 degrees (its just a virus), i've had to do some fancy footwork with daycare, AND i got pulled over on the way to work this morning. all this on about 10 hours of sleep since last thursday.)

but anyway- i'm lucky. my friends, my family, everything.
-pollyanna.