Bits 'n' Pieces

Wow, I think I was going into withdrawal from not blogging for two whole days. That means I have lots of little things that crossed my mind recently to blog about, so I'm just going to give snippets of those ideas today.

1. Friday night, Matt and I got to go on a double date with my sister Jennifer and her husband Nick. It was nice to get out and let Nana hang out with Patrick. The only problem was that all during dinner, I was within sight of a tiny baby sleeping peacefully. Then that baby left only to immediately be replaced by a little girl about Patrick's age. How could I not miss Patrick while constantly being distracted by such cuteness?

2. Patrick had his nine-month check-up on Friday. First the vital stats: 14 lbs 11 oz, 25 1/2 inches long, and 17 1/2 inches head circumference. They're all bigger, but his growth has considerably slowed down from his last check-up. The traumatic part of the appointment was his CBC for anemia. I'd expected a tiny prick on his finger or foot and a few drops of blood collected, maybe a little screaming, but just a routine process. It turned out that the nurse was having problems with the new blood collection tubes. After trying two different ones on his heel, she got very frustrated and asked another nurse to come in to try. The new nurse pricked his finger and didn't have any problems filling the tube that time. Patrick didn't even notice the first prick and was perfectly happy during the time it should have taken to fill a tube, but by the time the first nurse gave up, he was in hysterical-scream mode. The only good part about it is that he was more than happy being comforted when the ordeal was over. I have never seen him that snuggly. Other than getting blood drawn, the appointment was easy. Patrick was perfectly happy being checked out and showing off his new skills and teeth for his doctor.

3. Of course I got a few pictures from Jennifer and Nick's short visit. They also showed up with their little girl, Katie. She's a little furrier than most and looks nothing like her parents, but she and Patrick bonded right away. Patrick would squeal and bounce around every time she came in the room, just hoping she would come lick his toes or let him pet her. We may need to think about getting Patrick a puppy dog before long, considering his absolute infatuation with dogs.

Uncle Nick and Patrick playing

Aunt Jennifer and Katie watching Nick and Patrick

Katie and Patrick getting acquainted

Now they're best friends.

4. Yesterday afternoon we went swimming with my friend Lauren and her son Will. It's been a rainy week, so we wondered if we'd ever make it into the pool at her parents' house. We did get in the pool for a few minutes, but it started raining just a few minutes later and we were forced inside. We still stuck around and socialized for a little while, but then the boys started getting fussy and we had to let them take a nap, which unfortunately ended the outing. It was still a lot of fun hanging out, even if things didn't quite work out as planned. I was hoping to get lots of cute swimming pictures, too, but the pool time was so abbreviated that I didn't get an opportunity to pull out the camera. Maybe next time...

5. After coming home from swimming, we all just collapsed. Patrick was asleep before he hit his crib, and Matt and I crashed on the couch and chair in the living room. It was an impromptu family nap time. Most likely, it was letdown from the busy schedule of the week, much more than we're all used to doing, and all the socialization. Patrick's sleep schedule in particular had been manipulated to extremes to accommodate our busy schedule, so it was no surprise that he slept a full three hours for his late afternoon nap yesterday. The letdown continued this morning when we couldn't make ourselves get up for church, sleeping until almost noon instead (yes, all three of us). I hate missing church, but I think it was pretty necessary this morning when even Patrick needed to sleep that late.

6. Patrick and I had a special "mommy moment" this morning. He woke up crying about 5:15 and couldn't go right back to sleep--I'm guessing maybe a bad dream. Surprisingly I was eager to get up and comfort him, maybe because he didn't want my boobs like he had as a newborn baby, but wanted me instead this morning. As soon as he started nursing, he was perfectly content again. He took his time eating, enjoying the quiet time with me. And instead of turning on the TV to help me stay awake, I just focused on Patrick too. When he finished eating, he still snuggled up close to me and gazed up into my eyes. If ever there was a time I was convinced Patrick loved me, that was it. I took the opportunity to tell him what he means to me too. I could swear from the way he watched me that he knew exactly what I said. He knew the exact moment I was finished talking to him because he squirmed away, positioned himself comfortably across my lap, and relaxed. Almost immediately, his eyelids got heavy. He was all set to fall asleep on my lap, something he hasn't done in months. If I hadn't known we would both sleep better in our own beds, I would have let him. I can't begin to describe my emotions during those short thirty minutes. I made a point to cherish every one of those pre-dawn seconds alone with my baby--while he is still a baby. I finally took my own advice and took advantage of a special moment, carving that sweet memory into my mind forever.

7. And finally, to counter the sappiness with humor, here is a picture I snapped while Nana was bathing Patrick the other day. Patrick has finally started showing an interest in playing during his bath, so naturally he has the standard rubber ducky. Of course, now it's kind of a family joke:

Oh, the jokes just write themselves...