Fall in Pennsylvania

What an amazing day. In his Fall Orange outfit (Matt's favorite color), Rylen saw some pumpkins that were much larger than he is. Thanks to his mother's obsession with photographing every small moment, he is comfortable in front of the camera.

The bright sun sadly blotted out some of the lovely background color of his "pumpkin portrait," but at least the orange is still there.

And even more exciting than his new-found ability to sit up, Rylen's hair is growing in. Finally. The color, however, is still to be determined, it seems. In some lights, there is a strong hint of red; most times, he is just glisteningly blonde. Either way, it's rather fuzzy and very adorable.

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great hand-me-downs + procrastination =

Welcome to our photo shoot.....

Hello Kitty....

This could have ended badly...Rylen lay down for some quality tummy-back time and Grace saw the opportunity to lie down on something comfortable. So, tail meet little hand. I stood vigilantly over the duo, watching Rylen grab her, waiting for her to turn around and scratch him.

Shockingly it was peaceful, so I grabbed the camera...This could be the start of something strange and beautiful as our "baby cat" bonds with our baby boy, even if she doesn't really want to.

entertaining baby

I am not sure who was more entertained when we went to the little neighborhood park...

Sometimes I wonder about Rylen's "daredevil" attitude: what will he enjoy when he is older? Now that he has had a taste of the real thing, the mechanical swing that is taking up 3/4 of our living room is rather ho-hum. When we put him back in the plush Fisher-Price contraption, he looked up at us, "are you kidding me? This is so boring..."

First Commandment

As Rylen sits in his swing and watches "Friends" on t.v., I am learning an important - no, essential - lesson:

Thou shalt not judge other mothers.

For some reason, Rylen is fussy. He won't take a nap, cries when he is awake, cuddles and then thrashes his arms, and then cries some more. So, out of desperation, I turned the television on. What damage am I doing to his developing mind? I think about the moms who admit to plunking their kids in front of the technological babysitter, and I think about how I used to scoff and assume I would never do such a horrible thing. But....

I so wanted to keep my children out of t.v's snare, dreaming that somehow as they grew they would be saved from the lure of the huge images, choosing instead to play outside. But now, my three month old is quieter than he has been all day, thanks to the "miracle box." If the bright colors and movements attract him now, what will happen when he understands what he is watching? Will he lose all interest in doing anything other than sitting and staring? What have I done?

At this moment, I have peace. And I have the t.v to thank.

our new babysitter

Rylen in his swing

The Worst Mama Award Winner Is...

Ok, so at the risk of someone coming to take Rylen away from me, I will admit to my latest errors:

1. The other day, I slept in until 11:00. And made Rylen stay asleep too.
2. I am watching "Kendra," the super-trashy reality show, and Rylen is happily watching right along with me. WHAT?

I feel guilty for enjoying the quiet. I do love my son, but I miss the days when I could watch t.v without feeling like I was destroying someone else's brain.