Beer on the Lawn with Friends

Homebrewed beer and dear little boys playing on the lawn. Love it. Love my friends. Love worms (the lads did NOT want to even give it a poke).

With Mama

Chris got a hold of the camera for a bit and got a rare photo of me.

Photography

I'll let you in on a secret. I stay up until 2 most nights working on my photography. I edit photos, research and read tips about using photoshop, look for inpsiration in photographs of others. The internet has been amazing. It has changed everything for me. No longer putting off learning until I can take a class. I have felt most of my life that I am not really internally motivated. I needed people to belive in me support me. Somehow I have found people literally all over the world that help keep me motivated. It's surreal but so so amazingly good.

But the thing I do the most of, late at night, is look at my day with Bowie, captured right there before me and it is like a mantra of love and appreciation everytime I see how good it is. I look at this image of our visit to UT's HRC where we saw a photography exhibit and it makes me teary to see my two loves here with me on my journey, supporting and inspiring me.

Gift of Rain

Remember when rain meant fun? When the thought of getting sprinkled equalled a near compulsion to strip down and walk in the gutters? Here it is.

I'm so glad that Bowie created a life where I sit out in the rain, get muddy almost everyday, fold laundry quietly in a napping house while the clouds make the day black. The world, no matter how hard, is joyful for him and I get to share that. What a gift.

Raining

We had a good storm today. It was nearly pitch dark this afternoon. I let him run around in the backyard in his water sandals and a tshirt. Totally diaperless, so modest photos are all ya get here.

Bowie napped for the second day in a row!!! We are getting back into our routine which is a relief for all of us. Lat night it took a long time for Bowie to fall asleep. I laid in bed with him and he talked and talked and talked literally until he dropped off to sleep. He was very concerned about his lost sippy cup, repeating over and over again "maybe sippy cup is under the bed. maybe sippy cup is under the ktichen cabinet." I especially made an effor to remember these two sentences:

"My hands like caterpillar on mama's neck" while tickling me.

"Mama's breasties under blanket mama knit for baby Bowie's bed" this one blew me away. It really warms my heart that he understands that I made that for him.

Eggs

I loved seeing him have this experience. Didn't you love to watch food coloring spread when you were a kid? I did. An awesome, and I do mean awesome not just cool, to see him mesmerized by it.

The Hunt

Bowie totally knew what to do! We read lots of books in preparation but I wasn't sure if he'd understand. The only trouble is that he kept squeezing the boiled eggs to see what was inside. Lots of egg yolk were thrown into the bushes "for the birds". I didn't get the idyllic portraits I had hoped for with sweat, chocolate and dirt all over Bowie within minutes. Will try again!

Easter Morning

It's been a long long time since I could sit down at the computer. Wedding week has past and inlaws have gone home. I am barely beginning to recover but am hindered by 5 out of the past 7 days with NO naps. Yikes!

Here is Bowie's bounty that awaited him Sunday morning. I had so much fun picking out sweet and beautiful things for him. He came out of his room and talked to us for a little bit, just two feet from his goodies, then I SAW the flash in his eyes when he realized what was there on the table. It was like magic to get to see that. His favorite gift seemed to be the playmobile bunny set with scooter. I figured that it might be! Love those weird German toys, even if they are plastic. I even gave Bowie one piece of candy, a dark chocolate Lindt ball.

Getting Dressed

We tried on Bowie's outfit for Destiny and Paul's wedding. My mom got the linen pants and shirt and I got the little sweater vest at Saver's thrift store. I love that little sweater. Sure hope it's cool enough for him to wear it for at least a bit.

Splashing

I wish you could hear Bowie. BiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiG Spash! (yes, without the L) He must have gotten in and out of the pool 50 times. I love that he's such a water nymph. Totally at ease. Afterwards he and I took a shower (he was dirtier after the wading pool thatn before), and he would stand under the shower with water running all down his face until I told him it was my turn. You can see some of the ant bites on his left arm. Still doesn't seem to bother him. He also doesn't seem to scratch mosquito bites. What's up with that?

Flickr Obsession

Besides being busy with my familyto prepare for Destiny's wedding (next Thursday!), I have allowed myself to become totally obsessed with Flickr, a photo group webiste. I have set up a gallery there. If you've been following me here, you'll recognize many of the photographs. But I am inspired to be more experimental and will probably be posting a variety of images and subjects, though I will always be like a moth to Bowie's light.

Yesterday I ran errands with Destiny, my mom and Honey. Chris took Bowie to Fort Parker State Park to help his mom celebate her 60th birthday. Bowie took his first canoe ride without incident and then enjoyed a family bicycle tour of the park. Then, while observing bluebonnets, he was attacked by fire ants. We have a little video clip that Chris was making showing Bowie swatting at his arms, first calmly, them a bit more worriedly before saying, "Bugs are biting me." Chris threw down the camera and all of the guardians received many bites themselves stripping down Bowie. Chris said that Bowie was totally cool and never freaked out. He's got a LOT of bites. Makes a mama sad. But he doesn't seem to be bothered by them at all.

Strawberry Pop

I have this box of strawberry pops in the freezer from last year. EWWW! They are a total mess. Fun to get pics of though! Of cource Bowie totally enjoys them also. I love the pics of Bowie looking at Bovine. They are rarely any closer than that. Bowie loves Bovine but is also afraid of him. Last week he was sitting at the table eating. I stepped away for a moment and I heard Bowie say, "I tell Mama. I tell Mama." Then I heard his little running feet. I turned to greet him and he told me, "Bovine eat Mama's food." Sure enough, I could see Bovine's fang marks in my bread.

Mama Papa Bed

Twice this week I have awoken in bed with Chris rather than Bowie! You may be thinking, what's the big deal? Well, the total times that has happened in the past 22 months is less than 10, maybe less than 5. I have loved sleeping together but am relieved to see him naturally maturing into an independent sleeper without us having to force or train him. Here he is playing on our bed this afternoon.

Nonnie and Gramps

Spent the evening out in Driftwood with my folks. Bowie is becoming so comfortable with them. He recognizes when we are getting close to their house.

Wheels and Peels

Bowie at Shipe last Friday morning.

Drawing with Markers

Bowie helped me decorate the map to my sister's wedding for his grandparents in Dallas. He learned how to take the lids off the markers! Uh oh! And very nearly how to put them back on, too.

2 Months from 2

Ah, my son is nearly two. He speaks to me in sentences. He tells me what he wants and loves. He totally trusts me. He cracks himself up. He loves/hates all messy and noisy things. He tells me, "Mama has big breasties." He knows how to ask nicely. He counts 1 2 6 7 8 9 10 11. He narrates the scene of us driving to Central Market, "Papa drive left side. Mama sit ride side. Bowie sit carseat. Bowie want to drive BIG car on street in left seat." Bowie says, "Bowie sad." He still gives kisses. He "likes movie and pizza with Nonnie and Gramps." He kicks a football pretty well. He goes fast on the tricycle. And can steer pretty well, too. He loves Tuba Dog. He wants to love the standoffish cat of ours, Bovine. He can't ever get his fill of "raspberries blackberries, blueberries, strawberries." If you have been read the book daily, Jamberry over and over again, reciting the book in the car during traffic for the past 22 months, you know the source of his obsession. He strokes his sheepie, the lambskin I slept on for two months before he was due and that he has slept on everynight night since the night he was born.

As I write, I look over my left shoulder and see the corner of our room where the birthing tub was. I am in the same place where my mom stood when Bowie was born, on her birthday. The same lamp that was the only light except the mag light our midwife turned on discreetly and turned off quickly is on, the only light of the room except the glow from monitor. Through the baby monitor I am lulled by the synthetic grasshopper song Bowie has heard every night of his life, except for the many, many nights we've spent in our tent hearing the sound of grasshoppers, dog tags, armadillo digging. Oh my, I am flooded with the bounty of memories for the best days of my life. Chris sleeps heavily and noisily behind me. He is everything that makes this life possible for us. He makes our world light and easy. He will soon be Bowie's favored parent, I suspect.

These photos were taken last night about an hour before sunset. The night before was loud with thunder and rain. The windows shook. The glass of a photoframe broke when it fell from the wall of my friend, Michele. Bowie happily recited "Boom Boom Boom, Mr Brown makes thunder" through the whole morning. But if he was away from my side when a big one clapped, he ran to me quickly. After being kept inside all day, I let him go out into the muddy, filthy yard and exlpore. He didn't get nearly as dirty as I expected.

Karaoke and Car Shoes

We had a pajama party with some of our friends. They gave Bowie these insane Hot Wheels slippers. He calls them car shoes. I am very surprised that he wears them as they are cumbersome, but come to think of it, most of his favorite footwear is not very practical. He was inspired by Finn's toy microphone to sing Charlie Parker Played Bee Bop over and over again to us. And later that day I found him leaning over a page of Ten Little Elvi with 10 microphones on a stage singing Charlie Parker again. This morning he was sitting on the potty all by himself singing You Are My Sunshine. He is really getting a singing voice too, holding out notes and adding a bit of vibrato.

Swimming in the Big Bathtub

Bowie and Chris have been taking swim classes at the Y. The teacher calls the swimming pool the big bathtub. Bowie just loves the water and is very comfortable in it. This summer should be fun!

Bowie at Honey's School

We went to a surprise wedding shower for my sister at Honey's school yesterday. Bowie LOVED it. It is a really fun place to explore. It is a gardening montessori school. Each child has his or her own plot and there are chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, a dog. All the children wear gardening boots when outside. It's a dirty, organic playground with tubs full of water all over the place (which is not so great in mosquito season). Bowie walked across this rope ladder with total ease. He has been really working on balance recently, like climbing ladders, placing stools on top of other things and standing on them, even standing on the back of the rocking bear on loan from a friend. SCARY! But he really does seem to be fairly aware of his abilities and usually exhibits some amount of caution. I registered him for a gymnastics class today. Maybe that will satisfy some of those balancing needs.

Papa's Birthday

Bowie can sing the Happy Birthday song. We've been singing it a lot lately since Chris's 31st birthday was Saturday. Bowie understood that the packages coming in the mail were for Papa's birthday. He would walk by them and say "Papa's birfday pesents." And he was beside himself excited that we were going to make birthday brownie for Chris (brownies with ice cream is his favorite dessert). He poured in the vanilla, the nuts, the sugar, helped me stir, and of course licked the spoon. I'm not sure why he was so excited about sugar. We don't talk about it ever but both of my parents call him sugar for a nickname, so maybe that's why he responded to it. After we poured it in, he was saying "Bowie eat sugar. Cake has sugar." with such glee that you'd think sugar has some scent that is mind altering. It has been so much fun seeing him understand and enjoy the idea of a birthday because it will make his 2nd birthday so much fun. Yesterday we went out to my folks' house to celebrate both my sister's and Chris's birthday. They have the same birthday though Destiny is one year older. We have a lot of shared birthdays in my family. Chris and Des. Me and my dad. Bowie and my mom. That's pretty wild isn't it?

Chris took off three days from work and we just spent time together at home, got some projects completed, had dinners with friends, and Chris went to a couple SXSW parties and shows. It will be hard when he goes back to work tomorrow. I know that Bowie will be missing him tremendously. And I will too. I love spending time all as a family, and it's been really nice for us as a couple too. The first few days were actually a bit hard, trying to get into a groove with each other. Bowie and I are so used to our patterns and routines, and Chris has his too. I can't wait unitl our next vacation!

Drum Kit

So, not my most artistic grouping, but I love the expressions and the meaningfulness of these pictures. For anyone that has seen Chris drumming, you will recognize the grimace on Bowie's face in the first photo. And seeing Chris pass on his passion for drumming with Bowie is amazing. Of course Bowie has an affinity to it. What 2 year old (well, nearly) wouldn't love the freedom to bang and be noisy? Whether Bowie will be passionate about drumming or music we will have to wait and see, but what is important to us is not that he like what we like (though wouldn't that be nice?) but that he sees us be passionate and that we share our
passions with him.

Tonight we went to a free outdoor SXSW Spoon show down along Town Lake. It was a nice evening (still a bit of spring left for Austin I hope). Bowie had a grand time wandering in the crowds, rolling in the grass, throwing his glow-in-the-dark ring, and grinning ear to ear at friendly strangers. He has a huge social grin now. He's totally interested in interacting and communicating with other people. Sometimes it's a struggle for him, more so with his
peers.

Honey Day

It's spring break for Honey, so we spent yesterday together. It was easier than I thought it would be. She is so easy to reason with and Bowie adores here. We had lunch with Chris at a park near his office. As fun as it was, I am glad to only have one now.

Blue Shoes, Green Boots

This was Bowie's look this morning. What a goof! He loves his frog boots and his drumming shoes (have NO idea why those bright blue shoes are his drumming shoes, but they are.) My sophmore year at UT I worked at a montessori school where there was an adorable, wild haired boy named Boone. His parents let him dress himself and he'd come to school in the wildest getups, one boot and one sandal, for example. I have been anticipating such a day for years, and here it is.

Sunday Workday

We worked all day in the backyard. We threw every bit of trash and rubble (except the actual cement rubble from the destroyed bomb shelter and the enormous heaps of fallen branches) over the fence into a pile of danger temporarily to be located in our driveway. But I am very excited to feel safe sending Bowie back into the yard. He totally enjoys the freedom to explore. We observed worms and pillbugs uncovered when raking. Time to get one of those bugscopes.

Turtle Hide Out

Bowie is really enjoying being under things lately. Here he is last Wednesday at Northwest Park under the turtle. Today he spent a good deal of time under our bench, saying "good night" and pretending to snore.

Underwear

Bowie wore underwear for the first time today. I think these briefs are adorable. He's using his potty a lot lately. I know that it looks like he's already peed, but that's the drippings of a strawberry popsicle. Already in the upper 80s here.Skipped straight to summer.

The Kite Fest

Bowie's second kite fest. What a nice day, just a tad warm with a nice breeze and overcast. We didn't have any success keeping our kite up, but it sure was fun. Bowie insisted that we take Tuba with us. I had so hoped that Bowie and Tuba would have a close relationship and it feels good to see how much he loves her.

Sleepy Head

We had a great morning out at the Mayfiled Preserve and Garden with our friends Michele and Finn. There were peacocks all over the cottage making beautiful courting displays and up in the trees napping. Bowie was intrigued but cautious. We went down to the lagoon and Bowie made a muddy mess. I did plan ahead and brought an extra pair of pants but Bowie just went on with the hike in his diaper and muddy shoes. Defintely taking my camera back there. Well, Bowie got well worn out and here he is sleeping soundly as I click away.