Weddings Anonymous

I love weddings!

I know, it's not a rare thing to have a passion for weddings, but the reason why I love them is a little more unique: I love all the busywork that goes into planning one. The duller the task, the better; the more checklists, the merrier!

If you too love these bless-ed events, "tune in" to Wedding Wednesdays over at TNG. This week we're talking about the First Five items on the planning checklist, and your perspective is as welcome as ever!

Right Angles

Witness Will's favorite sleeping position:

I swear, whether he's in my arms or his crib, he throws his head back so it's at this insane angle:




Today was our second Next Step class at Isis Maternity. I can't believe we're already talking about solids and standing and high chairs, and we're still (always) talking about sleep.

Will has adjusted beautifully to the crib. I had more trouble with it than he did, that much is clear. The awake time limit holds steady at 90 minutes; any longer than that and he goes directly to CODE RED rock-me-to-sleep-NOW-woman panic mode. Seriously, I've never seen someone go from smiling to bleary-eyed in ten seconds, and while it makes bedtime easier overall, Will's lightning-fast descent into flat-out fatigue can be a little hard to work with. I mean, how am I supposed to train the kid to put himself to sleep if he beats me to it?

I understand how lucky it is to have these problems as opposed to others, but when it's new territory it's all a bit sticky and tentative.

Fourteen weeks

But we get the hang of it after a while:

We've come a long way, baby boy.

Six weeks

Saying Grace

This is a great idea, so I'm aiming for weekly participation with a list of seven.

1. Painting a room with Benjamin Moore's Lavender Blue.

2. Waiting for friends' babies to arrive.

3. Making your own teriyaki sauce.

4. Taking your time at the Container Store.

5. Reading about people's hair quandaries.

6. Eating half the taco dip out of a large Pyrex dish.

7. Planning wedding showers.

KaiBob Fridays!

TGIKBF! Go to the Noon Guide site for the first installment of this fabulous new weekly update. It features a completely anonymous brother-in-law and his weight loss and fitness goals, and it is going to be FUN!

Click here for KaiBob Fridays.

A New Year's Interview with William

Trying to write a wrap-up post about our trip to New Jersey for the holidays is like trying to pack ten days' worth of luggage for yourself, your husband and your baby and then force it into every corner of your car and driving for five hours. I would know.

(True story: for four hours on Christmas Day, I endured Packapalooza while watching the Duggars on TV. They are the old-school-values family of twenty whose lives are documented on the Discovery Health channel. TWENTY: as in, they have EIGHTEEN CHILDREN. Bless.)

So, instead of a disorganized jumble of holiday memories, I decided to interview Will and illustrate his responses with our photos.

J: Hello, William. That's a dashing onesie you're wearing. Tell me, how are you liking your fifteenth week on earth, and the first week of 2009?

W: I'm liking life quite a lot, thanks. [Drools.] In fact, no one ever seems to want to put me down. [Saliva pools in neck folds, on bib.] And that Christmas thing, that's an event, isn't it? I'll say it right now: I loved it. LOVED IT. Santa, too. I'd like to meet him.

J: OK, let's get to the meat of this interview, shall we?

W: Right-o.*

J: William, what was your favorite activity on vacation?

W: Staring at my teething ring. Final answer.*

J: And what was one of your favorite toys all that you received from your many family members?

W: That's a toughie! Auntie Cindy and her family gave me a steering wheel so I can practice driving and terrorize the town of Newton with the 700 noises it makes. Aunt Jen gave me my new best friend, a musical glowing seahorse that comes with me everywhere now...and she let me drive on her lap.

Uncle John & Aunt Jean gave me a basketball hoop that I'll use when I'm older. I'll have to decide soon, point guard or power forward? And of course my Grandmom and Grandpop filled my stocking with more things than my parents can count! I say my parents because the shameful truth is, I can't count, not at all. Not even to one. Yikes, right?

J: Indeed. Will, your father was born on Halloween. Do you have a propensity toward dressing up in costumes?

W: This being my first Christmas in existence, I thought I'd put on the ritz a little, sure. So I dressed up as Santa's Little Helper.

J: Compelling. Finally, which family member who met you on this vacation would you say you most resemble at this stage in your life?

W: Wow...you caught me unprepared here. I guess if I just focus on the neck-up region, I've gotta say my dad's cousin Patrick:

Although my Uncle Scott's a close second.

* I don't know why I portrayed my son as a British man who makes outdated jokes about Who Wants to be a Millionaire...it just sort of happened.

More photos to come when I can get my act together.

I Don't Know Much

Being a mom has a certain je ne sais quoi* about it.

Je ne sais quoi I'm doing.

Je ne sais quoi works and quoi doesn't work in terms of new toys/tools/strategies.

And most of all, je ne sais quoi exactly to do with myself while the baby naps. Now that Will is three months old and on a quasi-schedule, I get at least a few 45-minute breaks per day. I love these breaks: Will is dozing peacefully nearby, and I am free to get stuff DONE!

Here's what I have been doing: picking up the toys and books we were just using; doing the 30-Day Shred DVD on mute (so I can hear any caws from the other room); pouring myself another cup of coffee and trying to respond to emails from a month ago; finishing my baby shower scrapbook (yes, that was in July of last year).

That's all well and good, but I also need to be exercising my brain on a consistent basis, and that's why I am directing everyone to go have a look-see at The Noon Guide. It is not perfect yet, but Dave's convinced me that I need to start spreading the word even before the finishing touches are there.

Plus, you really, really, really need to vote on Erin's bridal look because she will be here in a week and we have to use your feedback to make a decision! People, please! Je ne sais quoi I will do without your insights!

(Oh, and also there will be some photos of a certain someone's--no, not Dave's--naked male torso over there starting Friday.) So go forth and read, comment, vote, prosper.

*For those who took high school Spanish instead, "je ne sais quoi" means "I don't know what."

Crib Notes

Attention, everyone:

Let it be known that last night, William Paul Noon slept in his crib from 8:30 pm to 7:30 am, stirring a few times before 10:30 when he was out cold for the next nine hours.

No jinxes, please. Thank you.
-The Management