Motherhood in a sentence.

My friend Kim had her twins last week at 32 weeks. Henry and Ben are doing fine - they will be in the hospital for a few weeks, but they are sharing a bed and doing better every day. I just got an email from Kim with an update - they have been at the hospital literally every waking moment to spend time with their babies.

In her email I thought she summed up motherhood in a sentence (well really two sentences, but one thought):

Today is their one week birthday and it has been the longest week of my life. Filled with fear, helplessness and overwhelming joy.

That's it, isnt't it?!

I am so proud of Kim and her boys! Please keep them in your thoughts as the boys grow stronger and hopefully go home soon!

don't mess with texas....

We just got back from Wes' first trip to Texas! This brings his number of states visited to three (not bad for a 9 month old!)

Neil's best friend, Ryan, got married in Austin on Friday, May 16th. My mom and dad came along with Neil, Wes, and me for the trip. Neither of them had flown in over 12 years so this was a big trip! One of the most fun parts of the trip for me was watching my mom as the plane took off and landed. She was craning her neck to look out the window, and then would turn around and grin at us and say, "OH! I'm SO excited!!" All the while, my dad closed his eyes and waited for the whole thing to be over. We had a very smooth trip - Wes is a fantastic traveler/flyer. He sleeps on the plane and then is easily entertained by his toys, bottles, or cheerios.

Once we got to Austin, we went to Serrano's near our hotel for some fabulous Tex-Mex (fresh tortillas, quacamole, pico de gallo, etc. etc...SO GOOD.) Wes loved the tortillas!


After some much needed naptime (our flight was at 7am!) we went to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was so great to see and meet Ryan and Gina's families! Ryan has a huge family (2 brothers and 3 sisters and the most wonderful parents) and I honestly feel like an adopted Riess sister when I'm with them! There were also lots of other kids around, so Wes definitely had plenty to look at and do.


(check out the view in this pic...very texas!)

We had a lot of fun at the rehearsal dinner, and when 9pm rolled around (central time), we couldn't believe that Wes was still awake!! He didn't make it through the video slideshow, however:


On Friday morning, we slept in, went to breakfast at the hotel, and then went exploring around the University of Texas! We didn't realize that it was graduation weekend, but thankfully, once we parked, we didn't get caught up in too much more traffic.

Everything in Austin is UT related:



We couldn't see in the football stadium, but I took this picture from the top floor of the parking deck:


Texas also has a ton of statues around campus. We posed with Wes at several, because they were just so fun (Chapel Hill definitely needs more statues)!






And, finally, the wedding!!
Ryan and Gina's wedding was beautiful. Wes and dad spent most of the time outside (Wes doesn't yet understand that it's not appropriate to talk out loud in church) and Neil was a fantastic groomsman. The bride was absolutely gorgeous, and Ryan could not hide his excitement. I am so happy for both of them and can't wait for them to get back from their honeymoon and move into our neighborhood!


Wes (check out the outfit) and Neil

The reception was at the One World Theatre, which overlooked a beautiful valley in Austin.



Ryan's sister Alyssa with Wes and Xander (Ryan's nephew)



Neil and Me with Mr. and Mrs. Riess!!

Again, Wes had a blast with the Riess family, Ryan's sisters, and all the kids We danced to a few songs but Mr. Wesley conked out early, so we called it a night around 11pm. Another early morning flight put us back in North Carolina by early afternoon!

It was a whirlwind trip but so much fun. I love the Riess family and am so glad Gina is a part of them now, too. I also love getting my mom and dad out to faraway places to travel!

I Voted!

Barack Obaby in '08!

Teacher of the Year!

In case you haven't heard, Wes' grandma was one of nine finalists for North Carolina Teacher of the Year! Congrats, grandma -- we love you!!

Anyway, Tina, Wes, and I met Tina's parents at their hotel in Raleigh and got dressed for the occasion. I somehow doubt Wes has the patience for a tuxedo yet (the bow tie would be ripped off in about 5 seconds), but I must say -- he looked pretty swank in his collared shirt and sweater vest!

Wes loved the program. It was just like a menu! Unfortunately, this "menu" was made of paper and didn't last very long....

Boys' Day Out -- Part 1

I took my last final of the semester on April 29th, and have been spending days with Wes since that time.

Our mornings generally consist of episodes of Sesame Street, Bob the Builder, and other kids' shows on Sprout (but not Caillou, who Tina calls a "wimp"). Wes loves Elmo's World, but I'm still a little creeped out by Mr. Noodle. And have you ever noticed that Elizabeth from Bounce wears the same lime-colored shirt on every episode?

Our Sprout lineup is promptly interrupted at 9am by the first in a series of Matlock episodes. Tina has the Tivo set to tape re-runs of Matlock, which airs no fewer than 13 times every day (not really, but it certainly seems to be on rather frequently). Wes now picks his head up every time the theme song comes on. The only other TV segments that have this effect on him at the moment are commercials for The Perfect Pushup and AARP. Tina's dad has suggested that Wes likes the AARP commercial for its use of the color red, which Wes likes and equates with Elmo. However, I'm starting to wonder if he notices it simply because it airs four or five times during every episode of Matlock!

Anyway, around 11am, we ditch Matlock's gray Crown Victoria for Nash Bridges' Yellow Barracuda (usually out of sheer laziness, as it comes on after Matlock and we're too preoccupied with napping and/or toys to change the channel).

Finally, lunchtime is here! Wes typically feasts on Oatmeal and an assortment of vegetables and fruits. Then, he and I will strike out in the early afternoon for some destination.

On May 1st, we decided to hit downtown Pittsboro and the S & T Soda Shoppe, where all the waitresses loved Wes and where I scarfed down a tasty buffalo chicken sandwich and soda-shoppe-style cherry coke. Wes had fun with the menu.....

The following week, we decided to have lunch at Tyler's Taproom in Carrboro. It was a similar scene.....

In fact, at just about every restaurant we take Wes, he insists on "inspecting" the menu. This usually involves banging it against the table and trying to eat it. Fortunately for the menu, it is often laminated or reinforced in some way.

Stay tuned for Part 2.....

a family visit!

We went to Nashville last weekend so Wes could meet the youngest and oldest Magnuson family members!
Neil's grandmother was in town for a visit, and we also got to meet sweet baby Diem. It was wonderful to have everyone in the same room. Wes loved seeing his grandparents, great-grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousin! We stayed in a lot, ate great food, played games and just held babies. What a relaxing and fun weekend.

Some pics:

The girls with their babies! (We switched right away. I couldn't believe how light Diem is - 7 pounds - and Tash couldn't believe how heavy Wes is - 20 something)


He loves to stand. (and dad is very proud!)


Wes with his Great-Grandma.



Not looking at the baby...


He's finally interested.


These pics are priceless.


Must. Touch. Her.


A very proud Wes (showing his teeth) with aunt Tash

At what point does middle-of-the-night become morning?

This was the topic of discussion last night as Neil and I went to bed.
We take turns getting up with Wes in the mornings, and the deal is that whoever is not getting up in the morning has to get up if Wes wakes in the middle of the night.

It's really a sort of gamble these days, as sometimes Wes wakes up at 5:30 am and sometimes he wakes up at 7:30 am. And when he is up, he's usually up.

For the record, in our household the official time that morning has arrived is 5:30 am.

I won the big prize this morning, as it was my turn to get up, and we had to wake him up at 7:30!