The Little Things

Lately I've been trying to focus on little things that make me happy...and to be grateful for them. Today while I was on a walk with Dylan, I thought of a few things that seemed little but meant a lot to me. Whether or not you're interested, here they are:

-- Last Thursday, Shane's dad watched Dylan while his mom and I went on a bike ride for an hour. It was a beautiful day...and because of all the rain we've had the ride was beautiful and green. We returned from the ride to learn that Roy had taught Dylan about hammers and screwdrivers. I'll have to get the pictures because they're so so cute!

-- Last Friday Shane didn't have work...they had a "Spring holiday" (whatever that means) so we basically got two whole Saturdays with him! It was so much fun having him home with us for an extra day.


-- Yesterday after our walk, Dylan and I encountered our next door neighbor out front pulling weeds...in our part of the yard! She immediately said, "Tell Shane I love pulling weeds. I get so much satisfaction from pulling up their roots!" I said something about having plenty to pull from all the rain we got and told her I wasn't offended. We talked a bit more about the weather and such and then Dylan and I went inside. I thought this was the end of our conversation, but a few minutes later the doorbell rang. There she was again, but this time offering me a freshly clipped rosebud from one of her many bushes. I dropped it in a bud vase in our kitchen. This was a very small act on her part, probably just an afterthought while she was out pruning, but I really appreciate it. For some reason it made me feel good to know that she thought I'd enjoy the rose.

-- This morning I walked into the kitchen to find that same rose had opened and looked like this, which brought a smile to my face. I was sure to thank my neighbor when I saw her outside this afternoon. She then offered to replace the rose with a new bud when this one wilts...


-- Today I stopped by Shane's parents' house to drop something off. I ended up staying for an hour and then leaving Dylan there for almost two more hours so I could run and errand and get some cleaning done around the house [for some reason Dylan won't sleep through vacuuming :)]. I was hesitant when Shane's mom first offered...because I don't like to be a burden, but in the end I was very grateful because I was able to get so much done! Thanks Connie (and Tom and Roy)!!

-- On Monday Dylan took a nap that lasted an hour and twenty minutes, without any motherly intervention (i.e. binky replacement, rocking, etc.), and he woke up happy!! If you haven't read any of my earlier rants, Dylan can't seem to sleep longer than 40 minutes at a time and most of the time wakes up very grumpy and still tired (most times he'll quiet down and try to go back to sleep as soon as I pick him up). Sadly, he hasn't slept longer than 40 minutes since, but at least I can see that he is capable of sleeping longer...someday.

-- Dylan loves going on walks, which we do pretty much every day in the afternoon when he gets too fussy to handle (because by 4:00 PM he's quite grumpy from all his 40-minute naps). As soon as he's in his stroller, he's content and by the end the heat and the sun wear him out and he's so cute!


-- Because Dylan loves being outside so much and because we live in Arizona, I invested in the hat shown in the picture above...but I still felt bad for his little eyes. Today I bought him some sunglasses that have an elastic band that connects in back to help them stay on better. When I first put them on, he wouldn't open his eyes...it was funny. He looked so cute all decked out for his walk today!


-- As you can see in the picture above, Dylan finally figured out how to keep Nuk binkies in his mouth. As sad as I am to see his little soothie with the dog attached be retired, I feel like these are more convenient and will be better for his mouth in the long run (Before you tell me not to let him get attached, let me tell you that he is an accomplished finger sucker. I think I'd prefer a binky I can later throw away to fingers that I can't so I'm trying to get him to like it better than his fingers...so far I don't think I'm winning). Anyway, I think he looks so cute with them in his mouth!

-- As of Tuesday, Dylan is a solid-foods eater! His first encounter wasn't so successful, but on his second try today he figured out how to keep the food in his mouth and eventually I couldn't shovel it in fast enough!


-- Dylan has found his voice...actually many different voices...and he loves to hear and explore the noises he can make. His current favorite is a whisper/growl that is adorable. It almost sounds like he's trying to make an 'h' sound, but in the back of his throat...so I can usually get him to make it if I just say "Hi" to him. We've been trying to get it on video, but once the camera is out, he always stops performing. Instead, I'll just have to show a picture of the face he makes when he makes the sound:


-- Dylan also has learned to stand. Often times when I really intend for him to sit on my lap, he ends up standing. When he first stands he stiffens his whole body and makes the funniest face...but I don't have any pictures to share. Instead, enjoy a repeat of the post-bath picture from the last post:


-- Finally, one not so little thing that makes me happy is knowing that I'll be in Salt Lake on Saturday!! Dylan and I are going to brave an adventure to the airport and on an airplane together so we can visit family and friends. Wish us luck!

Well...the list ended up being much longer than I originally anticipated, and the things on there aren't as 'little' as originally intended (starting solid foods is kind of a big thing), but I guess it's good I have so many things to be happy about right now...and that's probably what I should be focusing on.