It's Your 2nd Birthday, Charlie Penn!

Reading with Dad

Little Window Boy

Tag

Penn and I went to hear Brandon play with the Brother Boys in Greenville--yay!  We had a nice time--despite the rain.

The Brother Boys: Ed, Eugene, and Brandon at the Dogwood Park Concert Series in Greenville, TN.

Penn attempts corn hole.

Penn played a little corn hole, and then ventured to hang with the big boys.  This tall, lanky kid spotted an opportunity:

kid: Does he [Penn] want to play tag?
me: No thanks, you guys go ahead.
kid: Aww, come on.
me: Okay...
    kid: TAG--he's it.

Withdrawals

When you've gotten used to a diet of this--cute little boy--taking his first steps, babbling through the pages of board books, splashing in the pool, tossing balls back and forth--there are going to be withdrawals when you switch to a diet of spending your days with...cute little teenagers?

I've been back at work for two weeks--happily back at work really. I've got great classes, great students, I'm more prepared than I've ever been, and the school administration is in favor of common sense.

It didn't hit me how much I missed my little boy until I couldn't reach him. Brandon's mom was watching him--which is a huge blessing, no doubt. But she didn't return my call and took Penn to Abingdon. I waited an hour and a half, trying to busy myself, until she called or brought him home. It's not that I thought anything bad was going to happen to him, but I missed him terribly, and with only one hour left to see him before bedtime by the time she dropped him off, I was not happy. I was trying to be nice, but I was shaking when I asked her not to keep him out late. What kills me is that she acted like everything was fine, and that I was the one with the problem. Maybe she thinks that she's doing me a favor, and sure, I can see that. But I also think that she really has no clue what it's like to have to work and to miss your baby and not be able to see him. She does whatever she wants, and her son, my husband, lives five minutes from her. Well, I ended up calling to apologize.

It's funny, how with the mother-in-law, or the whole in-law domain, I've spent the years of my relationship with Brandon trying to respect the idiosyncrasies of their relationships. I haven't spent too much time trying to stake out my own relationships with them because it just seems so complicated. I have spent my time avoiding conflict. It takes a lot for me to say what I'm really feeling to the people in his family. But I've got to stake some clearer boundaries with when it comes to my baby...The reality is, his family is my family, and it's my responsibility to look for common ground, to find a way to truly love them. Truly loving them will probably involve more conflict--more risk than I've been willing to wager--but it's not just my life we're talking about.

So, it's the weekend, and I'm going to enjoy seeing the little guy. I'm going to follow him around the house, watch his discoveries, and help him grow. I'm going to make the time I have with him count, and I'm going to carry those memories with me through the week.

The Charlie Penn Dance

A Very Merry Early Birthday, To You!

Charlie Penn is nearly a year old, and this Friday, we celebrated with family and friends. We decided to have the train-themed party two weeks early because my Mom was in town and Brandon and I will be busy with school on Penn's real birthday, which is still August 12.

Mom and I spent several hours Thursday night and several hours Friday making the cake. According to the Betty Crocker video we watched, it would be as easy as throwing some batter into the pan, baking, frosting...badabing, badaboom = train birthday cake. Needless to say, it was trickier than we first thought. I had to throw a few curve balls by trying to save money and cut out high fructose corn syrup by making everything from scratch. By party time, however, we had a pretty darn cute cake, cupcakes, and a demolition cake to boot:

I couldn't help myself. I dressed Penn in a little engineer's hat. Brandon just walked by and apologized to our son. Anyhow, the hat stayed on only as long as the photo shoot:

Several babies were in attendance. Hank Scanlan came, sporting a Thomas t-shirt. Harper Slaughter came singing "Happy Birthday" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Little Cousin Declan Eli enjoyed the party from his Mommy and Grandma's arms, and sweet Luke Renfro, a mere two-weeks old, came with his brave parents. Penn got a little carried away with Sydney's lemonade, and dumped the cup on his shorts. I know you're thinking, yeah right. Poor baby.

When it came time for the cake, everyone sang Happy Birthday and crowded around. Penn danced, and then picked off the pretzel sticks and m&m's one-by-one. He wasn't interested in tearing into the cake, despite egging on from the crowd. He maintained his integrity and enjoyed the party on his own terms.

We had a great time, and after the guests went on their way, Penn opened a few gifts and went to town on the paper. Our out of town family was there in spirit, with cards and gifts from Aunt Jenny, Cousin Carson, Great-Grandma Frantom, and Great-Aunt Sylvia.

I'm so thankful for my son, for the blessings of his health, for his sweet, inquisitive personality, and for a great first year as a parent. All the cliche's are true. This year has flown by, and every stage has been the best stage. I pray for wisdom, patience, and joy in the years and milestones to come in the life of this beautiful boy.