for the birthday boy

Our little Ralphie is turning two on Wednesday, and I've got birthday on the brain. Planning for his day this year has been noticeably different from last year, since I'm less concerned about making things picture perfect and much more interested in making his eyes light up all day long. We don't have too much on tap for the day-- his favorite breakfast (bacon, oranges, and oatmeal with sprinkles,) a long hike to see the fall colors, and a family dinner in the evening.

Ryan and I are fairly certain that we could give him the toy vacuum of his dreams first thing in the morning and call it a day, but being that he's our only dear child who deserves the moon in our eyes (You want the moon, Ralphie? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down, etc.) we've of course bought a bit more than that. Just for fun, I put together a little list of the gifties we've gotten (and a few things that I wish I could get) for our sweet boy.

A wooden firetruck, complete with a ladder, steering wheel, and-- the very best part-- a tiny hose. | A sweet keepsake to tuck into his baby book. | A darling old-fashioned hat, to keep small ears warm, and to pass down to future siblings. | The toy vacuum of his dreams, so he can stop pretending with a plastic cart and a loud "eeehh" sound. | A new book, so we can practice our animal sounds and how to lift the paper flaps gennnntly. | A train set, because I couldn't resist. | His very own pair of fuzzy slippers, so he'll stop stealing mine every morning. | A wooden rocking horse for singing rousing renditions of Pony Boy on, after mom's knee gets too tired. | Beeswax birthday candles-- just two-- for making wishes.

over the weekend | year 26

On Sunday I turned 26 and Ralph took the best, most solid stroller nap ever. He's been doing this thing the past week or so, where he wakes up before the birds, refuses any sort of nap in his crib, and fights bedtime tooth and nail. My birthday was no exception, and our plans to work on the kitchen cupboards while Ralph napped upstairs were quickly scrapped. It was almost 3pm and, after numerous failed attempts at getting the child to just go to sleep already, we finally submitted to the truth that it wasn't going to happen. We were all tired of being in the house but it was too cold to take a long walk outside, so we strapped him in his car seat and drove to the mall.

The sweet, stubborn boy was fast asleep in less than two minutes.

Once we parked, I grabbed the stroller while Ryan unbuckled him, and we quickly transferred him from one to the other. And holy of holies, for the first time ever, he stayed asleep through the entire process. We headed toward the doors, sure that he'd wake up as soon as we made it inside. But he didn't. There he was, flat in his stroller, a small line of drool on his puffy cheek, dreaming away-- and there we were, with a baby that was finally sleeping and an entire mall to stroll through. We checked out the bar tools at Williams-Sonoma, took giant whiffs as we walked past Cinnabon, thumbed through the gardening books at Barnes and Noble, and picked one out to take home. It was like we were on a date, except better, because Ralph was there too. He was just napping quietly instead of bouncing to go faster and demanding pretzels every two minutes. The whole thing was really nice, in a surprising-parental-success sort of way.

The rest of the day was really nice too, despite the napping situation. When your birthday consists of church and coffee and flowers and Ralph chuckles and gardening gifts from your family and book stores with your sweetheart and a giant piece of cake, you can't really complain.

at home | pictures from the past week

Spring is coming! Can you feel it? There's still a thick layer of snow on the ground here in Milwaukee, and this week's forecast is bleak-- I don't think we'll even reach 20 degrees in the next seven days-- but Spring is on its way, I just know it. There's still a smidge of sunlight left in the sky when Ryan comes home from work. Bunches of fresh asparagus have been $1.99 a pound at the grocery store for three weeks in a row. Gardening books have been ordered and are on their way to my front door right now, and I made a long list of flowers I hope to plant in the garden this summer. I'm taking great pleasure in filling the house up with tulips and finding pretty supplies to scrub things with, because when it comes to Spring cleaning, I'm on the same level with Danny Tanner. I can't help myself. I love Spring.




Last week the temps hit a glorious almost-50 degrees. It was pleasant enough to draw everyone in the neighborhood out of their houses to feel the warm sun on their face and shout things like, What a beautiful day! I wish it would last! Are you surviving the winter? across their yards and over their fences. And for the first time ever, I willingly let Ralph skip a nap just so we could walk to the park and jump in some puddles. We stayed long enough for him to get thoroughly soaked, and when his teeth started to chatter, I hauled him home through the slush while he screamed in protest the whole way. And then he had a nice warm bath while the sunlight poured through the window.




When Ryan and I went out for Valentine's Day last week, Ralph went to my sister's house to play with his older cousins, and he returned home with a new love for tools. He carries around his little tool box all day long, hammering on furniture and pretending to plug little nails into holes. He especially likes to press his screw driver into various screws around the house and make a loud errrrrrrrr sound. It's so fun to see his imagination start to take shape. Ryan and I are constantly looking at each other asking, Did you teach him that? And then we shrug, because nope, neither of us did. At least, not on purpose. He is a tiny sponge right now, and I love it.


Ryan turned 26 last Thursday. We didn't do a whole lot to celebrate, because I think I married the most easy-to-please man on the planet. All he asked for was a cheesecake, and I was happy to oblige. (I made this one, and it was definitely the easiest and tastiest I've ever made. Try it!) I also got him what turned out to be the manliest assortment of gifts ever-- a new baseball cap, a pack of beer, a beer brewing book, and a chainsaw. If I had all the money in the world I'd have him retire and then make him spend his days building things and brewing beer and maybe going fishing every once in a while. I'm pretty sure that's all he ever wants anyway, besides some slices of fresh bread with butter for supper every night. Ryan is just a good, goofy, happy dude and I sure do love having him around.

Also, here's the post I wrote on Ryan's birthday last year, just because it's a fun one.

over the weekend

It was my birthday on Saturday! I turned 25. It was the first birthday I've ever had where I felt kind of old. I think it's because I asked for a pair of real, good shoes that are NOT from the clearance shelf at Target, and some anti-wrinkle cream for my saggy baggy mom eyes.

Ryan and I had a little celebration on Friday night, just the two of us, since we had plans to be with family for the rest of the weekend. We had chocolatey peanut buttery ice cream and caught up on Jimmy Fallon episodes. (It was Justin Timberweek, did you watch?) Then I forced Ryan to take some pictures with me to remember my last night as a youthful 24 year old.

On Saturday we drove up to my mom and dad's house to spend some time with them. Ryan's family came over for lunch and Ralph got lots of attention from both sets of grandparents. We got tickets for the 7:00pm showing of Ryan's brother's final high school play performance, Our Town, and the plan was to leave Ralph with my parents and sister while we went to the play. ("I'm taking you to the theatahhh!" was how Ryan put it.) We did the whole nighttime routine with Ralph, then we nervously kissed him goodbye and drove away with this image burned into our brains:

Doesn't that just break your heart? Oh my Ralphie!

I was so anxious, but I managed to relax enough to sit through the entire play (with my phone on vibrate, tucked under my thigh) and actually enjoy myself. I'd never seen Our Town before, and holy smokes it was good! Ryan's brother was adorable as George Gibbs, and the whole cast did a fantastic job. I was strangely proud of all of them, even though I only knew a handful of kids. But then it got really, really sad? And then the curtains closed and the lights went back on, and everyone looked around going, That's how it ends? Are you crying too? Ok good.

Ryan's mom and dad sweetly offered to take us out for ice cream after the play, but we were like THANKS, NO THANKS, and sped home to our Ralphie, who was sleeping like an angel in my sister's arms. According to my mom he had a slight meltdown when he realized the lady that's been nursing him to sleep every night wasn't around, and cried for about 20 minutes. But once he was asleep he stayed that way until we got home. I was so proud of him when we got back, and proud of us for managing to get away for a while. And I also felt sad that for 20 minutes of his little life he was crying for me and I wasn't there. 

But, as soon as I was able to pull off my coat, I scooped him up and held him. He sighed in his sleep and dropped his heavy head on my shoulder, and my world was right again. A few minutes later he woke up and gave us all some sleepy, blinky smiles, like nothing had ever happened.

And then Ryan and I broke all the rules and slept with him in our bed that night. Happy birthday to me.

***
PS: I should also say a little thank you to my mom, dad, and sister for watching Ralphie for us. I honestly don't think I could have left him for the first time with anyone else. AND another little thank you especially to my sweet momma, who threw a small birthday party for me. It's nice to know that, even when you turn 25, if you come home for your birthday, your mom will still make you pretty little cupcakes.

birthday weekend:: dear lilah

It was my birthday on Friday! I had the best day. My mom, two of my three sisters, and Henry and Oliver came over for lunch, shopping and cupcakes. It was so much fun, but we missed my oldest sister Gretel and her loot in Nebraska. On Friday evening Gretel sent me the sweetest message from my 4 year old niece Lilah, which totally made my day/me cry. Below is her darling birthday greeting, followed by a little letter back to her: 


Happy Birthday, Auntie Mia!
I miss you and can't wait till we go out to have cupcakes together. I love you. What did you do on your birthday today? What did you get for your presents? Did you get new dishes or silverware for your kitchen? Why do you live in an apartment building?
Love,
Lilah.

. . . 

Dear Lilah,
Thank you for the birthday message! I loved it. You asked some pretty good questions! I hope I can answer all of them. On Friday Grandma, Auntie Liesl, Auntie Liz, and Henry and Oliver came to my apartment for lunch. We had pasta salad and potato chips. Then we walked to a cupcake shop and each had a cupcake. I got a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. We missed you the whole time!
When Uncle Ryan got home from work we got all dressed up and went to a little French restaurant. Uncle Ryan ordered bacon-wrapped meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and I ordered half a chicken! And I ate the whole thing! Then we ordered chocolate mousse for dessert and ate all of that too! It was GOOD.
I got some pretty cool presents, too. Grandma and the aunties gave me money for a new sewing machine. I can't wait to pick one out! Uncle Ryan gave me a soft grey bathrobe, and on Saturday we went to the store to buy brand new bikes. I didn't get any new silverware or dishes, but that's okay because I don't have any room left in my kitchen cupboards for new stuff.
The best part about my birthday was that we celebrated all weekend long! We went on lots of bike rides and had a picnic by the lake on Sunday. We also spotted some spring flowers coming up! Are flowers growing in Nebraska yet?
To answer your last question, we live in an apartment building because we don't need much room right now. Hopefully someday soon we can move to a big house and fill it up with lots of girl cousins for you to play with! Whaddya think about that?
I bet it's time for baths at your house right now. Give your brothers a big kiss for me okay? Your momma and daddy, too! And come visit me soon! We love you, Lilah Grace.
Love,
Auntie Mia

. . . 

PS::

This is my Lilah Grace.

The girl's a cream puff.

pps::

yes, I did wear my hair the same way all weekend long.

we're in the growing out phase.

don't worry about it.

World Renowned Genius Turns 24.

...was Ryan's suggestion for the title of this post.

The birthday celebrations have come and gone, and my guy is now a whole age older than me for exactly 25 days. We had a little party last night that consisted mostly of boys. Only Jackie and I were there to add some girlish charm. Somehow we all managed to squeeze into our tiny living room. Soup was on the menu-- my sister's Tomato Ravioli soup and one of my dad's favorites, Spinach Artichoke. Those burly men ate up most of the soup and I couldn't have been happier about it, because my half pint fridge certainly can't hold two giant stock pots. Let's be real.

We topped the evening off with a candlelit birthday cake and a little SNL on hulu. 

(Specifically this skit.)

Happy Birthday to you, sweet Ryan! I'm praying that this year brings you lots of blessings and happiness. And if I could, I'd knit you a sweater with an extra hole for your dreams and ideas. 

I love you.

weekend.

First of all: thank you so much to those who wrote such wonderful words about my baby's birth story. And thank you for your prayers! I feel so much better after writing that out and reading your comments. Ryan and I feel so loved.

Speaking of Ryan, it's his birthday on Monday! He's out with some dudes tonight, so I'm watching SNL and preparing for his party. The theme is:: woodgrain. The man likes carpentry and bears, so it seems like the only logical choice. Unfortunately, now that I'm actually looking at my decorations, it seems I'm planning this party for an eight-year-old girl? I may need to adjust some stuff.

Happy weekend to you all!

Happy February and other stuff

I'm not sure how I feel about February just yet.

This month was supposed to be entirely different from what it's turned out to be, in every sort of way possible. If I let my mind slow down just the tiniest bit, I remember that February was supposed to be filled with fresh, healthy, pink baby things. Then the sadness creeps in, and it takes me a little while to dig myself back out of it.

But what's odd is that I felt really good when I woke up this morning and remembered it was the first day of a new month. Maybe I'm just thankful that the gloom of January is over? It's also possible that I'm faking it, and I'm just tricking myself out of feeling sad. Whatever it is, I've got some sparkly energy coming from somewhere, and it's keeping my brain from slowing down too much. And that's fine with me.

You know what else is helping me out this month? A few things. Let me tell you about them:

• This photo challenge. I usually stay away from long list-type stuff like this, because I have a hard time sticking with it. (Take my Advent calendar, for example.) But I think it'll help me find some happy things in this stupid month of February. And every blogger and their mother is doing it, so why not? Wanna see my first photo? Day 1: The view from my dining room table.

• Christmas in February with my family. For various reasons that mostly have to do with a sweet new baby being born in Nebraska on December 21st, Christmas has been postponed until this Saturday. Ryan and I are driving to my Mom and Dad's house on Friday evening, and we're spending a few days with every single member of my family. I couldn't be more excited to hug my sisters and get snuggles from my niece and nephews, and meet brand new little Jonas. Oh the joy! The downside is that I still haven't put away some of my Christmas decorations, and the gifts that I've wrapped so far look suspiciously Valentine's Day-ish. I think I'm seasonally confused.

To close this silly post, I'd like to wish a Very Merry Birthday to my dear friend Miss Becker, who turned 24 today. I hope it was marvelous! Let's flashback, shall we?

Ah. That was nice.

Happy Birthday, Sarah B.

And happy February.