Time Keeps on Slipping, Slipping, Slipping...

Into the future...
Orion has his two-month check up with the pediatrician today! Technically he's about 2 months and a week old now. I can't believe that it's already been so long since he was born, and at the same time I look back and realize how much we've done in that time, especially in the month of July. This may be obvious from the fact that I haven't written much here in the past few weeks.
At the beginning of the month we had the beach week with Russell's family, which was fun if slightly frustrating since it took Orion a few days to acclimate to the new surroundings and we couldn't really spend that much time on the beach due to the heat. It was good to see the fam, though, so it certainly had its good points as well.
Shortly after that we headed to Colorado for a week. This was a big event for us and the little man, since it was his first (3) flights on a plane, his first time in a very different climate (high, dry, and hot) and his first time visiting my family. Not only that, but we also went to three nights of String Cheese Incident at the Red Rocks amphitheatre with Orion in his Ergo carrier (which I absolutely love, and he does too; he tends to sleep comfortably in it knowing he's close to mommy or daddy). I was amazed by how well he did on the plane - for the first two legs of the trip there and the (blessedly) single flight on the way home, he primarily just slept. I nursed him on take-off and landing to help his ears adjust and keep him calm. We hardly heard an noise out of him, to the point that people around us didn't even realize we had a baby. He seemed to enjoy having me as a captive audience and took advantage of the snuggle time. Even navigating the airports wasn't too hard, since he snuggles into the Ergo quite happily and Russell is such a dependable partner when it come to teamwork and baby support.
Even so, it still took Mr. Baby a day or two to acclimate to the climate and altitude, so he was a little fussy and over-fed somewhat during the start of the trip. This, of course, led to more than the usual amount of puking. I am used to this, but for some reason still didn't pack enough shirts, and necessitated doing laundry on a daily basis. At least we gave ourselves a break and used disposable diapers while we were there, as it just would have been too much bulk to carry all the cloth ones out there and I would've spent even more time dealing with cleaning and upkeeping them. As it was I barely had time for everything we did do!
Although we were so pumped about the shows, it did limit the time we had to visit and do other things with the fam. We crammed in as much as we could, though. Mom was awesome and got me in for a haircut while she was getting hers done; I just wanted to shorten it a bit and re-layer it. It's a simpler cut than I had before, but pony-tail friendly and easier to deal with, a boon at the moment since Orion is getting grabby. We also went to Kohls and picked up a few pairs of capri/pants and shorts that actually fit me. We managed to make it to the farmer's market and spend a bit of time on Pearl St. one day, though Orion was fussy and cut that trip a bit short. It was also HOT out there, anyway. Russell got a rain/wind jacket in preparation for his upcoming hike, and we got two of the folding hiking chairs that are basically just two padded squares attached on one side with straps to hold the back up while your own weight supplies the support. They turned out to be priceless at the Red Rocks and I'm sure we're going to get a lot more use out of them. They also have net bags on the backs, which became wonderfully useful going in and out of the venue and allowed us to ditch one whole backpack. Not to mention how much easier it was for me to nurse him with the added benefit of back support...
We got breakfast at the Huckleberry one day, too, which I can honestly say is one of my favorite restaurants in America. The food is awesome (I had latkes with applesauce and sour cream - all hand made there, yum!) and they even make their own chai. It's got a kick to it and is really spicy. Real OJ, great baked goods, and is walking distance from my mom's house. How great is that?
On the Monday after the shows and the day before we left, my brother Adam took Russell on a big hike over Pawnee Pass. Russell took a bunch of pictures and it was a truly beautiful hike. I'm glad they got to get out on the mountain and spend some time together. I figured they'd get along famously, and it allowed Russell to get out into the mountains in a way that I'm not all that capable of. They had fun and were gone all day... But when they finally came home we even did a little birthday cake and gifts session for Russell, whose birthday was yesterday.
Most importantly, we got to visit with my varied family. We stayed with my mom and her partner David in the beautiful house that he's done a ton of work on. My fabulous aunt Holly also came out from Connecticut, so Orion got to me her for the first time, too. My brother and his girlfriend Liz were around, and we even got to see David's daughter Alex one night. Several other folks came by at different points to say hi and visit with the baby.
So it was a big trip and we had a great time visiting and running around. Though I miss everyone and the dry climate there, it's good to be back home.
Of course we're now going to Wilmington for the night this weekend to visit with Missy and Katrina, but that's just how it goes! Got to get a little beach time in before I go back to work in a few weeks...
Yesterday was also Russell's 24th birthday, and we did a little celebrating at Weaver St. with some friends and family. We're going to dinner with his dad tonight, and have plans for a birthday dinner with his mom sometime in the next week as well, so the celebrating continues!

Live-Action Baby

I took this short video for my mom's sake, so she could get some live-action images of Orion being his usual cute self. He was way more interested in his mobile before I got there with the camera and distracted him, but you can still see his captivation with the cute jungle animals above him.

8 Weeks of Mommyhood

It blows my mind that Orion is almost eight weeks old! He's already over 11 pounds (up from his birth weight of 7lbs, 8.5 ounces). He's always been a strong and active little guy (even before he was born) so his ability to wiggle and move has been ahead of the curve since he was born. He can lift his head, if not hold it up constantly, so Russell calls him "bobble head baby". He can also roll over when he feels up to it, and likes to flex his legs if we hold him up - especially if he's upset or working on gas bubbles. He's starting to smile more often and with more clarity of response, which is fun for us. Everyday he makes new noises, though the grunt is still his most favorite mode of communication. His sight is also getting much better and he's entranced by his mobiles on the swing and bouncy chair.
Actually, the other day while I was in the shower I put him in his bouncy chair in the bathroom, which I wasn't sure about because he was wide awake and we could easily have had a bad moment with him screaming and me rushing to wash up. Instead, he gurgled happily while I cleaned up, staring at the little jungle animals - a lion, monkey, and hippo - hanging above the chair. Each animal has a ring attached to the bottom and makes a sound. The monkey jingles, the lion roars, meows, and plays music, and the hippo is a rattle. I had the shower curtain partially open and was watching him as he squirmed around in his chair, waving his arms and gazing at the animals, especially the monkey. It was accidental, I'm sure, but he managed to whack the rings a couple of times and got noise responses from the animals, which caused him to smile. It was a big moment for both of us when he grabbed a hold of the ring on the lion and pulled it to him, which activated the music. He made such a surprised face! That was a big day for him developmentally, and I couldn't wait to tell Russell. I think the fact that I was there, but not visible, was helpful to the experience because he wasn't so focused on me like he usually is.
He has been getting more used to spending a little awake time away from me (or anyone) here and there - yesterday he spent some awake time in his swing while we were in the other room. We could here him cooing away at the animals on the swing mobile with no concern that we weren't in his line of sight. It's freeing, especially for me, that he's starting to want input from things other than mommy!
Though that's not necessarily true at night... He's a good sleeper once he's really asleep - not much can wake him up, including noise and activity. However, he just doesn't want to be away from me when we go to bed at night. I've been trying to get him used to his bassinet, but he never sleeps for more than an hour or two in it, if at all. I can nurse him to sleep, carry him around while he's sleeping, get ready for bed, and as soon as I put him down in his bed he wakes up. Last night he was up until I let him lay on my chest - and we slept like that for over four hours. He woke up for his usual 4:30am feeding, and every time I got him back to sleep he woke up as soon as I put him down or turned the light off. I finally gave up and got out of bed (hence this entry) to nurse him on the couch, which is ultimately more comfortable for me. Of course he nursed for a bit and passed right out and has been asleep since - but I bet if I took him upstairs and put him in his bed he'd wake right up. In any case, I believe we'll be aiming for a nap later today.
All in all, I still feel like he's a good 'easy' baby, and we're lucky for that. He's a cutie pie and gets lots of attention. I'm loving being a mom, even during the stressful "please go to sleep" moments. A few days ago someone asked me what I was most surprised by, and I had to say that I am surprised by how easy it has been. After all the horror stories about life with newborns - "You'll never go out again" "Say goodbye to your life" "You'll never sleep" etc. etc. - I had expected things to be a lot tougher. But so far it's been more fun and joyful than anything, and we still manage to have fun and go places. We even spontaneously went to a sold out Phish show last week, initially without tickets, and had a great time! That should show all those negative haters out there!

Wedding Procession!

We have made some progress on the wedding planning front! We have begun the process of securing the festival grounds at Shakori Hills (out towards Silk Hope, NC). I believe this suits our style pretty perfectly, as it's the place of a much-loved hometown grassroots music festival full of art and good times. The place also inspires good memories for the both of us and many of our friends.
We considered it initially, but there are several rental requirements that made us take a look at some other (indoor) options. After a good amount of research we returned to the idea of holding the whole shebang at Shakori, which is the best option for place, available time, price, and fun factor.
We have the grounds secured for the evening of Friday, June 10 - the morning of Sunday, June 12. We'll need to rent port-o-potties and a tent, but we also have access to the Grove Stage, which is a sweet wooden stage in a beautiful grass field surrounded by trees. There is electricity and water at the stage. There's also a coffee barn that we could get access to if we decide we want it, located in an adjacent field.
We'll need to pack in and pack out, handling our own trash, recycling, and parking. That's no big deal, because:
We can camp!
Anyone who is interested is welcome to camp out on the property, so we get to have our own mini-festival.
We can also have music on the stage, so long as we obey the sound ordinances. My friend Buck, who is also my favorite DJ, said he'd come out from California to play for us. I hope we can also find some pickers to come out and jam, especially so we can unplug at night and sit by a fire, listening to some good music while we celebrate.
We still plan on doing a Steampunk theme, for which we have lots of DIY creative, fun plans. The theme will primarily be realized through the costumes of the wedding party and any guest who are feeling feisty and dress up with us. The wedding favors will help guests accessorize steampunk-style, and I think that will inspire a lot of great photo taking. We also have ideas for a couple of art-installation type large pieces to frame the ceremony itself.
We've already started collecting some small materials toward our steampunk concepts. I, for one, have been brainstorming my butt off working on my dress design. I have a fantastic idea that's probably on the ridiculous side of extravagant, but I figure it's time to go for the gold. I won't have many chances to put a lot of time and effort into an elaborate Victorian gown with awesome detailing. I'm bursting with excitement about it, but also sort of feeling like keeping it under wraps for now.
Russell's also having a blast thinking on his ensemble, and he has been looking for costume elements on line. Little packages from Etsy have been arriving regularly! Fun!
I'm excited to get to work on things and have found so much great inspiration on line. I love Google so much when it comes to this sort of work, and Etsy for helping me gather what I need to realize it. I'm also going to tap some of my creative friends out there to help me realize certain elements of the concept.
In any case, I have the feeling it's going to be a very good time, and I'm excited to start working on the logistics of it now that I have a time and place set to work from.
Mostly I'm just going to start making stuff! I've got time to figure out the rest later...

A Week at the Beach

We just got home from a week at Ocean Isle Beach with Russell's family. We stayed in a big house a few blocks off the shore, with Russell's mom Jo Ann and his brothers Colie and Nick, and their girlfriends Laura and Susie (respectively). Jo Ann's brother Phil, his wife Gail, and their kids Michael, Christopher, and Natalie were the next street over with a bunch of Gail's family. Russell's grandparents Betty and Vito also came down for the Fourth of July, so it was quite a family event! Everybody was excited to meet Orion (or just get more QT with him).
We spent as much time as we could by the water, though with the baby we were pretty limited by the heat and only got a few hours in here and there. I was happy to be by the shore, regardless. We also played some beach games, including bacci, cornhole, and croquet. The real winner for beach fun was the Life is Good aqua ball that Russell and I brought; it's so much fun to throw and bounce pass in the waves! We liked it so much that I bought a second one and passed it on to Colie, because we just needed more of them in the family! I also knew Colie would get good use out of one, as he lives in Wilmington and has major beach access.
Otherwise we really just relaxed. We shared good meals together, did a puzzle, watched some movies, and experienced a really excellent thunderstorm that rocked the neighborhood and flooded everything.
Orion did really well for the most part; it took him a day or so to acclimate to the new surroundings, but he was a happy beach baby. He enjoys rides in his Ergo carrier, so he often snoozed through any walks we took.
Jo Ann was very kind to do this for all of us and we really appreciated the vacation! It was nice for me, especially, to have Russell around for a whole week - no days alone at home with baby for me! Orion got tons of love from everyone too, so it turned out to be a good thing for everyone.
It's good to be back home now, unpacked and relaxing on the couch.
And a shout out must go to our good friend Daniel, who totally rocked the house sitting gig and left us with a clean and happy homestead to return to. That was really the best finish we could have asked for!
Here's to a good week!

Dreary Day

It's a dreary day here in Chapel Hill. The overcast sky and subdued lighting haven't done much for my mood, though the extreme difference in temperature is something to covet. It's actually manageable to get outside.
Not that I have much to do; or rather, much that I can do. My poor Subaru is still sitting in the drive, feeling neglected. I finally worked out a way to get her fixed, but must now orchestrate towing her to the mechanic's place in Durham, where she will linger for a few weeks while she gets fixed up. I can't wait to get that done, but for some reason have stalled on calling said mechanic and organizing a time to get her over there. Perhaps I am unthrilled with the idea of waiting on AAA to send a tow truck to me, which I then must follow to Durham.
There are plenty of errands to be run, but I am still somewhat intimidated by attempting to leave the house with Orion on my own, not to mention that my only available vehicle currently is Russell's old massive Expedition, which I have never driven. I'm not even sure how I'm going to maneuver the car seat in and out of the thing while I can barely maneuver myself in and out of it. I suppose I ought to get used to it... maybe tomorrow, if we don't get everything done today.
Not that Mr. Baby has let me do much today. He seems content to sleep until I attempt to do anything, including eat or take a bath. I did manage to actually get in the tub, but it didn't last long, woe is me! At least I don't smell so much like milk and spit up anymore. Ironic that there's no milk in the house (woe is me again; I'd love a bowl of cereal) but I manage to have milk all over me. Milk milk everywhere but not a drop to drink (for me).
Russell is out in Efland getting the Jeep looked at before the big beach trip this week. We're heading down to Ocean Isle for a week on the shore with his mom's family, who have rented a few houses in proximity to each other. I, for one, am looking forward to getting into the ocean in an extreme way. It's been way too long since I've been to the beach. You may recall that I planned on going the day Orion was born, but he had other plans.
At the same time I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we'll need to pack for a beach week away from home with the baby. I have thought about it vaguely, but have yet to do a thing about it. Then I think forward to flying to Colorado and realize that I'm going to have to do it again, but with much more frugality, as I can't just throw whatever I want in the trunk. We may have to use disposable diapers on that trip, because I'm not sure I want to dedicate a suitcase to a day's worth of cloth diapers. They're great, but they're bulky.
Orion himself is a sweet baby who only gets cuter as he gets bigger. He makes some of the funniest faces and will stare at us with wide eyes when we mimic his looks. He has also become more adept with his hands, though he still doesn't know that they're his. He is grasping and holding things to his body quite a bit, however. He's also starting to sleep for longer periods at a time, which has been a blessing for me. Four hours is a huge improvement over two hours of sleep at a go; and he's getting confident enough that I can put him down to sleep in his bassinet for at least part of the night, which allows me to sleep more deeply. I am therefore experiencing better energy from day to day, though some days (like this one) still aren't the easiest and require several naps to navigate.
In other news, our turtle Toodeloo has gotten much bigger and has quite a voracious appetite. The day after one of the little neon tetra fish died and was replaced with two more, Toodeloo discovered a penchant for sushi. In any case, two of the three red and blue neons have disappeared, we're assuming down her gullet, and the third is missing pieces of her tail fins. Poor thing; I'm assuming she's the original one who was orphaned when her buddy died, and now she's the last of her kind. Both the orange neons (who are a little bigger) are apparently avoiding her advances, as well as the large silver tetra. I worry about the algae-eater, though, because he may be the largest fish in the tank, but he's also the most sedentary. I've watched Toodeloo scoping him out a few times - and we need him, as he helps keep the tank clean. Russell also experimented by giving Toodeloo some butter lettuce, which she dispatched forthwith, so perhaps her now omnivorous diet will deter her from making short work of the poor fish. She'll be all alone in there if she continues with her current buffet of friends.
And that's the state of things today. I hear the familiar rumble of a diesel engine in the drive, which means Russell has arrived...

The Wedding Adventure Continues!

The world of weddings is a terribly commercialized consumerism-based racket. Sometimes as I'm navigating the advertising-choked waters of wedding planning, I think to myself that elopement is a wise choice!
However, that's just not our style. We wouldn't want to miss out on the party or the gathering of friends and family that a wedding entails. Yet at the same time we don't want to get caught up in the wedding industry's concept of "must-haves" and traditions. We want to do it our way, in our style, without breaking the bank.
We've already had a hell of a time with the first and foremost decision, which is finding a suitable venue. I was excited about the beach house and aquarium option, but the time of year that we could get the beach house at a good price is a bad time for everyone involved in school, which is basically all of the wedding party. Obviously that wasn't going to work for us; not to mention that we couldn't afford the rental price for both venues, even with help. So we bailed on that idea after I had already done a lot of legwork - too bad.
We may still rent the beach house for folks who are available, and treat that as our bachelor/bachelorette party weekend and include a bridal shower (of sorts) and Orion's first birthday celebration in that week. This will all be decided based on budget, but hopefully that decision will get made soon.
Then we got excited about doing the ceremony and reception at Chatham Mill, an old textile mill in Pittsboro. It's a huge room, but very funky and rough around the edges - perfect for our Steampunk theme. We figured it would be cost effective and has all the benefits of being local. But the rental fee is actually more than the aquarium and has a bunch of hidden fees, from hiring a bartender to renting equipment and finally paying a fire marshal to inspect our set up! Obviously that threw a wrench into those proverbial gears and we were back at square one.
This launched me into a very serious internet search for wedding venues. It blows my mind how much places charge for simple structures. The Barn at Fearrington, for instance, is hugely over priced - and it's just an old dairy barn. There are squirrels in the rafters. Really. We looked at the Barn at Valhalla, a fabulous event structure where I've attended a few sumptuous parties - but it's too expensive. The French restaurant here in town, La Residance, hosts weddings, but it's an all-inclusive thing wherein we'd have to do everything through them and it's a per-person fee. Screw that. The Forest Theatre is a beautiful spot, but they don't allow receptions and a ceremony there would be interrupted by the inevitable traffic noise - besides being totally weather-dependent. And that's just a few of the places I've looked into...
Finally we went back to one of our earliest ideas: the grounds at Shakori Hills. It's not too expensive to rent the property there for an event, and I've actually attended a wonderful wedding out there already (not to mention quite a few festivals). The trick is that we'd have to rent some equipment and pray for good weather, but so far it's still the best option.
In the meantime, we're really excited about the Steampunk theme and have started brainstorming our costumes, favors for guests, and decorative ideas. As soon as we get a date and venue set, I'm going to start gathering the forces of our friends and vendors and get the word out. A lot of what we're planning is DIY, with a lot of work going into creating costumes, accessories, favors, and invitations... So if you have a hand and would like to get involved, please do!
We are collecting elements for the work, so if you have any old broken clocks and watches, antique junque do-dads, feathers, or interesting Victorian-esque clothes, let us know!