Holy smokes. That does in fact say May 1st. This marks day 49 of quarantine for us. What day are you all on?
Harrison and I have big plans today. To stay home. :). Here’s what’s bringing me a smile this week…
I’ve got to brag on this little guy this week. Today marks the third week of potty training for little man, and he is doing so so well!
I remember so vividly writing my last What’s Up Wednesday at the end of March, and just having no clue how this April would unfold with the virus. There was so much uncertainty and anxiety, and while things don’t seem that different in the sense that we’re all still at home, and there’s still this crazy virus out there, somehow living a month plus of this has led me to a bit of acceptance and less fear. I don’t know how you all are hanging in there. I’d love to hear in the comments what’s been going on for you guys this past month!
I’m linking up with Shay and Sheaffer to share with you what’s going on in our life lately!
1: WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK:
I’ve blogged about this before, but right now, we’re very blessed that we are both still fully employed, so we’ve been trying to get take out from one of our favorite local restaurants at least once a week to do some small part in helping all of these amazing places that we love stay afloat during this time. It may seem small and petty, but it’s a great treat for us and we’re hoping that it’s some small part in keeping restaurants afloat.
I thought I’d take a minute as a bit of introduction to the Lane family. A little who’s who.
And the best place to start is with my little family…
Our little Lane family.
Nathan and I have been married for five years! We met while working at a public accounting firm, but Nathan has since moved on to a sales role at his current company. Nathan is a K-State grad, and grew up most of his childhood in Kansas City. Nathan is one of the smartest people I know. He’s confident, has an immense passion for teaching and mentoring people, including little Harrison, and is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to something he finds interesting. We often times reap the rewards of that pursuit for perfection when it comes to grilling and smoking. 🙂
Well, like a lot of things these days, birthdays don’t look the same. We had high hopes for a party with our families. Time spent playing outside, opening presents, and eating cake. Harrison turned 2 on Monday, and while Easter here was rainy, cold, and we were stuck inside the whole day, I was determined to have a more positive outlook to celebrate Harrison’s second birthday.
I woke Harrison up in the morning, and we had breakfast together. He chose pancakes and yogurt. Lots of yogurt. And then he got to pick out his birthday outfit, so, of course, it had to be his “Sharp Tooth” shirt.
Happy birthday, sweet boy! Two whole years of Harrison wonderful-ness in our lives. You are energy and fire. You are a sweet smile, and sheer happiness about life. I see you developing this sweet, tender heart that cares for people, which makes my mama-heart soar. And you’re without a doubt the most persistent and fearless little kid I’ve ever met, never lacking in confidence and a can-do attitude, which makes your Dad so proud.
You love the outdoors, your sister, Soy Soy, and soccer. And you’re quick to offer a hug and kiss when asked. I can’t begin to express how much of my heart just swells with love for you, little boy. You remind us to praise our Creator, for all of the good there is in the world, and are a continuous reminder that the simplest things are the greatest blessings in life.
While you don’t let me rock you to sleep anymore, you do give me a hug before being tucked into bed. And I hold you tight against my chest, and whisper to you every night, “I love you, little one. There’s nothing in the world that your Daddy or I wouldn’t do for you, and I’m always going to be here for you. No matter what.” And then I lay you down, and you shout at me, “NIGHT NIGHT, MOMMY!” And in that moment, little boy, whatever happened that day: good, bad, hard, seems right for an infinite minute.
And as I sit here writing this to you, tears streaming down my face, I want you to know, you changed everything in our world. And we are better for it.
Happy birthday, my sweet little one.
Love, Mommy
Once a month, I link up with two of my favorite blogs (Shay @ Mix and Match Mama and Erika @ A Little Bit of Everything), to share a “look” into some little aspect of our life.
This month, we’re talking about how we do Easter at Our House.
We haven’t gotten into a good “Easter” tradition at our house for several reasons. One is that Harrison’s birthday is April 13th. And he didn’t have his first Easter until last year, when he was just over one. The year he was born, Easter was really early at the end of March, so he missed it completely! All of that is to say, our only “normal” Easter with Harrison was last year. Historically, we go to Easter morning church service, and brunch with family. We didn’t do much with the Easter bunny last year, so it wasn’t really a set-up for what I think our Easters will be like in the future.
I first wrote a letter to Harrison about a month before he was born. I wrote a letter to him every month of his first year of life, which I shared on my Instagram. I’ve written several letters to him here on this blog. And sometimes, I write letters to him just on my phone as I’m about to drift off to sleep at night.
Some I’ve never shared publicly, and most of those, I never intend to do that. But I started writing to Harrison in hopes that one day that he could look back at them and have some tangible piece of his mother’s thoughts.
Sometimes, the letter is written as a prayer for him. Sometimes they are hopes and dreams for him, for the man that he will grow up to be. Some are urgings to take the high road, and have an immense amount of respect and empathy for others. Some are just memories of happy things that bring a smile to my face, and usually tears to my eyes.
They are a virtual quilt of my love for him. For the wonderful things he’s taught me about life, and is teaching me right now in the midst of this uncertainty in our world.
I hope he treasures them someday as a gift. That he goes back to read them when he is uncertain of himself, or feels unloved. That he reads them and remembers a happy childhood, and most importantly, a mother who loves him with all of her heart. No matter what.
What feels like a lifetime ago, my last What’s Up Wednesday, I was so excited for spring on the horizon, and my Fridays at home with Harrison. I was looking forward to all of the things that I love about this season. Being outside, gardening again, and getting to enjoy the good weather. And now that we sit here almost two weeks into self-quarantine, while none of the things has been completely taken away from me, it certainly feels different and more complicated.
I’m linking up with Shay and Sheaffer to share with you what’s going on in our life lately!
1: WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK:
2: WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:
What turned out to be the good old days. When you could run to Target, and be assured cleaning supplies. That you could have birthday parties and book club with your friends. That you didn’t worry about your friends who were now scrambling to wonder how they would make money for rent, and friends who worked in the medical profession that are now putting their lives at much higher risk for us every single day. Life before quarantine. Life with extended family and friends mostly. Life that looked like this:
Friday night turned out to be a lot more than we had bargained for this weekend. While our family was planning a movie date and some pasta for dinner, it ended with a trip to the hospital for our little guy.
It all started in the afternoon, trying to get out the door to pick up an order from my favorite bird store. Harrison ran off down the hall, refusing to put on his shoes and jacket. When I walked into our bedroom, he rolled his ankle slightly over a blanket that was laying on the floor. He kind of winced, and said it hurt, and I shrugged it off and told him we needed to get going so we could get home for nap.
He winced again, which was odd for him. I’ve seen him take many bad falls. Run into furniture and walls, and bounce back without so much as an “Ouch.” I asked him where it hurt, and he pointed to his toes. I asked him to move his toes, which he did with no problem. I figured again that he just would walk off the pain. Maybe at the worst, he had bruised something.
I started writing this post last weekend. The tone of this Friday Favorites feels very different four days later (I’m writing this on Thursday night). The entire world feels like it’s shutting down because of the coronavirus. And I’ve got to say, I’ve got a decent amount of worry about it. Mostly for my parents and Nathan and my grandparents. I know there are many people saying that the country is over-reacting, and you know, maybe they are overreacting. But what if they’re not? What if extreme measures ARE in fact necessary to slow the spread of this? I just don’t think anyone is going to look back at these decisions and say, “that was too much” if it does in fact reduce the number of new cases. And isn’t that the most important thing? That we be painfully cautious. That we depend on each other to take care of each other. And right now, that means forgoing some of the luxuries that we so freely enjoy regularly.
Anyways, enough about the fear and worry. Instead, maybe focus on some happier things. It’s my first Friday of the calendar year with my little man again! Given that I know there are only a limited number of Fridays left with just Harrison in my life before our newest little one arrives, I’m going to savor these days. Just me and my first little baby love. We also had our 20 week ultrasound on Monday, and I’ll share more from that soon!
Today, I’m sharing a few pictures from life lately around the Lane house. Just a whole lot of Harrison pictures really…
We celebrated our beautiful Aunt Ashton’s birthday this past weekend. I love the heart of this girl. She’s a blessing to me and to Harrison. I’ll say it over and over again, I hit the jackpot when I married into the Lane family. But this girl in particular, she loved me in this family before I had probably earned it. And that’s just the way her heart works. Happy birthday, Aunt Ashton!