A Break from the Videos

While it's easy to fill up blog posts with videos of Lukas, I figure its time to shift gears for a moment and actually put down some words.  It's also time to shift from being baby-centric.  I do have a life outside of baby, kind of.

I think I've mentioned before that I have some amazing friends.  Well I feel the need to say it again.  I have amazing friends.

I spent the weekend in Chapel Hill celebrating my friend Katie's wedding.  Kate and I met in law school, where we also met some other great ladies.  I spent all weekend laughing with them, retelling stories and creating new memories.  I love being with them.  But the day after, once we've all left to go back to our respective cities, I'm filled with a little bit of sadness.  I miss my girls already.  I wish we all lived in the same place.

I wish I could just hop in the car and go visit Carey and McKinley.  I'd love to have regular playdates with her and Lukas and get to watch them really grow up together.  Instead I'll watch her grow up via pictures and visits three to four times a year, if I'm lucky.  I wish I could be there in a month when Carey goes back to work, to meet her for lunch and give her a real hug, because she'll need it.  But a phone call and lots of emails will have to suffice.

I wish I could meet Erin for brunch on Sunday to hear the latest on her love life.  I wish we could meet for drinks after work (and laugh as she pulls her own coozy out of her purse) and cheers her in person for kicking ass at her job.  If she lived here I know I'd have a regular work out partner to walk with or play tennis together. 

And I'd love to spend more time with Ally.  We spent all weekend in New Orleans laughing together and pondering life's "important" questions.  She was always willing to go back to our house whenever I needed to pump, whether we were in the middle of Burbon Street or about to go shopping.  She was there when I needed a friend, even if it meant misssing something more fun. And then again this weekend, I just found myself constantly laughing with her and smiling.  Thankfully Nashville isn't too far away, but it's still not down the street.

I wish you girls lived here.  If there's anything I can do to make that happen, just say the word.

I am blessed to have great friends here in Atlanta too.  Katie is here.  If she and her new hubby ever move away, I'll cry.  I'd be so sad not to be able to meet her for a martini and talk about everything and anything that's go on.  She is one of the few people I can say anything to.  No matter what.

And Lauren and T are here.  It's so nice to have couple-friends who Mr. Cob and I see regularly and who I'm so close with.  And it makes me smile knowing our babies are growing up together.  And to have other working momma friends to lean on here.

 I think you're blessed if you have one good, true friend in this life.  I'm not sure what I did to deserve so many amazing women to call my friends.  But my life is better because of them.  And for that, I will always be grateful for going to UGA law school.  Always.

Baby Book Moments Galore

This weekend marked another baby book moment for the little man.  He pulled himself up all by himself for the very first time!  And since I'm an obsessed mother, I had the phone out and video recorded the whole thing!! (Sidenote: What did I ever do before the iphone?  Seriously.  It's amazing. If you are pregnant, you need an iphone.  You just do.  Trust me, its worth the money.)

Also, please disregard my voice.  I hope I don't sound like that in person.  It's kind of creepy.

Yes, Yes, I'm Obsessed

I can't even hide the fact that I'm totally obsessed with my kid.  I've become one of those mothers.  And I'm OK with that.  So yea, here's another video of my little man.  His laugh is too cute.  It just is.

I promise I'll write a "real" post sometime soon.  It's on my neverending list of things to do! 

He Crawls

This one's for the baby book.

On Saturday, May 21, 2011 Lukas started crawling.  Like for real.  My kid is Crawling!  I have a kid who crawls.  This is insane.  I'm not sure where the past 6 months have gone.  Before I know it he'll be borrowing the car to go on his first date.  I need time to slow down.  N.O.W. 

And I didn't even really see the first "crawl".  Mr. Cob did, so at least we didn't both miss it! 

Let me take you back to Saturday morning....

I woke up at 6:30, since this is Lukas' new wakeup time as Mr. Cob recently mentioned.  I rolled over and looked at Mr. Cob and declared "We're still alive.  I was honestly a little worried we'd be raptured during the night.  Or not raptured, but killed somehow, you know in the whole aftermath of those not being saved thing."  Mr. Cob: "Seriously, you were worried?  You're joking, right."  Me:  "I'm 100% serious.  I was a little scared."  Mr. Cob: Laughs and rolls eyes at me.

Fast-forward like an hour...

Mr. Cob was sitting on our leather couch and had Lukas on his belly laying next to him.  They were probably watching soccer.  I was in the kitchen doing something.  Eating probably.  That's not really important though.  Mr. Cob had the remote.  Lukas wanted said remote.  Lukas got up on all fours and got the remote.  Mr. Cob started hollering at me.  I didn't really believe him.  He lies often.  Little white lies.  Just because I'm gullible.  But lies.  But not this time.  Sure enough, Lukas repeated his new "trick" for mommy.  And he repeated the crawling later that day for grandma and grandpa Swan over Skype.  And my parents drove over the next morning under the pretense of going to brunch, but really they wanted to see it for themselves. 

He now can't be stopped.  This kid is on the move! 

I've tried to get a good video, but he's camera shy and tends to stop the minute I get out the camera.  This is as good as I can get for now.  And oh, yeah, about 10 seconds in I moved the camera to film horizontally, but the video doesn't flip, so you have to watch it with your head tilted...yeah, sorry.

GUEST POST: Wake Up Call

Cob here.  Yes, it has been a long time. As you can see from Mrs. Swan’s various posts, and particularly the pictures, at the moment life is jam packed with… well, life. The little fellow is now 6 months old and counting. He has started crawling (Saturday) and is loving this walker that a co-worker gave us. In fact, last night he reached for his first electric cord so we all know that this week will be child safety week at the nest.


I could go on and on about how I am incredibly lucky to have the happiest kid on record,¹ but what I really want to talk about is sleep. Look, I am a deep sleeper and I am a late sleeper. In fact, I love to sleep. Maybe its because I am a bit of an insomniac and perhaps my love of sleep is based upon the fact that sleep is so hard for me to acquire that I treasure it more than the usual person. So maybe I don’t love it so much as need it, but whatever, that is not the point. I am a notorious sleeping inner.  And the point is this there is nothing wrong with sleeping in. Period.

This is message (rant?) is directed to the youth readers really. I would ask you - do you like to sleeping? 
Answer: Yes of course. 
I would also ask that young person why you would be reading the musings of a late-20s couple and their child?
Answer: Ran out of other stuff on the internet.

Fair enough, but back to the point.  Continue to sleep in.  When your Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, aunts and uncles, cousins and nephews, dog and cat, or Belle and Sebastian, comment about how you are “sleeping the day away” or how you “sleep too much” or how you “must be sick” or call you “Rip Van Winkle,” kindly tell them to “stick it!” Why? Because in a decade, when you have a kid, you will never sleep in again. So tell them to let you get your sleeping in on when you are younger, while you can. And if they continue to give you grief, just tell them that you should probably just make a baby so you have a reason to get up early. (NOTE: if I had known this when I was 14, I would have bought 4 years of silence on the issue).

The adult readers know this: once you have a child, you are up when they are up.  Sick?  Too bad.  Hung over?  Next time just the one beer, now suck it up!  Justin Timberlake hosting SNL?  He isn't that good anyway. 

In the case of Luke, up when he is up means 6:30 on a Saturday.  This last Saturday is when I really took stock of the situation.  I was at a coffee shop three minutes after it opened saying to myself “what the f*%# am I doing here?” and I realized that I will not be sleeping in for at least 25 years.  Don’t get me wrong. Luke is amazing, even that early in the morning, and quite frankly he is happiest and cutest right when he wakes up.  He is scooting around his crib and then he will stop and look up and see you watching him.  Then he smiles showing off those two little teeth.

But still, as I waited for them to finish brewing my coffee, or wharever they were doing, I thought back to all the times I felt guilty or bad about sleeping in because of a comment made by someone close to me. That is when I said to myself (and everyone else in line) “what a bunch of bull.” Particularly from you older people who have had kids. You lived through this and yet you still gave me grief about it? You knew what was in store for me someday and you still commented? Jeez.

Well that is about it. Not really a very useful or insightful guest post. In fact, I might have offended my loved ones. If I did, just know that I am not trying to insult or belittle anyone. In fact, if you are mad, just let me know and I will help you see things from my perspective: I will call you next Saturday, and every Saturday after that when Lukas wakes up. Then we will be on the same page. Cool? Great.

And as for Lukas, since the internet will capture all knowledge and you will read this someday, just know that it is totally worth it and I am having a blast, even when you wake me up early.  Also, get your own beer...

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[1] It’s true, Luke has surpassed the famous Amos Chartrusian, of cookie fame, who was, up until last week, the happiest baby in the past 200 years (when they started keeping such records). Lukas eclipsed Amos’ single day record of 105 giggles, 45 guffaws, and 86 raspberries last Saturday with a startling 125 giggles, 53 guffaws and 248 (yes, 248) raspberries.

Walk This Way Baby

I realize I've been totally MIA all month.  It's been a big month.  I've been living life rather than writing about it.  I turned 30 this month.  Lukas turned 6 months.  I had my first Mother's Day.  I went on my first girls getaway weekend since Lukas was born and spent my first night (two nights, actually) away from him.   So you see, I've been busy.  But I'm back to writing and will write some "real" posts soon.  In the meantime, check out this video of my little man.  He's just itching to be mobile...

Just shy of 6 months

My baby will be six months old on Sunday.  Ain't he cute?!

Go Me

In other exciting news (wait, you have to have some exciting news to start a sentence like that, pretend I just said something exciting, um, kay?), my BMI is back in the "healthy weight" range and I am no longer classified as "overweight".  I'm still not at my goal weight or even my pre-baby weight, but I'm close to the latter and slowly getting to the former.  But for now I'll settle for being a "healthy weight".

My goal of not being the fat bridesmaid at the end of this month is looking good.  Phew!