Some thoughts on having a boy

-I am absolutely terrified of changing a boy diaper! I baby sat my cousin's newborn son one time and EVERY time I changed his diaper, he peed so bad, I couldn't contain it, and  I had to change his clothes!

-I am also freaked out about the whole circumcision thing. Not really the procedure itself, but taking care of it until after it heals. I heard you're not supposed to use baby wipes on "it". And something is supposed to fall off?!?! WHAT?!?!

- I used to not like boy clothes but I guess I just didn't know what I liked. But now I do: I DO NOT like anything with teddy bears, "cutsie sayings" like "Daddy's little man" or "Mommy's big boy" (barf!), and I DESPISE anything resembling a jumper or shortalls or whatever they call them, and also anything remotely feminine looking. I pretty much just like grown men's clothing but shrunk into baby sizes.

- I REALLY want William to love sports like Matt and I do. Even Ollie seems to really like them too. It would be so great to go to a high school football game and cheer on my own son! But if he doesn't, that's perfectly fine too. The world needs lots of scientists, writers, musicians, and artists too. Not everyone can be a big jock.

- That being said, I do want him to be in a sport regardless of what it is. I think it is especially important for boys to have the structure and discipline of a sports team and the ability to productively get all the energy out. And if he plays in high school or college, there is a grade and conduct requirement, which is an even bigger bonus. I guess I just feel really strongly about playing sports in general.

- I will tell Will, as I tell Ollie already, that I want him to take risks, but be accountable. I don't want him to live in constant fear of failure or punishment. (I'm sure this one will come back and bite me in the butt with many trips to the ER over the years) But I want them to go out on a limb and take a challenge head on. Those are the movers and shakers of the world.

- I hope he will be even 1/2 as forward thinking as Matt. I think Matt was a wild child but he had the foresight to prepare for his future very young. Which in-turn has made him a brilliant business man, scholar, and provider. He was offered full scholarships to college to play football but turned them down. He had the wisdom to see computers and the internet and the impact they were going to have on society, and got into that industry before it became popular. He traded a "fun time," for seriously preparing himself for the future. (FYI in college, he was the first webmaster at KSU. He actually had to teach the teachers what the internet was and why it was going to be so important. How funny!) He bought his first house at age 21 and started saving for retirement even before that. He is very smart with his money and his passion for responsible personal finance is contagious. I know Matt will teach these lessons to Will, I just hope he really listens.

- At first we wanted to name the baby Solomon. Then Orion. Then Greer. But I'm really glad we went with William. I have heard so many off-the-wall baby names lately, that I feel like William is a breath of fresh air. It may be historically the 2nd most popular name in the entire world (the first is Muhammad-- and the variations of it) but it is still special to me. My mom's dad is named William Eli Wood and he is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world. And I hope Will loves the Lord like my Paw Paw does.

-I have the feeling that he is going to be one of those boys who will eat us out of house and home. If my current appetite is any indication, I know he will! I am completely ravenous, yet I don't gain weight. If that is true, I hope he is a "human garbage disposal" and will eat anything I put in front of him. One picky eater (well, 2 if you include Matt) is quite enough for me!

That's all for now. More to come...

Matt is the youngest of 3 boys. This is him (snaggle-toothed  #12) and his next oldest brother, Mark. His oldest brother, Michael, was their coach-- how cute! (but I can't seem to find the photo of the 3 of them)

My secret to being a good mom

This will be my 3rd year celebrating Mother's Day while being a mom! My first Mother's Day was during a very exciting time in my life. Ollie was almost 4 months old, Matt had just taken a new job, and we were looking for a  house! Matt totally surprised me that first Mother's Day with something I have wanted for a looooong time: a real locket! It is silver and oval with little flowers and a bird etched into it-- some of my favorite things. I love it more than any other piece of jewelry I own, even my wedding ring! I think it is because Matt at some point heard me say I wanted one, and got it for me completely by surprise (which is rare since we usually always go shopping together for gifts) Instead of putting Ollie's photo in it, as would be appropriate, I want to put a photo of Matt in it. And here is why...

I hate to sound like a parenting book, but I truly believe it is a major key to successful parenting is a healthy marriage with lots of love and respect between mom and dad. I am so lucky that Matt believes the same thing. He is very busy with work and traveling a lot, but he always takes time out to spend time with me, no matter what. We rarely get to go on "date nights" but we do spend time sitting on the porch talking and walking around the yard after Ollie has gone to sleep. Sometimes it is just walking to the mailbox together. Our special time sometimes even has to come at the expense of spending time with our families. But our relationship is far more important than anyone else on the earth. Without taking care of each other, we can not take care of everything else and everyone else in our lives. We have made each other a priority. We CHOSE to love each other. It is a decision we made before we got married. And if we ever feel like we are "falling out of love" then we would go to whatever means necessary to make it right. No matter what we would have to do, money to spend, things to change, people to cut-off, distance to travel, things to give up, nothing, nothing, nothing is going to ever come in between us. No matter how painful or difficult it may be, we will never give up on love.

On our wedding day, I remember thinking that I could never love Matt more than I did that day, but I was wrong! I truly love him more and more every day. We have had some hard times, especially our first year of marriage, but I wouldn't trade that time for anything. We were able to really lean on each other, find joy in each other, keep each other laughing (which is another thing I think is VERY important too), and in the end, we came out of the other side of the tunnel even closer and more in love than before.

And I truly believe that Ollie notices all of this. She loves to see us hug each other. And loves nothing more than for all of us to lay on the floor and just be together. She laughs at us when we are being silly, and laughs with us too, even though she has no clue what we are saying. (I'm sure we are going to be "embarrassing parents" when she gets older) And she really loves when we hold her and all three of us are really close together. She says "my family." It is so sweet!

(That being said, I don't know how single parents do it. Not just the day-to-day logistics of life, but also the lack of companionship with a spouse. I'm not saying that single parents are not the best parents because they are not married. I really think single parents are extremely strong to be able to compensate for the love of both parents, while still taking care of their own needs. It must be taxing in every sense of the word! I have so much respect for them and in no way think they are less than married parents. I just have no clue how they do it!)

Now I have to admit, 2 years after receiving my locket, I STILL don't have a picture of Matt in it! I know, I'm terrible! But have you ever tried to find a photo that tiny?! I do have a picture of Matt swimming out in the ocean, where he is just a little speck in the distance. I think that might be the only one so far that will do, even though all you can see is his head!  My goal is to have a photo of him in there before Mother's Day 2012!

My two loves at the place we love the most: the beach!

I think this one might work!