Good Bye Old Friend

Last night Anthony and I had to do our version of the unthinkable. Murphy had been sick for some time, but yesterday seemed to be the day she told us she had had enough. Thanks to Dr. Zubers, we were able to be with our girl as she peacefully passed into the big dog park in the sky. It was truly one of the worst experiences of our lives, and we've had our fair share of bad experiences. But it was always Murphy that would always lend her big soft head and floppy ears to comfort our sorrows. Her gentle eyes told us she understood. Even last night, I know she was telling us that it was ok.

I have a favorite book, Because of Winn-Dixie, that I read to my students almost every year. I warn the kids, "ok this is the part where I'm gonna cry, so just bear with me." At about the point where she thinks her dog, Winn-Dixie, goes missing, Opal recites her top ten things she wants to remember about her best friend. It always reminded me of all the things I loved about my best girl, too. By the end of the chapter, most of the kiddos would be with me in tears or near, because anyone with a dog just gets it.

So I knew one of these days I would be composing my own list for Murphy, and here I am. These are some of my favorite things I will forever hold in my heart.

1. The way she would lift her paw onto your arm, as if holding your hand, when you would pet her.
2. The way we used to wake up to Murphy's big head in our face when she could still jump up on our bed. She may not have had the best manners but she at least had enough decency to find a pillow to rest her head.
3. Her inability to problem solve. When trying to sell our house, we set up an outdoor dog run that Lucy quickly figured her way out of. Even with the fence slight ajar after Lucy escaped into the back yard to romp and play, Murphy remained in the run, patiently waiting to be released through the gate.
4. Her stealthy crop dusting skills. She was famous for begging, but even more so for sneaking food off the table. One Sunday, during half time of the Pats game, Murph scarfed down an entire meatball grinder as she passed by the coffee table. She didn't even stop. Total drive by sneak attack. Our friends are still laughing about that, and I am so grateful that even our friends could see the humor in every naughty thing Murphy did.
5. Her eyes. Murphy was 100 times more trouble than Lucy. Murphy was naughty. Marley and Me naughty. She just got away with it more. All she had to do was look at you with those big sad hound dog eyes.
6. Her bay. When Murphy was a puppy, trying to find her voice, she realized that she had more than just a bark. She could howl, too. Albeit not very good at it, she tried, and it was just the saddest doggie yodel you ever did hear. Barking at air was her favorite though. Almost forgot about that!
7. Driving with her in the car, anywhere, even across the country. Sitting in the back seat, she would poke her head right up in between us as if to say "Hi guys. Almost there? Love you." Mostly though, she rested her big head over your left shoulder right underneath the seatbelt strap. "Love you." Yes, she spoke to us, we even had a dumb voice for her. I guess that's what you do when your dog is your first child, your best friend.
8. Murphy at the dog park. Most dogs can't wait to get out and play with all their other dog pals, but not the Murph. People were her favorite friends.
9. The way she let you snuggle with her. There was no other furry friend that was as soft or comforting as Murphy. No other dog, no stuffed animal, no blanket. You could bury your face in her velvet ears and squishy jowls and she would just lay there with you. Even when she had had enough, she never growled. Rather, she let out this hilarious "hmmmmmmm" that warned you she was annoyed.
10. She loved Vincent. I wish she had more time with him. I wish he had more time with her. They were just starting to become best buds.

We had 10 wonderful years with Murphy. She came to us through a friend, and we were warned as she wagged her tail at us from the bed of the truck, "oh she's not too smart, you probably don't want her." That's when we knew. She needed us, and we wanted her. But as we soon learned, it was the other way around. We needed her. Murphy was unlike any other dog, and I fear there will never be another that will ever live up to her sweet way. Poor Lucy has always been in her shadow. She's sad, too, waiting for her buddy to come home. Things are going to be different now, and we appreciate everyone's kindness and condolences.

Happy Halloween Vincent!

Yesterday we celebrated Vincent's first happy Halloween. Halloween has always been pretty fun on Banff Lane, but this year was exceptional, and I suspect it will only get better. We began the afternoon by carving a pumpkin. I really had no idea what Vince would think of the pumpkin guts, but in typical Vinny fashion, he cautiously stuck his hand into the goop and contemplated the sensations (another nod to Uncle John). Just when I thought we were done, back in he went all on his own.

I just had to stick him in the pumpkin, too. When else will I ever have this opportunity again? Vince was incredibly cooperative, and with only a few silly antics, we were able to garner some smiles. Really no complaints on his part, and we were sure not to push it. We still had a lobster costume to don!

Vince O'Lantern, 2 front teeth and all!

Mommo and Boppo joined the Banff Lane Halloween fun this year. Vinny "with a Y" is always happy with his Boppo. Here he is dressed up as a little lobster.
Bryce and Evan are two of Vincent's first friends. Bryce's "Scooby Dooby Doo" sure does put my own childhood version of the costume to shame. They sure have come a long way since those ugly, uncomfortable, plastic costumes. Both Evan and Vince were adorable checking each other out. Nothing's more entertaining to a baby than another baby face!

It was only minutes after this that Vincent fell fast asleep in his costume. Good thing it was easy to slip right off, and he was wearing his jammies right underneath! But just for fun we dressed up today and really hammed it up.

A New Perspective

This week we conducted Parent Teacher Conferences at school. While the days are longer, and there is sometimes disappointing news to share, I always come away reminded of how great our students really are, even the stinkers! Conferences can be intimidating. You never know how a parent will react to what you have to say. Thankfully that's not the norm.

You're always told to treat your students like you'd treat your own kids, and put yourself in the parents' shoes. Well for 11 years, I didn't know what that was like, nor did I ever want to think that I could conduct myself any differently. Those comments always annoyed me. So when I say I hate to admit this, I really hate to admit this. I am a completely different teacher ever since Vinny came along. Oh, I'm not any more nice or any less sarcastic (well maybe a little), but I see things differently now. I see things like a mom now. Sure, he's only 7 months old, but someday I'll be sitting on the other side of the table sitting in the little chair. This all occurred to me right there in the middle of one of our conferences.

While one of our students read his personal reflection about his progress, I could feel my eyes well up. I couldn't help but see Vincent sitting there, and then I caught sight of his mom's huge smile. What a surreal moment. Before it was all over, this little boy was laughing at how silly it looked to see his teachers and mom crying about how wonderful he was. But we all understood one another. Of course I've felt pride for my students achievements in the past, but I couldn't help but think of how hard he's worked to "get" things. This boy was so easily frustrated early on, but persisted. He's truly one of our sweeties, too. I found myself in a flash forward to Vinny's first parent teacher conference. I don't want him to struggle necessarily, but I want for him the same things this student felt because of his character. Perseverance. Accomplishment. Pride. Confidence. Integrity. You can't feel those things without knowing how hard you worked to achieve success.

Vincent has already accomplished so much is little lifetime so far. He's already made us so proud.

Eventful Week, Full of Milestones

Even I have noticed my posts become fewer and farther between. These days, Vincent keeps us busier than ever before..and we know that soon our lives will be forever changed. Vince is crawling! Well, just about anyway. He's been up on all fours rocking like crazy, and he has begun to move backwards. Here he is trying to crawl right through the laptop to grab Gramma's nose...or cheek...or glasses...or hair....yes, he's grabbing everything in reach, too.

Hi Gramma!

Another big milestone this week has been sitting up all by himself without any support. This one sort of surprised me, it sort of happened without me realizing it. Here he is chewing on a new favorite frozen teether. Vincent cut two little itty bitty bottom teeth this week! Ooh they are sharp! If I were nursing, this would have been the week I quit!

Big Boy!

Eating these last two weeks has been a new challenge, too. Vincent has little use for rice cereal, but we are trying. By now it's more applesauce than cereal, but he's liking it a little more. I then introduced peas to him, and he loved them! Right now we are working on sweet potatoes, which he loves as well. Trouble is, as you can see form the picture below, Vince is hardly a neat eater. He sort of face plants into the spoon. It's comical for sure. Thankfully, he hasn't given me raspberries yet during mealtime, though he's been practicing. I'm waiting!

Love This Face!

Daddy Feeds Me, Too

So far we've been feeding Vincent right on the counter, but today I ordered a highchair. He squirms around so much, we need something to contain him! I just had to include the picture below for fun. Vincent was just happy as could be in his jumpy while I did a few things around the house. I think I sat down to work on the laptop, and found that it had become oddly quiet. Well, this is why...

Play Hard, Sleep Hard

White Matter

A couple months back my brother-in-law, John, began his own blog to reflect upon his own family, his profession, and his passion for cycling.

While I will admit to skimming over his bike jargon, it's the connections he makes with his family that really speak to me. Referring to a recent cyclocross race with Will, John found the words that I think I have been searching for. See John-I told you I would use them! This captures what it means to remember the "moments."

"I look over and he looks back with a grin I am trying to emblazon into my white matter forever." (JMM)

There are so many faces I want to emblazon into my white matter forever, but of late, these are a few that melt my heart.

That's The Face

My 2 Favorite People

It's hard sometimes to write meaningful words without sounding like I'm narrating an episode of Grey's Anatomy. I hope that at the end of this, I will still have emblazoned onto my heart as well the intense love I have for my family. It's the kind of love that spills over like teardrops when you just can't believe how lucky you are.

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch!

Nothing feels like fall like triple digit temperatures, right? This is about the time of year that I begin to get a bit cranky...and extremely homesick. My favorite time of year is Fall, especially in New England. Mom shared her pictures of Blaise at Brown's Harvest, and I just knew a trip to a pumpkin patch up north would be on our list of things to do. After all, down here in "the Valley" you mostly find make-shift pumpkin patches in empty corner lots or big bins in the produce aisle of the grocery store. So while up in the White Mountains, we traveled to a little town called Snowflake to visit Willis Farm.

Well, the pumpkin patch was a little weak, not much to do. Most disappointing, there were no hayrides! But we did have fun walking through the field to find just the right pumpkin for Vincent's First Halloween. A 20 pounder-a little bigger than the boy!

Kodak Moment Photo Stop

It's Been a While!

Whoa! I've been taking some heat about not keeping up with the other bloggers out there. It's true, I really have slacked this past month. The truth is, I've been having way too much fun playing with the little boy rather than writing about it. And I know I will kick myself later for not getting everything down on paper, err... keyboard. So, I hope I can make up for it with this post.

Let's see, today is Vincent's half birthday, as my students say. How many times have I said or heard how quickly time is passing. It's so true, and so hard to accept. So to celebrate Vincent's 6 months in this world, I put a little cereal in his bottle last night. Woo Hoo! He loved it. I think. Who really knows? But he did gulp it down. Later today, we'll try making a small batch of slop and see how that goes. Should be interesting. Since nursing didn't work out, I am all geared up to make home made baby food. Really? How hard could it be? Hey-pipe down out there busy mommies who have been there done that-I can hear you laughing at me.

So Vince...oh, how I wish we didn't live so far away from so much of our family. He is precious. He is hilarious. He is happy, curious, active, thoughtful, tactile, affectionate, cuddly, mellow, even-tempered, alert, and just dog-gone sweet! We hit the jack pot with this kid, we really did. These last 6 months have been some of the best times of our lives, and really, not much has happened. We are fully aware that each stage of Vincent's life will be better, he will do more, and we will enjoy him even more. But so far, he's exceeded all of our expectations of parenthood. Vincent is flat out awesome.

This past month we've noticed him making some huge strides towards mobility. Vince is steam rolling his way across the living room. He prefers to roll over to his left side, and once he gets going, he doesn't stop. It's no longer a struggle to roll from tummy to back. Forget the blanket...he rolls right off. He's also begun to enjoy playing on his tummy more, and pushes himself up on his hands. Earlier this week he began pushing himself forward just a bit, and I caught him up on his tippy toes. Of course he quickly face planted, but it made us realize life is about to change, again. We are quickly approaching the time when we may no longer be in charge. I have a feeling we are about to go where Vincent wants to go and when Vincent wants to go.

Murphy is Vincent's best bud, as Uncle John says. Murph loves to lick his face, and he doesn't mind it one bit. Now, he watches Murphy and follows her as she walks by. He smiles at her, too. When she snuggles up to him, he reaches out to touch her soft ears and wet nose. Murph had another rough go of it this month, and I worry that Vince will never know just how special she is. Hang in there ol' girl, soon enough Vincent will be chasing you around the back yard! Ant will be annoyed if I don't mention how much Lucy loves Vincent, too. OK, she does, and unfortunately Murphy doesn't like to share. It's pretty funny watch Lucy try to check him out. Murphy runs right over and pushes her back, out of the way.

We've also realized that Vincent is ready for real toys that do things other than rattle. He's grabbing everything in sight and likes to push, pull, and chew it all. So, it's off to the toy store to buy toys that stack, pop, ding, and roll. He's sitting up pretty well with support, but not yet getting up by himself. Although, he can pull himself into a seated position in the bathtub. He loves to bounce up and down in his jumperoo, which is hysterical and adorable.

Well, given all the new eating experiences we are about to introduce Vincent to this month, I'll be sure to keep you all updated more often. Lots of pictures are sure to come!