Welcome back!

Ok, so I guess I’m actually welcoming myself back to this blog, since I’m the one who left for almost a month. At any rate, I can’t believe this month is almost over. February, I expect a far more even temperament from you than we got from your sassy little neighbor, January.

Here is a tidy little recap of the past month in the Thompson casa:

Riley turned 7 months old! He was sick on this milestone, so his pictures are a little pitiful. He caught a cold from Liam, which means that for TWO WEEKS STRAIGHT I saw more snot than I ever care to be acquainted with again. I mean, it became almost impossible to keep track of the surfaces in my home that had snot on them. That’s all I have to say about that.

But at seven months, Riley is quite the fiery little redhead. His temper flares when I take a toy away from him (because, you know, it’s hard to shovel baby food into his mouth when he’s licking a rattle). He’ll clench his fists, grunt and growl and his face gets beet red. And of course, I can only laugh in return. Which makes him madder, so he’ll purse his lips together and blow raspberries at me. Bless my husband for his future with two redheads under the same roof. 

He got his first little tooth last week, and the second one should poke through any day now! (They’re both on the bottom.) I’m having SO MUCH FUN making Riley’s food. Maybe too much fun: one week, I made baby peas with mint and Laughing Cow Swiss cheese. I know that sounds a little pretentious (I don’t even eat that fancy), but I get some kind of twisted, cheap (as in, less than the store-bought jars) thrill playing with different recipes. (I desperately need a project.) Also on his January menu: rhubarb compote. Also a big hit! Although, I didn't really care for it. I guess since Liam refuses to eat much of anything, I'm living vicariously through Riley now. So far, he'll eat ANYTHING.

Liam hasn’t been so easy to live with. Can I just say that? Y’all, he is OVER RILEY. Riley playing with a toy. Riley occupying Mommy’s lap. Riley getting spoonfed his lunch while Liam has to feed himself. Mommy and Daddy thinking Riley is SO FUNNY. He is OVER IT. One day, he actually threw a toy flip phone and hit Riley in the forehead. The next day he bopped Riley in the head with a rattle (a plush rattle, but still…Riley didn’t appreciate it, and neither did I). The thing is, Liam is in no world starved for attention. I spend the better portion of most days running laps with him around the house, playing hide and seek, wrestling, and whatever else I can do to fit in to his little boy world.  He demands gets plenty of individualized time with both of his parents. He just can’t stand for Riley to have any, so he cries for whichever parent is holding his baby brother at the time. I'm sure every other parent on this planet has gone through the same thing and is probably rolling their eyes at my drama, but it is LOADS OF FUN having two kids going through separation anxiety at the same time. At the end of the day I may need to sit in a padded, dark room by myself and rock back and forth.

Not to mention, Liam has grown into a full-fledged BOY. A boy who CLIMBS ON EVERYTHING. He likes to throw things just to watch them soar through the air. He’ll stack blocks just to knock them all down in a fit of fury. He will run laps through the house just because he can. There are some days where I want to just cower in the corner eating a pot of melted chocolate while he overtakes the house like it’s the Alamo.

But then, he’ll crawl up beside me on the couch, pat me on the back, and call me babe. Or, he’ll ask to give me a hug or attack me with kisses. He’ll lay his head on my shoulder and say, “Sweet mommy.” And when Riley was sick, Liam was the only person in this house who could make him laugh. He has his moments where he’ll hug Riley or point out horses or trains or whatever else he sees out the window while we’re riding in the car. He’s like our own personal Sour Patch kid. And his laugh! Oh, that laugh is like a Skittles rainshower. I wish I could fill up buckets of it!

Also, that kid talks way more than a two-year-old probably should. Which, I’m trying not to take as an indicator that his mom is way more talkative than…well, I’ll just see it as a good thing. His favorite phrase is, “Hello, ­­mommy/daddy/snow/bear/book, what are you doing here?” It’s REALLY CUTE.

Y’all, can I just say that it should NOT BE THIS COMPLICATED to sell some stationery on Etsy?! I have registered my business name and gotten a tax ID, a state license, a county license, and hopefully soon, my city license. But I have to sit in on the zoning board meeting next month and convince them I will not turn our street into a parking lot so I can work out of my home. (I realize that I probably didn’t need to do all, if any, of this, but you know—I’m a rule follower and all.) I would say I’m in way over my head, but like Sarah’s cute doctor neighbor on the show Parenthood said, “You’re not in over your head; you’re just out of your comfort zone, and there’s a big difference.” I hope she ends up with him, because that is the best doggone wisdom I’ve heard in a while. And I’ll admit, I’m WAY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. This is why, despite encouragement from my friends, I haven’t done this before now. Because I’m not a business person. I love to sit at the computer and think up pretty designs, but applying for a tax ID and paying sales tax every month? Um, no thank you. So, after putting my big girl pants on and powering through the red tape, I’m relieved that the process is almost over, and I can just focusing on making pretty things.  

So, that’s about all we’ve been up to these past few weeks. It’s great to be back!