Geeky 365 -- Day 70

Orion loves to help me cook.  He climbs up on his chair or onto the counter, grabs a spoon out of the drawer and gets to work.  He gets upset if I have to stir something on my own or won't let him help.  There are days where it's a hassle, but I still love those moments with O.  He's so proud of supper and he tends to eat a lot batter if he's helped cook it.  He's growing up so fast.  I'm not ready for these moments to pass yet.

Geeky 365 -- Day 69

Yesterday I got a note from Orion's school that said "If you would like to put underwear on Orion we will start working with him.  Thank you."   Now, this may not seem like that big of a deal, but for me it is.  It means the end of diapers is near!!!  So today I sent O to school in underwear...and when I picked him up this afternoon he was wearing that same pair of underwear!  His first day without pull-ups and he had NO accidents at all!  The kid is a super star I tell ya. Then he came home and went poop in the potty.  So all and all it was a great day for O.  I'm so proud of him.  Hopefully before long we can both say goodbye to the diapers!

Geeky 365 -- Day 68

Orion spent the evening with me and my sister Ashley.  He ran around taking pictures of everything and giggling.  It was a lot of fun.  I think he wore himself out.

Geeky 365 --Day 67

Home sweet home!  I had a great weekend and I'm sure O did too, but I'm still glad to be home and in our own beds.  I missed Orion like crazy and am happy to be back in his laughing, ornery, adorable presence. Life is good and he is amazing.  I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Geeky 365 -- Day 66

I pulled out my camera today and looked through the pictures on there.  I was surprised to find about 30 more photos from the genius Mr. Orion the fabulous photographer.  I'm not sure when exactly he got ahold of the camera but there are some very interesting shots of the dog and the floor..and what I'm pretty sure is a super creepy self portrait.  They put a smile on my face and warmed my heart a little.  When I get back home maybe I will try to upload some of them so that I can share his works of art with you all. For now, a picture of Orion taking a picture.  I love this crazy, artistic, unique kid.

Geeky 365 -- Day 65

I haven't seen Orion since Wednesday morning and I miss him already.  I hate being away from him, even though I know it's necessary.  I miss his hugs and snuggles.  I miss his little voice calling my name.  I miss holding his tiny hand and reading him stories.  I even miss tucking him into bed.  It isn't easy...and I know that doesn't just apply to me.  I know that his dad feels those same things when I have O and that's hard for me too.  I want us all to be happy and that isn't always an easy task.  We're all doing the best we can.  Orion is happy and healthy and that's the important part.  All I know is that I am looking forward to seeing him and hearing his giggle again soon. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 64

This year Orion will be spending Thanksgiving with his daddy and his family.   I'm grateful that they will be getting to spend some holiday time together, but at the same time it is hard to not have O with me.   It's an odd combination of feelings.  On one side I'm incredibly happy because he gets the chance to have holidays with his dad and see his extended family that doesn't get to see very often.  P  On the other (selfish) side it breaks my heart to have to spend holidays without my son.   He is such a bright light in my life that spending time without him is a challenge sometimes, and that is definitely increased during those special moments when I want my loved ones around.  I'm definitely hoping that he has a great weekend.  I will miss him, but I know how important it is that he have quality time with his dad as well.  Happy Thanksgiving! 

Geeky 365 -- Day 63

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I feel the need to express the thing that I am definitely the most thankful for.  I don't think there are really words to explain how grateful I am to have Orion in my life.   He is the most kind-hearted, bright, and loving soul I've ever encountered.  Strangers walking down the street can't help but return his smile and it warms my heart to know that I had a part in creating that.  His laughter brightens my day.  He is so sweet and tries to take care of me.  He always asks me if I'm ok,  even if I just sneezed, and and tells me it will be alright when I'm upset.  I don't know how he does it at the age of 2, but he somehow always seems to know what to do or say to make me feel better.  His little voice saying that he loves me is the greatest sound in the world (his laughter is a very close second).  His sweet hugs make the worst days seem better.  My life was changed forever the day that he entered the world.  He has taught me to be a better person, more kind, open, and even tempered than I ever expected to be (even though I'm definitely far from perfect!!).   I don't think he will ever understand just how much I love him or how incredibly important he is to me.  I want to give him the best of everything.  I love my son completely, unconditionally, and forever.  I don't know what our future holds, but those are words that will remain true throughout it all.

Geeky 365 -- Day 62

Tonight was another night of dress up and make believe. Orion ran around in a pair of goggles a pretended to drive a car. Then he turned the tables and played teacher, asking me the colors and showing me how to count.  He fought a dragon, conquered a monster, and rode on a puppy.  It was quite an adventurous night in our world. I'm definitely going to miss him this weekend.  Nights like this one seem to pass too quickly.  Bed time comes around and I find that I am the one not ready to make the climb upstairs for him to snuggle in and sleep. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 61

The weather is starting to get colder around here.  Below freezing overnight temperatures and leaving the house before the sun rises means it is time to break out the winter clothes.  Orion has a big fluffy coat and last weekend I took him to the store to pick out his own gloves (he wanted real gloves instead of mittens) and stocking cap.  To convince him to wear his coat I still have to let him wear his hoodie underneath of it, but that isn't a problem with me.  He looks completely disproportional waddling around in all the clothing, but once the snow hits the ground it will be necessary.  Picking his hat though definitely made me proud.  He picked out an adorable little monster hat that goes pretty well with his hoodie.  I think I can handle a winter full of that thing.  The kid is awesome, what can I say??

Geeky 365 -- Day 60

Today was one of those snugly, uneventful days that you expect when the weather starts to cool and the days get shorter.  Orion and I really didn't do much of anything today.  We played with his dress-up clothes, built some block towers, and read a lot of books.  We took a nice long nap in the afternoon and cooked supper together.  Orion also spent all day today in underwear (except for nap time) and had no accidents!  Days like this one may not make for a very exciting blog, but they make for a very happy momma. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 59

What a great, relaxing day with Orion.  He woke up bright and early but we ended up watching a movie while eating breakfast in bed.  When we finally ended up getting up we went into O's room where we read books and played in the ball pit we keep stashed in there.  We giggled and sang songs.  He was in a fabulous, lovey mood.  We finally made it downstairs where we changed out of our pjs and got ready for the day.  Orion helped me get ready.  Even that was entertaining.  We ended up driving in to Walmart so we could pick up a few groceries and wandered the store aimlessly.  We spent some quality time checking out the fish (which are still not for sale?).  Afterwords we went and grabbed some lunch at Pizza Hut and drove back home.  The weather is cold and cloudy so we were pretty limited in our adventures.  We ended up curled up on the couch and taking a nap together.  After we woke up we built some block towers and O pretended to cook me some corn.  I made some supper while O ran around the house with the camera taking pictures of everything.  We ate and then jumped in the bath tub.  There were probably too many splashes and the walls were covered in bath crayons by the time we were finished.  We put our pjs back on and snuggled up with our blankies for stories and quality Ruby Gloom watching.  Orion just climbed the stairs to his room a few minutes ago with me carrying his blankets up behind him.  I can still hear his deep breathing as he starts to relax and doze off through the baby monitor.  Days like today make every moment I feel overwhelmed completely worth it.  I have an incredible son and am loving my adventures with him.

O helping mommy get ready for the day.

 

Geeky 365 -- Day 58

Ya know, sometimes all it takes to make me laugh is to hear the words that Orion says at random.  He's so funny and I really don't know where he comes up with some of the stuff he says.  Tonight's top two quotes:

 I'm not gonna eat my poop.  That's disgusting.
  I'm swinging my pants around.

Today's pic is of Orion telling me a story....I could listen to his voice all day long. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 57

Tonight was a lot of fun with Orion.  We played with trucks, read lots of stories, and ate a super healthy supper...of fish sticks and french fries.  After that the two of us curled up on the couch watching "The Little Engine that Could" until he fell asleep in my lap.  He doesn't do that very often anymore and I definitely miss watching him fade into dreamland in my arms. He is growing up so damn fast it's hard to believe.  I'm happy that I'm doing this project so I don't miss a moment of that. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 56

This sick momma doesn't have much to say today.  Lots of story time and snuggles with O tonight. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 55

Orion is such a social creature that it amazes me.  I've always been more of a wall flower unless I'm with people I'm comfortable with and so has O's daddy.  O, on the other hand, is greeted by people everywhere we go, both children and adults.  When we take him to daycare in the morning kids from other classrooms call him over for a hug and teachers all say hi and vie for his attention.  Once we get into his classroom it isn't unusual to have a couple kids drop what they're doing to run over and give him a hug or call him over to play with him.  I'm incredibly grateful that he has such an outstanding personality that being social is easy for him.  I'm kind of jealous!  It's never been easy for me so I'm glad that for him it seems to come as second nature.  What an outstanding kid. 

O being greeted by friends. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 54

Orion can make me laugh so much.  He is so full of joy and excitement that it is contagious.  Today O and I ventured into Wal-mart which is never my favorite place to visit, but is the most convenient stop.  Today was one of those days where it seemed like everyone within a 20 mile radius had to be in the store at that exact moment.  People were rude, loud, and just plain obnoxious.  In those situations I generally find myself getting frustrated and wanting to leave.  Today though, Orion's comedy was in full swing and I couldn't help but be happy to wander the store with his hand in mine.  He would find joy in the simplest things...Batman on a shelf or a snack in an aisle.  His face would light up and he'd say "Look Mommy!  I need it!"  I'd tell him no and he'd put it away and skip on his way to the next adventure.   We got to one point and he stops in the middle of an aisle.  He looks up and me and tugs on my hand.  When I look back at him he says "Mommy....I want to see fish!"  So off we went to find the fish.  He practically drug me through the store by the hand until we got to the fish and then he was in awe.  He'd count them, point out their colors, tell me which ones were big and which were small.  He told me he liked the fish.  He tried to pet them.  And then this happened: 

Orion is so full of love that he can even love an ordinary goldfish living in an aquarium in the middle of Wal-mart.  I wish I could learn to love like that, so openly and worry free.  There is so much that this little boy can teach me.  I do so much love this journey. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 53

Home sweet home.  Orion was in an awesome mood when I picked him up today.  He was happy and giggly.  That boy brightens my world so much that there are not words to actually explain it.  He hugs me tight and tells me things will be ok...and I believe him.  How can things not work out when I have such a bright light in my world??   His smile can light up the brightest corners of my heart and make the world seem like a better place.

Geeky 365 -- Day 52

This weekend O is with his Daddy.  I can't wait for him to come home.  He can always make me smile!

Geeky 365 -- Day 51

Today O & I had a super early morning (he thought 6 am was a great time to wake up), but it just meant O got to spend more time with him for my birthday.  We had breakfast burritos while watching Howl's Moving Castle.  We had a quick lunch, and then it was time for him to go off with his daddy for the weekend.  I hope he has a great time.  I love that little boy and some days it is definitely harder to leave him behind than others.  Today was one of those.

Geeky 365 -- Day 50

Today Orion was in an amazing mood.  He snuggled with his stuffed animals, quoted movies, and ran around cheesing in his sunglasses.  All in all it was a good night.  Tomorrow he is gonna spend part of the day home with me before taking him to Seth for the weekend.  It should be fun.

Geeky 365 -- Day 49

I can't believe that the month of October is gone and we're already one third of the way through November. Time definitely seems to be on the fast track right now and I would love for it to slow down just a little bit for now.  Orion has grown and changed so much through the last few months.  It's amazing to me.  We have had a lot of adventures...the zoo, Roca Berry Farm, visiting with grandparents, ER visits....the list just goes on and on.  Fall is a great time for that.   I'm not looking forward to winter and so far O doesn't seem to be either.  He hates putting on his winter coat in the morning and will only do so if I let him wear his monster jacket underneath it.  Luckily most afternoons right now it's warm enough that he doesn't have to wear it home still.  Maybe this year he'll be old enough to want to play in the snow a little? Who knows though.  He is pretty stubborn when trying to get him to do things that he just doesn't want to do. 

The last couple days bed time has been a challenge.  Usually he does really well about crawling into bed and putting himself to sleep.  The last few nights though he has cried and begged me to stay with him and lay down next to him.  If I don't he won't stay in his room.  He goes through this every couple months and I'm not sure why.  It breaks my heart to see him upset.  I would love to just pick him up and rock him to sleep, but I know that it isn't going to make things any easier if that's what I do.

Geeky 365 -- Day 48

There is never a day with Orion that he doesn't absolutely amaze me.  His adorable smile that can warm the heart of strangers, his tiny voice and exhilarating laugh that can brighten an entire room, and his hilarious sense of humor that can make me laugh until it hurts...I am so grateful for each and every one of those moments.  Orion has never met anyone that didn't love him completely.  His intelligence and small stature always amazes people.  They see this little tiny boy with this adorable tiny voice and enormous heart that shines through his smile...and then they hear him speak.  He now knows the entire alphabet and can name several of the letters on site.  He can identify the letter O and therefore usually can pic out his name in a group.  He can count to 10 (and sometimes beyond) and has finally mastered the colors.  Lately, he has taken to writing the letter "O" over and over.  He wants so badly to write that he has me write his name and then starts in on his own.  He's such a smart little boy with a vivid imagination.  If only he would master the potty training thing but it's hard to be consistent with it when daycare still has set "potty times" and don't generally take him on demand.  He's still in a pull up all day there, but can go all evening, and often even all day on the weekend with no accidents (other than overnights where he is still in pull-ups).  Oh well.  When that's our biggest obstacle at 2 1/2 I think we're off to an amazing start! 

Orion working on writing his name by copying what I've written.

Orion loves wearing these play glasses around.  Both his dad and his best friend wear glasses so it isn't surprising. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 47

The weather is starting to cool down so O and I find ourselves spending more and more time inside.  It makes it more challenging to keep him entertained when the sun sets early and the weather is so cool.

Geeky 365 -- Day 46

Today was another laid back day.  We colored pictures, watched movies, sang songs, and just had a nice, relaxing day.  We re-made Orion's bed this afternoon and he decided that jumping on it sounded like lots of fun.  He also took some more pictures with my camera.  All and all it was a good day. Here are some more pics that O took today, as well as clips of him jumping on his bed. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 45

Today we went out to eat and while at the restaurant he uttered the words that I actually have NEVER head from him in public..."Mommy I have to go potty."  We got him into the bathroom and he actually pooped in the toilet!  Now, I know that may not seem like a huge deal, but he has never asked to go potty in public, let alone to go poop.  I was super proud of him.   His other adventures today included building a blanket fort under his dad's futon, sword fighting with an inflatable penguin, watching a movie with Mommy, and helping out with some board games.  He's such an awesome little guy.  I can't believe how quickly he is growing up.

Geeky 365 -- Day 44

Today I stayed home sick so unexpectedly O is spending the night with Seth so I can try to get some rest and not spread my yuckies to Orion.   Hopefully they have lots of fun this evening.  I miss him already and am ready to pick him up already. 

Geeky 365 -- Day 43

Sometimes a picture speaks 1000 words.....so at that point what am I really supposed to say?

I don't want these moments to end.  Can't he stay little forever? 

Geeky 365 -- Day 42

Today I don't have much to say because instead I'm posting a video of Orion.  He's so smart and growing so quickly.  Here he is naming off some colors.  He does such a good job! 

Geeky 365 -- Day 41

Orion has become quite the little shutter bug.  He loves taking pictures of everything from Callisto to the trees along the side of the road.  It's taken some coaching on how to hold the camera properly and not touch the camera lens, but he has gotten pretty good at lining up his target and getting a pretty decent shot.  I'm more and more impressed with him every day.  He really does blow my mind.  I'm hoping that he will have his own camera by the end of the year, but I guess we will see how that goes.  Here are a few of his pictures from today:

This is the face O makes when he wants the camera and I'm taking pictures.

"I take a picture of you momma." 

The sun.

Orion's Nebraska View

Shoes.