Losing the Land of Enchantment and other musings...

As my grandparents prepare to leave New Mexico Friday, I am finding myself very sad at the thought of not having that state in our lives anymore. Both Bob and I were born there and my family spent 2-6 weeks almost every summer in Albuquerque from 1988-1997. While other college kids spent their drunken, half-clothed spring breaks south of the border...I spent quality time with my grandparents enjoying the relatively warm New Mexican March. We last visited them in 2004...it was a spur of a moment decision while in Colorado Springs visiting Bob's sister and family and passed a sign that read Albuquerque: 350m - and in the western US...350 miles isn't that far. I know that New Mexico isn't going anywhere - but with Gma and Papa not there we most likely won't be visiting that often - if ever. When I get sentimental, I make lists. Here's my memory list of New Mexico:

putt-putt golfing in the late summer sun, taking driver's ed at the same place my mom did, Dunkin' Donut runs Saturday morning, seeing the sites of my mom's teen years, fry bread in the Jemez mountains, rich Native American heritage, luminarie light tours of Olde Towne at Christmas, hamburgers and vanilla cokes at Lottaburger, chocolate sodas with Papa at Model Pharmacy, being bucked off a horse at the Mackenzie's ranch, seeing Sandia Peak from I-25 and knowing we were almost to grandma's house, Cappacino Blasts at Baskin Robbins, adobe of Santa Fe, Ship Rock, Soda Dam, Rancho de las Golondrinas, vanilla pines in front of my grandparents house, hottest salsa EVER at Sadie's Restaurant, Acoma pueblo tours, thousands of bats swarming out of Carlsbad Caverns, strangeness of Los Alamos.

That's enough...I can go on forever. I'll miss it.


Will is embracing Torture Time. He's really getting his head up...until he's thrown off balance by the weight of it and rolls over to his back.

Grandma Jean has been coming down the past couple Wednesdays to help us out...she's been a huge blessing by watching Will so Bob can get some errands done. Will loves his Grandma!

On a side note - I passed my structures exams!! I think the result turn-around set a record - it was only one torturous week I had to wait. I am so glad to have them off my mind - on to studying for my final test: Site Design.

Finally some updates...

Sorry for the extreme delay. I forget that if I neglect to blog for a month, that's a quarter of Will's life right now - and a lot happens in a month for a infant! The days fly when you work, care for a baby, study for registration exams (only one more to go!!), and try to watch the Olympics.





The big news is that Will is offically "unplugged" forever! He is still having pauses in breathing, but they are not affecting his heart rate and in turn his oxygen levels...so now he is considered "normal" and doesn't need the monitor anymore. Its so nice to hold our baby without the chest belt on and to be able to take him anywhere and not feel tethered by anything.

Other updates:

• He had his 4-month check up last week and weighed in at a hefty 14lbs. 10oz. Which is in the 50 percentile for a normal 4 month old and he's in the 85 percentile for height...if we went with an age-corrected chart (he's technically only a little over 3 months) he'd be off the charts.


• So far this month he's become VERY vocal and really doesn't know how to use his "indoor voice" yet. He is holding his head up much better and is really grabbing things and trying to put them in his mouth. Tonight he tried to grab the phone out of my hand! He's also started blowing raspberries at us. Tummy-time is still dubbed "torture-time" in our house - Will cannot stand it!





• My brother Josh has left us for the Great White North and Will is going to miss him! Not only does Josh get to live with friends in a much cooler city - he is joining a kickball league (I want to know how we can start one here - that's awesome...who doesn't like kickball?).





• G-squared and The Aged P (Papa, not Parent for those Chuck Dickens fans) are moving only an hour away. I am very excited to live so close to them - the closest we lived growing up was four hours. Will is going to love having his great-grandparents around.