Maybe it isn't so bad...

I was prepared to inflict upon you, my faithful readers, a long-winded, self-indulgent rant about how much my life sucks at the moment, how pretty much nothing's going right, blah blah blah, but thanks to a chat this afternoon with my wonderful British friend and a Skype chat this evening with Eric and Bethany, I'm feeling much better.  So, instead of the aforementioned long-winded rant, you get this snippet of randomnity from a chat yesterday. (Edited for clarity)

Her: The Anglo-Saxon period was between 500 CE and the Battle of Hastings in 1066, ish.
Me: Hastings is a city in Nebraska.
Her: LOL!
Her: Sorry. picturing William the Conqueror showing up, all "....dammit, wrong Hastings!!!"
Me: ROFL!!!!!!
Me: William the Conqueror:  It's...flat here.  And full of....nothing.  And why's everyone got "Go Cornhuskers" shirts on?  

         Nebraska Person: Hey, Billy, you got the wrong Hastings.  Whatcha wanna do is take Highway 5, turn left at the tree, and then go east.  Way east.  Past Iowa, even.
Her: ROFL!!!!!!!!!!
Her: I have no idea why "turn left at the tree" strikes me as the funniest part of that.
Me: because it's true.  In that part of the country, trees are so sparse that you can actually give directions like "turn left at the tree" and everyone will know what you're talking about.

So my life still sucks, but at least I have wonderful people in it to make it suck a bit less.

So true...

An Actual Serious Fourth Of July Post

Or fifth, if you want to get technical about it.  But all the festivities yesterday were postponed due to rain, so today is our Fourth.

Anyway,

I was reminiscing with a friend of mine about past Fourth of July celebrations, and that got me thinking. The cool thing about the Fourth, at least for me, is that we have no established traditions for the holiday, which means that I usually end up doing something different every year.  There are pros and cons to this, of course, but the best part of not having any traditions is that, unlike Christmases, which tend to be the same and run together in my memory, the Fourth ends up being unique every year.  Sitting here, I can recall each of the last seven Fourths; I did something distinctly different on each one.

This particular Fourth, Caleb's first, will not go down as memorable for any reason except it rained, nonstop, all day, so the parade and fireworks were postponed, and we ended up going to the mall to spend a Baby Gap gift card given to us by one of my cello students' parents.  (They don't know me very well.  I hate Baby Gap, with a fiery passion, but I did manage to find some cute clothes for Caleb.  Only one of them says "Baby Gap" on it anywhere, but it's a green hoodie that will a) look fabulous on him, and b) come in handy for cool-ish fall days), followed by a drive out in the country so Caleb could take a nap, culminating with a four-alarm diaper issue and the resultant change in the parking lot of a Lutheran church in (really) Flatville, Illinois.  (Truth in advertising, indeed).

Anyway, the Fourth I was remembering today was 2003, when I spent the day lounging by the pool at my apartment complex with my friend Ben.  That evening, I played my final concert with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic (I was a month away from moving to Illinois, ironically enough), and spent the entire two-hour patriotic extravaganza dodging June bugs.  I managed to, in a feat of uncharacteristic athletic ability, whack one with my bow and send it four rows into the audience.  Bugs are, without a doubt, the most terrifying things known to man, and it took several beers with Ben at the dive-iest dive bar I've ever seen to get me back to normal.  Such as it is.

My most memorable Fourth, however, was in 2002.  My childhood best friend/sweetheart/whatever you want to call it, who moved to Seattle when we were third-graders, was in Kansas to visit some relatives, and asked if I wanted to come out to their farm for a visit.  (Did I ever!)  Michael and I spent a blissful (although scorching) day riding four-wheelers, tormenting the cows, getting up close and personal with these adorably fluffy white chickens, eating wild turkey and drinking a fabulous bottle of Riesling Michael had brought back from Germany, and shooting off spectacularly illegal fireworks.  In short, it was one of the most perfect days I've ever spent with anyone, and it was awesome to reconnect with someone I hadn't seen for 15 years (save for a brief visit the year before).  It takes a special friendship to be able to pick up where you left off after over a decade apart, but we managed it.  It was simply fantastic.

I'm eternally grateful that I went that night, because that turned out to be the last time I ever saw him.  Michael was a First Lieutenant in the US Army, and, a little less than two years later, he was killed in Iraq in what essentially amounted to a traffic accident.  His platoon had just finished up their tour of duty and was on their way home.  He said before he left that he wanted all his men to come back safe; he was the only one who didn't. 

People like Michael are why we have the freedoms we have in this country, and on this day, I'm grateful for his sacrifice and that of countless others like him.  For this very personal reason, no matter what I end up doing on the Fourth or what traditions we eventually establish, I will always think of him on this day. 

Dear Caleb,

How can you possibly be five months old?  I know, I know, everyone warned me that time would fly, and I expected it, but it's still catching me by surprise.  At times, it feels like you just got here yesterday, but at other times, it feels like you've always been here, and I can't remember what my life was like before you showed up.  Cliche, I know, but it's true.

It's been quite a month for you, Munchkin!  You're getting more and more agile with each passing day.  You've started to roll over, although I don't think you've quite figured out that you can yet, because you don't do it very much.  It won't be long, though, before you're rolling all over the place.  You also love to play on your Baby Einstein, and you've gotten to the point now where you hit it so hard you almost knock it over!  It's quite amusing to watch. 

You giggle a lot, now, although we've not yet found something consistent that amuses you.  We'll do something one day that cracks you up to no end, but then the next day, you'll only be mildly entertained.  That, in and of itself, is funny.  You're also started to get hair, which surprises everyone, because it's a lot closer to blonde than black.  Some days it's blonde, some days it looks brown, and in the sunlight, it's red...none of which you inherited from your daddy.  I guess Mommy's genetic material is stronger than we thought!

 

Perhaps your biggest achievement in terms of motor skills is pulling up.  We didn't know you could do that, but you certainly did, and you love it.  You love to be standing whenever possible.  I wonder if that means you'll walk early...

We started you on solid foods a couple of weeks ago.  "Solid" is a relative term; it's really just rice cereal, mostly liquid, and you devoured it from the first spoonful.  All the baby books said you'd be ready when you "express an interest in what the adults are eating."  I'm guessing dumping out bowls full of cereal and miso soup all over your Nai-nai and your mommy, respectively, counts as an interest.  Mostly, though, we started those because you were wanting to eat at 7:00 and then again at 8:00, and Mommy's just not quite capable of that feat.  Cereal at night has helped tremendously. 

  You got to meet your Nai-Nai this month, too!  She came and spent a week with us, and you really enjoyed having her play with you.  You liked the Chinese songs she sang you, and you posed for quite a few pictures and videos.  You, of course, were a hit, and your Nai-Nai said she couldn't get enough of you.  You have that effect on people, my dear.

Next time I write you a letter, you'll have been with us for six months.  I have no doubt that another big month is ahead for you, and I can't wait to watch you as you learn and discover and figure out new things.  That grin you get on your face when you accomplish something new is so amazing to see, and never fails to make my day.

I love you, Munchkin.

Love, Mommy

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