A Rhino Run Gone Wrong

Oh look at us...what happy, unsuspecting suckers we are. Last weekend Grant and I decided to do a 5K at the Dallas Zoo, Run for Rhinos. We got up at the lovely hour of 5am and dressed Barrett up in his Halloween costume (he's a very scary dragon, in case you weren't sure). The plan was for Grant to run the race and for me to walk Bear in his stroller and enjoy the scenery.

Mistake #1: There was a 1k that I could've done instead. I thought that distance sounded too short.

Mistake #2: We didn't find out ahead of time that the run didn't actually go through the zoo. As we crossed the starting line in the zoo's parking lot, I expected the race to head into the zoo. Instead we got a very real look at some of the more rough streets of Dallas AROUND the zoo. I started to feel worried when we passed a junkyard with an actual junkyard-dog barking at us.

Mistake #3: The dragon costume may have been a little on the hot side for October in Texas. The morning started off cool but heated up quickly, as did my son. I wasn't a mile in when I could hear whimpering coming from the jogging stroller and I had to start shedding articles of clothing.

Mistake #4: I should've turned around and headed back to the zoo. Grant passed me during the race, as he'd been running and my pace had slowed considerably due to my increasingly cranky child. Why didn't I just follow him back in? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Mistake #5: I only packed 4 pacifiers. Apparently that wasn't enough for Barrett to spit into the street.

This lead to Mistake #6: When I was out of pacifiers, I picked Barrett up and carried him to comfort him a little bit. Once he was out of the stroller, my stubborn baby decided he was NOT getting back in. As a result, I fell to the back of the back and was stuck carrying a 15-pound (crying) baby and pushing a stroller. I felt very alone, a little nervous, and a lot sweaty. We were only 1.5 miles into the 3.1 miles I needed to complete. And we were getting farther away from the zoo.

Mistake #7: I passed several policemen who were monitoring the race. I should've just asked them for help, but I figured they wouldn't drive me to the finish line without a carseat for Barrett.

Finally at less than a mile left in the race, my husband, the hero, came back to rescue me. By this point, I was crying right along with Barrett. Grant carried the wailing boy and I pushed the stroller with one hand and wiped miserable tears away with the other. Barrett became so hysterical that we actually sat in someone's front lawn to feed him while keeping our eyes on a roaming neighborhood dog. (Again, not the best part of town.) After feeding him and starting out again, the pickup truck that picks up the cones along the race route offered Barrett and I a ride. I stubbornly declined...for 30 seconds...until I couldn't take Barrett's tears any longer. We hopped in the truck and Bear quieted down immediately. He was beyond happy to look out the window and grin at passerbys. Stinker. Grant met us at the finish line where race volunteers were waiting to cheer on the final straggler at a finishing time of 1 hour, 9 minutes. Not the prouded moment of my life.

Grant and I decided that the next race will be done together. No separating the pack! But I'm doubtful that the next race will come anytime soon. In the meantime, enjoy laughing at our clueless grins and just imagine what came after these happy pictures. New parents can be such idiots.

Barrett Meets his Great-Grandparents

This past weekend, Bear took his first plane ride to Ohio to meet his only surviving great-grandparents, Grandma & Grandpa Marshall (my mom's parents). I was pleasantly surprised by helpful airport staff and friendly "co-fliers" as I braved the skies with my 4-month old. It didn't hurt that my mom flew with us and was quick to lend a hand. (Grant was in San Fran for work.) Barrett loved looking out the plane window, chatting with nearby fliers, and catching a quick nap. I could tell that those around us breathed a sigh of relief when they realized they were flying with an extremely happy baby. I did too!

Grandma & Grandpa were thrilled to meet Bear and made constant comments about what a happy, cute baby he is. (No arguments there!) They loved calling him Bear and Grandpa even gave his new buddy some extra nicknames like "Louie" and "Rambo". Grandpa & Barrett became fast friends. Bear loved when Grandpa would put him in a "baby trance" by whispering secrets into his ear. We weren't sure what Grandpa was telling Bear, but it was important enough that Bear would become very still and his eyes would widen. It was really sweet to watch.

After seeing Bear & Grandpa together, it was pretty evident whose genes my boy has inherited. Grandpa has definitely passed down his cheeks and ears to Barrett. We found an old picture of Grandpa as a boy (he's on the right) and after comparing them with my munchkin, we couldn't believe the resemblance!

Can you see the resemblance??

4 Months!

Four months! Barrett has had some big developments with his new age. Last week he started rolling over, from front to back and vice versa. I actually missed his first roll. I popped into the kitchen and when I came back into the living room, Barrett was on his belly under his gym. He is fast! Now that he is in control of his little body, tummy-time is no longer baby-torture. He actually figured out that he can flip over and watch tv on his tummy. He is truly his father's son!

Barrett has also gotten into the habit of waking me up with the loudest chatter I've heard from him yet. More than once I've woken up in the middle of the night to joyful, one-sided banter coming from the monitor. 1:45am? 4:00am? It doesn't matter what time it is! This boy will party day or night.

My swimming Bear loves his swim class. He has started to frog-kick around the pool while I hold him. He also splashes and doesn't seem to mind when I pour water over his head and face. His has a new girlfriend in class and when they lock eyes, he kicks furiously and wiggles his eyebrows.

Barrett seems to be a favorite among the ladies in the church nursery. Every Sunday when I come to pick him up, he is happily curled up with one of them. They always give me reports about my little chatterbox and how he smiled and entertained them. That boy LOVES ladies!

A trip to the pumpkin patch...

Last weekend, Barrett's Mom, Aunt Cookie, & Sug took Bear-Bear to his very first pumpkin patch. Aunt Cookie found a nearby farm that had an incredibly cute set-up and Barrett wore his first Halloween outfit! He was the most adorable baby chicken-a gift from Sug. He was a trooper!

Barrett Teaches Mommy...

Barrett will turn 4 months next week- a fact that I'm still reeling over, though I suppose every month that goes by still amazes me. In these past few months, I have learned a few things from my tiny boss that I think are worth recording.

*It is shocking how little sleep I can go on when it comes to one brown-eyed boy. And more than that...I'm usually excited to be awake and see my son! I have always been a girl who likes her sleep and could go to bed when the sun went down. 10pm felt late to me. Last week I went to bed at 12am, got up to feed Barrett at 1am, and then got up for the day with him at 5am. My how times have changed.

*It is not the baby poop that grosses me out. It is the baby GAS. I am dumbfounded by the stench that my little guy can produce. His diaper can be as clean as a whistle, but when I open the back a smell not unlike a rotten egg sizzling in hell comes rushing out. Needless to say, he makes his daddy proud.

*Plans? What are plans? Barrett has taught his "check-list mother" that some things just have to wait...or be forgotten. I still use my planner to keep some semblance of my week, but many days have seen to-do lists go untouched while Barrett decided to be held all day or forgo any naps. My life is much more rich when filled with random cuddles or a walk through the park instead of sticking to the book.

*I would trade any night on the town to hear my baby laugh. My life of freedom before Barrett seems so very small compared to the days I spend now as I watch the little person I created grow and explore the world around him. I will tirelessly make funny faces and sounds to get some sort of giggle out of my baby Bear. If I had dignity before, it has long since left the building!

*I admit that it's true what they say-once the baby comes along, your dogs become just dogs. Poor Maggie & Tex. Their cushy life of mornings in our bed, trips out to the lake, and wrestling time on the floor is a thing of the past.

*I can take the same picture of Barrett fifty times and still squeal in delight over each one. And you'd better look with me as if each were better than the last. After all, my baby is the cutest thing anyone has laid eyes on in the history of the world. Period.

*I am the mommy I was always terrified of becoming. I'm obsessed with my kid, I will resist food and sleep to cuddle him, I will tell you repeatedly about his latest developments, and my Facebook pictures are mostly close-ups of a baby. I am that mom. And I absolutely love and devour every minute.

Barrett Finds His Voice

In the last few days, my little munchkin has turned into one big talker. He now realizes he's got pretty important things to say and that he can do it at the loudest possible volume. I've been told that I'm a rather loud individual (insert sarcastic comment here) so I wonder if Barrett is mirroring what he hears all day every day. Either way, I'm pretty entertained by what used to be my sweet little lump of a baby. I've now got a dude with major things to say on my hands.

Here are Barrett's thoughts at 2 months of age. I'm shocked at the difference just a month makes!

3 months!

Amidst all of our moving madness, the littlest Qualley turned three months this week! It seems like we were just celebrating his two-month milestones and, yet, here we are! Despite the fact that we were packing up a house, saying our quick goodbyes, and moving into a new house, we stayed quite entertained with what I consider one of Barrett's most fun months to date.

Barrett's increased smiles and "talking" seem to be giving us glimpses into his happy little personality. He smiles from the moment he wakes up in the morning (usually the very early morning) to his bed-time routine while I read him books and put on his jammies. The smiles are usually accompanied by a constant chattering. He loves to intersperse his stories with raspberries and will raise his eyebrows in delight if I blow a few his way.

Barrett seems to have attracted the attention of the lady-folk...the older the better! We get stopped in the grocery store almost every trip by some adoring "mature lady" who wants a close look at my little stud. His signature look for them is a lowering of the eyes like he's scowling at them and then when they least expect it, he hits them with a great big grin. Bear started attending the infant nursery at church last week and the women there agree that he seems to already be a lady-killer. He entertained them with all kinds of chattering and flirty smiles.

It's not all fun and games with my little red-head. He's got a feisty side to him. When he's ready to eat, he has very little patience. Barrett will growl and scream until he's able to latch on and when he does, it is with a fierce CHOMP. If he doesn't feel like having his diaper changed, he will put his feet against anything nearby and push as hard as he can. He likes to go, "UGH!" as he tries to fling himself to freedom.

Barrett's new tricks:

• He's found his toes and likes to grab them


• He rolls to his side


• He sits in his Bumbo


• He finally does tummy-time without a fight (most of the time) and will lift his head briefly


• He can grab and hold onto rattles


• He turns his head from side to side and looks all around the room

Getting older can be serious business...
I often find him laying like this now. He's experiencing some tiny victory...

Ta-da!

Starting to fit into the "big kid" clothes and feeling good about it...

Happy three months, Bear-Bear! Thank you for our most fun month yet!