Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

Rachel has taught me so many things, though most of the are re-learned, things that adulthood has slowly leached away from me. Here are a couple:

• Screaming for excitement is fun. So is singing, modulating your voice, and making sounds in general. I've gotten so used to making silly noises at Rachel that I'm slowly forgetting my self-consciousness. I even sang (quietly) at our Rock Band night recently. (Probably not a big deal to other people, but a huge deal for me!) I'm still far from doing Karaoke, but I just gave in to the fun for once. And I'm excited to do it again!


• Stuffed animals are sooooooo cuddly! I tried to be an adult and stop sleeping with my teddy bear when I got married. I ended up just hugging a pillow instead. So I finally decided, this is silly. I know that I'm fully capable of sleeping without a bear, so who cares what anyone else thinks? My teddy bear is cuddle AND keeps my hands from falling asleep due to awkward arm positions. So there!

I've been thinking about all the things I am excited to share with Rachel when she is older. So many I haven't done or even thought of in ages.

• Ring Around the Rosie
• Red Rover
• Cartwheels (Never mastered this as a kid. As an adult?)
  
• Swinging in the Park
• Building Forts
• Playdoh!

But that will all take time. For now I will concentrate on Rachel's next adventure, new foods. I think I'll start with avocado...yum!

New Year, New You

It is that time of year again. The time for self reflection and resolutions. Why do we feel this incessant need to "fix" ourselves once a year? Children don't do that. They don't worry about what they did yesterday or what they are going to do tomorrow. As adults we need a little more planning in order to take care of ourselves and our children. But why does it need to be as complicated as we make it?

Some resolutions go along these lines. "I used to do ____ all the time. Why did I ever stop? I will do ____ more this year?" If we still enjoyed it, we would still be doing it, right? Maybe we need to take a break from the fun in order to enjoy it more when it comes again.

Sometimes I feel like I need a list. Gee, I enjoyed doing ___ today. I should put it on the list so I can look back and remember to do it again. I'm torn because that sounds so pressed and fake. I want to be spontaneous and carefree. There isn't a formula to follow to maximize enjoyment of life.

But then, when was the last time I went swimming? I love to swim. I used to spend 8 hours a day in the pool during summer vacation. Granted a have a few responsibilities now that don't give me 8 hours per day to swim. And my shyness about wearing a bathing suit in front of people certainly plays a factor. So what do I do? Going swimming now requires planning. I'd have to find a place to swim, I'd have to find a suit that fits and I'd have to find a sitter. All this work for a little fun.

So you find things that are more conveniently fun. Things you can do now without all the planning. And it becomes a resolution. I'll swim more this year. But with that one sentence, you've made fun into a chore.

What's the solution? I don't know. But I do know that I laughed until I cried last night watching my baby have fun. And when she wants to go swimming, it won't be a chore to take her.

Giggle

Watching someone else laugh is contagious. Rachel gets a big smile on her face when I laugh and vice versa. I can already see us being giggling little girls together...probably laughing at something silly ol' Daddy did.