My Kid's Got FOMO!

I was enjoying a lovely cup of coffee out with a friend of mine when we ran into another mom, who just had her second child. We were chatting and I was asking about how the second one was doing. "Well, she's got FOMO. My first one was so easy, I guess I had it easy." She went on and on, ending with, "I'm just exhausted dealing with all this FOMO syndrome stuff!"

Gosh! What is this awful thing called FOMO. I'll have to ask my doctor about it. I'd never heard of it, but it sounded devastating and horribly exhausting for both baby and mommy. "What's FOMO?" my girlfriend asked. "It sounds like another one of your well-known acronyms."

"Oh, it is," answered the new mom..."FOMO is 'Fear Of Missing Out' syndrome. The new one just never wants to miss out on anything. If she hears a noise of any kind or sees something unsual, she won't nap or sleep and fights the urge off so she becomes a sleep-depraved crankypot!"

Well, I love a mom with a sense of humor. Not only did I had to admit it was kind of funny, but I quickly empathized, "I've got one with FOMO as well!" It frustrates me to no end! She can't sleep in the car, has a tough time in new places, can't handle her freedom should she not be locked in with a sleep-sack and a crib-tent, and has never once transitioned from sleeping one place to another. If she wakes slightly, she jolts herself awake just in case there's something she should know about.

The nasty thing about FOMO is that it doesn't seem to be something they just grow out of. So, good luck to all of you moms of FOMO kids. It's nice to acknowledge and share empathy with each other, and, the best thing is to have a sense of humor about it. It just adds more depth to the wrinkles we're suppossed to get!

Coming Home to Baby

Jon's C2-Greyhound

We got word that my cousin Jonathon will be coming home from Iraq to see his baby a day before he is due. He is set to come home next week and his very pregnant wife is very anxious (as is the rest of the family). Hurray!!

Along with this news came more photos from him. There were also some interesting photos from the air of the bland, sand-colored countryside - the buildings the same color as the land and everything else. A couple more of some sand storms and of them on the base with masks over their mouths to assist in keeping the sand out of lungs, I suppose.

Although it took him a month or more to get there, he's coming home in 2-days along with 2 other men of his squadron. All three men are coming home, early perhaps, to their very pregnant wives and/or brand new kidlets. Should make for a wonderful reunion!

Mommy, I Want a Pony....

Ava and little Sparky

She couldn't have said anything closer to my heart. Bettina likes ponies -- she likes to get on and then get off....get on, get off, etc. She likes to ride because we're at the barn. Ava, on the other hand, asks for a pony or to ride a pony even when there's not one around to be seen. It's on her mind all the time, like Peter Pan or the Kitty-Cat Movie (Aristocats). The only reason she came down from the saddle on this day was that Dean was at the barn also and he was playing with the goats and the piggies. Ava's got a thing for Dean and it's almost stronger than her thing for ponies. I'm not sure that Daddy is comforted by that for long....

Too bad that my camera ran out of batteries before Bettina's ride. Dean was more interested in the goat, bunnies and pigs too take time to ride the pony.

Oh, What a Night!

At the football game with many Class of 87'ers - we got whooped by the rivals, btw.
Thank goodness these things only come once every ten-years!

Our high school reunion - our 20th - was this last weekend. We had all sorts of activities to choose from: a football game, a bar, a golf tourney, a dinner, and a picnic, with other impromptu sideshows and specticles.

Somehow, I found myself on the planning committee. I swore I'd never do it again after the 10th-year, but eventually agreed assured that the financial responsibility was elsewhere. I'm really glad I did it. And, I think that planning now-a-days - with the help of cyberspace - really assisted 1) financially, 2) in tracking people down and 3) in promoting the hype and the inersia to get the party started with lots of icebreakers and opportunities to see what's in store.

The weekend was more than I could have imagined and still, over the course of 3-days, I didn't seem to catch up properly with everyone I hoped to. But, we had a lot of fun, sometimes acting as we did 20-years ago (but, isn't that part of the fun?). Boarders on cliques and pigeon-holes melted away and everyone had a smile on their face. It was a great opportunity to see people and I wish we could do it again -- just as soon as I can recover from this weekend!

Welcome, Mason David!

Two down, two to go....

So, did I mention that I'm the only cousin on my mother's side who ISN'T pregnant? Cousin Holly gave birth to Brody Roman this summer and yesterday afternoon, cousin Jenny gave birth to (formerly secretly named) Mason David (pictured here with my aunt and uncle, now grandparents for the 2nd time)!! I was beat out by half a day and 2-1/2 ounces in the baby pool!! Shucks!

Next month, cousin Jonathon should come home from Iraq to see his second, a son still unnamed, born. We get a month's rest before my sister Ainsley gives birth to baby Braxton. All boys - all this year. Five cousins - four pregnancies - four baby boys.

Congrats to the new parents, Jenny & Tim!! We can't wait to meet your new boy!