Trax Farm

We spent a day last week at Trax Farm in their pumpkin patch.  Due to it being a weekday it wasn't very crowded (great for pictures) but they were not offering any hay rides, or other fun fall festival activities.  Honestly that is ok by me because Noah is still a little too young to really appreciate those.  He is also nearly impossible to photograph in a pumpkin patch because he is more concerned with the pumpkins, rocks, tractors, and things all around him.  You will see below in the pictures.

Family is everything.

I have a really close relationship with my family and my friends, I consider myself incredibly lucky and blessed.  I read this online today and had to share it, it's not my words and I take no credit for it except to copy and paste it share it with you.

Enjoy, Have a safe weekend.

"A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles roll

ed into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.The students laughed..

‘Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—-your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions—-and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.. The sand is everything else—-the small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

Take care of the golf balls first—-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’ The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of Beers with a friend"

That sinking feeling.

Up until Sunday I feel like we have always been one step ahead of Noah, whether it was making sure we baby proofed the house early, catching him before he falls, or helping him avoid serious injury.  On Sunday I got to feel my first oh sh*t!! moment as a parent.  That sinking feeling, that pit in the stomach ache for your child that makes you feel like the worst parent in the world.

It started off like a normal day, Noah was up early we played, had breakfast and were otherwise having a great morning.  Christine and I were getting ready for church she was back in the bedroom and I had Noah with me in the kitchen as I prepared a snack bowl with kix and cookies for our time in church.  Normally we close all the doors in the house and just let him roam between the kitchen and our bedroom because he just likes to wander up and down the hallways and can't open the doors.

I heard him leave the magnets on the fridge and disappear behind me figuring he was walking down the hallway to our bedroom to find mommy.  Moments past and I heard a crashing sound like boxes falling.  I immediately dashed around the corner in the kitchen thinking he had gotten into the sliding doors on the hallway closet.

I saw the basement door was wide open...and my stomach sank.  That sickening feeling overcame me...and I dashed to the top of the steps.

I saw my beautiful little boy red faced on his belly trying to get up to a crawling position and moving back towards the stairs I yelled for Christine and rushed to him.  I saw he was moving (which was a plus), I scooped him up and began searching for signs of serious injury.  He was crying hard and really shaken up.  Mom came to us and he went to her and she spent a few minutes calming him down and assessing the damage.  Fat lip, couple good welts on his forehead, and a scrape/bruise on his back.

We decided since he fell such a far distance that we should get him assessed by a physician just to make sure that everything was ok and there was no risk of brain swelling or concussion because he did hit his head.  We packed him up in the car (already back to his cheery self) and headed out to Children's Hospital ER.  The staff there was wonderful and very compassionate.  I definitely felt like less of a sucky dad after talking to the Doctors and Nurses there.

After about 2 hours of observation and checking his ears and eyes and reactions.  Making sure he was walking normally and not favoring anything.  No signs of nausea/vomiting or unusual changes in his demeanor we were given the green light to go home.  (Although they did find signs of his ear infection coming back so we get to go through another round of antibiotics).

We drove home and Noah dozed in the car, stopped at work and picked up the antibiotics and headed home.  Noah woke up shortly before we got in the house and we went upstairs gave him a bath and played. It was like nothing happened to him he was just the same happy, delightful little boy.  I was still having some internal conflict, beating myself up and really kind of feeling down.  Like I should have done more, like I should have been there to protect him from himself.  Eventually those feelingS subsided but even throughout the night last night I still couldn't stop thinking about it.  I woke up around 3am and wandered down the hall to his room, fixed his blanket and tucked him back in.  I probably stood there and listened to the quiet rhythm of his breathing for about 10 minutes before I smiled and went back to bed.  That's when it set in that this was past him, it should be past me too.  The only thing I can do now is learn from this, learn that you NEVER EVER EVER underestimate a 14 month old.  Never assume that because he couldn't do something yesterday he can't do it today.  Noah proved me VERY wrong yesterday, and just to test that theory I took him back to the basement door.  He immediately reached up and turned the knob, although how he managed to get the door open so quietly remains to be seen...he must be a ninja.

My mom said something very poignant and touching this morning.  "Glad he is ok.  Be sure to forgive yourself. It was an accident.  Show yourself the same kindness you would extend to someone else who had the same situation occur."  Truer words have never been spoken mom, thanks for the advice it means a lot.  We are blessed that aside from some bruising and bumps our little boy is fine, this could have been much worse and we are very lucky.

While I must say that the new Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh is beautiful and a world class facility...I don't want to see it again...ever.

Thanks for reading.

Lake House and Playground

Noah and I did a little weekend guys get a way to my parents house on the lake last weekend.  Noah spent plenty of time chasing their dogs and Dem and Papa around.  He had a world of new things to explore at their home.  We spent some time on the lake on my aunt and uncle's boat and Noah waved at the water and loved the boat cruising along on the lake.  It was a nice quick weekend away from home spending quality time with my parents.

We also have discovered that Noah loves to climb on the playground in the park and loves to go for rides on the swings!  There is an amazing playground near our home that looks like a castle with secret passages, tunnels, slides and swings of all kinds.  Noah is fascinated with ever acorn, leaf, rock, bug, and kid that he discovers climbing around on the playground.  It's also a wonderful experience for us because he gets so tired that he usually crashes for an extra long nap when we get home.

Usually mom and dad could use a nap as well after chasing him around for an hour or two!