The Marcis Family: 'Tis the Season

I have always craved the coming of the new year. Ahhh, clean slate, new horizons, time to explore new opportunities, leave behind all the clutter and start fresh. Right? Well, at least for a week or two I can be full of hope and joy that this year my to do list will actually be done. To start things off right I sat down with Lyell today and we made a list of resolutions for ourselves. After all he is over six months now, able to sit up all by himself, can eat almost a tablespoon of rice cereal, and I am teaching him to do his own taxes.

Resolution # 1: Sleep through the night
Lyell and I are still pining for the elusive eight full hours of sleep, which I haven't experienced since June 22. Unfortunately, the holiday season did not further this endeavor, as most of the events took place well after Lyell's bedtime. Our major post-bedtime activity this year was the Bracebridge Dinner at the Ahwahnee. Lyell dragged us there almost every performance, as he took on the role of "the Bracebridge baby." We were the Forest Folk, and during our few entrances, Lyell was a star, eliciting many ooo's and aaah's from the crowd. He was so mellow that the leading lady decided to pick him up and parade him around the room to further the baby love. Lyell just stared around the room like he was born for the role.
We weren't allowed any pictures during the performance, but my parents got a couple from the backstage screen, which gives you an idea of the show. Lyell's the little guy in red.

He also had a lot of friends backstage that loved to help take care of him.

Resolution #2: Simplify
Our family spent much of the past month shuttling back and forth from El Portal to Mariposa to the Bay Area and back. And forth. And back. While we loved visiting and house sitting, we began to ponder the addition of stuff that has permeated our lives as new parents. One of our core values is simplicity, and we have wondered how that manifests when all we want is the best for Little Man. As we look around our house we realize that we were blessed to be given all that he needs before he was even born. And as new needs arise, hand me downs from neighboring families seem to be magically filling in the gaps. But as I give myself a parental pat of the back for all the paring down we have done thus far, I realize that this is the easy part. The more challenging times will be in the future as we will gently take on the advertisers as theyl try their hardest to convince poor unsuspecting Lyell that he NEEDS everything from the latest Lego set to a jumbo Whopper.
Enough of the philosophizing, I will end by noting that we started this resolution early by having a very simple Christmas. Lyell had a blast opening his two presents (Which I think is a perfect number for a baby) while we stashed away the rest of his loving contributions into his college fund. Here is Lyell enjoying the holiday spirit...

The little guy meets the big guy (with mixed results)

Lyell eating his first solid food for Christmas Dinner

Unwrapping

Checking out his Christmas presents

Resolution # 3: Delay crawling as long as possible
As a slightly competative person myself (those who know me well can laugh) I find myself getting caught up in the "trading of firsts." You know, the inevitable questions from other families, "When did he start ______?" fill in the blank with whatever child development milestone you please. Mostly it's all just fun and conversation as we trade experiences, but I did find myself having a moment of panic as Lyell has passed the six month mark and doesn't show much interest in trying to crawl. However, as I put him down on his belly the other day and he promptly rolled himself over onto his back and let out a happy gurgle as he reached for his hanging airplane toy, I realized that I should relish this stage as long as possible. Lyell happily stays in one place for 20-30 minutes at a time, and I can put him down and get the dishes done without too much concern. Odds are that he will learn to crawl and he will learn to walk, and I resolve to not worry about it. Besides, watching him in the "writhing and rolling around" phase has prompted some full belly laughs from mommy and daddy. Here are a few of Lyell's current favorite play positions.

Resolution #4: Triathlon in June
No set of resolutions would be complete without something about exercising and losing weight. While I have no interest in losing weight as I can't seem to eat enough these days while breastfeeding my 21 pound boy, Lyell and I both know that I am a much happier person when I get a good workout in. Matthew and I dusted off our bikes the other day and attached our Chariot to the back, and the three of us were cruising around the neighborhood in no time. Unfortunately there is no "swim" attachment to the Chariot, but if you wanted to invent one we would consider investing :) I have my sights set on a triathlon in Monterey in June, and if the swim and bike training proves impossible with a baby, then I will switch to a half marathon. Lyell continues to be a champion in the Chariot, which he considers his second home, as he goes running, walking, gardening, and biking in it almost every day.
Lyell has communicated that he is pretty happy with his body image and exercise regime. So much so that he had a little photo shoot done to show it off...

Resolution # 5: Be with the Fear
I have found, as a new mother, that my relationship with fear has changed. I now experience fear on a daily (and nightly) basis. Much of this is biological, as fear is a natural emotion that has kept us alive for thousands of years by alerting us of dangerous situations. I now have that responsibility for two people, and I find that my fear has increased exponentially. Lyell, on the other hand, has no fear. Observing his complete lack of fear as he playfully grabs for a sharp knife, and the intensity of my fear, as I go in to check on him for the umpteenth time while he naps, I resolve to spend more time with this emotion. It seems that not only in my little mother world, but everywhere I go, fear has become pervasive in our culture. A old friend recently posted a picture of us on Facebook; we were in Kindergarten together and waiting at the bus stop to take the public bus to school with our first grade siblings. Five and six year olds taking the public bus to school, something that is unheard of today. Is this rampant increase in our fear level necessary to our survival? I hope to be able to sit with my fear this year, to understand it better, to separate the real from the perceived. Besides, something tells me that this is just the beginning...
We'll leave you with a few shots of Lyell and friends.