Collins News

Hi to all,

Things are just trucking right along here in Midland. Brian's working more than ever, partly because he was voted Region Vice President for TMEA this year, which adds little duties to his normal repertoire. He seems to be coming down with something, complaining of achiness and scratchy throat, and his cough could wake the dead. I put all kinds of meds on his nightstand. . .but you can only lead a horse to water, if you know what I mean.

Wyatt and I have been really busy. We started going to KinderMusik, which is a program that is apparently national, since little Miss Maddie is also involved. Wyatt really, really, loves his music class....though right now he's interested in chewing on the instruments he should be playing. The teacher's name is Miss Cindy, and she's very Bohemian and really into her music. It's a lot of fun.

Usually after music we have a playdate with two or three other moms and babies. It's hard, because Wyatt is crawling all over the place and the other babies are still just blobs....though some are trying to scoot. Wyatt doesn't understand the concept of sharing, so he zips over to any baby holding something interesting and promptly takes it away.

On Tuesdays I go to a Beth Moore Bible Study at Midland Bible Church, with my friend Andrea. Wyatt goes to the church nursery from 9:30 to noon, and it's about to kill me. He's started separation anxiety, I guess. He cries at the TOP of his lungs for a long time. Even when I get back, two and a half hours later, his face is still red and puffy. Then he cries as soon as he sees me. It just breaks my heart. I want him to be around other babies and learn how to be in a group, but it's tearing my heart out, and I don't know how to deal with it.

The same thing happened the other day at MOPS, another group I am in. MOPS is Mothers of Pre-Schoolers, and is a group for moms to get together while the babies are in the nursery. Same thing. Cried again. Then when I went to pick him up, he had a welp on his cheek. I held my composure for a little while, calmly showing the people in charge, but by the time I got in the car I was crying so hard I was slinging snot everywhere, on the phone with Brian screaming about how my baby had been abused. Of course, he's fine....he'd just fallen over onto a basket that two other boys had been fighting over. Still, I was livid. They should have called me to comfort him....I mean, I was just down the hall!! Frances came right over and we comforted him while we ate a light lunch, both of us speculating about the bruise that would follow. It turned out to be only a yellowish brownish bruise. I do have to tell you, though, that MOPS was the most fun I've had in a while. I met lots of great, real women that also stay in their pjs some days, because, what's the point of getting dressed when you get spit up on and drooled on, etc. It really was fun. I won't get to go next time, since we'll be in Austin, but I am definitely glad I joined. After the welp incident, two ladies called me (Brian knows one of their husbands--Daniel Bryant) and one lady wrote me a nice note, all wanting to make sure Wyatt was okay and that I'd be coming back.

In other news, my ten year reunion is the 29th and 30th of this month. The postgame party is going to be in my mom's backyard, which Brian and I already decorated with white lights so it will be nice and bright. We're serving concession stand style food....chili dogs, nachos, big pickles, etc. It's going to be a lot of fun, albeit expensive. So far, 75 people have RSVP'd to this shindig. More are sure to come, especially since my friend Ann is not on the list, and she's bound to invite everyone she sees at the game to come to the party. The more the merrier, I'm sure!! I'll be sure and post some pictures after it's all said and done.

Oh, the picture at the top of my post is from Monday of this week, when Wyatt and I went to the park behind our house in his brand new (used) go cart...it's a little car, with a really tall handle so I can push it without bending over and breaking my back. He LOVED it. You can see how happy he is in that picture.

I hope all of you are doing well. I can't wait until Christmas so we can all get together again.

Melanie