A Secret Weapon for Parents

My boy is getting SO big! *sniff*

It's hard to believe that he was ever not able to hold his head up on his own!  Now he does push ups!  He wore one newborn sized outfit, but now he's in 9 months clothes (and he's only 4.5 months)!

Now, don't let the serenity of this picture fool you.  That's really just an exhausted mama--enjoying a cuddle yes, but all too ready to pass out at the same time.  It's not that he has been a difficult baby--we're just first time parents.  We still have to repress the inclination to jump when he makes the slightest noise.  We're getting better at doing things one handed, but we're by no means pros.

Despite everything we may be doing wrong, we have discovered a secret weapon.  I'm going to share it with you.  I guess that makes it just a weapon?  Whatever.  Here goes.

The Cathedrals.

Yep, you read it right, The Cathedrals are our secret weapon.  Do you remember them?  They're kind of like a southern gospel barbershop quartet.  They were my daddy's favorite group--honestly, I love the Cathedrals because they link me to my dad.  I have such fond memories of singing along with Daddy as he drove down the street.  But they are seriously old school!  I'm not sure how it came up, but Nikki and I were talking one day, and discovered that our dads had this in common.  She had a couple of songs on her iPhone, so of course we had to start listening to them!

About this time, Wilson started to get really fussy.  As soon as he heard "The Rocks Shall Not Cry Out", he settled down.  And that worked every time.  We took the following video as proof!

A Lump in My Throat

Well, it's been anything but normal around the Cole Cabana lately. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. (Gotta love The Princess Bride!)

1. On April 18, our son Wilson was born. I had a hard time coming to terms with my impending motherhood.  While I wanted to become a mom in theory, actually being a mom freaked me out.  I mean, I'm not willing to teach violin lessons because it's too much responsibility--what if I screwed my students up, rather than helped them?  It's an exponentially greater risk when you're talking about being a mom!  Thankfully, I have a wonderful support system, and Wilson's birth mother was able to see through my freaked-out-ed-ness to my heart.  And now, when my heart beats, it says "Wilson".

2. When Wilson was three weeks old, my mom came to live with us for a while.  She had open heart surgery in March, was in the hospital for the entire month of March, and still needed quite a bit of help.  I stayed with her at her house at the beginning of April until her brother was able to come and stay with her for a while.  Then, when he had to go back home to Idaho (a few days after Wilson was born), she went to stay with my older brother for a while.  After about three weeks, my older brother had to travel extensively for work, so that's when my mom came to live with us.  She lived with us for close to a month, and I'm so glad because:


3. My mom passed away on June 6 after two heart attacks.  This part is so hard for me to write.  She was only 65, but she'd been a widow for 10 years.  She hated having to be dependent upon her kids.  Between all of her diagnoses and syndromes and open heart surgery, she was constantly tired and in pain.  I hated seeing her like that, and she hated living like that.  Her only spot of joy was when she got to see her grandkids.  Based on all that (and the fact that I know without a doubt that she's in heaven), it's extremely selfish of me to wish her back here with me.  But I do.  I miss my buddy.

These things all combine to create a constant lump in my throat.  I was listening to a Brandi Carlile song the other day, and I discovered I was not able to sing through said lump.  Which breaks my heart yet again because singing and music gets me through heartache.   Incidentally, I was listening to the song Pride and Joy, which strikes a chord in me right now.  The chorus goes:

Where are you now?
Do you let me down?
Do you make me grieve for you?
Do I make you proud?
Do you get me now?
Am I your pride and joy?


Here's another song for you.  We played this at my mom's funeral.  This video is priceless to me--I'm so glad I got it!

Road Trip Trailer

Thad and I took a road trip this past May.  We had a total, silly blast.  Thad's still working on the expanded videos, but here's a trailer to whet your appetite.