To sleep, perchance to dream

It's time to sleep, darling. All through the night with no wake ups. Can't you tell that's what time it is?

We've had ups and downs with you in terms of sleep. We were on an up before we went to the Feast in 2011. Then we went south for Thanksgiving and out west over Christmas. It did a real number on your sleeping. You went from waking up once per night to three or four times.

It was just getting back to a somewhat pleasant single waking per night when we let you get overtired one Sabbath three weeks ago. That night you woke up five times. The next night you woke up four times. The following night, and for many nights in a row, three times. Finally, finally last Thursday you gave us a single wake-up night. You repeated it the next night, and one other night since.

But then came last night. You basically skipped your afternoon nap and your dad and I had a bad feeling about that. You went to bed early, and got up four times. Your last wake-up was at 4:30, and I couldn't get you back to sleep after rocking you for a whole hour.

I was frustrated. Daddy was frustrated. Daddy brought you downstairs and stayed with you until 7:30, when momma got you back to sleep. It's been a day, I tell you.

We are going to give it some thought and do some research, and things are going to change. We hope. Because there are three people in this house (that includes you) who need to sleep through the night.

We love you. Remember that, always.

Mother's Day 2012

Me and you

Sweet baby.

It's Mother's Day. I'm not sure what the world wants for mothers on Mother's Day, but I know what it means to me. It's a day - but not the only day - for counting blessings. I became a mother when I had you, and you are a perfect gift. I don't want a day at the spa, or a pedicure, or a nap by the pool. I want to pet your soft tummy, give you sips of my water, read books to you, and hold you close.

When you lean your head against me, I feel perfectly happy. When I hear you talk or even breathe, I'm sure there's never been a sweeter sound in the world. You are like music in my soul.

Sometimes I am convinced that my heart beats because your heart beats.

Thank you for Mother's Day, my love.

HA!

Everything is a telephone

You know, you're really, really cute.

Right now, you pretend everything is a telephone. Just a moment ago, you held a bag of Hall's Honey Lemon cough drops up to your ear and "talked" into them. It sounded like "Eee eh eh ah ahh!" Then you replaced the cough drops with your flat, empty hand. Apparently that works just as well. Earlier, you used a car and the remote control as a phone. You also play telephone with my real cell phone (I trust you not to put it into your mouth now), and I'm pretty sure you're calling grandma.

Cutest thing I have EVER seen. That's you.

My big boy

Ah, sweetheart. You are growing up so fast. You are hurtling toward age two. It makes me emotional. I absolutely love my big boy, but I'm so amazed by you.

Not very long ago, you were a tiny, squalling little guy who just wanted to eat, sleep and be held. Now you are walking around (or running, if you have something to hang on to), eating solid foods, requesting I read books to you, and expanding your mind every day. You love to open and close doors. You get a thrill out of shredding paper and stuffing it into boxes. You like to swirl the curtains around yourself and hide. You love your baseball and carry it around. You squeak when you see cats. You like garlic. You hold my cell phone to your ear properly and talk.

It's so fun to watch you. It's even more fun to play with you. And one of the very best things - you like to climb into my lap every five minutes or so for a hug and kiss. You love me! It's the sweetest thing in the world.

We took you down south last weekend to visit family. You rode in your new car seat like a trooper. You hardly fussed. You didn't nap at all on the way down, probably because you could see everything! You love that. At Grandma and Grandpa's, you didn't sleep well at night. Both nights you got up and Daddy took you to the living room. After a while he passed you to Gammie and she played and cuddled with you. The first time, she slept next to you on the couch for 2.5 hours. I can't even try to guess how much she loved that.

We took you to church, where you were very celebrated. You got the mother's room all to yourself. You thought that was awesome! And the next day we took you to a picnic, where you outshined even the tastiest of treats. People just wanted to look at you, hold you, and take your picture. You still thought the tall men with facial hair were very scary. Sorry about that.

I love you, darling. As we get close to my second Mother's Day, I can't help but think how much I love you and how thankful I am for you. It will be a happy Mother's Day, indeed.

 XOXOXO, Momma

What's cookin', Fussingpants?

You slept in today. That is a rarity. Normally you chime in at 7 a.m. and start the day for us. But you took the morning off today; thank you!

When I came in to get you at 8:45, you had pooped in your diaper. I found pieces of crayon in it. Yes, crayon.

Yesterday we went to the grocery store and they were having an anniversary celebration. The cashier said you could have a tiny packet of four crayons. They came in a little box, and I let you carry them out of the store. You were thrilled.

I heard you sucking on the box as we drove from there to pick up the cat from the vet. I got an inkling that it might not be a good idea, but I was in the front seat and you were in the back, so I made a mental note to check the condition of the crayons when we got to the vet.

You had chewed a hole in the corner and eaten the tip of the red crayon. I opened your mouth, and there were only tiny bits of paper and crayon left. Nothing salvageable.

Actually, your willingness to eat crayons is a surprise. You come across as a very picky eater. I'm having trouble thinking of ten foods you willingly swallow:

Scrambled eggs
Applesauce
Chips
Mashed potatoes (limited amount)
Cheese
Crackers
Bread
Ice cream
Strawberries
Beef (certain kinds, but not hamburger)
Chicken (sometimes)
Pear

So that's 12 things. Yes, I'm surprised, too. If I add "crayon" to the list, you'd be at 13. Nice.

Please sleep well tonight.

With all my love,
Mom

My little boy

It happened this week that one morning, you suddenly didn't look like a baby anymore. You looked like a little boy, and you have ever since. You must have grown overnight. You're very fun, and learning so much. I think you understand a lot of what I say. And this week you learned to sign "more". You showed off this new skill at dinner tonight when asking for more of grandma's applesauce. Mmm, I understand completely. You've been napping like a champ lately - you took two three-hour naps today. Mom got a lot done! And when you were awake, you were so sweet. Thank you for the nice days we had today and yesterday! Xoxoxo, my little boy.

Your perspective

Baths: Standing is the best way to stay dirty
Boogers: Leave 'em in there!
Books: Meant to be read upside down and backwards
Bread: The whiter the better
Car seat: Great place to store extra Cheerios
Cat food: Nice and crunchy
Cats: Very funny
Cell phone: Open it up and say "Arlerr-Arlerr"
Cheese: Yes
Daddy: Perfect for climbing on
Dogs: Overly excited about everything in general
Goats: Giggle-worthy
Going for walks: Keep up the pace
High five: You bet
Junk mail: I get mail almost every day!
Kisses: Catch me if you can
Laptop: Just testing the keypad, Dad
Men with facial hair: Untrustworthy, except for Dad
Mom: You have two arms for a reason. Carry me.
Music: Play it again, Mom
Naps: Always sneaking up on me
Orange pig: Sounds scary
Other kids: Fascinating
Piano: I play with my feet
Pizza: Vital food group
Potato chips: Put them all in my mouth
Sandals: Bloody murder
Shoes: Bloodier murder
Shopping carts: Meant for goods, not babies
Sippy cup: Now I drink just like Mom and Dad
Snuggling: It's growing on me
Socks: They're coming off
Strawberries: Only if Mom is eating them
Teeth: Three is plenty
The baby in the mirror: My best friend, after Mom & Dad
The broom: Magnetic
Tissue paper: Love to shred
Trucks: Never enough
Tylenol: Cruel and unusual punishment
Veggies: Parents, do not provoke your children unto wrath
Walking: Not as important as you'd think