Thursday, March 27, 2008

9.5 Months Old

Y'all are you going to be so sorry I got my camera fixed. Let the picture posting begin! And at the risk of sounding totally prejudiced, just how cute is this little guy? Can he please stay this precious and sweet forever? He came down with his first cold this week and has been such a trooper...smiles and plays even though he's not feeling his best. Bless his little heart.



Monday, March 24, 2008

Happy Easter

...a day late and no cute-little-boy-in-pastel-Easter-outfit photos to share. I just got my camera back from the repair shop today though of course, so I guess I'll just have to dress Brendan up in his Easter outfit tomorrow and pretend that it was taken on Sunday. Sounds like a plan to me.

Yay! I feel so complete to finally have my camera back. It's like we've been missing such a vital part of the family for the past 6 weeks. No camera? No good! But, it's back and working like a charm so I'll be sure to post hundreds of pictures and my blog will be back to normal in no time.

Easter weekend was wonderful. I was (finally) baptized Saturday night. It's something I have wanted to do for years, and then once I had Brendan, it hit the top of my priority list. I feel so happy to have completed such an important task in my life. My journey of learning is far from over though, I still have a lot to figure out. But now Brendan and I can do it together. And Matt, if there's nothing good on TV.

B-Lo is suffering from his first cold so we had a busy day of cuddling, snuggling, warm-bathing, Baby Einstein movie-watching, book-chewing, and more cuddling. Fine by me. I'm sure when he's older, I'll look back at these days and wish he'd snuggle with me like he did today. He's the best. Am I prejudiced? Nah....

I'm off to watch Britney Spears in How I Met Your Mother now. Again with the priorities. I've been waiting for this episode! I hope everyone had a lovely Easter!


Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Jack and Brendan

If you had told my best friend Caroline and I that 10 years from now, we'd both have precious little boys, we would've said you're crazy. Party was our middle name and we certainly weren't about to give that up for any child, no matter how ridiculously gorgeous they were!

Here you have it though, 10 years later, and Momma is now our only name. Or as Jack likes to say, "Mummy."




Thursday, March 13, 2008

Dear Brendan,

Yesterday you turned 9 months old. You'll read this years from now and think,"How boring, what was I doing at just 9 months?"

Well now, let me enlighten you my child.

At 9 months old, you are just starting to figure things out. You've managed to master the "fake cry" where Mommy gives in and runs to the rescue, and Daddy says,"Let him cry, he's faking." But Mommies are trained to shrug off suggestions such as that and immediately give you what you want.

You've just started eating "people foods" which makes Mommy want to cry. You're growing up too fast my little friend. I almost broke into tears today as I watched you eat french toast for the first time. Your little fingers, desperately grasping at each piece with your mouth wide open, praying that the yummies will make it in! You are getting the hang of the sippy cup. Mommy has to remind herself not to help you when you struggle with it- but sometimes I help tip it for you anyway. Hey- a guy's gotta drink.

I am becoming more and more convinced that your future lies in wrestling, judging from the matches we have while changing diapers. Is it frowned upon to put a 9 month old in a choke hold? Kidding. It's certainly tricky though. Either you're going to be a wrestler, or all of this practice is going to turn Mommy into a gymnast. Not quite sure yet.

You loooove, loooove to hear yourself sing, but by the sounds of it, American Idol will not be calling anytime soon. Sorry buddy, but of course it will always be music to my ears.

Books- bring em on! Those little cardboard and squishy books have your slobber and teethmarks all over them. You love to look at them, as well as eat them.

Clapping and waving are your favorite things to do. You wave to yourself in the bathroom mirror after your tubs which is very funny. The clapping started about a month ago at a playgroup. I was just starting to dodge questions such as "is he clapping yet?" because you weren't...and when I looked over, by golly, you were clapping! It was amazing! True story!

Crawling is not something you've figured out yet, but you're very close. You roll all over the place and you're very happy just sitting with your toys, watching the world go by. I am actually soaking up these days of immobility, because there's lots of "B-Lo proofing" that still needs to be done.

Oh the kisses- lots of them for Momma these days. You plant both hands on my cheeks, open your mouth as far as it will possibly go, and manage to eat my entire face. Best kisser ever.

You're a great, great sleeper. So great that I've had death threats from mothers who do not get the kind of sleep that you allow me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this awesome quality. It's been grand.

You love the blue blankies that Grandma Susan made for you. They go everywhere with us. You became most attached to them during our trip to Florida. I think it was wise to bring them, because you knew they were little pieces of home that made you comfortable. Such a wise child.

Speaking of Grandma and Grandpa, you could not have 2 people wound any tighter around your little finger. Their love for you is indescribable.

I took you in for your 9 month check up today and Dr. S said that you have such a wonderful disposition. He said he's very impressed with how well behaved you are, and that you are perfectly healthy in every way. Aawww, I bet he says that to all the Moms....

You're still carrying around those cheeks that stop people dead in their tracks. "Look at the cheeks on him!" I never, ever tire of hearing that.

Daddy is fascinated by you. Of course he's never actually said that- it just wouldn't be manly. But he is, I can tell. Mornings are my favorite time of day, just because of the way he races into your room to get you. "Whats up Buddy?" And you go crazy....

Mommy is just plain in love with you. My heart literally bursts when I watch you discover something new. It's like winning the grand prize- whatever that may be- every time you develop a new skill or look at me with such delight with those big, beautiful blue eyes. These past 9 months, each single day and every waking moment, have been a gift from God. I don't know why he chose to send you to us, but let me tell you, we promise to make him very, very proud.

Love,
Momma

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Back to Business

Since I was so rudely interrupted by my child yesterday morning, I thought I'd take some time to continue my last post...

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I joined a "moms group" recently. I joined for many reasons, the most important one being to find B-Lo some nice buddies. Or just to find buddies, period. The Moms Group offers a variety of services from playgroups to MNO (Moms Night Out for those of you who don't know the lingo.) The one service I love the most is the messageboards. Every day, all day, you can post questions, suggestions, and even share cute little stories about your children, and all the other Mommies will offer their advice, opinions, and share little stories as well. It's been fun to sit down at the 'puter at night and chat with these ladies, some of who I've met, some I have yet to come into contact with. Anyhoo, I logged on today, hoping someone had replied to my "how on earth can I get my 9 month old to lay still for one freakin second so that I can get his damn diaper on" and this is the first message I see on the board:

"Women who work behind desks are miserable people 9 out of 10 times...
Maybe there husbands are cheating on them? haha."


Ahem. What? Where did this come from? And how is this relevant to raising children- as this messageboard was strictly created for? I was shocked to read something like this. I read down a little further and figured out what had caused the comment. Apparently, one of the Moms was having an issue with her pediatrician's secretary....she hadn't called her back ASAP, she didn't even call to remind them of their appointment until the day before the appointment. (since when do they call any sooner?) Anyway, Mad Mommy was ranting and raving about the secretary...."she's rude, she's old, she's miserable, she should retire..." blah. blah. blah. Well, if I hadn't just been to the dentist today and wasn't in any pain, I probably could've laughed off the rude comment above. BUT- I couldn't let it go.

-"I think we should be very careful when making jokes such as this on the
messageboards- I didn't take offense to this because I do have a sense
of humor...BUT- I did work behind a desk for a few years and could see
how a "miserable" person might not like comments such as these! Not to mention, infedility is no joke either-in my opinion. Just my quick two cents on messageboard etiquette."

Thanks,
Lynsey


I just found it so....gutsy is the most polite word...of this woman to make such a generalized statement to a bunch of women whom she has yet to meet! She has no clue what we all do for a living. She can't just make statements like that and figure everyone else will laugh because they're all real estate agents, just like she is. (I googled her.) Not to mention- infidelity is no joke either. This group has over 100 women in it now, and a small percentage of them are divorced. Why? We don't know! But we certainly can't be making jokes about a man cheating on his wife now can we? Such a jokester she is. I bet she wasn't laughing with the moderator posted her reply on the matter. She was none too thrilled and really read her the riot act. Good Job Moderator.

Jeez. Some women just have no clue. Whatsoever. And by the way, I've been around my share of female real estate agents since I'm in the business and let me tell you, miserable can be our middle name!

I don't mean me of course. I'm the peachiest thing you'll find.

Sssssshhhhh!

Quiet in the hall! It's almost 8:00 and B-Lo is still sleeping. I'm loving this new sleeping-all-night-and-most-the-morning kick he's on! But I've figured out how to get him to sleep like a teenager. He used to be on 3 naps/day. One quick one in the a.m., a long one in the afternoon, and a little snooze before dinner. BUT- if I don't let him get that last snooze in before dinner, he goes to bed at 7:00 and I don't hear a peep until at least 8 a.m. Who's the genius? And call me nuttso, but I've been setting my alarm to make sure I'm awake a good hour before he starts sqirming around. I've already got the laundry going, the house cleaned up, have had coffee #2, and look- I'm blogging! Crap! Spoke too soon. He's awake. Well, at least I got a paragraph in this week and you are all now aware of our sleeping schedules!

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Color Me Happy




You are a Rubik's Cube



You are engaging and popular. People are drawn to your colorful personality.

As much as they try, people can't stay away from you.

And while you seem easy to understand, people can't figure out what direction you're coming from.