Monkey Kisses

Waiting on baby...

2010-04-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday there was supposed to be this meeting between me and my little "bug". That's according to the doctors and those professionals who forecast these types of things. Today, according to MY calculations, was the big day. Unfortunately for everyone - well okay, for me pretty much, nobody knows these things. They can only estimate. She will come when she comes...when she's ready...when I'm ready... I thought I WAS ready but apparently there's a bigger plan and I am doing my best to accept that it is a greater plan than I could ever imagine. I am definitely more anxious this time than I was with my first little 15 day late-comer. I think the difference is I know what to expect now and I can hardly stand the wait to hold this little one in my arms. With Isaac I was a little nervous -- not about labor and delivery, but more about having him. I think I really just wanted to enjoy my last moments of complete independence while I was still comfortable. This time I know that the rewards of holding my baby far outweigh any independence I might have savored in those 15 days. All I can do now is focus on the fact that no matter when she comes, every minute of every day is bringing me closer to her. I can't wait.

Dude...where's my room?

2010-01-25T21:43:00.001-08:00

It's kind of funny watching Isaac run down the hallway and pause at his old room. It's even funnier when he stops, thinks, shakes his head and says, "no" before running on down to his new room. Unfortunately, I don't have a video of him doing that, but this still makes me laugh every time.

P.S. Pay no attention to the mess...we were still in the midst of re-organization and storage when the video was shot. ;)

Baby Steps

2010-01-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

Moving into the Big Boy room was kind of a big deal around here... There was a lot of thought that went into the whole deal. Who gets new furniture? Regular bed or toddler bed? Who gets the green room and who goes in the blue room? Where are we going to keep a spare bed for Nana and what do we do with the furniture we already have? It was finally decided that Isaac would go in the blue room with his furniture, we'd sell the guest furniture on craigslist (done in 1 day!), buy baby girl a new crib and convert his crib to a toddler bed. Since we had to take his crib apart to get it out of his room anyway, we went ahead and ordered the toddler rail so we could just do it all at once! Nice, easy plan, huh? Ha! I knew the whole transition would be tough - not just the part where he wasn't "caged in" anymore, but I figured he might have a hard time in a new room. It turned out we didn't have too much of a choice. We received the wrong hardware for the toddler rail and had to just leave it off -- and bedtime in the crib without a front on it lasted about 4 seconds. It was clear that when he wouldn't even get in the bed and then ran to the front of his crib we had removed, hugged it and said, "mine! mine!" that we weren't going to get anywhere. Totally fine with me! We put the front back on, put him to bed and called it a day. He slept like a baby.
I honestly don't think chasing him into bed in a strange room all night long is going to make it work. It's night 3 in the new room and he's doing great! He cries a little more at first, but he's sleeping great and waking up happy. And if he's in a crib till he's 4 so be it! Makes mommy's job and sleep-time a heck of a lot easier... :)

This week also marks week 30 of baby girl V's life and I'm starting to get a little anxious knowing the next 8-12 weeks are going to fly! We spent all day Sunday cleaning the garage, purging and donating some of my old crap and re-organizing. This is so good for me and I'm glad to be getting stuff done! One step at a time. It's all coming together...slowly, but surely. :)

Chicken nuggets and Cheerios

2010-01-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

So this is the beginning of the 'terrible two's'? A proclamation of independence? The testing? The waring away of my already thin layer of patience with food issues? Three nights ago we had a mommy vs. toddler stand-off over some chicken nuggets. There was a slushie involved...a thawing slushie which I told him without thinking he could have when he finished his 3 chicken nuggets. That one statement led to that darn thing they call follow-through. It's something I've always judged other parents for not practicing and now it's here staring me in the face and I'll be darned if I turn into one of "those" parents. So, for one hour, 49 minutes I sat across the island from him and his two pieces of half-eaten nuggets and stood my ground. It was a battle of the wills suited for the record books...or at least a minute or so of home video...which I have. There was whining, screaming, crying, sign language and cute little head-tilts and words to get mommy to crack. I almost cracked. I did crack up more than a few times and had to hide my face in my arms. This kid is a professional charmer and knows just how to get his mommy to soften up. I explained to him that I wanted him to have his slushie. I wanted him to eat his chicken nuggets so I could give him his slushie and we could snuggle up on the couch for a while or play on the floor before he went to bed - but he got a will of steel from one of us. Mostly his daddy, in my opinion, but I will admit I can be pretty, uh, strong-willed myself. It was 10 to 9 before he finally took that last bite - ok, so I shoved it in his mouth, but he chewed it up and swallowed it with a smile and was rewarded with his orange (now totally melted) slushie. After two sips the coveted treat ended up down the front of his white ketchup stained t-shirt, jeans, chair and all over the floor. Off to bed he went with a full tummy and a big mess for mommy to clean up. Neither of us won that battle. I realize I got the result I asked for and so did he, but spending 2 hours sitting across the table from my kid while he's being held hostage in a high chair and I'm being held hostage on a bar stool is not my idea of 'winning'.
The next night was a different story, though, and I'm hoping that my tactics had some sort of an effect on his dinner etiquette. At the advice of my more experienced and equally patient as me cousin, I tried her timer and wooden spoon method. I'm still not sure if I can actually use a spoon to make meal-time into a eat-it-or-beat-it session, but something worked! He ate most of it and last night we had the same results. Granted, we had scrambled eggs and frozen peas last night, but hey, whatever works.
For breakfast this morning at his request, he had a box of Cheerios. No, two boxes of Cheerios. One box of Honey Nut and one box of plain. He carried them around and did a good job for a little while...and then it was over. The boxes started getting stacked, tipped, thrown at the dog, etc. So, I took them away and put a handful in a bowl. This made him mad and as soon as I turned my back he threw them all over the floor. Asking him to help mommy pick them up only resulted in more "no!"'s and throwing of Cheerios and of course eventually some of that adorable charm...which resulted in a little crib time. The Cheerios went in the trash and there will be nothing until 10:00 and the choice at that time is an orange or a banana. He's currently either pulling at my hand or rolling around on the floor trying everything he can to get his way. "Emmo", "Choo-Choo", "Why", "oanch", "appow", "may-may"...anything besides what is going on right now in order to regain control. This is why I'm writing and ignoring. I WILL get through the next 33 minutes until snack time.
Follow through. Not fun. Teaching. Necessary. But not fun. At all.

So many things...

2009-10-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

People start their blogs out like this all the time, but it's true: It has been too long and the more time that has gone by the more daunting adding another post has seemed. A few big things have happened since my last post back in the beginning of July.

1. He got totally weaned after that last post. I know, breath a big sigh of relief everyone. :)How did I do it? I told him it was "all gone" and did the "all done" sign. This totally satisfied him and he went on to finish his dinner and went to bed without crying that night and every night thereafter. This also made travel super hard as there was no way to comfort him during take-off, landing, and for a nap in between. I was bitten twice on my arm have a scar for life to prove it.

2. I found out I was pregnant a few weeks later. This is how we told everybody:

Here's the little pinto bean on 8/27/09 at 8 weeks , 3 days old:

Our next ultrasound, the "biggie" is on November 10 when we find out if Isaac is having a little brother or a little sister. So, check back if you're curious and I'll post some more graphic ultrasound images after that visit. :)

3. Mom came to visit and we got all fancied up and went to an Il Divo concert, one of the things on my "I want to do this in my lifetime" list. What an incredibly talented group of musicians who aren't too bad on the eyes, either. All the old ladies surrounding us at the concert thought so, too. :) We had a great night and a fun visit, as usual, then mom accompanied Isaac and me on the plane back to Michigan.

4. Isaac and I took a trip to Michigan. Isaac went to not just his first, but his second AND third 4-H Fairs. He got to pet his first cow, (okay hugged and loved it), poked at some goats, climbed on tractors, and mama was happy to see that the country genes are definitely in there.

We spent most of the time at the cottage hanging out with Grandma and Great-Grandma. We saw friends and kids and had a great time just relaxing and visiting.

5. "Morning" sickness set in. Sorry, no pictures.

6. Isaac and I took a trip to Mexico. Since I was feeling a little sick we didn't do a lot of sight-seeing, but we spent a lot of time with Hector's family, which was the purpose of our visit. Isaac had a wonderful time playing with his cousins and getting to know his grandparents down in Mexico.

7. Over the next couple of months Isaac learned to play by himself - a lot - while mommy slept and threw up all day. Daddy was home and helped out - a lot - by playing with Isaac and keeping things picked up around here.

8. Mommy got acupuncture and is able to join the land of the living for a couple days at a time. I'm very happy to report that at 15 weeks I'm feeling almost human again and am hoping that the fun part of pregnancy is about to begin. However, my waist is gone and I'm already busting out the maternity pants despite the fact that I'm 8 lbs lighter than my first prenatal appointment. Go figure...?

Off the Wagon

2009-07-02T23:28:00.000-07:00

Oops! I guess I was looking for a reason to give in and nurse my baby...or maybe I really was looking for some good strong encouragement to keep going but never found it. The only real information I could gather in the last 48 hours (blogs, forums, friends), was that when you wean slowly - like, gradually decrease feedings (not go from 3 to 0 in one day) - the discomfort is relieved a bit.
And, go figure! It is! :)

Getting stronger...and sore

2009-07-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of weaning...
So far, so good. We made it another whole day by staying busy and staying off the couch. My little monkey went down with a bit more of a fight this time and tonight I just cried along with him. Again, I sang him a little song and laid him down with his blankies and bear. Because he was a little extra upset this time, I came back out thinking I'd make him a little chamomile tea for his cup. I poured some water in a cup, set a minute on the microwave, and by the time it was done he was out cold. Again.
Now I'm sitting here enjoying some quiet time and hoping this annoying itching pain will go away soon. I wasn't anticipating a lot of the discomfort that comes along with this...both emotional and physical. For now, though, I don't think it's anything a glass of wine won't fix!

Weaning is not for the weak

2009-06-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

Day 1 of weaning...
Well, I can't really say it's day 1 because I've been leaning towards it for quite a while now. We were down to 2 a day and I've been waiting for one of us to decide he's done...but it's not happening. I hear all the advice on how to quit nursing but I've heard even more "you're still nursing?!", "how long are you going to do that?!", "you're not going to be one of those mom's nursing their kid when he's in kindergarten, are you?!"
I just laugh and say, "one of us will know when we're done." I'm not doing this because anyone told me to and I'm not doing it because I'm sick of it. I'm just doing it because I think it's time; and I think it's just going to get harder as time goes on.
I'm pretty sure he's not going to let me know he's done any time soon, so I'm giving it the first good effort starting tonight. Cold turkey. At the moment he's lying in his crib crying, horrified that when he climbed up in my lap for his nighttime chi-chi, I picked him up along with his two blankies and bear, walked to his room, sang him a little song and placed him in his crib. He kept pointing back at the living room like we forgot something...we did little guy...we forgot you grew up. We've been doing nap time like this for quite a while now but for some reason nighttime is oh, so much harder. It's been by far the best part of the day for 16 and a half months now. It's the time when he snuggles up to me, holds on tight, pokes me in the eye and says, "eye", sticks his fingers in my nose and mouth and giggles with me...it's when he needs me the most and when I feel the closest to him. I'm pretty sure this hurts me just as much as it's hurting him. Actually, I think it hurts me a little more since he's now sound asleep and I'm sitting here weeping about it at my computer.
How do I let go of that? All the milestones up to this point and this is the one that makes me feel sad...why am I not gushing with pride like all the others milestones? I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm sure I'm not the first mommy who had a hard time "letting go", but I sure do feel awful.
We'll see what happens. We'll see how tomorrow goes...

'Summer' Fun

2009-05-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of weeks so I thought I'd stop by and share some pictures from what I call 'Summer', which is actually still just plain old Spring. I do think that Spring should be called Summer here and 'Inferno' should replace the months of June through August, but that's beside the point.
We spend mornings inside (if I can keep him away from the doggy door) until the sun goes behind the house. Then it's pool time! I can tell you that boys do not tire of dirt, water, mud, rocks, wood chips or dog poop. It's never-ending fun for him, though, and how could I possibly tire of watching him gather all of the above in his pail and carry it around like it's some sort of treasure?

There's plenty of trouble to be found
indoors, too!

Happy Mother's Day to me!

2009-05-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful 2nd Mother's Day this year. Last year was a tough one - being my first one, I had some mighty big expectations; flowers, a complete house-cleaning, a day at the spa, a parade. Obviously, 3 months of being a mom is nothing compared to a year and 3 months which in turn is just a speck in time compared to the many years to come.To me, this 2nd Mother's Day was just a day for me to reflect on the last year, absorb the changes in Isaac and me and to know that all I can do is love my son. That being said, when Isaac came waddling up the hallway Saturday night dragging a bouquet of white tulips and then lifted them up to me with that big smile and those bright eyes I was fulfilled. It's not about pampering and thanking and parades. It's about the every day things, the smiles, the hugs and the rewards of knowing inside me that I'm doing a good job. We had such a great day! The Las Vegas weather was gorgeous and after an always perfect brunch on the patio at Mon Ami Gabi, we took a walk on the strip by the Bellagio Fountains. Isaac was a perfect little monkey the whole day. No drama at the restaurant and sweet as pie in his stroller or waddling alongside us on our walk. Motherhood has been perfect so far and I'm looking forward to many more rewarding days, weeks and years to come!

Vacation is over...

2009-05-04T20:28:00.001-07:00

Isaac and I took a trip to Florida to visit his 'Nana', get some R&R and rid ourselves of the darn end-of-winter colds that had been nagging us the last month or so. A fever, two new ear thermometers, Motrin, one and a half new teeth and approximately 29 temper tantrums later - including the one that I believe ended our eating out days forever - Isaac got used to my mom and his new (unfortunately temporary) surroundings.Yay - I could finally walk around the condo without a 14 and a half month old appendage on my hip or wrapped around my leg. Sure, we had been swimming in the pool and playing on the beach all week, the toys were out pretty much the entire time in the living room and naps dictated our days, but there was a definite turning point. By day 8 or 9 Isaac let go of his inhibitions and let Nana in. He followed her around the condo, out the door, cried when she left and allowed her to get him out of bed (without taking it out on me later). He actually preferred Nana over me when it came time to play. It was wonderful; then 3 days later we had to leave.
Neither one of us wanted to get on the plane when it came time to go Saturday. I was a little concerned the days leading up to our flight that we might contract the Swine Flu and contemplated staying another week...or two...or three... ;) but alas, I missed my husband, my home and my scheduled life. The island way of life was really starting to rub off on me and at a certain point on Saturday I didn't care much if I ever planned another trip to the grocery store, meal for my family or play date. But I sucked it up and got on the plane. The flight wasn't so bad. Ask the guy in front of us and you'll get a different story, but I was very proud of my little jet-setter! We were lucky enough to be moved to the last row and have it all to ourselves the entire

ride home. At one point Isaac even sat on a couple of pillows with his seat belt firmly fastened and ate a snack! He was pretty proud of himself and I was too, of course. He looked so grown up. One great tip I hope I never forget is that M&M's work wonders for take-off and landing. Isaac is too big now to snuggle up in those little seats and nurse anymore, so I had to come up with something that he would *for sure* suck on and swallow to save his little ears. M&M's is all I had and that was what it was. They saved my sanity and my co-passengers ears, and I believe they will make an appearance on all future flights as well. On the 3 1/2 hour flight from Houston to Las Vegas Isaac actually fell asleep before take-off and I was able to lay him down on the two empty seats next to me. I then proceeded to read an entire US Weekly magazine and watch the movie "Marley and Me" - yes people, the whole thing...I was finally on vacation!
Seeing my baby loving on his daddy all day Sunday, walking around grinning from ear to ear, playing with his doggies and even showering cranky old Buddy with kisses made me realize how sweet home really is to a 1 year old. He loves his routine - and his peeps - that's for sure.

Easter and another fun (late) birthday present!

2009-04-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a little video of Isaac after opening up his Easter basket. The grass was for sure the best part!

We had such a blessed Easter with family this year. Hector's brothers, Christine and the kids joined us for Easter dinner and some outdoor fun. It was such a beautiful day - perfect for sitting under the umbrella and hiding some eggs around the back yard for the kids. I am proud to report that Isaac actually went Easter egg hunting! I thought for sure it would be fun for Kaiya (3) and Nicolas (almost 2), but for my little monkey to actually "get it" almost brought tears to my eyes. What a sweet little bunny. He excitedly ran from egg to egg with daddy, carefully putting each one in the bag or handing it to Hector. He had "helped" me stuff them the day before, so he knew just how to open them up and find the candy inside. Thank goodness he wasn't interested in all that sugar; though daddy really wanted him to love it so he could give him a "treat" from time to time...as only daddies and grandparents can get away with doing (my eyes are rolling).The day before, my mom had called to ask if I had seen the Tidy Little Cottage on sale in the Toys 'R Us flier. I checked it out, debated between that and a terribly messy sand/water table, and finally decided on the little cottage. So, off Isaac and Mama went on an early Saturday morning trip to the store for his very first back yard toy! Daddy put it together Easter morning and Isaac warmly welcomed his cousins inside. Such fun to ring the doorbell and call friends on the phone to wish them Happy Easter!

Partner in Crime

2009-04-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

This is a funny video I just had to post of Isaac and his little friend Ellery. We were on the way to a birthday party in Boulder City and he had her cracking up in the back seat. Little did I know what he was doing...stinker little monkey. :)

The best present ever!

2009-04-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

It was finally decided upon a little bit late but that doesn't mean it wasn't the best present Isaac got! After much searching and ho-humming I finally found a good deal on a red plastic Radio Flyer wagon with two seats, seat belts (very, very necessary), and a couple of cup holders. We got it home and Isaac enthusiastically helped me figure out how to put it together. He is very interested in how things are built and how they work - it's fascinating to watch the wheels in his head turning while he seems to try to figure out why everything does what it does. An engineer maybe? An architect? A rocket scientist? Yes, mama has big plans for our little monkey.
Here are a few pictures from the wagon putting together ceremony and the maiden voyage.

Got my hammer! Lets put 'er together!

Checking to see what parts to eat, I mean, use next.

This goes here...

All inspected and ready to go!

Oh yeah...this is nice...

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can fill this up with water.

Spring and Play

2009-03-09T13:40:00.001-07:00

Friday we took a playdate field trip to the Women's Center where our little playgroup all started. They had a music lady there and it was so much fun to watch the kids dancing and playing with the instruments. After all the music and movement fun we headed to the park to enjoy the gorgeous weather - hopefully an indication of things to come!
It was so much fun to see them play. This was our first visit to the park and it was like a whole new world for Isaac; room to run, swings, slides, tunnels. I don't think there's a better feeling than knowing he was having fun running independently around the little playground while I sat on the blanket and had lunch with my friends.

I love to watch him walk around. He is so proud, so independent and so ready to explore. I can tell that he thinks he is pretty big stuff... It's like a whole new little boy was born when he started walking.
Going through all these phases, there is not one better than the last and it just gets better and better with every passing day. There are moments when I miss the tiny baby napping for hours at a time in my arms and snuggling for more than 10 seconds, but I wouldn't give up tomorrow for any of that. Just seeing him walk towards me - okay, waddle towards me - with this eyes shining, grinning from ear to ear or blabbering something with such conviction just makes my day. Every time.

We are such proud, gushing parents...

2009-02-21T23:15:00.000-08:00

Three days after Isaac's first birthday he walked. He took his first 2 official steps on my birthday, December 30 and since then has added a step at a time - at his own pace. Tuesday morning he walked about 10 feet, stopped and sat down; a little further than he had been doing but he never seemed real comfortable with the situation. I wasn't so sure either, but we paid a visit to Dr. Bob that day and it seems all he needed was a little encouragement and positive reinforcement. The first thing he asked me was if he was walking and I said I didn't think he was quite ready, yet. He picked him up, said, "he can walk", put him down and off he went. And that was it. Eat crow, mama. All you had to do was believe in me a little bit.
We got home just a little before Hector so as soon as he came in we enjoyed his first "official" steps together with the video camera and digital camera rolling. Just like good, proud, gushing parents do.

He walks kind of like a zombie. Here's the video:

Happy Birthday, Baby!!

2009-02-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a whole year already. Hector asked me yesterday if Isaac was a baby or a little boy. It made me stop and think because it seems like he's still a baby...but he's also my little boy. I responded with, he'll probably always be my "baby". :)
Anyway, we had a couple of birthday parties for our little one year old in the last few weeks. The first one was in Michigan; a little celebration on an otherwise somber and reflective weekend. It was so nice that we could be with my family for his first birthday. I guess sometimes things just work out!

He also got to celebrate some of his birthday in Florida and open a couple of presents from Grandma.

Isaac and I flew home late on Valentine's Day, otherwise known as his official birthday. We got up bright and early the next morning and decided to throw him a little party. We got right to grocery shopping, house-cleaning, dog-cleaning, decorating and baking. The monkey cake was something I obsessed over in my mind for the last month or so and my oh-so-creative husband brought it to be! It was definitely the centerpiece of the party. Well, ok, there weren't many decorations at all, but I sure was impressed! We had such a good time with our family and friends! I am so thankful for the friends we have made out here...especially that they are so flexible and were able to come to our impromptu party!

A Great-Grandpa and Greater Grandpa

2009-02-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

Gordon Jack Cooper
COOPER - Gordon Jack Cooper, was born December 21, 1924 to Peter and Johanna Cooper in Grand Rapids, MI and went to be with his Lord on January 28, 2009 at Shell Point in Ft. Myers, FL. Inspired to enlist after Pearl Harbor, Jack served in the US Navy as a Pharmacists Mate First Class from 1942 to 1946 on a LC1 (L) landing troops in the Asiatic Pacific and the Philippines. After the war he married Josephine and started a family. He was a pioneer in the concept of movable partitions and raised floor systems and an entrepreneur in the office furniture industry in various capacities during his lifetime. He served on the board of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce (President 1987), the Econ Club, served on the board of directors and helped found the Right Place Program to bring business to Grand Rapids and served on the advisory board of Comerica Bank. His faith wasn't something he talked about; it was something he lived. He never uttered a bad word about anyone he met. He was an inspiration to all whose lives he touched and will be greatly missed. He leaves behind his wife, Josephine Cooper; daughter, Nancy Jo and Ed Huizinga; son, Jack G. and Dawn Cooper; two grandchildren, Joel and Shelley Huizinga, Holly and Hector Valencia. Jack had three great grandchildren, Abby and Ethan Huizinga and Isaac Valencia. Please come celebrate his life with us. The funeral will be held at Calvary Church, 707 E. Beltline NE on Friday at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Bill Rigg officiating. Interment Graceland Memorial Park. Visitation will be held Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Zaagman Memorial Chapel. Zaagman Memorial Chapel We miss you Grandpa!

Unexpectations

2009-01-25T21:25:00.001-08:00

I have encountered so many surprises in the last year and felt so many different emotions; it's hard to keep up. Yeah, I thought I had it all figured out until I became a mother.
Never did I think that I would dance around the house to music just to see my son smile. I certainly never thought I'd have Barney on ever in my lifetime - but he liked it - and because he liked it so did I. I never thought I'd wear yoga pants and a tank top all day, not leave the house for 4 days straight and be OK with it. I didn't think anything but the dog would ever go through the doggy door. I thought I'd be a lot more strict. I never thought naughty could be so funny. I never thought I'd be level-headed in a panic situation. I never imagined I could pack a whole suitcase for a baby and a half a suitcase for me. I always thought the concept of watching a baby sleep was sweet, but never imagined I could just stand there watching him breathe and literally have to tear myself away.
Today I realized that just as there is a tooth fairy to take the teeth that children lose, there is also a tooth monster who brings the teeth; and comes in the form of your child.

Monkey Kisses?

2009-01-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

So, Monkey Kisses. It's my favorite thing. I am not a big monkey lover and actually was never fond of monkeys until I had one. I mean, until I had a little boy who is pretty much the living definition of a monkey but without all the fur and lice. He climbs on everything, he makes me laugh and he screeches with glee while I chase him around the house. The other day he was picking rice up from the rug and eating it. I cracked up. The kisses aren't mastered on his part yet and I'm still waiting for that day when he turns his angelic little face up to mine with a slobbery show of affection and appreciation. I know I love monkey kisses, though, because I can give them to him. All day long if I want to - and there's nothing better than smooching on that soft, squishy little baby skin. So, Monkey Kisses it is.
As I sit here typing he is unloading yet another box of kleenex onto the living room floor and tearing them up. Monkey.
I have regrets about not starting this sooner; about not capturing my thoughts and feelings in those first 11 months and not writing a story about every single funny and amazing thing he did. I guess I thought I'd always feel the same. I thought he'd stay the same. I thought time wasn't flying by as quickly as it was. Now, here I am thinking about planning a first birthday party for my baby.
The truth, as every mom knows, is that he changes every single day. I have to do this for him, for anyone out there who wants to know, and mostly for myself. I don't want to forget a single moment of his life or a single feeling.
So, check back every 6 months or save us in your favorites if you want - that's what I do. I sit and read about everyone else's lives, watch their kids grow in pictures, laugh at their clever posts and funny emotional rants and - until now - wish I had the motivation to do it myself. I have to admit I'm loving it. The words seem to be coming easily...probably because I have a lot to say and no one to say it to. Aren't you the lucky ones?
Between the kleenex box and now he has thrown a phone and a remote control behind the couch, a red pen and plastic ring out the doggy door and chewed a hole in the Neosporin tube. Monkey.