Buck Up, Mommy!

I'm finding it already very difficult to keep a straight face when telling this child "no". He is so full of glee when he's doing something he's not supposed to-- like jumping up and down in his crib (holding the rails) instead of napping-- I walk in the room and he squeals with delight and looks at me as if to say, "hey mom, look what i can do!!" Everything in me wants to squeal right back at him, jump in the crib and tickle him till he's gasping for air. Instead I try to do the straight-faced, "You lie down right now, Mister." He looks at me and grins from ear to ear. . . perhaps adding a muffled giggle behind that pacifier. Again, i feel like melting in a heap of laughter, myself. I try to keep my poker face and repeat, "lie down," as i physically lay him down and cover him again with the blanket. he continues with the grin. IT'S KILLING ME!!
I muster up every ounce of maternal authority in my voice that i possibly can and say, "go to sleep", as i shut the door and burst into a smile and shake my head.
now he's in there talking away, probably back in the standing position. What's a smitten mom to do? I suppose if I wait long enough, he'll eventually pass out...and i won't have to pretend to be the heavy.
sometimes (well often lately) i just can't help but think about how short life is (esp this part of it), and how i want to enjoy every moment as if this were my last day to live. it's amazing what that perspective does to you in moments like these. and yet i want my child to be well disciplined. i guess it's all a balancing act in the end...
i just wish i could crawl in there and jump up and down together till we're exhausted, curl up with our blankies and fall asleep.

mommy's little helper

this morning i helped mommy unload the dishwasher. she was busy cooking, and looked like she could use a place to put all the dishes she was dirtying... so i took out everything i could lift (mostly the spoons-- i love them)! then i inspected all of the cupboards, and removed everything i thought mommy might need while she was cooking. now that i can 'cruise', i'm going to be the best helper in the world!!! (if you play the slideshow really fast, it shows how quickly i can get around)

Spike

When in doubt-- try the tubby. It seems to be able to cure whatever fussiness becomes you. i'm not sure he could get any cuter than this--
(click on each pic to get a closer look)

oh yeah...

Nothing like an historic inauguration day to make you thankful for those foundational freedoms and privileges we take for granted every day in this country. i don't usually take time to thank God for the freedom to practice my faith whenever and wherever i wish.... or the freedom to speak my mind on this very blog... let alone the freedom to vote, own property, and raise as many children as my husband and i see fit for our family (not implying ANYthing, mom)...

I don't know that I've EVER really stopped to be thankful for 'peaceful transition of power' ... or the fact that, despite our divided ideals as a country-- we can still all wake up every morning knowing that our leaders are accountable for their actions, and they want good to prevail.

This day has brought a lot of reminders of just how blessed we are to live in these United States. And perhaps that is a perspective i should keep in the forefront as these next few years unfold!

First Snow 09

Such a fun day-- playing in our first real snow storm-- Christian wasn't too sure what to make of the cold stuff hitting his face. He was his usual silent, studious self... looking around, taking it all in... Mr. Serious. He did start "talking" after a while... as we'd pull him around the yard in his sled, he'd babble away...as if he were doing a commentary on the first big snow of his little life. It was hilarious to look at him all bundled up in his "puff-a-lump" elephant suit, with his chubby little cheeks, all rosey and accentuated by his hat. He could barely move, and his little cushiony bottom kept sliding forward, causing him to be a helpless, stiff, reclining passanger. We did manage to get a few smiles out of him-- with much coaxing, and mostly afterward-- but those 'snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes' simply AREN'T some of his favorite things....... yet!

There were too many cute pictures to choose from, so i'm putting the best ones in a slideshow...

My New Playroom

Mommy has this secret stash of fun toys in the Kitchen. There are multiple hidden compartments containing the most interesting noisemakers and teethers I've ever seen! One of the compartments is even like a little merry-go-round... it spins in circles and different toys keep appearing. It's so fun! I can't believe she's been keeping this from me!

(His Yoga routine)

Pastafarian

Tonight we had pasta for dinner! I only got a few of those slippery little things actually IN my mouth-- but I sure had fun trying!

Mom, this is FABulous!

Ew, there's some in my nose...!

Help!!

On the move...

It's been a very busy week for a certain ambitious 8 month old. He's a perfectly happy boy-- when he's upwardly mobile. Otherwise he's a mess of discontentment. The only relief for my lower back has been the Radio Flyer push-cart. I bend over half as much-- ie, when he hits a roadblock. Like today, when he ran right into the table leg and looked at me, as if to say, "Um, Mom, can you move this for me?" Instead of crawling under the table to turn him around, I decided to take his cute little picture. So he found some other things to do while I snapped away.

My New Blue Big Ball

What could be more fun and exciting than a ball as big as you?

ooh la la!

fill'er up!

going for a bounce with Auntina

Uninteresting

We must have more outlets per square foot than any ranch house ever built! If it weren't for the genius invention of the outlet cover, we'd be in big trouble! I am daily amused by the wording on the package of 12 we got at Home Depot. One of the bullet points on the front of the package was: "Uninteresting to Children", i guess due to the fact that they're transparent/clear instead of translucent. The very fact that they put that on there automatically ensures that ever child is guaranteed to find them VERY interesting...perhaps more interesting than any other object in the entire house! We didn't even tell Christian that they were supposed to be uninteresting-- so no reverse psychology or anything-- he goes right to them! And in case you're wincing at the pictures, as if I'm just standing by letting him play with the outlets, let me reiterate-- those plugs are truly ingenious-- there's no way they're ever coming out-- which also means i can't vacuum :) -- which is why we taught him to crawl-- he's our new dust mop.

Poppy's Playhouse

When my brother was little, my dad's dad made him a little wheel barrow, and aptly named it the Seth Barrow. It recently surfaced and found its way out during the Christmas season. Poppy decided to reminisce about his days pushing his own little boy around in it... Christian could have stayed in that thing for hours-- I'm not sure which he enjoyed more-- the ride or the audience-- he kept stopping to make sure we were watching, and waved as if he were riding on the main float in a parade! He gets cuter every day :)

A long day for little man

A trip to the Delaware Art Museum with Gia, walking all over the house pushing his cart, and perfecting the art of the one legged crawl, and helping Dave to finish the finishing touches on the basement-- were enough to tucker him out -- not an easy task these days! I pushed him around the new carpet while Dave was tiling the last bit of tile, and within a minute or two, he was OUT. He even stayed that way when I picked him up. . . also rare! Here's to a (hopefully) good night's sleep!!!