Sunday, January 23, 2011

He's walking

I know, as a mom, that children each grow up and reach new milestones on their own timetable. I am not a mom that gets concerned when my child does not transition to the next phase at the traditional time. I have recently become aware, however, that I had accepted some basic boy-girl stereotypes without even realizing it. Having two girls and then a boy made me not really know what to expect with my little guy. What I did assume was that he would advance physically and then verbally....I was SO wrong. My girls crawled at 9 months and walked at 12. Danya was very verbal and Shea was a little less verbal. Cooper started crawling at 9 months, but it has taken him til almost 14 months to start walking more than one or two feeble steps. (As I write this, he is teetering from couch to coffee table, around toy pile on the floor, and then over to me in my chair. He still walks like baby frankenstein with his arms stretched out in front and legs a little too stiff. SO ADORABLE!) His verbal skills far exceed his physical skills at this point, though. And this still surprises me. He has many words and mimics so many more. He says "Hi" in a very excited voice when he sees someone for the first time in a while. He asks for his "Dodle", knows all his family members by name (Shea, Dada - danya, Daddy, Mama, Bopi - poppi, Nonni, Nana, Papa, even Brandy- my parents' dog), says bye bye whenever someone puts on their coat and even nigh nigh with a wave when it's time to go to bed. He knows dog, cat, dance, jump, stomp, go-go, all done, more, eat, clap, stinky, sock, shoe, bath, ca-ca (coffee ;), up, down, help, stuck, no-no-no, fire, hot, no touch, gicky and of course the universally useful THAT! My favorite words he uses were not intentionally taught to him, but rather caught by him. Whenever he asks for food or his bottle, and sometimes even a toy, and you give it to him, clear as day he will say "thank you". So sweet and unexpected. When he's not saying one of his many words, he is rarely silent. He makes sound effects, sings, fusses, or just makes beautiful noise.

So, today, as Cooper and I are home sick from church, I am enjoying my little boy in all his unexpected wonder. He's so very different from my girls, and different than I expected a boy to be. I look forward to all he is going to teach me as he grows into the man God has designed him to be.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Simple days...




I'm thankful today for a morning of nothing out of the ordinary. Just me, my husband, and my kiddos at home, doing normal every day type things: working, playing, reading, sitting by the fire, eating, cooking, and enjoying each other. I'm thankful that we didn't have to get up and get going. The pace of the morning was refreshing. Normally, I'm all for having something on the agenda (and I do this afternoon and evening), but I'm learning the joy and the necessity of having unplanned, but productive, down-time. I am a better mommy, and my kids thrive when we live at a slower pace.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

He wants to do it himself

He's growing up so quickly. He asks for his "dodle" by name. He prefers to lay on the floor and hold it himself. I love to watch his personality begin to shine through. Mostly, I just think he's adorable, fun, and growing up WAY too fast. This moment I get to enjoy 3 times a day, and I will cherish it while it lasts.

Good Food and Excellent Entertainment

If you were just a passerby on the street, and happened to look through my front window last night, you might not have seen anything that struck you as out of the ordinary or worthy of a blog post. But, in my continuous quest to enjoy the ordinary, I'm finding that so many day-to-day events are showing themselves to be noteworthy...even extraordinary. So, last night, we had my sister, her family, my dad, and step-mom over for dinner. We had Chicken and Cashew Lettuce wraps (mmm....so good!)and Fried Rice. We had just enough room to get everyone around our table, the card table, and the kiddie table. The food was so good that there was not a single bite left for leftovers. After dinner we had coffee and watched two adorable little "ballerinas in training" as well as some scenes from Swan Lake (Because we're cultured like that).Just a normal evening, but so full of love and blessings and laughter. I'm so glad that I'm learning not to take these moments for granted or even to dread all the effort required to make them happen. These are the moments that I want my life and my children's lives to be made of.
Today, the day after this wonderfully ordinary evening, I am thankful for a hard-working husband that is fetching, hauling, chopping and stacking fire wood. I am thankful for a few hours of complete quite, peppermint tea, some one-on-one time with my 2 littles, a 1 year old who already says "tank you" whenever I hand him something, and cousins that love and play with my kiddos (dispite a 10 year age gap). So much to be thankful for!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Early Mornings




There is something intrinsically wonderful about a baby's contented humming as he finishes the last few drops of his morning bottle. A little song of thankfulness this morning that made getting out of bed 30 minutes earlier MUCH easier. Do I wish he would have slept until after 7 like normal? Yes and no. Yes, so that I could sleep and feel more rested and enjoy a few more minutes snuggled with my honey. But, no, because I know that I will not have many more opportunities to quietly hold a sleepy, hungry baby that snuggles against me, drinking his bottle while poking me in the nose and humming a happy tune.

So, this morning, I am thankful for: a snuggly, sleepy baby, a warm house to wake up in, my favorite coffee cup, and a quiet moment to think and get ready for another full day of ordinary, yet treasured, life.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

A new blog for a new year!

I'm starting this blog as a part of my new year's resolution to ENJOY EACH MOMENT OF MY LIFE. I have so many blessings in my life: First and foremost, Jesus is my greatest blessing and the giver of all good gifts. I also have an amazing husband, 3 adorable and entertaining
children, great friends and family, a cozy home, and so many other moments and experiences to treasure every day. So, here I hope to chronicle many of the moments that make up my life to keep me accountable in my journey of being present, intentional, and thankful each day of my life and also a way to look back on these days that are passing so quickly.
Look at this face. How could I NOT enjoy each moment with this little guy.

So, here's to a new year, a new blog, and a new resolution to pay attention to all the blessings in my life (both big and small) and to choose to enjoy each one of them!