3 Years Old!

My Dearest T-Bone,
When you were born I never could have imagined how you would be at three years old. You make me feel a range of emotions that I never thought possible on a daily basis.
You are an independent little man and love to try new things, especially if they're dangerous enough to make your mom and dad crazy. You love your little brother... sometimes a little too much. We are always telling you that you need to be softer with him, which usually just makes you hug him harder.
You love to build with Legos, and are pretty much obsessed with all things transportation related. You love trains, fire trucks, police cars, dump trucks, garbage trucks, and especially helicopters. You tell me all the time that when you grow up you want to drive a fire truck, and ambulance, and a helicopter. This is pretty much in keeping with your penchant for high-adrenaline, dangerous activities.
You like movies and tv, especially Justin Time, Toy Story, Nemo, and Cars.  You still like Mickey Mouse, but not nearly as much as Woody and Buzz these days. You still like to go play in nursery and at Shellie's house. You like other kids and love to play with your friends.
You have been going to swimming lessons for quite awhile now.  Some days you like it, but most of the time you cry. I think it's the stubborn in you. You want to do things your way and don't like it when your teacher, Kami, tells you to do it a different way. You are very good at doing scoops, kicks, and floating on your back. You don't like to put your face in the water or dive in.
We have been working on potty training, and you have more good days than bad ones. Right now you are working on earning a Lego Pirate Ship, but have to have a certain number of days with no accidents to get it. It might take us awhile, but you are enjoying putting stickers on your chart everyday.
Your favorite foods are chicken nuggets, meatballs, and especially rice and beans. You also like corn, broccoli, tortillas, yogurt, and ham and cheese.
My sweet little man, Mommy and Daddy love you!  You bring us more joy than we could have possibly imagined. Keep growing and learning everyday!
Love,
Mom

5 Months

My Sweetest Squish,
5 whole months!  What a joy you have been to our family. Everyday you make me smile with your sweet ways.
You are a very patient boys when it comes to pretty much everything... except your food. You like to eat, and you like to eat on time. Period. You definitely start to fuss if you feel like we're late with your bottle. We've started to put rice cereal in your bottle at bedtime every night, just so you'll sleep through. You manage it most of the time, but sometimes we still have to come give you your binky back in the middle of the night.
You started swimming lessons this week and seem to really love it. It always surprises you when we dunk you under, but you seem to recover your smile pretty quickly. You love to watch your brother and try to be a part of whatever he's doing.
You're getting really good at rolling from your tummy to your back, but haven't quite figured out how to go the other way, yet. I think it'll be coming soon, though. I'm kind of afraid for that day, because I think not long after that you'll be on the move. You pretty much just want to keep up with T-Bone.
Your head has rounded out quite nicely, and it's looking more and more like you're not going to end up wearing a helmet after all. Even with your lumpy head, though, I still think you're the cutest baby I know.
I love you, my little Squishy. Keep up the good growing work!
Love,
Mama

4 Months

My Sweetest Little Squish-a-Dish,
Time sure flies when you're having fun. I know I say this every month, but I honestly can't believe that you're already 4 months old.
You have changed so much in the last month. You're starting to find your little personality and I love every second of it. You are still incredibly mellow and content to just hang out and watch what's happening around you. You are super smiley and I often catch you grinning at nothing in particular.
Your neck is getting a lot stronger, too. You're able to hold your head up with a whole lot less wobbling now. It's also rounding out quite nicely, and you may not end up in a helmet after all. About a week ago you learned how to roll over from your tummy to your back and that has made tummy-time all but impossible. I put you down on your belly, you crack a big grin, and immediately roll right to your back.
You are a chow hound and definitely don't like to miss any meals. If we are late on a feeding you are quick to let us know. You sleep through the night most of the time, and that has been lovely.
We are so happy to watch you grow and learn everyday. Keep up the good work, little man!
Love,
Mama

3

My sweetest Squishy,
Oh my goodness, you are growing so fast!  I can't believe you're 3 months old already.
You are such a sweet and easygoing baby. You pretty much just go with the flow of whatever is going on around you. You like to be where you can see and hear people, though.
You love to sit in your bouncy seat and make the lights and music go. You think it's hilarious when we change your clothes or your diaper. Getting dressed or undressed makes you smile like crazy.
You discovered your voice this month and love to talk and coo. You especially love it when we sing. You'll sing right along with me. You also discovered your hands this month. You spend hours on end playing with your fingers, sucking on your hands, and figuring out what they do.
You're not a fan of being strapped into the car seat, and if you're awake you tend to make a fuss about it. You also don't like to be left alone. You want to be around other people. I went back to work this week, so you've been going to the sitter and to Nanny's house. I don't worry about it, though, because I know you'll be a good boy no matter where you are.
You are a boy that likes to eat, and heaven help us if we're late on a feeding. You are growing so big so fast! I had to start putting you in size 6 month clothes.
You love your brother and like to smile at him and watch what he is doing around you. He's finally gotten used to having you around and doesn't beat up on you quite as much anymore.
We are so happy to have you as a part of your family and to watch you learn and grow everyday!
Love,
Mommy

2 Months

My Sweet Little Squish,
Oh my goodness!  I can't believe it's been 2 months already. It has gone so quickly, and I'm having so much fun with you.  You are a happy and smiley little man.  You love to coo and laugh at us.
You are so very content and love to just sit and watch what's going on around you. You like to be around people and get fussy when you're left alone. You love music and singing. You like to be around noise and get so calm when I vacuum.
You are getting stronger everyday. Your neck is still a little weak and wobbly, and your head is still a bit lopsided. We see the pediatrician in a few days and we will see if you end up wearing a helmet or not. Otherwise you're healthy, and for the most part, happy boy. You don't cry often, but when you do you really get going. You've got a wail and a shriek that can make someone's hair stand on end.
You are a pretty decent sleeper. We've got you down to just one feeding at night, but you still wake up and need to be re-binkied every now and then. We're getting ready to move you into T-Bone's room fairly soon, but we want to make sure that you are both sleeping pretty well and won't wake each other up.
I am so excited to watch you keep learning and growing. Everyday you seem to amaze me with some little aspect of your personality. I love you so much, little Squishy!
Love,
Momma

O's 1 Month

My Sweet Squishy Little O,
I can't believe you've been a part of my life for a month already. You are such a sweet boy. You love to just hang out with the family and watch what's going on around you. You also love to snuggle. You are very much a cuddlebug.
You are a very mellow baby and don't cry often at all. However, your days and nights have been a bit mixed up, so your daddy and I have been spending a lot of quality time with you in the middle of the night.
One thing I should probably mention is that you've got a little bit of what's called torticullis. Because you were such a big baby (almost 10 pounds!), you were a bit squished when you were inside me. Unfortunately this means that your neck and head were scrunched at a strange angle. So, you have a tendency to look to the right, and your head is cocked that way a little bit. We've been doing some stretching exercises and working on strengthening your neck. Your head is still a little bit lopsided, but it's adorable (and will round out).
Your brother loves you a lot, sometimes a little bit too much. We're working with him on being soft and gentle with you. He doesn't quite understand that you are still pretty fragile. He wants to play with you, and has a hard time realizing that all you want to do is sleep, eat, and poop.
I love you so much, my little Squish. Keep growing and learning.
Love,
Momma

Dear 21 year old Self

Linking up today at Jack and Sally!
 
 Dear 21-Year-Old Pippi,
 Calm down, take a deep breath. Seriously. Breathe. You have so many great things ahead of you, but you are forgetting the most important thing of all: to live RIGHT NOW.
 I get it, you've pushed yourself hard and you've come a long way. Nursing school is kicking your butt, but you've only got a year left. Enjoy it. Play a little bit. Make some friends. Really, you're going to miss these days at some point.
 Don't let some of the people around you drag you down. They will try. Oh, and that one roommate? She's a bad idea. She'll spill red kool-aid all over the carpet and never clean it up. She'll disappear for weeks at a time, and she'll never fully pay her share of the rent or utilities. You'll spend a great deal of time cleaning up after her.
 I know, you really want to get married. Wait. Don't be so worried about it. Just have some fun, play, make friends. You're so focused on what the future holds for you that you aren't living right now. And you look desperate. Really, you do. Delete all of your online dating profiles. The guys you're meeting are sleazy. And, again, none of them are right for you. There is someone out there for you, and you will meet him soon. I promise.
 Anyway, you know how you've been tossing around the idea of travel nursing? You should look into it more seriously. Don't be in such a hurry to be an adult. Enjoy your life a little bit. You'll have plenty of responsibilities soon enough. Trust me, in just over a year you will buy a condo, meet the love of your life, and begin a whirlwind of adventure.
But back to travel nursing: do it. Someday, when you're staring 30 in the face, pregnant with your second child, and have worked for the same company for 9 years you'll wish you'd taken more adventures. Plus, how great will it look on your resume?
 Also, a few more words of advice:
~Don't eat so much garbage. Cooking at home is cheaper than eating out, and the 50 (yes 50) pounds you put on during college show. Don't fool yourself into thinking otherwise.
~Call your sister. She only lives 40 minutes away, you should really spend more time with her.
~When you graduate next year apply right away for the BSN program. You can still move back to Salt Lake and finish, it's all done online.
 ~The sarcasm? It's not funny, it's mean. It's off-putting. Just be yourself, if people don't like you for who you are that's their loss. You are pretty awesome.
 That about sums it up for now. Just trust me on knowing that your life hasn't even started, and it's far from over. You have so much living left to do, so get out there and do it!!
Love,
28-Year-Old Pippi

2 Years!

My Sweetest T-Bone,
  I can't believe you are 2 already!  It seems like just yesterday I was counting down the days until your arrival. 
  You are such a big boy and I am so proud of all the things you have accomplished in your short life thus far.  You can count to ten, and love to count everything from floor tiles, to food on your plate, to toys. You skip the number 4 most of the time, but if I remind you, you'll go back and stick it in there.  
  You love Mickey Mouse so much.  Not a day goes by that we don't watch a little bit of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on tv.  I don't mind, though, because it's teaching you good things. The other day I was talking to Daddy about one of your birthday presents, and I decided to spell it to him.  I told him, "It's the M-I-C-K-E-Y one." You looked up from whatever had your attention and said to me, "Mickey Mouse!"  
  You are an independent little man and love to do things for yourself.  In fact, the phrase I hear come from you more often than any other is, "Me-me."  You like to help by turning light switches on and off. You also like to do your own zippers and velcro on jackets and shoes. 
  Your favorite food is meatballs with sauce, and you would eat it for every meal if we would let you. You also like hot dogs, chicken nuggets, grapes, apples, chips, cookies, and chocolate milk. You also like to try whatever we are eating, even if you don't always end up liking it. 
  You love to go to church and play with toys and your friends in nursery.  You also like to see your Mema at church on Sundays. You love to play in the snow and build snowmen with your Uncle Mac.
  You are all boy and love to drive trucks, stomp in puddles, and play with your tools.  You are my little piano-man and love to play songs for me while I work in the kitchen. You love to help me when I sweep the floor, dust, or put away laundry.  You sing me the clean-up song while you help. 
  You still love to read stories, and always ask me for one more after we finish for the night. Some of your favorites are: Pete the Cat, anything about trucks, your Sesame Street books, and Edwina the Emu. 
  The other day you came up to me and told me that you wanted to go to Mickey Mouse's house.  You said that Mommy, Daddy, Nanny, Poppy, Maddie, Zach, and Mac would go with you.  Someday we'll go to Mickey Mouse's house, just you wait.
  There are very few things you don't like. One of the things you absolutely hate more than anything is getting your hair cut.  In fact, we haven't cut your hair in several months because it's such a traumatic experience for you. You also don't like to have your hair washed in the bathtub. 
  Keep growing my sweet little man.  I look forward to all of the milestones yet to come. Hugs and kisses.
Love,
Mommy

We Made It!!

My Sweet Little Man,
It's your first birthday and I can hardly believe it. What a year this has been. You have changed my life in ways that I can't even begin to describe. This year has simultaneously been the most fun and the hardest year of my life. I hoped, dreamed, and prayed for you, but nothing could have prepared me for what, and who, you really are.
My handsome boy, you have such a little personality. Already you think you are hilariously funny. You know how to say "Mama", but anytime we ask you to say it you very clearly go, "Daddy. Huh huh huh." You think that game is a lot of fun. You also have quite a fascination with faces. You know where to find eyes, noses, teeth, tongues, ears, and hair. However, you're not terribly gentle. You also know fingers and toes.
You still love story time. Once you've had your bath and are all dressed for bed you will crawl over to the rocking chair in your bedroom and just wait to read stories. Bedtime is my favorite time of day with you. I love holding you on my lap in the rocking chair, smelling your sweet little head, and cuddling while we read stories and you drink your milk. I feel like that is "our" time everyday and I miss it on the nights I'm at work.
You are getting so big and strong. You love to walk, but only if you're holding onto something or someone. You have 6 teeth with a 7th on it's way in. For your birthday I made you a bucket with some bean bags so you can put things in and take things out to your heart's content. You also love to be doing whatever Mom and Dad are doing. If we're in the kitchen, you want to be playing in the kitchen. If we're outside, you are one happy kid. If I'm in the bathroom getting ready, you want to be right there with me.
You love to talk nonsense sounds to me. We can carry on conversations like that all day. You give the sweetest little slobbery open-mouthed kisses. I love watching your little hands sign things to me to show me what you need. You can sign food, milk, more, finished, play, water, and shoes. You also know how to give high 5 and bones.
My sweet, sweet baby... I can hardly call you a baby anymore. Everyday you turn into more of a little boy. Everyday you learn and grow so much, and everyday I learn and grow right along with you. I love you for everything you are. I love you for everything you will someday become. I love you for everything you have taught me about myself. I love you all the way up to your toes, to the moon and back. I love you with everything I have inside of me.
So, on your first birthday, I am overflowing with the love and joy you bring to my life. Thank you, handsome boy, for this past year. Here's to many more to come.
I love Monkey!
Love,
Mama

Eleven

My Dearest Monkey-face,

Happy Christmas Eve! Today is your 11 month birthday. I know I say this every month, but I truly can't believe how much you are growing and changing.

You never cease to amaze me with how smart and funny you are. You can always get a giggle out of Mama, without even trying most of the time. You have been extra silly this month, and are quick to giggle at pretty much anything.

You love to be on the move. If you're not crawling, you're pulling up on the furniture and shakin' your booty. You love to dance. You also love Elmo. You get so excited anytime you see Elmo and can even say his name (Eh-mo). This month you've learned the sign for food and you've made up your own sign for soft. We're not sure where you learned it, but if we say the word soft you pat your hand on your chest. You've also learned how to blow kisses. It's very cute. You also have a mild obsession with Santa. You think it's pretty fun to say "Ho ho ho."

You now have 5 teeth, and I think we're going to see more any day now. You are growing like a weed and wearing mostly 18 month clothes. I can't keep clothes that fit you in circulation long enough for you to wear anything more than a few times.

This month Mommy and Daddy decided it was time for you to learn how to sleep through the night. You picked it up so quickly! Within a week you were going right to bed and down for naps and sleeping through the night for 11 or 12 hours. It's been great for all of us to get more sleep.

You also got to try some new foods this month that you like a whole lot. You love grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, goldfish, yogurt, and cheerios.

Well, my sweet monkey, only one more month until you turn 1. I can't believe we've been on this crazy journey for almost a year. I love you so much and can't wait for all of the new adventures we get to have together.

Hugs and kisses!
Mama

And then there were 10

My most wonderful munchkin,

Today is your first Thanksgiving, and I can't begin to express how grateful I am for you and the joy you bring me everyday. On this day you hit your 10 month mark. I can't believe how much you've grown and changed in the past few weeks.

You have hit a ton of milestones recently. You are crawling all over the place. You can pull up on furniture, but haven't figured out how to walk along it yet. You can go up stairs, but not down. You wave bye-bye anytime someone opens or closes a door. You know the signs for "more", "finished", and we're working on "thank you." You now say dog (a-da), Ruby (woo-wee), uh-oh (uh uh), dad (dada), mom (ma), num (dum), and all done (a-dun). You love to sing songs with mommy in the car. You especially love the song Skid-a-ma-rink.

This week you slept your longest stretch yet, a whole 13 hours. It was a great night for both of us. You still love stories. Your favorite right now is "Moo, Baa, La, La, La". You love it when we make the pig snort for you. You also love noses. You think it's the funniest thing in the world when you grab Daddy's nose and he makes a noise like a siren.

You seem to have a thing for feet, and socks especially. We can't keep socks on you to save our lives. Anytime we leave you unattended you take them off your feet to play with them. You love to chew on Mama's toes, too. You also love your knit blankies. You get angry if we leave the house without one. You want to have it in the car, in the stroller, near you when you play on the floor, and just in general reach.

Speaking of chewing, you have 3 and a half teeth. Two on the bottom, one on the top, and a second on the top getting ready to poke through any day now.

I am so excited to see what the next month will bring for us, Monkey. I love you to the moon and back.

Love,

Mommy

Feelin' fine at 9

My Sweetest Monkey-faced Munchkin,

You are 9 months old today. I honestly think this has been the fastest 9 months of my life. You change and grow so much everyday. You are such a sweet boy and I love getting to spend so much time with you.

You love to be outside. Anytime I open the front door you get so excited. You love to sit on the grass and watch everything going on around you. You also love dogs. In fact, "dog" is your new favorite word to say. The other night I was getting you ready for bed and you heard the dogs next door barking. You looked at me, smiled, and in your sweet little voice said, "Dah." (That's Tommy-speak for dog).

You love to eat, especially from Mom and Dads' plates. You still prefer fruits to vegetables, but you're a pretty big fan of broccoli and asparagus. Just last night you discovered how much you like turkey.

You still love to read stories, too. Your favorite right now is "Dear Zoo". You like to open up the flaps to see the animals. You also like "The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear".

Just this week you showed off that you actually do know how to crawl. You only do it when you think no one is watching and when there's something you really want to reach. You don't like to be held too much, but you love to play on the floor where you can see people around you.

I love you more and more each day, my sweet little man. You are such a sweet and smart boy and I love watching you grow, explore, and learn each day.

XOXO,

Mama

Please

Dear Moms of the World,

I have a plea for all of you. Can we please stop with the "mommy wars"? Can we please stop judging each other for our differences? It's our differences in parenting that make all of our children so unique and wonderful.

Sincerely,

A Fed Up Mama

I've been pondering on this post for a long time. I've been trying to figure out how to write this without offending somebody, or everybody. And then I realized that doesn't matter. Someone will always be offended, somebody will always judge, and somebody will always be upset by my opinion. But the good news is that this is my blog. And I can say what I want. And if you don't like it, stop reading. Anyway, back to my post.

My first item of business is the whole breastfeeding thing. I know I've talked about this many times, but it's still nagging a bit. I've done a lot of reading about breastfeeding issues, what research says is best for babies, etc. One theme that is constant through all of this is that everyone thinks their way is the right way. I'm here to tell you that the "right" way is whatever works for you and produces a healthy, happy baby. I recently read a blog post from a woman who discussed her struggles with breastfeeding. Instead of uplifting comments, a lot of what I saw were things like, "Thanks so much for perpetuating the myth that breastfeeding is hard." A) If it actually is hard for someone, that means it's not a myth. B) Whatever happened to the lesson we learned as children, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

Secondly is the whole working mom thing. I know I've talked about this before, too, but it really strikes a nerve with me. I have nothing against stay at home moms. In fact, I admire them for their ability to do this incredibly challenging thing. However, Curious George and I have made the choice for me to work to keep us out of debt. And really, I'm a better mom because I go to work. I don't have the patience or the serenity to stay at home with the Sharkbaby all the time. I would be grumpy, short-tempered, and it would probably make my boys not want to be around me at all.

The third thing I'd like to discuss is the flat out judgement. Why do we insist on comparing our children to each other? Why would we try and bring another mom down just because our baby hit a milestone before her's? Raising children is hard enough without worrying about how they compare to everyone else's child. Does it really affect our lives if a family chooses to co-sleep, cry-it-out, swaddle, breastfeed, bottle feed, discipline, let their children watch tv, or whatever? Not really.

So, I vote that we put a cease and desist order on the Mommy Wars. Let us come together in this crazy, difficult, trying, wonderful, heartbreaking, heartwarming experience called Motherhood. Let's not worry so much about comparing and contrasting our children as we do about raising a generation of kind, tolerant, and non-judgmental children.

As the primary song says, "Jesus said love everyone." Our job as mothers is the nurturing and righteous education of our children. How can we expect our children to learn tolerance and meaningful relationships unless we first put it these things into practice in our own lives?

8 is great

A break from the book challenge (it will continue later today) for Sharkbaby's 8 month letter.

My Sweet Monkey,

Would you please stop growing already? I can't believe it has already been 8 months. You are getting so big!

This was a big month for you. You've become much more mobile. You're still not crawling, or rolling over from your back to your tummy, but you can backward scoot on the floor and you can get from sitting up onto your tummy.

You have two teeth now, both on the bottom. It took a little while for you to get them in, but you're a happy boy now that you have them.

You picked up a few new skills this month. You've been clapping your hands for awhile now, but you love to sing the song "If you're happy and you know it". You've also learned what to do when Mommy and Daddy say, "bang, bang, bang". You proceed to take whatever toy you're holding, or sometimes just your hand, and bang it on the nearest surface. We've heard a few words from you this month, too. You'll say "dadadada" and just today started "uh-oh".

Your daddy is still your favorite person in the whole world. Anytime he comes around you get so excited. You start to clap, giggle, squeal, and get very happy. You love getting to spend time with your grandparents. You love that you get spoiled by them.

Well, my sweet baby, I love you more and more each day. I love that we're learning all of these new things together. I love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mama