Before I forget

Mark,

History has clued me in that my memory will fade and there will be a time when these events escape me. In preparation for the future, here is a list, in no particular order, of what you have been up to as of late:

1. You are happiest when you are outside.

2. You sleep like an angel. You go down for the night at 8 pm and sleep untill 7 am. It is our fear that your future siblings will not sleep as well as you. So far, you take after both mommy and daddy in this respect.

3. You sleep so much sounder in our bed. It is tempting to let you sleep in our bed more often but you are our first child and we are determined not to create too many bad habits. yet. Besides, you do love your bed. So much that you wont let mommy rock you to sleep.

4. You wave bye-bye.



5. You say uh-oh. It's is adorable when you drop something and say it right after.

6. You HATE having your diaper changed, or putting clothes on. I think you'd be naked all the time if you had your way. According to mimi, mommy was the same at your age. I dread when you discover how to take your diaper off.

7. You nurse 4 times per day. I am not sure if you will self-wean, but my inclination is that you will need some urging from me.

8. You pretty much say daddadada all day. Every now and then you look at me and say mama and my heart melts. I have been trying to teach you "duck" and "dog" which I think you are trying to say when it comes out "DA" and not followed by another "da"

9. You dance whenever there is a beat. of any kind. You even danced to the rythmic beat of the dog panting the other day.

10. You have 8 teeth! 4 on top and 4 on bottom. And, no it doesnt hurt when you nurse because you don't use them to nurse. It only hurts when you are done eating and you get bored. OUCH! That rarely happens anymore, thank God.

11. You have discovered that where the dogs sleep is also big bowl of water, perfect for splashing. AND, you want in all. the. time.

12. You are cruising, full speed ahead.

13. You started climbing. So far, it's just on the bumbo...I'm a little nervous about what is to come.

14. You are a happy baby.

15. You chew on your pointer finger...I think this may mean you are getting more teeth!

16. You LOVE the water. The $10 kiddie pool from Target was a wonderful investment.

17. You love being around people. We can take you anywhere because watching people makes you happy. Your particular favorite is the grocery.

18. You are over the "only mama" phase and love your dada. You go to him willingly and with a smile on your face.

19. You play well with others. For now. I attribute this mostly to daycare although I know the no-sharing phase is probably right around the corner.

20. You love water. Just like me! No juice for you yet, only water and you are totally fine with that. 

Video Montage

I haven't blogged in almost a month. The truth is two fold. Mostly, I haven't felt inspired or felt the need/desire to write. Secondly, and probably the primary reason, I have been soaking up the moments spent with this adorable face.

George had weekends off for about 4 weeks in a row and it. was. FABULOUS. Seriously, I forgot what weekends actually feel like and it was so lovely to do things as a family. Have I mentioned how much I CANNOT WAIT for residency to be over with and to have my husband back?! Anyway, I have been trying to really be in the moment with my family. Which means when Mark is awake, he has my attention (for the most part, I do have to keep a house y'all). I find myself staring at him, and feeling so overwhelmed with emotions that are difficult to describe in words. But I'll try. They include love, hope, adoration, anticipation, nervousness, fear, joy, elation, and awe. You get the idea, I am totally head over heels in love with Mark, sad about how fast he is growing, yet simultaneously excited; scared about what the future holds yet equally, if not more, hopeful. I love this little guy so much and I am amazed by him every day. I am so unbelievably blessed to watch him grow. I could go on and on with adjectives because the truth is motherhood, and parenting in general, encapsulates so many varying emotions. At the end of the day, I would say I all of those emotions combine and leave me with a sense of peacefulness.

Other than relishing in raising my baby boy, I have been planning his First Birthday party. I seriously should have been an event planner, it is my passion. Oh well, my kids (and George) will just have to suffer my compulsions turning ordinary activities into events for the rest of their lives. Did you notice I said his FIRST birthday party?!?! How can it be? It does not feel like a year ago that we met our son. It feels more like 6 months. It amazing how my perception of time has shifted.

Mark has been discovering new things like  crazy, and it is so fun to watch. Here are a few videos of his most recent activities....

....You will see a good bit of this going on, and every day, he gets a little better at maneuvering this thing:



 
...this is new and I think he picked this up from Bennett Maloan. We had a wonderful play date with Bennett and his mommy, Lindsay. Bennett is 18 months and was interested in the Bumbo. Mark, who has ignored this thing for as long as I can remember, was somehow fascinated with it the very next day....
 

...And every day, without fail, you will see ALOT of this...

Ok, so now that I am back to writing, I have about 3-4 different posts swirling around in my head....stay tuned!!!