Two

It's getting harder and harder to write about Michael. Tomorrow he will turn two. My heart is so full of love for this boy I don't even know where to begin. When he was a baby, I used to keep track of his stats for each month - weight, new teeth, new skills, consecutive hours slept, etc. It's easy with a baby. You meet their needs and you cheer with pride at every new milestone reached. It's so much fuzzier now. His personality becomes more distinct every day, and he's constantly learning and absorbing. Every day we're thrilled by his mind, his humor, and his abilities. But he's changing and growing so fast. Even the monthly updates and funny things he says just barely scratch the surface of this little individual who shares our home. How do I describe him at two? How do you keep track of a real live person?

A seasoned parent might read this and chuckle (or snort?), Of course he's a real-live person. But it's all still a little bit shocking to me. Just the way I was shocked when, at the end of labor, a baby came out of me. The same way I was shocked the first time he laughed. When he started sleeping through the night. When he started to defy us. When I realized we would have to teach him (!) to sit still for meals and Bible class. I've always had trouble understanding things unless I've experienced them personally, so of course I'm astounded that our two year old is becoming his own person. Heaven help me when he reaches the teenage years. And adulthood. Yikes. Tim, as always, is the steady voice of reason on this journey of parenthood. He has more than enough sense for both of us, and when I can't understand why Michael won't sit still, or won't obey, or doesn't want to do what I want to do, Tim gently reminds me that we aren't dealing with a robot, but a person who has his own thoughts and opinions. I've been a parent for two years now, and revelations like this still have me in a perpetual state of amazement. Maybe I'll have a better handle on things for baby #2.

Someone recently asked me, with eyes shining full of love, if I could even remember my life before Michael came along. I think my response surprised her. I could feel my face light up as I recalled our lives before we became parents: lazy Saturday mornings sleeping in, an abundance of time and energy for each other, long dinners at good restaurants with good friends, naps, exercise, international travel, shopping in peace alone, concerts, hours spent in bookstores and coffee shops, unlimited time and energy devoted to our careers...the memories are as clear as if it happened yesterday. Yes, I remember life before Michael and sometimes I really miss the freedom and indulgence.

But Michael has brought an entirely different kind of abundance to us. And if there is any way I could possibly define him, or measure his growth at this age, it is by the blessings he brings to our lives. In the dim light of early morning, the way he climbs into our bed grinning and says, "Good morning Mama! Bed so nice! Snuggle up." The way he touches my hair and kisses my cheeks. The way he kisses "Baby Brudder" in my belly. The way he runs, flying into Tim's arms at the end of the day. The way he asks Tim to put on a record, and dances with his Daddy to the music. The way he shares his cookies with his friends in Bible class. The way he marvels at flowers and lizards and bugs. The way he will walk outside on a sunny day, look around and say, "beautiful!" His singing voice. His laugh. His sweet, strong hugs. The crinkly eyes and dimples when he smiles. The way he wants the three of us to be together all the time. Nothing compares to the purity of these gifts. And I'm convinced no other child could have blessed us the way he has. I'm so thankful that God, in his wisdom, made Michael a part of our family.

It's been two years since you came into our lives, and every day is still a miracle. An adjustment. A precious gift.
Happy birthday to you, Michael. We adore you with all our hearts. 

Thank you for two years of love and sweet, sweet blessings.

xoxox

What Michael said

"It's not working right now." - Standing in front of the toilet trying to go potty, he looks at me and shrugs his shoulders.

"Storm coming. Dragon coming." - In our yard, looking up at a stormy sky. Said with a stone-straight face and in a quiet, ominous voice.

"Kitty like that." - A command to get down on all fours and meow like a cat with him; usually directed at me at inconvenient or potentially embarrassing moments.

"Thank you so much dinner, Mommy." - Dinner time, on his third serving of pasta. (With a little prompting from Dad.)

Easter weekend

Easter morning - I love this picture of my guys so much! (Enough to ignore my crazy Houston-hair and post it anyway.) 

And a picture of my other little guy - 17 weeks along and the bump is starting to grow!

He's frowning in both pictures but he really was having fun! 

(getting breakfast tacos before church and having an Easter egg hunt with friends)

Well, we've just had the most beautiful weekend! After months of long hours and hard work, Tim had the day off Friday. Michael was also feeling well for the first time in a month of ear infections, tummy trouble, and viruses, so we we made every minute of our three-day-weekend count. We did as many of Michael's favorite things as we could - that meant going to the zoo (he LOVED it!), playing outside at every chance, Easter egg hunts with plenty of chocolate, sunshine, bubbles, music, breakfast tacos, and playing with friends. We slept well, we ate well, we reveled in just being together. And, on top of it all, we celebrated our risen Savior. I feel refreshed in every way, and so thankful for the rich blessings in my life.

23 months

Oh, this boy. He has my heart. Here he is showing me his shark teeth - 

the only reliable way to get him to "smile" for the camera these days. I'll take it. 

He's always been busy, and that's still true. He's happiest when he has a job: working in the yard, watering the plants, running to the park, helping me take out the trash or do the laundry, fixing things with his Dad, going to get the mail, roaming our yard gathering treasures...he likes to move. It's not easy to get him to sit still, but he's getting better and some days at home he even asks to sit down and color with me. So, although I'm inclined to teach him numbers and letters on paper, we're learning numbers by climbing stairs and we sing the alphabet and talk about letters as we see them instead. It's a better system for a boy on the move. He counts to sixteen with us on the stairs, and he sings the alphabet song pretty well! He loves to sing, and it's been such a sweet surprise over the last few weeks, hearing him sing out.

He talks a lot, often in 4-5 word sentences. He tells stories about his favorite characters from books and movies. Some of my favorite new phrases are "sweet dreams", "I'm excited", "delicious!", and "be careful, Daddy" when Tim leaves for work. That one really melts my heart. He also says "no" and throws tantrums several times a day when he doesn't get what he wants. He's got strong opinions, this one. That has also been true since he was small, but he's getting more and more assertive. It's a daily challenge to teach him to be patient and accept our answer when it is "no". I don't feel as overwhelmed as I felt when I wrote this post a couple of months ago (after all, I was eight weeks pregnant - blerg) but this is a challenging stage, and when the days seem especially long I count on plenty of support and pep talks from Tim.

Michael's favorite things are: wearing his boots, playing outside, working in the yard, climbing at the park, playing with water and his ocean creatures, animals, whale sharks, cartoons, hunting for lizards outside, watching the bees in our lemon tree, wrestling with his Dad, playing with other kids, eating, and when the three of us are together. (He puts out his arms and says "guys" when he wants all three of us to have a family hug. I die every time.)

Some things he does not like (that we're working on): waiting, being told "no", going to Bible class (or anywhere) without me, being quiet, going to sleep, getting lots of attention from people he doesn't know, and being cooped up inside. It's not a long list, but we've got our work cut out for us.

We love you, little nugget! xoxo

little princess

lotus flower light / moses basket / print / sleeper / romper

As soon as we found out we were expecting I started pinning for the little one. I didn't realize how many sweet, girly things I had pinned until we found out we were having a boy. We're thrilled to add another little man to the family, but it's kind of sad to erase all the pretty pink from my pinboard. 

So, I thought I'd share some of it here! How gorgeous is that lotus flower night light?

There's a little one on the way!

A brother for Michael. Another precious boy for us to love.

I can't think of anything sweeter.

Happy weekend faves

photo via my instagram

Happy Friday, and happy first day of March, friends! It sounds so negative, but I'm always happy to see February go. Here's to longer, sunnier days ahead! I'm off for a girl's weekend with my besties from college! I'm going to miss that little nugget, but I can't wait to just relax and connect with my sweet friends. While I pack, here are a few faves from this week:

I always get the travel bug this time of year. I'd love to jet off to a distant land with one of these.

I think I'll go here.

And wear these on the journey.

The perfect print for my little oceanographer. (He loves whales and can identify and name four types!)

A funny wooden puzzle, and a pretty one.

It's time to start planning Michael's second birthday party. Lots of cute ideas here.

A food passport for me and my man. Can't wait to do this!