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Thursday, July 26, 2012

MADman

An overdue update on Our Madman.  He is growing, growing, growing.  He measured in at 31.3 inches long (75th percentile) and 19 lbs., 14 oz. (3rd percentile) in May at his 15 month well check-up. He is my skinniest so far. Still not 20 lbs. at 15 months...but close.  He started getting more and more sure on his feet.  He took his first "official" steps on my birthday eve, June 24th.  He then spent a good month taking 4-5 steps at a time without holding on much.



His vocabulary has really started growing as well.  He says:  Momma, Mommy, Dada, Daddy, Poppy (very clearly on our trip to GA a few weeks ago), MiMi (on her bday when we were in GA), Abbie (what we call my stepmom, Miriam), baby, puppy, duck (in the bathtub with the rubber ducky), ni ni (night night), bye bye, no (with dramatic pouty lips and his hand in a push away/hitting gesture...nice), choo choo (although it sounds nothing like that, more like ahh, ahh as he pushes the trains around), very clearly "uh-huh" to answer in the affirmative, and not words but a very clear distinction in his waving.  He waves side to side for hello and up and and down for bye bye or night night....very cute.

I am thrilled to see how exciting and fun it is to witness him walking around and communicating for the first time.  Since this is my third one, I was not sure how much joy it would bring....so pleased that it brings a boat load of joy....blessed times three!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Love or Joy?

Do I love my boys too much that I often rob myself of enjoying them? Sometimes I wonder....is my overpowering love/concern for them so much that my focus is just their needs....are they getting the right nourishment? enough rest? enough fun? too much fun? enough discipline? too much discipline? structure? too much structure?...that I forget to enjoy them? So sad, but often true; in my quest to "do right by them" I often cheat myself of the gift they are to me from GOD.

Today I had a moment that I was able to just enjoy...about 10 minutes of just me and my boys in the floor of my cousins' house in SC, enjoying sundaes from McDonald's. Just us because she was at her birthing class, on the floor for fear my boys would make a mess of her pretty, kid-free dining room. I had the thought.."these are the memories that I hope I have a lifetime." LORD, help me to decipher between the times I am to act in regard to my boys and the times I am to "just enjoy". AMEN!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Communication

It is an amazing thing.  You can communicate in the obvious ways...the spoken word, written word, etc.  You can also communicate in more subtle ways...a soft touch, a glance, a gesture.  Evan is QUITE MOUTHY the communicator.  He lets you know exactly how he feels, exactly when he feels it.  If you tell him something he doesn't want to hear, you will usually receive one of two responses:  "You makahme angry." (You make me angry) or "I gonna tell on you".  Sometimes when he is really feeling the love...."I don't like you, Mommy (Daddy, Brady, etc.)."  At the same token, his expressions are very grand, very memorable.  He also is quite capable of making you feel loved without saying a word.   He always wants a squeeze after his hug & kiss from Daddy in the morning before he heads out to work.   He will suddenly come at you in a full on sprint and dive in your arms, loop his arms around your neck, or clutch your leg in the most desperate acts of love without any notice.  He will - seemingly out of the blue - look you square in the eye and say "I love you the best Mommy."  While eating lunch - just two little guys sitting beside each other having a couple of minutes of silence while eating sandwiches as their mom unloads the dishwasher - Evan will say "Brady I love you."

Evan sure is quite the communicator and - depending on the mood - his passion can frustrate you or warm you in ways I have never experienced . 

I love him!

 attitude

 silly

 his new, cute laugh, where he covers his mouth

 loving, and sweet

angry