Teething, anyone?

Here's how you know your son is teething.
You stop and grab a box of butter at the grocery store and hand it to him, and before you can make it down the canned food aisle, he's already bitten through the box and a stick of butter and his face is covered in butter.
(giggle)
Try to explain that to the concerned cashier when he mentions, "Um, did you know this butter is damaged?"
I promise, I couldn't make these things up if I tried.

Work in Progress

Our bedroom is still a work in progress...
But after we painted the walls a beautiful red, we decided to add some metallic coppery-red swirls on our main wall, a la Martha Stewart paint. Hmmm... Does this look just straight gold to anyone else?

So we went into panic mode. Well, not quite panic mode. But "we don't really love gold swirls" mode. We added some brown to the swirls, and I think they look quite lovely now.

Forgive me for the terrible photos, but our room is still in upheaval, so I can't quite get an impressive shot. Plus we've got several other projects in the works for the room, so it might just be in shambles for another week or so. You know me, though. I can't wait to share cool things, so it was necessary that you see these photos immediately.

Anyway, enough about my room. How about this little piece of perfect?

We caught him in the clothes basket the other night, just sitting there and reading books. Is he his mother's son or what? Hope your weekend was absolutely perfect.

Scout

Dear Mr. Sean and Ms. Ira,
Yesterday I got a new friend named Scout, and Mommy and Daddy told me that you got him for me. Thank you! He was so cute he made me giggle, and when I finally got to hold him, I couldn't resist a big kiss on the nose. He was the first thing I thought about this morning, and Mommy and I sat in the recliner for a long time playing with him (I'm really good at pushing his paws and tummy to make him talk). Thank you so much for sending him for me!
Love,
Milo

Headbands and kisses

Boy does Milo love babies, especially little Ms. Lily. I caught him in action today... And why yes, she is wearing a RubiLu headband, thank you for asking!

Milo showers Lily with kisses during the day.

Masterpiece

I'm fairly confident that Milo wakes up in the mornings just thinking about what he can touch. I see his brain start working from the second he picks his head up in bed, and usually he's pointing at something before I can even get him out of the crib. You can imagine this keeps me on my toes. I have a curious son, and I love that (I, in fact, think it's a fabulous quality to have), but it does lead me to spend a lot of time thinking about what else I can give him to touch, taste, experiment with, etc.

That said, we're taking a little foray into crayons. Closely supervised, of course, but I will say - he's impressed. Especially with the tub crayons we used yesterday. And in true mommy fashion, I've got the pictures to prove that my son is already an artistic genius.

Working on a masterpiece

The only sad thing about tub art is that you can't keep it forever...

"Mommy, are you taking my picture in the TUB?"

Mon(fun)day

We've been painting our bedroom red. OH, have we been painting. You see, matte red over glossy dark blue just isn't a quick project. And doing the painting after Milo goes to bed makes for an even longer process. But I'm happy to report that the red is finished, and now all we have left is the swirly pattern on the bed wall in a beautiful metallic copper (and possibly other metallic colors, depending on how it goes). So what am I saying? A few things. Number one - look forward to some room update pics in the next week or so. Number two - I am exhausted. Number three - I have very little to say (surprised?) So here's a picture of Milo to appease both of us on a Monday morning, and have a lovely day.

THE haircut

Today was the day I've been looking forward to / dreading for a while... First haircut!!!

He was a little apprehensive at first...

So we both ended up in the chair, with him on my lap...

And then Kelly gave him a clip to play with and he was as happy as could be.

We had pictures and video going. Aren't we over-the-top?

He looks practically grown up now.

We three cheesers

And the family + brilliant hairstylist photo!

When I was still pregnant with Milo, I had several dreams that he was born with a mullet. In the dreams, I kept telling Nate, "Please cut this before anyone sees it!" Today, in real life, Milo was working on a bit of a rattail, and his hair was starting to get into his eyes as well, so we had to take him for the cut. I never expected to be so sentimental about it, but I was practically teary on the way there! But it all went well, and now he's looking so old and so handsome. I'm ridiculously blessed, right?

And before I go any further, I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHLOE!!!! I have loved you since you were just a little squirt, so cute with your big cheeks and sprout pigtails. You have been so beautiful since the day you were born, and you're more divalicious every day. I miss you so much and wish I could give you a big birthday squench right now! (p.s. Your gift's on the way...) Love love love you, sweet girl.

Now, let me just give you a funny little story as I swallow tears. Milo's favorite sound is the cow sound, and we frequently ask him, "Milo, what does the cow say?" because it's so cute to hear the answer. So Milo was running around with my phone today, and I noticed that I had gotten a text message from Sar. Just joking, I asked, "Oooooh, Milo, what did Auntie Rah say?" To which he responded, "Moooooooooo!" Love it.

Happy Thursday, people.

Perfect

Ahhhhh, Valentine's Day. When I was younger, I used to write a yearly tirade against it in poem form. I think it made me feel cooler to be anti-Valentine's, and now I've realized that I'm just plain mushy. I can't help it, so I might as well just embrace it.

We could always tell a really good card or gift for my Mom by how much it made her cry. Well, Nate and Milo surprised me with a little something this morning that brought me to tears. Guess it must have been a good one?

Yes, it really says, "Mommy, you're my very first Valentine." Do you want to cry along with me?

I heard quite a commotion in the guest room last night, and I'm pretty sure Nate getting Milo to "sign" and "handprint" the card had a little something to do with it...

Most girls will never be as blessed as I am - I have not one but TWO handsome (and completely legitimate) Valentines. And while one is away working very hard so Milo and I can stay home together (now that is love), I get to dress up my mini-Valentine and take pictures like this...

Perfect, right? Well, close to perfect. What will be even more so is when Nate gets home from work, and the three of us cuddle up together and enjoy take-out (Nate forbade me to cook today) and snuggles for the rest of the night. Perfect.

Rainy Mondays

Good Monday morning. WHEW! It's rainy and gloomy, but there's a little bit of sunshine in my house. It looks a little something like this...

Milo found a new playplace - the drawer underneath the oven.

A living room full of toys and this is what amuses him.

Punk Rock Lily says hello.

Ann was home for a little visit last week, and Milo couldn't get enough of her.

Anyway, naptime is over and it's time to tackle the afternoon. One, two, three, GO!

Tiny baby feet

Do you ever have one of those moments where you want to squeeze the first person you can grab as tightly as possible and hang on for a little while? I couldn't wait until Milo got up this morning so I could spend time snuggling with him. A friend of ours' son pulled out in front of a train and was killed... The news shocked and upset me so much that I could barely comprehend it.

I sat for a while, knitting and thinking about death in general. I guess it's been on my mind this month anyway, and I was trying to decide which was worse - a sudden death that takes you by surprise, or one that you see coming. I've experienced people dying both ways, and I've realized that nothing can prepare you, no matter what anyone says. But to lose your own child. Ouch. The idea literally punches me in the gut and leaves me sick.

Milo got up after I had about 30 minutes to process, and he didn't disappoint. He was all smiles and cuddles and funny sounds. He kept signing for more scone this morning (yes, I feed my child scones - so?), and I told him, "You know, Milo, you could say 'More' with your mouth." He promptly signed more and then pointed in his mouth. Miscommunication at its finest, right? And as I spent a little time with him, the sick feeling left my stomach, and I thanked God out loud that He protects Milo every second. No sense in worrying about losing him because he's covered. So here's a picture of something I'm extraordinarily grateful for always - tiny baby feet that will someday become big man feet that will forever follow his Father.

Cool like Daddy

Pee and cows

One hot summer day last year, I noticed one of the neighborhood kids, maybe three years old, wandering around his yard completely naked. He seemed so delighted that I had to smile, but then I quickly retreated inside, not trying to be that creepy stalky neighbor... A few minutes later I heard his mother, seemingly horrified, calling him to get into the house that instant! But the more I think about it, the more I think she was just putting on a good show. She was delighted to let that baby out of the house to run free for a moment of bliss.

Today was just one of those days. If one baby wasn't crying, it was the other, or even both at times. Lily screamed through Milo's bath, furious with me for putting her on her tummy (I wasn't that mean - she was propped up on the Boppy...). So I hurried Milo through his bath to get to her, and when he was finished, I left him in his room in just a towel while I moved her to a happier position. I know, I know. After the poo incident last week, I should have known better. But his room has a hard wood floor and the dogs were outside, so what harm could come?

Well, plenty. Before I knew it, Milo was screaming, too. I popped Lily into the jump-a-roo (which she adores) and headed in after Milo, who was now a heap of screaming hooded towel and tiny man flat on the floor. And then I noticed the puddle of pee and the slide marks and realized that he had indeed peed on the floor and then slipped and fell in it. (sigh) Poor baby. I usually laugh off the pee on the floor, to Nate's horror (keep in mind the man can smell pee a mile away - I've literally watched him sniff across the floor to find a phantom pee spot and dodged him when he's asked me, "Smell this! Does this smell like pee?"). But pee on hard wood is serious business, and I wasn't feeling like the world's greatest mommy at this point.

Milo loves naked time, after all his hours spent in a diaper. The child loves to run free, but what can I do if the carpet and the flooring are no longer safe? It hit me. I'll just send him outside for naked time, just like neighbor kid's mom did, and if I see any pesky neighbors nosing around, I'll fake like it was an accident. Can I do that, in all good conscience? Hmmmm. I'm thinking not. But it was a fun idea for that brief second...

Being a mommy to a boy is fun and easy and completely complicated at the same time. I wouldn't trade it for anything, though. Tonight we ran to Hobby Lobby, and let Milo hold a little plastic cow. I thought we might buy it for him since he loves to make the cow sound, but then held out for a little people cow instead. I returned the cow to its shelf, and Milo spent the rest of the time mooing very indignantly at me, reminding me (and all of Hobby Lobby) that he really wanted that toy. I'll know better next time than to hand him something before I decide if we're getting it. But what a cute little indignant cow he made!

Another DIY

I've been doing a bit more DIYing, and here's what I came up with. A cable-knit coffee cozy, which lived in my house less than 24 hours before it went elsewhere. I can't keep things to myself. It's literally not in my nature. But now I have to make a few more...

Milo has been splashing so much in the tub lately. We have a little whale toy that has lights and sprays water out, and Milo gets just plain indignant when the whale sprays him in the face. So then he has to splash the whale back, and then he has to splash me until I'm soaked, and when he starts splashing me he gets so joyful that I have to laugh. And then he has to belly laugh, which makes me giggle all the more. I know what to expect every bathtime, but it re-delights me every single time. Look at this adorable (and clean) little man!

Milo thinks it's funny to get into the Bumbo when I take Lily out.

Lily has been finding so much personality lately, too - babbling and smiling, especially at Nate (which absolutely melts him).

Anyway, today is finally Friday, which means freshly baked bread for communion, no doing dishes for 24 hours (a blessing and a curse), and plenty of family time. Oh, and did anyone besides me forget that the Super Bowl is this weekend? After the 49ers got knocked out of the running, Nate and I stopped caring, and I couldn't even remember who the Patriots are playing. Happy weekend to you, and may your Super Bowl parties be full of bean dip and guacamole!

Patching holes

It’s now February (yeah, I’m a day behind on that one), the month of love and black history, both of which I’m a huge fan of. But it’s also a month that makes me contemplate loss, and I’ve been thinking a lot about holes lately. Holes that people leave when they’re not a part of your life anymore. Relationships come and go, and I realize it’s a natural part of life. But it doesn’t mean that those people don’t shape the fabric of who you are, or that they don’t rip a piece out when they go.

The Bible says not to patch an old cloth with a new piece (Matthew 9:16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.”). I know that Jesus wasn’t necessarily talking about relationships in that context, but I understand what he means. You can’t replace an old relationship with a new one and expect it to repair what’s missing. Eventually you’ll realize that person can’t just fill a void, and things will come apart, leaving you worse than you were to begin with.

I’m not saying there’s no hope, believe me. I guess I’m just saying that February is a month that reminds me of two big holes that remain after I lost two really important people. They were both born this month, which is exceedingly bittersweet - remembering the day they were born reminds me of their loss.

Grandpa was born February 2, and all the groundhogs rejoiced. He was a big man (until toward the end), the only person I knew in real life who shopped at the “big and tall” stores. His hugs were extraordinary, and his smile lit up his entire face. I remember playing cards with my Grandpa and Grandma, and they unashamedly beat me at poker and took my pennies (which I’m pretty sure they gave me to begin with).  Spending time with them made me cheerful, and I always left feeling like Grandpa could handle anything, and he’d do it with incredibly fresh breath (tic-tac, anyone?).

Kind of looks like a gentle giant, holding little baby Katie...

Grandpa loved his grandgirls. Guess which one I am?

Dad was born February 7, and I’ve always counted myself as incredibly lucky to have had him as long as I did. I was 12 when he died, but those twelve years left an indelible impression on me. Understanding a loving Father God was easy from the beginning, because all I had to do was think about my own dad. He had the loudest laugh (which I think I inherited) and the most gregarious personality. He was generous with his time and never turned me down for a spot on his lap to watch a baseball game. Nate says I have Dad’s round cheeks, which makes me proud to smile every day of my life.

A proud, happy family.

Dad always loved to see people open gifts.

I’m missing these special men, but I’ll take the holes they left over never knowing them at all. Grandpa made Mom, and Dad made me, and without both of them, there'd be no Milo (I know, I know - they did the world a favor, right?). So they're some pretty important men, and they always will be. I've got some new important men now in Nate and Milo, and we'll make new memories to smile on in the future. I told Milo the other day about his Grandpa Jay and his Great-Grandpa Dutch, and I said, "You don't get to meet them, but they made Mommy who she is. So, in a way, they'll make you a little bit of who you are, too."