Baby Kisses

My little man loves to stand. He'll nearly stand all day long (as long as we are holding onto him) in our laps, on the floor, wherever! He loves to stand there and look around, craning his neck around every which way to see what's going on.

A few weeks ago he started staring intently at our faces and then bringing his hands up and grabbing our mouths, noses, ears, eyes, and cheeks. He's so interested by our faces! Are we that funny looking? I guess so.

His new trick these days is one that I hope stays around for a while! It's my favorite. When he stands there on my lap he'll lean in with a big, wide, slobbery mouth and give me a big baby kiss! The biggest smile comes across my face and I say "Oh, thank you for the kiss!" He leans back with the biggest toothless grin and squeals.

Yesterday afternoon he did this multiple times and finally my husband asked from his office "Are you getting kisses in there?" And just a few seconds later he was in the living room with us, ready to get a big, slobbery kiss as well.

And this is just another reason that I love being a mom.

Borrowed Post: Quality Does Not Equal Quantity

Quality time vs. quantity time has been debated over and over again for years and years. Here is a link to my other blog explaining my take on the debate. I'm sure it is no surprise! 

Here is a little snippet of the post: 

"You can't plan quality time. Yes, you can plan special events, like birthday parties, holiday parties, or a family game night. You will probably even make lasting memories at those events, but don't those events usually have some sort of "schedule?" Birthday parties we plan to eat around this time, cut the cake a little later, and then open presents at that time. Holiday parties we do the same thing. Game nights have conversations directed toward the particular game we are playing. There is nothing wrong is getting together and doing those things... I think it is great! But are we really spending qualitytime together when we do that?"

Go over and check it out!

Reason # 1051: Watching My Family Love On My Baby

Since the birth of my boy, I have learned so much about my family and my husband's family. I never paid much attention to how they all love babies and kids. I mean it's a kind of a given, right? Grandparents love their grand kids. Aunts and Uncles love to roughhouse with their nieces and nephews or slip them a cookie when they know that kid's parents wouldn't have allowed it because they've already had five. Kids and babies bring so much joy to families. The silly dances and mannerisms they have, the way they mispronounce words, the questions they come up with... There is hardly a dull moment with little kids around! 

I have been an aunt for several years and watched how my parents and in laws bend over backwards for love their grand kids. I have watched them snap picture after picture, read book after book, and allow their grand kids to do things they never would have allowed their own kids to do. I knew what kind of grandparents my parents and my husbands parents were already... or at least I thought I did. Before my boy was born, I was more of a spectator, so to speak. I just watched my parents and in laws with their grand kids. I didn't know what went on "behind the scenes," like how much they would inquire about their grandchild and love receiving pictures of them. I didn't know they would jump out of bed at 3:30 am and head to the hospital (two hours away) when they got the text that my water had broke. 

There isn't much more I love at family functions than seeing my family with my boy. I love to see my mother in law hold him, smiling ear to ear, while my father in law talks to him. I love to see my grandpa wave at me from across the room to bring him over because his lap is empty and he needs a great-grand baby to fill it! I love when my mom and dad are nearly waiting at the back door to carry him inside their house when we visit. Or when one of my siblings says "do I get to hold him today or not?"

My little man brings so much joy to my husband and I, and it just makes my heart swell when I see him putting a smile on others faces as well. What do you love about watching your family around your little ones?

# 0038: My Growth

I have developed a "growth" on my right hip... It's a really chunky, giggly, slobbery, adorable growth. I guess we've entered into the "attachment" or "separation anxiety" phase. It took him longer to get here than it took the other two. Actually, he detaches easier than the other two did, which is kind of good since there is the other two.

I love that little growth! Most days it feels like I'm walking through mud to get things done around the house because of the neediness of this age, but I know from experience that this growth wont hang on forever. In just a matter of days he'll be crawling. Still, it's good for him to sit and play with a basket of toys while I type up a blog post every now and then.
Oh!- Did you think I was going to talk about Reason # 0038 being my growth as a mother? Oh yeah- there's that, too...

# 0038: Rocking Babies

I love rocking my babies. I love to be able to rock them to sleep or calm them down when they're worked up. 
Honestly my girl has been my favorite to rock. The boys were really more interested in the food. I could rock her all day long because she was the only one at the time. We would "rock 'n' read" after lunch and "rock, read-n, sing" before bed. 
I loved rocking the girl to sleep... until she got too big to rock to sleep. I'd think she was asleep, lay her down and those big eyes would pop open. That's when we had to start some sleep training. Around 9 months or so we had to let her cry it out... sort of. We kept our rockin' routine, then we checked in on her every 10-15 minutes and basically did everything but pick her up again. I even sat, holding her little fingers through the slats of her crib singing every verse of "Jesus Loves Me" I knew about 76 times each. I wanted to pick her up and rock her, but it just got to where she wouldn't rock to sleep anymore. We kept our routine except for the laying-her-down-completely-asleep part. She had to learn to get herself to sleep. You never know about those rascals. It was a different story with the boy and I know it will be different with the new boy, too.
I know there's a blog post going around right now about all the contradictions in baby sleep advice from the experts. I'm blessed to have my own panel of experts, of course; "The Grandmas". 
I'm not sure what all the expert books say, but I have yet to meet a grandma- anybody's grandma of any age that wasn't ready and willin' to drop everything for a chance to rock a baby. They all get that same sweet, longing look on their faces recalling the babies they've rocked. That tells me something. That tells me that rocking babies is meaningful (to say the least) for years to come for the babies and the mamas. It's bonding. It's memorable. It's something you don't want to miss out on! 
I'm all for the parenting books, but rocking babies just seems like basic common sense; a natural, motherly thing to do at least every once in awhile. I love the memories I have of rocking my babies. I even have memories of being rocked myself by both grandmas. I remember singing "This Little Light of Mine" while being rocked back and forth. 
This is the song that was going through my head while writing this post:

I'll do everything I can to make you proud to be my man 
And I'll fulfill all your fantasies
I guess we're promising a lot, but for now it's all we've got 
And I'll stand by you thru our rockin' years 

Rockin' chairs, rockin' babies, rock-a-bye, rock of ages 
Side by side we'll be together always 
And if you'll hold me tight when you love me 
That's all I'll ask of you 
And I'll stand by you thru our rockin' years 

I'll be your friend, I'll be your lover 
Until the end, there'll be no other 
'Cause my heart has only room for one 
Yes, I'll always love you, and I'll always be here for you 
And I'll stand by you thru our rockin' years 

Rockin' chairs, rockin' babies, rock-a-bye, rock of ages 
Side by side we'll be together always 
And if you'll hold me tight when you love me 
That's all I'll ask of you 
And I'll stand by you thru our rockin' years 

Rockin' chairs, rockin' babies, rock-a-bye, rock of ages 
Side by side, we'll be together always 
And, yes, I'll always love you and I'll always be here for you 
And I'll stand by you thru our rockin' years, and I'll be here 
And I'll stand by you thru our rockin' years 

Thru our rockin' years 

Yep, that's "Rockin' Years" (Dolly Parton with Ricky Van Shelton from their albums Eagle When She Flies and Backroads, respectively)

# 0030: Sharing My Own Childhood

Over the past year, we have been able to procure some “family heirlooms” from various family members. I’m not into collecting a bunch of stuff because we have our own household of stuff, but when there’s some little old something that holds a memory for me I want it!- because I want to share it with my kids. A lot of my motivation for anything comes from wanting to give my kids a good, healthy, magical, memorable childhood. And sharing a piece of my own childhood with them adds to their’s. Sharing my own childhood memories about anything with them connects us, sharing memories about grandparents or other relatives gives them a sense of where they come from, doing something new and special with them makes them feel special and over-all it’s just a good, bonding time!

When my grandma passed away last summer the only things I really wanted were her old storybooks and her plastic McDonaldland plates. We use the plates only when we eat pancakes (because eating pancakes was a fun thing at Grandma’s house- she made them into any animal shape we requested) and we keep her books put up and only read them every once in a while. It’s like a visit to her house. Over the holidays, I got her jar of marbles and her old tin Chinese checkers board that I remember my cousins and I playing with at her house. I know my kids wont have very many memories with her in them- that’s just how life works, but I love that I get to share with them the same things that were shared with me as a kid. I feel like it connects the generations.

Before my oldest was born I asked my other grandma (yes, we are blessed with lots of grandparents, but that’s another post) if she remembered reading “Wynken, Blynken and Nod” to me when I was little. She couldn’t find her book, but found the exact same one at a flea market. I was so excited! I loved reading that poem to my baby girl. I love that we can go to her house and my kids can play with the same wooden blocks that my cousins and I played with also.

I love being able to share these same things with my kids. Now, these memories my not end up being as special to them. They may remember other things and hold other memories dear. That’s okay! My kids may get something completely different out of it. Either way, I’ve shared a little family history with them. They know where they come from. I’ve shared a little bit of me with them. They know what makes their mama tick. I’ve shared something with them period. We’ve had a good time.

Of course, I’d rather these things be in my grandma’s house with her there, too, but that’s not the way this world works. I know it’s all just stuff, but it’s also a vehicle for bonding and learning. I love that I am able to share so much with my kids because I was given great memories as child. Now I can relive them. I like to watch the same old cartoons with my kids, eat Jello out of fancy glasses, play the same made up games and of course, tell stories that remind me and my kids that I used to be a kid, too.

I don’t want to leave out anyone who had a not-so-awesome childhood or someone who can’t get a hold of those old family artifacts- even if there is a type of gum you remember chewing or a cartoon you liked to watch, find it on the internet or a flea market or at least something that reminds you of the original. It’s fun for kids to think of their parents as being kids once upon a time. I love being a kid again with my kids!

"Think not forever of yourselves, O Chiefs, nor of your own generation. Think of continuing generations of our families, think of our grandchildren and of those yet unborn, whose faces are coming from beneath the ground."  -T.S. Eliot