Only 12 Stickers Left!

Ok, without context, this title makes no sense at all!

Before you were born, your Grandma Brooks gave us a calendar for your first year to keep track of all of your developmental milestones and firsts. Here you are, only seven months old, and you only have 12 stickers left! So far we have placed stickers for your first bath, the first time you rolled over, when you started crawling, and now, just in the past couple of days, we have added First Tooth and Pulls Self to Stand! This first year is going by so quickly, and I think it really hit home when I looked at the sheet that used to be completely filled with stickers, and now there are just a handfull left.

Of course, you have done some things for which there aren't stickers, but that doesn't diminish their importance to us. Some of the firsts that we have documented, kept track of and tucked away in our memories may seem silly, but they are so special. Just today, you rode in a shopping cart for the first time without your infant carrier. See? Silly I know, but it was special to me to see you sitting up like a big boy in the cart. You loved it, too. The view was completely different, and you couldn't stop looking around. It was also the first time you stayed awake past the bread aisle.

Other special-only-to-us firsts: At your first doctor's appointment, you peed all over me. That was a first for me, as well. One that I have not repeated since, I might add. There was your first boo boo; you somehow bit and bruised your tongue, although you had no teeth at the time. Your first smile was sticker-worthy, but there wasn't a sticker for your first "Monster Smile." You make this crazy face with your nose all scrunched up, and now it even has a mosnter-breathing-sound to go with it. Makes me laugh when you do it! (see the picture to the right)

One of my favorites.... Your first Google search. :) Daddy was looking for something on the internet and you reached over and, by chance, hit the enter key and launched his search. (We are geeks, and I'm sure one of your firsts will be "the first time Mom and Dad
embarrassed me!")

As you grow and explore, there will be so many firsts, and we cant wait to be there to experience them right along with you. We may have to break out the crayons and make some stickers!

The Great Baby Playdate

You, Graham, Isabella, Tyler and Chase

May 2010

Dear Ian,

This weekend was a blast! Not only did you get to spend time with me and your Daddy, we also had a house full of babies! Yesterday we invited the Ghios, the Bischoffs and the Leidys to come over with all of their babies and play. Grand total, we had five babies in the house. Isabella is the oldest, albeit the smallest, and our only girl of the group. Next come Chase and Tyler, the twins, who are nine days older than you, then you and then Graham, who is a day younger than you. It was so fun to watch the group of you! Kinda makes one wonder if these friendships will continue on as you grow up (which Mommy and Daddy hope, since we like the other parents) and what your future friendships will be like.

It seems like just the other day we were all sitting in our Nursing Mommy Support Group with newborns, and now here you all are crawling, learning to crawl and growing up so fast.

There's a commercial on TV right now for microwave pizza or some other thing, and as corny as it sounds, it makes me cry. The commercial opens with a minivan pulling up to a house and three boys blasting out of it carrying pillows and backpacks, ready for a sleepover. The group of boys and the Dad of the house play nerf dart tag or something and then they eat their pizza (the point of the commercial, I think) and all have a great time. Doesn't sound like much to make a mommy cry, right? But I am a sap. I think of the days to come when this house is full of little boys coming to have a sleep-over, complete with pillow fights in the living room and thudding feet as you run up and down the stairs. Lord help us. :) But I can't wait. I want to make sure that you and your friends are comfortable being here. Be it pool parties, slumber parties (please make sure you remember the slumber part when we get to these) or just hanging out, I want there to be a good relationship between you, us, your friends and your friends parents. This weekend was just a small taste of that. Sure, Dad and I will embarrass you at some point, but that's to be expected. And, oh well. We're your folks, no matter if we embarrass you or not! :)

So, in a nutshell, this post is about friends. You have just baby friends now, and it's more fun for us grownups to have playdates at the moment. But hopefully through our guidance, as you grow you will develop friendships with good kids, make good choices and still remember to hang out with Mom and Dad every now and then, too.

Love, Mommy

25 Reasons I Love Your Daddy

Dear Ian,

It's only fitting that you know some of the reasons why I love your Daddy with all of my heart. He is such an amazing man, and we are lucky to have him! Here's a list of the top 25 reasons why he's my love...

1. After being together for almost 15 years, it doesn't seem like it's been that long.
2. He is the most patient man I know. He tutored me through algebra and taught me to drive stick shift, after all.
3. He is quietly determined and goal oriented. I have never met such a hard worker.
4. He doesn't mind coming home to a wife and baby still in their jammies and a messy house because he knows we've had a good time playing and being lazy.
5. He supports us both finanically and personally.
6. He has made it possible for me to stay home and take care of you.
7. His Excel spreadsheets. :)
8. The way he knows how to make me laugh.
9. Listening to him give you a bath melts my heart.
10. He puts up with me and my occasional irrationality.
11. His smiles.
12. He holds my hand when we go somewhere or when we just sit on the couch.
13. He calms me down when I feel like I'm losing my mind.
14. The way he will sometimes do something that makes me nuts on purpose just to be funny. Like the gangsta stuff in the car. Ask him to show you when you are older.
15. For exposing me to different foods, music and activities.
16. For always introducing me to people he knows.
17. He always kisses me goodnight, goodbye and good morning.
18. He always kisses you goodnight, goodbye and good morning.
19. He will sometimes bring me chocolate.
20. He gets onto me for not following my diet.
21. Your Daddy did all of my research on PCOS and helped me defeat it so we could have you.
22. He loves me.
23. He loves you.
24. He is dependable.
25. He makes me feel like I'm the most important person in the world.

There are so many little reasons why I love him, but these are just a few that come to mind. I am lucky to have him as a husband, and you are one lucky little guy to have him as a Daddy. I know that you will grow up learning from his example, and I think this makes me the most happy and proud. One day a girl will write a list similar to this about you, and because you have had your Daddy as a role model, I have faith that she will love you just as much. But you aren't allowed to date or find her until you have your degree...

I love you
Mommy

Grandmas and Great Grandmas

Dear Ian,

I just put you down for your second nap today, and while singing our lullaby to you, it got me thinking about my grandmothers. They would be your great-grandmothers, and it saddens me that you never got to meet them.

Your Great-grandma Davis was such a sweet lady, and I dont even know how to start to describe her to you so that it would do her justice. I guess the best way to describe her would be to list some of the things that I learned or learned to appreciate because of her.

* Tuna fish sandwiches and Fruit Loops taste so much better after getting out of the pool.
* A love of musicals and old movies like Meet Me In St. Louis, In the Good Old Summertime, and The Sound of Music.
* Shirley Temple was her favorite.
* Riding a scooter never goes out of style.
* And neither does doing a split. She could do one well into her 60's.
* She loved your Great-Grandpa with all of her heart, and I remember asking her once what she wanted to be when she grew up when she was younger, and her response was, "Papa's wife."
* Family was so incredibly important to her, and she had our family tree detailed out about 4 generations.
* She would have loved to hold you.

There are days when I can still hear her saying my name, still smell her perfume, and feel the way she used to brush my hair for hours. I make her famous cookie recipe now at Christmas time, and even though I follow it perfectly, I still feel like it's missing something; maybe it's her touch that is missing.

Your Great-grandma Colombrito was just as special. She was different that Grandma Davis in that she didnt bake cookies and she was a little more stern, but she was amazing in her own way. She forged her own path, receiving her Masters degree and expected nothing less of her children and grandchildren. Sometimes it felt hard to live up to her, but she loved us for who we were just the same.

She also had her silly moments. I remember her teaching us a song about bedbugs and mosquitos, and to this day it makes me smile. I sang it to you the other day, and you laughed and smiled, too. It's her lullaby that I sing to you every time you go to sleep, and singing to you just now for this nap is what made me start this post.

Some things about Grandma Colombrito that I will never forget...
* "Mussint touches." One day I will have to say this to you and explain it. Hopefully I wont laugh. :)
* Papa forever telling her to sit down!
* The way she always had Cheerios or Oreos in the house.
* Phisoderm bubble bath. Stuff smelled like awfulness, but she always let us have a bubble bath!

Your Daddy's Grandmas were just as special, but I didnt get to spend much time with your Great-grandma Brooks. In the time that I did get to spend with her, I learned that she made an amazing blueberry cobbler, and she was a phenomenal painter. We have one of her paintings here in the house. I cant wait to show it to you when you are a little older.

Great-grandma Graves is still with us. She is your only remaining Great-grandma, and she is just smitten with you. She loves to hold you and play with you, and you love to play with her jewelry. :) Great-grandma Graves sure loves her bracelettes and necklaces! She is currently dealing with her own health battles, but hopefully she will be around to watch you grow up and pass on some of her memories to you. I cant wait for your Daddy to share his memories of growing up with his Grandmothers to you, too.

As far as your Grandmas go, I will have to start another post! This one is already longer than I intended it to be, and I have so much to say about them. Just know for now that you are the most loved grandson on the planet to them, and that is the most important thing I could possibly say about them!

Love,
Mommy

Technology is amazing!

Dear Ian,

Back in the old days, a mommy would have to buy a journal to record her thoughts and ideas, but now, I can write anything I want, press a button, and it is launched to the world. Hopefully you'll read these one day and not be completely embarrassed.

I plan to use this blog to write about the zillions of things that go through my head as I spend every day with you watching you grow and learn. Just this morning, you discovered your reflection in a mirror. It was hilarious to watch you reach out and touch your own face, determined to feel that "baby in the mirror's" nose. You would bump your head as you tried to get closer and screech in frustration! Not that I find your frustration funny, but your persistence to reach out and touch that baby was great to watch. It's just one more way that you remind me that every day is a new adventure. Something as simple as a reflection can be such an exciting experience. I typically take things like that for granted, but you have taught me to see things through new eyes. Take, for example, the photo on the right. This was the first time you got to experience sand. You had a blast picking it up, letting it sift through your hands. You positively cracked up at the sensation, and I just had to laugh right a long with you. Never before had sand been that funny to me!

You're taking a nap right now, but I cant wait to see what you discover when you wake up! Such potential at every waking.

Love,
Mommy