MollyMadonna.com

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ten (plus ten).

Hanker Tanker,

Well, little mister, you are officially ten months old. Ten months and ten days actually, but things were a little offbeat last week when you turned double digits. Will you forgive your well-intentioned mama? As the calendar rolled over to your ten month mark, you were busy spending precious time with family and  loving your mommy well when the days were hard. You never cease to amaze me, mini-gentleman of mine. With less than a year under your belt, you teach me plenty about grace most days–always serving as a reminder for me to be my best self, always cuddling or smiling or needing me in a way that says, “I forgive you,” when I don’t quite get it right.

At ten months old, HD, you have proven yourself a most patient and accommodating child on more occasions than we could expect. You have your moments of course (when the days get long and you’ve been away from your own bed too many nights in a row), but in all fairness, I do the same and I’m almost 29 years your senior. I’m not sure that changes much with age, darlin’, and I’m thankful that you’re at least honest with us about your needs. Truly, there are times when I wonder whether I could inherit a smattering of your miniature wisdom; you seem to have a keen sense of what everyone else around you is feeling, and you act accordingly. I don’t know how it’s possible for someone your age to have such sensitivity or awareness, but remarkably, you do. You continue to be a most incredible and undeserved gift to us.

I have never been more grateful for–nor more proud of you, than I have been these past few weeks. I keep thinking that my love for you couldn’t possibly grow any more, and just when I’m convinced of it, my heart stretches even a bit further. You are a light to the people around you–just ask anyone who spent time with us in Gramma’s hospital room. God shines through you into our lives in a tangible and holy way, and as your mama, I’m just humbled over and over to have the privilege of caring for you in this season of your life. I hope I can somehow do you justice.

In as many ways as you bless us, Henry David, you keep us on our toes just as much:) You are crawling, cruising, scaling, standing, reaching, tip-top-toeing your way to everything you can get your hands on. We agreed just tonight, in fact, that caring for you throughout the day has grown exponentially more challenging in the past week and a half. You’re doing absolutely nothing wrong, mind you. You’re doing everything exactly as you should be. It’s every corner, edge, stair, wall, object, and turn that are the problem, really. Effectively, we could blame the house–or perhaps it’s lack of true baby-proofness (That is not a word, by the way, but I’m your mother, so I’m using it. In time, you’ll learn all about my penchant for making up words;). Needless to say, we are doing our best to save you from the major falls and scrapes and bruises that would cause unnecessary pain and/or tears on our watch. And we’re making note of every angle requiring immediate or near-immediate attention, planning a thorough and vigilant elimination of said culprits in the days to come. You did try to scale your dresser yesterday, Oh Adventurous One, and while it’s tempting to remove all furniture from your sphere of influence until you truly get your sea legs, we will not be stacking soft piles of clothing on the floor in its stead. The thing is heavy and not going anywhere–it’s you I’m worried about. What do you say we don’t fall off the front of the dresser anytime soon?

On a last, but certainly no less significant note, you are pronouncing WORDS, my dear. Real, certifiable, recognizable words. When did you learn to say things like, “Clock!” ??? Clock. Really. Of all things. I’m not knocking the probability of your being our punctual child, I’m just saying. Duck and dog and car and dada and mama were all so much more predictable when they happened. You’re still missing a few K’s and R’s here and there, but I truly appreciate the way you say “Kruger” in your own, special vernacular. It is certainly helpful to know what you want, who you’re looking for, and what’s on your mind. Someday we’ll have entire conversations, and I look forward to those. Still, I’ll take all of the “clocks” and “Krugers” and “cars” I can get while they’re blooming. (I’ve learned so much more about human development raising you thus far than I ever did in biology, psychology and all of the other classrooms combined.)

Thank you for being a bright spot even on the dimmest days, precious bug. Ten months and ten days with you, and we’ve needed sunglasses on every one of them! Don’t let anyone ever tell you differently, sweet boy. YOU are a marvelous creation!

all the love in the world,

your mama

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progress revisited.

Seven months ago (minus one day :), I wrote the post below on the subject of progress. Tonight when I sat down to blog, amidst my fill of emotions on a challenging evening, I knew there were words I’d written before that would fit the bill to a T. This particular post was a good reminder for me about being intentional and making the most of what we’ve been given. I’ll share more soon about why this is so significant in the moment, but for now, I hope the refresher is as good for you as it was for me tonight. The part striking a chord most fittingly was this–

Love your heart out. Love until it hurts, until you’re exhausted and you can’t see straight. Love like tomorrow may not come, and then love even more when it does. Love so that everything [anyone] knows of you is filling up and bubbling over with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control…Love. Oooooooh, it’s the very easiest and the very hardest thing to do at times. But it’s worth it.

Without further ado, progress:

“It’s in the little things. I used to think that moving forward meant huge strides or big, ginormous leaps into new territory, but sometimes (or most times) it’s the small, hard-to-notice steps that really make the biggest difference. This applies to so many things in life…the littlest prayer turns into a daily conversation with God, which turns into life change and spiritual wellness and world change if we let it. One first jog around the block becomes two, becomes miles, becomes a marathon. One day’s change in a piggy bank evolves into a dream vacation, a college fund, a downpayment on a house, savings. And all of the little steps we take to get to such monumental places in our lives are each significant in their own right. Without one step, how can we take two?

I’m thinking about this tonight as I ponder our new way of life with a little one, and as our conversations these days revolve around schedules, structure, finances, our future…Henry’s. When you have a baby, suddenly you think about his or her future more than your own. And life choices feel more significant because you’re making them for more than just you; for more than just you and your spouse and your future together for the next however many years. Now, I think about Henry and the generations after him. I think about things like diapers in landfills (insignificant in the grand, Kingdom scheme) and generational sin (HUGELY significant where the Kingdom’s concerned)–and everything in between. How will we afford what Henry needs on every level? Spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally, financially? And what about his someday brothers or sisters? Whoa. There is serious significance to a good number of the decisions we make, and at just shy of three months old, Henry is making this more obvious to us than ever before. (Just one of the many reasons we’re meant to procreate and look after children, no?)

So these smallish steps we’re taking daily are baby steps for a reason. We have to relearn to navigate a lot of territory, for Henry’s sake, yes, but for our own as well. There are still plenty of priorities that stayed the same when Henry came along, but there’s a whole new set of priorities that are edging their way into the daily mix. Of utmost importance and at the top of the priority list? Love.

Love your heart out. Love until it hurts, until you’re exhausted and you can’t see straight. Love like tomorrow may not come, and then love even more when it does. Love so that everything this little person knows of you is filling up and bubbling over with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Love in your home so that there’s no question about where it comes from. Love God so that your little one(s) can see Him radiating through you into their lives. Love your spouse, inwardly and outwardly, in such a way that your tiny babe can SEE it between you and KNOW how secure a life he or she is living as part of a family. Love. Oooooooh, it’s the very easiest and the very hardest thing to do at times. But it’s worth it.

Every time we choose love over the alternative (whatever that may be in any case…exhaustion, laziness, disdain, frustration, sadness, emptiness, loneliness, forgetfulness, distraction, pain, naivety, hate, mistrust…), we take one step in the right direction. Not only the right direction for our little ones, but for our own hearts, our marriages, our friendships, and most especially, for our relationship with Christ. And that–no matter how many dishes are left dirty in the sink, no matter how many loads of laundry are left to do at the end of the day, is progress.

I want Henry to remember a mom who took care of things…one who cooked and cleaned and washed and kept things up so he felt provided for in as many ways as possible. But more than that, I want him to remember how I prayed. And I want him to remember–so well that he can grasp at any moment, for his whole lifetime, how I loved.”

processing,

mm

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this thing we do.

We spent a little time tonight watching videos from when Henry was just days and weeks old. I can’t believe that the teensy tiny baby on camera is the same child who keeps us moving at all times now, just seven, eight, nine months later. It’s a funny thing, being a parent at this stage. Nine + months doesn’t seem all that long ago, and of course we remember those first moments less than a year later. Right?

To some degree, I’d say. I do remember a lot about Henry’s birth and the days that followed, but I think there may have been a good portion that got tucked away behind the new parent haze and the major sleep deprivation that moved in with us when we got home from the hospital. Still, I loved it. Every minute of it. And tonight, watching snippets of our time as a very new family of three made my heart leap all over again. Sure, this gig is hard on a lot of days, but it’s the best job I’ve ever had. I know Jason would agree.

It’s amazing how much I find myself taken with every stage. A good friend has told me on multiple occasions that she’s loved every stage–and that they just get better and better. I admired the prospect of that possibility, but admittedly, I had a hard time believing it when I first set eyes on our little man–I was so in love. The longer I spent time with him as a newborn, the more I was convinced that there’d be little competition for how much my heart overflowed in that season. Not true. On Monday, when Henry said, “Hi!” for the first time while waving at a friend’s little girl, I was reminded just how much he is coming into his own–and how I love every single new change. This evening, when he said, “Buh Bye” while waving goodnight to friends, every bit of the mom in me lit up. More growth. More fun. More of something to celebrate as a parent.

At this stage of Hank’s development, every small thing feels like a big thing to me as his mama. In the same way that his first smile had me near tears in the nursery last Spring, Henry’s discoveries and new words, the connections he makes–and the ability to watch them happen, all bring me such great joy.

My friend was right. It just gets better and better. The day Henry came into our lives, I immediately loved our tiny baby boy more than I ever thought possible. I couldn’t describe just how good it felt then, and I can’t tonight. We are loving every stage as Hank’s parents. How could we not!?

making the days count,

mm

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the new top ten.

I was inspired today by this post, which brought me back to this post from eight and half months ago. At the time, Henry was just shy of a month old–his preferences, newborn and tiny. Not so these days, as our crawling, cruising, chatty little man makes his opinions clear and well known in this neck of the woods. He is bolder by the day, and we love him for it. Henry’s new list is 80% revised and comes with nine times the experience. He’d never admit it, but he’s quite the seasoned reviewer by now 😉

In no particular order, the list:

1) Sophie the Giraffe. Where he goes, she goes. Sophie is Henry’s lovey to date, if he has one. We never leave home without her, and although her spots have faded, Henry lights up at first glance every time. Perhaps its her cultured and well-traveled background he’s so drawn to…now 50 years in the making, Sophie is still traditionally produced in Rumilly, in the Haute-Savoie Region of France, and made from 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea Tree. Comment magnifique!

2) Baby Einstein’s Take Along Tunes. A favorite even before he could change the songs himself, Henry has an affinity for his Take Along Tunes. This toy (I should say, these, because we deemed it worthy of a backup) has bought us countless hours of peace and quiet while traveling. The songs themselves are relatively catchy and manageable to the parental ear, and the flashing (disco-like) lights seem to engage young minds in a way I’m far less able to tolerate at the old age of 29. The batteries on our first unit are just now wearing out, and the second is still going strong. Thank you, Baby Einstein, for a most perfect diversion. Henry loves you, and so do we.

3) Puffs!!! As Henry will be the first to attest, puffs are amazing. They’re the perfect snack for any time of day, great on the go, and easy to clean up. Not to mention the fact that they’re excellent practice when little ones are first rehearsing manual dexterity. Gotta love that pincher grasp! I still get a kick out of watching HD eat them, even months after their introduction. Such pudgy little fingers…such a guiltless way to buy time with a hungry boy. These Happy Baby Organic Puffs are our absolute favorite. There’s always a canister or two somewhere in the house.

4) The Ergo. I had no idea how particular a baby could be about a baby carrier. I had grandiose visions of swaddling Henry and wearing his cute little self everywhere we went when he was small, but he was on an entirely different plan. No Moby, no K’Tan, no slings, no Infantino. I liked them all and wanted so badly for one to work, but alas. That is, until we picked up the Ergo. This baby carrier redeemed the glimmering hope I’d once had of hands-free baby-wearing bliss. Henry protested a bit at first, but with a little determination and a number of trips up and down the block to experiment close to home, he finally made peace with the Ergo. We love it, how well it wears, how supportive it is for both mom (short!) and dad (not short!), how it looks, feels, adjusts. You get the idea. The Ergo Baby Infant Insert was also helpful when H was small, and we still sometimes use the cushion without the shell to boost him up for comfort. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

5) Sassy Seat Doorway Jumper. A household favorite indeed. Henry jumps his little heart out and our hands are free. We’ve found it especially useful on nights when the tired in our boy just won’t make an appearance, when we’re still eating dinner and he’s ready for action, and when it’s too close to bedtime for a nap and not quite close enough to call it a day. Somehow, its bouncy, springy, bright, and buggy self does the trick in all three scenarios, and for this, we’re grateful. Very definitely worth looking at in the doorway of our living room on a daily basis. Trade offs, you know?

6) Bugaboo Frog Stroller. Making its second appearance on just as many lists, the Bugaboo was a Craigslist dream come true pre-baby, and it’s still going strong. It jockeyed with a B.O.B.for a bit (which almost stole the title for its running stroller capabilities), but we have to admit that the Bugaboo has fought hard and strong for spot numero uno in our book. Could be the cozy and oh-so-warm foot muff at this time of year, or the fact that we’re all a bit too sentimental to pick another favorite since it’s been with us from the start. Regardless, Henry gives it two adorable thumbs up. He’s snug as a bug in his Bugaboo, and we love that.

7) That’s Not My Bunny (and other similar titles). Henry wants to read this book daily. He will find it anywhere in the nursery and turn the pages over and over. We’ve since procured That’s Not My Dinosaur and have several others in the queue. (That’s Not My Puppy will have to make an appearance here shortly.) Could be the touchy-feely aspect, with great tactile variety page after page, or it could just be Usborne. There’s not a single Usborne book we’ve encountered to date that we don’t all absolutely love. “It’s ears are SO soft!…”

8) The Boppy(s). A tried and true friend to both mom and baby, Henry and I have spent many-an-hour enjoying all that it has to offer. Since Henry’s first top ten debuted, we’ve borrowed a second Boppy from a friend to eliminate the need to transport said Boppy from one floor to the other and back again with every feeding. Genius, I tell you. I’m not a proponent of excess with the exception of a handful of areas in life, and this would be one of them. At some point, we’ll bite the bullet and just purchase a second one of our own. With more babies (hopefully) on the way someday, it just plain makes sense.

9) Pediped shoes. We couldn’t help but love these for Henry, so he’s been in them over the past few months even though he hasn’t grown his sea legs in their entirety just yet. They are just too darn cute on his little feet, they’re easy to clean, and they’re perfect as Hank transitions from crawling to standing to walking. They go with nearly everything in his wardrobe, which makes his mama happy, and best of all according to Henry, they’re a delight to chew on. Yuck. You can’t win them all as a parent, we suppose. At least they’re adorable…

10) California Baby Calendula Cream and Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Nourishing Lotion (in Calming). Ok, so we’re cheating a little here and grouping skincare as one item on the list, but I’ve had a number of moms ask me what we use for Henry’s skin, and the above is our favorite combination to date. The Calendula Cream is a little bit pricey (most affordable at your local Target:), but lasts forever and works like a charm. We use it on Henry’s cheeks when they get chapped and on any tiny eczema patches when we see them. Applied consistently, it heals spots right up with all natural ingredients (and it has the yummiest smell to boot!). As an alternative to oft-recommended steroidal creams for baby eczema, I was thrilled to discover this option worked for our bug. As a daily body lotion, we love the above-mentioned Burt’s Bees Nourishing Lotion. 99.9% natural, it packs a moisturizing punch, smells sweetly, and comes in at nearly half the price of comparable all natural baby lotions (still flying under the radar with a very minimal number of synthetic and/or processed ingredients). I don’t feel guilty spending a little more to feel comfortable with what we’re applying daily to the munchkin’s skin. And since we added these two  to our regimen, Henry is nearly eczema free and rarely dry. What’s not to love?

We’ve come a long way from the newborn napper and bouncer that once held coveted spots on Henry’s top ten list. Instead, we’re now embracing noisier toys, books, and finger foods, just as a nine month old should. Undoubtedly, the list will morph again quickly as we approach a first birthday, the Summer months, learning to walk and run and liven things up even more. There are other items, too, that didn’t make the cut but could have–so many products we appreciate as parents that make the task of raising a little one oh-so-much more manageable on a daily basis. While it can be overwhelming to make choices when you want the absolute best for your child “no matter what,” we’ve learned that the very best item for our babe can sometimes be the free one we were handed down, an item we borrowed, something we made, or the exact opposite of what we thought would be absolutely perfect before we tried it. Regardless, Henry is happy and healthy, changing and learning at a wonderful, steady pace. Top ten or no top ten, we are lucky, lucky, lucky and growing ever more so by the day.

from our little reviewer to yours,

mm (& co.)

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ottoman, where are you?

Each day that passes, it becomes more and more evident that corners and edges and stairs and tipsy-type items are not our friends. No, they are not. Recognizing that we’re not just baby proofing for a brief season (but more than likely for the next 6-10 years, until our brood is complete and toddlers are no longer toddling), it makes sense that our furniture choices be well-rounded (and by that, I mean functional, practical, washable, tasteful and walkable). I want Henry to be able to cruise the coffee table without having to worry about his every move, and I want to be able to close electronics and cords and the like behind doors for a time. Goodness knows there are already plenty of toys strewn about the living room since Christmas (not complaining ;)–I don’t think we need to add DVDs or Wii remotes or the cable modem to the mix. Let’s face it. We were MWOK for a lot longer than we’ve been parents, and the house still somewhat reflects what we once knew: that a water glass will remain upright and where we left it, that burning candles will create ambiance–not chaos, and that electrical outlets are conveniently located on walls, right behind items like the (rolling) entertainment center. Ahem.

It’s time to get serious about eliminating the risk factors. (Note: we do not have any burning candles where the little man can get to them. Heck, we hardly have burning candles at all. A girl can dream.)

At any rate. Our son is nearly nine months old, and it’s amazing that we’ve gotten this far without doing some kind of major overhaul to everything within his reach. We’re all about teaching him what’s safe and unsafe, what’s off limits and what’s fair game. But he’s still a baby. And a curious one at that. It won’t be long…

So we’re making some necessary changes around here, not the least of which is to swap out our sharp-cornered coffee table with the *ideal* storage ottoman (read: leather or faux leather, preferably dark brown, easy to store toys in, soft rounded corners, not too heavy to pick up and move out of the center of the room, strong enough to be used as extra seating if needed). I thought this would be a relatively simple task, given that I see this type of thing all over the place…Target, World Market, department stores, etc. But I have yet to find one that really suits the room (and our tastes) and that doesn’t either break the bank or lack some quality that I find most appealing in this type of furniture. I’ve seen a few I really like, but they happen to belong to friends and are no longer available in stores. I went another route for a while, trying to come up with something totally different, yet still functional and fun, but it wasn’t happening.

So here I sit. And I’m thinking about the darn ottoman again because the weekend has arrived–the time when we actually have a few hours to shop around a little or check out something together to decide whether we want to make a purchase. I think I’ve been looking at ottomans here and there for the better part of six months.

I watched Henry cruise across the room today on a quest for one of the dog’s toys (who would want a real toy when a dog toy is so readily available?), and I realized we no longer have months to figure this out. I’m thinking it’s more like a week or two…maybe days even. And sure, we watch him closely and do a lot of preventative repositioning, distracting, etc., but we’re not going to be able to do that forever–nor should we. Home should just be a safe place for a kiddo who’s on the go and learning so much so quickly. I just hope that the right ottoman is out there somewhere, waiting to take up residence in the center of Henry’s new playhouse. That is, our house. You know, the one that had corners and candles and such before the love of our lives moved in. 😉

scheming/decorating/wishing said picture-perfect dream ottoman would just arrive on our doorstep…

mm