The love of reading

As soon as Bug came home from the hospital, I would sit him in his boppy or his bouncer and read him books. It didn't really matter what book it was. Often it was Dr. Seuss or brightly colored board books. Occasionally it was the Twilight series or excerpts from books like Wuthering Heights. He would stare at me with his dark, color-yet-undecided eyes with a serious expression listening to each word. As he grew older, grew mobile, and his attention span grew shorter I read and re-read his bountiful collection of baby books. If you were to visit, you would be able to tell which were used most often, because his favorites had little tiny little teeth marks around all of the edges.

Just recently, he has developed and even bigger zest for reading. He is starting to memorize books and protests if I accidentally skip a page. He can answer simple questions about the story by pointing or using words that he knows. He is constantly asking for "mo' book, please!" I, of course, am thrilled with this. So each week we have started to take books out of the library. I'm not talking about one or two, I'm talking about 8 or 10. I never know which ones he will actually like so the wide selection ensures that he will find a couple new favorites.

This week we have found a new author that he loves. Mo Willems. We checked out two books by him. The first is Leonardo, The Terrible Monster. Bug loves it because it has some of his favorite things in it. Sound effects, a monster (who he lovingly calls "Ardo"), a hug, and the word poop. It is wonderful story, and I highly recommend you check out if you are a parent. Bug calls it, "funny." The other book is Knuffle Bunny, A Cautionary Tale. Bug likes to point out how the main character, a baby named Trixie, is feeling when she loses her favorite stuffed bunny. I have read these two books so much this week that I have memorized them. Bugga Baby has too. Tonight before bed, as I was reading them to him, he would tell me the first word on the next page before I even got there. I have to say, I'm glad he is a book lover. I can't wait until he is older so I can make him.... I mean, suggest that he read the same books as me so we can talk about them!

Why I'm smiling

Tonight while cuddling with Bug, I had a conversation that went like this:

Mama: Who do you love?

Bug: Grandma.

Me: How about Mama?

Bug: shakes his head no.

Me: What?!

Bug: (laughing and then hugging me) Funny! My Mama!

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! Today in honor of the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day, Bug and I made Earth Day muffins. Today we woke up a bit late and Bug had his first day of tumbling class. I knew I wanted to make blueberry muffins, but didn't have time to make them from scratch. So I opened up one of those ninety-nine cent packets with the teeny tiny blueberries and threw in a couple of handfuls of frozen blueberries.Then I added the green food coloring.

Not too much, mind you. Just about half a bottle. (Really only 10 drops).

I just wanted to make sure that the muffins turned out bright green. The idea behind it was to make it like the Earth. Blue and green. I know. Some people are out there doing amazing things to celebrate Earth Day, but here we settle with making colored muffins.

Needless to say, they were enjoyed by one and all. Bug loved them since they were his favorite color. I had two very happy boys and one happy blueberry crumb eating cat. (My other cat, Scout, would never stoop so low as to eat human food).

Wordless Wednesday

Bed head and binkies




The park

17 months

Dear Bugga Bugga Baby,

This month could also be known as the month that your hair was discussed. At length, for it's length. It has been a hotly debated issue. Some people say it is too long. That it needs to get cut.

Others, mainly me, can barely think about doing it. It is true that some days your hair is out of control. A million spirally curls spring from every angle off your head. But part of me knows the moment that we start trimming those curls off your head you will transform. A new little boy will sit where my curly haired baby was. I know the time is coming, it is just a matter of deciding when.

Today at the park you went down the slide all by yourself. It was the first time that I didn't have to remind you to sit down or scoot forward. You just did it. All by yourself. You wiggled towards the edge, and I started to count to three. "One, two...." and you slid. Before I was even ready, you were. You cheered for yourself when you reached the bottom, you ran to me and wrapped your arms around my legs. "Mama, mama, mama!" you said over and over again until you raced off to slide again. It was then I decided that maybe your haircut could wait until the next month or the one after that, because right now you're my baby, even though you are growing up.

Love,
Mama

Wordless Wednesday

Easter 2010

This was my baby boy's second Easter. The bunny was very good to him.

It was particularly fun this year, because this was his first year that he actually understood that he needed to find the eggs.

With each one he found, he would squeal, "Egg!!!!!" and then race off to find another. He ran back and forth all around the house.

Later on we visited with family where he found more eggs and got more presents. This made him tired. Or maybe he was just crashing from the breakfast of hard boiled eggs and Peeps.

Over all, it was a wonderful day!

Why I'm smiling

1. The peanut fell asleep hugging his new stuffed Dr. Seuss character.

2. At bath time he took his Dora, Diego, and Boots figurines and threw them into his bubble bath and then squealed, "Sited (excited), Mama!"

3. I have plans. Big plans to make a bunny cake.

4. And take the little one on his first Easter egg hunt. We have been practicing for weeks. I will hide the eggs and he will "find" them. He likes to take a turn hiding them too. He doesn't yet understand that he should just hide plastic eggs. He also likes hiding his goldfish crackers for me to find at a later date.