Birthday

So this year kind of got away from me. I got a card from my grandpa in the mail earlier this week and was all confused, and when I opened a birthday card, I had to walk over to the calendar. Um, yep...my 29th birthday is totally tomorrow.

Birthdays, especially mine, used to be a HUGEMONGOUS deal to me. This time 2 years ago I was ready to party it up with a group of friends at Par.ma. I drank alot, and I don't mean water. My friend H (who is preggers right now) and I were the first to my soiree and drank a WHOLE. BOTTLE. of prosecco by ourselves before anyone else arrived. And I sang MB20 at the top of my lungs the whole drive home to Sonoma.

It just isn't a big deal anymore. The focus, as it should, has shifted to Isaac and making his birthdays as memorable as mine were as I was growing up, so that he looks forward to the special day that is just his every year.

Don't get me wrong, I still think my birthday is special. There are just more important things now. I am shocked when people remember my birthday, especially when I don't even remember it!

And I still want a Canon Rebel EOS. and to meet Rob Thomas.

Sadly, I don't have the money for either. Which means my husband doesn't have the money for either. (Let's face it...we know who controls the cash flow in this household.)

What is even sadder is that I would have the money. Not for Rob Thomas, but for the camera. If I didn't buy my starbucks dark cherry mochas everyday (I know, I can't believe I even thought that, but it's true!) or I didn't buy crap. All the $20 purchase I made here and there, if I had put that $ aside, I would have more than enough. That camera was not so important to me before. I had/have a nice digital camera. But with Isaac, I want more. So I am taking what my grandparents sent me and will put $20 a week into my savings account until I have enough.

Tomorrow will be a nice day. Isaac and I are going to the Academy of Sciences (We are geeks!) to see the extreme mammals with some of my friends. Any day that I get to spend with Isaac doing something other than errands is better than any type of birthday party or celebration.

I don't need cake. I don't need a party. I don't need presents (well, except meeting Rob Thomas...if someone gives me that I won't turn it down! :) ). Cards and well wishes are nice. All I truly need is the time with my baby, my husband, my friends, enjoying the life we have built and are building.

A New Best Friend

Isaac is very clear on what he likes and doesn't like these days. One of the things he likes, I mean LOVES is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (come inside, it's fun inside...you know you know it!). He loves the characters and the music. He dances to the opening song and the Hot Dog Dance. When he hears the music come on, he runs from wherever he is in the house to the family room to see it on TV.

Last weekend, we were at the mall doing some returns, and we passed by the Disney Store. On a whim, I turned the stroller in to check out the pjs (I am itching to get him some Handy Manny and Mickey footies). We found the pjs, and I decided against them...I mean, one of these days, California is going to decide that it is indeed time to stop raining and stay warm. Anyway, Isaac was clearly focused on the "Squirrels in My Pants" video on the big screen. I pushed him over closer to it, and it just so happens that the screen is above the mountain of plush characters.

Isaac saw the Mickey Mouse plush toy.

"Ma Mo! Ma Mo! Ma Mo!"

(That's what he calls Mickey)

He was practically jumping out of the stroller. I mean, had there not been straps fastening him in, I would have been digging my child out of the mountain of plush. I grabbed one of the Mickey's and handed it to him.

Oooohhhh, the smile on that kid's face...it didn't matter how much that toy cost me, Isaac was going home with a Mickey. I would have paid any amount of money to see that smile on that kid's face like that. Plus, Mickey was in his vise grip arms, and there was no way I would get him free. I had to tear the tag off him to give to the checkout lady.

He carried Mickey out of the store, to the car and around for the rest of the afternoon. Now Mickey sleeps in his crib with him and is carried around the house and required for long car trips. Isaac gets mad when I tell him that Mickey can't go to daycare.

Mickey is his new best friend. And he is almost the same size as Isaac. That sure doesn't impede the friendship though. He talks to him and hugs him and kisses him. I can't wait to take Isaac to Disney World. :)

And We Marched

On Saturday, we got up at 5 am. We loaded into the car and headed into San Fr.ancisco over the bridge we would soon be walking to. We parked at Ft. Ma.son and waited with hundreds of people to begin, and we listened to their heartbreaking stories and admired their courage. As 9am grew nearer, we became more and more inspired, moved, and motivated to make a difference.

Saturday was the SF March for Babies, and Isaac and I were on team Marching for Monkeybutts in honor of D's preemie twins, Drew and Drey. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous morning and the weather was perfect. We got there pretty early so we had breakfast with some other walkers. Isaac was excited. And so was I. We wore our Monkeybutt shirts with pride, and I wore a purple headband for Maddie.

The walk was about 6.5 miles from Ft. Ma.son to the Gold.en Gate Bridge and back. It was beautiful. It took a bit of time, walking with 3 kids under 2 who wanted to walk by themselves and didn't understand the limitations. But we did the whole thing, from start to finish.

We did the whole thing to help prevent premature births and to help families with children born prematurely. We did the whole thing in memory of those babies who became angels too quickly, and to show support for their families. We did the whole thing in celebration for those babies who struggled in the early weeks but are now thriving.

Drew and Drey were born 9 weeks premature and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. My Isaac was born 3 weeks early, but we were blessed that he was born without any complications. It is heartbreaking to hear the stories from families who lost their babies, and I cried about 3 times before the March began.

I look at my beautiful son and feel so blessed. He is my heart and soul, and I would do anything to protect him. I will do this March every year to make sure every other mother can do the same.

The day was moving. I did more physical activity before noon than I usually do in a week. I love spending time with D and her boys. She inspires me in more ways than one, and more than she will ever know. We are blessed to have her presence in our lives. Isaac enjoyed the scenery and got his first real look at the towering bridge.

Our team raised over $3200 for March of Dimes. It's a beautiful cause and so many people supported us. A huge thank you and hug goes out to every single person who donated to our team! :)

Isaac's First Kiss

My son is going to be a heartbreaker. Really. Isaac has a way with the ladies.

Last night after dinner, I took him to the park to run off some energy and get him some fresh air. There is an enclosed toddler area that has age appropriate playground structures, and he loves running around and swinging. On this particular evening there were about 4 toddler age girls there. I put Isaac in the swing and pushed him for a while. While he was laughing and smiling, I noticed he was watching the girls run around. When I got him out, he went down the slide a few times, then he clearly wanted to run around.

I put him down and told him to go. He stood there for a good 2 minutes and was totally scoping out where the girls were. He looked at each and every one of them.

Then he took off toward a little girl with brown curly hair who I would guess was about 2. Once he got up next to her, he "fake fell", like he threw himself down and the "fake cried." The little girl said "awww" and reached her hand out to help him, which Isaac eagerly grabbed. He stood up and I brushed him off. The little girl gave him a hug and then KISSED HIM ON THE MOUTH! Isaac smiled and then ran off.

Seriously. My son is 15 months and already had his first kiss and is macking on the ladies!

When I got over the instant fear of "Oh my god is this child clean do I need to be worried about hepatitis," it was pretty cute and I kinda wished I had taken a video. The parents of the little girl were thrilled because they are expecting a baby boy later this year were anxious to see how their daughter reacted to a boy. Apparently that is not an issue. :) And yeah, it was pretty cute. Isaac totally knew what he was doing.

Sigh. I thought I didn't have to worry about this for at least another, oh....13 years?! ;)

Of course, his father is beaming with pride.

My Favorite Moment

There is one moment during the day that is by far my favorite. It happens when I hear Isaac wake up in the morning or after his nap. Sometimes he is fussy and cranky and doing the "waaahhh, eehhhh" noises. And sometimes he is gabbing to his animals in his crib. Regardless, once I open the door, I hear "hi!" and he stands up and smiles and stretches up his arms for me to grab him up. And then he lays his head on my shoulder and gives me a hug.

It's priceless. If I could freeze time at that moment, I would.

He doesn't let me cuddle him much anymore. He does when he is sick, but seriously, how can I wish illness upon him just so he will cuddle with me? That's why this moment is my favorite. And I get the feeling that I am hugging him too long, because after a minute, he starts to fuss and squirm to be put down.

Sigh.

The other night, he was not going to sleep. He was WAILING and didn't want to be in his bed. Ben was out of town, and I was tired. I tried a few times to ge thim to calm down, gave him bottles. Nada. Finally around 9, I pulled him out and snuggled up in the recliner. He cuddled up and we rocked. In 5 minutes he was out. I took advantage of the situation and just snuggled and rocked and whispered how much I loved him and missed his cuddles.

Then the oven timer went off, signalling dinner was done and I could eat.

I was hungry, but I stole a few more moments. Finally, I stood up and started to carry him back to his arm, cradling him in my arms, head resting in the crook of my elbow. I marveled at how big he has gotten and remembered similar moments when I was holding him and how small he was. I remembered standing in the kitchen, faucet running, bouncing and swaying back and forth to calm him to sleep. It was only a year ago.

The timer went off again, pulling me out of my haze. I teared up a bit, because I just didn't want to put him down. I stood there, leaning against the wall, just holding him.

He started to squirm, because like his mommy and daddy, he moves alot in his sleep. He needs his sleeping space or he is not happy.

I put him in his crib. And ate my dinner.

And began looking forward to the morning when I would get another baby hug. :)

Memories

I like to expose Isaac to alot of different things. I like to take him places and get him out of the house. I like him to play with different things and learn to be imaginative. I like him to meet new people and be in social situations as well as be around things and people who are familiar.

My husband is at his annual convention, so it's just me and Isaac this weekend. Yesterday, I took him to the Bod.ega Bay Fish.erman's Festival to see the Pet Parade. There were dogs EVERYWHERE and he loved it. The parade itself was kind of short, but there were llamas and alot of people let him pet their dogs. The festival was on the bay and it was a beautiful day. We browsed the booths, bought him a pinwheel and some windup toys, ate fried fish and donuts, and watched the boats. It was a really fun time for the both of us.

As he was watching the boats and barking at the dogs, I was wondering to myself if he would remember this day.

My first memory as a child is a bit fuzzy. I remember being in my crib at my grandparents big house in the town where my family grew up. The crib was in the landing of the upstairs, between the bathroom and where the laundry shoot was located. I remember standing up in the crib and crying because the angel projection mobile I had had turned off. And I remember my mom coming out of her room and walking over to the crib. I have certain images in my mind quite clearly.

I don't know how old I was at the time. Still in a crib, implies maybe 2?

It makes me wonder what Isaac's first memory is going to be. Will it be the day his Mommy took him to the festival on the bay and he saw llamas and got a pinwheel? Will it be walking through the parks, feeding ducks? Will it be the swings? Dozer? Something from our NC vacation or trips to Ohio?

He's growing up so fast, too fast. I am trying to make each day a good one for him, so he has many happy memories of his childhood. Regardless of what day he has in his first memory, I really hope its a great one!

Entertainment Value

I like TV. I have my favorite shows that I have been watching for years. And I will admit that some of the shows that I watch are the cheesy reality or teeny bopper shows. And I will admit that some of the shows I watch are not so nice. Like bad stuff happens, people die, etc.

I was thinking about these shows the other day. Like Private Practice, for instance. Now, this is not one of my favorite shows. I watch it because it is on after Grey's Anatomy and I usually fall asleep to it. I don't get overly concerned if I miss it or am not disappointed if it is a rerun. The same with shows like Law and Order: SVU and CSI:Miami. But you know, sometimes these shows....they make me BAWL.

I got to thinking about that. Why do I watch these shows? I mean, seriously. I can't watch them half the time. I know they are fictional, but they hit too close to home. I know people that have lost children, babies, loved ones. I know people that suffer from IF and some of the diseases on these shows. I know people that have lost loved ones to suicide, babies to prematurity, children to cancer. And that is not entertainment to me.

And alot of times these shows make me UBER paranoid. They make me go into Isaac's room and practically crawl into the crib with him to snuggle.

It is my decision to watch these shows. I am thinking that I am done with some of them. Not Grey's. I am too emotionally invested. But some of the other ones, I will cut out. It is not worth the time anymore. I just get too upset and have to walk away anyway.

Showering

I had two baby showers, one in Ohio and one in California. We got ALOT of stuff. ALOT. And for that I am really greatful. I don't think I bought diapers once until Isaac was into size 2s. (Ok, maybe once. But not nearly as much as I could have...) My shower guests were mostly family members and some friends...friends that didn't have children. While we got alot of wonderful, generous presents, as a first time mother, I was FREAKING OUT because I didn't think we had anything we needed. Isaac had received alot of clothes, but all in larger sizes. He got alot of toys, alot of blankets. He did get some gift cards. I just think some people had no idea what to get for him.

I spent alot of the week after my last shower, hardcore shopping and taking those registry completion coupons for all they were worth. I stocked up on bibs, bottles, spoons, bowls, milk storage stuff, nursing stuff, bath products...Every night after work, I was somewhere, doing something for baby prep.

Anyway, I have some friends that are pregnant right now, with their first baby. Showers are coming up. And I wanted to get these friends something that would help them not FREAK OUT like I did. (And maybe they won't anyway...I tend to be um, a tad...dramatic) So here is what I did.

I put together two bags. Bag number one is called "Things you know you need" and it is filled with diapers, wipes, towels, washclothes, onesies, some classic baby toys, nail clippers, powder, ointments, spoons, bottles, bottle brushes, binkies, etc. Stuff that every single mother knows a baby will need, and stuff off the registry.

The other bag is called "Things you don't know you need until you need it, and oh my god you need it RIGHT THEN." It is filled with things that I wish someone had told me I would need, so I wouldn't have to realize I needed it in the middle of the night when I had a screaming, sick baby or it was pouring rain or another situation that proved non-optimal for shopping. Things like teething tablets, batteries, tyelnol, mylicon, motrin, pedialyte, butt paste, boogie wipes, faucet covers, outlet covers, microfibers, dreft stain remover, mesh teethers, sunblock, lysol wipes, disposable bibs, tablecovers, pacifier keepers, etc. I polled first time mommy's for things they wished they had had before the baby came or that they wished they had known they needed.

I am really pleased with the way they turned out. :) I hope they help friend H, who is having her shower in 2 weeks and has enough to worry about with work and moving into a new place before the baby arrives.

And here's hoping that I can keep Isaac out of the bags until then....

Potty Like A Rockstar

Isaac is a quick learner. He watches us do things and stares very intently. You can tell he is trying to figure things out in his head. Sometimes when he is playing with his blocks or something, he is concentrating so hard and trying to figure out why the smaller ones don't hold up the bigger ones, etc.

He thrives on routine. His schedule is what makes our days work out so well, and he knows what time of day it is by what we are doing. He knows that after Mickey Mouse is over he gets a bottle and then a nap. He knows that after dinner he gets to play, but when the music from Jeopardy starts, it's time for his bath.

Because of these two things, we made a decision this weekend.

We bought Isaac a potty chair.

Every night, every single night, Isaac pees in the bathtub. And what's funny is he will be playing and then he will stand up and pee, then sit back down and resume playing. Or try to resume playing, anyway. I don't really like the idea of my son swimming around in his urine, even though I know it is sterile. I pull him out of the tub, and he usually gets pretty mad at me. Anyway, we thought maybe if we got the potty chair and put him on it every night before putting him in the tub, it would establish a potty routine for him. It would plant the seed.

So last night, my little naked baby got plopped down on his little green and blue potty chair, and stared at us blankly while we waited. We coached him and talked about the potty and going potty. He sat there for about 3 minutes before he got fussy. So we pulled him off and lo and behold....

HE HAD PEED IN HIS POTTY! :)

It was a small victory, but still a victory! And he didn't pee in the bath!

Whether he understands what happened, and what he did, I don't know. I know he likes it when we applaud him and cheer. So we will see what happens as we continuously enforce this part of the routine and add it into other places. He goes potty pretty regularly, so we have a good idea of when to sit him down for a bit.

For now, I am so proud of my little boy for using his potty like a little rockstar! :)