Look Who's Talking: 20 Months Old!

Holy Moly! Forest is 20 months old. That is 4 months away from being 2. TWO!!!! Two is a really big deal. Two is preschool and potty training and all sorts of other big kid transitions. I am soaking up what is left of Forest’s sweet babyhood, though I think it’s safe to say that the ‘terrible 2s’ have landed early at our house. Hello tantrums! Here is Forest to tell you a bit about what makes him smile and what makes him throw himself on the ground and scream bloody murder. 

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Hey folks. How’s it going? I hope your summer is off to a good start. Mine began with a summer cold which was the pits but on the other hand I got to watch countless episodes of Sesame Street so it wasn’t all that bad. Elmo for the win! Speaking of Elmo, let’s get on with my monthly likes and dislikes spiel. 

Dislikes:  

1) Music class. 

This again??? Mom, give it up already. You didn’t marry my dad because of his dancing skills, and I’m afraid he’s passed his lackluster rhythm on to me. I’ll sing Old Macdonald all day long and I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy a bit of Raffi on Pandora, but sitting in a circle singing Kumbaya with a bunch of babies is just not my idea of a good time. 

And the worst part is that music class is in the same space as Studio Grow (see article 2 on my ‘likes’ list) so it’s absolute torture to sit in my mom’s lap during “lullaby time” when there is a perfectly good train set to be played with in the next room. 

2) Being sick. Especially when my mom insists we stay home so I can’t do fun things like go to swim class or hang out with my buds. However, I do like slurping down honey and also getting snot sucked out of my nose, not to mention the loads of TV I get to watch while being quarantined so being sick isn’t all bad. 

3)Wearing shoes. I'm a Cali boy at heart and much prefer to go through life barefooted than with shoes on my feet; even if those shoes look like Dinos and light up. Good try though, mom.  

I use any opportunity I have to discard my socks and shoes as we stroll around town, but unfortunately my mom and dad have been able to track down all missing footwear so far.

Likes: 

1) Drawing.  

While music is not my thing, I do like visual arts in all mediums. Markers, crayons, pens, paint, sidewalk chalk. It’s all good. 

And my parents are pretty stoked that they can take me to restaurants again and I’ll stay perfectly and quietly entertained the whole time. Win, win. 

2) Studio Grow. It’s like my play room times a million and there are so many toys that I can get by without having to share too much. I usually hit up the lego and train tables before taking a few turns on the roller coaster and exploring the 2 story play house. 

You can see why I’d rather spend my Monday mornings here than in the music room. Womp womp. 

3) Sesame Street. I still like Baby Einstein and, in a pinch, I will tolerate Daniel Tiger but I really prefer Sesame Street these days. Elmo is my homeboy. 

 4) Samson.  

He’s right up there with Elmo and we have a definite Bromance going on. Ok, so maybe it’s partly one sided but he’s coming around to my charms, especially since I’m so generous with the Cheerios. 

5) Hiding. It’s a hoot. My favorite spots to hide are the downstairs bathroom and behind the trees in our backyard. 

And when my mom searches frantically for me it's absolutely hilarious! 

 And when I'm hiding in the bathroom and open the drawers so that she can’t open the door to get to me: OMG too funny! Plus it gives me ample time to splash around in the toilet...Winning!

Alright guys, that’s me. See ya in a month.  In the meantime, feast your eyes on this:

Summer Colds

I breathed a huge sigh of relief when this winter's Cold/Flu season was over. Forest was hit hard his year. After going the first 13 months of his life without a sniffle to speak of, months 14-18 were riddled with both cold and flu viruses and the ear infections that so often follow in their wake. 

When Forest starting running a seemingly symptomless fever last Tuesday I thought perhaps he was finally cutting those two year molars that have had his hands constantly in his mouth for the past 2 months. When the fever went up to 102.5 Thursday morning, still without any symptoms, I feared it was an ear infection once again. It can be so confusing when teething and ear infections have essentially the same exact symptoms: crankiness, fever, refusal to eat or sleep. 

I felt a bit foolish when I brought him in to the doctor last Thursday after day 3 of significant fever and she took a look at his ears, nose, and throat and said they all looked perfectly fine. Hmmmmm. On Friday his fever dropped and his nose started running which leads us to think it was nothing more than a summer cold. 

His ears get really red when he runs a fever.

Forest has not gone a stretch of more than 2 weeks without a visit to the doctor since January and I feel like I am soooo not that Mom who over-reacts about illnesses or injuries, but I'm starting to reevaluate myself! 

And to make this particular doctor's visit not only pointless but counterproductive, while the Doctor was giving me the spiel about how to treat a fever, Forest was playing around under the exam table. He stood up suddenly and whacked his head against the top of the table and instantly started howling and vomitting. The doctor kept on talking away about fevers and I was like 'um...he's vomiting after whacking his head...are you not concerned about this?', to which she responded that vomiting immediately is fine, it's when they continue to vomit hours after that you have to be concerned. But she gave me a pamphlet on head injuries for good measure. 

So basically for the past week we have been home bound and haven't been doing much of anything except having Sesame Street marathons, coloring time and eating popsicles in the backyard.Which is fine, but doesn't give me much time/energy/inspiration for blogging. 

 
I'm crossing my fingers and praying that baby boy stays healthy for a stretch. I read that toddlers can get up to 12 colds per year, each lasting 7-10 days. That's almost a third of the year. I believe it after the past few months! I'm assuming he's picking these colds up at the gym daycare, but really it could be anywhere. I have never been a germophobe but I am starting to be now! It's the total pits to be home bound with an energetic toddler who just wants to go out and play. Here's to a healthy rest of the summer!

Water Baby

During the long and painful process of narrowing down a name for Forest, I originally was smitten with the name ‘River’ for a boy. Jonathan ordained it too ‘out there’ but mentioned he liked the idea of a nature name, so we compromised with ‘Forest’. And while I have no namer’s remorse, I can’t help but think that our son would have made an excellent ‘River’. 

For one thing, he’s likely to move about his whole life rather than staying rooted in one place. And for another, this kid is obsessed with water. He gravitates to it like nothing I have ever seen. Sure I see loads of toddlers who enjoy splashing around, but Forest’s entire face beams when he’s in the water and you can hear his gleeful shrieks for miles. 

I am really worried about the drought in California for many reasons, but a big downer personally is that we can’t in good conscience fill a baby pool for him everyday. He is in weekly swim lessons and we often take him to the pool at our gym on warm weekends and plan to do that a lot as the temperatures start to rise. 

Also, I don’t know how long this will last with drought restrictions, but a couple of the community parks here have splash pads which are PERFECT for toddlers because they can splash around without the whole possibility of drowning thing. There is a really great one 5 minutes down the road from us at Rancho Park and it is Forest's version of heaven.

Seriously. I have never seen him happier or more in his element. He actually stayed in one area of a park for over 20 minutes which I’m pretty sure has never happened before. 

We also have an inflatable baby pool which we use sparingly and try to share with his baby buddies so we can justify the water usage on especially hot days. Of course, Forest is totally obsessed. 

I have a feeling he is gonna have a very good summer full of water play! Happy summertime everybody!

Timehop Ramblings

It was two years ago  that we found out our precious baby was a boy. The emotions were running high that day and I still remember them all clearly, even that small flutter of disappointment that we weren’t having a girl. It seems preposterous now. Now that we know and love a child who is in every way possible ALL boy. I could never want or imagine it any other way.

I know without question that God gave us a child who is not perfect, but who is perfect for us. Who challenges and refines me and fills my heart to the brim with unfiltered joy. Who makes me cry out for the Lord’s help and mercy and patience to rain down on me as I fumble through this motherhood thing. 

Through Forest, I have been stretched and worn down to the studs. Stay at home mom-ing is at once a blessing I am grateful for and a trial I am often left feeling completely unequipped to handle. It is everything and yet nothing like I expected. It equally fills me up and drains me dry. It is both humbling and rewarding like no other job I have ever had. 

I know it’s precisely what I am supposed to be doing at this point in my life and have total peace about ‘retiring’ to fill my days with play dates and singing the ABCs and unwinding after a long day with an episode of Sesame Street.  I am so blessed that Jonathan’s job affords me the opportunity to be a Stay at Home Mom and beyond that- that Jonathan is such an involved and caring husband and father. He gives Forest his baths and puts him to bed every night. He makes sure to make it home for dinner and we squeeze in a trip to the park before bathtime each night. 

Most days I am so psyched that this is my life and I feel like I need someone to pinch me to ensure that my good ‘luck’ is real. Of course I have days where I feel physically worn down from the constant chasing and guiding and never-sitting-down-ness that is life with a toddler. 

I have days where Forest’s asthma keeps us both up at night and I am mean and impatient from lack of sleep. I have many moments when I calculate how much I would sacrifice for a weekend of binge watching television and reading a book by a pool without a single responsibility in the world. I think that has to be pretty normal, right? To fantasize about what you would do if you just had a day or two where your own appetites and interests and circadian rhythms ruled the day once more? 

These little snippets of reverie occur to me from time to time. But what was probably the most telling thing was when I met an Au pair at the neighborhood park and I was telling Jonathan about what a great experience this must be for her. She gets to live in beautiful Northern California for a year or two and in exchange she only has one kid to watch and gets to do things like take him to Music Together or the park before putting him down for a two hour nap. Doesn’t that sound great? 

And as the words were coming out of my mouth it hit me that I was essentially describing my own life. The one I often gripe about and stress over and feel tapped out because of. The point of this rambling is just to say: I know I am fortunate. I prayed and prayed for this job and though I was woefully unprepared, God granted me what I asked of him. 

He didn’t give me exactly what I wanted, exactly when I wanted it, but true to form, He gave me what I needed, when I needed it and through that he has taught me to give up control. To stop closing my heart by filling my mind with expectations. To keep both my mind and my heart open so that when His will is presented to me, I have the spirit to accept and appreciate it. 

Thank you Lord, for Forest. For his fearlessness which causes my heart to race. For his will-fullness that reveals his strong and intelligent spirit. For his rough and tumbleness that has me in the best shape of my life. For his kisses that he randomly plants on my lips throughout the day that make my knees weak with love. For his sweet voice that calls me 'Momma' as I put him down for a nap. For his naps! Thank you Lord for the privilege of being his mother. 

Please bring peace to those whose journey to motherhood is still ongoing and who long for a toddler to chase until they collapse at the end of the day from total exhaustion. Who just want a child to love without restraint. Who would do it all- the morning sickness, the stretchmarks, the sleepless nights, the skipped naps, the sick and restless days, the time outs, the dirty floors, the constant pile of dishes in the sink and the dejected looking dog on the couch- just for a sweet little voice calling them ‘momma’. 

I know those women waiting on a baby (or saying goodbye to one they conceived) will look at my list of complaints and label them blessings. And when I feel tapped out at the end of the day, as if I don’t have one more ounce of patience to dole out, it is them I try to think of. It is them and it is myself during  my own 3 year long wait. It’s those aching women that I reflect on to try to muster up the strength for one more moment of humility and grace. 

I far too often fail at this and lose my cool or perspective. And each time I dare to feel sorry for myself for an instant or call my situation unfair for a millisecond- I shudder as I remember how profoundly I longed and how consistently I prayed for exactly this type of moment. It bears reminding.