Secretary In Training

I love me some little boy cuteness. Dee is"writing" on his own a lot lately and practicing holding pens behind his ear on the sly. Mommy doesn't say a word. I don't think he knows I saw.

3 Months of Cute

Welcome to a clean, new week folks. Its Monday. We have both feet on the ground. I am finally caught up on dishes, everyone's had baths but the baby and there's a pork roast waiting to go in the oven because it got all autumnal and cool overnight. So beautiful! We broke out the hoodies (Pom has the cutest one imaginable) and bought a turkey for practice feasting.

Pom is the sweetest baby ever...ever, ever in the history of babies. Nib was pretty easy going but I think Pom has even topped him. This is no brilliant success of me as genius mommy. I had one colicky screamer, and one overly attention hungry baby and then two easy ones in a row. Luck happens in every house. But this one, he's so sweet and social and sunny. He's very undemanding for the most part, he only really screams hard when he's hurting. He self soothes, he grins at strangers and will go to sleep anywhere.

He's just started giggling and he has the best, watery chuckle on the planet. So wet and ripply and addictive. I find myself alone with him on our bed at the end of pretty much every day trying to make him laugh, over and over...no matter how tired I am because it makes me so happy.

He rolled  front to back one time two nights ago and was very startled and put out to find himself face down in the blanket. He's always trying to do it again now, waving a chubby thigh in the direction which he intends. He has the chubbiest thighs. Incredibly cute.

He has also just started wrapping a tiny arm around my neck when I put him up to my shoulder to carry around while I set the table or lay out clothes for the day. So sweet to feel his little fist grasping, grasping, grasping at the curls on the nape of my neck.

My sister Doubleddog with Pom

Pom still smells of milk and sleeps half the day away and has no real hair. Am loving him and so pleased to have had him in my arms for three whole months. Am so incredibly smitten by this wee blue eyed person. Glad he chose me for his mommy.

The Cupboard Stage

Last year when my pint-sized niece was visiting she was in the middle of a mad love for cupboards. They seemed like little houses I expect with tiny doors just her size. She went in and out and in and out... I was so charmed. How could you not be? Look at those curls.

She was right around a year old then...just about the age of her cousin, Nib at the moment. And just recently he discovered the cupboards himself. One year old must be the cupboard stage. I guess I could baby-latch them but for the moment I don't mind re-folding the washcloths he knocks out a few times a day, it's rewardingly cute to watch him "playing house," and every time I see his smiling face pop out of the door I think of my niece, halfway across the world.

Kid Cutenesses

Today a little random kid quote sharing:

• The other day at lunch, (I had served carrot slices) Ru was nibbling away at his carrots and then suddenly he said..."Mommy! Look! Lily pads!" And he held up a tooth sculpted slice triumphantly. Cute, cute man. 

• On a recent Tuesday I propped an automatically locking side door of our church open with a rock so I could duck out and in again with kids. I stuck the rock in and then Dee knelt down and removed it. I put the rock back and then he took it out again and finally I said, "Dee! Leave it there! I need it to keep the door open!"....and he looked up at me and frowned and said "Mommy! That rock says ouch!" And I collapsed into giggles.

• Ru has a cousin named Nycteris (pronounced NEK-tur-iss) which you need to know for background info. He was zooming around one day, buzzing and said "Look Mommy! I'm a bee! I fly around and I find flowers and I drink from them when I'm hungry. I drink that...that...what's it called? Nycteris?" Tee hee...Nycteris' mommy liked that story. 

Discovering Similes At Night

So, pretty much every night after the kids are "supposed to be in bed" we have one of those shouting-down-the-hallway-in-the-dark conversations with Ru. I hate them. So annoying...such a stalling technique. Why do they not just go to sleep? Take for instance, this little snippet of dialogue from last night.

"Mommy?"
"What Ru?"
"Will you make me breakfast?"
"Yes, in the morning. Go to sleep!"
"I love you Mommy!"
"I love you too, sleep now."
"Daddy? Will you keep me safe?"
"Yes, Ru...I will. Goodnight!"
*silence*
(maybe he's asleep!)
"Mommy?"
(crap) "Yes Ru?" *sigh*
"Do you know how much I love you Mommy?"
*me pausing, smiling in the dark*
"How much Ru?"
"Mommy, I love you just like a bee loves a flower!"
"I'm so glad Ru! I'll see you in the morning."

*melt melt melt melt melt melt* 

I love it when my kids catch me off guard in sweet ways. Counter-acts all the times when I wind up sobbing and completely disheveled, heaving into A's shoulder, "I don't know how to do this parenting thing!" and suddenly, everything is worth it and the world is absolutely okay.