Badges of Motherhood

I earned yet another badge of motherhood today. One of the physical ones. I don't know yet if it will be a temporary one or a permanent one.

So far, the only permanent badge I have are the stretch marks on my stomach. I bet they'll fade after I finish having kids and get in better shape, but if they don't I couldn't care less. The website The Shape of a Mother has helped me reach that clarity.

And the temporary ones: well, as any pregnant woman can attest, they start before you meet your baby. From a bigger chest  to red splotchy itchy skin to a growing bump, signs of motherhood are all around.

Up to a third of women have a permanent c-section scar. I don't know for myself how it would feel to have one, but I'm sure the feelings range from the extreme of gratitude (if the surgery was lifesaving) to regret (if the experience was traumatic).

If you breastfed, you'll know those badges. Engorgement, plugged ducts, and maybe even teeth marks. All temporary, thank goodness!

And the bags under my eyes and constant yawning, well, I'm starting to think that might be permanent. Especially since Brayden isn't sleeping through the night yet.

For some time, I had blisters on my hands constantly from carrying his car seat. My biceps grew stronger.

As for today? We had a wonderful breakfast at a restaurant in downtown Provo and decided to walk around afterwards. Brayden was playing on a raised concrete enclosed garden (only dirt, no flowers yet) between the sidewalk and road. He started walking towards the road side and was about to step down. I went to get him, and tripped.  The gash isn't long, but is somewhat deep.   It really hurts tonight, and my arms do too from trying to catch my fall. I really hope it doesn't leave a permanent scar. If it does, Brayden will hear about it to no end.

What are your badges of motherhood?

Birthdays and anniversarys

The past week has been super busy. I'm adjusting to my new job, plus we decided to finally get around to fixing up our kitchen. My mind has been going non-stop too, as I've been reflecting on some things.

-My Grandma's birthday was the 19th. She would have been 92. I still miss her so much. I won't idolize her. She definitely had her flaws (and passed some of them to me). She gave her life to her family though. I hope I can do the same.

-It was March of last year I quit my job. It's worked out so much better than I thought. I'm able to sub at the library, and now write for the Journal. I'm bringing in some income, but I don't feel like I am away from Brayden too much. Adam and I are making things work on our terms and that makes me so happy, even if it seems unconventional to most people.

-My nephew's birthday is today. I have eight nieces and nephews, and their birthdays are all important to me, of course. Jackson's birthday has some significant meaning, though. His birth was the first birth I've seen, and it was so special to me. It definitely started bringing out the ""birth junkie" in me. Most importantly, his birthday reminds me to love people, no matter what. How I first reacted to the news of my sister's pregnancy and treated her is one of the things I regret most in my life. I was so wrapped up in "She did the wrong thing" that I didn't think about how she must be feeling. Now that he is six years old, I can't imagine him not being here as part of our family.

Lastly, I have a guest post over at Hormonal Imbalances about child spacing... a subject that is always on my mind now. With that, I should go help Adam paint. But I'll probably not and say I did. :)

365

3/7- Brayden is getting into puzzles, and this is one of his favorites. Except for that dang heart- he can never seem to get it in the right way. :)

3/8- Don't you love it when they fall asleep somewhere other than a bed? It's so cute.

3/9- Meet my crazy, wonderful nephew Jack. He's wearing a duck eye mask over a turtle hoodie over a Batman mask.

3/10- Happy birthday Adam! His dad and step-mom took us out to eat at Goodwood.

3/11- His form is decent right? :)

3/12- I got this milkshake cup from Max Brenner and I love it.

3/13- Remind you of anyone?

3/14- I went to my first staff meeting for my new job. The editor said "I'll send you that" so many times that I was terrified to check my e-mail when I got home. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as I feared- only 5 work e-mails were waiting for me.

3/15- Brayden had his second dentist appointment today, and the first one using some of the tools.

3/16- I love that we can spend time playing outside almost every day now.

3/17- St. Patrick's Day corn muffins

3/18- Brayden loves the water exhibit at the Discovery museum.

3/19- We bought a new couch and loveseat today. After using a hand-me-down for almost two years, it was time.

3/20- My beautiful niece Sophie and her messy face. I just love messy food faces on babies.

Ketchup

I'm so sad about what happened in Japan today. It's hard to even think about. Natural disasters and especially earthquakes are so terrifying to me, probably because it's been drilled into me since elementary school that Utah is due for a big one "any day now" (and that was 20 years ago).

*****

But... I got a job! I'm going to cover the government beat for the Midvale Valley Journal. It will be nice since most of my work will be done at home. Plus, I will get paid to write! And will see my name in print! Remember my New Year's resolution? Well, I am definitely doing good on the one about writing so far.

*****

Adam's 30th birthday was yesterday. Happy birthday, my love! It got me thinking, and I've decided to make a 30 before 30 list. I have a few ideas- have another baby, go camping, etc. What else should I put on my list? I should probably put getting an article published, because that should be accomplished in the next month or so.

*****

Karma got me tonight. Last night, I laughed at Nicki when Sophie pooped in the tub while we were on the phone. Just guess what happened to me tonight. I'll just say I'll be bleaching toys later.

*****

After said bath, Brayden was sitting on my lap drying off in his Buzz towel. I kissed him on the cheek, and he turned his cheek to have me kiss the other. He did it again and again, and I thought to myself "I wish I could have a video of this to watch years from now." And now I do.


Kisses from Megan Bishop on Vimeo.

*****

I took Brayden to the park earlier today, and I'm glad I did. Another child shared his hockey toys and this cuteness ensued. Brayden hasn't really been exposed to hockey, baseball, golf or any other sports where you try to hit a ball with a stick of some sort. He sort of figured it out, right?


Brayden playing hockey? from Megan Bishop on Vimeo.

SLC- St. George- Las Vegas- St. George- SLC

As I mentioned in a 365 post, we spontaneously took a trip to St. George and Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Adam's grandparents have a condo in St. George and so it's our easy and cheap vacation spot. We headed down on Tuesday night and got there around midnight. We decided the next morning to head down to Las Vegas. We went to the Bellagio first. I love to see the gardens there, and I've now seen it at least 5 times. They had it decorated for Chinese New Year this time around.

After seeing the gardens, we headed towards Caesar's Palace. To be more specific, the Forum Shops. I love walking through the walkway. It's so gaudy, so Vegas. And all of the stores are super expensive, of course. I had two places in mind though, H&M and Max Brenner. H&M didn't live up to its hype, but my mom did get Brayden a cute hat. Have you heard about Max Brenner? Take a minute and go drool over their menu. They're based in NYC but have opened up a restaurant in Vegas. I was pleased with my choice... chocolate eggrolls. Jack and Brayden enjoyed the aqaurium in the Forum Shops, and then we headed over to MGM Grand. Adam lost his gambling money with 10 minutes, of course. We saw the lions for the kids and headed over to the M&M shop and the Coke shop. We saw a cute and free 3-D movie in the M&M store. Brayden's first 3-D movie, and it was hilarious! He kept trying to grab the 3-D images! Then he headed over to the far other end of the Strip... to go to a pawn store. A specific pawn shop that is featured in the History Channel's Pawn Stars. Yes, we're geeks. It's an interesting show, I promise!

On Thursday and Friday, we visited some family and did some outlet shopping. And played. A playground is now a necessity on vacation. On Thursday night, Brayden was really sick between 2-6AM. We had to wash the sheets multiple times. And after got home on Saturday, Nicki, Jack, Sophie and I got sick too.
It was such a nice break from regular life, even if we didn't do anything super exciting.



Pictures were taken mostly by Andy or Nicki, because our DSLR is broken and our point and shoot isn't very good.

Top Ten Books For Birth, Breastfeeding and Parenting

Welcome to the March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Natural Parenting Top 10 Lists
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared Top 10 lists on a wide variety of aspects of attachment parenting and natural living. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
***

I am not a perfect parent in the least. I am not always natural, though I try to be. I've learned so much from others' examples, especially on the internet, but books hold a HUGE part in any education I decide to undertake. With that in mind, I thought it fitting I make my top ten list for the March Carnival of Natural Parenting on the top ten books that have helped me learn and evolve in my parenting journey. Without further ado, here are the gems, separated into categories of birth, breastfeeding and parenting.

Birth

Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First by Marsden Wagner- This book is the book that ultimately made me realize that the traditional system of birth I had seen my entire life was not the way it should be. It infuriated me. As "developed" as our country is, our maternal mortality rates are too high. His work is very informative, but what it did for me mostly was make me realize things are not as they seem in the gold old USA.

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer- This book is amazing! She goes through the pros and cons of all the interventions you may face. It was a lot of help to me specifically in giving me information to pass on to people who didn't understand why I was seeing a midwife and why I was trying to have a natural childbirth.

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin- I loved the stories in this book. They gave me strength. After reading this book, I begin to think of myself as a "birth feminist." I saw the feminine power in these women's stories, and I did not want anyone to take that power away from me.

The Business of Being Born (DVD)- This documentary is why I chose a midwife, plain and simple. I know many people saw a focus on homebirth, but I think it is a powerful argument for seeing a midwife over an OB if your pregnancy is not high-risk. The other way this was helpful is that it opened my husband's mind to the idea of natural childbirth. Before we watched it, he was like "No way!" Immediately after, he was accepting of my plan. The same people who made the movie, namely Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, wrote a companion book called Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience, that I enjoyed reading.

Breastfeeding

The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins- This book has been by my side for over 20 months, figuratively speaking. I read the section of the beginning stages of breastfeeding before I had Brayden, and then again and again as I was in those trying first days of breastfeeding. It was so helpful.

Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin- This is another good informative guide. It didn't come out until after I had breastfeeding well established, but I would recommend it to any nursing mom. I picked it up because Ina May is amazing. A little bit off topic, but I'll say it anyways. She needs to write her memoirs. Her life seems so interesting.

Parenting Okay, I need to note that only one of my parenting book choices specifically ties into natural parenting, but this still have helped me as a parent.

A Family of Readers: The Book Lover's Guide to Children's and Young Adult Literature by Roger Sutton and Martha Parravano- This book is awesome! I love to read, and I want to pass on that love to Brayden. I was able to compile a huge list of recommended reads (let me know if you want to see it). Here are some quotes I think do actually tie in to natural parenting that I noted:

"When a book actively strives to keep the child locked in

childhood relationships and needs, it's not truly a child's

picture book. A doting parent may enjoy a book about a

little bunny whose mission in life is to tell his mommy how

much he loves her, but there's nothing there for the child

audience. Far more realistic and definitely more on the

child's side are picture books in which the parent tells

the child that he is loved- unconditionally, and despite the

child's behavior."

“Teaching in elementary school, and watching kids in action, I

came to appreciate how effortlessly kids learn when they play.

Babies learn to talk without taking multiple-choice talking tests.

Toddlers learn to toddle without writing toddling essays. How

do they do it? By playing around. So from teaching I learned to

respect kids as natural learners, supply them with the tools to

learn, and then get out of the way. I learned to inspire instead of

lecture. I learned to trust play. That philosophy is at the heart of

everything I write for kids. I want my readers to laugh, of course.

But then I want them to question, to argue, to wonder- What if?

I want them to play. I want them to learn for themselves.”

-Jon Scieszka

Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Leonard Sax- This book has opened me to some of the challenges our boys are facing and what parents can do to help boys succeed.. If you are a mom to a boy, I highly recommend this book. To summarize, the five challenges he thinks boys face are: video games, the feminization of education, overuse of prescription medication (for ADHD), endocrine disruptors in the environment, and the devaluation of masculinity.

Adventures in Gentle Discipline: A Parent-to-Parent Guide by Hilary Flower- I have a toddler, so I'm just getting into the whole world of discipline but I see myself referencing this book for years to come. I have so many pages dog-eared and paragraphs highlighted. My favorite technique I've used from the book is somewhat silly, but I've found it so helpful. When your child is "acting up," say "What are you, one (or whatever the age of your child)?" Just say it to yourself to remind yourself that they are acting in a developmentally appropriate way.

NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman- I've read and enjoyed Po Bronson's other books, so when he came out with a book on the science of parenting just as I was becoming a parent I knew I wanted to read it. It was so interesting that now, a year and a half later, I'm choosing it as my pick for a book club I am in so that I can read it again. It covers a lot of varied topics, such as the damage praise can have on children, the importance of talking about race with your child, language development in infants and toddlers, etc. Read it. Now.

***

Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon March 8 with all the carnival links.)

• Attachment Parenting in the NICU — Erica at ChildOrganics shares some strategies to help you parent naturally in some unnatural circumstances.
• 10 Reasons to Choose Baby Led Weaning — Luschka from Diary of a First Child shares ten reasons to choose Baby Led Weaning when it comes to solids.
• Choosing to Breastfeed — From selfishness to self-giving, CatholicMommy at Working to be Worthy lists reasons why breast is best for her and her family.
• Ten Things I Wish I Knew About Before Little Man — In this reflective post, The ArstyMama discusses ten things she wishes she knew more about before the birth of her son, Little Man.
• 10 Things That Helped Me Become a Natural Mama — The Accidental Natural Mama counts down ten things that helped her find her moderately crunchy inner mama self.
• Top 10 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Toddler — Extended breast-feeder Kate Wicker of Momopoly makes her own top 10 list for why she loves nursing her 2-year-old.
• Top 10 Tips on Authentic Grandparenting — Mamapoekie of Authentic Parenting offers a list of tips to make the grandparent-parent-child relationship flow smoothly.
• Top Ten "Dad" Things — Liam at In The Now talks about his favourite ways to spend time with his children.
• Top 10 Natural Strategies for Conception (aka How to Get Pregnant!) — Despite facing plenty of health issues, Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama found her way to two first-try pregnancies thanks to these natural strategies.
• Top Ten Reasons Why Home Birth Rocks — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud shares her passion for birthing at home - the natural place for natural birth.
• Top 10 reasons why cloth nappies are fun — Tat at Cloth Nappies Are Fun shows how using cloth nappies can brighten up your day.
• Top Ten Ways to Be Present With Family — Amy at Innate Wholeness shares how to make the most of parenting and family life through being present.
• Top 10 Things In My Arsenal of Kitchen Witchy Mama Tricks. — Joni Rae at Tales of A Kitchen Witch shares with us the simple things she would never want to be missing from her cupboards.
• Top 10 ways I'm not very good at natural parenting (and why I keep trying anyway) — Jenny at Babyfingers shares the ways she is imperfect as a natural parent, and why she embraces natural parenting anyway.
• Top 10 Ways to Know You Are a Natural Parent — So what makes us "natural parents," anyway? A lighthearted look at the Top 10 Ways to Know You Are a Natural Parent by the editors and readers of Natural Parents Network.
• The Top 10 Things Every Natural Household (with children) Should Have — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro shares a list of the most common natural products and remedies she uses for health and cleaning.
• Top 10 books for raising loving, spiritual children — In her 'food for the soul' post, Mrs Green from Little Green Blog shares her favourite spiritual books. No matter what religion you practise, there's something for everyone!
• Top 10 Things No One Told Me About Natural Parenting — Adrienne at Mommying My Way explains that the best things about natural parenting are things she never expected.
• Top 10 Flower Essences for Families — Kim of Nature Baby Bloggings lists her pick of the top ten flower essence which can help ease families through the ups and downs of life.
• My Top Ten Parenting Tools — Amyables at Toddler In Tow names the top ten tools that have been helpful to her while learning to parent respectfully and successfully.
• Ten Ways Families Can Enjoy Nature (for free!) — Spring is nearly in the air, and Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction is dreaming of the fun and frugal ways that her family is going to get out and enjoy nature this summer.
• 10 Reasons We Unschool — Patti at Jazzy Mama explains why unschooling is the right choice for her family.
• Must Read: Natural Parenting Top Ten — Amy at Anktangle wants you to do a little reading! She shares her top ten favorite books to help parents prepare for pregnancy, birth, and parenting.
• Top 10 Breastfeeding Misconceptions — Sheila at A Gift Universe examines ten reasons women give for why they didn't breastfeed as long as they wanted, and shows how these obstacles can be overcome.
• Ten Reasons to Plan a Home Birth — Since a home birth can be an incredibly empowering experience, Leslie at Lights and Letters outlines ten reasons why you should plan to have your baby at home.
• Top Ten Books for Birth, Breastfeeding and Parenting — Megan at Just Me(gan) writes about the ten books that have helped her the most in her natural parenting journey.
• A Top Ten Letter To Me... — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment writes herself a letter of reflections and bits of wisdom she would have liked to know as a new mama.
• Top Ten Mama Necessities Money Can't Buy — Buying baby gear is fun, but Emily at Crunchy(ish) Mama knows real parenting must-haves can't be bought in stores (or even on Amazon).
• Top 10 Books for a Natural Mum — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine talks about her Top 10 Books for a Natural Mum.
• Ten Great Spring Activities To Do With Preschoolers — Kellie at Our Mindful Life and her family have come up with a great list of activities to do together this spring.
• 10 Ways to Reuse Yogurt Containers — Acacia at Fingerpaint & Superheroes keeps the stacks of yogurt containers out of her recycling bin by reusing them in both practical and creative ways.
• Top Ten Ways To Have a Harmonious Home — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her natural parenting-inspired methods for maintaining a harmonious daily life with her toddler.
• 10 Natural Baby Items I Love — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares product ideas to support your natural parenting.
• The Pandas' Top Five Crunch-osophies — Top five crunchy philosophies, as employed at the Panda Residence by Ana at Pandamoly.
• Top 10 Reasons to Leave Your Son Intact — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children has shared 10 reasons why you should leave your newborn son intact.
• Ten things everyone should know about unassisted homebirth — Olivia at Write About Birth shares practical tips for women considering an unassisted homebirth and debunks some common myths
• 10 Most Popular Ways To Treat Cloth Diaper Stains — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey gives ten easy tips to make your diapers like new.
• 10 Lessons in 1 Year — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares 10 parenting lessons that she has learned throughout her first year of motherhood.
• Top 10 Ways to Get Breastfeeding Off To a Good Start — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes shares 10 effective ways to ensure breastfeeding gets off to a good start.
• Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out — If you are uncomfortable using time-outs in an attempt to control your child's behavior, try one of these gentler alternatives. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares her Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out.
• My Top 10 Parenting Scriptures — Dulce de leche is learning to integrate faith and parenting. Whether it is breastfeeding, babywearing, comforting her children, or gentle discipline, she finds that the Bible has beautiful passages to encourage her on her journey.
• Natural Cleaning Ideas - Top 10 — Laura at Laura's Blog lists the ways she keeps her house clean and clear of chemicals.
• My Top Ten (plus two) Life Altering and Growth Inspiring Books — A top ten list of books from MJ at Wander Wonder Discover that changed her life as an individual, a parent, and an earth dweller.
• Top 10 Ways to Use Natural Parenting for Children with Special Needs — Danielle at Mommy Makes Cents feeds the needs of her family and special needs child through the use of Natural Parenting.
• Ten Fundamentals — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante gets philosophical with a list of the fundamentals that drive her natural parenting.
• 10 reasons why I chose breast over bottles — Becky at Old New Legacy writes a quick list of why she chose breast over bottles.
• Top Ten Natural Tools for the Work of Play — Lori at Beneath the Rowan Tree offers insight into 10 natural toys that will span the early years (and save you money).
• 10 differences between pregnancy and parenting in Japan and the US — Megan at Ichigo Means Strawberry gives her impressions about differences in pregnancy and parenting in Japan and the US.
• Natural Parenting Benny & Bex Style — Pecky at Benny and Bex explains why Natural Parenting principles work best for her boys.
• Top 10 Reasons to Co-Sleep — 10 practical, emotional, and completely selfish reasons to co-sleep and share a family bed from Lily, aka Witch Mom.
• My Top Ten New Mommy Moments — Melissa at The New Mommy Files recounts the ten most memorable moments of her daughter's first year.
• Top Ten Things Every Breastfeeding Mother Needs to Know — Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood believes knowledge is power and wants all moms to be well informed.
• Top 10 Nursing Positions / Situations — Momma Jorje uses her 5½ years of nursing experience to share her Top 10 Nursing Positions/Situations. She includes some adorable photos of her youngest daughter at the breast.
• Ten Top Ways to Connect Kids with Nature — Terri from Child at the Nature Isle offers 10 ways to immerse ourselves in the natural world and develop a love affair with the Earth.
• Top 10 Slacker Ways to Natural Parent — Guavalicious is happy to show you how to parent naturally the slacker way.
• Simply what it looks like — Andrea!!! from Ella-Bean & Co. offers a glimpse into natural parenting through the eyes of mama and babe.
• Top Ten Reasons Why Natural Parenting Dads Are So Attractive — Nada at miniMOMist sure digs her husband, but it's not just his good looks -- it's his parenting!
• 10 Family Systems and Routines That Work for Us — See what routines, organizational systems, and parenting approaches work for Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings to help avoid conflict and maintain sanity in a family with three young children.
• Top 10 reasons to choose midwifery care — Lauren at Hobo Mama lists the features that drew her to midwives' care for pregnancy and birth.
• 10 Ways to Cloth Diaper on a Budget — Michelle at The Parent Vortex shares her best thrifty cloth diapering tips.
• Ten Reasons it Felt Sew Good To Make My Own Play Food — Brittany at Mama's Felt Cafe lists her 10 (OK, 11) favorite reasons to grab a needle and start sewing your own felt play toys.
• Top10 Ways to Spark Interest, Learn, and Have Fun With Everyday Tasks! — Bethy at Bounce Me to the Moon gives you her top 10 ways of incorporating fun and lessons into everyday tasks and chores.
• Postpartum Gift Ideas — Alicia at I Found My Feet suggests a top 10 list of gifts for mother's after giving birth.
• My Top Ten Shows Worthy Of Screen Time — Tree at Mom Grooves shares her top ten list of shows that she believes are positive, educational, kind, joyful, and a nice way to share some downtime with your children.
• The Top 10 Ways to Succeed as an Working Attachment Parent — That Mama Gretchen shares tried and true ways to succeed with attachment parenting even when working away from home during the day.
• Top Ten Books for Natural Parenting — Pregnancy, herbs, cooking, and healthcare the ten books Asha at Meta Mom the most.
• Preparing for a Hospital VBAC: My Top 10 — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis shares 10 ways she's preparing for her upcoming hospital VBAC.
• Top Ten New Mom Survival Tools — Wolfmother shares her most beloved motherhood survival tools at Fabulous Mama Chronicles.
• Top 10 Montessori Principles for Natural Learning — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now gives her top 10 list of Montessori principles parents can use to encourage their children s natural learning.
• Going Granola — Tashmica from The Mother Flippin' Blog describes the 10 ways that natural parenting sneaked up on her. She never expected to go all granola on the world.
• Step Away From the Amazon List — Stefanie at Very, Very Fine wishes she hadn't bought so much useless stuff.

365

2/28- I was sick today. I had a sore throat, so Ramen noodles sounded good. It's so weird what becomes comfort food when you're older. I know it's terrible for you, but I have to have it when I'm sick.

3/1- My dad is sure Brayden is going to be an athlete. We shall see, but I do think he'd be cute in uniform.

3/2- Brayden and Jackson loved feeding the ducks (and pigeons) at Fairmont Park.

3/3- He's my St. Patrick's Day holiday wall. I got the printable from eighteen25 It's a cheap way to decorate my tiny space.

3/4- My mom got Brayden these adorable pajamas with monkey feet. Oh, about pajamas- Brayden has added yet another word. He says "pyams" for pajamas!

3/5- Yes, we got Brayden the super popular Target rain boots. I wasn't going to, but someone told me how much their boy loves his rain boots. Obviously, I gave in.

3/6- I let Brayden help me stir now when I'm baking, and he loves it! I let him lick the spoon for the first time today (no eggs) and he was in heaven.

20 months

You, my boy, are 20 months old today. 20. Saying that makes it real just how soon your second birthday will be here. We watched Toy Story 3 the other day, and in the blink of an eye I was imagining you going off to college and leaving home. I used to think the mom in the classic children's book Love You Forever was crazy, but now I totally see her point.

The last week or so, your language has exploded. You're saying a lot of words that we can understand, but also many that we cannot. You're starting to say your name- you say "Bray." New words this week also include pizza (pee-sa), cracker (cra-er), grandpa (gra-pa, and you've been saying this for a few weeks), side (si- you say this when you want to nurse on the other side), giraffe (grraf), cheese (you pronounce this one correct), and many more. You're starting to try to sing along to Old MacDonald Had a Farm (the e-i-e-i-o part and the animal sounds) and the ABC song (you sing A, B). My heart burst with pride the first time you sang A, B.

You love to be physical. You've been jumping for a few months now, but you're actually getting some air sometimes now. You're running faster and faster. Your overhand throw is pretty dang good, if I do say so.

I'll say (and write) it over and over again. I am so lucky to have you in my life. I love teaching you, playing with you, nursing you, reading to you, snuggling with you, singing to you. I love you bubba.

365

2/14- Brayden sure had fun outside today. And he gave me a taste of the laundry I'll have to endure over the next 17 years.

2/15- We had our Valentine's Day date today and went to see No Strings Attached. It was fun, just your typical rom-com. When we got home, however, the day got interesting. Adam called into Domino's to see what days they wanted him to work since he had the next three days off from Walmart. They said they didn't need him, so we decided to go down to St. George and left two hours later!

2/16- I love the Bellagio. We always go there because I love the see the gardens. I love the glass flowers in the lobby too.

2/17- Nicki took this picture of Jackson, Brayden and Sophie all playing in the sand. I love it.

2/18- I'll be honest here. Technically I'm cheating because this was taken the other day while we were getting gas to head to Vegas for the day. We didn't really take any today because we just hung out and the girls went shopping at the outlets. But we'll just pretend I took it today. I'm so glad my mom came with us, and Brayden sure liked having company in the backseat with all the driving we were doing.

2/19- I snapped this on our way out of town.

2/20- Brayden got sick the last day of the vacation, and then he passed it along to me, and to my sister's family. Since I wasn't feeling so good, I pulled out a toy I was saving for his birthday and gave it to him today. I know it looks a little like he's cringing, but I can assure you he's not.

2/21- Oh man, this picture honestly melts my heart. I love this grin.

2/22- No explanation needed.

2/23- Brayden's first tweet! He got ahold of my iPod while Twitter was open and I was busy.

2/24- Brayden has been enjoying playing with empty toilet paper rolls. I decided to experiment and take a picture through one.

2/25- Oh, how I love my boys! So, so much.

2/26- We took Brayden and Jackson to the Safe Kids Fair and B.A.C.A. was there. This is Brayden's first fake tattoo. Aww!

2/27- This is James Franco hosting the Oscars. I loved the opening video and Franco and Anne Hathway as hosts. I'm a sucker for awards shows, especially now that I'm on Twitter (it's pretty funny to read what people are writing as the show is happening).