Thankful Thursday

For hours spent walking

For living near the water

For foggy mornings

For early bed times

For weekends

I heart my phone's camera

Thankful Thursday

For wood floors

For open windows

For unexpected realizations

For frozen yogurt buffets

For little green buds on big, old trees

This is too good not to share (even though I don't have a daughter)

The Mother's Prayer for It's Daughter
First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.
What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.
Amen
By Tina Fey.

My Blue-Eyed Boy

 

The past week

 Rainy Day Play Day

 M + T

 Grandma Visited!

 Crawling was attempted

 Spring is coming

 Jogging stroller peek-a-boo

 Winning hearts with his smile Dennis the Menace hair

Revelation

Me: Oh my god, Teddy is going to go to Prom someday!!

B: Yea...Let's not worry about that until he starts crawling.

Thankful Thursday

For steam mops

For board books

For online recipes

For neighbors I can walk to in my slippers

For anticipation

No wonder I'm tired...

"[T]he word "mother" has an all-purpose quality. It is not only a noun, but a verb and adjective as well, encompassing over a dozen definitions in the dictionary, involving creating, protecting, nurturing, developing and maintaining."
~ Mindy Greenstein, Ph.D. (Motherhood: The Invisible Profession)

Through our window

I often stand at our window and tell Teddy everything I see. It's always a treat when our trusty fire department neighbors put on a show for us.

Dear Teddy,

Happy 6 month birthday, little one! This month (like all the other months) has been full of changes. You have gone from a wobbly sitter to a confident one, even able to prevent yourself from falling over (most of the time). You are also perfecting your eating solid food. So far, your favorites are pears, bananas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. You are still so curious about everything, needing to subject all objects to intense scrutiny by holding them, turning them around, passing them between hands, and trying to eat them.


This curiosity is cleary spurring you on towards being a mobile baby. I find myself both excited and terrified that at any moment you may just take off across the room. Every time you sit on the floor, you twist your little body over one leg, lean on both arms and rock. Looks of confusion and excitement have crossed your face, but I can see the learning in your eyes - you are beginning to understand that something beyond your reach is attainable.


One day soon, little man, you will move yourself in a direction you really want to go. You will reach that toy, plop down, examine it with both hands, and then realize that you are now in a different place than when you started.

I can't wait to see that accomplishment. I hope that first success will only keep you reaching for more. I hope you always keep exploring, keep eating up life with both hands. And your Dad and I will always be close by, your biggest cheering section.

It is a fun time to be your mom - watching you learn, seeing you on the cusp of so much more.

Love,
Mom