Leaving on a Jet Plane

Tomorrow morning we leave sunny Calgary and head West for our Christmas holidays. For the first time in eight years I'm going to spend Christmas with my family! It should be a really exciting time. My grandfather will be there from Winnipeg and my cousin Megan will be flying in from Paris with her little family. Brandon will learn all the Christmas "ropes" from his big cousins Alexa and James. Maybe this year he'll figure out he's supposed to be excited about presents under the tree ;)
We'll be gone from Dec 22nd to Dec 30th. We're back just in time to celebrate New Years with our friends. I know we'll have fun but we'll be thinking about all our friends and family in faraway places.
Wherever you find yourself for the holidays this year, we wish you safe travels and lots of love and laughter.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Love The Fontaines

A Christmas-y Weekend

With Christmas right around the corner, this little Fontaine family has been busy doing all kinds of festive stuff.
On Saturday morning we drove down south to Spruce Meadows and partook in the always fabulous Shaw Kids Christmas party. This event was a huge hit with Brandon last year and I'm happy to report it was again this weekend. Being a "big" boy now, Brandon had his first pony ride! I hoisted him up on a little fat pinto named "Bam Bam" and he took two strolls around the ring. At first I wasn't sure if he would want to try but once he was up there he was all smiles (let's face it, it's in his blood!) After the ride we checked out the goats, the bunnies and the real reindeer in the petting zoo. We then headed back to the main building for lunch and wrapped up the party with some Christmas craft time.

It was such a warm day (around 6 degrees) so Jamie and I thought it would be a nice evening to check out the festive lights put on by the city in Confederation Park. Once again we bundled up our boy and took him to the park. It was such a beautiful site. The impressive lights were twinkling while Christmas carols boomed from the loud speakers. Some clever kids had brought their sleds and Jamie and I decided that was a "must do" for next year.

Sunday morning we woke up to a winter wonder land. The temperature was still relatively warm but the snow was falling softly in fluffy, fat flakes. This was going to be a great day for a horse-drawn sleigh ride.  Our local golf course - Valley Ridge Golf Club - was offering free sleigh rides, cookies and hot chocolate. We showed up right at 11am and were the first ones on the sleigh. With the snow falling all around us, I snapped a photo of my happy boy enjoying the ride. The ride only lasted about 10 minutes but it was lovely and we enjoyed the cookies and hot chocolate afterwards.
With the busy-ness of work and everyday life, I finally feel like I've caught the Christmas spirit. I think my baby felt the magic too - it was all over his face this weekend :)

My Canadian Winter Baby

If you're going to live anywhere in Canada - especially anywhere east of Vancouver - you might as well learn to love the winter. For those of us in Alberta, the last eight winters have taught me the cold sets in around November and stays until least April. So this means for half the year we need to keep warm and entertain ourselves with what this lovely land has to offer.
For Brandon this entails taking 10- 15 minutes to get suited up in order to enjoy the weather outdoors. And love it he does! So far Brandon thinks the snow is great. He likes to do belly flops in the snow, catch snowflakes on his tongue and help Daddy shovel the back deck. He has great enthusiasm for all these things and has quickly learned to say "it's snowing!".
This year we hope to take him sledding (we know already he's going to love it) and maybe even on a horse-drawn sleigh ride. We've already taken him to Zoolights at the Calgary Zoo and that was a huge hit. Next year, when he's a bit bigger, we'll try him on skates and skis. In the meantime here's some pics of our little man enjoying the winter :)

So I Don't Forget

I originally set up this blog so I could keep family and friends in far away places up-to-date with the goings on in Brandon's life. It's taken me a while but I finally realized I created this blog as much for me as for anyone else. This blog is like a diary - a baby book - of Brandon's beginnings. It's my hope to one day publish my posts (blurb.com is a great website for this) and keep them for myself. A scrapbook of sorts if you will. So in light of that, I want to share some "memorable" moments from the past few weeks.

1) It was just before Halloween that we had our first snowfall of the season in Calgary. It was not the first time Brandon had seen snow but it was the first time he used words upon seeing it. Having only a limited vocabulary, Brandon stepped outside, examined the white stuff and said to me "Mommy, it's bubbles!"

2) Speaking of stepping outside, every morning since around mid-October, Brandon says without fail "Mommy it's cold".

3) Brandon loves jewellery. Ever since he could pull himself to standing, he would grab my "fashion" jewellery and after playing with it, would hide it for safe keeping. Because of his love for jewellery I was always careful to keep my wedding rings out of his reach. Unfortunately ever since I was about 7 months pregnant, I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings. I keep them on a ring stand on my bedside table. I always thought this was out of Brandon's reach until one day I came upstairs to get ready for bed and saw they were gone! I knew instantly it was Brandon but I couldn't figure out how he got them. I also knew he must have put them in a "safe spot". I was frantic trying to find them. I asked Jamie if he noticed Brandon with anything and he remembered seeing Brandon throw something into his laundry hamper. We grabbed the hamper and sure enough, the rings were in there! The mystery of how he got them was solved the next day when I watched how he hoisted himself onto our bed using the foot rail and blankets for leverage.

4) Pictures taken by his day care provider Linda, show a happy boy who likes to hold hands and dance with his best friend Dakota (cute!)

5) Finally I weighed and measured Brandon on his 2nd birthday. He's 27 lbs and almost 34 inches tall!

6) Brandon loves to blow kisses and say "night, night" at bedtime.

7) My favourite thing in the whole world is to come home from work and hear his happy voice exclaim "Mommy! Mommy!"

Happy 2nd Birthday Brandon!

On Thursday Nov 10th my little boy turned 2! I was so excited for him because I knew he was going to have a fantastic birthday weekend.
His day started like any other. We got up, got dressed and headed over to Linda's house. It was a beautiful day and it reminded of the day he was born - blue skies with the sun shining. All of Brandon's friends were at Linda's that day, which was perfect, because Linda threw a little birthday party for him. She made him a "birthday boy" hat, brought in Crave cupcakes and had the kids sing "Happy Birthday" for him.

Once he got home from Linda's, Jamie and I did pretty much the same thing. We ordered in pizza, brought home Crave cupcakes (so good!), opened presents and accepted calls from family. It was a great night but the best was yet to come.

Friday was a holiday so we invited over a couple Brandon's friends to play in the morning. Dakota and Kahlan arrived around 9:30 and the kids played until around 11:00. We called them upstairs to sing "Happy Birthday" one last time and let them eat Crave cupcakes (seriously I don't have time to bake and I could never make a cupcake as good as Crave). After opening some wonderful gifts, the girls headed home and we went upstairs to pack. We were going to Banff!

I had booked us a one night stay at the beautiful Rimrock Hotel. Jamie and I had stayed there once before and knew they had a fantastic indoor pool that Brandon was sure to love. And love it he did! He had so much fun playing in the pool. Our timing was perfect because we were the only ones in there and he splashed his little heart out. His favourite was jumping off the pools edge into Daddy's arms. He would say "again, again"so we knew he was having fun. After the pool he surprised us by lounging in the hot tub. He seemed to really enjoy it (he gets that from his Mom!). When the swimming was done we headed back to our room to unwind for the night. We put Brandon under the covers of the big queen bed and let him watch "Toy Story 2" until his eyes grew heavy and it was time to sleep.

In the morning it was back to the pool, a wonderful buffet breakfast and then home to Calgary. We had such a nice trip and I think Brandon really enjoyed it. It definitely was a special weekend for my special little birthday boy. When you ask him how old he is he can tell you "two". It melts my heart and makes me feel proud. Mommy loves you sweet Bear!

Happy Halloween!

This year for Halloween Brandon was the cutest little Indiana Jones that I ever did see. I'd gotten the idea after visiting a costume shop. I had originally thought Brandon would make a cute Harry Potter but all the costumes were for kids around 5 years old. Hanging right beside the Harry Potter costumes though was an Indiana Jones hat and whip set. I couldn't resist so I scooped up the set and headed to the nearest used children's clothing store to find a jacket. I found the perfect one and the rest was easy. A white collared shirt and a pair of khakis and my little Indy was ready to go.

Brandon loved Halloween this year! Not only did he like wearing his costume (probably because of all the wonderful attention he got) but he also liked seeing all the other kids in their costumes too. Every time the door bell rang, Brandon would run screaming to the door because he was so excited to see them.
The evening was really mild so I decided to take him trick-or-treating. As soon as we left the house he spotted the glowing jack-o-lanterns and thought they were amazing. I told him "look at the spooky pumpkins Brandon" and then that's all he would say "Spooky pumpkins. Spooky pumpkins Mommy".

I took him first to the neighbours house beside us. We knocked on the door and when they opened up he walked right in started taking his jacket off! Ooops - sorry about my kid tracking dirty shoes into your house. Luckily they thought he was adorable and sent him on his way with lots of loot in his bucket.
At the next house, he tried to enter again but they managed to get the goodies into his bag before he got into their house. This caused him to pause and study the items they had just deposited for him. He was fascinated by all the fun stuff in his bucket.

At the last house we went to visit he was just mostly interested in the pumpkin they had glowing by their door. I decided that was enough trick-or-treating for the night and took my Dr. Jones home to bed.
He never ate one bite of candy but loved carrying his bucket of treasures around with him. Later when it was time for bed, I laid him down and told him I loved him. He said "Mommy?" and I replied "Yes Brandon?" "Night night Mommy" he said. Definitely a perfect end to a great night :)

A Reason to Run

23 Months Old Today!

Happy Thanksgiving! It's hard to believe the turkey weekend is here. Much like Summer, Fall seems to be passing us by at lightening speed.
Speaking of lightening, Brandon is downstairs watching "Cars" as I type this. He's definitely still a fan but ever since his Amma bought him "Rio" (he pronounces it Riu) last month, "Cars" has a close contender.
Brandon has become a bit of a TV junkie. He always wants to watch one of his movies. He'll settle for regular old Treehouse if he has to but it's the movies he wants. Jamie and I have decided to limit the amount of time he sits in front of the TV (honestly I didn't think I'd have this problem so soon). We try to engage him in other activities like colouring, reading or play doh but he's really quite stubborn! On more than one occasion, I've caught him trying to insert a DVD into the machine and press all the buttons on the remote control. One day he actually managed to get the TV on but he put it on the Home Shopping Network - much to his disgust :)
He's still busy expanding his vocabulary. He's started using phrases like "let's go", "I'm stuck" and "I got you!".  Lately I've been hearing him say words like "hot" and "cold", "ball" and "book". I love hearing him talk and can't help but smile every time he's got a new word.
Brandon is still napping once a day and sleeping about 11 hours at night. Luckily he's not as much of a picky eater as he used to be. Fingers crossed that was just a short-lived phase.

Fall is a busy time of year in terms of birthday parties for us. All of Brandon's friends were born between August and December so it seems like every weekend we're celebrating someone's 2nd birthday. Brandon loves the parties and we love the fantastic naps he has afterwards! Soon enough it will be time for Brandon's party. I can't wait :) But first we need to have Halloween. Brandon is going to be Indiana Jones this year so stay tuned for some super cute photos hitting the blog soon ;)

Brandon's "Baby" Luv

Most of you probably know by now that Brandon has a doll - a stuffed toy - named "Baby". And if you know about Baby then you probably also know she is Brandon's most prized possession.  She is such a big part of his life, I thought maybe I should dedicate a post to her and tell her story.
Before Brandon was even born I received two Babies as shower gifts. Cute little sack-like organic toys  - I was highly suspicious of their purpose. They didn't make any noise or light up. They didn't appear to have any developmental or educational benefits so I put them up on the shelf and that's where they stayed for many months.
When Brandon was about 5 months old, we began "sleep training"him. As all good parents do, we consulted a book we had purchased from the second-hand store ;) The book suggested that if we wanted our baby to sleep alone in his crib, we needed to provide him with an object he could derive comfort from. The book recommended a soft toy that didn't make any noise or offer any distractions. I was racking my brain trying to think of something that would fit the bill when Jamie grabbed one of the dolls off the shelf and said "What about this?" Well it was love at first sight! Brandon had never taken a soother as a baby but when he got a hold of that doll, he started sucking on its little head and off he drifted to dreamland. We've never looked back since:)
Baby, as we started to call her (we even gave it a gender) is Brandon's little luvey. Some kids have a blanket or teddy bear but we've got Baby. She's with him for every nap, every nighttime sleep, most story times and even some car rides. She's gone for walks, sat in front of "Cars" a million times and travelled across the country with us.
So with all this love from a toddler you can imagine how she looks today - not good! Jamie and I went on a mission to replace Baby and found this to be way harder than originally thought. To the best of my knowledge, you can no longer purchase Baby in Canada. We have to order her from the manufacturer - Goldberger Toys - in New York. This is something we have done twice already! That's six Babies to-date and heaven knows, there will be more. It's not so bad though. Every kid has a luvey and Baby is Brandon's. She's so much a part of him now, we even had her professionally photographed with him back in New Brunswick when he was 9 months old. I guess that makes her like family :)

22 Months Old Today!

I was saying to Jamie just last night that I am having the best summer I can remember. The weather has been perfect, visiting with friends and family has been tons of fun and the joy on my little toddler's face whenever we go outside is priceless. When I get the time, I'll post about our amazing summer but this  post is about Brandon turning 22 months! Wow, he's almost 2 . . .
So what's new with Brandon? Well not much has changed since last month. He still loves water and trucks and bubbles. Lately, he has been trying to walk up and down stairs like a big boy. It makes me nervous but I'm awfully proud at the same time. He also doesn't want to be in his stroller as much anymore. This has become a double-edged sword as I appreciate his growing sense of independence but at times, get tired of picking up all the stuff he's managed to discover and re-arrange in the stores (i.e. throw all over the place).
He went through a little growth spurt this summer. In July I bought him the cutest sandals in Calgary. I thought I was being clever by buying them in a big size - 5.5. Well 4 weeks later they almost don't fit him and I'm busy trying to locate size 6 shoes. Due to his growth spurt, he's been having 3 hour naps and eating like a horse. It's awesome :)
I've decided to do away with his high chair and have him sit at the table in a booster seat. I found myself surprisingly sad as I cleaned up his high chair for the last time and put it in the basement. I recalled how he ate his first solid foods in that chair and later his 1st birthday cake. It's so silly to get sad over a chair but I can't help it. His babyhood went by so quickly.
Anyways the sun is shining and I need to get out and enjoy this weather for as long as I can. Here's some pictures of Brandon having the best summer of his life! Ha ha :)

21 Months Old Today!

Brandon came home from child care the other day with a happy face stamped onto the back of his hand. When I asked what it was for, I was told it was because Brandon had been using his manners. Oh such a proud day! At 21 months old, Brandon can say a lot more than "Yes please" (still sounds like yes pleeps) but you have to be listening carefully. He now says complete sentences but they aren't always easy to catch - or he'll say something he doesn't mean. Like last week I was holding him and he said "I want down". I put him down and he started crying saying "Up, up". Conflicted is the mind of a toddler . . .

Summer has been flying by and Brandon has been having tons of fun. He's very busy playing at the water park or the spray park or attending birthday parties for friends. A couple of weeks ago Daddy bought him a new "big boy" splash pool for the backyard and loves playing in that too.

Brandon almost has all his teeth. Just the two at the bottom and then his last set of molars and he's all set for the next few years. I'm not sure how tall he is but I do know I want to buy him a growth chart so I can start recording these things. I'm also not sure how much he weighs. We'll just call him heavy ;)

Brandon has become a little bit of a picky eater. I'm hoping this is a phase that will pass soon. There are some nights when all he chooses to eat for dinner is corn, or maybe just the chicken, or maybe just the peas. It's frustrating for parents who cook a healthy meal, only to have the master of the house look at it and say "Nooooooo" as he pushes it away. We take comfort in knowing most of his little friends are also turning into picky eaters and we're not alone in our frustrations.

Other than the picky eating, Brandon is much like he was last month. He's still sleeping well, he's still loving his trucks, he's still curious about everything and he's still happy as a boy can be.

For the Love of Trucks

I know I've mentioned in previous posts that Brandon loves trucks but for prosperity I feel I need to emphasize just how much he loves trucks (or cars for that matter).

"Trucks" was actually one of Brandon's first words it may just be his most frequently used word in a day. I'm not really sure where his love for trucks comes from. We've certainly never taught him to prefer trucks above all things. A co-worker of mine once said that boys come out of the womb holding a truck in their hand. I'm starting to think she was right! He will ask for trucks first thing morning and still be talking about them right before bed at night. He carries little toy cars around with him, he sleeps with them and he even takes them into the bath. My day-home provider Linda tells me it's the same at her place. She says he's often invited to play dress up with the other girls but he prefers to spend time with the cars - lining them up and putting them in their little garage.

I've also mentioned before that he's a huge fan of the Disney movie "Cars" and his favourite books include the three he has based on "Cars". I can't decided if it's a good thing or not that "Cars 2" has recently been released. Now there's way too much merchandise easily found and purchased for his collection.

I'm not sure how long this phase will last. I know my five year old nephew still appreciates things with wheels. I think my boss summed it up the best for me one day. She said "Well Jenni, you really do have a little boy on your hands".

Here he is enjoying his trucks :)

20 Months Old Today!

At 20 months old, Brandon's favourite thing in the whole world is the Disney movie "Cars". Last month he was all about the movie "Finding Nemo" but Jamie and I were getting so tired of watching it, we bought him "Cars". Well it's been a huge hit. Brandon calls it "Trucks" (just like he calls every thing that moves on four wheels) and he'll ask for it from sun-up to sun-down. We're not sure why he loves it so much but I've got a feeling he's going to like it for quite some time.

The weather has been really good lately and Brandon enjoys getting outside whenever he can. He plays in his sandbox or his little splash pool - if it's available. He kicks his ball and loves to push his "bubble mower" around the yard. I'm not sure if Brandon has ever really walked a day in his life. If he's going somewhere, he does it running. I'll sometimes joke and call him "Forest Fontaine" because he loves running so much.

Brandon has 13 teeth now and if I had to guess, I'd say he's about 26 lbs. He still has one nap a day and sleeps for twelve hours at night. He's so good about going to bed. We read him a story and lie him down. He never fusses or cries, he just grabs his Baby and rolls over (fingers crossed that he's always this good). Brandon still really enjoys getting a bath and, for the most part, is a very good eater.

He's a very happy toddler and even though he won't smile for the camera, he almost always has a smile on his face. I think it's wonderful that Brandon gets so much joy from the simple things in life - a bike ride with Dad, a walk/run in the park on a sunny day, a good song to dance to. I hope he can always find those simple joys because there's nothing I like more than to hear the sound of his sweet and infectious laugh :)

Our Staycation with Family

On June 17th Brandon's Grand Mama and Grand Papa (Sylvie and Vincent) arrived from New Brunswick and stayed with us for two whole weeks. It was so nice to see them and we really enjoyed their visit.

While in Calgary, Brandon kept them entertained by taking them to the zoo, the bird sanctuary and up the Calgary Tower. He showed them his favourite place to get ice cream (MacKay's in Cochrane) and made them watch his current favourite movie "Cars" over and over again. They went to parks and and they went to malls. Once I was on holidays, we all packed up and headed to the Rockies for a little sight-seeing and some R & R.

After spending a fabulous night in Banff we returned to Canmore to enjoy a couple of nights at the lovely Stone Ridge Mountain Resort. While there we ate, swam, and shopped some more.

The two weeks went really fast and we were sad to see them go. We had such a great time with them and all we can do is hope they'll be back again soon!!! Miss you guys :)

A Late Father's Day Post

For Brandon's Dad:

When I first met you I liked you for your sweet smile, your thoughtful conversation and your easy-going charm.

When I fell in love with you I loved you for your generous spirit, your caring heart and your passion for fun.

When I married you I dreamed of growing old with you - my best friend and lover. I imagined the places we would see and the things we would accomplish together.

When you became the father of our child I admired your patience and how you handled our baby with so much love and care.

Today I want you to know how proud I am of the amazing father you have become.

Happy Belated Father's Day.

xoxoxo

19 Months Old Today!

I can't believe we've known Brandon for 19 months already. Where has the time gone? Our friends Jason and Sara welcomed their baby girl, Nora, into the world on Monday night. It got me thinking of Brandon's birth and the first few days we spent with him. I still remember how he felt in my arms at only 7.7 lbs. I remember how tiny and perfect he was. I remember the little noises he used to make and how he would randomly wave his arms around, like he just didn't know what to do with them. 19 months isn't that long ago but Brandon is a far cry from what he was in those first few days. In fact I think his transformation from baby to busy toddler has been nothing short of amazing.

Recently I've noticed that wobbly, top-heavy walking has given way to running, jumping, spinning, dancing and kicking. Last month Brandon only had a handful of words and now suddenly he has dozens (flower, sticker, wet). He even has some manners as he's learned the word "please" (pronounced "pleeps).

Solitary play has turned into Brandon seeking play with others. He invites you to colour with him or play with play-doh. He still constantly asks "What's this?" and for some reason he's fascinated with the vacuum cleaner.

Last week his Daddy showed him the movie "Finding Nemo" and now he loves it. He'll find it on the shelf, bring it to you, put it on your lap and point at it saying "Dhat" (translation = "That"). He'll watch the whole movie and only laugh at the seagulls near the end when they say "Mine? Mine? Mine?".

Brandon loves to be outside. He likes to kick the soccer ball, push his little lawn mower, blow bubbles and play in the dirt. His favourite toys include cars, trains and trucks. He's slowly starting to like puzzles and reading books. He enjoys sorting things and happily enough, putting things away.

His all time favourite thing though has to be shoes. He loves shoes! He loves to pull them out of the closet and try them on. His shoes, Mommy's shoes, Daddy's shoes, whatever, it doesn't matter to Brandon. "Shoes" is a word he says all the time too. I guess it's proof that he's my son afterall ;)

I remember the early days with baby Brandon quite fondly. He was a such a joy back then but it can't compare to the fun we have with him now. He just keeps changing into such a wonderful little person. Also, he's sleeping through the night and I wouldn't trade that for anything!

When The Sun Finally Shines

Well true to form in Calgary, May has been a wet rainy month. That's not to say it's been raining all the time - just most of the time. So when the sun does come out on the weekends, we like to make the most of it.

Here's a few pics of my favourite little man enjoying Spring as best he can :)

18 Months Old Today!

18 months. Why does it seem like some sort of milestone to reach 18 months? Is this the point where Brandon leaves his babyhood behind him? Is then when society starts expecting Brandon to do certain things like build puzzles and speak twelve words clearly? Does 18 months mean I'm on the lookout for potty training readiness signs? I'm not sure. Maybe it's all of these things and more.

What I do know is that Brandon weighs about 24.2 lbs. The poor little guy suffered a fever last week and so I took him to the doctor to make sure everything was OK. They weighed him and told me a fever could be due to any number of things like teething or a cold. I know they're right but I always find going to the doctor to be a useless venture. We often wait for an hour or more to see the doctor and then the doctor has no real answer and prescribes Advil for the pain. Seems to me I could save myself an hour or more in the future by just using Google.

Brandon has four molars now! Teething molars wasn't any fun but we're glad they're in now. Unlike before, Brandon can enjoy some of his vegetables raw like cucumber and small carrots. He loves cucumbers :) Also, we tried peanut butter (every parents nightmare) and we're happy to report he had no allergic reaction. Bring on the nuts!

Brandon has started playing with crafts. His attention span is pretty short but he will sit down and colour or roll the playdoh for a few minutes at a time. I showed him stickers last week and he loved them! This prompted me to run to the Dollar Store and buy 20 more rolls to stash away for future bribing ;)

Just recently Brandon has started to unleash some of his "emotional frustration" onto his unsuspecting parents. This is not a fun part of toddler development but it is completely normal. I've consulted many books to confirm this fact. Apparently Brandon's cognitive abilities are exceeding what he can make his little body do or communicate. This means he gets frustrated and to express the frustration he screams, yells, cries, whines and throws things. Luckily it is very short-lived and he can be easily distracted. The bad news is that this "phase" can last until he's four. Great.

Aside from tantrums, Brandon is quite a happy and busy little boy. He's very sweet and he's always looking for a cuddle when I get home from work or while having a bottle before bed. He's still very chatty but only a few new distinguishable words have been added to the repertoire like "up" and "no" (this is an unfortunate one sometimes . . .) I'm dying to hear him say "I love you Mommy" but I know we've got a little while for that one yet. Perhaps at the next milestone - 2 years old!

A Day for Mothers

This is my second Mother's Day and I find that amazing. I sometimes have trouble believing I'm even a Mom to start with, let alone having been one for almost 18 months now.

My aunt used to write a weekly blog and in it she included a section called "what I learned this week". I'd like to borrow that idea and share what I've learned about motherhood so far:

1. getting peed on, puked on, pooped on, chewed on etc is really no big deal

2. you can never have too much Shout stain remover on hand

3. you should never leave the house without a sippy cup, snacks and a handful of diapers

4. you may think you have child-proofed your home but your toddler will prove to you every day that is simply not the case

5. spend time with friends who understand exactly what you're going through

6. if you have to have child-care, get the best you can possibly find, no matter how much it costs

7. a quiet dinner with your husband is a wonderful gift

8. when your child cries in pain, your heart will break into a million little pieces

9. no matter how many toys are in the house, your child will only want to play with the cell phone, the laptop and the TV remote controls

10. meal times are as much about exploring texture and the laws of gravity as they are about eating

11. just when you think your child has reached the full potential of their range of volume, they will exceed it

12. patience IS a virtue

13. most things outside of family and health just don't matter

14. what was easy today could very likely be a challenge tomorrow

15. I never knew my heart could live so fully outside of my own body

I think I've come a long way from the new Mom I was back in November 2009. I've become more flexable, more adaptable and I feel like I see things more clearly now in terms of what matters in life and what doesn't. I'm certainly more patient than I used to be and I've also improved my time management skills :)

I'm so blessed to have Brandon in my life. I couldn't possibly imagine it any other way.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!