On a Monday

We beat the Monday blues today. It was a beautiful day after being rained out yesterday. We woke up to sunshine and birds. I got motivated to walk us to storytime and Caleb sat quietly (for most of the ride) in the stroller and enjoyed the fresh air as much as I did. We saw friends and Caleb got a certificate and book for going to storytime 30 times! Wow. I hadn't realized we've gone that much. This is only the second time we have gone since before Christmas. Finally getting back in the swing of things.
Caleb dozed on the way home. I guess all that reading and signing wore him out.
I managed to get 4 loads of laundry done AND put away. (that is a big accomplishment these days. Lately I have been leaving the basket sitting with folded clothes till I do the next load.)
Bathrooms were cleaned. Floors were swept. Caleb slept. And slept some more. 2.5 hours of napping. I squeezed in a little nap myself. Relaxed a bit. And enjoyed a happy boy who woke up (lately he's been a wee bit grumpy after his naps) And we played and weeded outside in the backyard while we waited for dad.
Considering it's a Monday. Not my most favorite day of the week. I'd say, Caleb and I, we had a pretty darn good day.
The best part for me was that through every tantrum and tear, every face flat on the floor moment and shriek in the high chair moment, I managed to keep my cool. I took some deep breathes. I waited patiently while Caleb screamed and 'almost' puncured my ear drum with those loud lungs and at the end of the day, I gladly handed him over, finished making dinner (it's been awhile since I have made dinner, Dave has been doing dinner duty since we got back from Oregon more than a month ago! wowzers I sure am married to an amazing guy), listened to a skype session with Caleb's grandma and grandpa and we all ate dinner together (while Caleb fussed through) And now Monday is done (for Caleb that is) and it's time to relax with my hubby :)

Reflections

I've been having a tough time lately. I've been emotional and not always handling Caleb's temper tantrums in the calm way that I always thought I would. They have worn me down big time. So much so that when Dave gets home I go into 'shut down' mode and on the weekend I'm pretty much done. I feel like lately I've been tip-toeing around waiting for the next Caleb melt-down to occur. Although I know ways to handle them and I can understand most of the time why they are happening the 'in the moment' experience paints a different picture. I've just been having a hard time dealing with this new phase and I don't know why really. I just have never been able to handle the screaming and crying all that well. Anyways I chanced upon this blog and it really struck a chord with me and reminded me that 'this too shall pass' and brought tears to my eyes because I know that I will miss this stage one day. That the great moments outweigh all the hard moments. It helps to be reminded though...
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http://looslifamily.blogspot.com/2009/08/heaven-is-shopping-for-groceries-by.html
Someday, I'll be a mom of grown up kids who are off on their own, living their own lives - and when I see these moms with little kids, I'll think back nostalgically on this whole phase of my life. Aloneness in the grocery store will become a norm at that point. Fielding 5 comments and requests at once will be a thing of the past. And I'll look at those moms towing their kids along in a whole different way - I'll think about how lucky they are to have those cute little kids and I'll miss my own. I'll probably get the urge to stop those hassled moms and tell them to love this small window in their lives when they are so needed and so wanted by such lovely little people. I'll want to tell them that time goes by quickly and that the melt downs and crying really only lasts a few minutes at a time (even though it can seem like an eternity when you're in the middle of it). I bet I'll want to tell them that they'll even miss the hard stuff because without that, you don't appreciate the good as much.

The Good. The Bad. and The...

The Good. It is Friday and that pretty much makes everything good! Time to kick up our feet and relax all weekend long. The Bad. We've been enduring a whole lot of this...'awwwwwwwwwww' lately. Temper Tantrums in full force for a 15 month old? My mom claims I started this at the same age...but I don't know...seems a little young. My patience is once again reaching new bounds in this realm of motherhood. Although I dealt with this on a daily basis in college with the one year old tots who are trying so hard to communicate, can understand so much, yet can't make their needs understood but us 'oh so oblivious' adults, I was still able to go home at the end of the day and move on with life. It's another story when dealing with it 24/7 and with your own child. Yes. Lots of long showers and 'me' breaks. Lots of outside play. Lots of walking and deep breathing. This too shall pass....

And the...hm...Random? Something that makes all the bad worth it. That cute little behind with the little chunk of fat rolling out of the diaper with a wedge. Yes. At the end of a long week where patience ran thin and tempers ran high, this was needed and appreciated. Smiles and laughs. I guess this is why we do it. Through all the pain and the heartache, the stretching beyond what we ever knew we could be stretched to, through the sadness, the madness, for every hard moment there are a thousand and one Good ones. Great ones. Special ones. Bottle it up. Never forget moments. Moments that take my breathe away. Many many moments that make you worth everything Caleb. We love you more than you will ever know.

Workout gear

Auntie J and her buddy C. Wearing their workout gear.

The Zoo

Caleb's Poppa wanted to take him to the zoo after hearing Caleb's 'animal' sounds. It was pretty cute. He wanted Caleb to see a real monkey. It was a fun day. I think we were more excited than Caleb was but he still got pretty into it. I used to go to the LA zoo as a little girl so it was fun to go back and remember all the animals. The coolest part was seeing the kangaroos (my favorite animal as a child) the joey was in it's mother's pouch sticking its little head out. It was so cute! I've always been kind of obsessed with kangaroos and how the babies stay inside the pouch for awhile after being born. Can you guess what Caleb's favorite was? The gorillas and chimps. Every time the chimps squeaked and squawked Caleb would make his monkey sound. He couldn't take his eyes off the Gorillas.

Let the adventure begin

They are in their 'zones'/have no idea I'm taking their picture either
aw. there we go. two out of four. pretty good.

i managed to get in a picture. me and my little guy!

Caleb and his Nana and Poppa. I managed to get one with my dad's least 'fake' smile and Caleb looking at the camera. It was tough... (Shall I even mention the hat...a Nani hat of course, monkey on the front, Caleb's fav animal)

Can't stop staring at those gorillas.

A plus side to having kids. We get to be kids ourselves and pretend we're doing things for our children when really, it's all for us. Going to the zoo 'for Caleb' and enjoying it for ourselves. It was a fun day :) Thanks Dad.

Buddies

As opposite as night and day both physically and personality wise. Caleb a gentle giant. Liam a little daredevil. Caleb an observer. Liam an explorer. Caleb cautious. Liam not afraid of anything. We know who will be protecting who as they get older and although Caleb may be the bigger one, it'll be Liam. Two completely different personalities. But both oh so cute and both have so much fun together! Friends balance each other out right? Best buds.

To our Caleb

Sweet, sweet Caleb. I hope you'll always know how much we love you. Your big blue eyes, and smile that stretches across your entire face with two very cute dimples. Your sweet nature with those who know and love you. You like to take in the scene first from a distance and observe before going headfirst. Tentative yet very watchful. We love watching your budding personality in the making. We love your goofy side. Especially when you entertain us at the dinner table with all your chatter. The past couple days you've given us a run for our money and we couldn't figure out what was causing some serious melt downs, probably the molars that are coming through, but it's hard to know for sure. You seem to be back to your cheerful self now. We love watching you explore your world as you toddle around laughing at yourself and reading through books and playing with toys. We love you always our sweet Caleb.