Voice discovery

I never read about it. I never heard about it. I certainly never experienced it. Voice discovery with Daelen has been my favorite experience thus far.

I have taken quite a few videos, but he often clams up when he sees the camera. The best video is still this one of his conversation with Lisa. But he "talks" so much more in just two weeks.

Truly, I do not have the words to describe the joy I feel watching you try to figure out how to make your vocal chords work. Your tongue twists. And whenever you let out a big sound, you get the hiccups.

I love your little voice. I love it that you kick in excitement. I pray you understand my smile and tears and laughter to mean pride and love. Unconditional, unmeasurable love.

Conversations

Starting in your fifth week, you would give me one big smile every morning.

Then in week six, you added mouth movements to the smile and leg kicks (exercises, I call them).

I didn't realize it at the time, but all that was the precursor to the "conversations" that we began having yesterday.



(Be patient, he's apparently camera shy!)

Later, I was able to record him talking to Lisa (sneaky, Mommy!).

Whoa! Slow Down!!

I can't believe you are already (almost) 2 months old! It's so exciting to see you change and grow everyday, but yet I get a little sad thinking how everyday you grow a smidge further away from me. I know that is the natural order of things, and like I said, it's exciting, but someday soon you won't sleep on my chest, you won't need me to hold you all day, someday you won't even come to me for food...I'm not sure God's purpose for parenthood but it certainly is an intriguing mix of bursting joy and terrifying heartbreak!

Stepparenting is different for me, and that's probably mostly because I didn't hold him as a helpless infant. He was a year and a half, and in my mind, ready to become a man (he is a Broussard after all). And every day since, I've spent my energy preparing him to become a productive member of society. I want Brytin to become more and more independent. I welcome each new step of growth and maturity with a celebration. I NEVER let him be less mature than he is most capable.

It is possible that once Dae hits 18 months, a similar mentality will kick in for me. But for now, I love love love to tend to his every whim and whimper. And each night as I lay him down to sleep, and kiss his little head, I say a quick prayer that tomorrow might go a little slower.

I Choose Health

Costochondritis, carpal tunnel in both wrists, edema, pre-eclampsia, an epidural that didn't cover back pain, a big fat swollen hematoma (6cm thick), mastitis, surgery to drain hematoma and most recently, an infection in the surgery site. Yea...never doing this shit again!!! Daelen is worth it all, don't get me wrong, but I could not make the choice to put my body through even one of those ailments again!

Teacher Appreciation

I wrote this while sitting in Brytin's classroom one day in December (probably correcting spelling tests for his teacher or stapling homework packets or just waiting to have lunch with Brytin).

Words can never completely describe what I've seen as a volunteer in my son's class.

His teacher works her ASS off with these kids. There are 30 kids in this class. Some of them are AMAZING. Always follow directions, work independently, make excellent choices...but not enough. Most of the kids do whatever they FEEL like doing at that moment.

One kid in particular ...he cant go three minutes without interrupting the class...

But then on the other hand, the lessons these kids are given - its really no surprise they are bouncing off the walls to play. Time, temperature, reading, spelling...I dont personally remember specifics of 1st grade, but I doubt I was half as educated as these kids. I think my first spelling test was in third grade, honestly.

Mrs. Hammer was a great teacher, don't get me wrong, but my parents never expected her to be the only person to teach me something!

If you have a child in school, please spend five minutes and write your child's teacher a thank you note. They go through far more in a day than you or I can really comprehend.

Public Enemy Number One

On PostSecret today, there is one where someone says that a mom suffocated her baby so she could go start a new life with a guy she met on the Internet. And she did it in a way that made the cause of death look like SIDS.


To a mother who is of sound mind, SIDS is public enemy number one. It is THE scariest acronym in all the English language - in ANY language, actually.

Sudden, unexplainable death. Are you serious? I just spent 27 hours in labor. I lost innumerable hours of sleep caring for you. I fed you from my breast. I saw your smile. I looked into your eyes and now you are just gone?! And no one will ever be able to tell my why?!

There are no words that could ever describe the grief the mother of a SIDS baby must feel. (And fathers too, of course.)

For someone to choose to take their child's breath from them is atrocious. But to add it to the SIDS numbers is HEINOUS.

While I was pregnant, I went through a brief period of watching A&E's Intervention. I eventually had to stop. On March 19, 2011, ten days before my Daelen Jon was born, I wrote this:

I have seen two shows today with moms who chose addictions over their children. It makes me cry, It makes me just want to hold my baby. I want to hold him and love him and protect him and teach him and love him some more.

And numerous times in the last six weeks, I have done just that - just held him, hugged him, kissed him, loved him.

I never had a ticking biological clock that demanded I have a baby. But now that I have one, you can your bottom dollar I am going to do everything I can to be the mom he deserves.

I can only pray that the Lord looks upon my efforts favorably and chooses to let us both be alive and well for many decades.

Stationery card

Lime Ribbon Birth Announcement

Click here to browse Shutterfly birth announcement designs.

View the entire collection of cards.

Honesty

Brytin: "I didn't get in trouble for play fighting in school today."

Leslie : "Does that mean you didn't do it, or that you didn't get caught?"

Brytin: "Well you caught me once and then I only did it one more time, and I didn't get caught."

Leslie: "Thank you for being honest."

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I Want to be the Mom You Deserve

Your body, heart, mind and soul are so perfect - untainted. I want to preserve your perfection innocence and beauty as long as possible.

You deserve a mom who never hurts you. You deserve patience, fun, security and nurturing.

I want to be the mom you deserve. A mom who respects you, cherishes you and guides you towards success in life.

I need to be the mom you deserve because anything less would be an injustice to you, your father and your Maker. You are an unexpected miracle with a smile that shows me a slice of Heaven. You are a precious gift, borrowed to me for a time.

In order for you to become the man you were created to be, I must be the mom you deserve. I won't be perfect, but that's okay because perfection isn't what you need - real is. Through my mistakes, we will learn how to admit our shortcomings, make amends and move forward. Thru my successes we will learn humility, self worth and celebration. We will never have millions, but we will always have family, love, hope, joy, trust and faith. By the grace of God, I WILL be the mom you deserve.

posted from Bloggeroid

posted from Bloggeroid