Sing me a song mommy

Oliver has been on a kick where he requires us to make up songs about whatever topics comes to his little mind. Mostly, it has been Dori the fish, but sometimes it’s water, Jesse went poo poo in her pants (thank you Joe for that one), ceiling fan song; the list is endless it sometimes feels when you’re tired and Oliver just won’t go to bed!

During my impromptu song singing sessions I realize how I would make a terrible song writer in real life. Thank goodness there are men and women out there who have the ability to convey so clearly all the jumbled thoughts in my mind. The world might be a scary place if everyone had to live with the songs I write on the spot for my children.

All this to say it got me thinking about the songs that remind me of the significant places of my life. Every time I hear Dave Matthews Band’s Crush, I think of the night Joe and I drove around in his burgundy Acura Integra listening to that song. Spring semester of our Sophomore year was over and Joe and I were both getting ready to go to our homes for the summer. Three whole months apart seemed like forever then.

Let's go, drive till, the morning comes.
And watch the, sunrise, and fill our souls up…
It's crazy, I'm thinking, just knowing that the world is round.
I'm here I'm dancing on the ground.
Am I right side up or upside down, and is this real, or am I dreaming?

We made it through that summer apart, and a few more years after that. During the Fall of 2002, Joe and I got married. We had picked Etta James’ song, At Last, to be our song to dance our first dance to, but a couple close to us who were getting married a few months before us beat us to it. So our wedding photographer suggested Nora Jones’ song, Come Away With Me.

I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come
Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you

Whenever I hear this song, it makes me think of simpler times. Not that they were any better than things are now, but they were a lot less busy. If you would have asked me at the time, I would have probably described it differently. But looking back at our wedding and the years after that, I remember wonderful evenings with friends, swanky parties in our tiny apartments that we thought were just the nicest, and quiet times with Joe. I laugh because I remember when we got married, I was so excited to get a job that pays $14 an hour! We’ve come a long way from then, with more responsibilities, bigger bills, but so many blessings that come along with all of it.

When Oliver was first born, Joe and I felt like our world was turned upside down! We were excited to have this new little guy in our lives, but it sure was different than what we anticipated. Oliver was an energetic, colicky, non-sleeping baby who dared to defy all of my expectations about what kind of mother I planned to be. Battling some post-partum depression and feeling alone often, having been laid off from my job, I would hear over and over on the radio,

You're going to miss this
You're going to want this back
You're going to wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're going to miss this
You're going to miss this
Yeah you're going to miss this

Trace Adkins always brought me to tears. Everyone would tell me, enjoy your time with your baby because it will go by so fast. I remember in those moments thinking they were all liars and the time seemed to crawl by! But now that crazy little baby is an amazing three year old and it really did fly by.

And now here we are with another precious gift, my Henry, who is one now. Thankfully Henry did not follow in his brother’s footsteps during the baby phase, but he certainly has his own opinions and gladly shares them. Life is so busy sometimes and the days fly by. I have been truly blessed with the ability to be home with my kids more than I have to work, and with Joe’s schedule as a teacher, we get to spend a lot of family time together.

I am aware every day of how good God has been to us and fully realize that we don’t deserve any of it. But the Lord is gracious and kind to us beyond measure. I know that at any moment the things I most enjoy could change. But whatever the future may hold, this song stands out clearly and had I known it for longer, I would say it’s truth has always been present in our lives.

I will bring praise, I will bring praise
No weapon form against me shall remain
I will rejoice, I will declare
God is my victory and he is here…

All of my life, in every season, you are still God
I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship.

Someday Oliver is going to outgrow wanting Joe and I to sing him silly songs. He’ll start listening to his own music of choice and adopt songs that will forever be a part the memories of his own life. The same will be true for Henry. But it’s my hope that the truth of this song will always be a part of their lives.

All of my life, in every season, you are still God
I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship.

Frog Prince Party

Swimming Lessons

I took Oliver for his first one-on-one swimming lesson today. I wasn't sure how he would react since the great floatie pop incident on 2010. Before we left Oliver kept telling me he was a little scared and I did my best to reassure him that it's okay to be scared when you are trying something new. But once he saw the pool, he was all in. Ollie did let his teacher - Miss D, know that he was nervous, but she did a great job reminding him that she wouldn't let him go and he trusted her right away to help him maneuver in the water. 

Oliver goes back next Monday for a semi-private lesson. We're going to try out that class setting and see how he does sharing the teacher's attention. But so far, so good.

Visit from the Diaper Fairy

Oliver recently decided he was ready to leave his diapers outside on the porch for the Diaper Fairy to take away and give to other little boys and girls who might still need them. After watching another little boy's experience with the Diaper Fairy online, he thought it might be a plan that would be beneficial for him as well. So we packed up all the diapers we could find, except for the pull-ups, and in exchange, the Diaper Fairy left Oliver some Squinkies (which Henry has been trying to eat ever since).

Since there were no more diapers left for Oliver to wear, he had no choice by the dawn his Buzz Lightyear underwear (I'm not allowed to call them undies. Oliver says undies are for girls) and learn to hold it in for the potty or let it run down his legs. The first two days were rough. I was mentally and physically drained chasing Oliver around the house, reminding him to tell me when he has to go and bargaining with him to try sitting on the potty, just in case. There were threats of sending the Squinkies back to the Diaper Fairy with a note that he wasn't ready to be potty trained, there were some accidents in the underwear, and maybe some tears, from both of us at times. Surprisingly though, from day one he woke up dry from his naps, which I thought was a great sign.

After the first two days, a light bulb must have went off in Oliver's already bright little mind because he just seemed to get it. He told me when he had to go pee pee and poo poo and we didn't have any more accidents. He still wears pull ups at night because he's not quite there on waking up dry from an all-night snooze, but the hard part is behind us I believe.

Now there is a side-story to the Diaper Fairy, as depicted in the pictures below. About a month ago I had told Oliver that if he could get potty trained, I would give him the first forty dollars I would normally spend on diapers to him to get a new toy. Lucky me, he doesn't know the value of money yet, so I was able to get away with purchasing these Toy Story Aliens with the rewards certificates we had earned from our Christmas and baby shower shopping. The aliens, however, since that time were sitting in my garage, waiting for the day when Oliver would be potty trained.

After Oliver had two days of no accidents, I made him a chart and told him if he could keep going pee and poop on the potty and not having any accidents for five days, I would give him the aliens. After five long days, Oliver made it and earned the aliens. As one last opportunity for a bargaining tool, I told Oliver that he had to hold the potty chart up and smile for a picture before he could open the aliens. He gladly agreed, apparently feeling the aliens were a big pay-off for a small concession to make mommy happy.

Happy First Birthday Henry!

Wow! A whole year has flown by and my sweet little Henry is now a year old. I just can't even explain how much I love this little guy. He is sweet and gentle, but not afraid to voice his emotions. He loves his brother, wants to be around him, but doesn't want to share mommy or daddy's lap with Oliver. He is adventurous and apparently loves danger, crawling on anything he can, but is so sensitive and is hurt by the littlest bumps and bruises.

On the day of his first birthday, we actually went to another friend's birthday party. Mya shares the same birth date as Henry, so the documentation of his first birthday is this lovely gem of a picture. Mya had a Mickey and Minnie party, and the actual characters (well I suspect imposters and I think you will too when you look closely at the picture) showed up to take pictures with all the guests.

We then went to Disney on Ice that night, where he fell asleep during the first part of the show. We didn't choose the show as his present, it just happened that the discount tickets were for that night. Surprisingly, he was interested for about 15 minutes.

In honor of my sweet little man, here are some of my favorite pictures of my precious one year-old baby.