You're Sleeping

Or should be.

You're growing really quickly. Right now even more than ever. You eat a lot, you move a lot, you talk a lot (in your own private language that I'm starting to understand).

Your growing wakes you from sleep sometimes these days. You find your way back, but while you talk or lightly cry to yourself, confused to be awake, I sit very still and listen. I want to come get you. I want to play with you and laugh with you and watch as you bolt across the floor as quick as lightning.

But I just wait. I know you'll be happier tomorrow if you sleep now.

Today we went to the park and you got so dirty there wasn't an inch of you clean, except maybe somewhere on your tummy where you were still covered.

I used to only give you a bath every couple of days, but now that the sun is out and the days are warm and beautiful, we spend most of our time at the park. I could give you three baths a day and you'd still be dirty most of your waking hours.

I miss you when you sleep. Let's go to the park tomorrow and get our knees dirty.

Spring in the Park with Dad

Today was stake Temple Day. I've never been to one before. I don't know why. I guess I just had other stuff going on and thought, "I'll go some other time this week/month." Well since Dad's a temple worker right now, they scheduled him to go in and help.



So before his shift, you and I packed our gear and headed into the city and met him there. We looked like we were moving in. I had you on my front, a backpack with my gear on back, a bag with your gear slung over that. We were a wide load (front to back and side to side).



We traded loads with Dad in the lobby of the church, and I went into the temple while you and Dad headed off to Central Park. It was a beautiful day.



You played in the grass and cuddled with Dad while you ate. You played with sticks and ate leaves. Dad was in heaven. Then you wore yourself out and fell asleep on Dad as you waited for me to come out of the temple.



I was so happy to see you! And so grateful that I had been able to participate in Stake Temple Day. I felt the spirit so strongly as I completed the session and entered into the Celestial Room. In fact, my eyes filled with tears and I was so grateful to be where I was. I was so happy to see people I knew and loved from the stake. It really made being in the temple so much more powerful to remember that brotherhood.



The words here can't explain it, but let me tell you this Van. The Temple is the house of God. It is such a special place. I hope you will grow to love it and that you will remember to go there when you need answers to your prayers. You'll get them. Just like I did yesterday.

Stop! Stop! Stop!

No more changes for a while. You are growing up far too fast for me to keep track of.

A long time ago, before you were born, before you were in my belly, before I knew your dad, I told myself that I would keep a journal for you when you finally showed up. A journal that you could read when you got older to remember the things you did and the way you were before you even attached words to memories.

Well, I didn't have any idea what being a mom to you (or any little one) would be like. You are on the move all day long. You have been crawling for just over a month now. You started the night we had that HUGE suprise party for papa.

It was really late at night and you had been asleep in the band room across the hall from the party, but the noise of the clean up and then the echo of your own voice crying out made it too hard to fall back to sleep. So you came back out and joined the clean up party. You were so happy to be there (deliriously sleepy happy). And all of the sudden-- you crawled. Just like that while everyone was sitting around watching you.

Well since then, you haven't stopped. Every time you see the stairs you let out a little shout of glee as if you were seeing them for the first time. You start to crawl a little faster, knowing it's only a matter of time before Dad or I intervenes. Your stair mounting has become flawless, and at the top you give another little excited shout and try to take off before one of us scoops you up. (That's the only reason you haven't discovered the litter box yet).

This morning for the first time, when you woke up and called out to us, I went into your room to get you and brought you into our bed and you just cuddled with us for about a half an hour. Well for you it was considered cuddling... more accurately rolled around and touched our faces ... but you didn't make a beeline for the edge of the bed, and that was something new.