Every Boy Needs His Pooh

I loved my baby shower! I got so many gifts it took me hours to sort through them all.  I hardly needed diapers or clothes for the first 6 months of Aaron's life. I was set for practically everything my sweet baby needed.  One of the best gifts he got was a stuffed Winnie the Pooh.  When Aaron was finally able to sleep on his tummy, I let him have Pooh in his crib with him.  It was like they'd waited their entire lives to be together.  They instantly bonded and now they are inseparable.

Pooh takes quite a beating, yet he never complains.  He gets cuddled, bitten, plays teether, gets tossed over the side of the crib and back again as a little game my son and I love to play.  He's been spit up on, peed on and he still just smiles and loves every minute of it.  I guess that's why we love him huh? The fact that we can dole out the worst abuse on them and they forgive us and still comfort us. 

Many times I've witnessed my baby boy curled up with Pooh in peaceful slumber and my heart has melted. But last night I witnessed something new.  Aaron was fast asleep, face down in his crib and Pooh was curled up on his back. The cuddlee had become the cuddler.  It was so incredible.  Somehow the roles had been reversed and my heart took a picture.  The moment was fleeting, and as soon as I put the camera away, Aaron was once again curled up on Pooh and the bear, all stuffed with love, was happily being choke held while his boy slept. 

There are just some things a Mother cherishes.  The smile and giggle she gets when she says Good Morning to her baby.  Bath time with all its wonder.  The intent listen as she says her prayers before bed time asking God to bless her angel and cradle him while he sleeps.  And the sweet sight of her baby boy cuddled up in sweet slumber with Winnie the Pooh.

When Did This Happen?

When I returned home from work today, I was greeted with a bone-chilling squeal of delight from the little man who was thrilled to see Mommy finally return.  It was a difficult parting this morning as he cried when his Dad left, calling out "Hey Da, Da" as he watched his best buddy head off to work. He clung to me as I rushed to finish getting ready and refused to be consoled by anything including a cup of milk as he dug his little fingers into my shoulder and tightened his little legs around my waist begging to be held, when I needed him to settle down and go back to bed no matter how much my heart screamed to just stay home.

He spent the entire afternoon with his new found voice, screaming over everything.  Demanding another bite of food, the toy that was just out of reach, the dog's attention and anything else that he desired. You never knew what was wrong or if anything really was. He just loved the new sound he was able to make and practiced it a lot.  When did this happen? When did he learn to scream and how quickly can I teach him that this is not only no fun but hurts his throat.  Yeah, that's the excuse I'm going to use to discourage his new found accomplishment.

That precious little mouth has also learned how to bite. I was so excited when he got his first teeth, which he cut two at a time, and how big he was to have the beginnings of getting away from formula and on to real food.  As the rest of his now six teeth made their way in, I endured sleepless nights, low- grade fevers and general fussiness, all in a loving attempt to show my little man that no matter what,  Mommy was always going to be there to love and comfort him.  When he needed me, no matter how many sleepless nights we had to endure, Mommy would be there without complaint.  Stop the music!  Those teeth that I was so elated for have now become weapons.  Yep, you guessed it! Aaron Timothy, my darling angel, BITES!

You won't give me another drink of soda from the glass, it's on now Mom!

Not his spoon, his bib or even his food.  No, he's moved on to bigger and better. Mommy! And it doesn't stop there. He bites his Dad and even his Grandpa.  He's yet to wield his new weapon of choice on the dog, our chocolate lab Gracie (who isn't his biggest fan anyway, unless of course he's trying to share his food with her or she happens upon his snacks in his diaper bag) yet but it's only a matter of time.  Yeah, this isn't a good thing.  When he doesn't get what he wants, he clamps down.  When you tell him no, look out! He's getting even. When he's bored, you got it, he's biting.  The worst sound a Mother can hear is Ouch! from the next room and walking in on G Da with 6 little indents in his skin and a screaming baby who's been corrected for his misdeed.  When exactly did he learn this was good?  Oh! The joys of Motherhood.  It's a non-stop roller coaster of dirty diapers, blistered diaper rash and peeing in the bath water.  Luckily, the sweet moments when his head smells of baby shampoo and he's content to be laying on my chest, listening to my heart beat and playing with angels and Grandma in his dreams.  I wouldn't have it any other way!

Little Moments

Aaron's Dad has started taking him at bedtime to help me get him to sleep.  They sit in the rocking chair and watch The Outdoor Channel.  They watch hunting shows and Jimmy tells Aaron about the deer they are looking for on their excursions.  We have a doe and her twins, another doe and her baby along with a few bucks that come to eat at our bird feeder. We put corn out for them and we get to see the little ones, which is my favorite. When Jimmy's in our sun room he will ask Aaron, "Hey Bub, where's the deer?" and Aaron will point his little finger and walk over to the door and look out to see if his 'friends' are there.  It is the cutest thing I've ever seen. No matter where he is in the house, he will point and when you ask him to show you where they are, he walks to the sliding glass door and looks out for them.

Jimmy will take Aaron for walks in the evening around dusk, when the deer are out feeding and the two of them have so much fun together. There's just something about guy stuff that bonds a Father and his son.  All day Aaron and I play and do the learning and laughing and silliness but the second Daddy comes walking through the door, he kicks into guy mode.  Having my Dad around so that Aaron's able to see G Da is such a blessing for him.  They adore each other and G Da makes a great babysitter.  Of course Mommy's only gone 4 hours, which are pure agony on her part, but those few short moments when the two of them are together are very special for both of them.  Dad loves to pat Aaron on his leg and for some reason Aaron will clap when G Da gives him love pats.  It's one of those moments when buddies bond and only their hearts are talking.                                                                                       

Growing up, my Dad was the only man in the house. He was outnumbered and clung to Winston, our Westhighland Terrier, as his partner in crime. Now that my Mom has passed away, Jimmy and I are here with Aaron, I am the one who is outnumbered. But I never complain. There's something about hunting show bed times, college football Saturdays, NFL and NASCAR Sundays and just haning out with the guys, regardless of age, is exactly where I want to be.  I couldn't think of a better place to be or find better company than my 3 guys.  Curled up with a sippy cup of milk, a handful of Cheerios and sharing little moments that become precious memories.                                                                        

Why is it?.....

For some reason, Aaron is obsessed with sticks. We have bars in the sliding glass doors in our sun room for added security.  So much for keeping the burglars out, he carries them all over the house.  My Dad has a grabber to get the things he can no longer bend over to pick up and Aaron is enamored with it and wields it at you for the slightest of infractions.  It still amazes me how the simplest of things have become the most treasured toys for my little guy.  I've decided what he needs to be really cool is a light saber.  Then when he defends his toys from clean up he can truly have the force with him and Mommy will be terrified.

From the first sign of a red swollen gum that promised a new tooth, I have been brushing Aaron's teeth.  He thinks the little finger toothbrush is the greatest thing ever invented.  When I finish our twice a day ritual, he grabs the brush and the tube and spends about an hour with it in his mouth.  He loves the way the little nubbly bristles feel on his gums.  I can't stop laughing at him but I'm thrilled with the fact that he's so excited about brushing his teeth.

Aaron has an obsession with our produce cabinet. The onions, potatoes and peanuts are constantly being invaded by tiny fingers.  At one point I had potatoes all over the house and a little man who stuck raw potatoes in his mouth as toys.  It was so funny to see his face when he bit into the dirty spud and didn't like what he'd tasted.  When we put door latches on his cabinet, he would pull on the door, squat down to check out what was keeping it from opening, then look at me with a face that simply broke my heart. It was a look of Mommy how could you???  Getting into the spice cabinet and dumping half a bottle of steak seasoning all over himself and the floor ruined all the fun.


Kids don't need fancy expensive toys. They simply need their own creative imagination and a Mommy who is willing to let him explore the world with it.  I wish I knew what went on inside his little mind when he drags out pots and pans, potatoes and the yard stick and is so excited when I go into the bathroom and he gets to come too. He remembers where the fun stuff is and makes a bee line to it the second he gets close to them.  Such innocent, child like wonder makes me so proud to call him my son.

Mommy's Secret

When I came home from the hospital, I had a ton of paperwork, most of which I never even looked at.  I found the website for my formula, signed up for their Strong Moms program and received a coupon for a free photobook from Shutterly.  I uploaded my photos, chose their custom path, which they have greatly improved since my first visit there and created a hard cover keepsake book that I will have to show Aaron when he gets bigger. I paid the shipping costs and had something special for just a few dollars.

When you sign up for a Shutterfly account, you get 50 free prints.  They are amazing quality and you can even add borders and captions and other really neat effects to make them one of kind treasures. I recently got an email for 101 free prints.  What a great gift! 

I purchased invitations for Aaron's 1st birthday party with pictures of him from birth to 11 months and they were amazing. I got so many compliments on them.  You can even have them address them for you! Such a help for any busy Mom.  I wanted to do Thank You cards with a special photo from his party where he's covered in cake and what do you know! I got a code for free cards and voila! 20 cards absolutely FREE!

You can also open a share site for your friends and family to see your photos, and other special events. It's free when you upload photos to Shutterfly.  They never delete your photos, have unlimited storage and also have incredible birth annoucements, wall art, calendars, mugs and other special keepsakes made right from your photos.

But be sure to correct any red eye before you place your order if you want perfect pics.  They don't automatically fix it and the photos will print exactly how they look when you place the order. 

They are affiliated with Pampers and their Gifts to Grow points, which can be redeemed for Shutterfly items.  I got a photo collage for 400 points and only paid the shipping. It is 11 x 14 and turned out amazing!  I've never gotten a bad item from them, but just in case you do, you guessed it! They have a guarantee that if you don't love it, they'll replace it or give you a full refund.  You can't go wrong. And yes, they have special offers for free shipping on purchases of $30 or more and often have sales on their photo books. There are several sizes to choose from and there's even faux leather and other neat cover options. The possibilites are endless...just let your imagination run wild!  And if you're not overly imaginative they even have what they call simple path, where they take the photos you upload and put them in a book for you! What could be easier than that??

This is one truly amazing site and such a special thing for a new Mom to have forever keepsakes of the precious little boy she gets to call her own.  Check 'em out! www.shutterfly.com

Mommy Moment

While working on some things, I left Aaron alone in his little gated community. It's not as bad as it sounds. He has the entire kitchen and sun room to destroy with Hurricane Aaron, I promise you the little guy is in no way deprived.  After a while, I noticed there was silence coming from the direction I left my climbing paper shredder.  When I went in to check on him, I discovered that he had found a comfy pillow on the floor to curl up with and take his nap.  It was so precious I just had to grab the camera. And I couldn't resist the urge to cover him up.  He stayed there for over 2 hours, happily dreaming of Grandma and playing with angels.  Next time he screams when I put him down for a nap, I'm going to remind myself if given enough time to settle, he will drift off to dreams and peacefully rest without any coaxing from Mommy.

A Little Chuckle....

While making breakfast for my little man and I this morning, I had to wash a pan to fix his scrambled egg with cheese. I've never been the neatest dish washer (when I actually wash dishes...shhh!!) I accidentally slopped water all over the place, on the sink, down the cabinet, on myself, the floor and ultimately little Aaron. He stood there looking at me with that how could you face and I just had to laugh. I tried to console him by telling him Mommy was wet too but it didn't fly.  He was playing with the water drips on the cabinet, then sat down and was grabbing at the wet spot on his pants. 

I felt so guilty and my heart skipped a beat. More out of pain than anything. I'm thankful it wasn't scalding hot and that he would dry.  I love that little man so much...he makes me so proud. And thankfully after some kisses and yummy scrambled egg, he forgot all about it and all was forgiven!

Good Morning World

My Dad often says, "I wish I could wake up as happy as he is in the mornings". Aaron wakes up laughing, giggling and happy to see everyone in his world. He doesn't remember the day before and is so excited to get started with this new beginning that he just brightens up even the gloomiest of days.

What a way to look at life!  You forget anything bad that happened before you went to sleep, you slept like a baby, pardon the pun and when you woke up there were all the people you love and who treat you like you're special and you can't wait to play with them.  Oh how I wish I still had that outlook on life.

I sleep in Aaron's room with him, on a mattress on the floor. Yes, I may be over protective but it's easier to get up from a few inches away and tend to his needs than to leave him bawling in his room while I struggle to wake up, stumble in and make matters worse.  When he's ready to get up but I'm still begging for a few more minutes sleep, he will take his stuffed Winnie the Pooh and throw him out of his crib and onto the floor. I toss it back, sometimes playfully hitting him with the plump yellow bear on the way back over the crib rail. It's a simple game yet brings such joy to my little man. 

He will stick his hands and feet through the rungs of his crib and I will tickle them as he pulls them back inside.  But they magically reappear just seconds later and our fun continues. There truly is nothing like play time with Aaron no matter where it is or how small the game.

Things Aaron Taught Me....

When you fall down, cry for a second. More because you're scared and embarrassed, not because you're hurt. Then laugh it off. Get up and go on.  There's too many great new things to explore to stay focused on one tiny fall, even if it is flat on your face.

Introduction

After celebrating the big 1st Birthday of my little boy, I realized that so much happens when you blink that without even realizing it, the moments that your heart takes pictures of fade and you're left with a fuzzy blur of precious isms and breath taking seconds that you can't get back. 
He was unplanned, the last thing I expected and the only thing in life I've ever truly wanted.  I went from shock, to fear and through a roller coaster of emotions and feelings that paved the way for something truly special wrapped up in the most perfect little body.  I want a place to record the good, the bad and the spectacular and capture them forever.

Some day, he will read this blog and laugh, cry, die of embarrassment, want to kill me and some day find it a cherished reminder of the love between his mother and the little boy that changed her life and made her a better person just by taking his first breath.