To my sweet baby boy....

Dear Aaron,
I just wanted to tell you how much I love you!  I never knew it was possible to love anyone as much I love you.  Because of you, I believe in love at first sight.  The very second I saw your little tiny body on that ultrasound, I was head over heels in love with you.  You changed my life, gave me hope and filled me with a purpose. When your heart rate dropped and they told me you had to come out immediately before something happened to you, I was so scared I would never see or hold you.  When I heard your voice for the first time and saw your tiny precious little face and those gorgeous brown eyes Mommy gave you that are exactly like hers, I knew life as I knew it had changed forever.  I no longer put myself first, the only thing that matters is you.  I would sacrafice everything for you and your happiness.

Mommy has made mistakes in her life that she regrets deeply. I hope some day you can forgive me for what I've done that will effect you.  I trust that God knew what He was doing when He blessed me with you and He sees the whole picture and has all the questions in my heart already answered.  I am not perfect, I lose my patience, I panic and react in ways I wish I didn't.  But Mommy is still a work in progress and she wants so much to be better for you!

There is nothing like your smile, your laughter, cuddles and hugs, kisses (even if they are nothing but slobber at times lol) and sticking our tongues out at each other and laughing our heads off together.  There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. I would go to the ends of the Earth for you.   Aaron Timothy, there is nothing you could ever do that would or could ever make me stop loving you!  I may not always like what you do but I will forever and always love you!  When you need me I will be there for you.  And when I can't be there, God will be!  Trust in Him, live your life devoted to Him and when this life is over..... we will meet at The Pearly Gates to greet your Grandma Virginia and be together the way we always were meant to be. 

With all my heart and every drop of love it could possibly contain,
Mommy

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.