Month: March 2008

Categories
Kids/Parenting

The hunt for the perfect name

When we were expecting Hayden, Ryan wanted to wait until Hayden was born before we fully decided on a name to make sure it fit him. But since we didn’t have any other boy names we’d chosen (we’re saving Benjamin for our next son), nothing else seemed more appropriate than Hayden.

We also have girls’ names picked out: Rebecca and Rachel. Ryan has apparently recovered from his earlier reservation, since he’s already okay with calling this baby Rebecca. Meanwhile, I’m still getting used to calling her ‘her.’

But with Hayden we had a pretty obvious middle name choice. With Rebecca, we’re a little stuck on her middle name. Any thoughts?

Categories
Kids/Parenting

The biggest MamaBlogga announcement EVER

(I’m such a geek that I had a hard time not putting ‘EVAR’ in the title. And if you don’t get that joke, you’re a lucky, lucky person.)

I know this is probably going to come as a surprise to . . . well, just about all of you, but today we have the biggest announcement in MamaBlogga history.

It’s a girl!
Baby Girl in profile
Due 31 July 2008

This idea has taken some getting used to. Not the idea of having another child, but the idea of having a daughter. (You’d think I’d waited decades for a girl, LOL.) When I first found out we were having a baby, I thought it might be a girl, but until today I’d kind of changed my opinion.

It’s just that when I think of my child, I think of my son. A boy. So when I imagined my children a few years down the road, it was my sons—playing together, sharing bunk beds, going camping with Daddy. I was actually becoming attached to the image of little Benjamin, though I didn’t have any idea what he might look like. (Yes, we had a name picked out for a boy. We have one picked out for a girl, too.)

So it’s strange not to think of this baby as a boy. Strange to think of my child as my daughter. Strange to think of having a daughter instead of just being one. Strange to make myself call the baby (who is pretty darn active) “her” instead of “it” or, as I’ve defaulted to from time to time, “he.”

Of course we’re excited. I’ve always wanted a girl. Ryan and I actually felt pretty strongly both ways this time—we really wanted a boy, and we really wanted a girl. (But we weren’t hoping for twins.) Let’s hope I can remember all that I thought I knew about having a girl now!

And lest I forget, a couple other friends shared their own happy news lately: An Ordinary Mom is having a boy; Mommy Zabs is having a girl. I was waiting to comment on both until we found out what we were having (didn’t trust myself to keep the “secret” if I commented!). Congratulations, ladies!

This post is now part of the Mothers and Daughters Blog Carnival. Woot.

Categories
Fulfillment

The little things

Sometimes I feel like I won’t feel happy with motherhood until my children are grown and living good lives of their own—when my job is “done.” But not only is that kind of silly, it ignores the fact that I can be happy as a mother today.

And sometimes the things that make me happy as a mother are the tiny details that make a day go easier:

  • Hayden’s sippy is full when I get it out of the fridge
  • Hayden asks to read a book instead of watch TV
  • Hayden counts (two, pour, pie, tih, ten!)
  • Hayden goes down for a nap or bedtime peacefully
  • Hayden eats something after he’s asked for it.

What are the little things that make you smile and make your day go easier?

Categories
Kids/Parenting

Hayden’s week in pictures

Hayden saw me with the camera and demanded it. I told him I just wanted to take a picture of his shoes first. So he obliged me thusly:
new shoes for Hayden
The shoes were also Ryan’s and/or his younger brother’s.

Last night I (finally) cut his hair. The shaggy boy before:
Hayden before a haircut, March 2008
(Can you tell we let him have a red drink with his dinner?)

And after:
paul simon on bookends

Okay, you caught me. That’s Paul Simon 40 years ago. You can’t tell in this picture, but Hayden’s hair is almost that short in the front:
Hayden after a haircut, March 2008
I’m not sure why Hayden’s making his Blue’s Clues sign, but okay.

I got him up this morning and was a little surprised to find a little boy in the crib instead of my shaggy toddler of yesterday!

Categories
Kids/Parenting

Hayden sings live!

Believe it or not, we don’t watch American Idol. The references in the video are to Yo Gabba Gabba episodes, which is where he learned to sing into a “microphone.”

I love this video because it’s hard to get pictures of most of Hayden’s funny expressions, but here we get several of them.

No Haydens were harmed in the making of this video.

Categories
Kids/Parenting Fulfillment

Kids have the darndest timing

In last 6 weeks or so, Hayden has really started picking up two word phrases. “B’eh du (Bless you)” was the just first (well, after “Doo too (thank you)”). He’s since picked up sentences as advanced as “No wanna” (especially popular at bedtime), “You ohay?” and “Deriddis (There it is).”

But of course, my favorite of Hayden’s new sentences is “Wuh doo” or “Wub doo”—”Love you.” He’s gotten so used to saying it that when he walks off from me during the day, he will wave and say “Buh bye; wuh doo!”

Usually, however, Hayden saves his “wuh doos” to respond to Ryan and me when we first tell him that we love him. But today was different.

I was having a frustrating time with the computer—freezing programs, forgotten logins and just plain wrong security questions. For some reason, Hayden chose that time to insist that I “um on (come on).” When I asked what he wanted me to do, he threw a fit.

I lost my patience and lectured him that I was busy with something that was important and very frustrating. While he was initially very upset, he calmed himself down quickly. But there’s not much more pitiful than a two-year-old stoically wiping tears from his eyes with a huge pouty lip. Even as I was telling him that I was working on something important, I knew that the things I was doing on the computer weren’t really ‘important’; Hayden was.

I picked him up and apologized for yelling at him. I just rocked him for a few moments and he rested his head on my shoulder and patted my back.

Then Hayden sat up and looked at me. “Wuh doo,” he said, still just the slightest bit pitiful.

I love you, too, sweet boy.