Mother's Day

I love this quote that I stole from this website:

Whether or not a baby has ever miraculously come out of your body, you are a mother. You have helped mother me, or your sister, or your girlfriend, or your cousin, or your neighbor, or a stranger. You have wiped a tear or a bottom. You have given counsel. You have talked someone you love off a ledge. You have nurtured and natured and gently nudged her to keep going when she was sure she couldn't. You have read a storybook, shoveled a walk, waved across the parking lot, not even realizing you were saving someone's life.

And there was a day in the not so distant past that it would have meant the whole world to read these words. So, to all of you who mother me and those around you without receiving a card today...Happy Mother's Day!

I also love this photo taken by Karen. I think it captures well the peace and joy I get from mothering Zoë. Sweet one, it is my greatest honor to be your mother. Today I celebrate this gift and responsibility. And to all of my mamas, grand-mamas and friend-mamas...I send you all the love & gratitude my heart can hold!

January 2010

Dear Zoë~

Well sweet girl, you are barreling into toddler-hood at full speed!  Every day we are seeing less of the baby you were and more of the little girl you are becoming.  And what fun it is!  You have the sweetest personality and love to be right in the middle of things.  Especially if it involves other children.  On more than one occasion you have let out a loud squeal of delight when we've seen children out and about.  Which, speaking of, is one reason why I've been looking into Mother's Day Out programs for you next fall.  I think we're going to have one very social girl on our hands!

You still aren't really talking yet...although you do "talk" all day long.  You jibber-jabber to yourself as you're playing and have a few little sounds you like to repeat (especially dirka and ish-ish).  A few months ago you started saying "ca-ca" for kitty cat.  This cracks me up because we don't even have a cat!  But you love your Cat book so much it's really no surprise.  And speaking of books, I don't think there is anything in this world you love more.  I'm glad that you're finally doing more "reading" and less chewing on your precious books.  (Sorry sweety, you did destroy more than one of your books.  Yeah, they pretty much looked like the dog got to them.)  But now you love to get all your books out, put them on our laps, read them very fast and then get another one and repeat.  You also really love books with flaps and different textures to feel (new parent tip: best baby gift *ever*).

Well, I can't lie...one of my favorite parts of your new toddler ways is your sleep habits.  Child, you are *finally* sleeping like a true champ!  Shortly after Christmas you dropped your morning nap.  Thank goodness this wasn't too difficult of an adjustment.  So now you're taking one nice long 2-3 hour nap in the early afternoon.  I really missed the morning nap at first...but now I've come to appreciate a longer chunk of time to get stuff done.  And your nighttime sleep has drastically improved.  For the last several months you've been going to bed very well and sleeping good through the night.  BUT you just couldn't seem to shake your habit of waking up at 5-5:30.  And that was no fun.  Well, it seems we figured out the culprit a few weeks ago...me.  I somehow had this idea that you still "needed" a last feeding before you went to bed (What if you didn't get enough to eat during the day?  What if you started waking up hungry?).  Well Mama learned her lesson.  I went out one night and left you & Daddy at home to do bedtime together.  And lo and behold you slept until 7:30 the next morning!  So, I got real honest with myself and admitted that this bedtime feeding was more about me wanting snuggles & quiet time with my overactive toddler than it was about you needing the milk.  I knew it would be happening soon...and I let go without tears.  Mostly because I knew there was some serious sleep around the corner! ;)  And ever since then you've been sleeping until 7-7:30 in the morning pretty consistently.  So nice!

Other things you love: 

Dragging things across the room (boxes, baskets, chairs)

Magazines

Seeing pictures of babies

Sitting on little chairs, boxes, gallons of water & basically anything at your level

Other things we love:

When you lean in to give kisses

When you lean your head over to give hugs

Snuggles before your nap/bedtime

When you sing & dance

When you lay your head on a pillow when we ask you to "go night-night"

You still love to be on daddy's back (or mommy's) especially in the late afternoon.  You would much rather have cuddles and be held than do your usual romping all over the place right when Mommy & Daddy are getting dinner ready.  But you know, we'll take the cuddles any way we can!  You've never really been a cuddly baby...and now that you're on the move it's rare that we can get you to stay still.  So we'll let you be our little monkey as long as you like...  

Love, 

Mama

*sigh*

Ok, people, I know my deadbeatness is completely unacceptable....But, this time I mean it!  I really am going to try and get back on the bloggy train.  Now that Zoë is taking a nice 2-3 hour afternoon nap I'm going to try and use some of that time to get back in the swing of things.

New pics and stories to come!!  I promise... ;)

Happy Halloween!

We had fun this weekend dressing up our little "bug" and playing Halloween.  She's not quite old enough to trick or treat but we had a good time walking around our friends' neighborhood and checking out all the other trick or treaters.  Zoë loves being around other kids so she had a blast.  And thankfully she was appropriately dressed in UGA colors so she could "represent" while our friends watched the game.

I've been thinking alot about what we were doing this time last year.  Fall always does that.  There's something about the slight chill & distinct smell (not that it at all smells the same here that it does in GA or TN) that lures you into remembrance.  This time last year we were having our "any day now" moment.  I was at my due date and like all pregnant women (with their first child, at least) I couldn't believe I didn't go into labor at 38 weeks.  But, I felt good and was actually savoring those final days of pregnancy.  I wasn't really feeling the "get this baby out of me" that so many women feel.  I knew I had no concept of how our lives would change...and I was enjoying what would be the last of lazy mornings, long dinners and having little "B" snug in my belly.

I know I'm going to say this a million times in the next 50 years....but, I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by.  And how many changes!  My daughter has already taught me so much about the impermanence of life.  If I'm not careful I can attempt to reach back and hold on to this time...or that time...and forget to live in and enjoy the moment we are in right now.  It's easy for me to miss being pregnant or miss having a snuggly little infant.  But no, there is too much "life" yet to be enjoyed.  And every day Zoë teaches me more about not grasping too tight to what "was" and embracing what "is".  And what "is" is a budding toddler with a world of personality and a million ways to make me smile.

Life is good...

Goodnight sweetheart...

Dear Zoë,

Now that you're sleeping like a real person...is it blasphemous to say that I miss you?  I check on you every hour or so until I go to bed.  And I can't believe how long you look sprawled out in your crib.  I made your daddy lower your mattress down a few weeks ago after a traumatic dream I had that you hurled yourself out of it.  But, no worries, you are safe from that now.  So finally after *several* nights of fussing and crying you have given in to the almighty power of sleep.  And no joke, you are sleeping a good 12 hours now.  Sometimes you wake for a 4am snack...but, for the most part you are just sleeping away the whole night.  So now here we are...all my wishes for sleep come true.  And I sit here...alone...missing you.

Love you,

Mama

Letter From the Editor

Dear Faithful Readers~

I am writing to ask forgiveness for my lack of posting and for keeping you in complete Zoë cuteness withdrawal.  I know I have become a dreadful dead-beat blogger and I chastise myself daily for it.  Our days have become filled with strolling, lunch with friends, trips to the park & zoo and running errands.  And, as usual, our nights are filled with crying, frequent waking and not enough good sleep.  We've been busy loving on friends and family...sharing good times and difficult times.  And subsequently I've let the days get away from me (only writing blog posts in my head while Zoë is having her usual 2am meltdown).  I have several unfinished posts that I'm going to work on over the next few weeks.  So keep an eye out in the coming days to see the lost archives of May & June.

And in the meantime, please accept this offering as a contrite token for my bad blogging behavior.

Zoë learns to crawl from Kit Hughes on Vimeo.

Yours truly,

Mama Laura

The Official Shoe of the Hughes Household

"For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need.

One for One."

Kit and I have become smitten with TOMS shoes.  I do hope you'll go to their website and check them out.  As the above quote states, they give a pair of shoes to a child in need with every pair that is purchased.  And they are way cute and comfortable to boot!