My boy's daddy

You loved him before you even met him. You eagerly awaited his kicks, felt with joy as he pushed his tiny toes into my side. You played with him before he had ever seen the light, breathed the air, felt the warmth of our bodies cuddling him. You loved to tell him secrets, talking to my belly as he learned to know your voice.

You loved him the moment he arrived. From hearing "It's a boy" to being the first of us two to hold him, you carefully cradled him as I got my first loving glance at the child that made me a mommy. You promised you wouldn't drop him as I got to briefly, awkwardly, hold him in my arms, laying flat on my back with a cut-open belly below.



You loved him as a baby, when his taking was everything with nothing to give, and yet he gave us everything, didn't he? He made husband and wife into family, he brought a joy into our lives that we never could've imagined, he was proof that God's Word is true, that He gives us good gifts and that we hold in our arms a precious, God-made child.

You love him now as a toddler full of emotion, of life, of love. Our crazy year-and-a-half year old, who would give anything just to be in our arms but then wants down to run and see the world, who loves his cars and rocks and building blocks and food and cuddles and so much more.



I love the way you love him. You make him laugh that special laugh, the one that comes right from his gut and up into the world. It's happiness in audible form. You chase him and he squeals, you wave to him and he pumps his arm up and down, thrilled to spot his daddy through the window or coming down the stairs. You read him stories, building a foundation for a lifelong love of the written word. You take care of him, changing diapers, giving baths, clipping nails, fixing owies, easing teething pain and nasty head bumps. You kiss and cuddle and hug. You love him fully, with more passion than I ever thought or expected.



And our boy loves you. I see it when you walk into the room, when he hears your footsteps, when you unexpectedly join us at breakfast. I know it from his sounds to draw your attention, his ungainly hugs to your back as he drinks his bottle, his smile when he finds you, his comfort at your presence when he's scared or hurt or just needs his daddy.



And I love the way you love our boy's momma. You take care of me, you love me fully and deeply and more with each passing day. I know this in my heart, that your husband love is for me and me alone. I know I don't share your heart or mind with any other, and this brings a comfort and security that surpasses any worldly belongings. You treat me so well, you encourage me, you lift me up with your words and actions. And you fill my heart to overflowing each time you make our first-born smile.



And now we will do this again. In short weeks, we will cradle a newborn. We will be tired, and overwhelmed, and covered in God's grace, and happy beyond measure. And our lives will change again, but all for the better. Knowing you are by my side, we will pursue this journey of parenthood together. You and I, always and forever.



I love you Justin. Happy Father's Day.

Things I want to remember about today

The powerful message this morning at church, about how God always keeps His promises, how He has made a covenant with us, how He has good plans for our lives and how He really does listen to our prayers.

The pure pleasure of sharing a simple meal with friends.

The way my boy shared (most) of his toys with our friend's two girls.

The sound of my son trying out his vocal cords with newish sounds. Not really distinguishable as anything, but they are definitely the start to speech.

The obsession my son has with 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear'. We read that at least two times each nap and bedtime now. It has even surpassed the all-hallowed 'Trucks' book.

The way my hubby made my boy laugh at the park when he sat on the rocking seahorse.

The baby moving inside of me. Small kicks, lots of flutters and such joy at each movement.

The overwhelming thankfulness I have at this life God has blessed me with: a loving, caring husband, a precious son and a new gift growing in my belly.

Best laid plans

What is that line about the best-laid plans? Whatever it is, the intent is plans don't often work. And today was definitely one of those best-laid plans gone awry!

Our friend and neighbour asked me to do a small favour for her, and I gladly complied. All she wanted was for me to hang out at her house for three hours today while I waited for a new mattress to show up. An easy thing to do and I immediately responded that it would be no problem.

Silly me.

After responding, I realized I had a midwife appointment that morning. So now, if that three hour window was going to be in the morning, my friend would have to scoot home while I was at the appointment and then dash back to work when I returned. Justin could've stayed at her place during that time but he really likes to be at the appointments with me and she said it would be no problem.

Still. That was one hitch in the works.

Thankfully for her, they called her this morning to say the three hour window would be between 2 and 5. New hitch: Justin got a job interview in the city scheduled for this afternoon. Which means now I was going to be entertaining Isaac for a couple of hours in someone else's (kid-free: read breakable things) home. And did I mention that's in his prime naptime?

But I figured, hey, I can handle this. I'll just load up Isaac's A-game toys and we'll play outside over there and possibly inside depending on weather, and I'll stuff him full of snacks, and pray that the mattress truck comes sooner rather than later.

Fast forward grand plans to 1:45 pm. My toddler is absolutely done for playtime. He is clearly tired and in need of rest. Uh-oh. I improvise. We quickly do a diaper change and bedtime routine and I put him down for a nap in his crib. It's 1:55 p.m.

I grab a book, a water bottle, a blanket, a warm jacket, and the baby monitor. The new plan is to sit out front of my place where I can see when the truck pulls up. I will calmly lock my front door, take the baby monitor with me and let the guys into her place. I know that will only take a few minutes. Phew, problem solved.

But then there's another hitch. As soon as I get outside, the baby monitor stops working. BIG uh oh.I throw my stuff inside and run upstairs in search of new batteries.

No. such. luck.

OK. New new plan: find an extension cord so I can still hear if he cries. So I find a power cord, hook everything up out front and bring my blanket to where I can see her place. I think it's about 2:03 p.m. at this time. I turn around to sit down and what do I see, but the mattress truck out front of her place and a guy in the driveway on his phone, most likely calling to find out why no one is answering the door!

Ack! Without thinking, I dash over as fast as I can (more of a lumber than a run), leaving my door slightly open because of the power cord. Apologize to the driver who says they just got there anyway. Let him in, they bring the mattress upstairs and in under five minutes I've locked up and am back in my own place. I bound upstairs to make sure I can still hear Isaac breathing in there; he's sound asleep.

Phew! Indeed, best-laid plans do often go awry. But in the end, it all worked out just fine. Isaac is currently having a great nap. My friend has her new mattress. And I got some good fodder for a blog post.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

We've been teaching Isaac sign language. And by we, I mean the DVDs I picked up from our trusty local library have been teaching him sign language.

This is actually the sign for 'eat' but that's just a coincidence, as I caught a pic. of Isaac "helping" me in the kitchen.


The cheerful songs are geared towards babies, and it makes it so easy to learn. I get the catchy (but quickly irritating) songs stuck in my head, but you know what? It works. I can sign a whole bunch of words now, which is cool.

Back to Isac though. He's doing pretty well with signing. I wish I had photos of this newish skill, but if I waited to get photos (and waited even more to get good photos) I would never blog about anything!

Anyway, before we got the DVDs, we'd talked about teaching Isaac a couple signs so he could communicate with us better. While at my mom's house one day dropping him off, I googled the sign for 'more'. After just a few demonstrations, Isaac had that sign down pat, and he's been doing it properly and with gusto ever since.

That followed with 'all done' and then more recently 'please'. He's so funny now when he wants something to eat that's yummy, he will very enthusiastically sign 'more' and 'please', (which he does with both hands across his chest instead of the proper one. It's so dang cute).

With the DVDs, he has learned 'eat', and does his own version of 'drink' that looks more like he's picking his nose. But they're distinct signs nonetheless. What he hasn't done yet is asked for something with the signs. He tends to just repeat the signs to us when we say something like, "Isaac, do you want a snack?" Then he'll use the sign for 'eat' back to us. That boy knows his mealtimes too; the words dinner, lunch, breakfast, snack, food and eat all trigger the 'eat' sign with him. What can I say, he's a kid after my own heart : )

It's so nice being able to communicate with Isaac more through sign language. While we know this isn't a replacement for speech, it's a good way for now to allow Isaac to let us know what he wants. Hopefully soon, he'll follow with some more words but for now I'm just happy he can tell me he'd like to 'eat' 'more' 'please'!

Notice how all the signs he's picked up are relevant to eating?