SpLiSh SpLaSh He LOVES taking his bath!!

It is official... Legend discovered he could SPLASH in the tub tonight! Although it was a more wet and wild night for me, I couldn't help but want to leave him in the tub for ever just to watch the excitement on his little face!  It may seem silly but it was actually kind of a neat experience for me to see this simple thing "click" for him!  Lately when we take baths I have been moving his legs trying to get him to see that it could be fun to kick around in the tub, and although he would move a little I could tell he wasn't quite understanding the joy of splashing quite yet!  Now and then  he would kick a leg or move an arm on his own and his face would get this surprised expression like he wasn't quite sure what had just happened.  Then I would try to show him again and that was what we'd do over and over... but tonight, he did it all on his own.  It was a funny thing to watch him figure it out.  At first he was doing his normal, small splashes without much reaction and then all of the sudden, it clicked.  His face just lit up and it was like a whole new world of fun for him!  He started out just kicking a few times, then he'd stop and get excited, coo for a bit, then do it again.  After about five minutes though, he was going to town! It was so cute I actually made him get out of the tub for a minute so I could grab the camera.  He was SO upset that I pulled him out and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get him happy again and would just have to get him ready for bed. (I could tell he was already getting pretty hungry).  I put him back in the tub and let him cry for about 10 seconds and then it was like he remembered what he had been doing before, quit crying, started kicking again and those tears were history from there. He kept getting more and more intense with his kicking. I had his head laying on a towel at the far end of the tub (away from the drain) and pretty soon he had kicked his way to the opposite end and off the towel! He had so much gusto, I couldn't help but just laugh and smile watching him.  We ended up taking probably a 20-30 minute bath and I knew he was getting hungry and tired, but he didn't want to stop!
 I know the bigger he gets the more I will probably regret teaching him this trick but for now, I love it!
Can't believe how in love I am with this little guy!

sweet lullabies for babies

Today I got an email from Parent magazine of the top ten lullabies to sing to your little one.  They all consisted of things such as, rock a bye baby, hush little baby don't say a word..., and other classic lullabies we have all heard and come to associate with singing our child to sleep.  I had to kind of laugh a little as I thought of the songs that I have been singing to Legend since day one.  Don't get me wrong, we sing our fair share of kiddy songs while taking a bath or playing in the mornings.  Songs that MY mom learned from her mom such as, "skidamarinkadinkadink..." (however that word should be spelled), How much is that doggy in the window?, the "Jean Pier loves Anne Marie" song, and a few other silly, make you sound like a goon type songs. But the songs I like to sing Legend to sleep with are not quite so kid related but all in all, I think the lyrics are more fitting for the love you feel for your child than most traditional lullabies.  Some of my favorites include;
At Last
      At Last, My love has come along
      my lonely days are over, and life is like a song...
When I Fall in Love
      When I fall in love
      It will be forever
      Or I'll never fall in Love...
I Love You for Sentimental Reasons
      I love you, for sentimental reasons
      I hope you do believe me
      I've given you my heart....
Don't Ever Leave Me
      Don't ever leave me now that you're here
      Right here is where you belong
      Everything seems so right when you're near
      When you're away it's all wrong....
A Kiss to Build a Dream On
Dream a Little Dream of Me
and whatever other jazzy love songs I can come up with that particular night.
I also frequently try to sing Goodnight My Someone from "music man", selections from Wicked, and what few random words (along with some made up) that I remember from Les Mis selections. I decided to memorize the lyrics to my favorites in High School, when my never ending crush played the role of Jean Val Jean and I tried to live vicariously through all my friends who were much more daring than I when it came to acting, since I chickened out when my audition time came up.  I will regret that decision for the rest of my life. Now I'll never know.  I think I could have been Eponine.
Anyway, is my child any less loved or at all deprived because I choose to sing MY favorite songs to him at night? I think not.  In fact, if anything, I think I am helping him have a wider appreciation for a variety of music; mainly being old jazz love songs and a few broadway musical selections as well.
Now if only I could sing like Cosette....

2 months old

Legend,
Here are some things I've learned in the second month of your life:
-You are smiling a bit more but you are still pretty serious.  You are definitely more aware of what's going on around you
-You get mad very quickly. There is no "in between" crying when you're hungry... once you decide it's "go" time, EVERYONE knows it.
-When you are awake, you feel it is your right to be constantly entertained.  You don't like to be laying down but you enjoy being held, cooed at, played with, etc.  One solution to this is I put out your high chair.  Although you don't need it yet for eating purposes, you like to be sitting up while mommy is in the kitchen doing dishes or cooking.
-You LOVE being outside (when it's not too hot).  In the evenings it tends to be your fussy time, so I like to lay out a blanket in some shade and lay you down in the grass. It works every time.  If I'm trying to get you to sleep for the night but you are too cranky, I step out onto the back porch where it's nice and cool, rock you in my arms and before I know it, you're sound asleep!
-You are doing really well sleeping at night. You are consistently sleeping 5-6 hours. Sometimes more!
-You are eating 6 oz of formula every 3 hours but now and then you will eat 7 or 8.
-Once in a while, you snort when you're angry. I can't help but laugh; it's so cute!  Your pediatrician said it could be the result of some reflux or just a little congestion, but it comes and goes.
-At your 2 month appointment you were in the 95% for your weight... you are 14 lbs 5 oz.  You were in the 83% for your height, and your head circumference is just a little bigger than average. (But what can you expect when you look at who your dad is?)

I can't believe two months has already gone by. I've gone back to work and it's so hard to leave you every day. I wish I could spend ALL my time with you! You get cuter every day!

Squeaker to Snorter

For the last couple of days Legend has started snorting.  Yes, snorting.  When he's mad, crying, and sometimes just because.  I have checked quite a few times to make sure he's not snorting because of a stuffy nose, used the booger sucker to make sure he's breathing clearly and it seems that is not the problem.  He has just turned his little newborn squeaks in to snorts!  And I love it.  Every time he inhales to get a new breath for crying he snorts and I just can't help but get the giggles! Does this make me a bad mother that I am being entertained at his expense? I don't think so.  I am still feeding him every three hours and changing his diaper and making sure he is taken care of and loved. His new little habit just makes these few things that much more entertaining and maybe I take my time a little more.  You have to enjoy these little things, right? I sure think so. 

video surely to come. 

First Month

Legend, here are some of the things I have learned this first month of your life....

-You have deep dimples on both cheeks.  It was the first thing I noticed when they handed you to me in the hospital.  I was immediately in love.

-Sometimes when you smile, you smile with your mouth wide open.  A few times you've smiled so big that your gums turned white. It gives me a hint of what it will look like when it's not just gas...

- You have a very expressive face. I can see obvious moments of sadness, disgust, irritation, happinness and peace. 

- You are a lazy eater and a snacker. You want milk to just POUR right in to you mouth and for that reason, I am not having much success with breast feeding you.

- You seem to enjoy your bath time, especially when I lay you on your tummy and pout the warm water on your back and head

- You squeak all the time.  Before you start REALLY crying you make a noise that sounds like a mix between a kitten, and a seagull.

-  Because you are such a squeaker, when you are quiet for too long I find myself getting up to check if you are still breathing.  I have never been in charge of something quite so dependent and fragile and I can't help but lay my hand on your chest at night to reassure myself that you are still with me.

- You LOVE to be constantly held and cuddled.  You also enjoy noise, which is nice because your dad and I can watch movies late at night with you right there with us and you sleep right through it. In fact, you seem to sleep better with noise, because at Grandma's house you love to be out where aunt Graci and Makenna are playing, where Uncle Tate is Jammin on the piano, and Grandma is in the kitchen cooking.  You just like to be in the middle of everything.

- It is so strange to look at you and think that YOU are the thing that was kicking my belly from the inside.  YOU are what I was watching ripple across my stomach.  And YOU are the thing moving around me giving me constant comfort and irritation at the same time.

- You are so sleepy.  I wonder if it's because you had a bit of a hard birth, or if it's because you just love to sleep?

perfection

LEGEND JACK VAITAI WILLIAMS

Born June 21, 2011 

7 lbs 6 oz

20.5 in long

I still can't believe he is all mine.

Big Decisions? No thanks!

Maybe I'll never feel ready

I'm a stresser, a worrier at best.

Bet even after defined, I have something in mind

that outweighs all of the rest.

Maybe I'll never feel ready,

There will always be reasons to wait.

I'm too young, too poor, too insecure,

Can't I just leave it to fate?

But so what if I'm not competely ready?

That's not really how it works in life.

There were things I knew would happen after year 2

When I became that certain someone's wife.

So I will put all my trust in two people;

My sweet husband and my Father above.

As I lay down my pride, they will be by my side

And forever guide me with their love.