Monday, Monday

Normally on Mondays I try not to plan anything. I think of it as the day to slowly transition to being Mommy by myself again . However, since the sun was shining today and it was going to be over 40 degrees - I decided to meet up at the park with a friend and her son. Jack wasn't very into it at first. Not wanting to be put down and, swings - he gave a big fat "No" too. However, I reminded myself not to push him (or compare him) and we sat together with a shovel and played in the sand. We watched the other kids, climb, slide, run. Jack slowly began to get more comfortable - we then sat on a bench for alittle - him beside me like a big boy. After a little while he got down and held on to the bench, practicing his standing. Even deliberately letting go and balancing. Very proudly. Before I knew it- he was walking on his knees (his latest way to get around) ... right over to a playset a little ways away. It was then that he became very busy, holding on to things , pulling himself up and walking around. A smile the whole time. I always think he is just like Jason but these are the days I see alot of myself in him.

Saturday Night's Alright

I spent Saturday night with my 3 best friends. Overnight. The first overnight trip since before I gave birth. That is 14 months to be specific. I thought I would have the best night's sleep imaginable... I slept the worst I have in years. Felt like I was laying there wide awake waiting for sleep to come even though I was soooo tired. I guess I missed the guys.

Regardless. There is something about sitting around with the girls that know you best. Laughing, looking through magazines, snacking, laughing some more.. that makes you feel human again and not just like a Mama. Perhaps its because these people knew you when you had braces, were getting over a (many) broken heart(s), were obsessed with Nintendo, snuck out at night, learning how to drive, figuring out your way through college, caught up in live music.....

I came home a better Mama. And Jack , for the first time ever, gave me an official, very long hug when he saw me.

Sometimes all you need is the inspiration

I just read a great article about 'mommy bloggers'. At the end she notes the following:

Or as the anonymous author of the blog Bub and Pie puts it: "I go through my day in a kind of 'compose post' mode, where I'm actively selecting words to describe my children — their beauty, their quirkiness, their inner lives — and that process helps me to see them, to be mindful of who they are." Writing gives me a way to step back from my life and really see it. To watch my kids and feel the gratitude flood through my veins. To connect the dots so I can tell the story the way I feel it, even though, my God, there are a million true ways to tell any story.

I have decided that as Jack gets older it is going to be harder to tell all the funny / simple/ amusing happenings in his first person. Not to say that GrowJack won't go on - eventually maybe he will be able to keep it up himself. But I think its time for this Mommy to use her voice. For the mundane, the excitement, the craziness, the monotony that ensues as the days go by.

And I used to actually like to write. So here is my best shot at my Mommy blog and my reminder to slow down , enjoy and just breathe.