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That was a video I took with our new Sony SR-11. It has a built in slow motion feature, and I went quite silly over getting slo-mo’s of the waves, birds walking, and Jack digging in the sand during our trip to the beach at the end of April.
We went originally to visit with my husband’s brother and his family, who were down from New York on vacation. Then we ended up staying for 2 more days after they headed back home. It was the first vacation we have had (where we were totally by ourselves) in ages! It was Jack’s 2nd time seeing the ocean (the first time he was only 3 months old), and he had a blast.
I feel like I’m in the backseat of a speeding car that I have absolutely no control over. I’m looking out the window, and barely seeing the scenery that is changing and zooming by. Suddenly, a breath-taking field of flowers appears, and I nudge the person beside me so they can share in the fleeting beauty as well. But by the time they twist their eyes to look, the field has dissappeared, only to be replaced by even more lovely views.
Watching your children grow up feels just like that.
At 2:04 am on Sunday, May 4, 2008, I was in the hospital giving birth to my first son, Jack-Evan. And now, today, I will be mailing off the last of his 1st birthday invitations.
We’re having his party -an old fashioned family grill out- at our house, in the large patio in the far back corner of our lot. It’s something I’ve dreamed of doing since we purchased this place shortly before we married – watching our future kids grow up and celebrating life and birthdays in that patio. That was long before Jack-Evan was even thought of, but now the time has come at last. We have his party planned, music picked out, yard cleaned, guests invited, and the menu prepared. Decorations and paper products have even been purchased (thanks to our wonderful, sweet, thoughtful Aunt Bev in New York!). In less than two weeks, we will be singing the traditional Happy Birthday song to Jack.
So why do I feel so sniffly inside?
Watching a child that you’ve given birth to grow and change and accomplish milestones is the most remarkable thing in the world. To sit and know that that little tiny human being with the runny nose, dirty knees, bright eyes, and uninhibited giggle was once a small cell inside of you is earth shattering. To realize that one day when his 70 year old body, eyes, and teeth are failing, he will still remember you as “Mom”, is earth shattering.
To be a mom, period, is earth shattering. (Men think they rule the world – but they must stop to ponder that if it wasn’t for us ladies sheltering their tiny selves in our bodies in the first place, they’d by in quite a mess.)
My entire life, I had feared the moment of labor. The foreknowledge of intense pain scared me out of my wits! Let it be known here and now: Ido not handle pain well.
Even through the moments leading up to his birth, I still greatly feared the pain. Being the pain-wussy that I am, I gladly accepted pain killers and an epidural – but just as my luck runs, I believe the epidural skipped town just so it could mock me. Five minutes into actual pushing, I cried out that I had decided I couldn’t do it afterall, I had changed my mind, so could we please stop?! The pain at the actual crowning was so extreme that I felt as if I had ripped in two. And without sugar coating, I’ll say that I also felt like I had dipped down into the firey pits of hell. Yes, it actually was that intensely painful.
But you know what? The very instant he was out, all 19 purple inches of him lying there on the table, the pain immediately vanished and was replaced with a calming peace. It was over, and I realized it was all worth it. After he was cleaned up (he had to be suctioned for meconium) and handed to me, my heart burst with such love and pride for him that I doubted I had room for any more love to grow.
But yet it has grown immensely.
Each day, from the moment he wakes up till the last moment when he drifts off to sleep with his little hand absentmindedly rubbing his hair, my love for him grows. And each day, he does something that melts my heart once again, and I think maybe, just maybe, this is now the pinnacle of love.
Yet each day, once again, I am proven wrong. Somehow…somehow… I dare to say, I love him more now than the day he was born. How is that possible? To what fullness is the human heart capable of loving? Is there ever any cap? Is there ever any limit? I’m coming to believe there is none.
The height to which the heart is capable of loving is only capped by our finite mind’s inability to look into the future.
My little poopiehead (or “Tooter”, a name which he earned himself by laughing every time he toots) is now exiting his baby days and beginning his trek through toddlerhood.
And I feel like this magnificent present that I have given life to has only just begun to be unwrapped.
Narrator: Now it’s time for silly songs with Jack-Evan…The part of the post where Jack-Evan comes out and sings a silly song.
Our curtain opens as Jack-Evan, who is fast approaching his 1 year birthday mark
(and has never seen scissors in his life),
is searching for his hairbrush.
Having no success, Jack-Evan suddenly cries out…
Oh where…is my hairbrush?
Oh WHERREE… is my hairbrush?
oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh,
where, oh, where oh, where … is my hairbrush?
———-
Narrator: “Having heard his cry, Papa enters the scene.
Shocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of Jack-Evan’s long tangled mop,
Papa regains his composure and reports …”
Papa: I think I saw your hairbrush back there!
Back there is my hairbrush?
Back there is my hairbrush.
Back there, back there, oh, where, back there, oh, where,
oh, where, back there, back there, back there … is my hairbrush?!
———————————–
Narrator: “Having heard his joyous proclamation, Grammy enters the scene.
Shocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of Jack-Evan’s wet head,
Grammy regains her composure and comments …”
Grammy: “Why do you need a hairbrush? You don’t have any hair!”
Narrator: “Jack-Evan is taken aback. The thought had never occured
to him. No hair? What would this mean?
What will become of him?
What will become of his hairbrush?
Jack-Evan wonders …”
No hair for my hairbrush?
No hair for my hairbrush?!
No hair, no hair, no where, no hair,
no hair, no hair, no where back there,
no hair
.. for my hairbrush.
———————————–
Narrator: “Having heard his wonderings, Dada enters
the scene. Shocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of
Jack-Evan’s freshly cut hair, Dada regains his composure and confesses …”
Dada: “Jack-Evan, that old hairbrush of yours …
Well, you never used it, and you don’t really need it anymore.
So, well, I’m sorry … I didn’t know.
But
I gave it to your Mama – ’cause she’s got hair!”
Narrator: “Feeling a deep sense of loss,
Jack-Evan stumbles back and
laments…”
Not fair! Oh, my hairbrush.
Not fair! My poor hairbrush.
Not fair, not fair, no hair, not fair, no where, no hair, not fair,
not fair, not fair!
My little hairbrush!
—————————————–
Narrator: “Having heard his lament, Mama enters the scene.
Having for herself, her own long tangled mop of hair, both Jack-Evan and
Mama are shocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of each other.
But recognizing Jack-Evan’s generosity, the Mama is thankful …”
Mama: Thanks for the hairbrush.
———————————————
Narrator: “Yes, good has been done here.
Jack-Evan smiles, but, still feeling an emotional
attachment for the hairbrush, calls out …”
Take care of my hairbrush!
Take care, oh my hairbrush…
Take care, take care, don’t dare not care!
Take care. Nice hair. No fair.
Take care, take care …
of my hairbrush.
—
Narrator: The end.
(P.S. Only the tips of the hair was harmed in the making of this post)
—————————————————————————————-
(P.S.S. For the original version of this song , “Oh Where is my Hairbrush”
from the VeggieTales, and to hear the tune
so you too can have it stuck in your head the rest of the week,
play this classic video below!)
(If you don’t see the video in your reader, please visit our website!)
Ok, so being a new mom, it constantly amazes me how much babies understand and can do. Jack-Evan began mimicking sounds (I love you, and Hey) when he was 2 months old. He’s also been doing “motorboat” (aka raspberry with the tongue) since he was 2 months old (thanks to my Dad). Last month, my mom taught him how to sing a little song they call the “La La” song – and now all we have to do is say “Jack, sing the La La song for Grammy”, and he’ll grin and sing lalalalala in the tune the taught him. He never lets me get the full song on video though, the little stinker! He seems to know when the camera is aimed at him.
I did manage to catch a little of the LaLa song today while we were out at lunch with my parents – along with a “new and improved” motorboat. Jack use to use only his lips…now, for some reason, he thinks it’s hilarious to use his full tongue. Ahh…the life of a baby.
(If you are viewing by email or through a reader and don’t see the video above, come to our website!)
….well, if you are a baby, you ignore them and choose something completely surprising to fall in love with instead.
Meet “Just Bunny”. He’s a 12″ tall, skinny, hairless, eyeless, white country bunny that my cousin threw out 14 years ago. Jack-Evan found him back in January and hasn’t let go since.
Here’s a video of the happy duo upon the commencement of their love affair. This was taken at the end of January when Jack was approaching 9 months old (he’s currently almost 11 months!).
Each night, as Jack-Evan and Just Bunny lay down to sleep, I tell a continuing bedtime story saga about Just Bunny and his brave, noble friend named Jack-Evan who sets out on a quest to find the little hairless bunny some new fur. Currently, Jack-Evan and Just Bunny are in the woods, witnessing the birthday party of Fairy King Minos the 15th.
Jack-Evan, for the most part, ignores the story (preferring instead to munch happily on a board book), but at the end of tonight’s imagined chapter my husband, Kevin, suddenly spoke up and said…
“Aww, why do you have to stop at that part? Can’t you make it a little longer tonight?”
We recently started attending “Mother Goose Storytime” for babies 12 months and younger at our local library. They have been having it on Thursdays, but they’ve now switched it to Mondays during this 6 week session.
Well, Monday morning, as we entered the children’s department, I noticed a lady I didn’t recognize with another baby seated on the comfy chairs in the back. Jack-Evan and I checked in, grabbed our purple moon shaped name tag (which I had to wear, because Jack was too interested in eating it), and we headed towards their friendly faces.
As we came within 10 feet of the lady and her little toddler, Jack perks up, raises his hand and yells “Hey there!”. The baby receiving the greeting, looked at Jack, then promptly fell off of his chair and started crying.
It seems now as if greetings are Jack-Evan’s new found addiction, especially when it produces strange reactions in those he greets.
For the next 5 minutes as everyone was gathering, Jack held his hand in a perpetually waving motion, shouting “Hey there!” to everyone that made eye contact.
I’m hoping this is a sign of good things to come! As for myself, I’ve always been shyer than a country mouse, and I’ve always been afraid that my children would inherit my awkwardness. That’s one thing I love about my husband – he’s extremely sociable and does well around people – so he balances me out.
Hopefully Jack-Evan is going to be like his dad in this aspect!
So this past Sunday morning, I stepped off the stage at church when praise & worship was over (I control the powerpoint slides that show the words to each song) and began walking towards the pew in the back where my family was seated.
The pastor was now at the pulpit, opening his Bible and waiting for all of the music team to take their seats. Because of my position on stage, I was the last one reach my pew, and everything was extremely quiet.
Too quiet.
Two feet away from my seat, I raise my head and make eye contact with Jack-Evan who is seated on his dad’s lap. And what does the little 9 month old bugger do? In his loudest voice, he says, for the very first time…
HEY MAMA!!!!!
Then he grinned as if all were right in his little world.
I'm a quirky SAHM to 2 kids, lover of family, laughing, cloudless days, & chocolate mini bites. When I'm not reliving childhood through my toddler, you'll probably find me with my nose in a book or MP3 headphones in my ears. Sometimes both.
