Mother's Day! Number 4! Really?

Dear Peep! Special thanks to you and Daddy for a sensational Mother's Day.  This is my fourth year having the honor to be designated a mother, your mommy.  Click here to see 2009,  here for 2010,  and I must not have labeled 2011.  We had a great day, we did my celebration Saturday and Sunday went to Columbus to see your Grandmothers.  So Saturday was beautiful!  Daddy sent me flowers with a dream note attached reading, "You are so good at just about everything you do, but you were born to be a mom and you are awesome!  We love you!! Steve and Henry"  What woman/mother wouldn't melt over such loving, affirming words?  

We went to brunch at JoJo's restaurant and then drove out to Lake Monroe to walk around the lake.  We had so much fun!  You challenged Daddy to multiple races and hunted down all of the beaver spots.  

I told you to use your elbows when you run because it will make you run faster so you started flapping those things around like crazy.

 As we walked back to our car you spotted a dog, Bently.  You can't just walk by a dog, you must pet!  We've taught you to ask if you can pet the animal, to put your hand out so a dog can smell you first, then you usually pat its back and ask if it is a girl or a boy and the ask the name.  Bently and you had a special bond instantly and Bently's owner made it clear he loved you playing with him. 

He handed over a tennis ball and you would throw it as far as you could and Bently retrieved and placed it back by your feet and waited.  Bently is and A+ dog and you REALLY didn't want to leave.  Daddy had you saying "Happy Mother's Day Mommy, I love you!" as much as possible all day long.  I relish being together with my two boys!

Sunday we had brunch with your aunts, Great Aunt Ruthie, GG and Grandma LaJean then spent a little time at Grandma P's and Bahboo's to return home with a very tired boy.

I love being your mom!
Love, Mama

Waking the Baby Lyuba, Sleep the Baby Henry

Dear Henry,

This April Mommy received in the mail the May 2009 issue of National Geographic, a gift that Grandma La Jean subscribes to for me every year. The issue featured a story about a baby mammoth, named Lyuba. She was found nearly completely intact after laying in an icy river bed for nearly 40,000 years pickled by the microbes in the water. Mommy was WAY excited to read the article but had a hard time finding enough time to read it. The issue would sit on Mommy's side table and I would long to read the article and make promises to myself, "yes, in fact, tonight would be the night." Slowly Lyuba's story would unfold to me. I would quickly flip to see the photos one day, the next day read the captions, and then finally I found the time and focus to read the article. Since Mommy has read this story I can't get it out of my thoughts!

I can't get out of my head that she was the first healthy baby mammoth found. "Well, if she was so healthy how did Lyuba die," you ask? Well, you know it isn't going to be good.

She was likely near the water and became stuck in the mud and sucked mud into her baby trunk that she couldn't get out. She violently flailed and likely even broke part of her face trying to get the mud out. I'll leave that part right there... It makes me feel teary and it is the thing of my nightmares. Since reading this story Mommy checks on you more frequently through the night, especially if you had a bottle near bed time.

The second part of Lyuba's story makes it even more gut wrenching to think of her mommy. The day Lyuba died her mommy had gone about doing everything important to keep her alive and healthy, as she had every day the entire month that summed up to be hear life. Scientists know this because her stomach was full of milk and feces. Okay to us, poop does not sound like an appealing part of the diet but for Lyuba's mommy it was essential to preparing her baby's stomach for an herbivore lifestyle. They also knew Lyuba's health was consistent because of the thick fat hump they could see at the back of her neck. Now, this part made me really tear up and feel sad. I looked over at you laying on the floor and thought my Henry has a nice fat hump on his neck too!


At that moment I really felt for Lyuba's mommy. She was just a mammoth mommy trying to help her baby live a healthy happy life and tragedy struck. I know, as your mommy, I have to watch out for you carefully and not get lax about keepin' you in my line of sight at all times. I would never want anything to happen to our baby Henry. Who would have thought I would have such feelings for a mammoth and her mommy that lived 40,000 years ago! I can't lie, I check your little fat hump daily to make sure it is still there. It is cute but can get smelly if I don't constantly clean the lint and milk residue out of it.

I tell ya Henry, your Mommy is a little nerdy but I have a big heart and I don't care if a mommy was a mammoth mommy or a penguin mommy (I will spare you my feelings about the story of the mommy and daddy penguins that lose their egg on the long journey to get their baby hatched) they are all mommies like your Mommy and only want their babies to thrive and grow up to be parents too.

All those sad parts aside, I hope that some day you have a love for history and archeology too. I have so much I want to share with you.

Love your, Woolly Momma

A Ladies Day

Dear Henry,

Perhaps one day you'll wish for a day where many beautiful ladies are fawning all over you, saying how cute you are, rubbing your head and squealing at seeing you, I will remind you of these early days. This very thing happens to you ALL the time! I feel like I am with a celebrity. Just the other day I was at the grocery getting hamburger and an older gentleman... (old men love you too! and it works to my advantage too because I get lots of complements.) at the meat counter was saying how cute you are and asked your age and I told him 8 weeks with pride in my voice that you've made it this far in our care. He told me I looked great! I said, "Thanks! You should see his birthmother! She looks really good!" He laughed and said oh what a blessing that you adopted and walked away. About 5 minute later a woman at the opposite side of the store getting milk comes barging toward me with a purpose, I nearly looked over my shoulder to see if she was coming for me. She was, she said, "OH MY! He is cute! Some old man I don't know just told me I had to come meet this baby and hear your story." HA!

So back to the real purpose of this post...
This Friday our special cousin Kyra invited us over for a mothers day brunch. Grandma P was there, Auntie Lea, Mamaw Janie, Molly, Martha, Nellie, Kyra, Grannie, cousins Clayton and Hannah as well as Kyra's boys JD, Kolsen and Nash, and their Daddy Matt showed up later.

The ladies loved you and were so excited we are all a family now. When we first got there Auntie Lea and Kyra fought over who got to hold you first, like a bride's maid going for the bouquet at a wedding reception! Luckily no one fell over exposing their undies and nothing popped off of you. Then JD was all about holding you. He was great with you! I told him that part of the reason J said she picked us was due to a photo of JD and I playing Lincoln Logs. JD swelled with pride and became your personal protector.

Nash waited patiently for his turn to hold you. He loved strokin' your hair and snuggling you and was so SWEET!

Kyra made a bunch of great food to eat and my heart swelled up thinking about not only finally being a mother but that I am YOUR mother.


We stopped by Grandma LaJean's to visit with your great Aunt Ruthie and Great Grandma Hazel and then headed on home. Aunt Ruthie bought you a cute lil outfit with tigers on it. I can't wait to see you in the stripes!

It was a nice time! and I really appreciated that this year we could be a part of it in a whole new way.

I love you sweet cheeks,
Mommy

Warped Notions of Love

Dear Henry,

I figured out this morning that being your Mommy has given me a warped sense of love.
I kept smelling a funny urinal like smell. I realized it was because I had accidentally put on the shorts you peed on two days ago...I am really not sure how as I had put them in the laundry hamper. Two days ago you pooped on my big toe while I was changing you. I will not likely sit cross legged and in bed to change you for a while. I do have a photo but there will be plenty of other embarrassing posts to throw out to the internets about you so I'll spare the readers and you.

But the pee pee pants and my pooped on toe just feel happy because it is another sign that you are real and I'm really your mama.

Yea!



Letting you know how much I appreciate you,
Love,
Mommy

PS: Don't get me wrong Henry, I did scrub my toes with soap and water.