daddy's little helper

One of the best things about having a toddler is their constant a desire to "help."

Malcolm loves carefully putting his toys in containers, stacking his books, opening and closing drawers, and generally mimicking what the adults around him do ...

So when my husband started washing our cars on Saturday afternoon, Malcolm wanted to be right out there with him:





He may have been soaked from head to toe by the end of it all ... But he was certainly proud of himself for being such a big help!

mommy's little man

It completely kills me that, in the span of one Mother's Day, Malcolm has gone from this:


To this:


What?!

Has anyone seen my cuddly little baby?

Yet, despite the dwindling disbelief that my easy-going little man has changed to become a strong-willed, ornery toddler, I am so grateful to be his Mom.

He fills my days with such light and goodness that it is hard to imagine how I survived before he was part of the picture. How I could truly feel happy and whole without him in my life?

(And, seriously, what the heck did I do to fill my time?)

Sure, barely being able to sit up only one year ago has turned into perpetual motion (and lots of escape attempts) ...

Tee-shirt: Old Navy ($1.50)
Cargo pants: Genuine Baby (gift)
Socks: Circo ($1.00)
Shoes: Faded Glory ($6.00)

But I honestly wouldn't want it any other way.

The kid is cute.

And his toothy grin has a way of melting my heart ...

I'm so lucky to be his Mom!

no laughing matter

We're over nineteen months in and Malcolm still has not broken his verbal silence.

No words.

Not one.

Not even "Mama!!"

(Maybe he's waiting for Mother's Day)

But the boy can do an excellent impression of Count von Count from Sesame Street ...

All day long I hear a never ending chorus of: "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

When pointing at a picture of The Count in one of his books ...

When indicating he would like to watch a Sesame Street DVD (for the millionth time) ...

When listening to someone else count any number of objects ...

When asked to identify his Grampa (my Dad, and the one I'm holding responsible for this Count obsession) in a picture ...

When wanting to break the (uncomfortable?) silence in the room ...

Whenever he darn well feels like it ...

Words are useless, apparently, when you can laugh like the Count.

one year later

So I missed the official one year anniversary of this blog (yesterday)!

Go figure.


I must have a toddler in the house taking up most of my time ...

Or something.

mini-marcher

This weekend, my little family of three joined a high school friend at the March for Babies in downtown Cleveland.

Having a healthy child of my own (who was carried full term with absolutely no problems or complications to speak of), I find myself wanting to give back and support organizations like the March of Dimes that can make my reality a reality for every mother-to-be.

There isn't a moment that goes by where I am unaware how how unbelievably lucky I am ... Lucky to be the mother of a healthy nineteen month old boy. Lucky to be married to such a loving and supportive husband (who agreed to wake up earlier than usual on his Sunday morning and be the wagon-puller). The list is endless ...

From the moment we walked out the back door, Malcolm was ready to go ...

Fleece jacket: Circo ($1.75 at Target)
Overalls: Genuine Kids (thrifted for $2.50)
Socks: Circo (gift)
Shoes: Stride Rite (thrifted for $3.00)

Layered and bundled from head to toe, not even the drizzly, dreary day could stop him (or us)!

I think it's safe to say we all had a great time walking through the city in support of an old friend and a really important cause.

Shark Hat: The Children's Place ($6.50)

I wouldn't be surprised if we made it back out next year!