Young Love

Dear Baby I,

Happy Valentine's Day!! Ah, the day of over priced cards, flowers and candy. I can honestly say Mommy has never been a huge fan of the Hallmark Holiday - other than when your Noni would give me the green light to eat an entire box of swedish fish for breakfast (which in turn would result in years of lonely Valentines days - but I digress... ) In my opinion Valentine's day seemed more like a day to be celebrated by those who were a). a new couple b.) school children or c) those who rarely showed affection the other 364 days of the year. I ranked it up there with New Year's Eve - an amateur's holiday.

And although I have not really grown to love the day of chocolate covered hearts and flowers, I have a whole new fondness for the day as seen through the little eyes of children like you and your special Valentine, Sadie.  Valentine's Day isn't just about having someone sending you flowers at work or having a secret someone think you're kind of hot, it's a day that reminds us that Love is Real and Hope for Love is alive - even if it is in the form of a Scooby-Doo Valentine. And ever since I fell in love with you some 18 months ago kiddo, my idea of love and being in love has forever changed. I honestly never knew I could love something and someone one(s) so much as I love you and your Daddy and the life we all have together. It may not seem like that everyday - especially when one of us is having an off night sleeping for an 18 month stretch - but for the most part you are the center of our universe, and we wouldnt change one star in our sky. You have made us realize that REAL LOVE is a whole new ball game and everything we thought we knew about it was simply a warm up practice for the real thing. We knew that LOve is patient Love is kind...But we didnt know Love was midnite screaming or moldy lemons in my shoes. Or that love came in the form of your stinky morning drool all over my face as you finally slept. Love is ever present in every cheerio embedded in the carpet or each dirty diaper we found just a little too late. Love is a whole new experience - one that we openly embrace.
  This Valentine's Day I wasnt worried if I got Daddy the coolest gift or if he sent me flowers, (neither of which happened by the way) I was happier knowing that you have two parents that love each other and put you above all else in the world. In that sense, little Monkey you are both of our Special Valentines. You have a key role in creating this life we are living. Who knows where we would be in the world had you not entered it and changed our lives completely. In that sense you are a special little Cupid indeed. You have taught us more about things we didnt even know we had yet to learn! And you remind us daily how important it is to not take a second of our life together for granted.

So Happy Valentine's Day to my very special little Valentine. Sleep tight knowing you are loved more than the moon and the stars by your ever-adoring Mommy and Daddy. But keep in mind that green light on the candy turns red tomorrow!
I love you my little Monkey Cupid Butt!
Love Mommy

Keeper of the Night

Dear Baby I,
Don't get me wrong kid. I love you with all of my heart - more than I thought humanly possible.
But.
But last week when I said your sleeping was going down hill - this week we are so far down in the valley i think we are submerged in a canyon. What the heck is going on!?!?! Things were looking up for a while there. Aside from your nightly cattle call for me to come get you out of bed every nite at midnite, we were doing rather well. Then Friday came, and all hell broke loose and it continues to wreak its evil destruction!!! I thought maybe it was our fault - as in your Daddy and I. We kept you out late on Friday with our late night date night to Safeway Grocery Store. Instead of bed at 7:30 we had dinner at 7:30 and you didnt climb into bed until close to 9PM. You went to bed as normal and less than an hour later you were screaming your bloody head off. Unfortunately your Daddy and I thought 'what the heck,' your uncles should be here any minute what harm could there be in one late nite?
We have never been so wrong.

Not only would you not go back to bed, it is now WEDNESDAY and you still havent slept more than 3 hours in a row!! Every night has been the same way: You go to bed fine, you start screaming your head off within a half hour, and I come in to check on you and you look like you have the fear of God in you! We lay in Mommy's bed until you fall asleep and and from there you proceed to wake up every other hour screaming. It is like your back in infancy!!! Oh no!!! Not that again!! :) But unlike the first time when I would crawl up by your bedroom door and cry my eyes out at your crying - THIS time I crack open a drink and pop up some popcorn and listen to your wailing as if it were a radio broadcast world series game. You drove me to this point kiddo, not me! :)


Fun Fun Fun!!! I am about to lose my mind!!! I am not sure what is going on, although Im pretty sure it has something to do with that monstrous lonely molar sitting in the back of your mouth. Honestly Monkey,  I know it must hurt like hell to get your teeth,  but if we have to go through this with each new pearly white one, I think I may just throw myself into the next Colorado avalanche - soaking wet!!

And as if the NOT sleeping wasn't bad enough, the constant crankiness and whining this week may just put me over the edge!! We learned a new word (thanks, Sadie) and now suddenly everything is MINE! Followed by a complete throw down tantrum. Is this the Terrible Twos?? Please let it be! I cant have this happening for NO Reason At All!!
Tantrums and Sleep Issues aside, we did manage to have a great weekend with your uncles in town. Of course it snowed like crazy, making it a travel nitemare weekend, but we managed to have fun! You were SO surprised on Saturday morning to see all those new faces in the house!!  NO matter how few the hours of sleep you clock in, you always love an audience! Uncle Ronnie was thrilled to see you toting around Prada's picture all over the house and Uncle Ralphie got tons of practice juggling this weekend!
Well my darling Monkey, we are about to embark on Valentine's weekend. Daddy and I have already gotten to the point with that holiday where chocolate covered pretzels (bought in bulk at the grocery store, not gourmet!!) are a little too extravagant! Im sure you will have something extra special planned for us - possibly going to bed without a meltdown??!!
As I wrap this up, you are  emptying the kitchen cabinets with such determination and carrying a huge glass pot lid across the room. That should probably be my cue Im not paying enough attention to you, but it keeps you busy - and heck - you havent dropped it yet! Today was supposed to be Day #1 back at the gym and we have already found a way to postpone that. Excuses! Excuses! If Im not going to work out at least I could take pick up the pots and pans on the floor! Time to get ready for a day of making Valentines and playing with your special Valentine, Sadie. You two are so cute - most of the time :)
I love you Monkey Butt!

Love Mommy

Tank Tu

Dear Baby I,

I have tried teaching you sign language for nearly a year to no avail. I have pleaded with you to say Mama when referring to ME for even longer! I have told you time and time again that NO means NO and Yes means Yes, yet everything always ends up being NO! But Ill be darned if my little monkey caught onto Please and Thank You within a day! Who would have thought my little devil was born with manners!
Its the cutest thing - everything is "tank tu" or "peas" - even things that dont even require a thank you or please! But Who am I to judge the extent of your manners? YOu can "tank tu" and "pease" me all day!
Last week brought about some unseasonably warm weather for Denver and some spring fever for all of us (although as I write this we are experiencing a "cold front"  - highs of -2 for the day and tomorrow and the "storm of the Century" on its way). We had plenty of outside time and even a trip to Red Rocks this weekend with Daddy! It was as picturesque and crowded as it could be! I guess everyone had a case of cabin fever! Nothing like a trip to the Red Rocks to make Mommy feel completely out of shape and in desperate need of a gym. Oh winter and Motherhood - why have you forsaken me!!!
Another big deal for you this week is your non stop need to say Hi and Bye to everyone you come in contact with! It is very cute - unless they do not say Hi or Bye back - then you pretty much assault  them until you get a response. It is very becoming.  But, I understand where you are coming from Little Man, how rude can you be to not say Hi or Bye to such a little cutie like you! Some People!!
I dont know exactly when it happened, but somewhere along the way "Mommy" kicked in this week. Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Honestly,  I have never been so smitten! Finally you look at ME and know I AM Mommy! I even had to laugh to myself when you started your late nite screaming for me. Normally it is just loud crying letting me know you are awake and no longer willing to sleep alone in your bed. But suddenly the cries turned into to Screams for MOMMY this week. Even in my complete groggy, half asleep shuffle to your room I had to smile unto myself. Even more so when I opened your door to see what all the screaming was about and you quickly said "oh, Hi" Again, if you weren't so stinkin cute kiddo!!
Although all was going well, your sleeping, has seem to take another nose dive this week. What happened kiddo?? We were doing so well! I think you even slept thru the night once or twice....Alas the tides have turned - AGAIN - and now you are like sleeping with a raging bull! It always starts out so promising too. You watch your Pajaminals Lullaby and then proceed to say "nite nite and bye" to every toy in the house - including all the pictures, the fridge, stove, table and chairs, etc. YOu go to bed with no qualms and then mid nite hits and the screaming starts. I have never witnessed such extreme restlessness as you when you are "asleep". Top of the bed, bottom of the bed, draped over me like you are in "downward dog" - it really cant be normal kiddo. I only wish I knew how to fix it! :(
Another thing that has fallen by the wayside recently is your restaurant etiquette. Oh my what happened there I do not know! What happened to the cute little baby boy who would sit in the high chair and play with his Puffs?? Now you are climbing on the table, throwing everything on the floor, grabbing from every one's plate - It's like trying to take Prada to a restaurant and have him sit in the booth! We cant be having this one kiddo! The food may not be that good in Denver - but we cant eat at home EVERY night!!
We are only days away from your second Super Bowl Sunday! Yeah!! Steelers vs Packers this year and we have Uncles Ronnie and Ralphie coming to watch the game! Yeah!! Now there will be four males in the house who dont give a rat's behind about the game! What is Mommy going to do with all of you non sports fans! Hopefully I will be able to sway you to the dark side once baseball season rolls around!
Well Mr. Monkey, you and your bff Sadie are fast asleep and mommy has lots of picking up to do! The mess you two can make in such a little bit of time never ceases to amaze me! Sleep tight Monkey Butt! Mommy loves you more than your little head can ever imagine! I am having so much fun watching you grow and learn - but you can ease up on how fast you are going! I want to savor this time forever!!
I love you Mr. Monkey!!
Love, Mommy