Starters

This is a thing that I know: most of my best writing is done in my head, usually late at night, when I am in no position to grant the words any kind of permanence.

Many a middle-of-the-night nursing session has been spent lost in thought, composing blog posts in my head.  But since getting out of bed after Little Bug is done in order to record those thoughts on the computer (or even plain old-fashioned paper) is completely out of the question, those posts remain in my head.  And let me tell you, I can write sentences that sound amazing in my head sometimes, but if I don't write them down right away, they're lost forever.  Oh, sure, I can try to re-create these wonderful compositions later on, but they never come out nearly as intelligent-sounding or funny or thoughtful or whatever the next day.  So I give up, delete the document, and go on with my life.

Except sometimes those ideas continue to float around in my brain.  The only way to banish them completely is to write them down, but since I can no longer do justice to those ideas... well, the idea for this post was born.

For your entertainment, I present a sprinkling of ideas, a smattering of topics and stories I have wanted to work into blog posts in the past, but that never made it out of my head and into written form.

There was that time when I wanted to write a series of open-ended letters, mostly to people who piss me off.  Dear guys who wear sunglasses with white plastic frames: I am going to assume now that you are probably a douche-bag.

Dear owner of this car: 

Just so you know, vehicular modifications are not an effective 

method of compensating for deficiencies in other areas of your life.

Or that time when a good friend and I possibly kinda freaked out the other mamas at a baby playdate by using the topic of postpartum depression as a segueway into a discussion about placenta encapsulation.  Although I think the (less diplomatic) phrase used was "And then I ate my placenta."
(I think this may have happened on more than one occasion, actually.)

There was the time I started a list of all of the Facebook status updates that I never used because they probably would have offended someone.

Or the time I started a list of all of the types of posts on Facebook that I don't read.  (Example: If I have to click on a picture to read a long story, then no.)

Or the diatribe of why, when it comes to giving birth, I would probably be a nightmare hospital patient.  A nightmare for the hospital, that is.  Nope, barring valid medical reasons, any future babies I have will probably be birthed at home just like Little Bug.

Or there was the time I was talking with another mama at an indoor play place, and she commented that her toddler had an iPad, but followed that comment with a self-deprecating request not to judge her, and I said I don't judge anyone, since parenting is hard work.  Except I did, I totally judged her in my head.  Call me Judgy McJudgerson.

Maybe an account of trying to take a "sick day" with a toddler in the house.  No extra sleep to be found there.  Or ever.

One Year Old: A Slightly Belated Update

Somehow, an entire year slipped away from me and now my Little Bug is a year old!

Walking tall!

Or, he is a year and almost two weeks.  So much for that resolution to blog more often.

Little Bug started walking a month or so ago, and now hardly needs my help at all, although he likes holding my hand when he's tired or sometimes when we're in an unfamiliar environment.  And he needs me to go up and down stairs, sometimes.  I had to go buy him some real shoes recently, since I'd probably be considered a bad parent if I let him walk around outside barefoot or just in his socks.  Not to mention the fact that his socks would all get filthy.  (But at least he'll wear socks now.  We went through a phase where he loved pulling his socks off.  Heck, he loved pulling everyone's socks off.  My socks, the socks of other babies...)

His newest skill is clapping his hands, and he spent the entire day today walking around clapping and grinning.  And of course, I was grinning all day too, because what mama doesn't delight in her child's enthusiasm for the world?  I also taught him to high-five a few days ago, a skill he proudly showed off for his daddy at the video teleconference earlier this week.

Clap your hands!

Sometime in his eighth month, Little Bug really took a good interest in food.  We didn't really do much with purees, mostly because he didn't like them but also because the "traditional" method of introducing solids just didn't sit right with me.  I pretty much always have and still do just feed him directly from whatever I'm eating myself (with exceptions sometimes; if I'm eating junk, I make him something healthy).  To start off, I'd mash it up a little with a fork or cut it into tiny pieces, but nowadays he's pretty good at mashing things with his gums (and chewing with his seven teeth) so I can offer bigger chunks that allow him to figure out eating for himself. Yep, spices and salt and all, and none of this one-new-food-at-a-time-with-several-days-between nonsense for us.  Little Bug so far loves pretty much everything, although his distinct favorites are bananas, raisins, green beans, carrots, brussels sprouts, beans, and egg yolks (hard boiled).  He also loves bread, and cheese, and I started offering peanut butter on occasion shortly before he turned one (my one concession to neurotic food schedules), and he loves that too (just like his daddy).

Banana attack!

I have no idea how much he weighs right now, or how tall he is, because I was too lazy to schedule his first birthday well baby checkup on time and I couldn't get an appointment until March.  Suffice to say he's a big boy, and carrying him around should eventually give me some nicely toned arms.

He does still love being worn in the Ergo, although it won't be long before I won't be able to carry him that way in the front; already he's getting too tall that he barely fits under my chin!  He loves being worn on my back too though, and my sister is going to gift me with a backpack-style carrier that will make hiking easier.

Little Bug has a plethora of toys.  He loves balls and his stacking cups and anything with wheels, and he loves bringing me books to read.  (He doesn't always stay put for the entire book, but whatever.)  He loves the little wheeled cart his grandpa (my dad) got him for the holidays, and he loves his set of IKEA little pots and pans.

And he's finally, finally getting past the stage of "everything in the mouth."  That's not to say that Little Bug doesn't still put things in his mouth, because he does, but he doesn't put everything there anymore.  We can go walking outside and I can let him pick up leaves and twigs and know that he might just look at them and then put them down, although he does still try to eat them sometimes too.

So all in all, our son is growing up.  He makes me smile, and sometimes my heart swells so much with love that I don't know how I could possibly love him any more (but there are always more reasons to love him), and every day brings new things.  How could I have ever thought my life was complete before I had my Little Bug?  All that's missing now is my beloved D, and hopefully we only have a few months left before he comes home to us.