Cookies…
Wii…
and Markers…
…on a stormy Saturday night.
2 Commentslife is what you make it
Tag: zachary
Dear Zachary,
Five years ago today, I became a mother. Some might argue that I became a mother upon your conception, but something inside me changed in those first few moments when I heard your (very loud) cry and got my first glimpse of your beautiful face. That is the moment when I truly understood what it means to be a mother. At 4:40 p.m., on June 26th, 2005, I finally knew the meaning of true, unconditional love.
We’ve been through a lot in five years. I’ve watched you grow from a tiny (ok, maybe not so tiny) baby into a little boy who is a force to be reckoned with. While I’ve tried to shape you the best that I can, you are very much your own person. You are so strong-willed and yet also so sensitive at times. You take after your daddy quite a lot in this way.
You have changed so much over the last year. You’ve lost every bit of your baby face and now you are just all boy. You are growing so fast I can barely keep you in clothes and shoes. I’m just thankful that it is summer now so that you can wear shorts and I don’t have to worry about your pants being too short anymore. I’m guessing there is another growth spurt coming soon though, because several nights recently you have eaten more at dinner than I have!
This last year you finally got to go to preschool. You were so excited for school to start. I think you really enjoyed it for the most part. There were a few rough times, fights with other kids, and days when you just didn’t want to go, but overall I think it was a good experience. We also learned that you sometimes have a hard time focusing on tasks. I’m hoping this is something that will come with maturity and not become a life-long problem. You do pretty well in a one-on-one environment, but are easily distracted otherwise. You are so incredibly smart though. There are still days when you absolutely amaze me with the conversations we have. My favorite part of preschool was watching you on stage during your school music programs. You are a true music lover and you practiced so hard to learn your songs. You were so proud up there performing for your family and friends. Don’t tell anybody, but I might have cried just a little bit watching you.
After preschool graduation we changed gears a bit. You are spending the summer going back and forth between your cousins’ house and Miss Paula’s. I’m glad you are getting a little time to play and relax because in August, a whole new venture begins. You’ll be starting Kindergarten. I have very mixed feelings about it at this point. You seem to be very excited about going to a “big school” but I am a bundle of nerves. I’m excited for you, but also scared to send my baby off into the unknown. I’d feel so much better if you could go to Aunt Tanya’s school where I at least know some of the staff. If I had my way I’d wrap you in my arms and carry you through until you were an adult. I have this fierce need to protect you from all of this, yet I know that I have to let you go and it’s really tugging at my heart. I just am not ready for all this growing up and I know that this will be a life-changing year for you.
Five years ago, lying on that hospital bed, I never could have imagined the incredible journey that we’ve been on. I am so proud of you, of all of your accomplishments, of the things you’ve overcome, of the sweet little boy that you are. My eyes seem to be watering a bit as I’m writing this because I just can’t find the words to express what I want to say. The love I have for you is sometimes just so overwhelming. Of all the boys I have loved and cared for in my life, you are the one who completely stole my heart.
Happy 5th Birthday, Zachary! I love you so much!
Love always,
Mama
Tuesday night Zachary stood up on stage with a huge smile on his face, a blue cap and tassel on his head and officially graduated from preschool.
Next month he’ll turn five years old. A couple months after that he’ll start kindergarten.
This all just seems so huge right now. I can’t believe he’s getting so big. Five years goes by in a flash. Before I know it he’ll be graduating from high school and then college (hopefully). It’s just too much to think about right now. At least I don’t have to worry about when he’ll have his first girlfriend.
He’s already done that.
2 CommentsApologies ahead of time for the all photos post, but I wanted to share some more of these from last weekend. I’m pretty happy with most of them, but I also see a lot of room for improvement so I’ve been studying up all week trying to figure out what I did wrong.
The boys
My handsome little man
My goofy nephew, Ryan
Best Friends Forever
My Girl
Last night at 12:30, I was just getting in bed as I heard a cry from the kids’ room. I assumed it was Evie because she’s been rather cranky the last few days and not sleeping well. I waited to see if she stopped before heading in there, but when she kept crying I figured I better go see what was wrong. When I got in the bedroom, it wasn’t Evie crying. It was Zach.
He was sitting up, holding his ear, and crying. He couldn’t sleep because his ear was hurting so bad. By that time, Evie was awake also, sitting up and crying. I got Zach up so I could take a look at his ear and give him some Motrin for the pain. Evie was screaming her head off so I handed her off to Daddy and listened to her scream the entire time.
When I finally got Zach ready to go back to bed, he refused to go to his bed and crawled in our bed instead. He refused to move. Evie was still screaming. After a few words with Hubby I left Zach where he was, scooped Evie up and snuggled up in her bed with her. The screaming continued for quite a while after Evie and I got in her bed. She was not at all happy to be woken up.
The funniest part of the night though, was what I learned about my daughter during the hour or so that I spent trying to settle her down. She is so much more like me than I ever knew. She wanted to snuggle, and wanted me to be close, but she didn’t want me to touch her at all. She sat up and adjusted her pillow multiple times before finally settling down. She had to have her blanket just right and every single time I moved the slightest bit she woke up and screamed again, thinking I was getting up. She apparently sleeps just like me – except I don’t scream every time Hubby moves.
Hubby, on the other hand, got to find out what it was like to sleep with someone who is just like him. Zach spent the night smushed up against his Daddy, kicking and wiggling all night long, while there was an entire half of the bed empty on the other side. He’s a bit of a snuggler.
Let’s just say that neither of us slept very well. It was one of those nights that you have to expect as a parent, but they never get any easier.
I took Zach to the doctor today and of course he does have an ear infection. He’s now on oral antibiotics plus antibiotic drops because his ear tubes are apparently clogged. To top it off, he ended up getting both the seasonal and H1N1 flu shots as well because we happened to be there right after the doctor’s office got a shipment in. He was NOT happy about the shots or the ear drops, but hopefully his ear will start feeling better soon.
As for me, I’ll be all better after a good night’s sleep…which I may get in another 18 years or so.
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This week’s I ♥ Faces challenge is “Balloons” and I had to do some digging to come up with my photo since I didn’t have a chance to get any balloon shots this week. I think I may have missed the deadline, but I’m going to go ahead and post this anyway because it’s just so cute.
This picture was taken at Zach’s 2nd birthday party. The party was supposed to be outdoors, but we woke up to a wet, rainy day. Instead, we came up with a few games and blew up a ton of balloons for the kids to play with inside. They had a blast!
Be sure to check out some of the other fun balloon shots over at I ♥ Faces!
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