Gualby Nation : May 2013

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Gardening with The Wood

Woody is an excellent helper. He doesn't quite understand that we only pick the red tomatoes. Most of the tomatoes in his reach have been picked, red or green.

This time of year, we wake to our walkway having been sprinkled with blooms from our Plumeria Tree. It is a simple beauty and it makes me smile every morning.

Some of the blooms are so precariously place, they seem too perfect to have just floated there

Elwood stays busy picking up the flowers, dropping them, placing them in his bucket, giving them to the dogs, tasting them, and throwing them in the air.

Monday, May 20, 2013

"Mum-Ma"

Woody has been saying DaDa for months. I honestly do love it but I would be a liar if I said I don't prompt him to say Mama a few times throughout the day. It goes like this:

For Months:

Woody: DaDa! Dadadadada! DaDa!

Me: Yes, Dada. Good job. Dada is at work. Can you say Mama?

Woody (looking right into my eyes): Dada!

About a week ago:

Me: Woody, look at Mama. (Woody looks--so he definitely knows who I am) Say Mmmmmmm. Mama.

Woody: Mmmmmm Dada!

Three Short Days After Mother's Day:

Scene: We were walking the beach path back to our house. I was carrying Woody. We were just peacefully walking as a family after a morning hang out on the beach. Elwood gently tapped my chest, looked right at me and in the sweetest little voice said, "Mum-Ma." I gasped, my mouth hung open and I immediately glance at Conor with my expression clearly saying, " Did you freakin hear that?!?!" One beat later I recovered from my Mama joy/shock and said, "Hi, buddy, yes, great job. I'm your Mum-ma. (*Tear*) I'm your Mum-ma"

And I bought this hat as a Mother's Day present to myself:

Friday, May 17, 2013

Mother's Day

I was told an unbelievable amount of information while pregnant. Some ridiculous, some helpful and loving, some in Spanish and I pretty much just caught that I should put a hat on him, and some only made sense after Elwood had arrived. The two biggest are these:

"You have no idea how much you will love this little boy."

When people would tell me that I would think, Yes, I know that I haven't held him or kissed him or seen his face, but I love this little boy that is growing in my belly pretty much as big as I could love anything. Soooo, whatever. However, now, that Woody is here and growing and learning, I know I loved him as much as I could while he grew in my belly but knowing him is just a bigger love every day. To have him snuggle himself against my neck while his hair brushes my cheek with his little arms holding me tight in a big hug just about explodes my heart with love.

The second one is

"You will appreciate your parents more after you have a kid."

I had the absolute pleasure of my Mom all to myself on Mother's Day. She drove down to help me out with The Wood for the weekend. I had some classes to go to and Con was out of town and Grammie is awesome like that. I watched my Mom play and goof around with Woody and have Woody grab her by the hand to include her in everything he wanted to go explore. I even got a look one time while on a break between class that said, "Um, Mom, Grammie and I are busy. Don't you have class to go to?" As I loved watching the two of them play and bond, I realized that she use to be that fun with me when I was that age. And how I feel about Woody; how my heart could just burst with pride and love every time I look at him, she use to look at me that way when I was that age. Damn, I get it. Thank you, Mom. Happy Mother's Day from one proud, happy Mama to another.