Future Drool Monster

When I noted a couple weeks ago that you found your hands, I thought that was a big deal.  I had no idea.  These hands are constantly in your mouth now.  

Earlier this week, you tried to get your fingers, paci, and monkey "chew toy," as Aunt Rissa calls it, in your mouth.  This is the first time you got that toy in your mouth on January 5th.  We all thought it was such an accomplishment! 

Last night, you gnawed on Mom's fingers hard for a good five minutes.  Probably about time for Mom and Dad to invest in some real teethers for you, huh? 

I'm just waiting to see if you will prefer those sweet fingers over a paci.  

Mila is 3 Months!

Milestones:
~ observing everything around me; there is so much to see and it is exhausting
~ sleeping pretty regularly through the night, especially 9.5 hours after Christmas celebrations
~ learning to giggle, which is the best sound in the world
~ making new friends at daycare when Momma went back to work
~ finding and sucking on my hands 
~ trying so hard to mimic mouth noises
~ spinning myself around in my crib in the middle of the night

My Heart

My heart in one moment. 

I never knew I could love him more until I saw him be her daddy.  Until I saw the first time he looked at her.  Until I saw the love in his eyes. Until I saw he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders to protect her.  

Back at It

The first day went better than expected.  Mila had been sleeping until 7:30am, and I know you are not supposed to wake a sleeping baby, but there was no way I was going to go all day without seeing my pretty girl and getting a couple of quick morning snuggles in.

And I love mornings.  It was one of my favorite parts of being home with her.  Those first sleepy smiles when she hears my voice.  Picking out the cute little outfit.  Singing the good morning song.  I am not willing to give it up.  She seemed to be okay with it, too.  But, man, was this face hard to leave that morning.

I, of course, talked about her all day.  In my introductions to each class, I told my students the logistics: my free periods, my email, my Twitter username.  I said I don't have very many followers on Twitter, and that's okay.  That's not how I get my self-worth.  They smiled, understanding my reference.  Then, I quickly switched the PowerPoint to the next slide and said this is where my self-worth comes from.  And up pops a beaming smile from Mila.  I told my learning center (study hall) students I really need this time to get work done and be productive because I have this beautiful face to go home to every night.

Thankfully, I have a very busy and fast-paced job, so my day went quickly.  And sounds like she was quite entertained with her new friends at daycare by hardly slept a wink  She just loves watching and observing everything.  Doesn't want to miss out.  Which meant she slept all night for Mom and Dad and that's fine by us!

I couldn't wait to get this little bug back in my arms.

Somehow, today, on day three, it was much harder to leave her.  Reality is sinking in.  I just wanted to play with her and snuggle her all day.  I can see she is exploring and learning new things every minute, and I so enjoy watching those discoveries.  Weekends have an entirely different value to me now, and I can't wait to spend time as a family of three.

2016: Treasuring Time

The "word" of the year.  Not sure how this started or why, but hey, I'm an English teacher, I love words and themes, so I'll play along.  But, I'm also going to break the rules, as English teachers like to do with language, and use two words.  

At the end of 2014, a new friend asked if we had a word for the year.  I had only heard inklings of it up until that point, and made my own assumptions of what it is suppose to mean.  An idea that will resonate with you.  A motto to pull you through the hard days.  It's not a goal or a resolution to can check off, but a rather a focus for your mind and energy.

The driving force to get us stared in 2015 was the idea of *Moving Forward* -- not to be confused with moving on.  We very much did not want to forget about the losses we endured in 2014 as they will always be apart of us.  We wanted - and needed - to find strength to continue on honoring those memories.  We did, and still do.  

Now, in 2016, my focus will be on *Treasuring Time.*  Just in these few shorts weeks with Mila, especially as my maternity leave rapidly comes to an end, I've realized just how precious time is and how fast it goes.  Cliche, I know.  Every parent says that, but you won't understand it until you are a parent.  I didn't.

So, in 2016, I will treasure time by...

~ savoring every milestone Mila hits - each one will be flying by this year and we'll never get them back.

~ writing and recording all the memories - whether it is a phrase, a sentence, or a page, writing something will always be better than writing nothing.

~ working efficiently and effectively at school to avoid bringing it home -

~ asking for help if I get anxious - an admitted weakness, where I often fall into the "it's just easier if I do it myself" phase.

~ reading during stolen moments - again, I always have access to a book to read a paragraph or a page.

~ never regretting a lazy day enjoying the snuggles of my daughter and company of my husband - the dishes, laundry and cleaning can wait.

Here's to a treasured 2016!