Have any mothers out there noticed that when you are working with a kid a little bit you tend to have a soft spot for them and it makes you just want to love them harder?
That is how I feel about my Skylee boy! Looking at these pictures just makes my heart burst with love for this little guy-bruised face and all.
When I say "working with" I want to clarify that it isn't that Skyler is a terrible kid or anything, it's just been over a year now that I have had to worry about this little biting phase he's in. He has been doing SO much better, but the other day we had a little episode where he bit another little guy his age five times on the back. I was pretty devastated. I was done. I felt a little bit sorry for myself because I thought what am I doing wrong where I haven't been able to solve this the last 12 months. But those feelings passed fairly quickly and in their stead I have this new resolve to just bask in a really great word: PERSPECTIVE!
For example,I read Skyler's baby blessing today and I got teary eyed as I basked in the caliber of his spirit. It told me again that he is strong, he is pure, and he will be a leader for good. What more could a mother ask for? It almost makes me laugh that I have been so caught up in this insignificant phase of a one year old boy (if he's biting in junior high then we'll worry!) Lately I can't get enough of how stinkin' adorable this kid is. He is talking more and more every day-and man he has a lot to say! The other day I was getting ready for church and he pointed to my chunky pearl necklace and said, "Oh. Dat a Basketball Mama? Cute!" It was priceless.
This kid is tough as nails. Yesterday he fell out of a wagon and scraped up his face pretty good in the dirt. He cried for only a minute while saying, "bleed. bleed!" But then we cleaned him up and he was good as new, ready to play with our neighbors dog again. It seems like nothing phases this boy.
I love the twinkle in his eye. I love the looks he gives me just beaming with mischief. I love how the very minute we get in the car he starts asking for the "hey hey hey song" (Hey Soul Sister by Train). I also love it when he says my name. Skyler didn't say mama until after he was a year old, and so I just kind of melt when he wants something and says Pease mama!
And I have to mention that he already has his own little fashion sense: basketball shorts and flip flops are a must around here. He howls like crazy if I even think about putting him in jeans. He says, "no! Ba-tet-boll shorts"! It makes Jordan so proud.
So despite my tendency to worry and struggle through a tough phase, I simply just love this kiddo more...
Sure glad you're mine, Sky!
5 comments:
I loved that post! He is a pretty great little guy, if I do say so myself! I know he is not even mine, though I claim his as an honorary nephew, but I have just been falling in love with Skylar all over again lately too. Like Saturday, when he called me "Jenna" for the first time. ;-) I love how he and Chase seem to actually be developing a little friendship too. Can't wait to watch your Skylee boy continue to grow up and do new things!
You are a super cute mom!! I love those pictures with his hair spiked. SO CUTE!!!
What a great post! Asa also doesn't say momma despite saying lots of other words like dadda, out, stuck, to name a few. He has quite the vocabulary for a one year old but not momma. And I'm sorry you have a biter I think it's frustrating for those who don't/didn't have biters to understand and it is no way a reflection on you or your parenting. You are an amazing mom.
I love it... perspective. Isn't that the truth?! These things feel like such a huge deal to us but when we step back a little we remember the awesomeness of these little humans we cherish. I too have biters (two of my three kids have gone through the stage-- and it's a long one, like you said-- a year ish-- and my third is just not old enough but she's already starting to bite my shoulder sometimes so I anticipate that it will happen to us again). BUT they do grow out of it, seriously, they do. AND it's okay. With my daughter (my first) we had a continual problem but I was always so proactive about it but I just was not addressing the true issue-- which was stress that induced her urge to bite. We had some friends tell us they couldn't play with us any more and I was devastated... horrified, humiliated, afraid that I was doing something wrong, etc... I cried alot about that. But then I really sat back and realized that my daughter was biting out of stress and that probably the best thing was for a while that we didn't do play dates, that we didn't do one-on-one friends. I just retrenched with my kids, spent quality time with them, we played at the park regularly, did artwork and I kept them busy, enjoying their company and sure enough the phase changed for us eventually and now we don't bite any more. For at least a few months. I love the Perspetive reminder. It seems like too often I have despaired about some parenting issue or another. But the truth is that all of these things are phases-- they come and go-- but in the end (and all the way through it frankly) we have these miraculous little human beings. I love being a mom. Also Skylee makes me smile because he is SO Jordan. Every time I look at your blog it brings me back to Naperville... :)
Way too cute! He is getting so big and they are both such beautiful kids! You are one lucky mama and sorry about the biting phase! I think they all have they rough patches of something or another... Hang in there! Hope all is well with your cute little family!
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