as simple as buttered toast

I have a...special post planned for tomorrow, but tonight I want to share a few of my favorite moments from the past several days.

On Saturday, Will slept in until almost ten. That's absolutely amazing, because I don't think he's ever slept that late. Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep past about 7:00am, so I was up early. The hubs slept late too, so I got to enjoy some much needed ME time. I just sat and enjoyed the quiet, the TV silent instead of blaring, with only the sound of my son snoring over the monitor. Even the dog slept. I sipped my coffee, letting the early morning hours slip by. I can't remember the last time I had that much peace and quiet to myself.

When Will finally did get up, I made us both breakfast. He watched me butter our toast, and we enjoyed the meal together. He loves to share, so he stuck a fat little finger in my mouth to pry it open, then shoved the toast in offered me a piece. To make things even, I let him have a bite of mine. And so on.

Later that evening, during bathtime, we had a few more special moments. He's been fascinated lately with scooping water up in one container and dumping it into another. He'll usually do that for as long as I let him during bathtime, but today he had another trick up his sleeve. This time, he scooped water up and then poured it out of the tub onto me! It was quite the surprise, and although I tried to be stern in telling him to keep the water in the tub, I have a feeling that my laughter didn't help get that point across.

We also started playing with an empty shampoo bottle. I showed him how to fill it with water and laugh at the air bubbles that rose to the surface, and then how to raise the bottle high in the air to pour it over his head. In hindsight, it's probably not a good plan since this child is so receptive to learning and mimicking what we do. I can't regret it though, since it undoubtedly will bring us many laughs in the near future.

This time I spend with my son is some of the best times of my life now. I know it's cliche, and that most every mother says the same thing. Cliches spring out of truth though, and this certainly is a truth and a constant in my life.

good wine should start and end with a smile

I posted here a few days ago that the hubs had a birthday surprise planned for me for Saturday. After prying for hints and unsuccessfully guessing, the day finally came. All my guesses turned out to be way off the mark, because after a bit of a drive to a still undisclosed location, we arrived at...

a winery! 

Pretty much everybody knows how much I love wine, and I've never been to a winery, so this was the perfect idea. I've always wanted to visit one, and we almost went to Napa for our honeymoon, but unfortunately that didn't work out.

We arrived right before the next tour was about to start, so we didn't have to wait long. We watched a short film about the history of the winery and the wine-making process. Apparently, the Muscadine grape is native to Florida and grows wild throughout the state. The first settlers tried growing the European grapes - that obviously didn't work out so well since the climates are so different. Once they figured out how to grow the Muscadine grapes, they were more successful in establishing wineries. Oh, and this was over 150 years before the California wineries were established.

After the video, we took a walk through the production area with the fermentation tanks, then out to the back terrace overlooking the vineyards. I would have loved to walk through the vineyards because they were so beautiful, but of course they have to keep those restricted to avoid damage or contamination of the vines. We got to see the equipment they used to harvest and crush the grapes.

Finally, it was time for the tasting segment of the tour. We tasted 6 of their different wines, ranging from dry to very sweet. We got a little card listing each wine and the characteristics of each, and space to make notes on your own observations and favorites. Most of the wines were from the sweet Muscadine grapes (these were my favorite), but they also had a few dry and semi-dry wines made from hybrid grapes (DH preferred these). Since the tour and tasting was free, DH let me pick out two bottles from my favorites to buy. I ended up with a bottle of the Sunblush (similar to a White Zinfandel) and the Southern Red.  He also bought me this cute little jar for my desk at work. I'm hoping somebody takes pity on me and actually contributes. With my luck (and considering the people I work with) that probably won't happen - but a girl can dream!

I had such a good time! DH knows me so well, and this really was the perfect birthday adventure. It was a great day that we got to spend together, and let's face it - anything that lets you drink wine before noon has to be a good thing! (I really hope that doesn't make me sound like a drunk, because I'm not!). Now that's I've been to one winery, I can't wait to go visit more local ones. And I really, really want to go visit Napa Valley someday!

DH forgot to bring a camera, so all these pictures are from the winery's website.

Please don't ask why my child has laundry soap on his head

Dearest Son of Mine,

Mommy knows how much you love to 'help' with the laundry. The buttons make such a happy little noise, and I, too, could stare for hours through the door as the clothes spin and whirl in the machine. I understand and accept that as part of my own laundry experience.

But Sweetheart, I would ask you oh-so-nicely not to shut the detergent drawer while while Mommy is pouring out the soap. When you do that, the soap from the drawer splashes as you slam it shut. Mommy gets caught by surprise and keeps pouring, resulting in soap on the floor and even, somehow, all over the two of us - even on your head. You're a creative child, and you've surprised me many times by what you're capable of, but I'm still at a loss for how you managed to make this happen.

Don't get me wrong, darling...I appreciate your interest. I'm glad you enjoy helping Mommy with the laundry, because one day it might become your job. Until then though, how about you let Mommy take the lead on this job? Because now we both smell like a basket of clean laundry and although that's not altogether a bad smell,  I have no idea how to clean it off without giving you a bath.

Much appreciated,

Mommy

sweet baby feet

Last night before going to bed, I snuck into Will's room, as I always do, to check on him.

When I walked into the room and looked at the crib, the first thing I saw was his blue & yellow striped pajama legs resting on the crib bumper and poking through the slats. His bare feet were turned towards me, and I was struck both by how peaceful they were in sleep and how tiny they still are. I wanted so badly to reach out and hold those little toes, but held back so I wouldn't disturb his sleep.

I sat in the darkened room for a few minutes, just watching him sleep and listening to him breathe. The heartbeat of his white noise machine beat quietly and his chest rose and fell with soft snores and muffled whistles. He rolled over and whimpered in his sleep for a moment, then he reached out and found his lovey and settled back to sleep.

I could have stood and gazed at him for hours, but I finally - reluctantly - tore myself away and slipped out. It was late, and I needed sleep too.

It was one of those sweet moments that I want to remember forever in my heart. I love these quiet times with my son, and it makes my heart hurt to realize that they're happening less and less often. I know I'll always be his mom, and nobody and nothing can change that. And I know we'll have lots of special times together ahead...but I don't want to forget a since second of the ones happening now.

**I'm still looking for a few guest bloggers to blog-sit while I'm on vacation! Check out this post for details!**

The Best Day

Today was the best day I've had in a long time.

It got off to a slightly bumpy start at the ungodly hour of 4 am. Munch woke up & started chattering and laughing to himself. I briefly debated pulling the pillow over my head to tune him out, but since the hubby had to get up for work in less than 2 hours I dragged my butt out of bed & went to find out what was so funny at that early hour. I found him with a (very) wet diaper, which was good news for me! Usually if he's up that early and he's just wet it's easy to change him and put him back down for more sleeping. I crept out of the room & he didn't make another sound, so I crawled back into bed and got some more Zzz's for myself.

Hubby's alarm went off at 6, and I lounged in bed while he got dressed & ready for the day. I fed the dogs & took them out and made his lunch while he made coffee for the both of us. Munchkin stirred a few times & we expected him to wake up shortly (around the time he usually does). At about 7, DH had to leave for work and the kiddo was still sleeping. I wasn't sure how long that would last so I just sat & enjoyed some "me" time with peace and quiet - that's rare these days!

Over the next few hours I caught up with some blogs, read through several SITS commenter's blog posts, enjoyed my coffee, watched a little TV, started some laundry, and cleaned up the kitchen. On top of all that, I still had time left over to play around on the computer.

Munch finally woke up around 9 - I don't remember the last time he slept that late! Maybe never. I made him some breakfast, and he "helped" me do more stuff around the house for an hour until we had to leave for his doctor's appointment.

The appointment went well - nosebleeds ARE completely normal at his age, the doctor said, and the info DH's buddy gave us was completely correct. We went over some age-appropriate developmental info (words, behavior problems, dealing with tantrums, etc). They gave him 2 shots which he was NOT happy about, and sent us on our way. Oh, and now it was raining. And by raining, I mean the typical Florida summer downpour. I sat in the waiting room for a few minutes until the weather eased up to a drizzle, then pulled out my umbrella and made a run for it. The playground plan was out - he was overdue for his nap and we were both overdue for lunch. We headed home to eat.

While Munchkin napped I watched Twilight. I've seen it before (lots of times) but I don't have it. I was really excited to borrow it from my neighbor so I could watch it again and refresh my memory. It was pretty cool to have the book as a point of reference now; I picked up a lot of new things this time around.

He woke up right as the movie was ending - perfect timing! I gave him a snack & we played together while I folded clothes. About 4:00 I started dinner (spaghetti, my favorite) and let the meat brown & the sauce simmer while I made some phone calls and got myself a snack.

DH got home around 6:00 - we ate dinner, played with the Munchkin and enjoyed bathtime & a bottle. He was exhausted (probably from the shots, but I'm suspecting a growth spurt also since he slept so late this morning) and he fell asleep without so much as a peep. DH and I watched some quality TV - The Next Food Network Star - and now we're headed to bed. Or, he's already snoring away and I'm right behind him!

Hope everyone had a good day too - I hope tomorrow can measure up to this one!

I hope I look good in red

Because I think I'm still blushing.

Will and I ran to Target this evening after dinner to grab a gift for a birthday party we're going to tomorrow. It was just a quick trip and he was pretty good, but it was past his bedtime so he was getting fussy as we pulled into the neighborhood. To keep him entertained for the last 2 minutes, I started singing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song. I say "started" because after the first two lines I realized I didn't know the rest.

Side note: Micky Mouse Clubhouse is my little boy's FAVORITE TV show. We watch at least 2 episodes a day. How I can watch it so much and still not know the song escapes me.

Since I don't know the rest of the song, I had no choice but to repeat those same two lines again and again. Will calmed right down and even started humming along with me.

Great! I stopped singing, thinking he would be OK the rest of the way. BAD IDEA. As soon as he realized I wasn't singing, he lost it again. So I started it up again. It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! Come inside, it's fun inside!

I kept singing as we pulled into the driveway and as I got him out of the car. No problem, he was tired but behaving well.

Then I turned around and saw my (male) neighbor out in his garage staring at me. Now unfortunately, when I say I was singing...that's putting it nicely, because there's not a bone in my body that has any singing talent.

I stared awkwardly back at him for what seemed like ever, then I squeaked out "hi Danny!" and ran into the house. I'm not sure if he heard me, but I thought I was by myself and I wasn't trying to be quiet. I don't know how he could have missed it. Sigh. Hopefully I didn't seem too stupid!

One other funny story is from yesterday when I picked Will up from his babysitter. She was telling me about his day, and apparently her two little boys decided they wanted to play in the sprinkler. She started getting Will ready to play outside, then realized she didn't have any waterproof diapers. (Can you see where this is going?) For some reason, she decided to take him out in just him swim trunks, sans diaper. As soon as they stepped outside, Will ran over to the corner of her driveway and pooped. Surprised? I wasn't! Murphy's Law, right? She had to peel the soiled suit off of him, shake the mess out over the toilet and rinse the suit out. Then she got smart, hosed him down and let him play in the water naked.

These are some of the special little memories that don't make it into the baby books, but I never want to forget them.