When Braden was a newborn he used to smile in his sleep a lot. I just thought he was practicing his smile muscles. Is that a normal thing babies do? I’m not sure. I do know that I used to love watching him sleep to catch a glimpse of a smile.
Today, Braden will occasionally “practice” his smile in his sleep. If I’m lucky I will catch one as I look back at him sleeping in the car seat, or when I’m laying him down in his crib. I wonder when this will stop or if he’ll do this forever. It’s these simple times that I want to remember and be grateful for.
Love you buccaneer!
xoxoxoxoxo
Your mama
How did another month go by so quickly? Time seems to be flying by faster as Braden gets older. Perhaps it’s because he continues to grow into a toddler – no longer my little newborn baby. I’ve never been a “baby person” but I really did enjoy his newborn baby stage. However, it seems to be a lot more fun watching him learn and develop new things. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I miss being able to lay him on the floor so I can grab the laundry and not worry about him crawling away. But, there is something so great about being there to watch him learn something new. The simple things we take for granted.
Braden has taken the big leap into side stepping. His favorite place is to go along the coffee table. He loves to “chase” the coasters around the table. Once he felt more comfortable with that he started to transfer from couch to coffee table. I’m so excited for him to walk, and watch him achieve that all on his own. I feel like one day he’s just going to let go and take off.
Braden also braved the stairs. It made me so nervous. But I think it’s better to let him learn, so that he can feel confident doing it. He still doesn’t understand the space around him. He will climb a stair and want to sit down behind him, but he doesn’t get that he will fall. So of course he took a tumble down one stair. I was so sad and felt like a horrible mother. He dried his tears quicker than I did.
I think the most special moment of this month is when Braden started to babble. It started off slowly with a, “Ma”. Then the next day a lot of “baba’s” and “dada’s”. The following day…a “mama”. A real “mama”! I couldn’t believe it. I was standing in the kitchen cutting up some pears for Braden. He crawled over, pulled himself up on my leg, looked at me and said, “mama…mama..mamamamama… mama”. I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT! I mean…my heart melted. I didn’t know what to do. I’m pretty sure I just stood there speechless, watching him. My own son knows my name! It was the most magical word that I could ever hear…and I will never forget that moment. I haven’t been lucky enough to catch it on camera, but I did catch a few babbles. I love him so.
He’s working on his first and second tooth right now, so the nights are a bit rough. It doesn’t matter though. He keeps getting cuter and cuter every day, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It is a known fact that hate is learned and love is innate. I have never been more sure of this until now. The world through Braden’s eyes is trusting, forgiving and loving. He knows nothing of discrimination – and I wish so deeply that his world would stay that way. I know that inevitably his world will be more than just the familiarity of home, and I hope that as his mother I will have been more than just that. I hope that I will be the teacher he needs. I want to teach him to always love, to always forgive and to never hold onto feelings of hatred.
The other day we were at the farmers market stocking up on veggies for the week. This is the place where Braden gets the most attention. But, it was after this recent trip I realized how welcoming Braden was to every person that garnered him with love. Numerous people love to come up to his stroller to share a smile, a kind word, or a simple wave. Braden loves it – he loves attention (but who doesn’t!). Without hesitation he returns the gesture with a generous smile, the kind that goes from ear to ear. His arms and legs pumping with happiness. Perhaps a little sound of a Braden “Hello” is heard. It warms my heart to see him open is heart to these kind people. He does not care what color, shape or size , rich or poor they are – just the fact that they are adoring him. He is the happiest baby I know (sorry to all other babies). I love that. My heart is so full of love whenever I think about how much joy radiates from him. How did I get so blessed to have such a happy boy? Shouldn’t we all be like that?
It really got me thinking about my own behavior. I wouldn’t categorize myself as someone who discriminates, or hates. But, I think now is the time to really be aware of my surroundings, my words, my actions. Everything I do is involuntarily teaching him to do the same. We all learn from what we see and hear. So, I’m making a personal vow to be the person that I want my son to grow up to be. The role model he deserves to have. I no doubt will make mistakes along the way. But what’s the point of living if we aren’t always striving to be better than the person we were yesterday?
this little man 