Kyle is a man of few words. Literally. Actually he tries to say quite a few things, it is just difficult to understand a lot of what he says. He has groups of words that sound the same, and he definitely has his own vocabulary. A lot of time the context of the situation helps me to decipher what we are talking about. Take balloons for example. Kyle looooves balloons. When he sees them in stores he gets so excited that he temporarily will lose the ability to speak intelligently and resorts to pointing and making a monkey like grunt of "oo-oo-oo-oo". Once he regains his composure, he then says "Loon! Loon! Loon!". However, if we are at home and he is standing at the window, pointing at the sky and chanting "Loon! Loon! Loon!" I know he has spotted the moon.
Kyle has a cousin, Brina, who is one year older than he is. I remember one day when Brina was about Kyle's age and we were all over at Travis's parents' house. Jessica had asked Brina to do something and she stubbornly refused, stating an emphatic "No". I laughed and jokingly said that my child would never tell me no, and I can honestly say that to this day Kyle has yet to tell us "no". His refusals generally come with a look of disdain, followed by a haughty "Mo" and a shake of the head.
"Appoh" is another good one. Red, shiny fruit is appoh, but so are his two Uncles. Next time Kevin or Mark come over I should give them an apple to eat and see what happens....
Kyle adores Brina, but since that darn letter 'b' is so difficult to pronounce, she has been dubbed Ninna. We have pictures of our family in the hallway and Kyle loves to name the people in the photographs. "Mamma, Daddy, Kywo, Ninna, Poppa, Appoh" The two grandmas get the shaft, but with prompting he will say "Nana, and Annie", which I think is kind of funny considering that he loves both of them so much. Kyle gets super excited when we go to Nana's and Poppa's house, and will start saying "Poppa! Poppa!" as soon as we turn on to their street. However, as soon as we get there Kyle runs straight to Nana, and in Travis's words, snubs his Poppa.
Even though there are times when I worry about his speech being delayed I kind of miss some of the things he used to say that were uniquely Kyle. My two favorites have to be "bup" and "mom-mom". Who can resist a sweet little boy with raised arms asking to be picked "bup"?? Mom-mom preceded mamma and didn't last long, but it is the first thing Kyle called with me any consistency. And, of course, there is the famous Bo-boesssssss, but I have a feeling that one will stick.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Cry a good-bye
There have been various times thorough out this pregnancy in which I have been kind of sad to be moving from a cuddly family of three, to an "Oh my, what were we thinking" sized family of four. These times usually occur on a Saturday or Sunday morning when we bring Kyle into bed with us for some family snuggle time. What started out as a sometimes desperate, and almost always vain, attempt at trying to get some extra sleep has turned into one of my favorite parts of the week. In the eyes of a toddler (or more specifically, my toddler) Momma and Daddy's bed is not a place to sleep. Oh no, no, no. Momma and Daddy's bed is the place where Kyle starts his weekends off right.
It usually happens something like this. Sometime between 5 and 7 our human alarm clock wakes up crying (our little darling is not a morning person), and one of us will stumble to Kyle's room to hit the snooze button. Just kidding. Depending on how many times I woke Travis up when I got up to go to the bathroom, or by poking him in the back and hissing "just move over, you're too close", the least tired of the two of us will go gather Kyle, his 3 or 4 BoBoes (his blankies; pronounced boe-boessssss with a longggggg "s"), and his auder (water). Now the exact number of BoBoes can vary dramatically depending on how many he managed to snag over the course of the day. Kyle can't count to 7, but if he has managed to spread 7 BoBoes over the house during the day, you had better be sure he will account for every single on of them when it is time for nigh-night. And of course everything in the crib must also come out of the crib come morning time. Thankfully Travis and I have gotten much better at finding ways to make Bo-Boes disappear prior to bed time, which makes the morning gathering process oh so much easier to manage.
Since I am new to this blogging business and we are partaking of this novel experience together I feel that I must explain something about my writing style. I ramble. A lot. I usually have a clear path that I set out on, however as my story unfolds it inevitably will meander off course. Sometimes that meandering may take us a down a path that has nothing whatsoever to do with where we started. I'm ok with this, and as long as you are too, then we will get along just fine! An excellent example of this is related to my time at St. Kates. Maybe some day I will tell you the story about the two erasers.....
Back to weekends started off right. Once firmly planted in the middle of the bed is when Kyle's fun really begins. If Travis is the one to bring Kyle in then I might hear a whispered "Momma? Momma?" just prior to getting a sloppy, wet Kyle kiss. These mornings may also begin with a sweet chant of "Momma, Daddy, Kywo". Once Travis turns on the t.v. Kyle immediately covers his eyes and cries out "My eyes! My eyes!" and pulls one of his Bo-Boes over his head giggling. Next can come any random number of things from steam rolling Daddy, to giving zerberts (you know, blowing a raspberry on an arm, or a tummy, or Momma's cheek), or just jumping off the bed to see what kind of trouble there is to be found. My clue to get clear the way and protect my precious cargo is the commencement of Wrestle Mania. Eventually I ask Kyle if he is hungry and if he wants to go eat breakfast. As my little man still tends to be of few words, this is usually followed by a quiet gathering of Bo-Boes, auder and a "bye-bye" to Daddy.
So why do these times make me a little sad? Soon we will have little darling #2 with us and these wonderful mornings are going to change for a while. I have found myself snuggling Kyle more, and holding him every chance I get lately. I have become teary eyed more and more frequently during our cuddle sessions as I think that, at least for a little while, the immediate future doesn't necessarily include many quality Momma/Kywo snuggles where he can fall asleep wrapped (albeit awkwardly right now) around my buddha belly.
I know that our lives will be filled with new, wonderful times, but it is still a little sad to say goodbye to one way of life. I think back to when Kyle was born and I remember feeling that it was impossible to remember what life was like with out him. I know that once little darling #2 arrives we will all feel this same way, but for right now it just feels good to cry a good bye every once in a while.
It usually happens something like this. Sometime between 5 and 7 our human alarm clock wakes up crying (our little darling is not a morning person), and one of us will stumble to Kyle's room to hit the snooze button. Just kidding. Depending on how many times I woke Travis up when I got up to go to the bathroom, or by poking him in the back and hissing "just move over, you're too close", the least tired of the two of us will go gather Kyle, his 3 or 4 BoBoes (his blankies; pronounced boe-boessssss with a longggggg "s"), and his auder (water). Now the exact number of BoBoes can vary dramatically depending on how many he managed to snag over the course of the day. Kyle can't count to 7, but if he has managed to spread 7 BoBoes over the house during the day, you had better be sure he will account for every single on of them when it is time for nigh-night. And of course everything in the crib must also come out of the crib come morning time. Thankfully Travis and I have gotten much better at finding ways to make Bo-Boes disappear prior to bed time, which makes the morning gathering process oh so much easier to manage.
Since I am new to this blogging business and we are partaking of this novel experience together I feel that I must explain something about my writing style. I ramble. A lot. I usually have a clear path that I set out on, however as my story unfolds it inevitably will meander off course. Sometimes that meandering may take us a down a path that has nothing whatsoever to do with where we started. I'm ok with this, and as long as you are too, then we will get along just fine! An excellent example of this is related to my time at St. Kates. Maybe some day I will tell you the story about the two erasers.....
Back to weekends started off right. Once firmly planted in the middle of the bed is when Kyle's fun really begins. If Travis is the one to bring Kyle in then I might hear a whispered "Momma? Momma?" just prior to getting a sloppy, wet Kyle kiss. These mornings may also begin with a sweet chant of "Momma, Daddy, Kywo". Once Travis turns on the t.v. Kyle immediately covers his eyes and cries out "My eyes! My eyes!" and pulls one of his Bo-Boes over his head giggling. Next can come any random number of things from steam rolling Daddy, to giving zerberts (you know, blowing a raspberry on an arm, or a tummy, or Momma's cheek), or just jumping off the bed to see what kind of trouble there is to be found. My clue to get clear the way and protect my precious cargo is the commencement of Wrestle Mania. Eventually I ask Kyle if he is hungry and if he wants to go eat breakfast. As my little man still tends to be of few words, this is usually followed by a quiet gathering of Bo-Boes, auder and a "bye-bye" to Daddy.
So why do these times make me a little sad? Soon we will have little darling #2 with us and these wonderful mornings are going to change for a while. I have found myself snuggling Kyle more, and holding him every chance I get lately. I have become teary eyed more and more frequently during our cuddle sessions as I think that, at least for a little while, the immediate future doesn't necessarily include many quality Momma/Kywo snuggles where he can fall asleep wrapped (albeit awkwardly right now) around my buddha belly.
I know that our lives will be filled with new, wonderful times, but it is still a little sad to say goodbye to one way of life. I think back to when Kyle was born and I remember feeling that it was impossible to remember what life was like with out him. I know that once little darling #2 arrives we will all feel this same way, but for right now it just feels good to cry a good bye every once in a while.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
My world
There is a point that has to be reached whenever you are facing an event in your world that is life altering. You know that point I'm talking about. A decision has been made (little darling #2) and you've planned, worried, accepted, anticipated, etc. and you are able to just cruise along in your life with this event looming on the horizon. Then suddenly (please insert Emeril Lagasse's voice here) BAM! you hit that point. The full realization of exactly how your decision is going to change your world. Forever.
I hit my (please insert Emeril Lagasse's voice here) BAM! moment at about 3 a.m. this morning. Little darling #2 will be here sometime within the next 2-3 weeks. Oh. Emm. Gee.
Lately it is really is not that unusual for me to be awake when the rest of my world is asleep, but I'm usually back in lala land by now. Today is different. I got up at 3:30 to write down the list of things that I need to get done this week. It is a long list. A few weeks ago I was awake around this same time thinking that Travis and I hadn't really prepared much for little darling #2 yet. I was actually able to convince myself that there wasn't much to do after we spent that $1.5 million dollars on baby things when I was pregnant with Kyle. Call it denial, call it procrastination, call it what you will ~ I'm good at it! It is a talent that I have a love/hate relationship with, but try as I might I cannot change it. I think it is in my genes and right now, at 4:30 in the morning, I really am loathing it.
I have not yet been able absorb enough of Travis's take charge talent to be able to say that I have fully been integrated into the world of being a true "Livesay". Travis's family (well, most of his family lol) is amazing in their supernatural talent to realize goals and get them done. No procrastination or denial, just action. And so as I review my loooong list of things to accomplish this week, I had a most delightful thought ~ I think maybe Travis should have our next baby.
I hit my (please insert Emeril Lagasse's voice here) BAM! moment at about 3 a.m. this morning. Little darling #2 will be here sometime within the next 2-3 weeks. Oh. Emm. Gee.
Lately it is really is not that unusual for me to be awake when the rest of my world is asleep, but I'm usually back in lala land by now. Today is different. I got up at 3:30 to write down the list of things that I need to get done this week. It is a long list. A few weeks ago I was awake around this same time thinking that Travis and I hadn't really prepared much for little darling #2 yet. I was actually able to convince myself that there wasn't much to do after we spent that $1.5 million dollars on baby things when I was pregnant with Kyle. Call it denial, call it procrastination, call it what you will ~ I'm good at it! It is a talent that I have a love/hate relationship with, but try as I might I cannot change it. I think it is in my genes and right now, at 4:30 in the morning, I really am loathing it.
I have not yet been able absorb enough of Travis's take charge talent to be able to say that I have fully been integrated into the world of being a true "Livesay". Travis's family (well, most of his family lol) is amazing in their supernatural talent to realize goals and get them done. No procrastination or denial, just action. And so as I review my loooong list of things to accomplish this week, I had a most delightful thought ~ I think maybe Travis should have our next baby.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Lift and Remember
"This wisdom, that to fly requires chaotic, sometimes even violent passages, becomes a metaphor for all of life's most meaningful endeavors, particularly the great flight that is parenting".
How many complete memories do you really have from your childhood? When I think back on all those years I spent growing up I realize how few things I truly remember. I think about all of the diaries and journals that I started, only to quickly abandon within a few weeks or even days. I have a small collection of photos, but not many words to go with them. When I became a mother I thought "how hard can it be to remember the really important things?" and didn't bother to write much down in Kyle's baby book. Now I find myself looking back at photos from the first two years of his life to try and piece together the order that his teeth are coming in so that I can write it in his book. You may find yourself asking "Teeth? Is this something that is really that important?" It is when you can't remember.
Maybe it is the fact that little darling #2 is going to be joining our family in about 3 weeks, but I have been thinking more and more about the little things that I don't want to forget about Kyle as he grows up. If it is this hard to remember wonderful little memories about one child, what's going to happen with 2 children? Or 3 children (gulp)??
"Lift" by Kelly Corrigan is a beautifully written, easy to read story of the road that lead to one mother's desire for her children not only to have more memories from the fleeting days of childhood, but an understanding of who their parents were before they were parents. It has inspired me to quit procrastinating keeping track of the little things like teeth and how I felt the first time Kyle called me Mom-mom and it really meant something to him. There is no time like the present, and with our second baby coming in a few weeks this is the perfect time to begin the most important journal of my life ~ the journal of my family's life!
How many complete memories do you really have from your childhood? When I think back on all those years I spent growing up I realize how few things I truly remember. I think about all of the diaries and journals that I started, only to quickly abandon within a few weeks or even days. I have a small collection of photos, but not many words to go with them. When I became a mother I thought "how hard can it be to remember the really important things?" and didn't bother to write much down in Kyle's baby book. Now I find myself looking back at photos from the first two years of his life to try and piece together the order that his teeth are coming in so that I can write it in his book. You may find yourself asking "Teeth? Is this something that is really that important?" It is when you can't remember.
Maybe it is the fact that little darling #2 is going to be joining our family in about 3 weeks, but I have been thinking more and more about the little things that I don't want to forget about Kyle as he grows up. If it is this hard to remember wonderful little memories about one child, what's going to happen with 2 children? Or 3 children (gulp)??
"Lift" by Kelly Corrigan is a beautifully written, easy to read story of the road that lead to one mother's desire for her children not only to have more memories from the fleeting days of childhood, but an understanding of who their parents were before they were parents. It has inspired me to quit procrastinating keeping track of the little things like teeth and how I felt the first time Kyle called me Mom-mom and it really meant something to him. There is no time like the present, and with our second baby coming in a few weeks this is the perfect time to begin the most important journal of my life ~ the journal of my family's life!
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