Mickey Mooch

It has been more than a year since I've blogged. I blame my lack of writing on hormones, being a first-time mom, having 2 full-time jobs - one in ministry and one as a mommy, moving to a new town and much more that I can't even remember. It hasn't really bothered me, until I started to look back at iPhone photos of the last 14 months - watching my little Mickey Mooch go from a wrinkly, lop-sided, squinty newborn to a full-speed ahead, solid as a linebacker, good eatin', good sleepin' talking 14-month old. I can hardly remember the days and nights (they all run together) of bouncing a newborn while sitting on the exercise ball. It's the only way he could be soothed. Wrapping that swaddle (baby burrito) for the millionth time - even up to 6 months old. Croup. First teeth. First rolls. First words. Firsts. And it makes me kind of sad. I never thought I'd forget, but mommy brain cells really don't come back. It's the truth. You continue to lose them until you're driving around town with your coffee on the roof of your car, your underwear on backwards and one brown and one black shoe on. So for the sake of my memory, for the sake of time moving at warp speed and for the immeasurable amount of love I feel for my sweet boy, I'm going to challenge myself to document each day. I don't want to miss a moment. I don't want to forget how special each day is and how fast he's growing. Here's my mommy brain dump for the last 14m to my Michael, my Mickey Mooch: - Mommy had bad post-partum depression with you. I loved you more than life itself, but anxiety and insomnia really overwhelmed me. Thank God for pharmaceuticals. Don't let me forget to tell you about the doula who came over to help...ca-razy! - I had a great labor and delivery - broke my water, gave me a low dose of Pitocin and minutes later my contractions were a minute apart. Stopped the Pitocin, gave me an epidural (took 3x to get it to work) and you were here after 20 minutes of pushing. The doctor almost didn't make it! - Nursing didn't go so well for us, but I blame my mental state and the mastitis. But you've always been my big eater. You would nurse for 30 minutes on each side, then I'd feed you some formula while I pumped, then give you that. You loved to eat! You still do :) - Around 5-6 months, you really became my good sleeper and have been a rock star since then. We had to sleep train you though. The first night, you cried until you threw up and so did I. But the second night, you whimpered for 5 minutes and the next night you were golden! Now, at 14m, you go to bed at 7 and sleep till 7:30 the next morning! - You cut your first tooth around 6.5 months and now have 8 teeth! You love to brush your teeth each night. - You did an army crawl until you were 10m old. Then all of sudden you got on all fours, then starting standing and at 13m you took OFF. In less than a month, you're running every where. We just got you your first pair of shoes - size 6!! - You will eat just about anything! Although, for some reason, you don't love strawberries. I can't keep enough bananas, oranges and blueberries in the house. - At your 12m appt, I told the doctor that you were saying close to 10 words..and it's the truth. You say; blueberry, ball, bubbles, bird, mom, dad, nana, eye, shoe, tata (for your grandma DD), moon. You growl when you see a truck...good ole motor noises. - You are obsessed with balls, dogs and trucks. - When we play in your playroom we'll say "DJ, drop me a beat." And you'll run over to your exersaucer and hit the little piano that plays a latin jam. We have a miniature dance party until it's time to do it again. - You love to wrestle and explore. You're a creature of habit and pretty much follow the same routine of playing every night. Tent in the playroom, DJing, looking out the window, playing with the coasters, in the kitchen cabinets, to the dining room, up the stairs to pull out the nightlight, then running in each room, finally into the tent in the boys' room and then to bath time. - Just last week, you started putting your face in the water and blowing bubbles in the bath tub. - You don't like to be rocked at night. You want to get in your pjs, get your paci and be put to bed. I think that's enough for now :) I will keep peppering these entries with my memories of you, sweet boy. I cannot even express to you how much your dad and I love you! You are the fulfillment of my heart's desire. You are the answer to prayers that started LONG, LONG ago. You are the embodiment of one of God's promises to me. I love you.