A forest box

   

A couple days ago, Mr. Jean Jean put on his slippers at 6:30 AM and announced that he was going to make Severen a forest box. I thought that sounded pretty awesome. So I sipped my coffee and waited to see what would happen next. Ten minutes later, we were on the porch playing and having a great time. The easiest things are often the best, for kids and grown ups alike eh? Severen loves this "toy" right now because he is obsessed with his little animal figurines. He carries them around, brings them to me and tells me that they need breakfast, takes them to the park to play, gives them baths at the sink, etc. He really tries to take care of them. And they take care of him, too. The other day he got a bump on his head and he had the tiny raccoon "kiss" it and then he said, "Mr. Raccoon made it feel alllll better." The box is also nice because we can change it up, bringing in leaves and sticks that we collect on wagon rides for example. Such fun.

Flying with a toddler

As most of you know, my family recently returned from two weeks in Morocco. Although we have traveled with Severen before (I have flown solo with him a few times, too) this was the biggest trip for us. I thought I'd share with you what I packed for him on the plane, as well as what I wish I had packed.

Severen did a great job, mostly because my husband and I performed hour after hour of our most dazzling parenting stand-up comedy/entertainment routine to date. Especially on the flight home from Paris to Detroit, when Severen looked at me with sad toddler eyes 30 minutes into the 9 hour vol and whimpered, "All done, Mama." I think we both aged a year on that particular flight. But honestly, it was pretty much what I expected it to be.

Liked best . . . 

Take a special bag just for the kiddo. Good move. Although the little backpack was too heavy for him to carry very long, it was helpful to have all of his diversions in one place rather than mixed in with my stuff. Things get so chaotic on those long flights with all the taking out, putting back, taking out. "Where are the raisins, honey?" "I think I saw them in the bag with your contacts next to the tiny raccoon. But that was a while ago." (GOD HELP US). I kept his toiletries, jammies, etc. in a different spot, btw.

Stickers, stickers, stickers. When there is nothing else to do, put something sticky on your face. We took Band-Aids, Post-It Notes, and car stickers. We stuck these all over the place in our aisle. The Band-Aids were extra awesome because he loved to open them. Bonus: It was easy to clean everything up when we landed. No harm, no foul.

Little toys for a little space. The small animals and cars we brought along were way more popular with Severen than I anticipated. He loved it when we ran the cars all over the seat backs, made them leap over armrests, etc. It was like a little racing course. And the animals could have "snacks" on the tray tables, play hide and seek, walk with us around the cabin, etc. They could even make tracks in the Play-Do!

Great flight attendants. I nursed Severen a lot on our flights - all six of them. I asked for lots and lots of water for him and me, in addition to what was served. Oftentimes, instead of a little cup I was given a whole bottle of water (score!) We also got extra bananas and bread. We even got a whispered invitation to stretch out in a secret, empty row for a little while.

Next time . . .

Take an ipad. Some good friends of ours gave us this advice and we just didn't get it done. If we take a long trip like this again, I would love to have one with some fun apps for him. There were seat-back TVs on the Trans-At flight, and we had toddler headphones at the ready,  but Severen wasn't interested. He is a little too young to be excited about unlimited TV access. He did love the remote, though!

I'll take bigger beads for the threading activity. Severen tried hard to work with them, but most of the time they just slipped away from him. I would like to make an official apology here to the person who had to clean up tiny pony beads from our seats and aisle. I tried to keep that situation under control, really I did!

Bring more snacks from home. I brought tomatoes, blueberries, dried fruits, crackers, etc. on the way there. But it still wasn't enough. There were a few times when I just really, really needed to give Severen something to munch on and I didn't have anything. Fail. I also learned the hard way that if you don't request an in-flight kids meal (Severen just had regular meals), your child won't get served first. Because we were near the back of the plane, we waited over an hour while the rest of the cabin got dinner en route to Paris with a very tired, very hungry boy. I finally got up and fetched his meal. Duh. I could have done that right away and averted an hour of fussiness.

That's what I can remember. Have you traveled with a small, mobile person before? I'd love to hear your "Liked Best / Next Time" comments below!

Swinging

Hello! This past week we've been hosting family, hence the crickets around here. We've had lots of fun outings, lots of nice dinners, lots of ice cream on the porch and other great things - like Mother & Son swinging! Can you believe Severen is 17 months old?!

We're off

Severen and I are traveling this weekend - our first solo plane trip! We are headed to see this lady and her wonderful little family. Easter was not on my radar when I bought our tickets - shoot! I would have loved to do a little easter egg hunt with Severen! Maybe we'll do one at O'Hare during our layover. But only if we have time after eating cracker crumbs off the terminal floor, checking out the hand dryers in the bathroom and letting e-ver-y-one we see who is drinking a coffee know that they have a "CUHHHP!"

Oh and about this photo. I'm not big on putting kids on the laps of strangers, especially when they are dressed in costumes and at the center of the mall. But hey, it's not about me! And so this happened last week. And it was wonderful. Severen and I were at the mall just running around (literally, we run and jump around and go in shops and say "hi" to people - it's a great outing) when we saw the Easter Bunny Habitat. Severen was delighted. He looked at me like, "Holy s*it, Mom! There is a giant bunny over there waving at me. We've got to check this out!" He went right up to him, climbed into his lap, touched his ears and chattered with him. He did not understand why we couldn't hang out with the giant man-bunny all afternoon. I'm sure they will pick up right where they left off, like old friends, next year when we go to see him again.

P.S. My Easter post from 2011 and last year.
P.P.S. Some photos from our last visit to Kansas City to see our friends.

Sweet locks

We gave Severen his first haircut last week. On the one hand, it was no big deal - just a haircut. The first of many (and hopefully we will do a better job next time!) On the other hand, it was a rite of passage. I unceremoniously threw most of the clippings away but I kept one soft lock. Why? To put in a locket of course. I feel so Victorian.

P.S. Doesn't he look like such a big kiddo without his baby mullet?

ESP No.1

   

   

This afternoon a friend of mine told me about this L.A. company - ESP No.1 - that makes unisex children's clothing. She pulled up a photo on her phone and I immediately said, "I want to wear that!" The collections are made up of simple, versatile pieces in the softest cottons and nicest denims. The shop is having an amazing (75% off!) "End of the World Sale" right now with close to 100 items to choose from. I am getting several things for Severen - this is just his style! 

P.S. The SS/2013 collection looks so great!

Images courtesy of ESP No. 1

Let's talk about The Girls

Can I just get candid here for a moment and share something? Sure I can. Let's talk about breasts.

I'm not what you would call well-endowed in the breast department. If I still had them, I could easily wear the bras I owned back in 8th grade. I actually don't really even need a bra. I remember being fourteen and thinking, "Any day now, they will start growing. Annnnyyy day." Yeah, that day never really came. And I always felt totally cheated. And really kind of down. I felt less shapely, less womanly, and less desirable. I wanted larger breasts so badly that whenever I appeared in my own dreams, I was always a couple cups sizes bigger with glorious cleavage. And then I would wake up and say "good morning" to my teeny-bopper tatinas. I tolerated them, but I didn't love them. I just wasn't super excited about The Girls.

That started to change when I went to college. I ran on the cross country team and, for the first time in my life, got to see other women's bodies in the locker room. Wow - the variety! The beauty! The imperfection! This seemed to be especially true of breasts. I began to realize that very, very few of us are built like the women in the lingerie ads. Very few. And this made me think about myself, and my breasts in a different way. My body education continued when I studied abroad in Morocco. I lived with a family who bathed at the local hammam (public bathhouse) and so guess what - I did, too. The more I saw of womanhood, the more I started to like the hand I had been dealt. 

But it was motherhood that really made me see the light. If I could, I would give my boobs a full salute with canons and marching horses and the works today. I would hold a parade in their honor. Because now I realize that they are perfect. They are team players. They have worked really, really hard for my son and me this past year - and it has not always been easy. Feeding Severen has been the joy of my life.  I enjoyed the quiet moments in those first months when I daydreamed/slept and studied him while he nursed. I enjoy the fun moments now, nursing a 1-year-old, when we chat and play games. Nursing forces both of us to be still, slow down and just hold on to each other: A little boy and his mama enjoying a very small window of precious time.

Our Winter, via Instagram

           

         

I'd like to raise my hands in a "Hallelujah" of thanks for camera phones. I'm just beginning to get the hang of mine (late bloomer, I know) and just in the nick of time! My Nikon was good for taking happy snaps of Severen when he was really little, but now that he is on the move I don't have a prayer of capturing much of anything with my fancy camera. Especially those elusive and *best* moments that last less than 15 seconds and seem to always happen when we are away from the house (like that last balloon shot). Even with my phone at arm's reach I still only manage to log a couple of photos of him a day. But the ones I am getting I really love. And let's be honest: I probably wouldn't take a photo of my kitchen counter, a self portrait in a car or baked goods with my Nikon, either.  Maybe I consider those shots to be unworthy of documentation somehow. Which is silly, really, because those things are LIFE . . . the kitchen counter, a ride in a car, warm cookies and a boy with a balloon.

Waking up

One of my favorite things to do is fetch Severen when he wakes up from his nap. Or like yesterday, I actually go in and wake him up if he is sleeping too late.

We all know that waking up from a nice slumber can be quite disorienting. I guess it just surprises me that children experience the same thing. It cracks me up because Severen's expressions seem so adult. I mean, I make most of these faces every morning myself! Here is what I imagine him thinking in these photos:

"Huh? Oh, hi Mama. Where am I? Did you eat my crackers? Did I just pee? Look at my clock! What are we doing now? Is it time to play? I'm reeeaaadady! Wait . . . just give me a minute."

It is especially adorable when he collapses forward back into his blankets for one last snuggle before standing up and getting up for good. Don't we all love to nuzzle our pillows for a couple extra seconds before pushing the button on the alarm?