29 Months

My baby boy is 29 months old today. Seems like just yesterday that he was born. Time flies for everyone I guess.

Here are 29 facts about Aiden at 29 months old:

1. He loves to sing and is always humming or drumming along to a song. Twinkle twinkle little star is his favorite. Music is the one thing that will always calm him down when he is upset.
2. He has been walking for 3 weeks and can walk forwards and backwards (which impresses his therapists).
3. His momma's homemade chocolate chip cookies are his favorite food. He will always eat them.
4. He weighs 22.5 pounds.
5. Yo Gabba Gabba and Baby Einstein are his 2 favorite shows, he gets a big smile when they come on.
6. On a sunny day, he can be found outside in the backyard, he is obsessed with the outdoors. He would be out there in the rain if we let him.
7. He gets waving and clapping confused with each other, so don't be upset if he claps when you leave our house.
8. He still won't sleep in his crib. Don't know why we bought it.
9. When he is doing something that he knows he should not do he stops, looks at us, gives us a little smirk, and keeps doing whatever it is.
10. He loves to read, when he is quiet he is usually in his room looking at his books. His favorites are "tubby", "100 first words" and "dog food".
11. He hates the sound of sirens, babies crying, cows mooing and the coffee grinder.
12. Cars are his favorite toy. Monster trucks in particular.
13. He loves to watch "Entourage" in bed at night with mom and dad. If you ask who his favorite character is he will say "Eeeeeeeee" (who is the nickname of one of the guys on the show).
14. He will also say "Eeeeeee" if you ask him for squeezes and give him a hug.
15. All he will drink is chocolate almond milk. It is pretty good, I tried it, but a little water would be good sometimes.
16. He is freakin' adorable. And I swear I am not just saying that because I am his mom. The guy at Starbucks told me so.
17. When he sees a monkey on TV he will go "oh ah ee ah".
18. He wears size 2T shirts but wears size 6-12 month bottoms.
19. If we accidentally leave the bathroom door open he will unroll all of the toilet paper in a matter of seconds.
20. He is fiercely independent. He wants to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. And he doesn't want any help.
21. Still has a love/hate relationship with the dog. He can be so sweet and give her kisses one minutes and then smack her and pull her ear the next. He will fall asleep if she licks his feet, which has come in handy a few times.
22. He loves to hide under blankets and make blanket tents. He thinks it is great, especially if there is a flashlight involved.
23. Is obsessed with keyboards, computer mice and my iPhone. Technology of any kind really. Must be the Jeremy in him.
24. At the park he loves slides, but hates swings.
25. He loves taking baths. He loves to splash around. Hates it when we shampoo his hair though.
26. As much as I try to get him attached to a "lovey" he hates stuffed animals.
27. He falls asleep by wrapping his arms and legs around my arm. It is sweet, but hard to get out of without waking him up. I think he does it on purpose so I can't leave him while he is sleeping (especially during nap time).
28. He loves to get dirty, play in the mud and water, throw rocks and sand. He is definitely a boy.
29. He has such a temper and gets so mad so quickly. But, he is sweet. And affectionate. He loves to cuddle and give kisses and hugs.

A new favorite place

Aiden and I had a playdate with my sister and her boys the other day. It was such a nice day so we started out at the boy's school but eventually we ended up back at her place. Aiden couldn't have been happier there.

First the boys showed Aiden around their school...

Then we went back to Sara's house where he wandered around pushing cars along the fireplace mantel...

He played fire station and Batman with Chase...

He played with the cars, monster trucks, "guys" and bouncy balls that were spread out all over the place. The only thing the TV played was cartoons. Did I mention that my sister has 3 boys?

 He discovered the drum set in Logan's room...

And he got to play with "big boy" toys, like video game controllers

Just when he thought it couldn't get any cooler, he got to ride bikes on the back deck with the big boys. 

He is happily screaming here, not mad ;)

He was completely happy the whole time we were there. Just wandering around, playing with all the new toys, watching the big kids, getting filthy dirty outside. He just loved it. He didn't even need a nap. Of course, on the way home he fell asleep before we even got to the freeway :)

Ready for summer

I am so ready for the long, warm days ahead.

This afternoon was really nice. Aiden and I went outside, he played in the rocks with his trucks and wandered around on the lawn. He is currently working on mastering the art of walking on uneven surfaces. He gets so mad when he falls down.

We got a little taste of what summer will be like. And aside from the outrageous electricity bill from the A/C being on 24/7, we are ready! Here are a couple things that I am looking forward to doing more of:

Watching Aiden play while sipping on this...

Skinny girl margaritas, just add ice. Yum, lime-y tequila-y goodness! And only 38 calories a glass or something crazy like that!

Cool, refreshing dinners like this...

Chinese chicken salad and french bread. In my book, this is the best summery dinner. So good that I am going to share the recipe with ya'll. Trust me, it is your lucky day!

Chinese Chicken Salad
3 chicken breasts
2 tbls. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. peanut oil
3 oz. rice stick noodles (maifun)
1/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds
2 green onions, sliced
1 head shredded iceberg lettuce
Marinate the chicken in soy sauce, sugar and salt for 10 minutes and then bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Let the chicken cool in the refrigerator. Over high heat add oil to a large skillet or wok, test the heat by adding a rice stick noodle, if it puffs up quickly the oil is ready. Fry the rice stick noodles, a few at a time, taking them out of the oil as soon as they puff up. Drain them on paper towels. Cut cooled chicken into thin strips and mix with lettuce, green onion, almonds, noodles and sesame seeds. Then pour over the dressing...
3 tbls. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/3 c. peanut oil
4 tbls. seasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbls. dark sesame oil
Whisk together and toss with the salad. Oh yum. This is good stuff.

And last, but not least, I am looking forward to playing outside with this adorable little boy...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Am I the only one who thinks there are no calories in cookie dough?

Seriously, the calories aren't there until they cook, right?

Here is a recipe for some good cookies that I made by accident, because I didn't have the ingredients for the real recipe...

2 1/2 cups softened butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 oz. unsweetened chocolate bar, melted in the microwave
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, stir to mix. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Pour the melted chocolate into the mix and beat yet again. Electric mixers are awesome, aren't they? Add in flour 1 cup at a time, and if using said electric mixer, for goodness sakes, turn the speed to low so that you don't do what I always do and get flour everywhere. Mix the baking soda and salt into the last 1/2 cup of flour and mix into the dough. Once the flour is all nice and mixed you can pour in those chips and stir em' in. Now eat some of the dough, you know you want to. I think that whole salmonella from raw cookie dough thing is just a rumor.

Take the rest of the dough that you didn't eat and drop it by large tablespoon fulls onto a non stick or lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven and the size you made your cookies. Cool on rack or paper towels, but eat the most while they are hot...because they are good like that.

Oh, and if you eat them with lowfat milk you can consider this health food :)

Practice, practice, practice...

Admittedly, my last couple posts have been a little down. Depressing. Serious.

So, I promise I will make up for it and make my next few posts a little lighter. Happy. Calorie-ridden.

I am taking an online photography course from a photographer whose work I really love. She specializes in babies, children and families and her pictures are a style that I really love. Very natural and colorful - capturing the moment rather than a standard posed head tilt. The class is geared toward creativity and capturing children, not all the technical stuff. It is six weeks long and each week we have a new lesson and assignment to turn in. Today was the first day of my weekend so I finally got to read the first lesson and start playing around with my camera settings. I won't lie, I read ahead a little bit my lessons. I just can't wait to learn more so I can get some really good shots of little Mr. Aiden and anyone else who is willing! Ha ha!

Here some some pictures of my first photo session with Aiden - I did not use the auto settings on my camera at all. It is all me, reading the light and deciding what to use for the ISO, shutter speed, aperture and all that other stuff that I don't know much about. These are my first try, just taken in my living room - no cool setting, they have not been through Photoshop and are not professional by any means - but I think they turned out pretty good. I even got that little eye sparkle that I love so much :)

Click on them to make them bigger (and clearer - I had to resize them so the quality is not as good on the blog) and check them out...

Eye sparkle, baby!!!!

Not bad for my first lesson, right? These are just a few that I thought turned out cute. I got some really good ones light and color wise and when I looked at them closer I saw that Aiden had chocolate all over his face. Oh well. I would rather have cute imperfect pictures I guess. I love the one where he is clapping and the one where is knee is up on the chair, just because they are cute things he does. But my favorites are the first one where he is looking away (even though there is a shadow on his face) and the last one.

I will post more as I learn more about color and composure and all that good stuff that I also don't know much about!

Wake me up when September ends

I am usually a pretty secretive person, I don't tell people the "bad" stuff. Right now, I need to let something out, I am tired of keeping things in all the time, I am tired of feeling like I am keeping some dirty little secret. Maybe I don't talk about things because it makes me feel weak, like I should be stronger and not need help. Maybe I do it because I really don't think people want to hear about the bad things. Life is hard enough as it is without hearing more bad news. Like I said, right now, I need to get it out. For myself.

A little over a month ago I lost a baby. I was about 10 weeks along. I would have been due at the end of September. We knew what the odds were that it would be healthy, we knew that we had a 50% chance of the pregnancy ending in miscarriage, so we decided not to tell a lot of people. Our odds of miscarriage are higher for reasons that are a whole different post - one that will be coming - because I am tired of not talking about that either. Most people know that Aiden was conceived via In Vitro Fertilization, this baby was not. Needless to say, we were shocked when that second little line appeared on the pregnancy test. We have only conceived naturally twice in 14 years. Yes, twice, this was not my first miscarriage.

I have a great doctor, he knew our situation and he let me come in for an ultrasound every week. My first miscarriage happened at 16 weeks, but the baby actually passed away at 12 weeks, and I had no idea. It was horrible, the whole situation. There was no way that I was not going to monitor this one as closely as possible. Every week that went by I felt more comfortable, every flicker of the heartbeat on that ultrasound machine made me feel like I was going to be a momma again, Aiden was going to be a big brother. I was almost convinced that this was going to be a success story, that something was going to be easy for once. Then, at my 10 week appointment, for the first time I couldn't see that little flicker on the ultrasound machine. I didn't have to wait for the doctor to tell me. I knew. I turned off inside. I did not shed a tear. All I could focus on was getting out the door, through the waiting room full of pregnant bellies. I wanted to get home to be with Aiden as quickly as I could.

Two days later I went in for a D&C, because there were no signs that things were going to happen naturally any time soon. At least this time I was under anesthetic and didn't go through the horrible ordeal that I went through the first time.

I don't think there are coincidences in life. I don't think it was a coincidence that I found out I was pregnant with my first baby in September and that this baby was due in September. I don't think it was a coincidence that there was a double rainbow on the way to my doctor's appointment that day. I don't think it was coincidence that the song that I listened to over and over when I was recovering from my first loss played twice on the radio that day when I honestly never hear it. That song still makes so much sense to me.

I have been struggling for the last month. Struggling because I was supposed to be prepared for a loss, because I already have Aiden and I remember everyday what it was like to want just one baby so badly, because we knew our odds, because I had been through this before, because if one had to pick a way to have a miscarriage mine was the easiest. But, trust me, when this happens, no matter what, you are never prepared.

Never.

I feel like I am not allowed to be upset. A miscarriage is a terrible kind of loss. People don't always know you were pregnant, you have nowhere to go to remember this little person, and people expect you to get over it faster because you never really "knew" the baby. It's so hard because in those first few weeks the only one who feels that baby and tangibly knows is there is the Mother, the Mother gets sick and tired and emotional and deliriously happy about all of it. The Mother thinks of that baby all day everyday. The Mother becomes protective of that baby the second the pink line appears on that little stick. I'm not saying that it is not hard on the Father, too. But, I guarantee that it is not the same.

In my case everyone who knew, also knew our odds which made it easier for them to not get attached. But for me, I got attached, I had no choice. As much as I would love to be logical about it, I am not. That was a child of mine. I am the mother of 3 children. It is simply not fair to never acknowledge that two of them existed.

And tonight I got the phone call. The phone call confirming the reason why the baby did not make it. The phone call that has now put a little face to my loss, I was going to have a baby boy. And I can't stop thinking about him.

I don't have closure yet, I don't have a line to end this post that makes it all better. I am still struggling to understand why this happened. I just needed to talk about it. Because to talk about it is to know they existed, to talk about it is a way for me to remember those babies. I know what I tell people so that they think I am OK, but I know that nothing makes it OK. I know that there are 2 babies up there, somewhere, waiting to meet their Mother one day.

From the top left - 8 week ultrasound and the 8 week baby belly, positive pregnancy tests, 6 week ultrasound and that last picture was me having a little "morning" sickness - I took the picture because this time, I was documenting everything. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of my first pregnancy or ultrasounds, and I never found out for sure why I lost that baby.

Come up to meet you
Tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart

Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh, let's go back to the start
Running in circles
Coming up tails
Heads on a silence apart

Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh, take me back to the start

I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science
Science and progress
Did not speak as loud as my heart

Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles
Chasing our tails
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy
Oh, it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start

-"The Scientist" by Coldplay

What it means to be "premature"

I have been getting questions lately about Aiden's development and why have to do things a certain way for him. It seems like I have some explaining to do. I want people to know that I am fine with questions about Aiden, if he has hit certain "milestones" and about any issues he has, etc. - I will be happy to explain anything to anyone. I don't get offended, people are naturally curious. But, the thing is, they have to ask ME (or Jeremy). Not someone else.

Developmentally, Aiden is delayed compared to other 2 year olds. Some tests might even call it severely delayed. I know all this, but it is not something that I am particularly worried about. Here's why...

First, I am a proponent that all kids, premature or not, develop at their own pace. So many factors play into development. If they have a sibling, if they are in day care, if they are small or large for their age etc. etc. The fact that we start "grading" children from birth actually really annoys me. Let babies explore and develop at their own pace, why give a 2 year old a score on some test saying he should be playing with his blocks like x instead of y? I think it is weird and I just don't buy into it in general.

Second, exactly who are people comparing Aiden to in his development? Because unless it is another 27 weeker, born at 1 lb. 13 oz. that had no amniotic fluid (and I mean NONE, not even enough to measure) for over 7 weeks, that had placental issues, had lengthy periods of low blood oxygen levels, had a grade 4 brain bleed (the worst), had to have an intestinal surgery resulting in an ostomy bag for 3 months and then another surgery to repair it, a hernia operation, multiple infections, 2 club feet requiring casting, 2 dislocated hips requiring a harness and surgery and casting, were on a ventilator for 3 months and an oxygen cannula for a year, and had a feeding tube and did not bottle feed until 4 months, did not come home from the hospital for 5 months, and has issues eating and gaining weight then THERE REALLY IS NO COMPARISON TO ANY OTHER CHILD.

None. Period.

Aiden has proved time and time again that he is developing at his own pace. He has done everything that children do. No, he does not do it in the time period allotted by the American Academy of Pediatrics guidebook - but, does it really matter? The thing about being "premature" is that it isn't a one size fits all kind of thing. There is no magic age or weight that all premature babies are "caught up" by. Every premature child was premature for a different reason and they all had their own path to go down in the NICU and as they grow up. They are all going to develop at a different pace. You can't compare Aiden to a 32 week preemie that was simply a "feeder/grower" in the NICU and you certainly can't compare him to a full term child that promptly came home to his parents with no health issues.

I always think about a girl I met at work, she was born at 26 weeks back in the early 80's, she did not walk or talk until she was 3. She has her masters degree now, I barely got my high school diploma and I was full term baby. Does that mean Aiden will get his masters degree? No. Does that mean that we can't judge the intelligence of a 2 year old accurately? Yes. No one can say how Aiden will be when he is older. There is no chart for Aiden to be following, there is no "normal" for him. He is walking now, something they said he would probably not do. He is making new vocalizations everyday. He is playing with his toys a new way everyday. He makes progress everyday.

And that is good enough for me. It's more than good enough, it is amazing. So, I am not worried about what some chart says he should be doing and I am not worried about how he measures up against other kids his age. It's not a competition, it's my child. Do I wish he was better at feeding himself or drinking from a cup on busy days? Yes, but how can I get angry because he wants to drink out of a bottle instead of a sippy cup when he started out being tube fed? He will get there. In his time and with our help and support.

None of this means that I don't worry about anything with him, I do. I know we are working on the things that concern us with his therapists and doctors and I know as he gets older things are going to change. I guess my ultimate point is that we are grateful for everything Aiden does and I am aware that down the road he may not be able to do something. We accept that and we will help him to do things the best way HE can. I know his beginning and I know where he came from. I know what it has taken him to get to this point, and I know with love, support from his family and a positive environment anything is possible for him. 

If you have a question, ask and I will tell you how he is doing or why we have to do things a certain way - I promise I won't get angry even if this post seems like I am. I just feel strongly about this subject, I guess I should though, because I feel pretty strongly about Aiden.

We have a walker!

Aiden started walking last week. It is so cute. He took a couple steps from the coffee table to me and then just started going for it all by himself. Within a week, he started cruising around the house all the time, he barely crawls anymore. Good thing, because he was wearing holes in the knees of all his pants!

He wanders around the house not quite sure where he is going, just so impressed that he can walk there himself. We are pretty darn impressed, too - we couldn't be prouder parents!

We also went back to Shriner's for a check of his hip last week. It has been almost a year since he got his cast off. His hip is still in place, the ball of his femur is still taking it's time forming, but it is in the socket. I was so relieved. You know, it's funny what Doctors don't tell you when you are going through stressful times, when she saw him walk his Doctor actually told me that she didn't think that he would be able to walk on his own. Crazy. She is the second person to say something like that. His NICU therapist said she didn't think he would ever be able to stand when he was born. Aiden sure knows how to prove people wrong and amaze them! I don't know how I got so lucky to have such an amazing, brave, strong, wonderful little boy!

I wonder...

Aiden's favorite book lately has been a little photo album full of all our favorite pictures of when he was in the NICU. He looks through it and points to all the pictures of "baby Aiden". I sit down with him and tell him who everyone is, the nurses in the background, Momma and Daddy standing by his little bed.

Every time he looks through that little photo album I wonder what he is going to think about those pictures when he is a little older.

I wonder if he will be curious why his baby pictures look so much different than other kid's baby pictures. I wonder if he will ask questions about what everything did, what each wire and tube was for. I wonder if he will wonder why all that happened to him, why he was different. I wonder if he will ever fully understand how special he is.

I wonder if he will ever believe that this little boy,

Started out like this...

Because sometimes it really is hard to believe. 

First Haircut

It took 2 years and 4 months for Aiden to finally grow enough hair to require a haircut. A trim actually, because I don't know how to do anything fancy. It hurt me a little to cut off his adorable little baby curls, I knew he was going to look older, less baby like, even (gasp) like a little boy! I put it off as long as I could, people started asking when I was going to cut it or if I was trying to grow it long. Finally I decided to cut it when it was clearly annoying him. So, here are the before and after pictures of my little man's first haircut. And yes, I saved every single strand of hair that I cut.

So here is the before picture...

 And here is after...

So what do you think? Did I do a good job? I was a little hesitant to do it myself, since I have a tendency to think I am some sort of hair professional and then really screw things up...just ask my sister ;)

Oh and a big thank you to the good people at Apple for making the iphone so darn irresistible to toddlers and keeping them distracted for this type of thing.

Beany Baby

Aiden has shown some signs of having a few sensory issues going on lately. Which is probably to be expected given his difficult start and all the things he has had to go through. I have done a lot of research on Sensory Processing Disorder lately, and some of the things he is doing fall right in line with the symptoms of SPD, which is usually diagnosed in school aged children. He has not been diagnosed with anything, but I see some things that do concern me and I want to do what I can for him now, before he gets into school. Mostly the things I notice are on the auditory and tactile (problems with certain textures) level. In my research I have also found some great playtime activities to do to help him with some of those sensory issues.

He loved this activity. I put him in a big bin and added 2 bags of cheap mixed dried beans. It gave him exposure to a new texture, made him look for buried objects (cars) and picking up the beans one at a time was good work on his fine motor skills - all why he was just happily playing. He had a great time scooping, tossing and kicking the beans around. He put them into a smaller bowl and took them back out, plowed his cars through them and just dug around in them. I turned on some music and he stayed in the bin playing for over an hour. I had to take him out when he decided it was fun to throw the beans all over the living room. Oh, well, we got some good play in before he figured that little trick out!

 

Puppy Love

Our little Sophie gave us a little scare this week. She had to have surgery, and was really touch-and-go for a couple of days. She was bleeding in her digestive tract, and they could not tell why. She lost 1 1/2 pounds in a month, which is a lot for an 8 pound dog. She was severely dehydrated. She had not kept food down for weeks and literally had only blood in her stomach. The vet threw around words like organ failure and tumors. Words I did not like hearing.

She is doing better now, with rest and lots of medication. It made me really think. I am so not ready to lose her. While I am no longer the person who wants to adopt every stray cat or dog she sees, the thought of losing our little Sophie made me realize just how much she means to me and to our family.

It is easy to take a pet for granted. When you are busy. Or chasing after a high needs 2 year old. Then things like this happen, and you are reminded about how special they really are.

Sophie has been there for me and comforted me in ways that no human being could ever do. She stuck next to me during every failed In Vitro cycle, through loss and through times of worry. She slept next to me every second that I was on bed rest with Aiden (I even made Jeremy bring her to the hospital to visit me). She is my first born child. And I love her so much. She never judges, never gets mad at me for saying something wrong or being in a bad mood. She will will stick by me no matter what. She loves me when I don't love myself.

I know one day she will pass on, and all that I can hope for is that I will be there for her, petting her and giving her kisses. Supporting her in her time of need just like she has supported me in mine. Until then, I will give her every spare moment, give her the little kisses on her cheek she loves, let her sleep on my lap as often as possible and give her booty scratches when she wants them - because they are her favorite.

She weighed 1 pound when we got her

She was the cutest little puppy

Her innocent look...

A family picture is not complete without her, because she is a big part of our family :)

I love my little Sophie - with that face, how could you not?

Now go pet your dog/cat/rabbit/fish/whatever and tell them you love them ;)

A slight obsession...

I have been completely and totally obsessed with Meyer lemons for the last month. I don't know what it is, the endless supply coming from my Grandma's tree or maybe I associate lemons with summer and sunny days and this is my way of bringing some sunshine into my life! I don't know, but it certainly does not help that there is a delicious plethora of lemon based dessert recipes floating around the blog world right now.

It started with this...

Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls. They called my name, as soon as I saw them I went out and bought the ingredients and I made them the next day. They were so, so good. Too good and the recipe makes 3 dozen of them. I literally had to give them away to avoid eating them all. I drove around delivering sweet rolls to family and friends so they could share in the calories joy of eating them.


Next were these...all I wanted was breakfast for dinner and searched for a new pancake recipe.

What I found were these. Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce. Oh, the lemon-y blueberry-y goodness. I will warn you, you will eat more than you planned on and your whole mouth will look like a blueberry. Don't eat these on a romantic date or anywhere you do not have immediate access to a toothbrush. But, don't worry - they are totally worth it!

While I was on the Two Peas and Their Pod site, I spotted these...

I had all the ingredients, so I decided - why not? Lemon Sugar Cookies. I'll take 'em. They turned out great - light, summery, and sparkly - and not a cookie that I want to eat 10 of. One or two was all I needed to get my sugar craving satisfied. Would be really good with a cup of tea, which I am going to go make right now and have myself a couple...


So, now that I have made you all hungry, I encourage you to go find some fresh Meyer lemons and try out all 3 of these recipes. Just don't try to get them from my Grandma's tree. Those are mine. And I will fight you for them ;)

5 reasons why it needs to stop raining...

I am so ready for some warmer temperatures and sunny days. I'm not ready for the 100 degree heat or anything, but some warm spring days would be nice. This never ending rain and clouds are getting really old. It is time for them to GO AWAY. And here are 5 reasons why:

1. I am ready to plant some flowers and make my backyard pretty again. I am tired of looking out the window and seeing dead plants and dirt. I need to get back there and work on a garden, get a little dirt under my fingernails. So far, all I have to tend to is this little pot of succulents. It needs friends. And warmer temperatures.

2. A certain little boy has taken to standing by the sliding glass door and yelling because he wants to go outside. He loves playing out there. On the days that it is not raining, I take him out there. He ends up playing in the mud, getting seriously dirty and cold. He finds every puddle and splashes in it - no matter how cold or dirty it makes him. He is ready to splash around in his pool again.

See what the cold wind is doing to his hairdo?!?!?

3. My peach tree bloomed. Then it froze, it rained, and it has been cold. No bees have been flying around. Which means no one is pollinating the blooms. Which means no peaches this year. The sun needs to come out so that the bees can pollinate the few blooms that remain. Most of them are already on the ground. Not to mention we missed looking at all the beautiful bright pink blooms.

4. These shoes. They are new. They are the cutest shoes I have ever seen. They are cream colored with an aqua polka dot gathered half bow on the front. I can't wear them in the rain, they will get destroyed and no longer be cream colored. I really want to wear them soon. These shoes do not belong in a box in my closet - they belong on my feet! If the sun comes out, these shoes will be on my feet in a matter of moments.

 P.S. It is surprisingly difficult to take pictures of your shoes.

5. I am ready for a large margarita. Little drink umbrellas are optional. It's not just margaritas, I am just generally ready for barbecues, homemade ice cream, and frozen drinks of all kinds. I am also ready for sunny days so Aiden, Sophie and I can go for long walks. So I can burn off all of the ice cream and frozen drinks ;) Oh, and I will definitely be trying out that watermelon margarita on the right this summer.

I could go on because there are so many reasons why I am ready for the rain to stop. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we are not in a drought and summer will be fun at the lake, but it's time for a few sunny days! Plus Project Park is on hold until the weather cooperates!