Our little moments

Yesterday when I dropped my little man off for a day of fun in the toddler room at school my heart sank.  My sweet cuddly full of kisses and ever smiling little man wasn't acting so sweet.  Actually he was being mean... unintentionally of course.  He's 20 months old and still not quite sure of the best way to show his frustration.  My mommy intuition leads me to believe he was upset because I was about to leave him for a day of sorting prom dresses and meetings ...{more about that in a future post}... anyhow he grabbed one of his best buddies on the cheek.

Red in the face and full of shock I bent down and used my calmest mommy voice to remind him that he wasn't being very nice or gentle.  After mommy asked him to be gentle he kissed his friend and ran off to play with a puzzle.  There I stood embarrassed and full of guilt.  For hours after I left him there... in that room... I stressed and beat myself up.  

Yes, I know he's 20 months old and doesn't always think before he acts but I was convinced that it was all my fault.  I must be doing something wrong.  I must not have read the right book about parenting a little boy.  I grew up with sisters.  This boy thing is entirely new to me.  The closest to this got growing up was sparing without our gear on.  ...{my sisters and I are proud 2nd degree black belts}... So it wasn't until I was searching for some writing inspiration that I finally got it.  I'm a great mom, my husband is a great dad.  And Damon is a great little man.  

It's so hard to imagine how much he's grown in just 20months.

Imagine our bedtime routine after taking his vitamins and brushing his teeth we usually read a story together.  Mommy cuddling Damon as Daddy reads.  Then we carry Damon into his room share a bunch of kisses and lay Damon into his bed.  He'll let out a little whimper just to remind me that he loves me and each minute we spend together.  Brent leaves he's Mr. Logical convinced that Damon should cry himself to sleep if necessary.  Mommy on the other hand hums and gently rubs Damon's back.  Sure I see the value in Damon falling asleep on his own and without the company of mom but there's something so special about those few minutes we spend there in the dark.  I remember our day and the fun we've shared, I think about the many cute messes around our home waiting to be cleaned and I imagine our future together. 

Still not convinced?  Take our recent outdoor adventures for example.  Damon's newest thing is to grab my finger and run me around the yard.  I love it.  There's something so special about that bond when he's literally sharing his enthusiasm and excitement for life with me.  As we're running I do my best to see it from his point of view.  ...{Where did all of that white stuff go?  Now there's these tiny green things popping up and whoa this one has purple on it. Look mom look!}... As he playfully steps on my crocuses. 

Minutes before I began writing this post I'd been battling that feeling that I don't have much to contribute that what's flying in my head doesn't matter to anyone but me and that I'm not succeeding.  I struggled and struggled to find some inspiration.  I added a couple pins, caught up on several of my favorite blogs, drafted a long to do list for my future blogging endeavors still I was feeling off.  Then I came across this guest post on one of my favorite blogs Little Miss Mamma.  

I swear the way guest blogger Casey wrote about her experiences as a proud mommy spoke to my heart.  I teared up and began writing.  Thanks Casey for reminding me that mommy-hood is such a beautiful blessing.

Immediately I knew I must capture some of our little moments.  The sort of things that make each of my days beautiful and full of life.  I hope you enjoyed!  

 

Oh one last thing...

I'm not going to make it a habit to blog about my day job but tomorrow I'll be super busy.  In 2009 I orchestrated my first prom dress giveaway.  This year will be our 4th annual event.   On Wednesday we received a total of 207 donated dresses.  ...{That's right two hundred and seven dresses not to mention a couple bags of shoes}...  This huge day of donations came from community members a bridal shop and students at a local college.  It's safe to say that this years collection event has topped all of our other years.  Hopefully the giveaways will impact more students that ever before too!  I'll be posting more about our Prom Closet soon.