Thankful for Snow, Baby

Hey guys. Sorry for the quiet. I’ve been busy introducing Harry to cold and snow, which, of course, he loves. He’s our kid afterall. It’ll probably be a bit of a quiet week this week too, just as a heads up. I hope you are all enjoying some turkey or sweet potato casserole or pumpkin pie (pick your poison) this week! If I don’t check in before Thanksgiving, I hope yours is merry & bright and maybe a little white.

Also, I’m thankful for my family. My husband, who takes care of us from near or far, my baby boy who makes every day fun, my parents and siblings who help so much and are always good company, and my extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who are just as good as family) who hold a special place in my heart. That’s my biggest thanks this year. I’ve got a good family.

xoxo, Mallory

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Yet Another List of Things I Don’t Want to Forget

+ Your hand all up in my grill while you nurse. You play with my eyelashes, rolling them between your fingers… my eyeballs, my eyebrows, my hair, my nose… I don’t love it. But I know one day I’ll miss it.

+ How much you really enjoy scarves. Just like your mum.

+ The shouts of “Doggy!” the second we see, hear, or smell a dog on our walks.

+ The sweet way you cuddle your own stuffed doggy. Randomly. Out of no where. It’s a mad dash to the dog in the middle of the room where you quickly lay on top of him.

+ Your curiosity. Everything is new and exciting to you. You spent ten minutes laying amongst the shoes and scarves in the coat closet this week.

+ The sound of “YUMMY!” as soon as you’re ready to eat. Or you see applesauce. Or bananas. Or dates.

+ How sweet you are when you share your half chewed food.

+ The face you make when you’re waiting for the “fuzzy, buzzy bee” tickles. It’s the cutest ever.

+ The way you’ve started asking for books. Holding them up in the air to me. And you get so excited when I sit down to read them to you. Your favorite right now is Big Red Barn.

+ This state of understanding but not fully communicating. This morning, we pointed out a lamp in your book, and you took off to the corner of the room to touch our lamp. You’re comprehending so much, I don’t even realize it.

+ Your hugs. When I get down on your level, you immediately come to me and hug me. It’s the best.

+ Bath balls in cups. You put them in there, then take them out. Rinse and repeat. Over and over and over.

+ The way you say “Uh oh.” It comes out “DA uhn.” But you really think you’re saying it.

+ Your mouth and the way it moves when you’re trying to say bad. It’s so funny. Like a little fishy.

+ Those sweet, wobbly first steps you took last night. And the face you made when I clapped and cheered and was so excited. It was a mix of glee, pride, and a little embarrassment. And then you walked again to get that reaction out of me one more time.

xoxo, Mama

10 Freaking Months

You guys. Over the weekend, Harry turned 10 months old. I’m kind of in awe of how fast this has gone by. I mean, they tell you “Don’t blink!” but really… I need to stop blinking.

Harry is a talker. A lot of what he says only makes sense to himself, but he talks nonetheless. He does say tree, that, thank you, drink, done, and his personal favorite – doggy. He is becoming more and more independent, picking out the books he’d like read while I’m making dinner and handing them to me. I even caught him reading to himself this weekend. He’s really great at playing (and getting in trouble) on his own.

The poor dude was pretty sick for a few days this week and it was the only thing that slowed him down. He’s still go, go, go from the moment he wakes up until he’s back to sleep, which I suppose makes sense considering he eats as much food as I do – and then nurses as well. He’s entered the hitting, pinching, biting phase, and we’re working on curbing that. He is, however, a fantastic sharer, always offering me a bite of his food.

Harry is so close to walking, but I have to run to keep up with his crawl when he’s going for something. He loves to be near me, hugging me when I’m on his level, but likes his independence at the same time. I know I say it every month, but it’s true. I love this kid more and more every day.

xoxo, Mallory

Harry In Nikes

Well, file this one under “Loose Cannon.” We’re eight days into November and I decided I didn’t want to do “30 Days of Thanks” this year. Don’t get me wrong. I have 30 things to be thankful for, and then some. I just didn’t want to do it. It felt forced this year. I felt like I was cranking something out at the end of the day just to have something on the blog. So Jon convinced me to just stop. And so I did.

Instead, today I’m  letting you into a moment of our day. Harry picked out his entire outfit, from the shirt to the shoes and I’m going to go out on a limb and say he did a pretty good job. The shirt’s a little big, but it totally goes the shoes. And for a kid who regularly styles his hair with tomatoes and hummus, a shirt that works with shoes (both of which are pretty cute) is a big accomplishment.

Side note: how cute are those Nikes?!

xoxo, Mallory

PS: Today I’m thankful for you understanding that sometimes I don’t do things when I don’t want.

For Trees

Because you provide shade and warmth, fresh air and beauty, but most importantly, entertainment for my boy, today I’m thankful for you, trees. Last night, Harry and I were both feeling a little sad without Papa so I strapped the boy into the Moby and went out for a nighttime walk. It was dark and chilly and I had this sweet little dude talking to me, inches from my face. We stopped at every “Dee” along the way to feel it’s leaves. A 10 minute walk turned into a 50 minute adventure.

So thanks, trees. Or should I say “dees.”

xoxo, Mallory

For Pinterest

I like to think I have a creative mind. I also like to think I have a whole lot more time than I really do. So when I feel like doing something fun and creative, I log into my Pinterest to decide which project I’ve cataloged to tackle. And then I get lost in my archives. I can spend hours “getting inspired” and then all of a sudden, the baby is awake and my time for doing has passed.

But sometimes I need that – that release from everything. That inspiration to get my wheels turning. And lets face it, as much as I’d love for Harry to stay little forever, he won’t. Then I’ll have time to tackle some of the bigger projects I’ve Pinned.

But until then, I will use Pinterest as a little getaway in my day. And a way to find fun new blogs. And quick and easy projects like the one above that took Harry about 2 minutes to tear off the wall. So much for that.

xoxo, Mallory

For Pooh

I could tell you about how we woke up at 4am this morning, and how I’m really not all that grateful for Daylight Savings, but this month is about the positivity, and the thanks. So I’ll just go with Pooh.

Winnie the Pooh on the iPad at 4:30am. Thank you.

xoxo, Mallory

For Running

My first summer in the south, I was training for my first marathon and I kept having debilitating cramps while I was out training. It took a while to realize they were heat cramps and I was on my way to heat exhaustion.

Since that first summer, running and I have had a love/hate relationship. I sure love running. It’s my favorite release, my “me” time, the time I get to spend outside. But man, is it hard to run in the heat. I get tired faster, I get grumpy quickly, I sweat a whole lot, and I just want to stop. But the second it cools down, running is back to the top of my list. One of the best moments of my day is lacing up those shoes and feeling the cool air whip against me as I set off.

I have a new running partner this year, and he’s pretty cute. He kicks when we run and he takes the world in one mile at a time. It’s pretty awesome to see the pure glee on his face and realize my “speed” is creating that laugh. I’ve always been a bit more of a solitary runner, but I can’t help but love my runs with the littlest boy in my life.

Thank you Running. I’m so grateful for you today.

xoxo, Mallory