4 Things I Say ...

too much, if how often Milo says them is any indication.

1.  That was crazy!
2. I don't think so. (As in, no way, mister, not going to happen.)
3. If you say so.
4. Shut up (not to Milo but I need to stop saying it nonetheless).

I could never say, "I love you" to this kid too much.

By the way, let's all just pretend it hasn't been three months since I last posted here and just move on.

Time flies

I'm so often amazed by the changes I see in my son that I sometimes forget that the rest of the world is changing too. Case in point, every summer for the past five years, my niece has come to visit. This year was no exception.

The first year she came, we did all the typical touristy stuff. She was 13 and looked like this:

The two summers after Milo was born were a little less exciting for her. The first summer, I had a 3-month-old and was exhausted from the every-two-hours 24/7 breastfeeding. But we still had some fun. And my then-15-year-old niece looked like this:

This summer, her visit was shorter (mostly due to our living arrangements at the moment) but it was probably the most fun since that first visit. She and I went to Paint the Town for some girl time without Milo or the S.O. We also did some shopping and made our annual trip to the zoo.

My little niece has grown into a young woman. She's smart and confident and totally opinionated. She's also beautiful. And loves her little cousin so much.

He loves her too, though you can't tell from this photo

I love this kid like she were my own. Her dad should be one proud papa. (I'm sure he is.) Too soon, she'll be all grown up, out in the wide world on her own. And she'll do great.

Mommy Time Movie Review

Because I don't really get out to the movies much, I watch a lot of Netflix. And because I have a 2-year-old, I don't watch a lot of grown-up movies. But last night I watched "The Switch," starring Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston.

I hate to admit that I really kind of liked it. Nevermind that it's a romantic comedy and we're supposed to hate those. Nevermind that it only gets a 5.9 rating on IMDb and a "rotten" 51% on RottenTomatoes.com. Nevermind that I feel like Jennifer Aniston is always reprising her role as Rachel from "Friends." She's pretty and relatable, and I also kind of feel like we'd actually be friends. Nevermind that Jason Bateman's character is a bit of a neurotic jerk. We all know we'd choose him over the other guy. (At least those of us of a certain age, anyway.)

Nevermind that the story -- while "based on" a short story by Jeffery Eugenides, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of "Middlesex" -- is silly and ultimately predictable. What romantic comedy isn't?

Nevermind all that. The little boy in the movie really is a mini version of Jason Bateman and is Adorable (yes, with a capital A). The story might be silly and predictable, but it's also sweet and cute. This isn't a great film. It certainly didn't win any awards. And I don't recommend it for the truly cynical. But for light-hearted fun that doesn't tax your brain or make you worry about the economy or war, this is a good movie.

It's guilty pleasure fare for sure. You might want to watch it alone some place no one will see you watching. Pair it with some dark chocolate, red wine and your most comfy jammies, and you've got some good old fashioned Mommy Time for yourself.

It's streaming on Netflix, so you don't even have to leave your house. No one has to know you liked a bad romantic comedy. Unless you blog about it, of course.

It's Not a Competition

Sometimes I have to remind myself not to compare me or Milo to other people. I see kids about his age already potty-trained and I start worrying that he should be potty trained. Yet, I've heard and read from multiple sources that forcing potty training usually leads to set-backs. (Not that I'm saying those other parents forced it, just that I would be forcing it right now because Milo is definitely not ready.)

I have to remind myself that every kid is different and while there are milestones that probably should be met by a certain age, some kids reach them earlier and some later. Milo is taller than some older kids. He was big when he was a baby. I remember our first few visits to The Little Gym, wondering why the other kids could sit up by themselves and Milo couldn't. It was because he was two or three months younger than those kids but the same size. He's no giant but he's in the 75th percentile for height. So, he's above average.

But there I go again, comparing him to other kids.

And no one compares to my little cowboy in my eyes

He's smart and bright and funny. He's adorable. He's trying out new words and new skills all the time. I don't worry that he isn't progressing "normally." So, when I find myself comparing him to other kids -- and wondering about my parenting skills -- I have to remember that it's not a race. And I have to cherish every age and every stage. Because it's going by way (way, way, way) too quickly.

Reading, 'Riting and What not

I signed Milo up for our library's summer reading program. The baby/toddler portion of it involves me (or Milo's daddy) reading to him and doing other activities. I kind of feel like I'm cheating a little because we already read to Milo every day -- at least a couple times and at least a couple books. So, he's going to get prizes for doing the things we do anyway.

I love to read and I hope I pass that love to Milo. He enjoys our story times so I think he'll grow up as a reader. I know much of that is up to the S.O. and me. Milo needs to see us reading -- and enjoying -- books. He needs to know the importance of reading and understand the joy and knowledge it can bring.

He has a few favorites right now: Anything by Sandra Boynton (especially "The Belly Button Book" and "Blue Hat, Green Hat"), "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight" by Jane Yolen and "Llama Llama Home With Mama" by Anna Dewdney. He especially enjoys the rhythm and rhyme of these particular stories. He also enjoys how silly Mommy can get while reading a silly book. And I enjoy reading them to him. And that's pretty important too.

Moving on up

Sorry for the recent radio silence, but I'm back and making a concerted effort to write more.

We are in the process of moving into a new house. I say house because it won't really be our home. The plan is to stay there while we figure out where we want our home to be. Will it be in our current town? Will it be somewhere near by or somewhere far far away? We just don't know right now. And moving is stressful enough without having important things up in the air.

We really like our current neighbors, but many of them are also moving away, so it's time to go. Plus, Milo is young enough right now to not miss this place. Our next home will be the home we all chose together.

We have had many ups and downs in this house -- this home -- but it wasn't a place the S.O. and I picked out together. I moved in here with him. So, while it's been my home for the past eight years, it's never exactly felt like *my place.*

I think Milo is resilient enough to quickly bounce back from any stress he might experience in moving. And besides, he will get some extra time with his grandma -- who spoils him terribly. And he's getting some new toys out of the deal.

I'm sure the S.O. and I are also resilient enough to bounce back from the stress of moving. It just might take us a little longer. Grandma won't spoil us as much.

Shutterfly shout out

I've been using Shutterfly.com for a while, creating photo books for myself and others, as well as creating birth announcements, thank you cards and Christmas cards. It's pretty cool. You can also store and save your photos there.

With the wildfires raging in Colorado, I've been thinking about where my photos are stored. They are backed up, plus many are stored at Shutterfly. If we had to evacuate would try to get my laptop and photo books out, but if I couldn't, I know I would be able to retrieve most of them.


Here is my latest creation, for Milo's grandma:

Click here to view this photo book larger

Start your own Shutterfly Photo Book today.