Random thoughts

Blaine thinks coughing is the same as laughing. He does this fake cough thing sometimes instead of laughing, and the other day, when I was choking, he just cackled and cackled.

I told my mother that I wish he wouldn't cough because it was hard on his vocal cords, and she looked at me like I'd lost my marbles. I don't think I convinced her, but seriously, if you are a singer and care about having healthy vocal cords, coughing is incredibly bad for them. Washing away the debris by drinking water rather than coughing or clearing your throat is a much healthier solution. I'm not worried about Blaine although nodules on vocal cords can occur at young ages. I am almost certain that one little third grader in my church choir has vocal nodules. I can hear it, and it makes certain things hard for him to sing.

My husband thinks I'm depriving Blaine of real food. He used to be content on the floor or in the swing while we were eating. Now he insists on being right up there at the table where the action is. And he watches. He watches the fork from the plate to the mouth and back again. He is fascinated. I was planning to wait till he was six months old before I fed him anything besides breast milk. We have several weeks to go. I told Phil that if he bought Blaine a high chair I would consider starting a little early...he doesn't believe me, but just between you and me, if I had a highchair, I'd start using it and break out the rice cereal.

Blaine is teething. He has this cry when he is in pain that just tears at your heart. It's a cry I cannot ignore; I think God made it that way on purpose. He just chews and chews and slobbers and slobbers. He's a very slimy boy at times.

A question for all you mom's out there--Do you ever just look at your child and feel so full of love and wonder and gratitude and just not know what to do with it or how to express it? There is something so deeply satisfying about being a mom. I truly love it.

One more thing--Is it a mom thing to look askance at a new mom when she says, "I can't wait till he starts crawling and walking"? Do mothers really wish their children stayed babies? I can't wait to see what Blaine will be like when he's an adult. I suppose I will have my own moments of wishing he was still little, warm, soft, cuddly, and sweet-smelling after a bath, but I do not understand the eye-rolling, just-wait attitude I get when I anticipate Blaine growing up. My goal is to enjoy all stages of child-rearing. Bring on the terrible twos, adolescent moods, and teenage idealism. So far I am enjoying the stage we are in with Blaine even as I anticipate growth. (Truthfully? I'm worried that if he keeps growing at the current rate, I'll be hauling around a fifty pounder that doesn't walk yet. Blaine walking looks like the best thing for the preservation of my back. Grin. If my neph were here he would say, "So it's not about Blaine at all; it's all about you." Yep.)

Being a mom has taught me:
Your own child's slime isn't gross.