maki these days {hey y'all!}

Hey there! Still here? Sorry for the long hiatus, I don't have much of an excuse other than I didn't really feel like writing. The long truth is, my laptop is hanging on to life and power by a thread, so I don't move it from my desk. My desk sits near a window, and it's been pretty cold here in Wisconsin. So I just didn't feel like sitting at my drafty desk to type. But know that I think of blogging on the daily. {I even started a draft on my tablet... tablet posting isn't my thing.} Now that's it's warmed up {for now} here I am!

Anywho, I want to talk about Maki for a bit. He's this awesome little being who takes up all of my time and yet, I get so caught up in the home-y posts, that I neglect to talk about my original inspiration for starting this blog. So, I'll probably be a little bit all over in this post, but bear with me.

Staying home with Maki is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I can't imagine not being able to experience all of the awesomeness that he is growing into every second of every day. He is twenty-two months old now. Did I mention he's awesome? He's so smart, and expressive. I don't really have a word count, but he can say a lot of words and express his own ideas and wants. He wakes up every morning with a big smile on his face. I never know what his first word of the day will be. It might be "morning," in response to my "good morning" or "tov" in response to Papa's "boker tov." Or it could be a lingering thought crashing in from the dream he was just having: "Phant!" {elephant}, "Side!" {outside}, "Cup!" Or it could be a demanding directive to get the day on its way: "Potty!", "Coffee", "Elmo!", "Toons!" {cartoons}. Either way, he never fails to bring a smile to my face first thing in the morning.

Maki is a sweet but cunning little guy who has already mastered the art of using kisses and hugs as bribery ammo. A few days ago, he told me I'm his "favorite mama". He has a running "joke" where he calls for me, and when I answer he says, "BANANA!" He does it to his dad too. It's hilarious, because he does it at such random times it catches us off guard.  

He loves watching PBS Kids in the morning. I had all of these ideas about how little TV time my child would be allowed before I became a parent... and then I became a parent {and it's Wisconsin winter}. But really PBS isn't too bad. He loves Thomas the Train, Sesame Street, Curious George, Super Why and Daniel Tiger has recently made the cut. I enjoy watching the programming with him as it's very nostalgic for me. I grew up watching Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood {which is why I can't really get down with Daniel Tiger}. He also enjoys watching the local news and Judge Judy. Blame Mama for those.

Maki is obsessed with all things vehicles. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, trains, tractors. If it's got wheels, he's into it: toys, books, shows, you name it. He loves to point out fire trucks, school buses, city buses and the different types of construction trucks when we're out running errands. I'm so amazed at his deep interest in vehicles. It makes me wonder if he'll keep and grow this interest into a passion later on in life. {cough! engineer? cough!}

Maki also enjoys reading {even books about things other than cars}. Of course he loves being read to. But recently I've discovered him babbling into books by himself. I was super excited to witness this as it puts us one step further on the path of developing a little book worm.

He's at that Independent stage that toddlers go through. It's charming and annoying all at the same time. Sometimes Mommy just wants to get something done and over with, but Maki insists on doing it himself. He gives it a few tries, gets frustrated, refuses my help and then looks up with those pretty browns and says, "help me please!" Love him. But to his credit, he can do a lot of things by himself. He can feed himself; drink from a cup, thermos, and water bottle; he can go to the potty all by himself, he knows how to clean up his toys, re-shelve his books, and he's always Mommy's little helper during my own chores.

Along with the Independent stage comes the Defiant stage. He's made "no" one of his favorite words. Seriously, I'm so tired of begging this little boy to do the simplest things. But it's like he gets a kick out of the fact that "no" actually means something. He's learned that he can essentially pick and choose what he will and won't comply with. Ugh. Why couldn't he learn "yes" first?!

Anyways, there's about Maki. I'll be back soon.

i'm back

It seems I have taken quite the break from blogging, even allowing myself to fall off from the photo challenge. Well I'm back and re-recommitted. :) I was away pursuing the possibility of returning to work. However, long story short: it wasn't my time. In addition to many other factors, I was getting quite nervous and anxious about being separated from my little man. So while I won't be returning to work, I am relieved that I'll continue to stay at home with Maki.

Speaking of Maki, we are one week away from his first birthday! People always say, "oh it goes so fast," but for me it hasn't really. This year felt exactly a year long! And what a lovely year it has been. Maki is walking, saying a few words and babbling a ton. He has four fully emerged teeth and four half teeth pushing their way through. We're still breastfeeding, but he does eat some solids. He nibbles off of our plates and his favorite things to eat are yogurt, oranges and veggie sticks. He loves trucks and balls and bath time and books. His favorite book is, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr, Seuss. He loves all of the silly sounds Mama makes when reading it. And now that the weather is half way decent, he loves spending time outside. He's developing into such a little person, and it's amazing to watch.

Next week, in honor of my little man turning one, I'll share his birth story. I've been working on it for quite a while as some parts have been difficult for me to revisit. However, I am excited to get it finished and share it here with you.