18 Months

18 months old and still the cutest boy to have roamed the earth! I'm a lucky mama!

First I must address the above picture. What time warp was he put in during the taking of this photo? It's like a glimpse of the future adult ButterBean!!

Anyway, at 18 months his favorite words make him a total boy:
"Caw" = car or outside, whichever he feels like
"Daaa" = still raving about dogs
"Baaa" = Ball

Other words just make me laugh every time he says them --
"heenghh", which is lotion, soap, anything else that can be rubbed into skin or into his "hayyh" (hair)...diaper cream in your hair? Sure! Yogurt? You bet! Nothing better than hennghh in your hayyh, right?

Many words are still very similar
"Ba-ul" (Bottle) could be easily confused with "Bah!" (glass of water) or "Baaa", which is ball.
or
"Bey-ee" = belly
"Bay-ee" = berry
"Bay" = bear

And here he is with a favorite toy: mommy's "tone"

Prepared? I don't know what that means

I used to think I was a very "prepared" person. Maybe even bordering on obsessive preparation. I'm a planner, a list maker...I like to be prepared. The more I think about it though - am I ever really "prepared"? I've spent so much of my life preparing, but I never feel ready! I prepare dinner, I prepare for tests and presentations, I prepare for birthday parties. (Dinner is almost ready, I did pretty well on my test today, and I've got plenty to do before the birthday party this Sunday!)

I planned for years that I would be a nurse anesthetist but...

I wasn't prepared for how exhausting anesthesia school would be

I wasn't prepared for how humbling anesthesia school would be

I wasn't prepared for how loooong school would feel

I planned my whole life that I would be a mother but...

I wasn't prepared for how exhausting being a mother would be

I wasn't prepared for how humbling being a mother would be

I wasn't prepared for how fast and how much I could love another person

I was talking to my mom today and I said "I still can't believe he [ButterBean] is mine!" I couldn't have prepared for motherhood, no matter how many books I read, classes I took, or how much I nested. Being ButterBean's mom is better than I could have ever planned! I'll never be prepared for him to grow up!!