What a difference a year makes!

Oh my, how my heart fills and spills with love for this boy....my boy...my heart!



My Sweet PeaPie one year ago this past month...tasting his first foods and loving it....and then ONE year later enjoying Butternut Squash Puree with Parmesan Cheese over Pasta.



First time sitting in a highchair at a restaurant one year ago and here he is today....cleaning up a bowl of cheese sauce with some chips....not to mention licking the bowl clean!


Ren is a full 17 months and one day....whew he is almost 1 and 1/2...time she is flying and I am so very grateful that I am able to stay at home and watch Ren grow. He has an amazing vocabulary and is learning new words every day...Mama...Mama...Mama is by far my favorite....I always answer with Yes, Love? and sometimes he just grins and my heart it leaps and I can't help but to smile....and sometimes he asks for a snack or a book or his cuppa-cup. Ren loves Saushage and Eggs...he asks for them every morning and sometimes even gets the pans out...and when I ask him what he is doing he replies...Cook....What are you going to cook Ren? I ask....Saushage...Egg is his reply. And most days I just have to make him his saushage and egg...I mean how can I resist such a sweet request from my favorite boy?

We are reading lots and lots of books. Ren's favorite night time books are:
Going to Sleep on the Farm (he calls it How)
Goodnight Gorilla (GRilla)
Sometimes I like to Curl up in a Ball
On Noah's Ark (Ark)
Little By Little (the hardcover not the paperback...they are different)
Guess How Much I Love You
Where the Wild Things Are
The Going to Bed Book

Ren and I read through these books every night before he goes to sleep. We snuggle up on my bed....Ren settles into some soft pillows or lays on my belly or in the crook of my arm and we read...and read and sometimes read his favorite of the night several times. I love that he loves books....that he is already entranced by them.

I can only imagine what he will be like a year from now....I love this journey of being a Mama...of being his Mama...of loving Ren and watching him grow and learn and change!

What are/were some of your favorite night time books for your little ones?

7 Quickies

1. Approx 147 days till the Man comes home.

2. Home is truly where your heart is...right now my heart is in Afghanistan as well as right here in SC. When the Man returns home (to me) my heart will be moved to Louisiana...yes it is official....at least I think it is.

3. Ren is now 13 months old....here are his words:
Mama
Dada or DA
Papa
Dan (his cousin)
Ellie (my pup Elliot..this was Ren's FIRST word at 9 months)
Emi (for Emily, another cousin)
Cup (for drink)
Madison ( I know right...for real!)
Snack
Cheese
Milk
Go-Go (for outside)
No
Yep
Light
Up
Down
yum
Abby (another cousin)
Dog
Ball
Block
When Ren woke the other morning I was going to put him in bed with me and nurse...he sat up and said No, Cup. No nursies for Ren that morning...he wanted a cup. He is putting words together and objects with what they belong to....Elliot's collar was on the floor, Ren picked it up and said "Ellie" holding it out to me. I'm sure there are more words...he is really picking stuff up fast...he said flower and seed the other day while outside playing in the grass.

4. If you are ever looking for an incredible cause to get involved in that is making an incredible difference in the lives of some wonderful, beautiful children...you should go here www.aidchild.org and get involved.

5. I finished the 1st of three quilts that I was inspired to make after seeing Dana's quilt give away back in '08. I followed her "How to make a quilt" tutorial. This first one is a baby floor quilt approx 52 x 31 inches.
It is a gift for a friend and her new baby girl...due in June!

6. This week, April 24th through May 1st is National Infertility Awareness Week. I am posting my story tomorrow.

7. I've been thinking a bit on Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

Part of 7 Quick Takes