More Than Pictures

There are some things about being a mom of young children that pictures can't describe. 

Ok...there are A LOT of things that pictures don't do justice. 

I want to document these moments so that when my boys are all grown up I can lovingly browse this blog (wrapped in a quilt made of their baby clothes,deep into my glass of Merlot as my husband tells me to "just stop crying and come to bed already").  I want to remember these moments.  At least the good/cute ones.

Ikaika melts my heart sometimes.  He is so joyful.  His laugh in infectious and he laughs with his entire being.  Everything, the smallest joke to the biggest trip up, is hilarious to him.  He smiles and laughs and you can tell that he is genuinely happy.

One things I've noticed lately is that he will sometimes - without any context or prompting - just sigh and say softly "I love you, mommy."  It might be on his way to the bathroom or after I buckle him into his carseat.  It always catches me off-guard. I have to stop and reorient myself because the headrush makes me dizzy.  My child loves me.

Koa is the snuggler that Ikaika never has been.  Yesterday, he nuzzled up to me on the couch and absent-mindedly twisted my hair around his fingers.  He pet my face and squirmed a little.  But, as we watched Snowdogs while the smell of Mr A's fried-rice permeated the house, he seemed very content just to be near me.

When its time for bed, I put him into his playpen and he lays there perfectly still.  "Put that blanket over me and kindly turn off the lights on your way out," I can almost hear him thinking.  In the mornings, when I pick him up to take him into the living for a diaper change and breakfast, he doesn't necessarily hug me - but he does flop his body against mine, arms wide open, head in the crook of my neck.  He hangs there, still and lifeless, wanting me to rub his back or say soothing words.  It's not because he's exhausted (he just woke up), it's because he's cuddly.  And I love it!