17 February 2011

hints he was here



one of the sweetest things about living with a child is discovering the leftover evidence. sometimes it's a little naughty (like sharpie pen drawings on my desk or chapstick on my couch!), but most times (if you're watching for them) it's sweet. tiny cars racing on a windowsill, trains on top of the dryer, tub toys strewn about. the little things you know you'll miss when they become bigger than big.

i didn't expect how amazing experiencing the newness of their ideas could be. seeing their imagination grow as hurriedly as their bodies do. now that our boy is talking, i can hear his mind bubbling with fresh thoughts. pure innocence, questions, excitement and clever new words spill out all day long.

the other afternoon i happened in on benji tucking his little railway pieces into the cradle that sits in his nursery. (i slept in it when i was a baby, it is handpainted and an heirloom / therefore much too precious to put into storage. plus, it holds extra blankets like a dream.) i couldn't believe what an expert tucker he is, lining them up with their faces peering out and a genuine goodbye, sweet dreams, sir topham. watching him take care of something smaller than himself is like filling up a shirt pocket in my heart with four leaf clovers.

next week my boy officially turns two and a half, i'll be devoting a few upcoming blog posts to life with a small sidekick, as many of you have mentioned they are your favorite posts. thank you for obliging me! (please let me know if there is a specific topic about motherhood / toddlerhood you'd like me to write about.)

p.s. i googled sharpie pen ink removal immediately after finding said artwork and found that a few pumps of hand sanitizer cleans it right off!! who knew?! i love that google has become my all-knowing mothering resource living in the corner of my apartment.

sidenote // for you book lovers, stay tuned. a bit of an exciting announcement is coming monday.

24 comments:

Liz said...

Marta, what a sweet and beautifully thought-provoking post. I love your stories about your little one. I was hoping you could share with us how you capture these moments other than blogging. Do you scrapbook these memories? Do you have a photo album for Benji that he will be able to show his kids some day?

Thank you for making my morning cheery.

-Liz-

Whatever Dee-Dee wants said...

I love the way you capture these moments! My boy is just a few months younger than your Benji and I see him doing similar things, I wish I could record these memories as beautifully as you :)

PS Thanks for the sharpie removal advice. I have always used Magic Erasers but hand sanitizer sounds like it works better.

Jen said...

Sweet!
Wow! Hand sanitizer takes away sharpie!

kh said...

wow. just as i finished cleaning up glitter nail polish from off the floor! i love this post, for more reasons than one. thank you!

oh, hello friend. said...

such a sweet post. I love that we turn to google for everything and how people just say "google it" as if it's a verb ;)

I hope I can meet your sweet baby boy one day (well, not a baby now!) Seriously, you must take a Disneyland trip someday and I will take you around everywhere! Promise? Okay, good, it's settled.

xo.

Taunya said...

You have tugged at my heart strings on this post. My lil man loved Thomas for a long time. Now that he is in kindergarten he is beginning to move on to Star Wars and toys of the like, but I fondly remember finding Thomas with his besties James and Percy in random places around the house. In some ways it seems like just a few short days ago and in other ways it seems like ages ago. Sunrise, sunset - quickly go the days!

Unknown said...

I love my little sidekick man :) His favorite thing to act out? Toy Story 3... I especially love it when he hands me a stuffed elephant, tells me to "be dinosaur" and he proceeds to yodel like Jessie :)

Unknown said...

Just wanted to say that I love this post! My son is 26 months and VERY into Thomas and Sir Topham Hat as well. I found Thomas last night in the potted plant- I was told he was "goin' to da jungle mama!" Love those little moments!

Ms. Fish said...

Hi Marta,
I found your blog through Justin Hackworth. He's my brother, and speaks highly of you.

I love the idea of evidence left behind. what a great way to think about the phases in our lives.

Reminds me of a story. Do you mind if I share it?

One day we found some etching in the paint on our banister. My husband asked my son (Stockton) who made those marks. Stockton denied it. My husband said, "Just tell the truth, we know you did it." And my son replied, "how do you know?"

We all walked over to the banister and there in crude chicken scratches were the words:

Stockton was here.

jana laurene said...

this post is too sweet.

and i can barely contain myself for the exciting announcement!

Won said...

so true... even the hardest day is redeemed by finding a little something they deliberately left behind, usually in the oddest places. thanks for the reminder to keep my eyes open.

Anna said...

Marta, what beautiful words. Thank you......

Ali said...

Seriously - that Sharpie tip is the best thing I learned all day!

Erin {pughs' news} said...

Hand sanitizer cleans up sharpie grafitti? AWESOME! Thanks for that, Marta...

Lauralee said...

Love how you've put this! I forget to stop and enjoy those little "evidences."

Also, it's the alcohol in the hand sanitizer that cleans up the sharpie-so rubbing alcohol works too!

CMD said...

I have a two year old (and a 4 year old and a three month old) but it's so amazing what a two year old observes and recreates isn't it? Love it. I had to smile/gasp/chuckle at your last line about book lovers! I sent you an email 7 mins before i read this post. I was right... You are inspiring!

Alexandra said...

This post has been my favorite selection of writing to meet my eyes all week. Thank you for sharing.

Sarah said...

love this. it reminds me of the tiny little moments and sites we must savor of our children's childhood.

personal questions, (if you don't mind?):
does baby B sleep in a big-boy-bed now? Lucia is turning two and I still have her in a crib. I think I will keep her there for a while, but have been asking a lot of people lately about their switch, when, why, etc.

second question and perhaps none-of-my-business. not even sure why i am asking because it drives me nuts when people ask me... but are you going to have more babies? matt and i are so content with our little lucia that we think we may just have one. i get so much pressure to have more from family and even random strangers! i think i might even dedicate a blog post to the pressures.

okay last thing, thanks for emailing me back. i will write you this weekend; school has been so crazy and stressful this week.

blessings to you this friday.
sg

Abby said...

Love this post! I think the best times of parenthood are seeing your childs imagination grow! I love watching kids play on their own with little toys. What a cute post. Benji posts are my favorite!

Hannah said...

Marta. I love this. Whenever I read your mommy posts, I think to myself, "Yes! I love that too." I love how you always open my eyes to a new way to celebrate my life as "mom." You are an inspiration. I'm so happy you blog.

meg duerksen said...

hand sanitizer?
genius.
you may have just changed my life.

Anonymous said...

So sweet file it away to warm your heart on another day. Smiles!

summer said...

can't wait for monday, miss exciting news!
and 3 cheers for motherhood posts!! ohhh, you know how i love them. and you. this post was so wonderful.

pinklady said...

As a mom of two boys I find that the mr. Clean magic eraser works like a dream on almost anything! God bless whomever invented that!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...