Beauty, in the eyes of my three-year old

One day while Liam was playing with my hair, he grabbed my face and made a special request. He grabs my face every time he wants to make sure that I am paying attention. He smiled and said, "Mama, get yellow hair like me." I told him that I would think about it and that was that. We went to the pharmacy last Friday and happened to walk down the aisle with all the hair color on our way to the register. He stopped and looked for a half a minute and picked out the exact color and style he wants for me. Since I have never dyed my hair before, I told him that maybe I should have someone do it for me. He said, "You can do it, mama. Like shampoo!" I wonder if he will he let up or wear me out until I get the "yellow hair." If it turns out bad though, I can't very well place the blame on a three-year old and I don't have the money to do this kind of thing professionally. I'm hoping he will just forget about it.

He seems to be picking this up from advertisements he has seen in magazines, billboards and TV commercials. When I flip through a magazine and come to an ad for beautifully long eyelashes or a really nice lipstick color, he looks at me and says, "Like Mama!" He really is very sweet and a funny little boy without even knowing it. Just the other day, while walking past a bus stop, he happened to catch a Victoria's Secret ad of a beautiful woman modeling the latest underwear. He pointed to it and said, "Like mama!" Bless you, my dear, sweet child! While it is a very funny comparison and a far cry from reality, I am happy he thinks that I am the prettiest woman he has ever known. I pray that my little boy will always be able to see the beauty that is inside a person.

It's great to be a mother

I thought Mother's Day came and went rather quickly. We have been so busy driving to and from our new house to really take notice of anything else. We did find an alternate route which we like to call the scenic route that mostly takes us through parkways instead of the expressways (where the roads are rougher because of the damage made by all the trucks). We get water views and drive past tree-lined neighborhoods where we can get fresh(er) air and can actually listen to the birds chirping.

My husband has been working so hard on the house that he hasn't had much time to himself. His shopping has mostly consisted of trips to the Home Depot. Since we made the largest purchase of our lives, I was totally not expecting any gifts. (I guess there won't be any, at least store-bought, for a very long time. This just means we will have to be creative and actually make something ourselves. That should be fun!) He did get me a card and wrote the most wonderful things and he got me a scented candle which I light up in the house when we move in. Also, at my mother's apartment, I got the rare opportunity to try to take a little bit of a snooze. I don't think I actually slept since I think I may have forgotten how to take a nap. I just closed my eyes for a while and tried to keep very still on my mother's massage table. I think I did come close to drifting off, but alas Liam came into the bedroom for like the fifth time finally announcing that it was time for me to get up. Oh, well.

Out of the mouth of babes

An elementary school nearby (here in our current neighborhood in Brooklyn) had these mommy profiles on their windows. They made me laugh so hard. One of the comments above read: "The biggest job she has is being a mother." I would have to agree, adding to it of course, that it is the most rewarding job. This made me wonder what my sweet little boy would say about me, so I asked him.

My Mother
by Liam (3 years old)

Name: Martha. Umm... not Martha, MAMA!
Age: I yo know, 2 years old
Hair: dark
Eyes: dark
Height: big
Weight: Liam is heavy, not mama
Favorite food: cooking and chocolate
Favorite drink: water
Favorite TV show: Jeopardy
Occupation: computer and cooking and picking up the toys

SO cute!

What a special gift, or blessing I should say, to be a mother to such a wonderful and sweet little boy. I love you, my little Liam. May you always stay as sweet as you are.

On the playful side

Recently, Liam has taken to calling me "honey" instead of "mama", especially when he has done something he knows I will not like. This time it was a little different. Here is two-year old Liam's fun little play on these two words.

Liam: Mama?

Me: Yes, Liam.

L: Oh, Mama!

M: Yes, baby!

L: Honey?

M: (no answer)

L: Honey??!!

M: Yes, honey!

L: Ohhhhh, maaaaaaama!!!!

M: Ohhhhh, baaaaaaby!!!!!


This repartee went on for five times in a row. Funnier still, I tried to initiate the same exchange the next day and he looked at me like I had two heads. He honestly couldn't remember.

Liam, my darling, this is one of many special moments locked away in my heart. Here's to many more!