I’m feeling nostalgic today and thought I’d take this moment to recall my favorite memories from my son’s life thus far, for no reason whatsoever – rather than wait for a birthday or milestone to justify romanticizing his life, I’m going to do it now because I love him and his wacky self everyday, even when the card companies don’t.

1. The day he was born – While much of central and southern US was dealing with a tornado of epic proportions, my husband and I embarked on a tornado of our own – a whirlwind dizzying experience called the first weeks of parenthood. The morning began at the wee hours of 6am or so as we entered the hospital for an induced labor (the little man was a week late according to the professionals) and ended at just minutes before midnight when we finally had an emergency c-section – momma may have been ready to meet her son, but her body was decidedly not cooperating. But the miracle of science let me meet him that night anyway, not that I remember much of it – it was a long hard day that perfectly symbolizes the long hard weeks and months to follow. But I love that day regardless, as it was the day my son came into the world, and thus hugely important for me.

2. I took a lot of pictures of MLM during that first year, hundreds in fact, but some of my favorites happened while taking walks through the park near my in laws – this one specifically is a real favorite as it shows off his bluer than blue eyes.

3. Our first Christmas – MLM didn’t quite know what to make of Old Saint Nick, and even now he really isn’t quite sure what it’s all about – he’s a big fan of the presents though – that he picked up on quickly. Here’s one of our first pictures of MLM with Santa:

4. His first birthday – an event so massive we did it twice – once at my in laws and then again at my aunt’s house. There was cake – messy, messy cake – and presents. Here’s a pic of him opening presents with daddy:

5. Our first big trip – to Pennsylvania – we did Hershey Park but the real fun was had at Amish Country – here’s a cute pic of the little man on a stone turtle:

6. Exploring new places – even just a fun day at the playground with daddy had MLM discovering things he’d never even known to dream of – we love this picture of him at the playground in my hometown.

7. Getting our own place! Last fall we moved into our first apartment – the first home we could truly call our own, and I was amazed at how well MLM once again adjusted to a new home – the third in his short life. We had a lot of fun taking pictures in our new adobe – here’s an early favorite, only 8 short months ago…

8. Fun with hats – For awhile now, my son has enjoyed a fun new game he invented called, What Can I Wear on My Head – you may remember the potty chair incident of a week or two ago? This past Christmas he had a lot of fun with head gear – here’s a big favorite:

9. Learning our ABCs – a few months ago we got MLM ABC magnets – he is now an ABC pro and can say most of the letters of the alphabet – here’s a picture of the first week with the magnets – I think mom and dad had more fun than toddler:

10. Our first snowman! This year we finally did some serious playing in the snow and daddy and MLM built their very first snowman, while mommy worked as the film crew – here’s a pic of the boys with their awesome snow results:

11. New Friends – A few months ago I started baby sitting the son of a good friend of mine and he and MLM have become fast friends – hugs and tackles and learning to share, I took a picture of the two besties:

12. My little baby gets a big boy bed – We very recently took down the crib and put MLM in a big boy bed, which has been a wonderful experience of bed time stories, tucking in, and favorite stuffed animals. He loves being a big boy with his own turf and we love it too! Here’s a pick of MLM tucking in all his babies:

13. A big boy needs a big boy haircut – or so people kept telling me – I hummed and hawed for months but when we finally made the snip I was in LOVE with the results – you’ve seen this pic recently, but feast your eyes again on my very big boy!

14. Oh yes and a brief blast from the recent past, his 2nd birthday – twice as much fun as the first – in our lovey apartment – here’s a pic of MLM checking out his ice cream cake!

14 – no cliched amount of numbers, no Halmark occasiona, just 14 of my favorite memories from the last 26 months or so… Happy Monday everyone!