Before I begin my ramblings on the things our little 18 month is doing, I want to take a minute to reflect on the sad events from yesterday. I don't remember a time when a tragedy has struck me to the core like the school shooting in Connecticut did. I was already saddened by a female police officer that was shot and killed yesterday morning here in Memphis. She was the mother of 4 young children. Such sadness!
I sat on the couch yesterday afternoon watching the news coverage of the shooting with tears rolling down my face...now that I am a mom, I cannot even imagine the heartbreak of losing a child. These were little children....so young, so innocent, so full of life and it was taken from them for a reason we still have yet to know. When Thomas woke up from his nap, I just held him...tighter than normal, longer than normal, more grateful than normal.
Those precious children were some parent's Thomas. As he sleeps safely in the next room, I am overcome with sympathy for those parents who do not have their little one tonight. I feel blessed that I believe in a faith that speaks of an eternal world where there is no violence and no hatred....there is more of that here in this world than I can even begin to comprehend. In Church, we often recite Philippians 4:7 "Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Jesus Christ." This brings me some comfort tonight because while I will never understand the "why," I know My God has a plan. It is not for me to understand...just to follow faithfully. I pray that God will give those families who lost loved ones and children the peace that exceeds all understanding!
On to this little boy....18 months....wow, is that possible? Seems just like yesterday that he was a baby.
We went to his check up this week, and here are the stats:
Weight: 28 pounds - 80%
Height: 34 inches tall - 80%
Head Circumference: 55%
Big Boy!!
Thomas can do so much these days. He can say and point to all of his body parts, he knows lots of animals and their sounds (elephant is his favorite noise to make), he can say and point out all of the members of our family, he will say "no" and shake his head "yes" in response to our questions, he says please ("pease") and thank you ("tank you") on a regular basis without being prompted (his teachers are always commenting on how often he says this at school. Proud Mama moment).
Thomas loves Elmo (no longer "mo-mo"), choo-choo's, tractors, farms, snowmen, his cowboy boots, his "meeee" (blanket), books, "neighs" (horses), iphones and ipad, music (we sing and dance together all of the time), dump trucks, and fire trucks.
His favorite foods are apples, green beans, cheese flavored rice cakes (strange for a toddler, I know), eggs, goldfish, tomatoes, cheese, hot dogs, ice cream, apple juice, and most of all "ba-ba" (which thankfully these days has been completely replaced by a sippy cup but we kept the name since he is so good at screaming out for his "baba" in the most desperate voice!)
On a different happy note, we went to Ann Hollis's 2nd birthday party this afternoon. Someone liked this little trampoline but wanted NOTHING to do with the bouncy house. There were lots of kids going in and out and it was the kind with a maze and slide....just too much going on for our Mr. Conservative to partake. Doesn't look like he suffered, however!
A break from playing to snack on marshmallows.
Santa Claus made a visit to AH's birthday. He rounded the corner and Thomas started crying! We decided to take a break inside and get a snack instead of visiting with Santa (and torturing the rest of the guests with our cries).
The cake pops were a huge hit. Had to snag one for the road in order to make a peaceful exit. There was lots of fun to be had at Ann Hollis's birthday party!
