Baby Jackson...

I've been having great conversation this morning but it's gone a lot different than the normal words I tend to have on a daily basis.

"Ba ba ba ba BAAAHHH!"
"Oh yea?" I reply, to my friend's little boy, Jackson, who is almost a year now.
"Mama mama mamama. Daddadadadadad. Oooohhhh?" he says, as if asking a question. I can't help but smile when he cocks his head to the side, his mouth forming a perfect ring when he says the "Ooooohhh?" part. When he hears the sound of my laugh, he scrunchs up his tiny nose and pulls his lips back, revealing little teeth, and mimicks my laugh. Could there be anything more precious?

I would say that I've loved slowing down this morning, but there is nothing slow about parenting! It's been different...anything BUT slow! I've been busy, busy, busy:

-While eating his cereal puff thingys, he puts his finger tips together, saying in sign language he wants, "More!" When I say, Yaaaayyyyy! to applaud his communication, he claps for himself and his eyes light up...and so does my heart.

- In middle bite of eating applesauce, I apparently do something funny so he laughs and then sputters, spraying my face that's dangerously close to his, with spit and applesauce. I take it as a compliment.

- I turn away for one second to get his applesauce and he's pulled out the entire contents of his play kitchen all over the floor. I suddenly find myself having new respect for the fact that Jessica manages to keep her house so clean! Ha!

- He bestows a gift in his diaper that I semi-gag while changing, and again, my respect level for mothers grow!

- Every time I pick up the phone to call a client or work on setting up a business account, he chooses to push the musical cart that jiggles a tune while he walks...but the second I hang up the phone because I can't hear, he's no longer interested. It makes me laugh and even though its tinged with longing, it feels good.

-I sing a song to Jackson when its nap time and he rubs his eyes and yawns but won't fall asleep. I hold him in my arms and when he looks up at me through his long eyelashes, I fall a little in love. He doesn't even care that I can't sing...