She finally did it.  Fifteen steps across our living room.  Our baby girl had a major milestone with us today!  We hugged her and jumped up and down with her.  It was quite the triumphant moment.  Hurray!  (wish I could post the video clip!!)

Our baby girl is at the stage where she puts everything into her mouth.
Even weird bad stuff. The worse is when I turn around and see her
chewing on something, and I know I haven't given her any food. It's
usually some small piece of something that fell on the floor. Gross!
Yesterday, as I checked our baby's mouth again for the upteenth time
with her wailing unhappily at me because I was removing the special
treasure she had found, I said, "You'll thank me one day." But then I
realized that she probably won't. I mean, can you imagine. "Mama Mary
Ann, thank you for keeping me from eating gross stuff off the floor."
That never dawns on any kid, really. Well, except today.

Today, on my birthday, I wanted to thank my mom:

Thanks, Mom, for all the times you kept me from putting bad stuff in my
mouth. Thanks for all those times you saved me from touching things I
shouldn't have -- because it might've hurt me. Thanks for keeping me
from falling down and hitting my head on hard surfaces. Thanks for
picking me up and carrying me around, even when you had your hands full
of something else. Thanks for hunching down to hold my hand so that you
could help me learn to walk - even though it probably hurt your back
and, many times, would've been a lot faster for you to just carry me
from place to place. Thanks for feeding me, spoon-feeding me, as
tiresome as it might've been. Thanks for picking up the food off the
ground that I threw and for wiping my mouth and my runny nose. Thanks
for giving me baths every day and changing my poopy diapers (even
though it stunk so bad you wanted to throw up). Thank you, Mom, for the
sleep you had to lose as you watched over me in my sleep and woke up in
the middle of the night to feed me. Thank you for sacrificing your own
sleep time when I was napping so that you could take care of things
around the house or get ready for me when I woke up again. Thank you,
Mom, especially for letting me invade your body for 9 months and making
you feel sick all the time and uncomfortable - and especially for the
pain of child birth. Without you, there would be no 'me' here today as
I am. Happy Day to you, not me, for a miracle and thirty years of
selfless dedication. I love you, Mom!

A picture of Mom and me, making a snowman a few months ago.

"The only ones who know how to parent are the ones who do not have children."

I saw this quote a few weeks before I became a parent.  Even then, I laughed because it is so true!  When you're not a parent and have never had children of your own, you hear one expert or one parent's way of doing things and you think that's the one-and-only way, so you try to tell other parents who are having similar problems to use that method as the solution.  But the reality is that every child is different (and even that one child changes every day or so), so there isn't just one band-aid method that will solve it all.  I think most parents realize pretty quickly into things that they really know nothing at all.  (We are a good case in point.)  I'm so thankful that God stands in the midst of all that we do and all that we are, and He parents us!

As Sam and I approach parenthood (see Sam's post from today), we've been thinking a lot about how we want things to look like.  One thing I realize is that my list is mostly based on things I really loved about my childhood or appreciate as I look back or based on things that I wish it had been more like...  I think we all have these lists.  What's one or two things on your list -- please share with me something that I could add to my ever-growing list.

Things I loved from my childhood that I'd like to do the same:
- Go to the park on weekends - ride bike, play different sports together as a family
- Play boardgames together
- Eat dinner together as a family every night and have a "no tv during dinner" rule
- Have the "always volunteer and pitch in where needed" rule for chores for the kids (but differ in that "Dad" won't be the exception to the rule in our house)
- "Less is more" with toys (less toys means more room for creativity and imagination)
- No fear of lack of food or shelter or that "Mom & Dad" will take care of things
- Take kids to the library and let them check out as many books as they want

Things I'd do differently:
- More affirmation
- More affection - hugs and kisses and "I love you"s
- Open conversation and communication, dialogue and discussion (kids have a say and their opinions will be valued and considered)
- Children are allowed to run around and laugh, have lotsa fun and even be loud sometimes
- Parents will say sorry to kids and admit when they are wrong
- Friends will be welcomed to come over -- and not have to feel like intruders
- Kids will be encouraged to explore every gift or talent (music, art, writing, sports) while they are younger and to dream big dreams of all they might do to follow God and honor what gifts He's given them as they grow older and mature into the men and women of God He created them to be
- Christ will be the center of our home and Lord of our lives (not money, safety, security, material things nor traditionalism, culture or 'what others might think of us')

[Edit]  I just found this list from June 9, 2000 called "Notes for Future Family"
- No TV, arrange sofas to face each other to promote conversation
- Build relationships with children's teachers, know schcool activities, be involved
- Go to my kids' games and plays
- Put notes in their school lunches
- Let them do what they dream of (music, dance, etc)
- Share my stories with them (past failures, mistakes, "crushes", everything)
- Keep house open to all friends
- Read to them; take them to the library
- Reaffirm them after disciplining them
- Say sorry
- Be supportive; give good reasons and explanations (don't just say "because I said so")
- Be consistent
- Give them room to fail
- Make hot drinks for my kids' friends on cold days -- even when they're 22!