twelve equals one

We did it.

We made it to one.

I've got my party hat on and I'm off celebrating my boy's life... and the fact that I am a mom and my beloved is a dad.

It's been a good year... marked in months and milestones and many sweet memories.

If you want some mushy, sappy, sentimental, lovey-dovey reflections on motherhood, you can read this one from yesterday about sharing Levi with the world, or this one from a few days ago about celebrating my first "momiversary".

I loved pouring my heart into these two posts... and I hope they will touch your heart too.

No doubt the sentiments of motherhood are universal and timeless.

And for Levi:

Heaven blew every trumpet 

and played every horn

on the wonderful, marvelous

night you were born. 

-excerpt from On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

Dear friends, thank you so much for all of your well-wishes and prayers for Levi's first birthday. It's a great day and we're very, very happy. 

so grateful,


p.s. I've got some good things in store for after all the festivities settle down.... but for now, I may just take a few days to... enjoy turning this page. See you again soon.

photo credit: sue stendahl


adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

regression and progression: the plight of a toddler

For the last several weeks, Levi has stopped saying mama and dada. He’s also stopped giving kisses, save for the very rare instance.

Oh, the torture! 

As a mom, all I want is to hear Levi call me mama when he’s trying to get my attention. (It sounds so much sweeter than whining!) And of course I desperately want my good morning kisses and pre-nap and bedtime kisses back. (Not to mention the impromptu ones that come in between.)

But alas, Levi’s lips are sealed.

On the other hand, last weekend he went from taking 4-5 steps at a time (which he’s been doing for what feels like ages now) to walking across the room. It was an over-night change. And of course in just a matter of days he’s also discovered he can walk all over the house, carry his toys around, and even play chase… all on his feet. Big boy. 

{And I swear he had an attempt at running this morning. Really? Really? Yikes people... This is for real.}

I was starting to wonder if his “no speak, no kiss” phenomena was linked to his developmental leap toward walking when I came across this:

Be aware that right around 12 months is when many children are learning to walk AND talk. These are huge skills, and each one can suck up all of your toddler’s physical and emotional energy for a while and lead to some weird behavior (aka toddler regression). For instance, it’s not at all uncommon for a toddler who’s been adding a word a day to his vocabulary to suddenly cease talking as he masters the art of putting one foot in front of the other. When you’re tackling the big milestones, it’s hard to multitask — toddlers can become so focused on the new skill they’re mastering (or just about to master) that their other abilities often waver a bit. (Source: What to Expect.)

So there you go, an explanation that makes perfect sense. (Sort-of?!)

Isn’t it strange to think that sometimes a perceived step backward is leading to an even bigger step forward? (I could get all deep and philosophical here, but just this once… I’m gonna skip it.)

Oh, the plight of a toddler. The tug between regression and progression.

Their little brains and bodies go on overload and they unconsciously regulate… as if to say, “One thing at a time mama; one thing at a time.”

I could take that advice for myself every once-and-a-while: One thing at a time Adriel; one thing at a time.

Dear friends, have you noticed regression and progression being linked in your child’s development? Was it alarming for you or were you able to recognize it?

progressing… mostly,

An update: After posting this... I got three kisses tonight. Heaven. *grin*

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

calling all party planners

We are now in full-force of the planning stages of Levi’s first birthday party.

I am a planner by nature. (Not always flawless at the following-through part, but great at the imagining/strategizing/planning part… and usually good at delivery. At least I try to be.)

I have been thinking about Levi’s birthday for months. Months.

And yet this is one thing that I refused to plan too far in advance.

Could it be that I wanted to focus on enjoying Christmas? Maybe…

Could it be that I had a lack of ideas? Hardly…

Could it be that the thought of a celebration didn’t excite me? No way, Jose…

Could it be that I was in denial about the fact that my baby is becoming a toddler? Ummm…

Well I can’t deny it any longer. He is as spirited as ever: exerting his—ahem—opinions, playing independently, feeding himself (well, when he feels like it at least!), learning how to talk, teetering on the verge of fully transitioning to walking (for more than a few steps at a time), and throwing far more tantrums than I anticipated for this age.

My baby turns one in two weeks.

My baby is disappearing fast... and a strong, funny, intelligent, curious, dynamic, spirited toddler stands in his place.

But this isn’t meant to be a mushy post. (I have the next few weeks to bomb the blogosphere with my sentimentality.)

This is a yay-we’re-throwing-our-first-birthday-party-and-it’s-all-really-fun-and-exciting post!

This is also a I’m-soliciting-the-best-ideas-to-finalize-our-party-plans post!

In case you hadn’t already guessed, we’re having a sock-monkey themed party. There will be hats. There will be balloons. There will be cupcakes. There will be a smash cake. There will be a surprise or two.

There will be perhaps a little more celebrating of this milestone than we’ll have at birthdays #2, 3, 4… Because, you know, there’s something really significant about celebrating our first born’s first year of life… Our first year of parenthood. (I’ll leave it there so I don’t turn this into the sappy post that is sure to come soon.)

So although I don’t want to go too crazy (there will be no jumping castle or magician or elaborate party favors), I do want to mark this occasion in a manner worthy of celebrating this important milestone… for Levi’s sake and for our own as parents.

And this is where you come in… I’d love your advice and/or suggestions about your favorite part of your child’s first birthday party. (Or another one you’ve been to.)

I’m all ears folks, all ears. My pen is in hand and I’m taking notes of your tips.

Dear friends, is the baby’s first birthday more of a milestone for the baby or for the parents?!!? Do you have any ideas about how to make our celebration special and memorable and oh-so-super-fun?

giddy with anticipation,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

what's the best first birthday gift?

It's hard to believe... but our little boy is turning one in two weeks! Although my husband jokes that he would like to "spoil" him with toys, I'm more of a believer in kids having a few quality toys... for lots of reasons that I won't get into at the moment.

(By the way, I don't count books or musical instruments in the same category - the more the merrier if you ask me. Levi loooves reading stories and loves, loves, loves his little guitar that he got for Christmas. Correction: he's obsessed with his guitar.)

We've already bought him a wooden Noah's Ark shape sorter toy for his upcoming birthday, and would like to buy him something else as well.

As we're thinking about what to get, I'd love to hear what you think are the best birthday gifts for a one year old! What was the biggest hit at your little one's first birthday?

Here are some of the ideas we've had so far:

love this fire truck by green toys - totally made out of recycled materials!

although we think a ride-on toy would be great, we're up in the air about the
specific one... but thought this pre-tricycle might be a good option.

levi loves the swings! a toddler swing would be a bit hit, no doubt.

is it crazy to consider purchasing a small drum? levi LOVES the drums soooo much.....

little xylophones are so much fun! this one by hohner kids has great reviews for it's tuning,
but is hard to find. of course there's always fischer price or little tykes...

another winner from green toys - made out of fully recycled materials.
a great precursor to the big, metal tonka trucks!

what parent doesn't hope their kid will end up loving legos?!
mega blocks are the prefect start for the little guys.

There also also push toys, wagons, little people toys... the list goes on!


Oh, how to choose?!!! I never really thought that toys were a big deal until I had a child of my own... and now I get it. They are so much fun! I want to choose well, spend our money wisely, and get him something that he enjoys that will also be durable and long-lasting.


Dear friends, what are your best first birthday gift ideas??

sooo excited,


p.s. This is not a sponsored post. All of these toys are just things we're personally thinking of purchasing.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission