Should I feel guilty that I missed writing about baby boy's 2nd birthday? Oh well. For the sake of recording such important life milestones, let's have a quick catch up.
About two weeks before the young man's birthday his dad and I decided that it would be a good idea to take him on a trip. Unfortunately husband was stuck with work and school so that meant me and the little man were off on a mommy and baby adventure. I new first off that we had to fly because he's obsessed with aeroplanes. I also wanted to take him to Disneyland to meet Mickey. Thankfully it all came together nicely and off we went on a 7day trip to California.
Throughout the week before I had been psyching him up by randomly breaking out into a "guess what, guess what!?". He would then stare at me expectantly aaand BAMMM came our "we're going to California" sing-song-dance. So as you can imagine, the little man was beside himself with excitement as the day finally came for us to leave. My friend Brandy dropped us off at the airport. She has two girls and on our way there baby boy learnt to say "I need space". This is a phrase he often used whenever we spent way too much time together waiting for a flight or when he was stuck on my lap for the long flights. Once we got to the airport he proved himself to be a big boy by helping with bags. The only time I nearly lost my cool was when he ducked and weaved his through a long line only to gun his way right passed security. Luckily they were kind enough to allow me to run after the busy guy. The trip had in total 3 flights which baby boy enjoyed thoroughly. I brought on board a book titled Things That Go (one of his favourites) and inside is a page on aeroplanes which he had me read over and over again. He also made sure to remind me that he was sitting in the aeroplane, often pointing to the picture so that I could see exactly where he was sitting. Thankfully there was no horrific potty incidents to report. I was on my toes worried as one time on a flight from Johannesburg to South Africa baby boy dropped a bomb of a poop that had me sweating with fear. All I wanted to do was to get to a sink, scrub him up and throw away the dirty clothes. What a disturbing memory...ayy motherhood. Luckily my mom was there and she was able to walk me through the ordeal. Back to the grown baby, no accidents just a lot of laughs. He made me crack up the whole way. His excitement was evident to all around and provided good in flight entertainment. Even though he did struggle for the last 45mins of the flight, I really can't complain as he handled the small space as best he could, with sweet voiced reminders of "I need the space mommy".
Auntie Leslie and three of her young boys picked us up from the airport. Last time they saw baby boy he was only 5 months old. But as it often goes with family, time away doesn't water the blood ties. Baby boy loves his auntie. He absolutely adores his cousins! They really became his best friends. He grew up very quickly to catch up with the big boys. Learning to ride a scooter and attempting the bicycle, he played all day, laughed oh so hard, ran real fast and ate a whole lot of Mexican food. Auntie Leslie then spoiled him rotten with a birthday trip to Disneyland. She also baked him a strawberry cake and we had ourselves a good time. The cherry on top was being able to see good friends too. We spent a day with my dear Ronda, once mentioned here. Baby boy also got to see his first friend Nate and we spent time with cherished friends, Stevie (Nate's mom) and Tiffani G, who were some of the first people to lay eyes on baby boy on that beautiful Wednesday morning of the 17th of October 2012.
We were lucky enough to also visited our old ward (Prado View). Oh how I love the people in that ward! They just couldn't believe how much baby boy had grown.
The following day we left for San Francisco to visit an old school friend who had a brand new baby boy. By brand new I mean 5 months old which feels pretty new when you've got a toddler. Her boy is beautiful and we adore him. Kelly and I had planned all these activities over the phone but we both decided to enjoy our time together by chatting about school days, motherhood and eating lots of South African food. Her mother is a gem, she had come to visit for the baby's birth and brought with her awesome things such as chutney, custard and Rooibos. Stuff I used to take for granted back home now I go around Colorado hunting down every piece of South African food I can find. Baby boy was happy with the change in pace as he had found new friends named Baby and Max (who happen to be cats). He spent his moments cuddling and playing with them and returning to me to let me know of his great love for the kitties. We did eventually force ourselves to step outside of the house and take baby boy to an awesome arena with a glow in the dark bouncing castle. And although he was cautious at first, because baby boy approaches life with thought and caution, he started jumping and didn't looked back. And so, we joined him.
That sums up baby boy's awesome 2nd birthday trip. Wait, I nearly forgot to mention the meeting with Mickey Mouse. It was a quick one but well worth the wait. Mickey is a serious celebrity in Disneyland and one has to wait in a long queue in order to meet the mouse in his own house. Oh boy, I really do not possess the writing talent required for the reader to fully comprehend the joy my baby experienced as he laid his eyes on Mickey. It was pure magic. Oh what the heck, let me give it a shot: his eyes beamed, a smile exploded across his face, for a moment he became paralyzed with excitement, then he started speaking really fast and stumbling over his words, he approached Mickey. Then he realized that Mickey wasn't participating in the conversation. A look of confusion lined his brows. He hesitated as we asked him to stand next to Mickey. The silent Mickey knelt down opening his arms to baby boy. Baby boy approached with caution and with a tender touch of heart he cupped Mickey's nose. The picture was taken and then we were hurried out as the next Mickey fan entered the room. And there the moment with Mickey Mouse ends.
On the journey home baby boy behaved as a seasoned little traveler. He was confident and comfortable, he seemed grown and happy to be heading home. He fell asleep while we were chatting about the cheese tasting at LAX, good food we had eaten and how much we miss his daddy.
And there dear husband was, waiting with a warm hug of home. Once we got in the car, baby boy opened his eyes for the first time to say "I love you daddy". This act of pure love darn near cracked my heart with peace.
The first act of the birthday celebrations is complete. More to come.
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