Tender moments

There are so many moments that I share with my son that just melt my heart. They may not seem like much but they become the reasons I feel so privileged to be a mother. I feel that I need to document these in order to always remember them because, I know, as he grows they will just become memories.

Holding my sleeping boy: A week or so ago, Charlie had a low fever and it caused him to have trouble sleeping. He was waking up about every hour after we put him down. He was completely exhausted and once I picked him up, he would quickly fall asleep in my arms. As he gets older, I don't get to hold him while he sleeps much, so this felt so good to me. I contemplated how much he had grown and how there is no more room on my lap for his long legs. I felt his unconditional love he has for me and the safety he must feel in my arms.
      That same night, we decided to bring Charlie into our bed so he could be comforted by us all night. I have never really enjoyed having him in our bed because I usually can't sleep, Max held Charlie over by him and cuddled him until the morning. This was Max's tender moment. Especially now that he is working and doesn't see the little guy as often, he keeps commenting on how holding his still and sleeping son was truly special to him.

Books: Charlie has recently been more interested in books than toys. I have been trying to teach him respect for books and how to turn the pages carefully. We have read together nearly every night ever since he was about 3 months. When he was about 7 months he started to get extra wiggly so we read together but he usually wasn't in my lap. Some days, I wondered why I tried so hard when it seemed that we wasn't getting much from this routine. Now that he is showing an interest in books, I feel that we have had a little victory. At the end of the day there are usually several piles of books throughout our living room. Here are some pictures I was lucky enough to catch.

                                             
This one was extra special to me because he picked out one of my Armenian children's books. When I picked out 2 children's books at the end of my mission, I envisioned my future children enjoying them but it seemed like something in the very distant future. But this day, my son plopped down right by my feet and started looking through it.

He's also interested in the thesaurus!?!

I handed him a book to hold while I changed his diaper. Usually when I pull up his pants, he rolls over and wants to play but this time he was so enthralled by this book, he stayed there and continued to "read" it. 

Prayers: Charlie showed us that he knows he needs to fold his arms when we pray. We have prayed with him at meals and together at night for quite some time and we always emphasize that we fold our arms. Last night was the first time that we said "we're going to pray Charlie" and he willingly folded his arms by himself. I got a little choked up because I was so proud of him. Of course, he didn't keep his arms folded the whole prayer, but we felt that he is starting to get the idea.

Understanding: Charlie hasn't been too big on speaking but everyday he has shown us something new he understands. When we say "let's go outside" he will go to the door and wiggle the knob. When we ask "Where's the piano?" he will point or go to it and play a bit. He knows nose, eye, ear, and teeth and will point to them on me. He smacks his lips when we say "Can you give mama a kiss?" He sometimes puts his head on the ground when we ask him to do a somersault.and I'm sure there are a ton more! It is so fun to be able to communicate with my little boy.

 These are just some pictures from a sunny day at the park last week.

 Hide and Seek: All on his own, Charlie decided to hide in his changing table cupboard, at this moment I realized he isn't much of a baby anymore. Just like any kid, he likes to get himself into small places. He even tried to close the door.

That's all I can think of right now but we are incredibly impressed with this boy everyday and feel so blessed to have the opportunity of raising him.