Books and Corners

Marek has books all over the house and I am so thankful that he loves to read. He picks out book and pulls on my pants or lodges himself between my legs and the counter (when I'm cooking) and pushes me away until I sit down and read it to him. He recently discovered the grown-up book shelf and of all the many books within his reach, he picked out this one and pretty much hasn't put it down.





We look at all the pictures of "Jake" and he pants like a puppy and points to every one. He is really good at turning one page at a time too! Just in the last few days I've caught him reading on his own and pointing to the pictures and talking to himself. It's to die for. His favorite spot to read is any small confined space. He has found every nook and cranny in our house and I try to snap a photo when I can catch him. Usually he has his blankie and a book but any time he has a treasure that seems "naughty" (like when I give him kitchen utensils to play with) he jets to a corner to sit and discover.















Blanket tents keep us occupied for hours. I want to buy a soft little baby chair and make a more permanent tent dwelling in the living room with a basket of books and a blankie on hand. A fort just for Marek and hopefully something that will keep him occupied while I do dishes!

Conversations With Marek

I finally caught some of Marek's babble on video. He had been rattling on for about 10 minutes prior and didn't stop when I shut the camera off. It is amazing to be here watching him grow, more amazing than I imagined. He picks up something new almost every day, this week it is "jumping" (no air) and saying "Papa." I thought that the baby stage would be the best and it's true that every milestone is quite memorable but the baby milestones are more developmental; watching his little brain make connections and come up with new ideas is something completely awe-inspiring. I wish Daddy was here to see all of this!



We've been doing okay and staying busy enough. There were so many times in the weeks before Matt left that I found myself saying to him, "I don't know how I am going to do X without you here!" I was so worried about going crazy doing it all on my own but it has been easy so far. I haven't missed my job for one minute. I have not found myself losing my patience and I don't feel like I need a break from my baby. It might be a different story six weeks from now but then Matt will be almost home! We will be taking another long trip to Florida in April and I am looking forward to being together on another adventure because we are not sure how long he will be home for this spring.

We won't hear from Matt for the next six days or so which is hard but we did get to Skype with him this weekend! Matt was looking at the top of Marek's head the whole time because he would not stop kissing Daddy on the screen. I am already looking forward to picking him up at the airport this time and watching Marek run instead of stroll to his Daddy :)