Oh, Boy.

I thought I had a few more years before this started, but no.  My daughter (who, remember, will be 4 next month) has a boyfriend.

It all started a few weeks ago at a birthday party for two girls in Abby's class.  The theme was princesses and pirates, and my daughter (shocker!) was dressed as a princess.  Things started out normally.  She was playing with her girl friends from school, running all over the playground.  I was chatting with Mom friends and taking care of Austin, so I had half an eye on Abby.  Just enough to make sure she was safe, but not really paying close attention to what she was doing.*   When I did start watching Abby, I noticed she was playing with a little boy from her class, Flynn.**

It was unusual to Abby playing with only boys, so I decided to watch for a bit.  They danced together.  They chased each other.  They went down the side-by-side slide together.  Abby was telling Flynn what to do, and he was happily chasing behind her.

As the party was wrapping up and we were getting ready to leave, Abby stopped suddenly.  Then she looked at me and said:

"Wait, mom!  I have to go find Flynn.  I can't leave without hugging my prince!"

And off she ran.  Laughing I followed her, to share this cuteness with Flynn's parents.  I told them what she said, and they looked at me with a surprised look and said not only did Abby hug Flynn, she also kissed him.

Kissed him!

When I asked Abby about it later, the conversation went like this:

"Abby, did you kiss Flynn?"

shyly "Yes."

"Was that the first time you kissed a boy?"

"No, I kiss my Daddy."

"Was that the first time you kissed a boy that was not family?"

"Yeah." shoulder shrug "It was kinda special."

In the car, I asked if she liked Flynn.  She thought for a minute and said, "Well.  I kinda love him."

So this continued for a few weeks,  (Thankfully there was no hugging or hand holding at school.)  At the fall festival (which was at the same playground) they were inseparable  They held hands as the went down the slide and ran across the playground.  She played with his hood; he messed with her hair.  He left before we did, so Abby did not give another kiss.*** 

Fast forward to this morning.  She's again in her costume (for show and tell) and on the way to school when she sighs and says, "Mom.  I really hope that Flynn thinks I look pretty in my dress."

I thought I had a few more years til this started.  But no.  My daughter is full on boy crazy.****

If she is starting this early, what in the world will she be like in her teen years ?!?




*Before your judge: we were at an enclosed playground that she was very familiar with.  The only people there were parents and kids from the party.  She was fine. 
** Obviously, his name is not really Flynn.  I don't really know his parents, and don't know how they'd feel about their kid being talked about publicly..So, I'll refer to him by the name of Abby's other crush, Flynn Ryder.  
***She was upset by this.  She kept asking why Flynn left before she could kiss him goodbye.
****I haven't even told you about the time she told her doctor he was handsome or the 8 year old boy she was flirting with on a family walk.

Breakfast at the Salgado house

A glimpse into a typical morning in our house....

"Abby, what would you like for breakfast?"

"I don't WAAANNT breakfast."

"Abby, what would you like for breakfast? Waffles, toast, toaster strudel, yogurt....?"

"FINE!  Just yogurt.  ONLY yogurt."

I put her yogurt on the table.


"Mom!  I WAAANNNT waffles!"

I give her the look.


"Please can I have waffles with my yogurt?"

I fix waffles and put them on the table.


"I DON'T WAAANNNT waffles.  I am NOT going to eat them!"

I feed Austin the waffles.  He happily eats them.


The End.

Austin: 1 year

Austin,

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

I can hardly believe you are a year old today.  It seems this year has gone by way too fast, but it has been amazing.  You have brought so much joy into this family; no matter what else was going on, you were always smiling.  It's hard to have a bad day when you look at us with those big blue eyes and wide smile.  Even your sister has a hard time resisting your laughter and we are truly a more complete package with you around.

As this day approached, your baby-ness has been slowly fading.  While you're still not quite walking, you are a very fast crawler and cruiser.  In this last month, you've even started trying to stand without holding on to anything.  So far your only able to last a second or two before grabbing something or falling on your bottom, but it's a step in the right direction!

When you're not trying to walk, one of your favorite things to do while standing is to dance.  Anytime you hear music, you stand up and start to bounce.  Even when there's no music, you something start to "sing" and dance to your own beat.  It is quite adorable.

Last month we introduced whole milk, and you took to it like a champ.  Once you mastered your sippy cup (which only took a few days) you were drinking as much as we would give you and never looked back.  As a result, our weaning process went a little quicker than expected.  It was hard for me, but you were ready.  We had a few tantrums in the beginning, but once you figured out what was going on you were fine.  In order to still get my snuggles in, we've altered our bedtime routine a bit and added a few songs.

In addition to the milk, you've tried all kinds of new foods this month.  So far, you like pretty much everything. Except for Grandma's macaroni and cheese.  We'll keep trying on that one though, I have a feeling you'll grow to like it just as much as I do.  Tonight we gave you your first slice of pizza to celebrate your big day.  Thankfully, you loved it!  (Had you not, we might have had to check your DNA.  We're a big pizza family.)

Another big change this month has been your speech.  Recently you learned, "uh-oh!"  Not only do you love to say it when you drop something on accident, you love to say it as you throw something.  As cute as this is, it makes the "throw things so Mommy picks them up" game a much more lengthy process.  You also say it when you just wake up.  I love watching you in the monitor as you wake up, stand up, throw your paci out of the crib, and then yell, "UH-OH!" over and over until I come get you.

This past weekend, we had your birthday party.  It was a small get-together of close friends and family, but you hammed it up as usual.  Though you weren't sure what to thing in the beginning, you quickly dove into your cake and make a giant mess.  You also loved all your presents and happily played with all of them right away.  It was overall a wonderful day.

I've been a little emotional these past few days, anticipating your birthday.  I thought for sure I'd be a mess today.  However, this morning I woke up to, "Ma-ma-ma" and when I went in the room, you gave me one of your big smiles, raised your arms are said, "MaMa!"  I melted.  You were in such a happy mood today, I couldn't help but match the enthusiasm.  You have become such a wonderful little boy.  I have truly loved every minute of this last year, and cannot wait to see what lies ahead.

Happy birthday my sweet, sweet boy!
Love,
Mommy