S and I had our first meaningful conversation the other day:

S: fart

Me: Nice toot.

S: Bum bum.

Me: giggle, giggle

I'm looking forward to future insightful conversations with our darling toddler.

We are in the deep throes of toddlerhood. I think S showed a toddler attitude far before he could actually toddle—signs of independence, testing his boundaries, extreme curiosity. Now that he’s in full toddler mode, life is non-stop…for him and for me!

Despite always having to be “on”, I must say that I am enjoying this stage of S’s childhood much more than those early infancy days. I enjoy observing his actions, reactions and interactions with people and things around him. And I enjoy trying to figure out what’s going on in his little mind. And I love the challenge of finding new things to do to expose him to new experiences. I love being able to interact with him and be part of his exploration and discovery experience.

I’m grateful that I can stay home with him to watch him grow at this really great stage of his life!

It’s almost embarrassing to acknowledge that I haven’t blogged here in almost a year! I don’t know how time could’ve flown by so quickly. I guess with raising a child and moving and traveling and starting a business, etc. it just does. And when I think back over the past 11 months there are numerous topics I would’ve liked to have touched on: sleep deprivation and sleep training, traveling with a baby, crawling, walking and new found mobility, feeding baby...just to name a few. So I’m back in the blogging saddle, feeling more inspired and less overwhelmed. And dare I say it, with more spare time!

After watching So you think you can dance tonight I am sorry but Jive is the one ballroom dance that should not exist. Jive is the ultimate "blandification" of swing dancing which started in the street. If you want real swing dancing, try Lindy Hop, Balboa, Charleston, etc. Half the people in this show are hip hop dancers, which is totally compatible with real swing dancing. IMHO the show should use Lindy Hop and Lindy choreographers like the fabulous and original Lindy Hopper Frankie Manning instead of Jive. If you look at Charleston, Tap, Lindy Hop etc., you can see the real connection and real roots of hip hop. Disclaimer: I am a trained and enthusiastic Lindy Hopper!