52 : 12

Today was take your son to work day, McDonald style. K's coworkers have wanted to meet Ewan so when the house cleaners came we had a quick coffee date and headed to Emeryville.

Ewan was a big hit with his skull and crossbones sneakers, tie and shades graphic tee, and his sly sly grins. The ladies melted and the guys went gaga for our boy. The most common comment was about how big he is --- yes yes, we know, and we love every inch!

Next month it is time for mama's place of business!

52 : 11

In our family we celebrate everything, the small and the big. Life is too short not to and this week we had a few things that got us toasting.

- Ewan now holds his own pacifier in his mouth with his arm.

- Ewan now does tummy time with out tears, pictured below.

- Ewan is consistently in crib for 8, but often 9 hours, each night.

- Peri successfully prepared homemade raviolis and brownies in one peaceful stint with Ewan in the Baby Bjorn.

And the biggest news of all...

- Kevin successfully passed all of his CPA exams and the scores have been processed requiring just a few more forms before its all official AND we went to dinner as a family to a restaurant that requires reservations to celebrate!

Calling week 11 of this little guys life a success.

Instagram

My Bestie Whit recently persuaded me to join Instagram. With this fancy app we can share pics in a quick and easy stream, allowing her EP updates and me a frequent dose of her dear sweet daughter. Join me on Instagram - @hpw_mcdonald - it is now available on iPhone and android.

Here are a few of the photos you will find on my feed:

52 : 10

Kevin and I are not the type to play hooky... in almost 7 years neither of us have missed work for any reason aside from scheduled vacation, births, or deaths - not even a sick day has been taken.

K has been working very hard lately, through the majority of recent evenings and weekends, including Mother's Day afternoon due to Monday morning obligations. Since I am on maternity leave we decided he would take Monday afternoon off to relax... For relaxation we head to the shore, and we were happy to take EP to the coast for the first time.

We went to the Half Moon Bay Brewery for a late lunch and beers (K's favorite HMB activity), then headed to the Ritz Carlton for hot chocolate at their fire pits over looking the 18th hole and the ocean (P's favorite).

While we lounged we talked about life, summer plans, and our little guy - who thought it was the perfect time for a snooze.

Mother's Day

Being a mom is so new to me, but it feels so warm and cozy.

During my pregnancy I thought a lot about the kind of mama I wanted to be and what mattered, what I came up with is pretty simple. My mothering style is to exude unconditional love and what matters is that Ewan grows up to be a good man. The End.

I may not always know what is right but I can always give my son genuine love and an unwavering sense of security, and always just know I am doing my very best --- with that I don't think I can go wrong, sure he will hate me some days, but even on those days I will love him.

I have approached each day that I have with Ewan with one goal in mind, aside from not breaking him, that he know he is loved. And in the vein of the best mama advice I have received yet, courtesy of my Bestie Whit (you can meet her here), who I believe heard it from her mama, being a mother is not hard it is just constant --- so constant love it is!

Saturday Mornings

The Saturday morning ritual I talked about in my Monday post...

52 : 9

Two whole months! On Tuesday EP and I marked this month milestone with a bunch of photos and lots of cuddles intermixed with some chit chat.

Our conversation went something like this: "EP how has it been two months?" "Gurgle." "You are getting so big." "Squak." "You are my favorite cuddle fish." "Bubble bubble." "I love you. Do you love mama?" "Smile. Drool." Of course EP speaks with his babbles and actions, but none the less a beautiful chat.

UPDATE - At EP's 2 month well baby his growth was further evidenced, he is now 13 pounds 12.1 ounces (89th %tile) and 25.5 inches (off the charts tall, past 99th %tile). We are happy to see he is thriving and are starting a snack/food fund for his teenage years.

EP's official 2 month photo - taken May 8th, 2012

Shortcut to Month 1

Mondays

When I went to work each Monday I was always a little sad, even though the majority of the time I loved my job. I missed weekend life and Kevin, longing for the next day of sleeping in and our lazy morning rituals.

While I have been on maternity leave I find myself dreading Mondays even more. The rhythms of our family have changed, but in an amazing and cuddly way. Instead of dreaming of those extra hours of sleeping on the weekend I find myself waiting for Saturday morning when EP will wake us with his gurgles down the hall, he will have his breakfast, and then we will all hang out in our big bed talking, watching the news, and dozing.

When Kevin leaves at 6:30am during the week EP and I just cuddle and wait for him to return... And I am sure when I head back to work the 3 of us will wait for those daily reunions and long for the weekends together.

52 : 8

This week Kevin's Mom came for a visit, she flew in from LAX for the day to see our sweet boy. Ewan was great for his first all day visitor, and the consensus continues - this boy is just growing to darn fast!

While life has been a bit chaotic for the last 8 weeks it has also been overflowing with love. New babies are so easy to adore and watching other people love our child so honestly and unconditionally is truly a gift.

One thing this boy doesn't lack is fans and when possible the appropriate outfit will be worn in celebration - simply a must!