Reese's Baby Book

My Mom actually encouraged me to start this blog several months ago (and I should have listened to her. . . good thing she'll never read this) because I never made a baby book for Reese. I have special dates and memories writeen down on calendars and other places but not in a baby book. Not for a lack of one. I actually think I have 3 (one goes all the way to 5 years) but because I don't like filling it out.
Everytime I open her baby book to start transferring infomation in I pass the pages labeled "Our Family Story" where you list how Mom and Dad met and why they decided to have a baby, and the pages for his side of the family, and "The Day Your Were Born" where I capture cute memories about being in labor and at the hospital. Well for those of you who know me you know that none of these pages would be particularly happy pages for me to fill out. Do I want to write that the day before she born I caught her father cheating on me? Do I say how he was barely there for her birth and left shortly after only to visit once more over the 3 days I was there for 10 minutes.
Yes I could "edit" the memories and only include the happy memories so Reese would have at least something but is that how I want her to grow up. With an "edited" past where I only tell her the happy things. I've looked for baby books for single moms. You would think they make them but no. I found books for gay couples, for grandparents, but no single moms. What's up with that? Oh and definately none for single Dads (I can't leave them out). I could leave the pages blank but then she would ask questions. And I know the questions are coming but I don't want them to be prompted by her empty baby book. Seeing empty pages might make her feel like part of her life is empty and it's not.
So luckily my Mom and I take lots of pictures and I've been comiling them with little notes and memories I write down. So I'm going to make my own book. A little scrap book with events and pictures that will show her how much she is loves and all the cute things she did growing up. I will also be posting updates here to help me remember cute things she does from now on. So here is my first:
We are trying to teach Reese to pray. At dinner we do a standard Catholic Grace and she's good at making the sign of the cross but at bedtime I'm teaching her to make up her own prayers. I ask her what makes her happy and she says thank you to God for those things. Here is how it usually goes "Reese did you a good day? Say thank you to God for your good day." "Thank you God good day" "Reese did you have fun with Grammy, Grandad, and Mommy? Say Thank you to God" "Thank You God Grammy, Dad-dad, Mommy" "Reese Did you get to play with your friends? Say thank you to God" "Thank you God my friends" "Ok now what else makes you happy? Say Thank you" "Thank you God . . . Bandit, cookies, and napkins!"

Gotta love a 2 yr old. As and FYI cookies are actually the cat treats b/c it's her job to give bandit treats in the morning (It makes up for all the times she grabs his tail) and the napkin is b/c she has her own special cloth napkin at dinner to use.

One more fun memory to wrap up with. If any of you watch the new Mickey Mouse Club House you know who Otoodles is. if not in breif he looks like Mickeys head and if you have a problem you call for him "Otoodles" and he bring you a Mouse-katool to help solve your problem. The other day Reese wanted to get something off the counter. After realizing she couldn't climb or jump she stopped. Tapped her finger on her mouth and then threw her arms up and said "need a Mouse-katool, Otoodles" and waited patiently hoping he would come. It was precious.