Happy Valentine's Day!

This quote from the book The Happiness project really struck a chord with me: There is no love. There are only proofs of love. Whatever love I might feel in my heart, others would see only by my actions.

I decided that I would focus on showering Abby with 'proofs of love' while Jeremy is gone. It is no secret that she adores daddy and simply tolerates mommy. That's okay, because I have a son who thinks that he'll die if he's not breastfeeding every minute of the day. There is a good chance that he will never get married and want to co-sleep with us for time and all eternity. These few mommy-only months are where I am hoping to steal back some of the joy she shares so abundantly with her dad, and make an extra special effort to bond more closely with her.

My friend Jessica is amazing. She makes every holiday a celebration. Her children's lives are always filled with surprise and wonder -- you can see the 'proofs of love' everywhere throughout her home. I ransacked her blog for some small ideas that I could copy until my own inspiration kicked in.

This is what I created: a sky full of hearts for her to walk under everyday. She LOVED it. I'm glad because it took stinking forever to make. Oliver also loves to reach up and try to grab the hearts as we walk up and down the stairs. It even makes my heart melt a little every time I see them. I thought about sending a string of hearts over to Jeremy to hang above his head, but then I thought it might seriously creep out his roommate.

My friend (Oliver's amazing nanny) helped me make a 'daddy hug' pillow for Abby to sleep with at night. She even made a snap-on heart that Abby can take with her to school in her pocket. She has been a life saver for me while Jeremy is gone.

It looks much more fun in the daylight.

Here is Abby checking it out for the first time. Notice when she sees all the candy she says, "Blah." Looks like I'll have to step it up a notch next year!