Sunshine heals us

Blake and I are sick again.

He's been a trooper through it all, though. My little tough guy. A runny nose and cough for him. That... plus some for mommy.

Not letting it slow us down (much). At least I'm trying not to let it. We woke up around the same time we usually do. Had a little watermelon and then went out for a morning walk with Langston. I figured we all needed the fresh air and sunshine. I feel like that always helps heal whatever is wrong. We watched some birds, saw some bunnies, and played with Langston in the grass.

Had some breakfast and then Blake was ready for his morning nap. A little earlier than usual and I was totally OK with that.

We went to one of our local farmer's markets and picked up some fresh fruit for the week.

Then came home and played inside for the rest of the afternoon. It was too hot for me... and I didn't feel like getting in the pool with both of us being congested.

When he woke up from his afternoon nap, we played outside again. Blake was bold enough to go outside without pants. :-P Romped around in the grass, messed around with some finger paints, and waved to the airplanes.

All in all... another beautiful day with Blake. No big plans for us today so it was nice to just go with the flow and lounge around a little lazily on a Saturday.

Changes

I realize I haven't been posting as much lately. And I could easily pull the Mom Card here. But really, it's just summer. We've been busy playing outside in the sunshine. Summer is here and our pool is open!

Man oh man, this kid loves playing in the pool. He'll splash and play with his pool toys all day long if he could. I hold him up and he "swims" around the shallow end but he's also super happy when he's just playing on the pool stairs with the water jets.

since he turned one, he's become kind of a big deal! :P

We've been taking daily evening walks lately to try and start a new routine. After dinner, we walk as a family around the neighborhoods or at the park down the street and around the corner. Then we get home and it's bath time, story time, and bed time. We stray off of the routine every so often, but I try to make it a point for us to get outside.

Now that I've been taking Blake out more, he immediately expects to go outside once he wakes up. We change his diaper, change his clothes, and he stares at the pool from outside his window while he pulls out random toys from his toy box. Then we go downstairs to make breakfast and as we walk down the stairs, he points to the door and signs for "please". Ahhhh... this kid kills me! Too cute.

But instead, I let him play with his toys for a bit while I work on the computer and make breakfast. (I've recently found a new job that allows me to work from home the majority of the time... maybe I'll share more about that later.) After he feeds himself, we go outside.

Summer, sunshine, and smiles! That's what we've been up to lately and those are my reasons for not blogging as much. We have some fun stuff in the works though! Can't wait to share with you!

Celebration

Everyone warned me not to wait until the last minute to prepare for Blake's birthday party.

I promise I tried to listen and prepare in advance.

I made so many lists of what needed to be done the week of...

But that was all thrown out the window because we had a flood watch and just tons of rain the day before his POOL party. My poor father was out in the backyard trying to set up as much as he could in the pouring rain. Blake's dad took off the day before the party to help prepare but there was only so much we could actually do since everything needed to be set up outside.

Man... it felt like everything was going wrong the day before the party. It was pretty wacky.

So I decided my best bet was to sleep and cuddle up with Blake and just wake up super early the morning of to get ready.

Thankfully, my cousins from NY surprised us and arrived around 3 am (after being stuck in traffic for ten hours) the morning of his party day. They took naps and the three of them woke up bright and early to help set up. Without them, I don't know what I would've done! Blake woke up so needy that morning and he had to be attached to me. I guess he sensed the excitement and well, there was just a lot going on. They helped with EVERYTHING!

blake's moonbounce

Then more cousins came! And friends came early! And my parents both worked overnight shifts but when they came home, they immediately started setting up. It was so wonderful having such a loving and helpful family. Blake's first birthday party wouldn't have been what it was without all of the family and friends that helped.

we actually had a picture together // image credit: Wahler Photography

in the moonbounce // image credit: Wahler Photography

playing in the kiddie pool // image credit: Wahler Photography

cake and cake pops made by Delightful Indulgence

Guests started arriving and the weather was a little gloomy, some drizzles here and there. But at the end of the day, it was the best first birthday ever. Oh man, and the cake (and cake pops) were DELICIOUS!! I didn't think we would eat all of the cake, but we definitely did. I've never been to a party where the entire cake was enjoyed!

We were surrounded by so much love that day. We really are a blessed little family.

Just Like That... He Turned One!

My little Blake turned ONE yesterday!

I still can't believe he was this tiny...

My world has changed so much because of my little angel, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. He has taught me so much about myself, love, and life. We have been through so much this past year. It's seriously crazy seeing how big he has grown and how he developed such a fun personality.

We celebrated by going to MyGym and taking a two hour nap in the afternoon. We cake smashed after nap time. Then we went to the carnival with BD and his sister's family, and my brother's family. It was a blast! Truth...? It was the best carnival I've been to in a looooooong time! And we didn't even get a chance to grab funnel cake. ;-) I guess I have to go back... :-P

Note// Never cake smash with blue icing... unless you want a baby smurf! lol

Blake and I have done so much and accomplished a ton in 12 months. I'm so excited to see what's in store for us!

Mission: Completed

When I was pregnant, I kept telling myself my goal was to breastfeed for at least 12 months. My doula reminded me it would be a very tiring time but well worth it, and boy, it has been!

During the last 12 months, we've been through a lot with breastfeeding. Engorgement, leaks, and lots of scheduling around feedings and pumping sessions. I've supplied milk for my little man, stocked a reserve for him, and supplied for three other families. Since our vacation in April, I've slowed down on the pumping... and actually only pump when it gets really full.

But now that Blake is 12 months and we've reached that goal... what do we do now? Blake is used to napping and going down for night-night while nursing... and it doesn't look like he's going to stop any time soon. Before I was pregnant, I never pictured myself nursing a toddler. And now that he's turning one, I'm having mixed feelings about it.

I love breastfeeding him because we bond and play and giggle, and to be honest, most of the time it's just a whole lot easier than preparing a bottle. It's a lot cheaper than buying formula or milk, and my milk changes to suit his needs. No need to tote anything around except a few snacks and my breasts. But I kind of don't want him to be able to pull my shirt up/down while we're out and about and suck at the breast.

photo shared from http://www.needlessthingssite.com/

Do you watch Game of Thrones? I'm terrified of Blake becoming like the 5 or 6 or 7 year old nursing from his mom, Lysa Aryyn's breast and crying out "Mommy mommy! I'm hungry! I'm hungry NOW!" Not that there's anything wrong with that! It just doesn't personally suit me.

Plus... I'd love to have a glass of wine or go out for a night of fun once in awhile without worrying about the alcohol content in my milk totally limits that. Blake just isn't fond of the bottle and he doesn't drink as much from a sippy cup. That probably sounds a little selfish... but sometimes mommy just needs a break.

I think for now, I'll be trying to get him on the bottle and/or sippy cup with our frozen breastmilk and maybe just nurse him at night. Well, not right NOW, but you know... soon. I just feel so bad trying to force him to wean off the boob if he's just not ready. But at the same time... ugh... well, we'll see how it goes...

Almost One Year

photo credit // Bitsy Baby Photography

Tomorrow, my sweet baby boy will be one year old.

...

ONE. YEAR. OLD.

...

I know everyone mom posts about how fast their baby has grown, and you know what... it looks like I'm jumping on the bandwagon. It's just that... he really has grown incredibly fast.


June 5, 2012 at 3:07 am, my life really began. When Blake was born, everything changed for me... my view on things, my interaction with friends, and my priorities changed. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I just can't believe that tomorrow is his birthday...