Things I've Learned Since Brayden Arrived

First and foremost: my nephew got to go home today!!!! So happy! Congrats to them all!

I was asked a few days ago if I could talk for 5-10 minutes at our Relief Society thing about how my relationship with my husband has changed since we had Brayden (he is the oldest child in the ward). I've been thinking about what I can say... I keep coming back to two things. Communication and how much the baby has been a blessing to our relationship. Sure there have been changes and challenges, but we have had to be more deliberate when it comes to our relationship which has, in turn, has brought our priorities back into focus. I'll keep you posted on what I actually say... :)

Life has changed a lot in the last year. It hasn't all been easy, but I wanted to record some of my experiences and this seems like a good time...

How having a baby has changed my life:

1. I see the world through new eyes. Brayden experiences new things every day and it is all exciting and fantastic to him. Life is much happier when you rejoice in the many things you can learn every day. Each day brings a new adventure, embrace it, enjoy it, and bring it on!!!

2. Showing emotion is not weakness. Brayden is not afraid to show you that he is happy, excited, tired, angry (we love that particular face...), or upset. Things would be so much easier if we just opened up and let people know what we really feel about things. No guessing involved.

3. I know more than I thought I did. Before Brayden arrived I wasn't sure I was smart enough to be a mother. How do I know what he needs to eat? What about getting him to sleep? What happens when he gets sick? Just a few of many questions I had (and still have sometimes). As it turns out, that "mother's intuition" is quite the phenomenon and I am a believer. My confidence in that I know what is good for my child increases daily.

4. Time is precious. Babies grow fast and time flies! Enjoy each and every day, even the frustrating ones. Also, nap time is precious. Its a chance to do what you need and do what you want. Balance it so you can enjoy some time to yourself.

5. "Mommy Guilt" is real. For me it started during pregnancy. I felt guilty that I couldn't cook or do dishes and laundry without throwing up. My husband had to pick up the slack and I felt guilty that I couldn't do my "duties" as a wife. Needing help caused me all sorts of guilt. After all, I'm supposed to be able to take care of my house, husband, baby, and myself or I'm a failure right? Wrong. So I have learned (and am still learning) the art of not feeling guilty and accepting help when I need it.

There are so many more things that I have learned from Brayden. This post is getting long enough. More to come. :) Thanks for listening!

Lexi comes to visit

I fell of the horse... Not literally, of course (I'm not one for horses) but life caught me from behind and knocked me off my feet (again, figuratively...)

My dear sister-in-law had her baby 7 weeks early. That makes my nephew a little over a month old now and she hasn't reached her due date yet. (just the tiniest bit jealous of the 4 lbs baby... but I digress). She has spent that last month in the NICU (not jealous of this part. I'll take my 9 pounds any day over that...) with the little guy. He had done extremely well. The only think keeping him there is eating. He has to eat from a bottle for 2 days before she can take him home. I do hope it is SOON! I am so excited to be an aunt. I had no idea it would be this awesome! I'm going to be a favorite. That's that.

Anyway, my in-laws (mom and pop) had plans to visit NYC with the soon-to-be 16 year old and they were going to leave the youngest (11 yrs) with the brand new parents. (To clarify, they weren't supposed to be parents until AFTER the trip to New York). Anyway, naturally their plans changed and Lexi got to spend the most awesome week with me! I am pretty sure she hasn't been so bored in her life, but then again, she does live in Roosevelt. We did have some good fun together though. We went bowling at the Beach Resort, watched some great movies, went hot-tubing... so much fun. And it was a lot of fun for me to experience some one-on-one sister to sis-in-law bonding. I really enjoyed having her with us.

Unfortunately, she came just as I got ambitious. I am tired of working so hard at my weight loss and not seeing any results. So I re-vamped my nutritional goals, re-planned my menu, went grocery shopping for healthy  food, and planned my routine to include my spring cleaning... Did I mention that we had fun while she was here?! I did really well for the first day... and then...

So I am here to officially say, I am getting back on to this darn horse. I plan to start again in my exercise routine from before I left off... I am jumping back in at day 40 and plan to spend this month finishing off those 60 days. (hopefully with some results)

I also have a goal to have my spring cleaning done by Easter. The kitchen is already finished. And I'm feeling pretty good about it too!

Oh! In other random news. I am in the process of simplifying my life. I hear its good for you. *smile* So in an effort I have been brain storming and I am considering consolidating my blogs into fewer... I do not feel that anyone is able to read my posts when they are all spread out all over the place. Though I do like having this one that I can ramble on... Its still a consideration. I'll keep you posted. Thanks to anyone (or the one of you) who reads my posts. I really like to know that someone out there cares enough. :)

Lots of love!

A New Product?

The new things that you can get at the toy store are incredibly life like... If I'd known I could just buy something this cute...

As you can tell we love our new Little People farm.

One Year!

"This time last year..." has been a common phrase the past few days for us. Why you might ask? Because this time last year I was carrying a watermelon attached to my body... and then that watermelon turned into the most beautiful baby boy I could ever imagine... Where has the time gone?! I cannot believe that it has already been a year. It seems like just yesterday we brought him home... yet it seems like a lifetime... We don't really remember what life was like before Brayden. That's a good thing.

Brayden gave me one really good step by himself the other day. Since then he chickens out just as he looks like he's about to move that little foot. Its almost there though. But his personality shines through all day, every day. He has the best faces, and he is a curious little one. This one is fast on those knees too. I usually spend my days following him around. He also babbles... a lot.... and he puts things to his ear to talk through the "phone". Its pretty classic. But it makes me laugh.

He loves balls, he loves putting things into other things... he loves to eat. I haven't been able to feed him for months now. He must feed himself. He likes to be one of the guys. He adores his daddy. I love to see him perk up when the door opens and he hears daddy's voice. I know he loves me because I'm the only one he will hug.

Brayden is super social. He loves other people to pay attention to him. He's not terribly shy either. He'll crawl to just about anyone in the ward... any woman that is... and with that little "shy smile" he puts on, he has everyone smitten. He waves "hi" and "bye" and points to things that he is excited about.

His favorite foods are pears, bananas, and... chocolate cake... figures. But he's a pretty good eater. No picky-ness as of yet. (one can only hope)

The doctor gave us a clean bill of help and he is current on his immunizations. He sits very comfortably in the 57th percentile for his weight and height. Right where he's supposed to be at 21lbs 12 oz and 30 inches long. Like I said, growing like crazy!  Life is pretty good. I absolutely LOVE being a mom. This little man makes it almost easy. We have our moments, but I can't ever stay mad at those large eyes for too long...

The boys playing with his new basketball hoop

Brayden's birthday cupcake and the adult Cookies and  Cream  version...

Brayden wasted no time digging into his cake...

His aunt Lindsey gave us these awesome long sleeved  bibs. A godsend.

That cake took 2 boxes of mix... amazingly, he  did  not get sick...I do every time I look at that...

There you have it! Where Brayden is at his 12 month mark. I still can't believe it!