A Few Things I've Learned...

It's hard to believe that at this time last year, our tiny one-year-old Jack was still supposed to growing inside of me... and, that we were still awaiting the day that he would be released from the hospital. We are so grateful for our little guy and the exciting (and somewhat scary) new things he achieves each day.

Some things have come to mind over the last few weeks; bits and pieces of things I've learned over the past year.

First, and most importantly: three words. Nap. Nap. Nap.

Your child will love you no matter what... it's ok to let them cry after expending all of your effort to make them stop.

Don't take any moment for granted. Don't let anything pass you by; it goes too quickly.

Enjoy cuddling while they can't get away from you. It won't be too long before they are too busy to slow down, even for a minute (or in Jack's case, two seconds).

Clipping tiny fingernails is hard to do. Even when they're asleep (which is the only time it can be done past a certain age without a fight).

Bulb syringes are a necessary evil.

Your new and only brand of perfume will be spit-up (as any other kind you put on will be overshadowed immediately).

Growth spurts aren't an enjoyable time for anyone.

(Try to) laugh at the naughty stuff, and take pictures when possible.

You will learn (and re-learn) songs... primary songs, silly kids' songs, etc. It's amazing how quickly you run out of the ones you remember!

Hand-me-downs are awesome.

I have loved being a mother, and I'm looking forward to the many years to come... even if (trying to) laugh at the naughty stuff is an every day occurence.

Notice that he is standing up in the cart (backwards), still buckled in. It's amazing how fast he is at it, even trying to stop him.

However, the result is usually what is pictured below.
Both legs forced into one leg hole, and a stuck baby...

crying his eyes out.
Thanks for making me a mom, Jack. You're my favorite little man (even in situations like these).

Too Cute For Words

Jack's First Christmas

As suspected, Christmas with a child is quite different. For me, it meant more, because the birth of the Savior signifies another life He lived and died for... my own child. I am eternally grateful for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which will be something I can only hope to instill in Jack's mind as he grows older.

Though I believe that the magic that accompanies the tradition of Santa Claus is real, Christmas is exponentially better when we keep in mind what it's really all about. The month of December 2010 was a busy one at our house. With running to and fro, we didn't get as much time to reflect on it was much as I would have liked. Supposing there's always room for improvement, I will work on that for 2011.

We did have lots of fun though, Jack's first time around...

At the Orton Christmas party earlier in the month, Jack sat on Santa's lap and was a bit confused... but loved ripping open the paper and happily placed it into his mouth.

Since we knew he wouldn't be much into anything but the paper, we decided he didn't need more than a couple of things. However, I can't say the same for his grandparents; we had one spoiled boy on our hands... which was okay since he didn't know what was going on.

And, despite the Jolly Santa suit, it was not hard to guess what the anything-but-jolly face he made upon placing him in his car seat (which he despises) meant.
How mean we are.

But, he had fun upon arriving to our destinations.

As usual, we spent Christmas Eve at the Lewis home where we ate our traditional meal of spaetzle and stroganoff, which we always look forward to. Christmas day was at the Orton home, After the early morning at our house, opening presents with Jack.

Our happy little tree on Christmas morning. I have cried twice in the past upon opening presents on Christmas morning, and this year was one of them. My rockin' awesome husband got me a Nook. LOVE. It.

Chris and Jack, in his Christmas PJ's from Nana and Papa.

Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking about snapping many still-shot pictures with a video camera in hand on Christmas. Therefore, the still-shots I did get from the video camera are grainy.

I guess we, and especially Jack, were having too much fun to worry about pictures.

Tickle-Me-Elmo was much too interesting...
Not to mention, kissable.

Good, good, good times.

What?

Another Decade Gone...

And, it was perhaps the most important decade of the 27 years of my life.

The tradition in our family is to list the top events of the previous year, in addition to making resolutions for the next. Because 2011 marks a new decade, we named the most important happenings from the span of 2000-2010, which was quite a hefty list.

Included in most everyone's list was the birth of the first grandchild, the marriages, etc. I put down my biggest accomplishments: graduating high school, serving a mission and, of course, starting my own family.

While these big milestones are definitely important, defining moments in all of our lives, it's possible that what matters most is what lies ahead of us - who we choose to become from these experiences. We make these life-altering decisions and become these people because we are intended to become better because of, and through them.

When we graduate high school, a new world of endless possibilities is ours, in which we can explore to be whomever we choose when we "grow up." When we marry, we commit ourselves to be a faithful spouse. Marriage is a step towards parenthood; we can no longer successfully think of ourselves as one person when we are committed to another.

When we have a child, our lives are changed forever. We are required to think and act for another, because the infant in our arms cannot for themselves. It's not always easy (which I am reminded of constantly), but it's not supposed to be.

However, we are naturally pushed to the back burner when we become a parent, as we're supposed to. We live in a world where our children need to be reared in a selfless environment... the world will teach them selfishness, greed and ignorance. It is our job to instill in their minds the opposite.

What I've discovered, from my small dose of motherhood, that finding the joy is the secret. It's easy to get caught up in the feedings, the crying, the lack of sleep at night (for both the baby and yourself)... and, as the child grows, each stage has it's own challenges. It's a wonderful and difficult time for every parent. We are helping to shape Heavenly Father's children - why should it be easy?

This is where becoming a better person is not a choice... it's an inevitability. There aren't many people I know who haven't looked at themselves and asked, "how can I become better?" when they are faced with raising a child. I am on my knees in prayer daily, pleading to be the kind of mother I need to be for Jack. To raise him the way he needs in order to make important decisions in his life. I wonder who he will be, what he thinks of me, and how my relationship will be with him when he gets older. All of this helps me become the kind of person I want, and need, to be.

When we set goals, we are aspire to become someone new. Why try something new, if not for us becoming a better person? A new year is a fantastic time to re-evaluate ourselves and think about what more we could be doing. But even if we have already failed to keep our new years' resolutions three weeks into the year, tomorrow is a great day to start over. Why wait?

Among the several attempts I am continuously trying to achieve, such as paying off debt, exercising (a constant battle for me), being on time, etc, I really am trying to eat healthier, or eat less food, in general.

My son has made no such goal.
But the biggest goal I will attempt to achieve this year, and always, will be this: I want to be the mother my child needs, the mother he deserves. I want to become who the Lord intended me to be. And that is the best decision I will ever make.

Why Wait?

I (lovingly) stole this image from a friend's blog; I think it is perfect for how I've been feeling. For the part of me that wants to use the "nice" china for no special reason, and who actually did use a crystal goblet to drink her Martinelli's, when her husband used a mug. There's no reason to wait for such things... why not do it now?

Tell someone you love them.
Give your loved ones extra kisses.
Take pictures of everything.
Don't ever dismiss a kind thought.
Do something nice for someone just because.
Spend an extra hour with your little one(s) doing what they want to do...
because the dishes can wait.
Help a friend with whatever is needed.
Listen harder.
Be a shoulder to cry on when needed.
Eat the chocolate.

Be yourself... that's what you were intended to do.

We Knew He Was Small...

Meet Mr. Bear. He is approximately 12" tall (sitting down).

I woke up from a nap one day to see that Chris had stripped him down and given his clothes to Jack...

Who fit into them (at 10 months old).

It's good to know that if he ever runs out of clean clothes, Mr. Bear has him covered.

Yuck.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to let Jack roam diaper-free while running his bath water, something I do now and again when there's time to spare.

Deciding that his nude body was too cute not to snap some pictures of, I ran to snatch my camera, hurrying back before he peed all over (which I'm always afraid of).


I made it back in time to see him pulling his tiny frame up to some toy tables in his room, and watched his naked self having fun being free from clothing. I snapped a couple of pictures, which he smiled for, and then froze in place for just a few seconds.

The next thing I knew, this is what I looked down to.
Of course, the moment was too classic not to document... but poop on the floor with more coming out of his small behind was not a fun thing to find. And, my fear was confirmed... there was also pee everywhere.

His next move was stepping in his filth... and, being curious as to what he had stepped in, looked down and ground it further into the grains of the carpet with is foot - amused, I'm sure, at the (pardon the description) slimy goo he found between his toes.

Cleaning him had never been so much fun.

Holly x 2

About a week before my birthday, my sister Holly called and asked me if I wanted to come visit. Since a ticket to Florida was not on my (realistic) list of things to purchase in the near future, my response was somewhere along the lines of, "yeah right." Nonetheless, the price was right... and I was celebrating my 27th (yikes) birthday at my favorite bbq joint, Sonny's.

Forget the meat (which, actually, is amazing). Sonny's sweet sauce = heaven in a bottle.

Jack loved it, too.

Holly, famous for her birthday cakes, sprinkled mine with thread, buttons, a thimble, and a bow to top it off (all, of course, disinfected with rubbing alcohol… which Holly is also famous for). Who could ask for more?

The only thing that would've made the day better was my hubby. But, Holly was a good alternative. It was wonderful.

Jack had never met his cousins from Florida before, and Ty, the newest addition to the Douberley family (born just three months earlier), I had yet to meet.

He and Jack were the same size.

Since he and Ty were both in 0-3 month clothes, there was no need for me to pack anything for Jack. So I didn’t. Cannot tell you how convenient it was.
We especially had fun enjoying the warm weather (while my house was enjoying its first week of cold weather) at a few different parks.

Jack loved the birds.

Bree and Robby. I love these cuties.

The kids loved listening to music...

And I enjoyed watching Holly read the scriptures with her kids. She's an amazing mother.

But most of all, I enjoyed being with one of my most favorite people in the world.

So, other than at the airport and on the plane, we enjoyed ourselves. Things went okay after my dad dropped us off (other than my back aching about 20 minutes into our journey through security) until I had to pee. As you can imagine, it's difficult to manage using a toilet with a child strapped to your front in a Baby Bjorn.

For some reason I can't quite remember, I decided against a stroller. That was mistake number one. Mistake number two, apparently, was deciding to bring more than six jars of baby food in my carry-on. I think they threw away about ten jars, while tearing apart the carfeully packed bag I had spent the morning working on. I wanted to cry. And punch the man. I did neither.

However, we made it. And sat next to wonderful people on every flight. I can't even say how grateful I was... especially to the two grandmas I sat in between on the flight home. Jack was happy to keep himself busy moving across the three of us. I kept a binkie with me at all times, with plenty to spare (I think seven) for the many times they fell on the floor, on every flight. I'm quite surprised I still had them all at the end of the trip.

Jack's first plane ride...

It was a wonderful trip, despite what my brother-in-law Tim thought. (Who I didn't capture on my camera, I'm just realizing.) And though theme parks are always fun, getting to see and spend time with family is more than I could ask for. It doesn't happen often enough.

So, when Holly mentioned over the phone a few weeks later showing up on my doorstep to surprise me, my response was similar to the first one. "Yeah right." Unbeknownst to me, a trip was in the making... and a week after that, on my doorstep she was.

My sister Heather was one of two people to know she was coming - and she made the tour around the valley to surprise everyone. It was wonderful - and, because it was a last-minute ticket purchase, she pulled it off. It was awesome.

I'm sure my reaction was a bit dramatic... screaming and not paying attention to the baby in my arms as she walked in the door. I wouldn't doubt if Jack's left ear has permanent damage.

I was lucky enough to be the first surprisee, so I was in on the rest of it. We visited our brother Taylor at Gandolfo's, where he works. His sandwiches are unreal.
She made my mom cry when she answered the door to see them standing on the porch, and made my dad fall to his knees in happiness, holding his grandchildren tight.

I got Chris to come over after work. It was difficult... I finally had to say I had a surprise for him. His response was, "It better be food." Holly and Tim were patiently waiting on the couch, waiting for him to discover them amongst the rest of us. It took him a second, seeing as how they look like they belong there. It's because they do.

I unfortunately didn't document a lot of it, but we had a week of family fun and loved every minute of it. Nothing special, just time together. There's nothing better.

Despite the fact that Heather's tongue is actually touching my face in this picture...

I love these girls. We're not together often enough... and I'm always hurting from laughter when we are.

We miss the Douberleys, and wish there could be surprises on both our ends more often. I'm just so happy they were able to come! Seeing them once a year is a treat, let alone twice in two months.

So, until next time... see ya later, sweetheart!