One!

On the morning of January 28th, Chris and I crept into Jack's room to find a smiling boy standing up in his crib, barely able to see over the railing. He was excited to see us both, as usual - not knowing that anything had changed. One thing had; our baby was one!

As I left the room to grab a present for him to open, Chris pulled him from his bed and sat with him in his rocking chair... holding him for a few small moments while our busy boy held still, which rarely happens. It abruptly came to an end when I brought the bag I held behind my back out for him to see. He immediately wanted the present - if only for the packaging it was in, and was happy to discover what was inside, all but climbing into the bag to do so.


Having fun with dad

We spent the day at home, doing what he wanted - and only stopping to bake his cupcakes when he was napping. As I reflected on memories of my mother baking my own birthday cakes through the years, it was a bit surreal when I thought about having a child of my own old enough to have a birthday. It's my turn now to be the mom - something that is still a miracle to me.

We invited our family and close friends to my parents' house for cupcakes that night, and had a full house. We are so grateful for family and friends who love Jack!


We didn't think he'd have a problem diving into the cake... we had a small birthday "preview" a few weeks before at family dinner, and this boy had no shame...

...And left behind a fun mess for mom to clean up.


He wasn't quite sure what to think of this one, though... Maybe the fact that it was so pretty made him unsure? (Made by my friend Jacci. She rocks.)
He kept himself entertained while he waited patiently for us to light the candle.

Not sure what to think...

You want me to do what?

Dad showing him how it's done...

Testing...

...Like this?

I think I'm in love...

And, there it is. A match made in heaven.

In the zone...

Though it was made just for him, he was very thoughtful to share some with mom and dad. It was especially yummy coming from his slimy little hands.
All done!

He wasn't too interested in unwrapping all of his gifts that everyone brought, only playing with them... which left mom to do most of the unwrapping. We actually hadn't planned for everyone to bring a gift; he was one spoiled boy. Unfortunately, our basement apartment has a major lack of extra space for toys, but we've managed.


It's hard to believe the love that grows for your child each day.
We love Jack more than we ever thought possible, and can't believe we've had more than 365 days with him. It's been a fun year.... we're excited for more to come!

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.