My mobile boy...

December 28th was the first day he decided to really let go of any one's hand and just go for it. He had taken steps before and we knew he could do it, but that was the evening when he actually lost his sense of fear. Since then he has been non-stop. Now, nothing is safe.

My child has always been a curious boy, he has always wanted to know what that thing does, how does this work and "hey I wonder what this tastes like", but now it's amplified. He's a climber, and he uses toys, brushes, anything within reach to augment his reach. His nerve and curiosity keeps me on my toes and I love it.

It's wonderful.

One year...

It's been a year since we've had our boy, and it's amazing to see how much life has changed. We get a wake up call from him that is joined by a smile and some babbling. It's the greatest way to wake up. I love him so, and I hope he knows it.

We had a wonderful party for him this past weekend, it was fun. I'm glad Michelle took tons of pictures, since I was busy during the party. Anything for our boy.

7 months...

For 7 months we've had our boy with us now. He's amazing in the way he just jumps right in and does things. No fear, no apprehension, no timid bone in his body. I always wanted an adventurous child. A child who would be willing to try it all, and so far it looks like that's what we have. Our boy is an amazing source of joy and I am so blessed and privileged to be his mother.

The Kid is almost crawling, he pulls himself in whichever direction he'd like to go. He hasn't figured out that if he were to use his legs too it would be so much faster. He gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. He's so close to being mobile that it just astonishes me how quickly we got from having to sit in front of the living room window to help do away with the jaundice, to now having to baby proof the house. Time has just flown past us.

My boy has two teeth and is definitely working on two more. He's a huge fan of food. He showed interest shortly before the first tooth made an appearance and he hasn't looked back since.

He's entertaining and loves to put on a show. He makes funny faces, smiles and places his hand on your face if you even pay him the slightest bit of attention. He's an incredibly social little guy, and that's forced us to be more social. It's a wonder how children bring you out of your comfort zone.

Tonight will be the first night we go out without him. I'm happy, because this is a little bit of freedom that I didn't have just weeks before. I'm scared, because I've been with him since he was born, and aside from a trip to the gym or the grocery store, I haven't been away from him. I know it'll only be a couple hours, and he loves his uncle, but I'll worry. I'm just wired that way. I'm excited to reconnect with my husband. Just to be able to talk to him over the table or hold his hand, I really am looking forward to tonight.

In the past 7 months my life has changed. I look forward to just taking a stroll with my boy. I look forward to having to run after my child. I look forward to hearing him call me "momma". I look forward to the new adventures we will have. And when I look back I see that this child of mine has given my life a new meaning. And I can't thank him enough for that.

The calm...

For a few weeks we've been really busy, especially during the weekend. What little of it we have we use up getting things done. We try really hard to enjoy the time we have together as a family. We've gone to visit family and had family come visit us. And it's been wonderful. I'm so happy to have The Kid have his family around him. He loves to put on a show for people when they come around. But, this weekend has been quiet. My brothers are off working and the other one is camping, so it's just our small little family, and it's been so wonderful. We've had a quiet morning of catching up on house work, enjoying some hanging out and then putting The Kid down for a nice long nap. It's been great to just sit and enjoy each other.

I can hear my boy sleeping in the other room, because he now laughs in his sleep. Creepy the first time it happened. Now it's just part of what makes him mine. I'm in the middle of folding laundry and JT is playing a game. We're just enjoying our day.

In the next few weeks we'll be busy with visitors and going to Nevada for the holiday, this is the calm, and we're really enjoying every minute of it.

Life is wonderful...

My life is different from what it was 1 year ago. It's amazing, yet so odd. I am at home with my boy now and I would not change it for the world. He makes my life wonderful. I have such a good time with this little guy, he's got a wonderful personality. I can't wait until we see how his personality develops, he's showing glimpses of having a great personality and sense of humor. Whenever I fake die he just about has a fit laughing. I could not have designed him better myself.

My little chunk of a man is making every single day wonderful and I can't thank him enough for it.

The birth story...

After my mother-in-law came in to town we headed to IKEA and walked my pregnant butt all up and down that store. IKEA is huge. We bought a crib. We came home and just sort of crashed. Saturday, the 16th we stayed home and just hung out. I convinced my brother that "if you build it, he will come" so that he could help us put the crib together. As we began putting it together I started feeling small contractions.

Sunday morning, the 17th I woke up at 3am with a contraction unlike any I had felt before and thought "ow! Oh my goodness, this may be it. I think today is the day". As the day wore on, I tried napping, I tried eating, I tried to get my mind off of things, and just relax as the contractions kept coming and getting more intense. In the afternoon my mom and mother-in-law went to the store, and JT, my brother and I stayed at home playing some video games. Pausing when I'd get a contraction. When I had to pause twice before passing a level, we realized we should start timing contractions. We timed them and they got longer and closer together. My mom-in-law came home and checked me. 3 centimeters.

Around 6pm I was about 5 centimeters. By the time it was around 8pm I was 7 centimeters. That was the moment we decided to go to the hospital. As we were getting everything together and got in the car and to the hospital, my contractions slowed. I had to brace myself a few times because of contractions on my way up to the labor and delivery room.

It took me a few hours to get back into the groove of contractions. Finally around 12am I was at about 8 centimeters, and there I stayed for too long. At this point the nurse from heaven came in and checked me while I was having a contraction. Nothing like having something up in there when your uterus is contracting. There was a lip that wasn't going up over his head. So I was supposed to bare down while she pulled my uterus up over his head when I was having a contraction. Pain. Oh God, the pain. I just followed directions. Get up and rock, I got up and rocked my hips. Sway, I swayed. Back on the bed, I was back on the bed. Legs up, I put my legs up. Lift your bottom and push, I did. Chin to your chest, legs up, and push. I did. I kept hearing, "You're pushing in your face, you need to push in your bottom" uhhh, OK? How does one go about pushing in the face? How does one direct the pushing to your bottom? Finally I realized they wanted me to do whatever it was that was increasing the pain. Oh, you want me to make it hurt more? Gotcha.

I kept pushing until I hear my mother-in-law telling me how much of his head she can see. "I can see this much!" as she holds up a dime sized circle shape with her hands. Then quarter sized, then half-dollar sized, then bigger, and bigger...and bigger. For some strange reason I didn't realize that we were pushing him out yet. I just thought the uterus was going up over his head. I was wrong. I kept thinking that I just needed a quick break to just catch my breathe, because after you hold your breathe to push, trying to catch your breathe when it's over without hyperventilating is actually kind of hard. But the contractions were coming one on top of each other, there was no stopping. I even heard the nurses commenting that "poor thing, she's getting no breaks". Next thing I know, my Dr. is standing at the "head of the table" and I have a baby on my chest. I'm in awe and I just can't believe it. They ask me to talk to him, and all I can say is 'Hello....Oh my God...Hi baby boy' as he stares right into my eyes.

My mom is a ball of tears, my mother-in-law is a ball of tears, they're hugging and kissing JT and me and I'm still in awe. They see The Kid, they rush out and let my brothers and aunt and cousin, who have been waiting in the waiting room the whole time, come in and see him. It's a blur, but I distinctly recall telling the nurse from heaven that I will name my daughter after her. She totally helped me beyond the call of duty. At this point my family leaves and we get to just hold The Kid after the nurse bathed him. At that point I held him and it hit me. I teared up as I told JT "He's ours. He's finally here." I cried and I just couldn't contain myself anymore.

Our little family is doing well. We're starting to get into a schedule. We couldn't be happier and we're all so in love with each other. It's amazing. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Surreal

I've been meaning to get online and simply type a little something to remind me of the beauty that was my child's birth. Something to put into writing the miracle that took place on the 18th of January. At this point I will simply say that if it hadn't been for my "birth team" and the amazing thing that is hormones and adrenaline and the grace of God, I would still be in that labor room refusing to push or refusing to do what my body was crying out for. It was not by my will alone that this little boy of mine is here. A lot of wonderful people worked really hard at getting him here, and I love them for it.

My husband, who was an amazing strength for me. Not only was he what kept me calm, but he literally pushed my head down into my chest to keep me pushing. I love him eternally for being so wonderful and strong that day.

My mother-in-law, Cindy, for bringing in her knowledge and love and really making me focus and making sure I knew that in the end, even though she really did a lot of work, that I am the one that pushed that baby out.

My mother, for praying her heart out and being a complete ball of tears the moment my child came out. I couldn't have experienced it all the way I did had it not been for her.

The group of nurses that literally got on the floor, got all up in it, and cheered me on. I know they were placed there by a higher power, because I'm just not that lucky.

Being that I never really got together and specified that this would be my "birth team", it all fell into place and I truly could not have had the birth experience that I did without them. I will type out my birth story and specify the wonderful aspects that I remember, but for now, there is a little man that is crying out to be fed. And I will run to him, feed him and make him happy.

Ok, ow!

Just a little bit of pain this weekend. Enough for me to know that 1. The Kid has dropped. He is now low into my pelvic region, and shows no signs of deciding to move up north. Sitting is now painful and 2. Even though it's not enough for me to think Labor is starting, it's enough for me to know that it's sooner, rather than later. So home I will stay after this week.

I've had a wonderful pregnancy. But, I am getting the "You look tired" comments left and right. Maybe more napping and some wonderful cashing in of 2 60 minute massages Cindy bought me for Christmas/Birthday would work wonders. Since I've got (according to my little calendar here) about 3 weeks and 3 days until my due date, I may use one next week, and one after The Kid makes his appearance. Just as a nice treat.

My family is making a trip up north this weekend. Only 1 1/2 hours away, close enough so that I feel comfortable going, but if anything happens before then, I'll be staying home. Really it was my idea. I have been craving a burger from King Felafel's in Santa Maria. Oh how I dream of their fries and juicy burgers. It will come true this weekend.

This kid better know what I sacrifice for him. :)

Multiplied...

We were in the Christmas mood a few weeks ago and decided to put up a tree and put on some decorations. It was fun. We strung popcorn and cranberries. Our tree was without gifts until a few weeks ago. One showed up. Then another...and another....And now there's no room under that tree.

We're blessed to be able to gift each other with small, and wonderful things. We're blessed to have each other to give things to. We're blessed to have others think of us while doing some shopping. We're blessed to witness another Christmas in our lives. This is the last Christmas with us being a couple. Now we'll be a family, and we're so very blessed that this is the case.

JT and I were talking about how this baby of ours was a long time coming. We are so very ready to have him here. We're so very ready to be a family. We're already started to debate who's Christmas traditions The Kid will get to experience.

Personally, I think there's something magical about opening presents Christmas Morning. But, I have always loved our tradition of opening gifts at the stroke of midnight on Christmas day, and then playing a rousing game of Hide-n-Seek. I guess we have some time to figure it out. And we have time to start our own traditions.

All I know is that we have multiplied.

Birthdays and baby showers and ultrasounds...

The 12th I had a surprise baby shower at church. It was lovely. The weather was horrible, so maybe 1/2 of the people that were going to be there showed up, but you couldn't even tell. The food was amazing, the games were fun (I won 1 of them), and I got more clothes than this baby may be able to wear.

The 15th I had an ultrasound. My mom got to catch a fuzzy glimpse at her first grandchild. It was grainy and hard to see. I did make out cute chubby toes. I can't wait. He seems to be measuring on-point with his due date, but the Dr. will talk to me more about it tomorrow at my appointment.

The 16th was my birthday. 28 years. I never thought I'd be pregnant at 28. A mom at 28. I had just assumed that by now this would be old hat for me. I'm glad this is how it's happening though, because The Kid comes at a perfect time for us. We're mature, and ready to teach him all we know. And we're ready to learn a ton from him.

At this point I feel ready to have this baby. I feel like we're prepared and now all that's left is some last minute Christmas shopping and to enjoy the holidays with family. What a good way to finish off this pregnancy. Family, food, and fun.

OK Kid, come when you're ready.

Closer....

With a smile, a hug and some tears, I greeted my mother at the airport. She wrapped her arms around me and said 'Oh...How are you?!' I responded that I was doing great. And then she put her hand on my belly and asked 'How's my baby doing?'...with that it all felt right.

She told me her stories of pregnancy and motherhood as we drove home. My other family members were in the car too, but it could have just been us. Me and my mom. She caught me up on news of the family in Guatemala, and how my dad was doing. Turns out, they're great. My dad is bummed he couldn't come out too, but he's good.

Having my mom here is one step closer to this baby coming. Having her close to me just makes everything feel like it is in its place. Now to get my dad here.

Well color me surprised...

Friday I had a surprise baby shower at work. My co-workers gathered, there was a ton of food and even gifts. I seriously could not express how amazing they all are for doing this for me. I was surprised and had a blast. It was quite possibly one of the best lunches I've had in a long time. We sat and talked, ate, and laughed. Seriously what could be better?

I am eternally grateful for the kindness and generosity of friends.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

It's beginning to look a lot like I'm going to give birth to a pretty large baby. A lot of it is me, I'd like to think, but I can feel him so close to the surface that I know that's not going to be true. I'm still 8 weeks away from the due date, so I know I aint seen nothin' yet.

It's beginning to look a lot like we're home. Starting to settle in and get ready for my mom to make her appearance next week. I'm happy that every day it feels more and more like home.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I just had to. I am much more in the Christmas spirit than I was in years past. I suddenly want to make things so next year we can do them again and add to this. A tradition here and there. We will definitely be having our traditional Hide-n-Seek game with all the lights out on Christmas Eve. And that's just the way we like it.

It's beginning to look a lot like we're really gearing up to have this baby. Baby books everywhere with creases on the covers and bookmarks in them. Bags of baby clothes and baby cloth diapers. I feel good about our progress, but we're nowhere near ready.

I hope he can wait a little longer. Mom and Dad need just a little more time.

Off we go...

Tomorrow evening we'll be heading out to Pahrump. We'll make the trip and stop every hour, because The Kid loves to punch me in the bladder every so often. This may be our last trip to Pahrump for a while. By the time Christmas comes around I'll be far enough along that I won't be able to fathom making the 4 hour trip. Even with frequent stops. I'm sort of dreading it now, but I want to go more than anything. So we will go. After The Kid is here, I'm sure it'll be a while before we make the trip again. Family will just have to come to us. All a part of my evil plan to make my family and JT's family come to California.

My brothers, aunt and cousin will all be going to Nevada with us. I'm excited. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to spend the holiday with them, but thankfully I get the best of both worlds. It's wonderful.

JT's family is known for having an obscene amount of pies and desserts. I promise, that is not the reason I married him. Although, it was the cherry on top. I cannot wait!

Getting closer...

We're getting closer to being done moving. We have some minor cleaning and a few things to get from the old house, and then we're done. All that will be left is settling in.

We're getting closer to the end of this pregnancy. I go back to the Dr. in 2 weeks. I'm anxious that this will almost be the end.

We're getting closer to being in Nevada with my family and JT's family for the holiday. Just being close to all of them will make it a wonderful holiday.

We're getting closer to being prepared for The Kid. I think that once this move is completely done and Thanksgiving is over, we'll be able to start getting some things for The Kid.

We're getting closer to having this wonderful little guy in our lives. I just can't wait.

Hectic...

This week has been just hectic. Work has been hectic. Life has been hectic. Just hectic.

We are signing the paperwork for the new house we'll be renting tonight. Then we can start moving in. Trying to get all the utilities on and in our name ASAP, isn't always easy when some places are old school and require you to walk in there yourself. Who does that anymore? Seriously? So I'll take care of that Wednesday which will be our last 1 month appointment to the Dr. After Wednesday's appointment, we'll be going in every 2 weeks. The end is near.

Work has been a pain. A busy, hectic, nagging pain. But I'm employed, and I can seriously thank God for that. Money is good. The more work I feel like I did, the more came in. Fun, fun.

This weekend will be hectic with moving, but a good kind of hectic. The kind of hectic that will end with pancakes and new cupboards to fill with all our dishes. I love moving in to a new place, but oh the soreness I will feel. Umm...can't wait?

He will not sleep in a drawer...

We may have found a place. Like may have, to the point where I already notified our current landlord about us leaving. May have, like we may be able to move in this weekend. I'm excited, overwhelmed, and just ready to start. It's a roomier place than where we are now. 2 more bedrooms, and a nice big spacey back yard. The front yard is fenced in as well, which will make The Kid playing in the front yard a nice thing.

We will be signing lease agreements on Friday. I think it's great that we'll be able to go at our own pace for a few weeks. I can't do too much because of The Kid, and we are all hoping we still get to go to Pahrump for Thanksgiving. I miss JT's family. It'll be nice to see them all.

Now let's all cross our fingers that things continue to move forward with this.

A place to rest my head...

We've recently begun to think about moving. Again. It's frustrating because I know we need more space. I know we need to move to a place that works better for us. I'd love to buy a house, but we're not in a position to do that right now. I wish we were.

We thought about getting my other brother to move in with us and get a place that would have enough for for all of us. That way we'd be comfortable. We're trying to figure out the logistics of that. What with me being in my 3rd trimester already and not being able to move much of anything myself. Let alone packing...It sounds like a real chore.

Though I love the idea of having a space for The Kid. We'll see what happens. Right now it's all in the air.

Birthday bash!

Today is JT's birthday, and since it's a Monday and we can't fully celebrate all day, we had a bit of a celebration yesterday. We grilled some food, made him the sides he requested, Grilled Smashed Potatoes and Potato Salad. My boy truly is Irish. It was wonderful to just sit and talk with my family. They were all present to celebrate with us. I wouldn't have it any other way.

We had a great opportunity to just sit and go through an online registry. Mainly just to get us in the mind set that we need to start getting ready. I think we'll do fine, but I feel like I should be doing something to prepare. Maybe I should fish The Kid's blanket. I'm more than 3/4 of the way done. I should be able to finish this week.

Our anniversary is just around the corner. Just about 2 weeks. I keep thinking back to how amazing it is that this man I love married me, and together we've carved a life out for ourselves, and now we're adding to our family. I can't believe how blessed I am.

This weekend was truly amazing. I can't wait until JT's birthday next year. There will be another person to add to the festivities.

The Grandma is coming...

I haven't been able to get a hold of my mom for a while. They're busy, and with the time change it makes it hard to catch them at the right time. My brother talked to my mom this morning and asked her when she wanted to come out here. December 9th it is! I'll have my mom here for my birthday! I'll have my mom here for Christmas! I'll have my mom here for my child's birth. And she'll stay here for a couple weeks after I have him to help me out. I am beyond excited.

I feel like I've missed out on a lot because she hasn't been with me to tell me about her pregnancy and labor. Or to tell me those crazy old wife's tales. Or even to just sit and talk to me about all the stuff I'm scared about. I'll get to have her here for the best parts of it. The parts where I'm getting all the last minute things ready and preparing for The Kid to show up. I can't wait to just have her sit and talk to me. I miss her so much.

My dad will probably make the trip over once my mom heads home. They tag team it. I think my mom wants my dad to meet my son while he's still tiny. Brand new enough, but long enough so that I've had time to recuperate.

I can't even begin to explain how excited I am.