See the Good in Everything

When treats get left alone Christmas is officially done and celebrated- all twenty times. OK, so maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration- but it feels like it has been pretty never ending! 1/20 of my baking efforts NOT a Santa fan We started off with an early Christmas at GrandPauls and Grandma Ginas. Vienna puppy even got to partake in festivities there, and Caden got to enjoy his cousin Charlie- who is still larger than him! Upon opening his GINORMOUS Tonka truck, he proceeded to push her around in it. I am pretty sure if you look up adorable in the dictionary- the picture has been replaced with the two of them. Caden & Charlotte <3 My brother Jake and his current girlfriend was there. I am glad that his current girlfriend and his ex get along, I am hopeful that his girlfriends current college goals and enrollment prevent anymore nieces or nephews for me!! In other news- Christmas Eve- grandpaul got ENGAGED! I knew about it the Sunday before, he asked...

As Christmas gets dangerously close, it is bittersweet to look back at where I was at this time last year. I was wrapping gifts the other day and I vividly remember standing in line at Bed Bath and Beyond last year checking out with the grandparents picture frame for my dad when the speech therapist called to make our appointment for the swallow study. My little man was bundled up and my trusty Medela pump was in the back seat next to the diaper bag, I would have never guessed how much that phone call would change the course of our lives! Fast forward one year, and I am elated to be celebrating our FIRST Christmas at home! As I place the gifts under the tree (he has no desire to mess with them and could care less that half the toy store is wrapped in colorful delight for him), I remember how excited I was as a child for Christmas morning. Sadly, even as an adult, I wake up early and get butterflies every Christmas morning, I love the family time, the traveling, it is all magical to m...

We survived a whole year!   The pirate themed bash was a success. I may have lost a bit of sanity in the process, but in the end, all went well. Complete with bottles washed ashore, a treasure map and a dress up table- all in attendance seemed happy and thrilled by the festivities (if for no other reason I am glad that people still know the art of faking it!).  Caden did so well. The trick was keeping him at home for most of the day to stay on schedule and then bringing him after he had his lunch and morning nap. He was passed around a bit- but stayed with grandPaul and Uncle Trav most of the time. It was so crazy to see how many small children were around, it really put things into perspective for me, I have a ONE year old... I mean obviously before now, it has set in that I have a child, but seeing other kids, and the kids that I grew up with have kids or girlfriends or adult stuff just makes me realize that I really am no longer a kid, and someday, my baby will be in ...

It seems like I have managed to blink and well over a month has passed! In a few short weeks my little boy will be one whole year old! It is weird to look back to where I was on year ago today and see what was going through my mind and what things have come my way since then. It has been nothing short of hectic, to say the least! As always, things are anything but slow, which is a large contributor to the fact that I have't written in so long! To begin, we still have NO TEETH! none, no little white spots, nothing peeking through, nadda! No major steps either. He will hold toys while standing, he will stand on his own, but he doesn't have much of a desire o walk. he walks along furniture at his own leisure, but won't walk if you hold his hand, he prefes to do things his own way, as he has proven time and time again over the past few months. He had surgery last week, October 3rd, to close up the whole in his belly from his g-tube. After it was taken out August 22nd it nev...

So I have made it through almost two weeks at the new job. The first week was a doozy! I felt like so out of place and like I was a Freshman on my first day of high school again. It really put into perspective that over the past three plus years I have not done ANYTHING with my degree. It was like learning from square one, I was nervous and anxious and had so many (ridiculous) questions that I was happy at the end of the week when they wanted me to come back! Now that I am rounding out week two I feel a little better and back to a more comfortable place. Most days I manage to get about half an hour of overtime, and it doesn't feel like I work over. I have stuff to do, I like what I am doing, things are just working. Hopefully after tax season I will be able to replace good 'ol grandma Taurus and get myself a shiny new Highlander. Grandma just rolled 220k miles, she's been a good car but it is time for her to move onto better things, mainly my husband!  Caden is STILL te...

My dear friend, Caden's "Aunt MeeMee", went into the hospital on Monday night with alot of pain and discovered that she was one cm dilated! A whole week beyond her due date, and with an impending induction, this was welcome news. She came home with her husband, who works at our local hospital as well as on the department with my husband and myself, and they anxiously waited for more progress. Doped up on drugs, she managed to take a quick nap and went into see her doctor Tuesday afternoon, no luck and she was sent home with no further progress. Her husband went to work (the night shift) and we joked that we would bring her the squad if she needed to go in the middle of the night. Wednesday morning her water broke and she headed into the hospital- we were all anxiously waiting for the big news, and as the day crept along, little news came other than that baby Gavin was being a stinker and taking his sweet time getting here. By the time I went to bed at ten, she told me t...

I am officially done with my old job, I have spent one event and chore filled week at home with my little rugrat and I must say that after being home, I think going to work will be a welcome break! There are so many things that just don't get done when both parents are working full time, and for the past three weeks, I have been the sole cleaner of the house while hubby is at work or doing activities for work. This makes for a very aggravated mommy come cleaning day. The dishes, laundry, cooking and baby related list of "to-do's" just seems never ending, well it truly IS never ending. While grandma and grandpa are sad to see the end to their daily visits with their first (and favorite!) grandkid they are happy that I am finally going to work somewhere that will be a bit more fulfilling. They recently bought a new house, and with any luck, a space in the new house will be our storage for all things baby until we decide it is time for #2. You don't always realiz...

It has been a while, and SO much has changed on about every front imaginable! Let's put it in bullet points: -Food- Little man is doing WONDERFUL on this front. The goober eats so well and is gaining weight and we haven't used the tube in a good month. My goal is that for his first birthday his doctor removes it!! He eats little fingers foods, push-pops, baby food and I have even ventured into puree-ing some of our food for him as well. He is as curious as ever to get everything in his mouth for a taste. This includes the dog food, which I am pretty sure he hasn't quite eaten yet, but I know that someday my ninja mommy senses will be lagging and he will out-wit me. - Mr. Caterpillar- he is a mover! He is quick, and he is fearless! He pulls himself up to stand and could beat any grown man in a bar crawl. It is so odd for me to sit back and think to the days that I wondered when he would be mobile, I still don't regret his new-found activity but he certai...

We got the official blessing to start real food... so how has it been going? Well, much better than I anticipated! The only food he seems to be "against" is sweet potatoes- and I am sure he gets that from me, because I won't touch those nasty things either! I also get an array of funny faces when attempting the broccoli/carrot/ cheese mixtures- it has some bigger pieces in it, so I don't know if it is the taste or texture, but again, not forcing because I am also not a fan of cheese covered veggies. I am a rare breed that prefers simple steamed and lightly salted veggies- hold the butter and salt PLEASE! So, yes, food has been great- so much that I cut out some tube feeds and am anticipating that after the nutritionist adds up his caloric intake that she will advise me to just use the tube for some hydration and not for any actual feeds. He LOVES- and yes, I mean that in all caps- his sippy cup. The boy sees that little cup and he goes nuts, it s adorable. H...

What I wanted... And what I got Now I know I will get countless "compliments" on how cute/nice/pretty/etc. my haircut is... bottom line- what I wanted is no where near what I got. Too short, too dark and in a world where something as simple as a haircut is like a vacation- my plane was canceled and there were roaches in the hotel. I decided (and promptly reported to FB) that this was how the universe informed me that I am not emotionally ready enough for change and that this is my payback for being passive aggressive. Seeking the agreement and Instead of vocalizing at the beginning, middle or end of my "trim" that I saw something amiss- I simple forked over the balance due plus tip and went on my merry way. I'll schedule another appointment when desperation strikes again. This little character flaw has been my kryptonite for far too long and due to the sheer definition of it... it will continue to eat away at my innards. This is why my husband and...

Ever sit back and wonder at what age we learn to be self conscious of ourselves? I think that it is more often looked at from the female perspective- but for boys as well- when do you look in the mirror and instead of seeing a smiling face you see flaws and imperfections? I am well aware that my body has changed after having a baby- it will never be the same- and I have no regrets for that. What our bodies are capable of is nothing short of amazing- and after the emergency c-section I am still amazed at the fact that there is little evidence in the way of scarring. It does not make me feel any better that as summer nears I fear anything short, tight or skin bearing. I also don't think I get quite the support from my husband that I need on the matter. At all of 120 lbs wet (him not myself)- I am well aware the two of us will never be the same size- I just wish that more people understood just HOW LONG it takes to get back to a new normal after giving birth. The big culprit fo...