Grateful Monday

Five things I'm grateful for today:

• We had a lovely family reunion on Saturday.  It went much too fast, but I'm happy I was able to spend some time with people who I haven't seen in a long time.
• Chocolate covered pretzels.  Yum!
• Liam has learned the word "no", but has yet to really use it in a defiant way.  I know that my days are numbered with this one.....
• I ran six miles yesterday in 54 minutes.  That's a 9 minute mile!  I completely surprised myself, and I'm thrilled.
• My first week of work was excellent.  I really love being back on a college campus.  It's such a nice, inspiring environment.

Color Run

This past weekend I ran the Color Run with three friends.  If you haven't heard of the Color Run, I suggest you check it out.  

Here in St. Louis, the run was a fundraiser for the organization Autism Speaks. 

It was ridiculous fun. 

We walked and jogged the 5k route laughing and chatting along the way.  There are color stations along the route where you have various colors of powder thrown on you.

By the end, you're a rainbow of color.

It was completely silly and made us feel like kids again.  And for four moms, who all have young children, it's really kind of nice to feel like a kid again. 

As you can see, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves...and I'm pretty sure that next year, we'll be back!

Grateful Monday

Five things I'm grateful for today:

• Girlfriends.  I ran the Color Run on Saturday with a few of my friends.  We had a blast.  
• Liam saying "love you".  It sounds like "la loo", and it's the greatest thing ever.
• Date night.  Saturday night Andrew took me to see the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.  He bought the tickets as an anniversary gift.  We had a great time, just the two of us.
• This beautiful weather.  Low 80's?!  Hello!
• The start of a new chapter.  This week begins my new semester and my new job.  Bring it on.  Let's get this PhD done!

Mommy Brain

The other day I was reminiscing about what it was like to have a newborn.  I looked back at some of my journal entries and had to laugh.

Being a new mom is hard.  Sleep deprivation will do interesting things to a person.  I'm pretty sure there were times that my husband and loved ones thought I was completely insane (and probably still do).  

Here are some of my finer moments from Liam's first few months:

• I left my wallet in checkout lanes on a regular basis.  Apparently it was just too much for me to keep track of my shopping bags, the diaper bag, my wallet, and my baby.  I also left it on a shelf in the middle of Target once.  Luckily, it was always returned to me, safely, with all of its contents,  and there was only one time when I drove home before realizing it was gone.  At least it was the wallet that I kept forgetting and not my baby...

• Self-care fell to the wayside for awhile.  I was very lucky to have my mom stay with me for the first month.  But once she was gone, I struggled to navigate how to complete basic tasks in the presence of a newborn.  There were days when Andrew would come home from work and I had yet to shower or brush my teeth.  Gross.  I know.   Showering was just too scary because, you know, showers are loud and what if I couldn’t hear Liam cry?  Not to mention the fact that sometimes he slept for 3 hours and other times he slept for 47 seconds.  Finally, after a couple of weeks, I came up with a revolutionary idea…I put him in the bouncy seat on the bathroom floor while I showered.   Genius, I know.

• Once, I started to open the door for the UPS man with my top around my waist.  If you’ve ever breastfed, you’re not surprised.  I mean, really, who needs a shirt?  Thankfully, I caught this one before I opened the door.  

• I took Liam to a doctor’s appointment wearing two different shoes.  This was the same appointment where I cried in the pediatrician’s office for the second time.  Great…I am not only the mom who always cries…but now I’m the mom who cries AND wears mismatched shoes?!  Hot mess.

• I sat directly in front of my window when I used my breast pump.  I struggled with a low milk supply and in an attempt to build it up, I was put on a regimen that required that I pump 12 times a day.  Yes, that’s right…12 times.  This was in addition to nursing Liam.  I guess my neighbors might have seen something…but really….if I’m going to have to sit hooked up to that thing for hours, I might as well soak up some vitamin D while I’m at it.  I finally stopped this craziness after my husband begged me to give it up.  Pumping 12 times a day turns a person into a total. friggin. lunatic.

Source: Pinterest

• At 5 months-old, we decided to move Liam out of our room and into his nursery.  Thanks to my sister-in-law, we have this awesome video monitor, which I love.  At first though, it seriously freaked me out.  For two nights straight, I laid awake just staring at the monitor. And if you’ve ever seen the movie Paranormal Activity, you know why. Night vision cameras are weird and scary. What if I saw orbs floating around his head or something?  I even wore my glasses to bed so I could see him clearly, but then, a very wise friend of mine suggested that I just turn the video off.  If he makes a noise, all I have to do is hit the little button and then I can see him.  Ah....another moment of pure genius.    

I have other stories.  I just can’t remember them right now.  And now I have to go find my keys which are probably in the refrigerator….or even better…still in the front door.

As Liam gets older, I'm slowly becoming less scattered, but I still have my moments.  Thankfully, I also have a sense of humor.

What about you? Do you suffer from Mommy Brain too?

Grateful Monday

Five things I'm grateful for today:

• A lovely four day weekend spent with my husband and son
• We went to an outdoor concert with friends on Saturday evening.  Not only did we hear great music, but we also got to see stars shooting across the sky.  So beautiful.
• Increased running endurance.  I'm up to 5 miles and I feel like a rock star.
• Another week of summer break.  I'm milking this for all its worth~!
• The summer Olympics.  Aren't they so inspiring?    

1st Birthday Bash

On Saturday we gathered with our loved ones at a nearby park for Liam's first birthday party.  Grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and many friends joined in the celebration.

Though is was quite hot, it was a lovely day full of laughter and love.

The food was delicious.  My brother-in-law made his famous pulled pork, and we had several yummy salads.  I also tried a new Sangria recipe.  I highly recommend it...although you might not need to make 3 gallons of it like I did!

Liam's cake came from a local bakery.  As you can see, we had a tractor/farm theme. 

And everyone went home with farm animal cookies.

I'm pretty sure Liam knew that he was the guest of honor.  

He was rather taken with his cake.  Up until now, he hasn't really experienced much sugar....I think he's a fan.

All the kids wore the same rosy cheeks.  It was hot!  And there was a lot of playing and cake eating to be done!

We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.  Thank you family and friends for making this day so very special.

Grateful Monday

Five things I'm grateful for today:

• We had a wonderful first birthday party for Liam on Saturday, filled with lots of love from friends and family.
• We also got spend some quality time with my brother's children.  I just love those little guys and girl.
• A nice break from our oppressive heat.
• Rain, rain, rain.  We had some good rain this weekend, which was desperately needed.
• Two more weeks of summer break!

First Birthday

Liam turns one today!

I can hardly believe it.  How can it possibly be a year?   Time plays tricks on us sometimes.  It seems like just yesterday that I held him in my arms for the first time. Yet, at the same time, it feels like life before him hardly existed.

This year has been remarkable...full of growth and change.  My heart has expanded in ways that I never imagined.  Somehow, I feel stronger and more secure, yet also more unraveled.  I suppose that's what happens when your heart is cracked open and you experience such a big, overwhelming kind of love.

These days, I watch him and how he's changing and developing and I couldn't be happier.  He's growing.  He's strong.  He's healthy.  He's exactly as he should be.  I am so grateful and so blessed.

When I find myself feeling a little sad that my baby is growing up, I have to remind myself that this is what the journey is all about.  Each stage is brief and fleeting...and that's what makes it so unbelievably precious. The best thing I can do, rather than trying to hold onto these moments, is to simply be present and soak them up while they last.

Today, when I look at him, I'm in awe.  It's simply amazing to think that in 12 months time, he has gone from this:

To this:

He's walking.  He's talking.  He laughs constantly.  It seems that just when I think this stage is the best! we turn a corner and somehow, I find him even more joyful and more fun.

As we enter into toddlerhood, I am starting to see his little personality shine.  I am also starting to see glimpses of more challenging times ahead.  As we spend our days together, I get to see the world in a new light.  To him, everything is new and fascinating.  On a daily basis, he reminds me of the magnificence that surrounds us.  As I watch him, I see clearly that he is not only our child but also our teacher, and this journey is packed full of lessons.

I love how this little boy has changed me for the better and opened my heart.  I love how he lights up our world.   He truly is the best of both of us.

I love him more than I ever thought possible.

And today, I love that he is turning one.

I can't wait to see what one brings.