Wednesday, May 22, 2013

5 months.


My sweet boy is 5 months!

Well 5 months and 2 days if you want to get technical. My days/weeks/months are flying by so quickly that by the time I got around to taking theses pictures, it was already May 22nd. And this little boy is changing so quickly.

Ty really is so much fun these days but I must admit... I can get nothing done. It took me six hours to fold two loads of laundry yesterday! Seriously... Ty takes up 98% of my time which I am totally fine with but my house is paying quite the price for it. 

Playing with Ty is so much fun... his smiles, laughs, and belly-chuckles have me constantly making the strangest noises and acting a fool just to get one more. He's definitely more 'talkative' these days too, as our little man has definitely discovered his voice and figured out which high pitched screams squeals get our attention. He's also figured us out when it comes to crying - he often will let out a few fake cries and then look around to see who's coming to his rescue. He's getting quite good at this and all too often, Brandon and I are played the fool. 

Ty really, really is such a good baby, though - only crying when he's tired, hungry, or not feeling well. Brandon and I are constantly confessing to each other how much we truly love him. 




(I tried to adjust him and he pulled up on me... as soon as he did his hand went straight to his mouth... haha!)


(Baby boy has been sucking on that bottom lip practically non-stop for the past few days. Guess teething is on the horizon...)

Age: 5 months old! 
Weight: ***
Height: ***
Eating: Ty is still exclusively on breastmilk and he will be for one more month... at 6 months we will start solids!!!



( ...and he discovered the zebra...)

( ...going in for the kill...)

( ...success!!!)

Tyson likes: Being outside, standing, more standing, and even more standing. Bathtime. "Flying". His wubbanub. Anything that makes a 'crinkling' noise (like his wipes bag). Putting everything in his mouth. His doorway bouncer (although he doesn't really bounce... really he just walks around in circles and drools everywhere). 

Tyson dislikes: He still hates when I put lotion on him after a bath. Getting in his carseat (although once he's in it, he's fine). And although I know there's more... I'm currently drawing a blank.




Best Moment of the Month? This is going to seem kind of silly but earlier this month, I handed Ty over to Brandon so that I could go take a shower. When I walked out the room, Ty began to cry. When I walked back in to see why he was crying he looked at me, stopped crying, and reached out his arms as if he wanted me to hold him. I know that it probably wasn't the best moment for Brandon but it was awesome to know that he wanted me. That he recognizes me. That he misses me when I'm gone. It makes all of the sacrifices - the lack of sleep, the lack of bathing, the lack of personal time, the lack of hot meals (or meals in general) - worth it.  :)
Milestones? Ty still hasn't rolled over but he really is so close. He's picking things up and mimicking all facial expressions and noises. It's so freaking cute. 

Thursday, May 16, 2013

the best days.

I've got to tell you, this past Sunday was amazing. I never knew I would enjoy a holiday as much as I enjoyed Mother's Day. I can't even begin to express how blessed I felt from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep. But I suppose that was pretty much like every other day. 


I was never one of those girls that wanted to get married and have a baby on the fly -- so quick after tying the knot. Finish college, travel a little more?? I had other things on my mind. I for sure wanted to be a mother, but it wasn't on my immediate radar of things to do right after we got married. If I would have known how amazing motherhood is, I would have been on that wagon 2.7 seconds after saying "I do". 

It was just a little less than 5 months ago that my sweet miracle was brought into this world to make me a Mother. Seriously. How lucky am I?? That I was chosen to carry and create this baby doll. My mind is still to this day boggled by the entire process... from our surprise conception to birth... the entire thing was absolutely amazing and I wouldn't change a single thing about it.

It blows my mind that I get to be this kid's mom and that man's wife. 


I mean, do you ever wake up and just want to pinch yourself? Like really, really hard? Because surely there's no way you can be this lucky. 

I'm smack in the middle of all the things in life that I've wished for. 

I have the best little family. With these boys, especially the boy that I married, I am one blessed little lady. Sometimes I feel so acutely and brutally aware that these are the best days of my life. That all of these moments I'm breathing in are the moments I'll spend the rest of my life remembering with fondness, wishing to revisit. Sometimes I catch myself wishing I could have a camcorder taped behind my eyeballs so that I can record every second and come back and watch it again and again and not miss a single moment.


 
I am just SO grateful I get to do this, to be this boy's mama, to be this man's wife, to do what I do and live where I live and love these boys that I love so very, very much. I wonder what I must have done in a past life to deserve all this. Like, maybe I was Abraham Lincoln or something once... I don't know. That's possible, right? I don't know... that's all that I can figure. 

Saturday, May 11, 2013

mother's day.

Mom - 
What can I really say here that will do justice to express just how much I love you. You gave me life and have helped me make the most of it by giving me the confidence to be myself. You have always been my biggest cheerleader, attending every extracurricular activity that I was involved in and cheering on my personal successes. You have stood by me when I've messed up and even kicked my butt a little when I needed it. Through good times and hard times, you've been my shining example of a woman who loves freely and unconditionally. 


There are few things that I love more than looking through old pictures --- especially ones of you. I think I've poured through my baby album, like what, a million times? But I've never noticed these before. 




This one in particular has got to be my new favorite.


I know this feeling. I know exactly what you're thinking, what you're feeling, what complete happiness it is to have a part of yourself snuggled so safely in your arms. And on Mother's Day today I just want to say thank you for loving me that much. For always holding me when I needed it. For being such an incredible, incredible mother. And for now being such a wonderful GranNan to my son. I love you. 

Friday, May 3, 2013

4 month updates & a mini-rant.


Can I just say how much fun we're having with Ty these days?

His smiles and giggles and constant affection are what I'm living for these days. We spend the majority of our time doing whatever it is that makes him happy. We practice standing, play on the playmat, in the jumparoo, and a lot of time outdoors. We read, do tummy-time, practice our hand-eye coordination, and usually count down the minutes until Daddy gets home. 


It's truly such a pleasure to watch the joy spread across Ty's face when we start an activity that he particularly loves. He flashes the sweetest gummy grin and squeals in delight and I tell him that I will do whatever activity it is that he is enjoying forever as long as he keeps smiling like that. 

Ty has also begun batting and grabbing things which is super exciting as he was a teensy bit behind on this particular milestone. A lot of the time we have to start by putting the item in his hand first but once he understands that it's there for him to play with, he'll grab and toy with it, and sometimes spend quite a while examining it very studiously as if he's trying to understand the purpose behind it. 


During bathtime, Ty is a kicker. I'm usually completely soaked by the end of this endeavor but we laugh together the entire time. I am just so happy that he enjoys baths now. 

Now onto my mini-rant.

Over the past few weeks, I have noticed a sudden increase in criticisms regarding my parenting from fellow mommies. Some have been from friends, some from family, and some from complete and total strangers. The thing is, I love advice. I mean, I'm new at this whole "mommy" thing and I love hearing the tricks of the trade but I also know the kind of parent I plan to be and the techniques I plan to use and unfortunately not everyone in the entire world is going to agree with it. I am constantly stopped by strangers telling me to "bundle that baby up" when it is 80 degrees outside (it's like old people think a baby is going to get sick unless it is literally swimming in it's own sweat), I was told by a friend that I was being completely irresponsible for co-sleeping with Ty, and I was practically chewed out by an acquaintance when I mentioned that Brandon and I were going to try the "cry out method" when it comes to crib-training Ty (apparently she thinks that when you let a baby "cry it out" you are teaching them to think that they can't rely on you). She even told me that if I let him "cry it out" then I deserve to allow him to let me "cry it out" in a nursing home one day. What?! I try to take it all with a grain of salt because, of course, everyone thinks their way of parenting is the right way but, truth be told, sometimes I find myself questioning my actions and decisions and wondering if I'm doing all this right. 


Fact of the matter is, there are several things that I do (or don't do) with Ty that may make people these days raise their eyebrows. He has a bumper in his crib. I do not plan on introducing any form of solid food (which includes rice cereal) until he is at least 6 months old. The television is almost always off if I'm home alone with him and almost always on if Brandon's home with us. If the pacifier falls on the ground, we blow it off and stick it back in his mouth. We plan on spanking him when he's older. We plan on letting him cry it out. And he will get all of his vaccinations.

Bottom line - the day I became a mom I became a supporter of other moms. I didn't look at them as competition, I looked at them -- at us-- as an alliance. We are a group of women with different backgrounds, different beliefs, and different values, with one very important thing in common: we love our kids. To me, as long as you love your child, I'm your biggest supporter....


And if we happen to cross paths and you happen to be using a different parenting method than I am to raise your child to be a functioning, happy, and healthy adult, I won't raise my eyebrows or say something negative... I'll smile instead and tell you that you're doing an amazing job. 

Because you are.