Happy Birthday, little love

Wonderful You - James J. Metcalfe

My darling, you are wonderful and perfect as can be,
And every day I thank the world that you belong to me.
Your loving smile inspires me to reach a nobler height,
And in so many other ways you are my guiding light.
You are my morning sunshine and the peaceful sky of blue
And you are all the silver stars that make my dreams come true.
I speak your name as softly as my lips would say a prayer,
Though I could not begin to tell how much I really care.
I love you, darling, more than life could ever mean to me
Because you are my hope and happy memory.

John's 1st Christmas

Ho, ho, ho!  Before my boy’s first Christmas is completely neglected (like his first Thanksgiving…whoops!), I thought I should write a little something here.

John was incredibly lucky to spend his first Christmas with almost his entire family…mom, dad, his sisters, all 4 grandparents, all 7 aunts & uncles (including Petey), and 4 of his cousins (including Jake).  We missed you, Shiva!  Nannie isn't able to come to mom's house anymore, but Bud, John, and I went to see her the day after Christmas.

Christmas Eve morning we woke up and headed to the Garros to hangout with that side of the family for a while.  Mimi and grandpa’s house is full of fun toys and cousins so John had a blast.  We left at lunchtime and the poor kid was asleep before we were out of the neighborhood.  We got home and attempted to get him to sleep in his bed, but that wasn’t happening.  

Around 3:00 we gave up and headed to my parents house for presents and dinner.  John got some practical things (clothes, thermometer, stroller attachment) and a bunch of really fun toys (A car! A firetruck ball pit! A piano!).   Despite not having a nap, John was pretty sweet and spent most of the time hanging out in Bud’s lap.  As usual, dinner was fabulous.  Lasagna + wine + garlic bread = happy Katie.  John started to be an ass towards the end of dinner so we had to scoot out pretty quickly before things turned ugly.  Needless to say, John was exhausted when we got home and feel sound asleep pretty quickly.

This wasn't a new toy, but kept John entertained while we opened gifts,

When he wasn't playing with that toy, he was sitting in Bud's lap idolizing Paul.

This is an awkward pose...I swear we like each other.

John's first pair of sunglasses.  Babiators.

Christmas morning John woke up at 8:00 and I nursed him as quickly as possible so we could get to Bud’s parents’ house.  All the kids over there were patiently waiting for us to get there so they could see what Santa brought them.  I’m 99% sure I would NOT have been able to wait so I was impressed when we got there that there were still wrapped presents. 

John was a little over-whelmed with the craziness once we started unwrapping, but he was perfectly happy to sit in Mimi’s lap and watch everyone.  I don’t think she minded either.  Like the night before, John was completely spoiled.  He got a water table, a cell phone, a tv remote, a ball thingy, a little baby couch, books, a magic cube, and a ton of other stuff I’m forgetting.  After presents we had the traditional Garro Christmas Day BBQ (burgers, macaroni salad, and chips) and then we left.  Again, John fell asleep in the car immediately.  We took a very, very long way home so that he could sleep knowing that it’d be his only nap of the day.

Just hold me, Mimi.

Post gift-opening haze

Asleep within 3 minutes of getting in his carseat.

(No, he didn't have that Mt. Dew...it's just a toy in the car)

We were home with the girls for about an hour or so and then headed back to PVB to my parent’s house for dinner family time.  Another amazing meal…beef tenderloin, potatoes, and salad.  Just like the night before, John started to turn into a gremlin half way through dinner so we left before Allyson and Paul decided to get sterilized.

We are so, so lucky to have both sides of the family here in Jacksonville.  It would be very hard to miss one side or another on Christmas.  We were, however, a bit exhausted.  Eight trips to and from PVB in 48 hours is a little much, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

7

I've made some mistakes in my 31 years. Some of these mistakes were doozies and some were just silly. But the biggest decision I ever made - who to marry, who to share my life with - is one choice that I couldn't have done any better.

This week Bud and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. Looking back, I still can't believe that we got engaged at 23 and married just a year later. If John comes to me in 22 years saying he's found "the one," I'll turn him around and tell him to come back in a decade. 

But we knew. At the beginning and end of every day, we knew. We knew we were special. Every-single-day I feel special because he loves me and every-single-day I try to be the person that this amazing man will be proud to call his wife.  I don’t say we’re special because I feel like we have something others don’t.  I say we’re special because we truly feel that way and I can only wish that everyone I love feels the same way about her own partner. 

We knew that adding a baby to our family would change our relationship.  I think anyone who says it doesn’t is a big fat liar, but the God’s honest TRUTH is that it has made us stronger.  It’s made me love him in a whole new way.  I’ve always felt like I “needed” him, but before John it was like when I “need” a coffee in the morning.  Now, I need him like a fish needs water.  He’s not only a lifeline for survival, he’s home. He’s in the trenches with me every day and he makes it fun. 

I don’t know what I did to deserve him, but will spend the next 60 years making sure that we always feel this way about each other.

Eleven Months Old!

I actually wrote this post in 12/23, but forgot to post it.  I'm just going to pretend like Christmas hasn't already happened and all of you are going to go along with it, ok?  Don't like it?  Click here.

Well, here we are…the final monthly update of John’s first year.  It’s so hard for me to believe that he’s only a few weeks away from his first birthday.  But before we go there, let’s chat about month 10 for Johnny.

Getting him to sit still for this picture took an act of God.

John had a really good three weeks followed by one pretty shitty fourth week…hence, the reason why I wasn’t able to write this post on time.  It’s been a long few days.  When John’s happy and well-rested, he’s very sweet, funny, and playful, but lawd help me when he’s grumpy.  You simply cannot really know desperation until you’ve dealt with a baby who can’t sleep yet can’t stay awake/wants to eat yet refuses to eat/wants to be held yet PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW.  It’s a lot.  We’ve definitely had more good days than bad, but it’s easier to remember the bad days because they’re like a horror movie that you can’t stop thinking about.  I don’t mean for this to sound so negative and I really don’t want it to sound like I don’t like being John’s mom it’s just a tough phase.

John’s absolutely favorite thing to do at the moment is standing.  He LOVES it.  He’s not walking or standing on his own yet, but will pull up on anything he can and just stand there smiling.  This has lead to a lot of tumbles and tears, but as soon as he’s calmed down he pulls himself right back up.  He also continues to love pulling any and everything off the shelves in his room.  He does this 2-25 times a day.  Whatev, weirdo.

everyone said he'd slim down when he started moving more, but don't worry...he still has plenty of leg rolls to share.

Sleeping:

Same story, different month.  John is an honor student when it comes to nighttime sleeping and gets a D+ on napping.  I have gotten several 2-3 hour naps this month, but I’ve also gotten several (including the past THREE days) when he didn’t nap at all.  Not one wink.  That’s not ok at 11 months old.  NOT OK.

I’m trying new tricks and reading endless tips online, but there are some days when it’s just not happening.  After some research, Bud and I decided pretty early on that we are not “cry-it-out” people.  It’s just not for us.  That being said, I’ve given it a try a couple times and it honestly doesn’t work for John.  He’s one strong-willed boy.  I think he’d cry all day if I let him (which I wouldn’t).  Le sigh…we’ll figure out napping one day, right?

Eating:

John continues to eat like a champ.  He’s nursing less and eating food more and more.  We’ve been trying out more finger foods like apples, carrots, or small bites of whatever we’re eating.  I honestly can’t think of one thing that he doesn’t like…he’s even come around on peas and broccoli which is more than I can say for his parents.

I am planning to stop nursing around his first birthday.  I might feel differently once it’s over, but I’m honestly so excited to stop.  It’s not hard or painful in any way, but I’m just over it.  I’m so, so glad I was able to do it this long and credit breastfeeding for 98% of the reason that John has never even had a sniffle much less an illness, but I’ll be glad to not have to worry about it anymore.

Size:

Basically the same as last month.  He weights 24-25 lbs and wears 12-18 month clothes and Size 4 diapers.  He’s a big boy, but I feel like he’s been the same size for a while.

Teeth:

Six – 4 on top, 2 on the bottom.  I thought I saw two more poking through on the bottom, but I don’t think so.  Is it weird that I’m glad he’s symmetrical?  I saw a baby with an odd number of teeth and thought it looked freaky.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooveralls.  ah! 

Hair:

Oh, John’s hair…how do I love thee?  You guys, I love it.  It’s slightly ridiculous and it wings out on the sides like he’s about to take flight, but I love it.  Bud and I have started to ask each other if he needs a trim, but I don’t think so…even if he is mistaken for a girl when we’re out in public.   We comb and brush it every night before bed and I swear it’s one of his favorite times of day. 

John’s Highlight of the Month:

Gaining an uncle!  Allyson and Paul got married on 12/6.  He was always Uncle Paul to us, but we love that it’s now official.

Favorite Picture:

Others:

'the end of alzheimer's starts with me'

I don't always take selfies, but when I do, I make sure John is in them.

bieber hair

2/3rds of his awake time is spent shoving random things in his mouth

Ten Months Old!

Happy Ten Month Birthday, peanutbutterfaceangel.

Double digits, no big deal

Sadly, I wasn’t able to actually write the 22^nd this month.  These past two weeks have been tough….just very busy with work and a clingy boy.  By the end of the day I am DONE.  So done.

John, however, is wonderful.  He is really into interactive play right now and totally lights up when I look at him.  There are times throughout the day when he’ll happily play by himself, but there’s other times when all he wants is for me to play with him.  It’s absolutely impossible to be frustrated with a kid that just wants me to tickle him and say “Peek-a-boo.” Impossible.  His independent play mostly consists of these 3 strange “games” that he’s really into right now.  This is most of my day lately…

1) Dragging the chairs away from the kitchen table.  Who knows why this is fun, but it’s pretty much the best thing ever.

Doesn't it look fun?

2) Pulling every book off the book shelf in his room.  Whatever…if it makes him happy, go for it.  Not sure it counts as reading, but he is technically really into books.

Not sure if I got every book on this shelf.  Let me stand up and take a look.

3) Sucking on this red string that’s attached to one of his toys.  I swear he could care less about two-thirds of his toys, but god forbid if the red string is out of sight.

Sleeping:

As of last week, John officially went to one nap per day.  I fought it for a while, but realized that I’d rather one really amazing long nap than two kinda shitty 45 minute naps.  This week was amazing…he napped at least an hour and a half every day (and over 3 hours twice!).  This is huge.  I HOPE, HOPE, HOPE that this will last because I’m desperate for predictability.  It really makes both of us happier people. 

This morning, John forgot that "he's down to 1 nap a day" and feel sound asleep in my arms at 9:00 am.  I was not amused.  And yes, this screwed me later in the day when he completely refused to nap.  You know, because 10 minutes at 9:00 am is enough for the day.

Eating:

John has finally realized that food is awesome and will pretty much eat whatever we give him lately.  He’s still not much of a meat eater, but woofs down any fruit and vegetable we give him.  I think he prefers real meat (whatever I’m eating) over the pureed jarred stuff.  Can’t say I blame him.  I’ve given him small nibbles of my food…chicken, turkey, cheese, bread…and he’s loved it all. 

Crushing puffs like a boss

I’m still nursing him, but am down to 4 times a day, sometimes 5.   I still intend to get to 1 year, but lately I’m so over it.  I don’t know why, but I’ve felt so frustrated and annoyed by it.  It’s hard to explain.  I guess it’s easiest just to say that I have a love/hate relationship with breastfeeding at the moment and I’ll be glad once John is weaned.

Size:

Basically the same size as last month.  He’s in the same clothes (9-12 months) and diapers (size 4).  He has maybe gained about a half a pound or so.  Everyone said that the weight gain would really slow down once he started crawling.  They were right.

Teeth:

Six.  Well, I guess 4 teeth and 2 that are just barely poking through, but are not quiet out.  Four on top, two on bottom.  And no, he doesn’t bite me when nursing (I know I’d be curious).

Hair:

Amazing and luxurious.  You guys, the cashier at Target said “Hiiiiiii Princess” when we rolled up last week.  Hahaha. She was super embarrassed when she asked “her” name and I said “John.”  He’s just a pretty boy.

Bud assures me that it’s not a mullet because then it’d be short on top too.  So the question is….should I make it a mullet by cutting it on top and let it get all Billy Ray in the back?

Other milestones:

A sad one.  John had his first injury with blood this month.  I cried.

He and I were happily playing in the living room and fell face-first onto one of his toys.  It caught him square in the mouth.  I knew it was going to hurt.  He froze, looked at me, and then started this completely pitiful and weirdly high pitched cry that I had never heard before.  I scooped him up right away and open his little mouth which already had blood in it.  He stopped crying pretty quickly and I (naturally) called my mom right away.  She assured me that he’d be fine and that I wasn’t a horrible mother. 

After a drink of water (of course) and some rocking in his room, he was fine.  I was pretty shaken though.  I need to toughen up before this kid starts walking and really hurts himself.

Favorite Picture:

Holding hands on a walk with my great-grandmother.

Others:

Grease is the word.  You better shape up.

After his "injury" we went for a walk.

I can't get enough of this one.

I worked the Jacksonville Walk to End Alzheimer's on Nov 16th and Bud brought John to see me and support the cause.  I loved showing him off to my coworkers, but it was even more fun to show him to all the Walk Participants that I've become close with over the last couple years.  They were so supportive when I was pregnant last walk season so it was awesome to introduce them to John.

John just liked the beads I was wearing.  

Look out Mardi Gras 2034, John likes beads.

I understand, Lun Lun, I understand

When I've been with John all day the only thing I want is to get away from him.  That's not the nicest thing to say, but it's true.  He's a lot to handle lately.

Getting away always seems like a good idea, but after about an hour, I basically turn into Lun Lun when I return.  

As crazy as it sounds at 5:00 pm on Thursday afternoon, I can't get enough of this kid.

Happy Halloween!

John’s 1^st Halloween was a hit!  Bud and I were a bit stumped on what we wanted to dress him up as, but I think we nailed it.

I don't always wear a belt-buckle, but when I do my mom makes it out of tin foil and safety pins it to my pants.

 At first, were first thinking we’d get him a costume online or at a Halloween store.  I was “pinning” all kinds of adorable costumes (dinosaur, dragon, penguin, marshmallow man, etc.), but the prices were kind of silly considering we weren’t even going to leave our front yard so we were trying to think of something we could do and reuse most of it.  Bud was lobbying pretty hard to dress him up as one of his many nicknames, President Taft, but in the end he got to be the Man in Black, Johnny Cash.

His hair was my favorite part, but it didn't really turn out that great in pictures.  His hair has gotten so long so we put some product in it, slicked it back on the sides, and tried to get it as high as possible on the top.  I've had a thing for pompadours since my Conan phase so this made me so happy.

John was so relaxed and sweet that night.  The three of us sat in the driveway for an hour and a half just handing out candy and watching families walk by.  He happily sat in my lap the whole time.  Bud and I half-joked that if this is the way to keep him happy in the evening we’ll sit out there every night.  Not everyone got what his costume was right away, but everyone smiled once I said “he’s baby Johnny Cash.”  I mean, come on.  It’s too much.

Just sitting in the driveway being a badass.

John also had a back-up costume that was crazy adorable.  I was at Target on Halloween afternoon and started panicking that my Johnny Cash costume would be an epic failure and then my poor child wouldn’t have any 1^st Halloween pictures because I’m a neglectful mother.  When I saw this puppy costume for only $15 I threw it in the cart.  I’m planning to bring John to see my grandma in his puppy costume this week. Not sure she’d appreciate baby Johnny Cash as much as the rest of us, but any one with the ability to see will love puppy-Johnny.

How could I say no after he tried on the hat?

Gramma and Pop

My parents got to see him in his "back-up" costume because I didn't have time to get him in his Johnny Cash costume before they needed to leave.