Walking!!!

On May 4th, 2013 (2 days before 13 months old) Trevor took his first unsupported steps!! 4 to be exact. What a fun time! I can't believe how fun it is to watch our little one reach and go through each milestone. He had been standing unsupported for a week or two and Autin's parents just happened to be in town so they got to witness the first steps. Everyone was in the room so I said "ready?" which was the trigger word that Trevor had learned would mean I was going to let go of him and let him stand alone, so I let go and Austin, who was sitting on the opposite side of the room, said "walk to daddy", so Trevor took four steps before falling down. He received a huge standing ovation, which made him feel pretty cool, so after that he tried and tried again, able to go further and further. He started out walking with hands straight up in the air for balance, and now he's starting to walk everywhere. I'm so thrilled and excited, it's so dang fun. Who knew having kids could be such good entertainment? lol.

1 YEAR OLD!!!

Trevor turned 1 on April 6, 2013!!!! I will never stop talking about how fast time goes, it's insane!!! Austin and I just want him to stay little forever, haha, but at the same time it is so fun to watch him go through the different stages and hit milestones. At his 1 year doctor appointment he weighed 17.5 pounds (4%) and measured 28 inches long (4%). Trevor can walk all over the place holding on to finger tips, furniture or a push toy. He is getting braver and braver but hasn't taken his first steps on his own just yet. He can say momma, dada, and hi as well as plenty of jibberish, lol. Trevor is quick to smile, is very attached to his parents and definitely understands the meaning of "no". He is a total boy and loves throwing all different types of bouncy balls as well as every other toy he can get his hands on. He sleeps through the night most of the time, but regresses sometimes and wakes up once a night at times. He still has big, beautiful blue eyes, fair skin and super blonde hair. I still think he looks just like Austin, but some people tell me he looks like me (I think to try to make me feel good, lol).

 

For Trevor's first birthday party we had a Pirate themed party. All of the Lemke family came as well as a few of our good friends and their kiddos. Trevor had no problem digging in to his cupcake when the time came and he devoured the whole thing in no time!! Here are a few pictures...our good friend Cassie made him his birthday hat, isn't it so stinkin' cute!!!

 

 

 

We also did family pictures to mark his 1 year milestone. We just love this little dude!

 



Conforming...

When I was younger, I was the girl who was never going to conform. I wanted to be and would be a career woman. An education and a career were at the forefront of my mind and having a family would just work itself in there somewhere. I was the girl who wanted to work when I had kids…no need to lose my identity right? I set high goals with career, money and lifestyle in mind. I wanted to accomplish something and feel that boost when I told people what I did for a living. I was that girl. I would not conform. I would never be “just a mom”.

NOW, all I want is to conform. I want nothing more than to be a stay at home mom. I never knew how much I wanted it until I almost couldn’t have it. Having a child has been and will always be, no matter what, my biggest accomplishment. If I can raise a good, polite, hard-working child, then there is nothing in this world, or that this world has to offer, that can out-do that. I want to downsize, I want to simplify, I want nothing more than to say I’m “just a mom”. We are working hard to make that happen. It may take some time, but I know that it will happen. I NEVER thought I would feel this way, but then, I had never had a child before. Life has been good to me, and I’ve always said that it just keeps getting better. Now that I have a child, it is truer than ever. I have an all consuming, unconditional love and joy in my life. Sometimes I think I might burst at the seams I have so much love. I’m so grateful for the opportunity and blessing of being a mother. I can’t even express in words how grateful I am to have gotten this opportunity.

lounging in our jammies

10 months!!

The last 10 months have flown by and Austin and I find ourselves constantly telling our little guy to stop growing!! We love him so much and have had so much fun watching him grow and learn. At 10 months old Trevor enjoys playing with anything (hangers, empty water bottles, neclaces, etc) except his actual toys. He crawls everywhere and is super fast!! He loves to pull up on furniture and cruise along it. He is definitely a boy and loves to bang his toys together or on the floor, window and well...just about any hard surface. He has learned to walk holding on to a toy stroller and thinks he is the coolest kid around when he's walking. He enjoys getting into things he shouldn't be into and trying to play with chords while looking right at us and gets mad when we tell him no! At his 9 month doctor visit he weighed in at 16.5 pounds and measured 27.5 inches landing him in the 8th percentile!! He's our little shorty and we couldn't be prouder parents :).
He is sleeping through the night (most nights) pretty well, which is great for mom and dad!! The poor thing is going through major separation anxiety these days, which is a little hard, but sometimes cute. He gets mad when he thinks we are going to leave him with someone, but sometimes he'll be playing and stop to look around to see where we are. Then he'll crawl over to give us hugs and go back to playing. It's rare that he'll fall asleep in our arms anymore, so when it does happen, we cherish the moment. Austin and I are trying to enjoy each moment and each stage of his life as much as possible and couldn't be happier to be parents of this little guy. (I'll post pictures as soon as I figure out how to. Blogger won't let me post them these days.)

Christmas 2012

You know, people always tell you that the holidays are better when you have kids. I used to think to myself, well, they can't be any worse that's for sure. Okay, let me explain that last statement. As I've grown older, for some reason the holidays have become times to endure through instead of enjoy. I don't know how I got to that point, but I truly couldn't wait for Christmas to get over with so I could stop going bankrupt and start saving money again. I really would just look around and think what a shame it is that everyone is willing to knock you down to get that last toy, or that people feel obligated to literally go into debt to make sure that everyone gets a present. That is so not what Christmas is about and it always, without fail, left a bad taste in my mouth. I, for the last several years, have been happy to leave the holidays behind and get back to life. How sad.
Well, I think I can say that this Christmas was the best Christmas ever!!! It's true, when you have a child, everything changes and the holidays are no exception...and I didn't even go bankrupt! We had the good fortune of having Austin's mom, brother and 9 year old niece join us for Christmas this year, which made it even more fun and special. But, nothing compares to the joy on Christmas morning of watching our little Trevor open presents and be so excited to get new toys. He's far too young to understand who Santa Claus is, or even the true meaning of Christmas for that matter, but watching his face light up when we allowed him to rip open presents will make me smile until we get to do it again next year. It truly transported me back to the excitement of my own childhood when I could hardly sleep from all the excitement and would sneak to get my stocking at 5 a.m. It made me remember to lighten up and not take life so seriously. Sometimes we just have to go with the flow and let the true spirit of Christmas happen naturally.