Thankful Thursday (When I started typing it was still Thursday)

Today was a hard day for me. The realization of my husband deploying out again sooo soon hit really hard this week. (He is off in GA training). I think the best thing I can do when I have days like today is remind myself of all I have to be thankful for.

1. My Husband - without him I wouldn't have our beautiful son. Without him, I wouldn't smile nearly as often as I do, and without him I would be lost in my own head way too much.

He keeps be grounded, reminds me to stay focused, and loves me no matter what. He is my best friend, my rock, and the reason I want to be a better person.

2. My Son - I didn't know it was possible to love one little person as much as I love my Squishapillar. He is the light in my heart. His smile melts me every single time. (It's a wonder I am not a puddle already).

He reminds me to be optimistic, to think outside the box, and that sometimes slobbery kisses are the best kind of kisses. He keeps me real, and reminds me of all the things I want for him in this life. He is the other reason I want to be a better person.

3. My Family - My mother, father, brother, sister, step-siblings, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, cousin's children... they are always there when I need them. I can't tell you how many times I have needed my mother in becoming a mother. I am so thankful to have all of them in my life.

4. My Friends - they have really become a wonderful source of sanity. They have taught me to ask for help, they have taught me to laugh it off, and most importantly they have taught me to be a better friend.

5. Fresh Air - With the completion of our backyard I can now enjoy fresh air on days when I don't really want to venture out into the great big world. I am still in my own home. It truely feels like an extension of our house. Fresh air is a good thing.

Now off to go to bed - and I will leave you with these... For how can you not love a face like this? Smiling or sleeping he just makes me want to breathe deep.

Xoxxo,
Us

IT IS TUESDAY AGAIN!!

Wow the days sure fly by don't they??  I know I missed last week.  It has been really hard to keep up.  Most of the time I post when I have an opportunity.  (Which usually means when I should be sleeping...)

So I apologize for the lack of consistancy in blogging.  I can't promise it will get any better, because as the days go by, there always seems to be more and more to do.  I will do what I can when I can.  (Hmm, maybe I need to repeat that to myself daily when things just seem not to get done...)

Enough rambling - enjoy the post its and pictures!

Take your pick - all of the following apply...

Xoxxo,

Us

11 months old & already telling jokes!!

My Squishy really does have a silly sense of humor.  He may not be able to vocalize it just yet, but he still gets his point across loud and clear. 

Tonights Joke?  "SeeFood"

Hey Mom!?  Why did you give me Seefood??

Get it?  See Food?!!

Hahaha!  Sorry, he must take after... well either Rob or me.  Neither of us are particularly funny people... we try, but usually fail.

Happy Monday People!

Xoxxo,

Us

Water Playground Fun!

This week's playgroup got changed up a bit.  Instead of our usual park hangout, we traveled not far from our house to a wonderful park that I had no idea was even there.  It was seriously huge!  It was a beautiful albeit warm day in Las Vegas - a hot 96 degrees, perfect weather for a water day.  As we made our way into the water playground, I wasn't sure how Kellan was going to do.  He has had a serious case of the cranks that morning. (Molars are a total BRAT!)

After Thursday I am pretty certain I gave birth to a fish baby a little under a year ago!  It really should have come as no surprise...my water baby LOVED the water playground.  We can't wait to check it out again.  I only wish they made knee pads for babies, or waterproof baby legs.  Kellan's knees were quite red from all the crawling he did.

WOAH!  What is this place?? 

Water? - check! Ladies? - Check! Kids Running? - Check!

This is my kind of place!!

THIS IS AWESOME!!

(he really did laugh at the water)

Mom, you are in my way!

What next??

This is the biggest spoon I have EVER SEEN!!

Kellan flirting with the ladies!

(Seriously sat there smiling and babbling at them for 4+minutes!!)

The boys call a strategy meeting!

This is a good chunk of our playgroup - there are more mobile babies who don't "do" group pictures because walking/running is way too much fun!

Part of our playgroup...

Silly baby face!!

(FYI - the twins in this picture are each only 1 lb less then my bug boy at 7.5 lbs and are the sweetest little men!  But wow!  Talk about a work out!)

MOM!! Enough pictures - let me go PLAY!!

This is what I call a sucessful playgroup.  And another big bonus??  The 4 hour nap that followed!!

Xoxxo,

Us

Meaning behind the name

It occured to me today as I was wrapping a present for the son of a dear friend of mine, that my little baby, my tiny little squishy is going to be a year in a matter of weeks.  I can't believe how quickly that has snuck up on me.  I know I must have said a million times already that time flies, but really?  A year already?

At this time last year trying to pick a name for our baby boy was a daily conversation.  Partially because Rob and I couldn't quite agree on a name, and partially because I kept being indecisive.  (Something I excel at daily.)  It was very important to both Rob and myself that there was a meaning behind whatever name we chose.  We didn't want to just pick a name because we liked the sound of it.  We also wanted to somehow honor out Scandinavian background, but weren't sure how to incorporate that.

The names that kept coming up over and over were: Graeson, Nolan, and Kellan.  I also liked Caden and Cale, but Caden was really popular, and Cale was very short sounding with our last name.  Graeson was eliminated after a friend of a friend named their daughter that.  I didn't want my baby to share the same name as a girl.  Nolan was my personal favorite, Rob loved Kellan.

When we got to the delivery room we finally narrowed it down to Nolan and Kellan.  We decided we would wait to see what he looked like and name him after we saw him.  We also got onto a Swedish Baby Names website and picked middle names to go with each first name.  Nolan Thyr and Kellan Halsten.

After 26+ hours of labor and not having made it past 4 cm dilatation, my OB decided a C/S would be best. (I was induced at 38 weeks for pre-eclampsia symptoms).  At 5:48pm our baby boy made his way into this world.  I wasn't able to see him, but after a few minutes Rob came back over to me with tears in his eyes and told me he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.  It was at that moment, seeing all the raw emotion in my husbands face, and pure love in his eyes, that I realized I didn't need to see my son to name him. 

It became very clear to me in that moment that the name my husband had picked for our son was perfect.  I told him before he walked back over to our baby that his name should be Kellan.  Rob said "really?"  I told him, "Our son't name is Kellan Halsten."  He smiled big, and repeated the name.  It was perfect.

They brought Kellan all bundled up like a burrito to see me for just a moment before they took him to the nursery.  He was beautiful, and looked just like a "Kellan" to me.  (He needed to go have some tests run, because at 38 weeks, my son was born 10lbs 2ozs, and was having problems with his blood sugar.  (I am so thankful we didn't wait til 40 weeks!))

So why Kellan Halsten?

In the baby names book we purchased the day after we found out we were expecting a baby, Kellan means "little companion".  Rob found it after we found out we were having a boy.  He looked at me and said, "This is perfect, because I know he will be my little buddy!"
Halsten we found on the Swedish Baby Names website.  It is the Swedish form of Old Norse Hallsteinn, meaning "rock stone".  Which we interpreted as implying strength.

I can think of no better name to fit my son.  He is truely Kellan Halsten K.  It fits him in everyway.  He is a strong baby, and will forever be our little companion.

I love this little squishy boy, at all stages, ages, and sizes.  He is the center of our world.

If we ever have another boy - I hope to name him Nolan.  (assuming my in-decisive nature doesn't get the better of me.)  It means "noble" or "little champion". 

Xoxxo,
Us

A Post it Tuesday of a different kind.

I am taking a brief hiatus from my normal post-its to bring you a couple post its that recently became something I have a vested interest in. Over the past year I have been blessed to become friends with a wonderful and amazing mother. Her daughter was diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome at a couple months of age.

If you are anything like me, you probably didn't even know such a thing existed. Please take a minute to read my post-its, check out the website, read her blog, and educate yourself. Knowledge is power, and awareness breeds action. Please bring more awareness to the most common known genetic cause of life-threatening obesity in children. Thank you.

Take a minute to check out my friends's blog as well as the PWS webpage.

http://pwsvegas.blogspot.com/

http://www.pwsausa.org/awareness/

Thanks you Desi for sharing your story with me, for being a friend, and for letting me get to know and love Mackenzie.

Every child is a blessing, and she is one for sure. I look forward to many fun playdates with Squish and Mackenzie in the future. (And hopefully a couple more fun mom nights out too!!)

Happy Tuesday!

Xoxxo,

Us

My 1st Mother's Day!

Me at Mother's day last year!

Although some say last year was my first mother's day (because I am one of the people who believe life begins at conception as well as your responsibility as a parent), today was my 1st Mother's day with an "outside" baby.


Last night my husband brought home flowers, and three cards. (yes three, 2 from him, and one from Kellan.  I am spoiled aren't I?!) Reading them made me feel very loved as a mother and a wife. One of the cards read, "There's nothing quite as sweet as a sleepy little head nestled on your shoulder. There's nothing quite as wonderful as being a new mom. Happy 1st Mother's Day".

Truer words could have been more perfect. In honor of that feeling here are today's top ten reasons why I love being a mom. (This list changes daily, as no day is every quite the same as the day before.)

My Top Ten

 

1. No amount of money could buy me the smiles I get from my son first thing in the morning when he wakes up. Melts my heart every time. And no matter how little sleep he let me get the night before, that smile makes it all worth it. I can think of no better way to start my day.

2. Bubbles & Puddles. I love spending my evenings watching my son laugh and play in the tub. He is so peaceful and happy. Such a little fish, and so full of wonderful creativity and imagination.

3. The way my husband looks at me when I am feeding, holding, playing with our son. Having Kellan has brought a whole new level of love into our relationship. Watching him be a wonderful father makes me giddy with happiness to be his wife, and mother to our son.

4. Having Kellan has made me love and appreciate my mother even more. Some things you can never feel if you are never a mom. And appreciation for your parents is one of them. I love you mom!

5. Singing silly songs in the grocery store, and not caring who hears you as long as it is making your baby happy. Becoming a mom has made me a lot less self-conscious. I often catch myself humming, singing, and making silly sounds not matter where I am to make my son smile/relax.

6. Finding my inner child. This kind of goes hand in hand with the previous statement, but having Kellan has really allowed me to release my inner child and enjoy just being silly.

7. The way my son sleeps. I love checking in on him before I go to bed and seeing him curled up in a little ball of squish and baby, or sprawled out in every direction just to get comfortable. There is such a peaceful feeling that comes over me as I watch my child sleep.

8. Watching my child do something new for the first time, and learning as he continues to do it. He is so proud of himself, and I am proud of him too! Watching a child learn cause and effect is something I feel so privileged to be a part of, like a secret club that only mothers and fathers get to be a part of.

9. Kellan does something completely silly every day. And every day it still makes me laugh. Like trying to imitate the sound he makes from burping or bear-walking around the room with his head on the ground looking behind him as he goes. (It’s a wonder he doesn't bump into more things than he does.)

10. Sloppy open-mouthed, dooly baby kisses, and sweet baby hugs. There really isn't anything better than having your child look up at you, plant a big wet one on your nose, and then lay his head down in the crook of your shoulder.

I look forward to these things and others each and every day. I really do love being a mom. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there. I hope you got to enjoy your special day and see the many amazing things motherhood has brought into your life.

"A baby is something you carry inside you for nine months, in your arms for three years and in your heart till the day you die." ~ Mary Mason

Xoxxo,
Us