Things I'm Proud Of

So, you aren't supposed to brag or gloat or anything, but I figure no one reads this anyway, so I am going to do just that.  If someone does happen to read this and gets upset with me, I am very sorry, this is nothing personal to anyone, it is just my proud moments.

What I am Proud of:

1. Adam graduating college with a Bachelor's Degree in Geology
2. Supporting ourselves through his college career - it was both a financial and mental sacrifice and we came out on top.
3. Supporting myself through college and graduate school.  I was very fortunate that my parents paid my undergraduate costs that my student loans didn't cover.  I was also very fortunate to receive a full scholarship and a teaching position in graduate school, so that I did not need a large loan during that time. That being said, I graduated with only ~$48,000 of student loans to pay back (and are still paying back).
4. Buying our own house to stabilize our life in Texas and to grow a family in.
5. Having a good career where I can grow as an individual, and also bring Adam to love my passion for geology too.
6. Surviving 5 weeks with a newborn and no husband (field camp).
7. Making all of my own baby food for Jensen.  Late nights of steaming fruits and veggies and blending everything was super hard, but I didn't give in and buy any (that's right, ANY) jarred baby food.  I am very proud of that, because it would have been easy not to do that and just buy the jars.
8. I am proud that I don't know what all these TV shows names other parents are telling me about are.  "Do you watch Chicka Chicka on Sprout?" Ummm, no, I don't know what you are talking about, and I don't even get that channel - hmmm secret benefit of having the cheapest option of TV???
9. Keeping our house clean!  Adam and I work as a team to keep the home clean and do the laundry.  We don't hire help, since it isn't within our budget, and we still have quite a clean house.  It might help that I am a little neurotic about clutter and throw everything away :)  I just don't like to see crap piled up everywhere!  Throw it out!
10. Staying focused on my career and my family - balance is everything!  It is always a challenge, but we are doing what's best for us, and it works.  We are happy!
11. Being strong through Jensen's surgery (wow, talk about tough, handing your baby off for an hour long surgery is the hardest thing we have ever done) and his recovery.  We had moments of pure pain for him following surgery and they took me to my breaking point.
12.  Adam being such a strong man.  I say this because that's exactly what he is.  He has a lifelong auto-immune disease, and he has pushed through every ounce of exhaustion and is a terrific father and husband.  Once we finalize his therapy with the iodine treatment, we are hopeful that things will only look up from there.

Words!

I had to write down some of Jensen's "words" and his pronunciations so that I don't forget as I get older!

Dog  - Daaaaaaaawg.  This is also how he refers to Coby.  

Mama - Ma maa!

Dada 

Boom Boom - Boo Boo

Yellow - Yee Yo!

Grampa  - Bubba

Uh oh

Oh No  - ooh noooooo

Bath  - bad

Snake - Nake - our new snake's name now

Turtle - Durdle

Jensen - Je Je

Eat - signs to his mouth and says Eee

Please - Meees and signs the word

Eye - eeeeyee

Ear - eaar

Mouth - ma

Nose - noo

Shhh - says Shh and puts his finger to his mouth

Fish - shh

Ee Eee - when he wants to give us something, he hands it out and says Ee Eee to us as a signal to take it from him

Blue - boo

Purple - burble

Outside - owdiiiide

Snack - nack

Bubble - baabaa

Balloon - baboon

Adding more 1/5/2016!
Sorry - Doddy
Shoe - doo
Coffee - Bobby
Coby - Boe-bee - he has improved!
Mike - Myyyk
Jo - Djo
Monkey - Mommy
Grandma - MeMaw

Things he loves right now: 

MUSIC!!!!  He loves the Clap Your Hands song and is always wanting to play the keyboard. We also found that it helps his screaming in the car! 

The dogs - both of them.  He loves to pet them and give them hugs

Skyping!

Outside

Eating his 'nacks

Figuring things out - he enjoys taking everything apart and then trying to figure out how to put it together again. Example  - sippy cups and light switches

Milestone Events

Big boy is 18 months and 23 lbs, 10 oz

First vacation to the beach in North Carolina.  He was a champ on the plane (3rd flight) and he LOVED swimming in the ocean and jumping waves.  Grampa taught him how to blow bubbles in the pool, and now he likes to blow bubbles in the bathtub.  He also did not eat the sand.

Charleston, SC

My bestie Maria and I went on a trip to Charleston, SC.  It was absolutely wonderful, we had a great time learning about all the history in the area, catching up with each other, enjoying fantastic meals, and beaching it.  Take a look!

Chicken and Waffles from the Early Bird Diner

Fried Green Tomato Sandwich from the Early Bird Diner

Sunset on the harbor 

We sat on the swings one evening and listened to a man play crappy banjo

We took a carriage ride from Mark, and two mules named Carter and Cash.  

Rainbow Row

Heyward-Washington House

Drinks, and our fave pic of the trip

Angel Oak tree

 My new friend, Shoulder Sweater

Beach!

Calhoun Mansion - it was in The Notebook

Fantastic meal at Pane e Vino

Birthday Boy!

We had a Little Blue Truck theme for Jensen's first birthday.  It was so much fun, and we were so thankful for all the friends who came out to celebrate with us.  Take a look at some of the fun DIY's we made for his party.  

Birthday Banners

"Chalkboard" of his first year

Photo Memories of each month

Party favors for the kiddos

Tablecloths and balloons

High chair decorations

'

Cupcake toppers 

Guests arrive!

Custom onesie and cupcake time!

Happy Birthday - A Reflection of the Past Year

Well, first off, let me wish Jensen the happiest of birthdays on his first one. You have brought your daddy and me the most amazing joy watching you learn, grow, and explore. My sweet little boy, Jensen, you are my life and first little boy love.

The past year has been one of the most challenging ones your dad and I have seen together. I consider myself a strong person, and you rocked my world. As a newborn, you were handsome, innocent, precious, and had an uncanny knack for peeing all over your changing pad. I saw your first smile, first coo, first laugh, and it made me so proud to see your new accomplishments. We also saw lots of crying and gassy fussiness, and it took a long time for sleep to become a normal thing for us :-)

One of the most challenging things was to say goodbye to daddy as he drove off for field camp in Colorado for 5 weeks. I have never been so scared. I was the sole person responsible for you for days on end. We had a lot of firsts while daddy was gone too. We had our first fever, when I called Tara crying that your fever wouldn't break and the nurse had to keep pricking your foot for blood samples. We had our first wonderful wedding, with Natasha and Trevor (you looked quite snazzy in your tuxedo onesie).  We also had our first pool visit, when you only wanted to be held in the water and not use your floatie at all. 

When daddy got back, I went back to work the following week. That presented new challenges for me. We had to have a schedule of wake up time and bedtime, and daddy was the sole caregiver during the day. Adam did a fantastic job, and made sure you had nap time, workout time (he had to teach you to roll over) and eating time.  All the while, daddy was eating like a mad man, losing weight, and was running on zero energy.  Eventually, after a trip to the cardiologist and endochrinologist, we found out that Daddy has Grave's disease. We got him on some medication and he is feeling much better these days, and hopefully continues to improve.

Soon daddy went back to school and you started your school too. You made friends, got sick, and generally had a fun experience I think.  The morning craziness began at 6 am, with a feeding, packing up the bottles and daycare necessities, and putting everything in the car, along with the breast pump and cooler for my day at work. We also crossed our fingers for no spit up or diaper blow outs on the way to daycare (twice that happened).  

Balancing a career, school, and a baby is not easy at all. I spent/d my nights and weekends doing laundry, cleaning house, washing bottles, storing pumped milk, and then finally relaxing if there is any time left before I'm up again at 5.  I don't need to have the perfectly crafted wreath for my door from a a pinterest post, or a fancy new recipe for dinner anymore (grilled cheese sounds great). This works for my family, and I would rather spend my waking hours soaking up precious time with you than making crafts (I never would have guessed that a year ago). Sure, I can't say I wouldn't wish for more flexibility with work, but we just can't afford that right now.  Plus, you are now a year old and have a super crush on a teacher at daycare, so I can't break up that relationship. 

Some of the most fun moments we have had with you the past year are reaching your milestones.  We were so proud when you finally decided to roll over instead of being lazy and just laying there because you got tired of trying to roll.  When we gave you food for the first time, you made the best scrunched up face before you decided that peas were tasty.  Your adventures in crawling began right after Christmas, and you soon became a pro in that sport.   Bathtime is a favorite time of the day, and you love to splash in the bathtub and chew on the washcloths.  You love to eat, and some of your favorite things are whole strawberries because you can take bites out of them, cottage cheese (you shove it in your mouth as fast as you possibly can), and green beans, they're so easy for you to grab.  Your best friend became Coby, who loves when it is time to eat because you are so nice and feed him every time.  We experienced the most stressful time in our lives, when you had surgery in January.  We are currently watching you pull up and take some steps, and it won't be long before you become brave enough to take steps without holding on to something. I taught you how to climb up the stairs (much to daddy's dismay) and it now is one of your favorite things to do when we get ready to go to bed.

One thing I have to mention of course is your Mormor (grandma in Norwegian).  I make sure we say goodnight to her photo every night at bedtime, because I want you to know her through me. I can't dwell on the "what ifs" because that doesn't change what it is, but I know that Mormor is watching you from heaven and sees everything you achieve. I would have loved to have my mom here to help guide me through how to raise a baby and have a full time career. She was an amazing role model and I miss her so much.  I always want to be able to pick up the phone and call my mom when he's sick and see what her advice is, because she would know exactly what to do. As I play guesswork through this mom thing, I know she is guiding me to the right decisions.  There is no one in this world a girl wants more than her own mom when becomes one herself, but that just wasn't in the stars for us. I love you Mom, and I hope I can amount to half of what you were with the three of us.

Kristin Tate, Tate Designs Photography is our photographer.  She is amazing, I recommend her highly.