In a Matter of Days...

In a matter of days, my life will be changing considerably. I enjoy, and somewhat need change in some aspects of my life- such as where my furniture is placed, the comforter on my bed, and the house I live in(we are a military family... we don't stay anywhere for very long!). But in most aspects of my life, I don't seem to handle change very well. I don't like change to my routine or how I do things day to day.

An example of a change that I am beyond THRILLED about is the fact that this is my last week at the Child Development Center! It has been a great place to work for the past two years, and I have met some great girls working there, but on a personal level, it was time to move on. I have struggled since Kael was born. I was lucky enough to work with him right beside me, but I always wished I could just stay home with him. I also had a difficult time once I received my degree. I felt as though I deserved more. I worked so hard to finish school, and to have a job where I was not using my degree, got under my skin. I found myself constantly looking for other jobs, but anytime I found one I was interested in, my mind flooded with Kael and the thought of not seeing him all day long. I am just not to a point where I am okay to do that yet. Thankfully the perfect opportunity arose, and here we are! Only one week of work left, and I am so excited I could do a happy dance.

An example of a change that I am NOT excited about is the fact that Kael will be turning ONE! I don't know how it is possible. I LOVE the little boy he has turned into, but this is such a huge reminder that he is not a baby anymore. And with that, there are even more changes on the horizon. Weaning him from breastfeeding and bottles. Introducing milk. Getting him hard soled shoes because he is walking everywhere now. Moving into a new car seat. Don't get me wrong. I love watching him grow and change, and he really is becoming so much fun! But I really miss the baby stage. And to be honest, I am really sad about giving up breastfeeding. It's just such a special time between the two of us that will be hard to say goodbye to, especially right before bedtime.

A few other recent changes include the addition of another vehicle to our household. Don't get too excited... it isn't anything special, but boy do I love it! We are now the owners of a 1996 4x4 Tahoe- and it is the best decision we ever made! Sure, it is older... but it runs great, it was paid for in cash, I don't have to take and pick up Kevin from work anymore, and it is 4-wheel drive! And considering snow is STILL in the forecast for the next week, it was the best move we could have done.

This Saturday, March 31st, is Kael's Kodiak birthday party. I can't believe it is already time to celebrate. I'm sure I will have plenty of pictures to post!

Big Changes Going On Over Here!

I know your thinking, "WOAH! An update besides Kael's monthly update..." and you're right. I have gotten to where I completely neglect this blog, but this mamma has no time. I wish it were easier to post an update from phone, then maybe I would post more. That's it... a blogger app! That would be pretty nifty.

Anyway...

There are some major changes going on in our lives right now, that I felt the desire need to share.

1.) Kael is SLEEPING!! WOO HOO!! For two weeks now he has slept all night in his crib. He completely weaned himself off his night time nursing sessions, and typically sleeps 11-12 hours straight. It is pure heaven, and there is no way I will let it go this long with baby #2! There were a few tears shed, and even now he cries a little every night. The biggest difference is now that he is almost a year, I guess I feel like I can handle listening to him cry a little better. Regardless, I go to bed every night missing him. I loved having him so close to me, but did not love getting hit and kicked all night long. He must have been uncomfortable as well, because he seems to sleep much better in his own space. I also miss getting to nurse/rock him to sleep. He has started "fighting" the rocking, and actually does better when we put him in his crib still awake. He does cry, but only for a few minutes, and then puts himself to sleep. I'm hoping the longer we continue this, the less crying there will be, but 5 minutes of crying followed by 12 hours of sleep is SOOO worth it!

2.) We have got ourselves a walker! He pretty much walks all the time now. He can still be wobbly, and fall over, but he just picks himself back up and keeps on trucking. I don't think I have seen him crawl this entire week. I am so proud of him, and LOVE watching him teeter toter across the house all day, but now I know we are in for trouble. My biggest fear is the amount of bumps and bruises that are bound to happen. He has already gotten his first fat lip (that happened at school last week) and I am deathly afraid that he is going to knock a tooth out. Another joy of having a walker... he does not want to be held at all anymore! :( It is a struggle to get him to sit in the cart at the grocery store now, and just wants to be able to walk around the store. Where has my baby gone?!? (check out my facebook to see the latest video of our visit to a store...)

3.) And I have a big change going on in my life as well. Drum roll please..... I put my resignation letter in and my last day of work will be March 30th! It has been pretty rough there for a while, and I have really struggled with my boss and how certain things are handled. After my last "instance" I began looking for something else. I was really torn because I didn't want to keep Kael in daycare if I couldn't be there to keep an eye on him, but knew that I needed to bring home a little bit to help pay for my student loans. Thankfully a girl that works with Kevin just had a baby and was looking for a nanny. We met with one another and I got to meet her daughter (who was 10 weeks old at the time) and she got to meet Kael. I knew instantly that it was exactly what I was looking for. She offered me the job last week, and I get to start once we get back from our trip to Texas.

4.) Ok, this one isn't as exciting, but I'm so anxious I can barely stand it! We only have a year left before we transfer!! YAY!! Kodiak definitely has it's positive and negatives. The biggest negative is being so far from our family and friends. But the good news is, we will put in our list of picks in September and should know where we will be moving in December. Once we know what state we will be living in, I plan to start working towards my alternative teaching certification so I can try and get a teaching position once we move. Anyone that can offer some insight into that process, any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

11 Months!

I knew this was coming... the day that I would realize that you aren't really a "baby" anymore. I definitely did not think it would come this soon, but you have grown into such a sweet little boy over this past month, and I have been having mixed emotions about this. The day you turned 11 months, I held you and cried. It's such a wake up call that you will be a year old soon, and although I have loved every minute of watching you grow, it has gone by WAY to fast!

With every passing month, I think to myself that things can't get any better, but somehow they do! You have become so much fun, and we actually get to sit and play with each other. You love playing "chase" with me, dad, and Winston. I actually think you enjoy playing with Winston the most... you laugh hysterically and come around the couch crawling as fast as you can and try to climb into my lap. It makes me laugh every time, and I can't help but melt at the sound of your laughter. Your new favorite toys are the Fisher Price Little People (you walk around with one in your mouth and one in each hand...it's pretty funny).

Speaking of walking... You are walking now!! It is in small bursts, and when you want to go somewhere quick, you drop down to the floor to crawl or get ahold of your walker (I swear you can run with that thing!). You participated in mini-olympics at school this month, and were considered "most athletic". Your favorite event was weight lifting (water bottles full of sand), but you also excelled in the shopping cart relay. :)

We celebrated your first Valentines Day, and you actually had your first Valentine at school. Her name is Abrie, and she is your best friend. She brought you a real gift, packed full of all of your favorite snacks and a card that she signed herself. You took Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Valentines to all of your classmates, and gave Abrie a book and some bubble bath (because what girl doesn't love bubble bath!). She has been out of town for 2 weeks, and you crawl around every day looking for her.

You are an eating machine these days. I am honestly worried you are going to eat us out of house and home when you are a teenager. Some of your favorites are spaghetti, fajitas, rice, bananas, oranges, blueberries, waffles, dry chex cereal, string cheese, and yogurt. You are a master with your sippy cup, and actually drink 2-3 full cups of water a day. You typically nurse 4-5 times a day with one bottle of formula at school. In roughly 2 weeks, we will start introducing cow's milk and start trying to slowly wean you off of bottles/nursing. I think I will have a harder time with it, than you.

Kael Liam, I love you to the moon and back!

Super Late 10 Month Post

The older Kael gets, the harder it seems to find the time to sit and update his monthly milestones. He is into EVERYTHING and I seriously can't sit at the computer while he is awake unless Kevin is home to keep him entertained.

This month Kael moved out of the infant room at daycare, and into the "waddler" room. Technically, it is still considered the infant room, but is separated by a half door, and has the mobile infants that are between 10-16 months old. It is crazy to think, that this summer he will be moving up to the Toddler room... I am definitely not ready for that!

Things have been pretty dull around here. We have had a rough winter, which has kept us cooped up indoors. I can't wait for it to warm up... I know Kael is going to LOVE the little playground in front of our house.

We are still struggling (BIG TIME) with sleep. On a good night, he still wakes up 2-3 times (and that is with him sleeping in our bed). I feel so defeated, and don't know what to do anymore. I try not feeding him to break the habit, but he then wakes up EVERY hour until he is finally fed. I really could break down and cry when I really think about it. I am so sleep deprived and feel like I am barely able to function. Kevin and I have yet to go on a date (other than his Christmas party) since Kael was born, knowing that he wont sleep, making it hard on a babysitter, and hard on ourselves for staying up late. It is to the point where I really wish there was some sort of specialist you could take babies to that would just solve their sleeping issues. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! We have tried EVERYTHING and letting him cry only seems to cause more problems.

Other than that, my sweet little boy is perfect (in my eyes!) :)

He is...

1.) weighing in at 19 pounds

2.) wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers

3.) still breastfeeding, with one formula bottle at daycare

4.) eating strictly table food, and eats everything we eat...he isn't picky at all!

5.) standing unsupported for brief amounts of time

6.) up to 3 teeth! :)

7.) very very vocal! He favors "dada" but is constantly making some sort of sound/talking. I can't figure out what he is trying to say, but there is a lot of dooo's and nanana's

8.) And lastly... he is Mr. Personality! There is not a day that goes by that he does not crack me up. I love watching him play, and figure things out. He is so funny, and so smart. Thankfully I think he got the best of both Kevin and I.

Lastly, I have started planning his birthday party, which is a total wake up call. Thanks to Pinterest, I now feel as though anything store bought, just can't be good enough for my sweet baby boy, so I must attempt to make it all (and then figure out how to ship it down to Texas). We are actually having two parties for him, one in Alaska and one in Texas. Obviously the Texas one will be much bigger, and I feel as if an event planner might be necessary (not really, but it is going to be THAT big). Oh! And we have decided the theme will be "pirate" since his party will be at South Padre Island.

Happy 10 months sweet boy! You have made my life so much better, and remind me each and every day just how good life is! :)