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13.5 months ago, I became a mother. I still can’t believe it. I can’t believe that a baby grew in my belly, was born, and is the spunky happy child that she is. I know this is super cheesy, but it was 13.5 months ago that I learned what true love, sacrifice, happiness and exhaustion are. 13.5 months ago, my life, marriage and career trajectory also changed (and will never be the same again).
WOW. so basically… nothing is the same and it never will be. i’m glad tho.
i have grown as a person and really stretched myself beyond what limits i thought existed. motherhood is far beyond anyone’s expectation and i really really relish every second of it. it’s the calling i never knew i had. the talent i never knew existed.
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i meant to do monthly updates of our lives with every milestone C hit, but life is cray and it’s a freaking miracle i shower most mornings. sigh. so in honor of C’s 13.5 month milestone (yea i made this up)~~ i’ll say 13.5 things. =P:
- C rolled at 4 months, crawled at 6, stood at 7 and walked at 8. This little lady has kept us on our feet and she does NOT disappoint with giving us heart attacks each day b/c she is a thrill seeking ninja. Can that even be possible for a 1 year old you ask? HELL YES, C is living proof.
- C has HUGE feet. At 1 she is a size 5, 5.5. Um… I’m pretty sure 2-3 year old children have that size feet. With her incredible motor/fine motor skills, Mike and I are dying to see if she turns out to be a natural athlete or just a super tall amazon woman ORRRR (worst scenario) at 5″5 woman with size 11 feet. >.< eek.
- C thinks EVERYTHING is funny. She smiles about and laughs about everything. I love that. I love the sweet optimism and joy she has for everything in this world. Even running down the hallway she has her arms out and she’s laughing hysterically. I hope she never loses that trait and that the world is kind to her. With the whole Brock Turner Situation and the Orlando Shoot AND the time Mike and I witnessed a shooting… I’m so scared about how this world is changing. I pray every night, while I tuck C in, that God will keep her safe and shield her from such violence. i tear up just thinking about all of this… (btw as a new mom i cry CONSTANTLY. i cry over things from the Brock Turner rape to a possum lying in the road. My tears don’t discriminate.)
- C LOVES animals. Farm Animals, Safari Animals, Domesticated Animals…Mike and I spend hours each day reading various animal books, making animal sounds, and imitating what animals do (cue in chomping arms for aligator, long armed nose for elephant, scary roar claws for brown bear/tiger/lion/cheetah/panda/polar bear/etc <–cuz that’s not confusing). Right now her favorite in the whole world tho… is DOGS! She loves pointing at lucy, trying to “hug” lucy, and touching all doggies that we see on our walks outside. Wherever we go, if C sees a dog she shouts “meh! meh!” and points. What’s really fun is when she sees a dog and starts following that family in the blink of an eye. If you don’t have your eyes on her every freaking milisecond she will wander off in search of “meh! “meh!”.
- Pointing. C points at EVERYTHING right now and looks at you. She wants you to describe it or name it. As tiring as this “game” is, I love it. I love seeing her absorb the world around her and put labels/names on things. She currently points at all dogs and cats (they are the same in her mind since lucy is a hybrid), trees, bushes, people, cars, and body parts. It’s SOOO much fun when she jams her finger into my belly button unexpectedly, nostril, ear, etc b/c she realizes I have one too. Something funny but I’m sure I have to stop one day~ when I’m lying down on my back, she pulls my hair forward b/c she wants me to sit up and read her a book. When I’m lying on the ground on my stomach, she pushes my face back b/c she wants me to read to her sitting up. She turns my head side to side to study each ear. She also points at the front door or her blue car which signals to us “outside”. She cries until we take her out. lol
- Back Back, Back it Up. The CUTEST thing she does EVER is she backs up in my lap. She has processed that when we read books together, she must sit in my lap. So she brings me the book, turns around and slowly backs up until she’s sitting down. She doesn’t always make it in my lap (bad aim) but it’s just SO DARLING. I can’t get over it. I’m going to enjoy this little move forever~ Just tuck this sweet memory into my head.
- At like 11 months, C FINALLY understood what the jumper was for and started jumping. lol I’m not really sure if that was our fault or if she just needed more time to figure that out~ but it’s hilarious that NOW she loves the jumper that is too small for her.
- C understands processes/sequences and copies us or knows exactly what is coming next. I LOVE THAT. When we put her in the bath, she immediately points to the toys and then holds her hand out for soap in her hand. SO ADORABLE. All this non-verbal communcation is so adorable, I can’t stand it!
- I gave C sugar by accident. WAHHHH. I went to a baby shower where they had fresh squeezed watermelon juice. I tasted it first and it was so fresh and delicious! It was only after I gave her a cup that someone told me they added sugar to it. boo. The entire rest of the party C kept pointing to the pink drink and tried to pick up cups guests had left around on the tables. >.< ughh huge mom fail.
- At night when I feed C the bottle in the dark with the sound machine on~ she goes through all the hand motions she knows. It MELTS my heart. The daycare teaches her tons of really fun things and I only know about them when she does it at night. Since there are no distractions she mimics it over and over and over again. LOVE. That gives me a chance to do them with her the next day or ask the daycare what new songs she’s learning.
- I miss breastfeeding. Isn’t that WEIRD? During the thick of it I was SO OVER PUMPS, PUMP PARTS, BOOB ANYTHING. But now that C is no longer a teeny tiny babe… I seriously miss the intimacy and the comfort it gave both of us. sigh. For Baby #2, #3, #4… I need to remember to try harder and breastfeed for longer.
- Mike had to sleep train C b/c I was too weak. He not only sleep trained her when she went down, but also through the night. I could not have done any of that without Mike. He has been such an amazing father and husband~~ So supportive, sweet and patient! He and C have this beautiful, goofy, fun relationship together and I love watching it blossom. C gives him the BIGGEST smile when he comes home from work and runs to the door with a book or her blankie. I hope they always remain close and have the best friendship. <3
- Last major fact about C…she is the sweetest child. Although she is going through a hitting phase (sigh), she is so generous with her food, toys, belongings. At home, church and outside…C is always open to people taking her things. I really love that about her. It makes me think she has a wonderful heart, will be such a good future big sister, and will be easy to adapt to new situations (whatever the Lord plans). Recently we went to a play area where 4-6 older boys were playing a game. C walked up to them and wanted to play too so she sat down and stared at them. As her mama I could see she wanted to be included but the boys dismissed her. My heart seriously hurt watching that happen. I know that there will be moments in C’s life that aren’t perfect or where she gets left out of things at school~~ but I wasn’t ready to see it just yet. C also doesn’t understand personal boundaries so she was touching this boys foot with her foot and thought it was funny. He did not and gave her a little kick (right in front of me!! rawrrrr). C didn’t understand it was a mean move and thought they were playing~ so she kicked him back. Again… that whole exchange just hurt my heart. I’m praying constantly that the Lord watches over C and protects her from bullies, mean kids, and just heart aches that she doesn’t yet understand. I still get emotional thinking that I won’t be there to protect her every move and that she’ll have to learn some hard lessons on her own… *tear *. I guess it’s all a part of both of us growing up and getting used to this new stage huh? Only… I’m not quite ready. I need lots more time squeezing my baby and protecting her from all harm/mean people. With the Orlando shooting and all the crime in the news these days (a 2 yr old was eaten by a gator in Florida!!)… I’m just a nervous mama praying very very hard for God to blanket our family with peace, protection and love.
- (there was no 13 1/2 option) C’s hair is… well not growing in. sigh. perhaps it’s because she’s happa? perhaps it’s b/c she is her own little person~ but i’m DYING to do more with it and and praying daily that it grows in silky and thick. so far it’s very thin, a light brown (sure to turn lighter in the sun b/c of mike) and i can kiiiiiiiiiinda see curls at the bottom in the back. my dream would be for her to have super thick wavy hair. fingers crossed. (yes this is the most superficial one, which is why it’s 1/2 a point =P).
Boy that was very very long. Sorry ya’ll. Lots of random things in my mind lately! hahaha Well I hope you have a wonderful Friday and Father’s Day weekend!! xoxo Stay Safe!!!
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