Pieces of our day

This exchange took place last night.

Me: I sure am going to miss flossing with you.

Justin: We can do FlossTime

I thought it was funny anyway. 

Boy do I love living with that guy.

Speaking of the boys in my life. . . 

Look at the happy face I get to go in and see each time he wakes up.

I am one lucky girl!

February in pictures

Wasn't it JUST Christmas? How is it March?? 

Well, here's what February looked like for us. . . more or less.

10K relay race (we each ran 5K)

Grocery shopping can be a challenge these days

Open gym for toddlers

Sharing my smoothie from a cup

Mini Me

Everett Paul, one year (and two weeks) old

I have sort of started the process (and what a process it is going to be) of going through some old family photos. As I browsed through the boxes that my mom sent me, I came to a few shots of me when I was about 18 months old. Now, Everett is only 12 months old, but wouldn't you agree that he looks a little bit like me? Red overalls and everything. Okay, by a little bit I really mean a lot. Because I see myself in him every day, and I have since he was born. It makes me wonder what he will turn into as he grows. If I am any indication, maybe this means that we can look forward to some hair in the next six months. My baby is growing up!

And now for a bunch of random photos from the past month.

Playin' and poopin'

He sure loves those socks

. . . and he's got a thing for eyelashes

Coats. . . but the white one isn't mine, I just like it.

Costco shopper, pizza dinner

He makes this face when you say anything about smiling or teeth.

Sliding. I had to keep helping him sit up straight.
That perfectly strait little body, that coat, he was cracking me up. So funny.

My sick boy. Doc said he got the influenza virus. The poor boy felt so bad for a couple of days.
He's much happier now although still filled with boogies. Boogies are gross.
He did learn a new skill though thanks to Mr. flu: how to blow (his nose).

It's my party and I'll wear a pink bib if I want to

My baby did it. He turned one on Sunday.

ONE. 

As in a YEAR! 

Have I really been his mother for a whole year? On one hand, the time has flown by, but on the other, it feels like he as been a part of our family forever. I suppose he has. We just weren't reunited until one year ago, that fateful friday night just before midnight. 

I love him.

Lovin' my trike Grandma Lisa!

Thanks for the awesome clothes Aunt lynnie and Grandma Betty!

Waiting for his birthday cake at a friend's house

Thanks for the big bag of balls Grandma Jen!

Another toy on loan from a friend. He loves to give him kisses and hugs.

For posterity's sake (and the sake of my memory) Everett has six teeth and he can:
• Walk
• Give kisses
• Give "loves"--he will lay his head down on your shoulder
• Put his arms up (sometimes just one arm)
• Chew on command
• Clap--he claps the back of one hand with the front of the other
• Fold his arms
• Open his mouth
• Click his toung
• Kick his legs/feet
• Make Monkey sounds
• Make tiger sounds
• Make dog sounds
• Jump or dance
• Point--he loves pointing to lights
• Give five
• Stick his toung out
• Shake his head no--little worried about that one
• Drink from a sippy cup--he does whole milk now, another sign that he is not my baby any more :(
• Play peekaboo--if he doesn't have anything to cover his face, he will just puts the back of his hand to his forehead
• Play the patting-hand-over-his-mouth-while-he-makes-noise-for-the-vibrating-sound-efffect game--when you stop he will try to do it to himself
• Slide down the little slide by himself--he rolls to his tummy and clings to the sides as he goes down
• Go poo poo and pee pee on the potty (when we take him)
• Say "hi"--sounds like "eyeeee"
• Say "mama" and "dada" although he's not 100% solid on the meaning
• Sign "milk"--I think he's a little confused on the meaning of this one too since I stopped nursing him.
• And I'm pretty sure he was trying to say "Jesus" the other day while looking at a painting we have hanging in our kitchen

Christmas Day

We were sad to miss out on the festivities with family but we had fun eating breakfast and opening presents with our own little family this year. Everett didn't really know what to think of it all and probably enjoyed the wrapping paper as much as anything.

11 Months

How did my baby go from this. . .

4 days old

2 months and 1 week old

Almost 3 month old

To this. . . ?

You may call me Crooked Face

Crooked kisses for Justin from the doctor's office

I have Bell's palsy.

On Sunday I was in the shower trying to squeeze my eyes shut to keep the water out while I was washing my face and I couldn't. My right eye wouldn't squeeze! As I thought about it, other parts of my face weren't functioning quite up to par either.

I yelled for the future Dr. Delatore and showed him. He told me in is usual non-worrisome tone that it could be Bell's palsy. (Of course he had to explain to me what that was because, call me crazy or out of the loop, whatever, but I'm not up on my facial paralysis lingo and had never even heard of that before.) I finished getting ready and hustled off to church, not really thinking or worrying too much about it. Then, as the day went on the weakness in my face only stayed the same or got worse.

I went to see a doctor on Monday and he confirmed our suspicions and gave me some tape to hold my eye shut at night so it doesn't dry out like a raisin.

That was nice of him.

Oh, and he also prescribed some corticosteroids to try to help my swollen facial nerve. Today is my third day taking them and there is no sign of improvement, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Usually it gets better.
Sometimes it doesn't.

I'm really hoping it does. . .

Within a couple of weeks.
But if not. . .

Then maybe a couple of months.
But if not. . .

Maybe a couple of years?
But if not. . .

I guess there are worse things in life.
Maybe I'll have less wrinkles. . .

On half of my face.

Trying to show my teeth and squeeze my eyes
. . . in very poor lighting

Mom, your face is crooked.

Perfect time to use those new pointing skills, son.

We still have fun.

Counting my Blessings

Last night Everett did something wonderful.
He slept.
The whole night.
From 7:00 PM to 7:30 AM

It was the fourth night in a row that I didn't nurse him or go to him at all but it was the FIRST time he didn't even wake up "crying." Not once!

FIRST TIME IN 10 MONTHS AND 14 DAYS!!!!

I still woke up a couple of times (because I am sick or maybe just out of habit, I don't know), but to say I'm thrilled would be an understatement.

I haven't really been able to relish this momentous occasion, however, because it was a hard day for me. I got the worst sore throat last night. Then today I was achy with chills and a sore throat and headache and it was all I could do to meet our basic needs:

Potty. Food. Potty. Sleep. Potty. Milk. Repeat.

And then Justin didn't get home until much later than I had hoped, which is never a good thing, but so much worse when I am sick and counting the minutes until I have help.

Then he came home.

He came via the grocery store, and after an 11 hour day on his feet, helped me put Everett to bed, did the dishes, cleaned up the house, and vacuumed while I lay here on the couch with his laptop and nothing to worry about but how to get comfortable.

While Everett sleeps.
Through the night.

I am blessed.

Growing Boy

 I can't get over how big my little boy is! 

Here are a few pictures (from the end of October). 

Proof that my boy is growing. 

Hair, teeth, the works. 

(He has since added another single top snaggle tooth to the smile.)

Flowing locks

Too cute

Teeth

Love this face, he makes it all the time

Climber

Get in the picture

I really need to do a better job of getting in pictures with my boy. I need to capture my days and the countless hours I spend with him, taking care of him, teaching him, playing with him, loving him. Not just when I look put together either, but when I look like a mom. . . which is always. It's what I do and I want to remember it. Me WITH my children. I love what Saydi says:

I want my motherhood captured. I want to stop looking at my flaws in the pictures and start looking at the love and happiness that’s the subtext, the background for these photos.

So here's to getting in the picture. And if that means taking pictures with the FaceTime camera on my phone, so be it. 

Here are the articles (spurred on by the Huffington post article) that have inspired me to get in the picture:

• The Mom Stays in the Picture (Huffington Post) 

• Mom in the Picture (Saydi Shumway)

• Get in the Picture (Power of Moms)

• "Get in the Picture" Photo Challenge (Power of Moms)

• Get in the Picture (Clover Lane)