To my ONE year old, Jack...

Dear Jack,

To the boy who made me a mama...

I still can't believe you are one year old. Where did the time go? How did we get here already?

It has to be one of the fastest years of my life. And, one of the best years of my life.

I still remember vividly the day you were born. The joy your dad and I had when you entered this world. The tears we shed. You made us parents. You were beautiful and perfect in our eyes. Screaming so loudly that all the nurses were commenting on your good lungs. Oh, and how we would see that temper in the coming days and months. You sure made it known when you weren't happy about something.

Your temper has dwindled over the last few months, and you are becoming a pretty mellow little guy. You do, however love to get into everything around the house. Opening cupboards, pulling things out of drawers, taking books off bookshelves. You seem to be into everything...but your toys.

Ever since you started opening those eyes regularly, everywhere we go, people comment on those big baby blues of yours. You also get lots of comments about how handsome you are. Mama and Dada aren't the only ones who think you are the cutest little boy...

You've been a mama's boy from the start, but you're becoming more and more into daddy. You love it when he tickles you, and you squeal so loudly. But, mama is always the one you want when you are sad or upset. You love being held when you are tired or upset, but you never were and still aren't a cuddler. Daddy says you are just like me...

Sweet Jack, you are also very sensitive. This also comes from me. You cry when we raise our voices at you when you are doing something you shouldn't. You are also sensitive to change and take a while to adjust to new things.

You have brought out a love in me that I never knew possible. Never before have I fallen in love with someone so instantly. You have shown me how great God's love is for me...how great His love is for you. Our prayer is that you know that love and walk in that love.

Jack, part of me wants you to stay a baby forever. To be able to hold you in my arms. But, I know life will just keep getting better as you grow and show us more of who you are. We have loved getting to know you over this last year. And we are excited to discover more of who you are.


Everyone always says that having a baby is so hard. I never thought of you in that way though. I have truly loved every minute of being with you. I have to say that this year was not hard - maybe you are saving that for later (or maybe your future sibling will bring us to that place).  You have been a true joy. You have given me a gift. The gift I have always dreamed of and wanted. The gift of being a mama.

So, to the boy who made me a mama...no one can ever be what you have been to me. I love you, forever.

Jack: 12 Months Old

I know he is a year old now, but I'm still going with 12 months for this post.

 It's been an absolutely crazy week, and I had planned to post this on his actual birthday, along with his one year letter, but life has taken a different course. So, here I am a week later. And the letter will come later... 

Jack took his first step on August 23rd, 4 days after he turned 11 months. A few days later he was up to two steps and then he took off from there. Two steps immediately turned to 7-8 steps, and by 11.5 months, Jack was fully walking. I love it! The cutest thing ever.

Other big events were his first hair cut on September 11th - daddy wouldn't let me wait until he was a year old. I was little upset initially because he looked 3 years old with the gel in his hair, but I have to say I think he looks much better.

Jack's vocabulary is still limited - mostly just saying mama and dada. He is saying his 'b's much more though - probably because he is obsessed with balls.

Jack continues to be a good sleeper and okay eater. I still think he would life off of a liquid diet if he could...

Here are Jack's Facts at 12 Months:

Weight: 21 lb, 11 oz

Height: 30.5 in

Head Circumference: 18 in

Eating: 2 good meals/day (breakfast is yogurt & banana; lunch is cottage cheese & fruit; dinner is veggies and whatever we can force down him)

Nursing: Twice/day

Sleeping: 11 hours at night (7pm-6am); 2 naps (9am-11am; 2pm-4pm)

Diaper: Size 4

Clothing: Mostly 12 month

Firsts: Steps at 11 months, 4 days (walking at 11.5 months); Haircut; Milk

Likes: balls, milk, books, putting EVERYTHING in his mouth

Dislikes: diaper changes, eating dinner

And here is the Jack collage from month 1-12

Jack: 11 Months Old

Not 11 Months.

But, rather, one month away from being 1.

Whah. 

But, seriously, whah.

Jack might as well be one, as I feel like he's a toddler already.

No little baby boy anymore.

Jack's starting to talk much more, but it's still a lot of babble, with an occasional 'dada' thrown in there.

He loves waving, but refuses to perform on command or at appropriate times. 

Jack cracks himself up at all the funny noises and sounds he makes with his lips.

There are new noises every week it seems, and he thinks they are hilarious.

He's also mastered his angry face of scrunching his nose and puckering his lips out. So cute...but not at the same time.

Walking is just around the corner.

Since about 10.5 months, Jack has been able to stand on his own for a significant about of time (until he realizes he's not holding onto anything - and then it's drop to the floor).

He walks while just barely holding onto our hand or gently touching something with one hand. 

I'm hoping to get those little feet moving in the next few weeks. 

Momma's over the crawling phase.

Jack is still sleeping the same amount each day as before, but his schedule has shifted.

He goes down around 7:30-8:30 and generally wakes up 11-12 hours later.

He's still taking two solid naps a day, ranging from 1.5-3 hours each.

A few days ago, Jack got sick for the second time. 

He had a high fever of 102-103 for two days, but seemed to recover quickly.

Here are Jack's facts at 11 Months:

Sleeping: 11-12 hours at night (rarely does his 10 hour nursing session anymore)

Nursing: 3-4 times/day (morning, before bed, and once or twice in between)

Eating: 3 meals a/day (although he is not a fan of dinner still)

Clothing: 9 and 12 month

Diaper: size 4

Firsts: flight on an airplane, drinking milk, standing independently for good lengths of time

See you at the dreaded one year post... 

Seattle's Best

Our 2013 summer family vacation was to Seattle.

I had visited Seattle when I was about 12, but Jason had never been.

He's always 'admired' the city since he was a kid and a wanna be goth/punk.

Even though the weather was supposed to be in the 70's & 80's, he still packed his Doc Martins and flannel shirts (and he packed while listening to Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam - no joke).

We figured (or at least hoped) it would be a manageable trip with a 10 month old.

Only a 2 hour flight from CA and a realistic sight-seeing agenda with a baby in tow.

Here is a summary of our trip by day:

{Thursday}

 Our flight landed around 11, and we got downtown around noon.

 We hit up Pioneer Square for lunch and exploring

 

That evening we went to Kerry Park in Queen Anne for some awesome views of the city.

{Friday}

 Pike's Place Market

First Starbucks

Seattle's Waterfront

Jason had to see the Kurt Cobain memorial, so we headed there before heading to Ballard for Mexican food.

{Saturday}

We took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island

  

Gorgeous views of Seattle from this side of the water

When we got back to Seattle that evening we headed to Fremont for Thai food.

{Sunday}

Mariner's Game

And of course they had a fireplace in the stadium.

Only in Seattle.

So, if I had to nurse a baby at a baseball game, why not do it in front of the fire.

Not bad Safeco Field, not bad.

My high school mentor and her husband live outside of Seattle, so we were able to meet up with them at their house for dinner that evening.

Probably one of the highlights of the trip for me.

I hadn't seen them in over 8 years!

Jack with their twin girls, Katie & Sarah. 

 

{Monday} 

Alki Beach in West Seattle

Our last stop was a quick tour of the University of Washington.

And then we headed home!

Some thoughts on traveling with a 10 month old:

I was super nervous for Jack's first flight, but he did great going both ways.

He handled each flight exactly the same:

He fell asleep while nursing during the take off and slept the first hour.

The rest of the flight he kept busy by eating snacks, looking out the window, and standing on our laps and looking at everyone.

On both flights, the decent was no good on his ears though, despite my attempt to nurse him or give him a bottle.

He screamed and arched for about 10 minutes during the decent, but was always better by the time the plan landed.

Thankfully we sat next to AWESOME men on both flights, who totally didn't care. 

Jack wakes up super early (around 6) and usually goes down for his morning nap around 8.

So, we didn't start our days until after he woke from his morning nap, around 11 or so.

We figured if he could get one good nap in, he would last longer into the day and be in a better mood while doing so.

We rented a car so we didn't have to deal with public transportation with him and so we could cover more ground at a faster pace (since our days were already shorter due to our late starts).

Jack's afternoon nap was usually in the car while we were driving somewhere.

Most times we got to our next destination within 20-30 minutes, but would drive around a little longer so he could get at least a 45 minute nap in.

We also took at least one break during the day so Jack could crawl around. He definitely didn't like being strapped down in the stroller or ergo all day. That was probably the hardest part of traveling with him at this age: he wants to move, but can't walk yet, so we could just let him free wherever we wanted.

All in all, Jack did great though! We kept him up way past his bedtime (until 8 or 9), but he adjusted and went to sleep great each night (even though we had his pack n' play in the closet. Sorry dude).

While 'vacationing' with a baby is so different than without, we are so glad we went for it.

It was no romantic get-away for us, but we were still able to have a great time exploring Seattle.