I'm Still Here! Family Updates

Sorry it's been so long folks!  I love blogging, but sometimes life just takes over, ya know!?  In between full time mom and wifeville with a mini tornado  toddler in the house, 20 hours at my internship site, class, homework, trying to maintain various ministries at church, and having a social life all without losing my sanity has been an interesting challenge.  I don't have as much time to actually sit down and blog these days!  I have so many thoughts that go through my head and they sometimes make it to the "blog ideas" app on my phone, or they just whirl around all jumbled in my head while I'm trying to shower with no place to go.  A lot of times sitting down during nap time requires sacrificing a shower or eating, but sometimes that's just what ya gotta do!  I think I also have to get better about just barfing everything onto the keyboard, and then not reading it through a million times proofreading, because then it won't take as long to blog!  So if you will just go along with me here and be willing to put up with some incorrect grammar at times, maybe I can blog more??  

Anyway, life has been wonderful lately... full and busy, but nonetheless pretty fabulous.  I am loving my new role as a counselor/clinician/therapist intern at an outpatient community mental health clinic and know that I have finally found my calling.  I see families, children, individuals, and couples, and am loving it!  I feel confident that I am doing what God has called me to do in pursuing my Masters degree in counseling, and he has provided every step of the way with providing financially, placing this internship in my lap, and providing close family and friends to sacrifice their busy times and schedules to help with childcare until I can complete my hours.  Scott's boss has allowed him to work from home one day a week, my parents watch K one day a week, and my sweet sister and dear friend Laurie Adamson are alternating hours for the third day.    They are all SO incredible with our sweet little miss and we could not do this without them!!  It is so hard for me to sacrifice a few extra days to be away from K, but I am confident that I am supposed to finish this degree, and I am more confident about leaving her in such great hands when I am not with her!!  I have 9 more months of internship, 2 more classes, and then 2 huge exams (one for licensing, and one to graduate).  It still sounds like a lot... but not when you consider I have completed about 60 credit hours so far and logged a couple hundred hours at my internship site! :)  My plan is to finish the degree, and then be back to my full time stay at home mom status--or maybe just work one day a week or so until Kaelyn and any future kiddos we may have are in primary school or out of the house.  I'm not sure how God is going to use my degree, but I still feel called to complete it.  It is very fulfilling to feel called to something, not know how you're supposed to get to the end result, and watch how God provides!  I also have to do just a quick shout out to my amazing husband who puts up with so much from me.  He is a great listener when I have a hard day of client stories and need to process, he is so patient when it comes to helping out with Kaelyn and around the house, he graciously reminds me to not be a perfectionist with my housework during this crazy season, and ultimately is doing whatever it takes to help me live my dream of becoming a therapist.  Sorry for the mushy gush, but I just really need to publicly commend his faithful support because I am so thankful for such a stand up guy!!!  I do not take him for granted for one second!

Miss K has been growing a ton... she is now about 20 lbs and toddling all over the place!  She started to walk the day after Thanksgiving, and has been non-stop on the go since then!  It has been so fun to watch her get better at walking every day, and learn how to stand on her own.  Her cheeks are so soft and kissable, those big blue eyes melt my heart daily, and whenever she brings me a book and reaches up to climb onto my lap I feel so filled with joy I might burst!! 

Scotty is doing well with his job... somewhat recently promoted to be a business analyst in the operations department at U-Haul.  His attention to detail and skills of efficiency work wonders in dealing with U-Haul's payment systems, and he feels needed and appreciated for what he does there which is a huge blessing in a job!!

We  have both also been enjoying playing on the worship team at church, Scott with percussion, and myself with keyboard and vocals.  We will both be in the Xmas Eve service at Bethany Bible... which you should totally come for if you are local!!! 5:00 pm on Xmas Eve!  It's going to be a great service if you are looking for a place to go!! :)  Okay, sorry for the shameless plug... but our church is awesome and we love it, okay?????

Anyway... K is still sleeping... I might have time to fit in a quick shower before she wakes up!  Wahoo!!  Hope to be back here again soon with some pictures and posts I have been thinking about for awhile!! :)

My Baby is One Today!!

Check out Kaelyn's 1st year of life video montage!!

My heart is a bit of a soppy mess.  One year ago today, I gave birth to a sweet baby girl.  We named her Kaelyn Grace which means "pure beauty and grace."  Grace is unmerited favor.  And the Lord blessed us abundantly when he gave us  this child.  A blessing we by no means deserved, but receive graciously.

How is it that we have gone from THIS:

to THIS:

Such a drastic change in one short year!!!

After sleeping through the night for quite a few months, she awoke crying last night around 3am because she had accidently knocked all her pacifiers onto the floor.  I have to say... after many nights of getting a full night sleep, I relished it.  I pulled her into bed with me and snuggled her tight.  I stroked her sweet soft face and nursed her until she had had her fill.  I squeezed her chubby little thigh and pulled her little form close.  She nestled up to me and I realized how much I have missed those moments.  Those moments of her needing me.  Those moments where I was sustaining her on my milk alone.  Those moments where she needed me every second of every day.

And now she's turning into a little girl.  She is looking less and less babyish and more and more toddlerish.  She is developing more of her fiesty little personality and is exploring the world around her nonstop.  Yep, it's true... she's growing up.  Her first year of life is gone.

There was a time I thought I would be pregnant forever.  There was a time I thought that she would NEVER sleep through the night.  There was a time that I thought she would NEVER crawl.  And here we are.  We did it.  We survived our first year of parenthood!!!

There have been days where I have felt so tired... so clueless... so helpless... There have been days where I thought my child is the fussiest, clingiest, neediest baby.... and then now I'm wondering if most moms don't wonder that about their child or children from time to time.  Like somehow I'm the only one who has tough days or something.  Nope, pretty sure it's just called being a parent.

And now with a little perspective I'm seeing things in a different light today.  Seeing how I blinked and a year flashed by.  I can honestly say that I have loved and appreciated each and every moment.  Even the tough ones.  Choosing to stay home with her full time this year was the best decision EVER.  I relished each snuggle, each kiss, each milestone with wonder and awe.  I appreciate who she is... her personality... her zest for life.  Even on the hardest days, motherhood has brought me a joy that I have never known before.  It has challenged me in a way that I never knew possible and has transformed me into a better person.  God is molding and teaching me through this process.  Teaching me patience, grace, and unconditional love.  I'm learning priorities and appreciation.  Control and discipline.  Selflessness and sacrifice.  Thankfulness in abundance.

I'd like to share a poem with you and today seems like the perfect day it!  I don't know the author or the title, but it's one that my mom had hanging on our wall growing up.

Mother, O' Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth.
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek - peekaboo.

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew,
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo.
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,
But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Snuggle your little ones today!!!!!!!  Time goes so fast doesn't it!?  Thanks for putting up with my sentimental gush today. :-)

11 Months

This has been a HUGE month for little Miss K!

Here are some of her big milestones and what she has been up to:

-Sleeping consistently through the night (our favorite milestone of course!)
-Eating dog food when mommy wasn't looking
-Learning to crawl in the traditional way and not just army crawling (yaaaay!)
-Saying, "all done" and doing baby sign language for the word "more"
-Saying "dog" in her own way... it sounds like this "didididididididi!!!"
-Pulling herself up on EVERYTHING and walking while holding on furniture
-Pooping in the tub (twice! BARF!)
-Becoming an expert self feeder
-Learning how to stick out her tongue on command and wiggle it... pretty hilarious actually
-Climbing up the stairs
-Trying to climb out of the tub or into the dishwasher...also got her head stuck under the bed...
-Getting into everything and making giant messes.... (see the evidence below!)
-Becoming BFF's with our dog Sadie (they are inseparable and love each other very much!!)
-Offering to share her food with Scott, myself, or Sadie.  Sadie is usually the only one that takes her up on her offers!  When holding K while she is eating, she will often try to shove whatever she is eating into your mouth.  She thinks it is pretty hysterical!
-Is now spending one day a week at Grandpa Ron and Grandma Juli's house while mama is at her internship and doing so well with it (too well... pretty sure she is better for them than she is for us! ;-))
-Giving us kisses!  She used to just give us one when we asked for it (sometimes, not always)... but now she initiates it sometimes!  So precious!!  It's basically an open mouth slobber fest but we still love it!
-LOVES it when we read her stories.  She is getting much more interactive and loving to touch and turn pages.
-Pulling off any bow we put on her head (bummer!!)

Here are some pictures from the past month (forgive the horrible phone pics)!

 Bonding with her BFF

 Helping mommy with laundry

 Eating avocado... her fave!! I don't blame her!

 Getting into the pantry...

 Posing with Sadie

 Learning how to stick out her tongue!

 Getting into the recycle bin...

Trying to conquer the dishwasher

We are having so much fun with her and loving this age!  Happy 11 months baby girl!