Who is this person?

So after hitting a major plateau this last month and not losing a pound.  I was starting to get pretty frustrated and was thinking, what am I doing this for?  The hours of cardio and sweating it out in the gym weren't doing a thing.  Like I said before, I had never really considered my self a thin person but didn't think I was overly over weight as well.   Then Paul and I found this picture.  At first we chuckled, wow we look pretty dorky.  Nice sideburns  and "bar star" highlights Paul.  Then Paul said, I don't even recognize you, you look like you are wearing a fat suit.  Quite frankly I feel as though I was.  This picture was taken our first summer vacation together.  Kudos to Paul for looking beyond the fat suit to the person who was underneath.  Some one who desperately wanted to be fit and consider them self an athlete.  Some one who wanted to go to the mountains on vacation and not come up with a million excuses as to why they can't keep up when we go for a light jog.  I believe I thought it was the altitude that was making me so winded when we were there, not the 45 extra pounds I was lugging around.   We brought our bikes on this trip too, which went just as well as the running.  We are going back there this summer with our son, and I am so excited to go running and biking in the mountains and feel fit and athletic.  Definitely worth the hours in the gym.  I feel better already.

All in the family...

Can you see the resemblance?  Paul was wondering if the next one could look like him just a little.  Like I have control over anything.  Like I spent the nine months incubating Jason sending telepathic messages to the little genes... pick mine! pick mine! I have visions of the gene pool picking members like kids pick teams in the school yard.  Poor Paul's genes all shuffling their feet and staring at the ground just hoping to be picked for the big show.  Maybe next time Paul's genes, maybe next time...

Gentle reminders.

I know a million, well ok several people having babies this year.  And you just kind of take it for granted that every one is going to have happy, healthy babies.  Well my cousin had a baby who was born with trisomy 18.  A fairly common genetic abnormality actually, but you don't hear of many because these babies don't usually survive to be born none the less make the first year.  So I was really thrown for a loop on this one.  Especially since I have my own little guy.  I guess that's why I haven't really had much to write about here.  Everything else seems to seem so trivial in comparison.   I couldn't imagine if it happened to me, and my heart just ached for my cousin and her family.  I really couldn't get them out of my mind.  

Now the funeral has passed, it was really lovely and we have all had a chance to make peace with the situation.  I was thinking during the service that maybe this all happened for a reason.  A reminder of how precious life is and how precious everything is that we have been given.  I couldn't help but feel that this has touched everyone around my cousin,  kind of like a trickle effect with it's own gentle lesson for every individual.  It reminded me how my cousin and I aren't as close as we used to be and how this has brought us closer again.  How I haven't seen much of my dad's side of the family since his passing and was given the opportunity to reconnect.  How I appreciate Jason even in moments when I am frustrated and can't figure out what is wrong or what he needs.  A reminder to give him a kiss every morning and every night.  To see what an amazing job Paul is doing, and how great he is for a guy who had never held a baby before his own.  So many things to be grateful for.. 

Have you counted your blessings lately? 

In memory of Madeline.

An Angel got her wings yesterday.  My heart goes out to my cousin and her family.

Happy 1/2 Birthday Jason!

My little guy is 1/2 a year old today.  I can't believe we've made it.  Not that I thought anything bad was going to happen or that we wouldn't make it to 6 months.  But wow what a whirl wind of activity those first 6 months were.  Navigating the uncharted waters of parent hood with nothing but my nerves of steel, my trusty "mom-manual"  What to expect in the first year and oodles of unsolicited advice.  I am now just finally feeling like I know what I'm doing... sort of.  I still consult my mom network for advice from time to time and my copy of "what to expect in the first year" still looks like it has seen better days.  With Jason being so happy and easy to please... most of the time, I feel I must be doing this mothering thing half right at least.  And I feel it's a good sign that Child and Protective Services hasn't shown up at my door (not that I'm saying they would ever need to).  But so far Jason is a happy, healthy 6 month old meeting all his developmental milestones, so I am giving my self a pat on the back.  Now lets see how the next 17 1/2 years turn out... I know, it's kind of dumb to assume that he'll be out of the house at 18.  I actually know he won't because he's already a mama's boy. And I like it that way.

Wordless Wednesday.

This is what a real live angel looks like... My prayers and thoughts be with you.

Did I miss out on the craftiness gene or what?

My sister is so talented. I am always I awe of what she can come up with. She is a sculptor, painter, gardener, sewer and scrap-booker. Not to mention that I have greatly benefited from her trade as a hairstylist. But I was so touched she made me these beautiful wedding albums. When Paul and I had been so busy (Having a baby, Building a house, moving, changing jobs) to notice that we hadn't even had any wedding pictures developed, she gave me these.

My first mother's day.

If spending every day with Jason for the last 6 months hadn't made me feel like a mother, then celebrating my first Mother's Day did. It's official, I've joined the ranks of many women before me. It was a simple celebration, some beautiful flowers and a card. Even though Jason didn't go with him on his shopping trip, they were "picked out by Jason". Our cats enjoy feasting on flowers and every nice bouquet I've received previous had been ruined, so he even made sure they would fit on the mantle out of harms way so I'd at least have a few days with them. Even though yesterday I spied Charlie about to make his attempt at jumping. I caught him just in time.

I am looking forward to the day when Jason can actually call me "mom" or "mommy" what ever he chooses, although I like "mommy". The first time I heard my niece call my sister "mom" was pretty neat. It still catches me off guard, oh right she IS a mom too! and Riley isn't just a really cool pet that can do really neat tricks. She's a person who's almost 4! As Jason is becoming his own person too. I remember when he was just a newborn and he didn't really do much but eat, sleep, poop and cry. Paul said, "I don't think it has hit me that he is a person yet, I'm thinking he is kind of like a cat right now."

Soon we'll be able to look back and say, remember when Jason was a baby... and we celebrated our first Mother's day? Time sure is flying.

Yum!

So it's already started, the more effort I put into something the less Jason likes it. I am talking about the delicious home-made baby food I made him. We started with the yams and this is the response I got. Actually making your own baby food is easier than I thought. Buy some vegetables, peel and steam them in a steamer basket until they are soft. I have a food processor that we bought a few years ago, (to make one dish, nice hey?), so I'm glad to finally put it to good use. Mr. Jason inherited his dad's sensitive stomach so getting new food introduced has already proven to be a chore. Nothing boring about this thing called parenthood.

Exciting firsts.

Big things afoot in our house! After what seems like months of teething, we have our first tooth peeking through those precious gums. Being the diligent mom that I am, I had been cleaning his gums every night at bath time. You'd think I'd be the one to notice it first. But no it was his eagle-eyed father that pointed it out to me. I have to admit as exciting as it is to have our son's first tooth coming, I am already going to miss that gummy smile.

Other things of note; Jason has grown out of his infant carrier. Although he still has 1lb left in his seat, he was just looking so cramped. Not to mention the fact that Jason + Carrier= sore back from lugging him around. So we made the move to a more spacious Convertible car seat. After much asking around and research we decided on the Britax Marathon. I do have to admit I was quite sad to put his infant carrier away. The seat we first brought Jason home from the hospital in, the seat we first ventured out into the world as a new family. The seat that kept him contained at a restaurant so we could eat in peace. Those joyous days are now over. But I do look forward to making new memories in the new seat. We already have plans to take Jason and his new seat on a plane to Ontario then on a train to Chicago. Oh my... wish us luck.