Growing up

Change isn't something that usually happens overnight, instead it tiptoes in slowly, quietly leaving its mark on your life. I realized that this morning as I chased my ten month old around the house, playfully dashing after him while he crawled at light speed. "Where has my little newborn gone?" I stopped and thought to myself while catching my breath. The chubby little rolly polly who couldn't even sit up on his own and nursed what seemed like every hour? It seems as though it was just yesterday. At times the days and weeks seemed to drag on, while other days flew by. In a few weeks my little baby will be eleven months old and no sooner will I blink and he'll be a year. They say the days are long but the years are short and well, they couldn't be more right. 

{Newborn Bubby...one of my all time favorite pics of him snoozing so peacefully. ♥}

Its a beautiful yet incredibly bittersweet feeling to watch your children grow up. I have good days and bad days as a stay at home mom, but always try my best to soak it all in. To cherish the days filled with more kisses than I can count, to capture the moments when he does something new for the first time, and to just remember him how he is now, at this very moment. ♥ I know he will continue to change and grow, and I am so grateful for the chance to witness it. 

   

{Dancing on his changing pad. For some reason it was always his happy place♥}

These days he is curious, stubborn, playful and sweet. I am constantly amazed by how fast he learns new things. Recently he started calling me "Mama" and I can't deny it melts my heart every time he says it. :) 

{Getting him dressed is definitely a challenge now that he can move so fast!}

I'm so lucky to have such a smart and smiley little boy. His favorite time of the day is bath time! He loves splashing and playing with his bath toys, along with eating the bubbles every now and then. ;)

{Bathroom selfies! So fresh & clean after his bath.}

He is learning everyday and has recently started snuggling anything and everything he can. Every time he does this, I die a little, simply because its so damn cute. ;) I can actually tell him to go snuggle Elmo and he will go find him, pick him up and snuggle him!! ;') 

{Elmo & Bubby snuggles♥}

He's also a fan of his monkey. ;) These two are the things he loves to snuggle most, other than me! 

{Sorry its blurry, but this little guy moves fast!}

 Recently we took Bubby to a park near our house and he got to go on the swings for the first time. Seeing the smile on his face as the wind rushed past him was a memory I will cherish forever. 

{Weeeeeee!}

We're also trying to start good habits by brushing his four little teeth everyday which proves to be quite the challenge. This little guy sure gives me a run for my money when it comes to this! ;) 

{Toothbrush shenanigans...}

Things are changing each day around here, and its a beautiful thing.♥

What's changed in your life recently? 

Learning the hard way

When you have a baby, you know that sooner or later they will get hurt. No matter how hard you try to shelter your little one and keep them out of harm's way sometimes it still happens. As a mama experiencing motherhood for the first time, this was not something I wanted to think about or believe for that matter. Unfortunately it turns out to be true.

My son is ten months old and has been crawling for a few months now. He is as all babies are: curious, playful and most of the time a bit mischievous. If there is something he shouldn't be getting into, he will. If it's dangerous he will plow ahead fearlessly, unaware of the danger and mini heart attack it causes his mama and daddy. I am learning all too quickly that little boys DO get hurt.

A few days ago I was cooking dinner and my husband was watching my son, (or supposed to be). He crawled into the kitchen while I was cooking and got into one of the cabinets. I called for my husband to come remove my son as some of our child locks on the cabinets don't work well and its dangerous for him to be underfoot. Right as he was coming to get him, my son pulled a pyrex dish from the cabinet and it landed right on his hand.

It all happened so fast. I didn't even realize he was strong enough to grab something that heavy! My heart raced as I heard the crash and looked down to see the glass dish on top of his chubby little fingers. I instantly felt like THE WORST MOTHER IN THE WORLD. Why hadn't I gotten to him sooner? Why wasn't I paying better attention? And why (for the love of God) can't my husband watch him and keep him out of trouble while I'm cooking?! I manage to watch him all day without him getting hurt, so 30 minutes to an hour out of the day should be easy peezy, right?

After all these thoughts rush through my head I realize my son could really be hurt. He is a tough little guy but was crying pretty hard. He did calm down and go to bed after I gave him some tylenol and kissed his boo boo, but he kept waking up all night and I just knew he was in pain. We ended up having our very first trip to the er that night around 1:30 am. His poor little finger was swollen and bruised and again, my heart ached that my baby was hurting. The er doc basically did nothing, except provide a prescription for some motrin and tylenol. We headed home with the knowledge that there was not much we could do.

 At my son's follow up appointment yesterday his pediatrician ordered an xray and we found out my son actually had a fracture. Thankfully he will not need surgery since it's not on his growth plate and it should heal on its own in a few weeks. However, that still doesn't change the fact that this all could have been prevented. I try really hard to be a good mother to my son but on that day his dad and I both let him down. As parents we try to do the best we can and take care of our babies to the best of our abilities. We are still human however, and we too make mistakes. On this journey of parenthood I am so thankful for God's grace and forgiveness when I fail, and now more than ever I appreciate my mother and understand parenting is the hardest job there is!

I am taking this incident as a hard learned lesson and making sure to watch my son much more carefully. In the day to day of things its so easy to get distracted and not pay enough attention to our little ones. Unfortunately at this stage its so easy for him to get hurt and he wants to discover and touch anything he can get his chubby little hands on. It's my job as his mama to kiss his boo boo's and make them all better, but it's also my job to make sure he gets as few of them as possible. Today I am trying to forgive myself and focus on the things I AM doing right as a mother, including loving my sweet boy with all my heart. ♥

Fall fun at the Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we took Jeremiah to the pumpkin patch for the first time. It was a crisp, beautiful autumn day and it couldn't have been nicer out. The weather has been cooling down some this week and it finally feels like fall. ♥ We had so much fun searching for the perfect pumpkin and Jeremiah definitely loved all the sights and his very first wagon ride at the pumpkin patch. Here's our day in photographs. :) 

Happy Fall!

Flashback Friday: Newborn

Today's flashback Friday is all about Jeremiah when he was a newborn. 

Aahhhh....I just can't stand the cuteness. ♥

I love how small he was back then and still remember how special it was holding him for the first time and kissing his sweet face. I can't believe my baby boy is almost four months already. 

Time sure does fly.

 For all the mamas out there, what special moments do you remember from your baby's newborn days?  

Happy Friday everyone! 

xoxo 

Enjoy it

Can you believe it's May already? Where has this year gone??? I feel like I was just hugely pregnant and waiting for my son to arrive and now we are already five months into the year. It seems like every year time speeds up a little more...slow down time! 

One thing I am trying to do this year is to "live in the moment," hence the name of my blog. I feel like the last few years of my life I've spent too much time wishing things would hurry up, (that's often the case when you're a mil spouse) but now I am realizing how important it is to enjoy the here and now. 

Each day is filled with trials but there is also beauty among the hardships. I get to watch my son grow and learn new things all the time and it amazes me how much he continues to surprise and delight me. 

So today I am thankful that we have this time together and I have a feeling May is going to be a great month. :) The pool is opening this month and I can't wait to take Jeremiah and see how he likes it. I am also just plain ecstatic about the thought of warmer weather and  hitting the beach as a family. 

Well lovely readers, I've got a pile of dishes and laundry that awaits me, and lots of snuggle time with my little guy on this gloomy day, but I will post again later. I have a few more California posts to share with you and lots of photos from our vacation so I've been working on that this week. Can't wait to share them with you all! 

Happy Wednesday! :) 

xoxo

Happy 3 Months!

Yesterday my baby boy turned 3 months. He is growing up before my eyes and already I've become pretty sentimental about it. I hate to admit it but I've spent the better part of the last two days just admiring him while he nurses, trying to take in all that he is. 

There have been more than a few times when I get an overwhelming sense of sadness at the thought of him growing up so fast, and I cant lie and say I haven't shed a few tears over it. When I look at him my heart feels though it might burst at any moment and I am constantly amazed at my love for this tiny human. 

He is starting to smile more now and the mornings are my favorite. He wakes happy (and hungry of course) and after I nurse him I love to give him kisses and play in our bed for a bit before we get up. I know these days won't last forever, and all too soon they will be gone so I am trying to enjoy them and remember everything I can about my time spent with  my little man. :) 

He has already learned to roll over from his tummy to his back, and we are working with him on "tummy time" so he can strengthen his muscles and learn to sit up and crawl in the next few months. Before we know it he will be moving around and getting into everything! ;) 

But for now I'd like him to stay my baby for just a bit longer...I love you my sweet Jeremiah. ♥