18 months and 19 weeks

Cole is 1 1/2 today. Wait, what? I still can't believe that it a year and a half ago when I came face to face with the most precious boy ever.  And even more so, I can't believe that it was a year ago that I said so long to my job so that I could spend all my waking minutes with this little dude. I cannot imagine missing a second of this little boys everyday life. He just makes me smile.

I mean, it doesn't happen everyday that you can stack your milk on top of the puff container.....

Or when you find your little boy rocking your headband while playing with his firetruck......

Or when he finally decides walking is actually alright....seriously didn't think I would ever see the day...

My little boy has really come into his own these past couple of months. He has an opinion about food, about where he wants to go, and that he would rather sit in his poo than have his diaper changed. He loves, loves, LOVES books and for me to read to him at least 20 times a day. In fact, reading books has actually been very helpful when I haven't been feeling well, he will crawl up on the couch and lay down next to me while I read book after book. He has also discovered that he can direct his mama exactly where he wants to go and what he wants to do if he grabs one of my hands and places it in his other and starts to walk.....it is expected that I will immediately follow his lead, and can be very detrimental I choose otherwise. He loves to shares popsicles with me, and sneak bites of my yogurt, and beg for my cereal....but try and give  him his own food, and that can be a whole other story. He loves bubbles, rocks, and bugs, and could easily spend all afternoon outside.  He has been talking up a storm....most of what I can't understand yet....but some of the things that I do know are, "Do it again," "thank you," "dog," "mama," "dadda," "right there," "dah-dah-dah" means "I want that", sometimes he will say "ba-ba" for bottle, and a "duh" for duck. I'm sure I am missing other words...but for the most part I feel we can communicate pretty well together, it especially helps with the nodding and shaking of his head. My favorite is when I ask if he can say "please" and he will enthusiastically nod his head yes...good to know, perhaps soon he will prove that he can actually say it.

He LOVES balls, he likes throwing balls, rolling balls, bouncing balls...the kids has a serious arm on him, I'm thinking T-ball may be in the near future. :) Blueberries are his favorite fruit, but will actually eat most fruit it's become the veggies and protein that still has a hard time making it's way down. He loves to build tall towers with blocks, and "work" on his toy cars and fire truck. He currently has 9 teeth, his four front and four molars, and he is working on the two teeth next to his front teeth, some new chops to chew new food perhaps? (fingers crossed)

He still has the sweetest personality, if I pretend cry he is quick to drop whatever he is doing and cruise on over to give me snuggles and loves.  If I ask for a kiss he will mush his cheek up against my lips, and gives the best hugs around this side of town. He greets me with big smiles in the morning, and loves to have chat-chat sessions early in the morning.... on his own....in his crib. He still melts my heart, and makes me laugh like a little school girl...I just cannot wait to see how his personality continues to grow and become more defined. I love him so so much!


And then there is my other baby.... 

How far along? 19 weeks, and 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: about 10 lbs
Maternity clothes? Not really, other than a couple tops....I'm really excited for our nice weather, bring out the summer dresses!!!
Stretch marks? No, praying that this one will be as nice to me as Cole was.
Sleep: well, this past week has been the best week for sleeping, there were 2 nights I didn't even use a sleep aid, and I slept in longer stretches which really helped. This morning though I was up at 4:45 and could not for the life of me fall back to sleep, but at least I was able to squeak out about 5 hours total of sleep...not bad, considering my record.
Best moment this week: This little baby is BUSY! And I LOVE it. One morning it was doing flips and kicks for about 2 hours straight, Cole slept in so I just laid there enjoying every little squirm.
Have you told family and friends: Of course.
Miss Anything? sushi....um, and a mojito sounds lovely right about now.
Movement: Yes, mostly at night while I am lying awake. :)
Food cravings: grape anything, popsicles being my favorite, grape tootsie roll pops, grape skittles...you get the picture. I also had my first ever true weird preggo concoction, it consisted of potato chips, white chocolate chips, and peanut butter...all at the same time...and it was so GOOD!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Actually, now that I think about it, not really.
Have you started to show yet: Yes!
Gender prediction: Girl
Labor Signs:  I have been getting braxton hicks....and am hoping this isn't a sign for preterm labor again, being this far from family would make that kind of tricky.
Belly Button in or out?  in
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time, how could I not be with such a cute boy to chase around all day?!
Weekly Wisdom: DO NOT, I repeat....do not read super sad blogs about parents that have lost their baby tragically...it will rip your heart out and you will be a sobbing mess in 1 second straight. And then you will smother your own baby with hugs and kisses all while still sobbing and blubbering out a prayer that God will protect your little ones and not let anything bad every happen to them. And then you will have terrible terrible dream....so just don't do it.

Dedication

My Sweet Boy....

Last weekend was a special one for us. It marked the day we had you dedicated at our local church. Your Nana and Papa made the drive all the way from Oregon to be there for you. Your mama teared up when they prayed for you and for us as parents. And your daddy held you proudly as you jabbered on and on about something that peaked your interest. You are our delight, our joy, and so much of our life is wrapped up in you. We want to give you the best life possible, and to do so we are trusting your life in the hands of our Heavenly Father. we felt it was so important to stand before our family, our friends, and our church and make the declaration that we will raise you in a house of love, a house of prayer, and a house centered around the one who gives life. 

Our lives have been eternally changed when we made the decision to follow Christ, and our hope is that one day you too will find the joy, the hope, and the peace that comes in knowing Him. My prayer is that God will have great plans for you, and that you will have a heart sensitive to His calling....and because of that you will be blessed richly. 

He knit you in my womb and gave you to your daddy and I.  We do not take raising you lightly.... you are our son, our delight. Words cannot describe the love that swells in my heart daily as I watch you grow. May you continue to grow in your sweetness and adoring love, and may God give us wisdom as we guide you through this thing called life. 

We were blessed the day we found out you were going to be a part of our lives, we loved you before you even had a name and we love you more and more as we see you grow and develop into what God intended. 

Thank you for the joy you have brought to our lives. 

We love you our dear, sweet boy.

Practicing for Summer

I'm not going to lie, the past couple of days here have been BEAUTIFUL! It was wonderful to go outside and feel the sun on my face without having to bundle up in a big, chunky coat. I also discovered how much my little boy likes to play outside.

He would have sat and played in the rocks all afternoon if i would have let him. We also spent one afternoon drawing all over the backyard sidewalk with chalk. He LOVED this, and ended up covered in more chalk than the sidewalk. I have just loved watching this boy grow and learn, everyday brings something new and exciting for him. Sometimes it would be nice if we, as adults could go through life with the same anticipation and enthusiasm as a toddler.....perhaps minus the tantrums and yogurt smeared faces. Although, I bet we could all admit a little foot stomping and crying sometimes feels very appropriate.....

In honor of the rock-digging weather, I was in the mood for a good, tasty salad. So naturally I went to my beloved Pinterest and scoured recipes that I had previously pinned for the perfect solution. Low and behold dinner was formed! CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TACO SALAD.

I really enjoyed the salad, and I might even say that it tasted better the next day for lunch. It seemed the flavors had time to meld together better. The one thing I did differently was I mixed the dressing in separately for each serving, that way the leftovers didn't get all limp and soggy. We also topped it off with some cheese and tortilla chips. You can never go wrong with throwing those on top. :)

Next time I think I would add a little more chipotle peppers andlime juice to bump up the flavor a bit and might also toss in some cottage cheese like I did with my leftovers.  Wait, before you grimace and snub your nose at the cottage cheese addition.... it actually added a really great creamy texture, not to mention extra calcium and protein too! But my favorite thing about the salad was how not only healthy it was but it was really really substantially filling.  Definitely a stand-alone salad  because of all the protein and healthy fats.  You can really add whatever you want to adjust it to your liking....I think it would be super tasty with some chopped red bell peppers and olives--yum!

So on your next sunny day or if you need to bring a touch of sunshine to a rainy one....chop up yourself a big bowl of this salad for dinner and go play in some rocks...guaranteed to brighten any day!

Photo: Nutmeg Notebook

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad:
source: Nutmeg Notebook via Pinterest


Dressing:

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:

• 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
• 1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained ( I used frozen corn because I think it tastes better than canned).

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.
To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.