We did it!!

On Saturday Josh and I finished a 5k Race with Mandy and Kristen. They were signed up and convinced me to run it with them earlier this week. The race officials said bringing Josh in the stroller was okay so I decided to try it out.

It was the second annual race so it was still on the small side. I would guess only 50 runners total. It was really fun though having so few people. There was plenty of room at the starting line and it was short enough that people didn't get too spread out. I pushed Josh in the stroller for the first solid mile and maybe a little more. Then Kristen took over at the perfect time (the hill). I pushed again for another mile and then handed the reigns to Kristen to finish up. I seriously thought I was going to puke!

We walked a bit during the race too, but not too much as we still finished in 34 minutes. That puts us at a little over a 10 minute mile pace - so with walking in there we were definitely running in the nine minute mile range. So that is cool. It was a beautiful day and Josh loved seeing all the trees and the bumps along the course.

That afternoon we took a solid 3 hour nap. It was wonderful. Then went to Mandy's house to hang out with her and Willa. Willa is so so big! And so darn cute. I can't wait to get some pictures on the blog of the two of them. They just laughed and smiled at eachother. It was quite cute. I wonder what they are saying to eachother???

Mandy and I had some drinks and sat in the hot tub... so nice and relaxing... while the babies slept. They both went down at 9:30 pm and then slept until 3 am. Then ate and slept until 6 am. Then woke up around 8 am. It was a very good night for Josh and an okay night for Willa. I think she just wanted to be up when her boyfriend was!

Today has been weird. I know I am forcing myself to not think about tomorrow. I haven't got anything together and know I should. Like getting my work clothes out of the rubbermaid bins in the closet, getting my laptop packed up, the breast pump together, packing a lunch, filling out Josh's daycare drop off sheet. Yeah, haven't even started any of them.

Just wish there was a few more days... I am just not ready.

The last 12 weeks...

My life has forever been changed for the better. I love being a mom and there just simply isn't any better way to put it. The entire last year has been so adventurous and we have been truly blessed to have such a healthy baby boy make us a family.

Sure, I am severly sleep deprived and my first year of marriage was a little stressful. But there were so many unbelievable moments the past year that I can't ever forget.

• The day we found out I was pregnant
• Telling our parents and family
• The ultrasounds and hearing the heartbeat at each and every appointment
• Each and every single kick
• The anticipation in the hospital when it was just Jim and I. Trying to relax so we decided to watch super troopers. I was laughing so hard we had to turn it off because it hurt so bad to laugh on top of contractions.
• The first time I saw Josh and saw that it was in fact a boy!
• Holding him for the first time
• Feeling so helpless and crying myself when he screamed for 15 minutes at each and every repeat of the newborn screening test
• Jim going to work with his polo shirt on backwards. Not knowing it until a coworker pointed it out at 10 am. After a few meetings. Nice.
• The first time he smiled at me
• Cuddling - anytime we wanted to catch up on sleep
• Breastfeeding - it is the one thing I can only do - and we get to just sit together - just the two of us.
• Bath time
• His endless babbling and cooing - when I basically just mimic every sound he makes which seems to make him extremely happy
• Bed time when we read stories and say prayers

And finally - the funniest thing that has happened to me... yesterday I was trying my hardest to "practice" getting ready. I ended up waking up when Jim left which was 4:30 am. Josh got up at 5am to nurse and then went right back to sleep. Knowing that it was entirely too early to get ready and go to daycare - I decided to get in a workout. After Billy Blanks kicked my butt... I showered, had breakfast, and did some laundry. I was all ready except didn't put on my shirt because it was still drying in the laundry room. Josh woke up at is was now 7:30 to nurse again. I fed him, washed him down with a rag, got him dressed and put him in his carseat to go. I let Hilo out, packed up the remaining items for daycare into a grocery bag, and then put Hilo back in the kennel. I threw on the backpack, picked Josh up in the carseat, and grabbed the bag of stuff for daycare. I got Josh in the car and went to pull the backpack off... that is when I realized I had still not put on my shirt! Yes, I was just about to get into the car in just my bra and shorts. Thank goodness no one was around - as I had let Hilo out (never actually went outside) - and was just standing in the garage with just my bra on. SERIOUSLY!

Last week home...

This was my last week home with Joshua. Monday I return to work. It has been a fantastic week. Josh has been so much more awake and alert to the things around him. He continues to smile more and more. We have been really working on tummy time this week. I did well with it at the beginning but then he started going to sleep right away. Which defeats the purpose. And if he doesn't go to sleep, he screams as soon as you lay him down. Last week I started really pushing it and could get him on his tummy for about 3-5 minutes before the meltdown. This week we are easily at 10-15 minutes at least 2 times a day. It has been a lot of work and discipline on my end, but it is working. We need to constantly change it up to keep him occupied so I get everything ready before even placing him near the floor (blanket, toys, a kiddie tv program, and the bumbo for when he is done).

Once tummy time is over he gets to move to his second favorite position - sitting in the bumbo or with me. He has been sitting up now (with a little help) since he was 9 weeks old. His neck has been really strong since he was super little - had very little of the bobble head time. And his legs too. Which just confirms all the kicking off the ribs when he was in my tummy. After he gets tired of sitting - his head starts to drop lower and lower - we move to his favorite position. Standing. He LOVES it. It is the same reaction when he goes into the tub. He stiffens up his entire body with his arms at his side and gets this really excited look on his face. And we constantly say - what a strong little man you are standing up already - which seems to get a few huge grins and babble.

He is GROWING UP so FAST! Thank goodness for cameras and videocameras. We can always go back to see how he has changed.

I am going to miss being with him all day long, especially the mornings. Because his smile always seems the brightest then. I have been trying not to think too much about the week ahead - to avoid crying first of all but then to just be happy and enjoy the limited time I have left. I secretly wish he changes his fussy time from the early evenings to the daytime - so daycare can deal with it and I get the fun happy Josh. I will take him crabby or happy though. He is my little man!

Meeting Izzy...

Jim's sister Abby and her husband Aaron had a baby girl 3 weeks after Josh was born and named her Isabelle. This weekend we finally got to meet her. We left Friday around 11 am and made the very long drive to MI. We got stuck in nasty Chicago traffic which took us 3 hours to get through. The remainder of the drive was pretty fast. Josh did FANTASTIC. Literally was a champ. Never once did we stop for him. He conveniently was ready to stop when we needed food or gas. We arrived at Harry and Amber's place around 9:30 pm (MI time). We spent the night hanging out with them and our friend Baker. Josh did pretty well that night too. Saturday we went to Amber's wedding shower while Jim, Harry, and Baker went golfing. Josh was a hit with the ladies at the shower of course. After the shower we drove to Royal Oak to meet his cousin Izzy!

We got to Abby and Aaron's place around 4pm and spent the rest of the night showing off Joshua. Just about everyone in Jim's family was there. We got to meet our niece (Josh's cousin) Izzy who is so darn cute. Her hair is so adorable. It sticks up on top and is so long it adds about 2 inches to her height. It was so nice to stay at their place because they had all the baby essentials. And since they are only 3 weeks apart they are in the same size diapers along with liking the same things. It was very fun for Abby and I to trade off... it seemed that one of us was always nursing and one of the babies was always sleeping.

Our friends Mark and Tara, and Michelle, Jimmy, and Ava also came to the block party at Abby and Aarons. Ava has gotten so big and is really a ham. She kept us all laughing. She has a similar hair thing going on as it also likes to stand straight up. Jimmy kept saying "get ready for the Flock of Seagulls". We all carried the kids around in the baby bjorn carriers. And the strollers were all parked out front of the porch. Times have definitely changed for our group of friends!

Sunday we all lounged around. It was nice to get more time with the babies. We went to Grandma and Grandpa's for Sunday night and then took off for home at about 9 am today. The drive back was significantly faster as we only spent 7 hours on the road. Again, Josh was fantastic. We are really really blessed to have a baby who seems to like to travel as well as a puppy dog!

So Big!

So the time is flying by... only one more full week off before I return to work. It is going to be so so so hard to go back to work. Joshua is getting so animated now and fun to play with. I know it is only going to get better and better... I just hope he changes his fussy time from the evenings to sometime in the day... so daycare can deal with it and we get the fun Josh! Wishful thinking I know.

This week Joshua has continued to do long stretches at night. Although not 7 hours, 5 still is nice for me. And the daytime is more regular now... He definitely likes solid naps. Not sleeping as we go from place to place... solid - laying in one spot for hours type naps. Yesterday he just kept whimpering after he was fed and changed. I finally decided to try laying him down up in his crib. I laid him down, swaddled him, while he whimpered the entire time. Finally I put the pacifier in and he sighed, closed his eyes and went to sleep. I didn't even leave the crib yet! He slept solid for 3.5 hours. I found myself rushing to get in a workout and shower, only to find I had another 2.5 hours! And today - it has been the same. A nap in the morning and a nap in the afternoon.

Today we went to daycare to drop off all of his stuff. We brought a blanket and crib sheet for nap time, bottles, pacifiers, diapers, wipes, 2 changes of clothes, and a sun hat for walks. We spent an hour in the nursery with his teacher. I think he will like daycare. It is definitely going to be tougher on me than him that first week!

So this is my new favorite outfit. Thanks Ashley again for the soccer outfit! (Jack I am sure you will show her this picture!)

Cooking with Dad...

Again, Josh loves the Baby Bjorn. And so do we!

Here Josh is learning to cook from the master chef, Dad. Notice the progression... I am interested...

wonder what's on the ceiling...

I am so over this...

Such a long week!

This week Joshua was particularly crabby. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night he didn't want to go to sleep until 1am. Each night he was super gassy and just fussy. On Thursday we went to visit some of our relatives who were at a family camp in Green Lake. It was fun to hang out with all of our cousins and Josh was pretty good for most of it. That night he again was up till 1am. The problem with this is I don't get sleep. He eventually zonks out and can sleep all day. Not me! :)

Friday night we went to our friends, the Spindlers, to hang out. Josh was still a bit fussy but not nearly as bad. We started to get ready to leave and we thought we should get Josh ready for bed before he zonked out in the car seat. So we changed his diaper and got his pj's on. He was the happiest he had been all day. Kicking and flailing his arms while he smiled and giggled at Kristen and Tyler. He zonked out like we expected on the drive home. And we opted to keep him in his carseat until he woke up. Drumroll please.... he slept until 6:30 am. 7 hours!!! The first time ever! And the best part, we slept for almost 6 continuous hours ourselves! Wonderful.

2 Month Check-up

Today was Josh's 2 month check-up. He weighed in at 12 lbs and 1 ounce. He is now 23 inches long. He was so happy during the check-up and giggled at the nurse and doctor. He also found the paintings of animals on the wall very interesting. The zebra was his favorite. He got 4 vaccination shots and one oral vaccination today. He screamed but it was short lived and much much easier on me then our first trips to the doctor.

Our First Family Vacation

We spent the July 4th week up at my parents cabin in northern MN. It was so relaxing and allowed Jim and I to catch up on sleep. It was so nice to not have a TV, chores, yard work, or remodeling projects looming over our head. We really got to just relax. This was also the most time Jim has been able to spend with Josh. And it was so cute to see the two of them. Josh immediately looks for Jim when he hears his voice. We are getting lots of smiles and laughs from Josh now.

My parents and my baby brother Jack (whose is almost 16) were up at the lake that week along with my cousins Daniel and Derek. My aunt Colleen and uncle Jim (that is them in the picture) were at their place that weekend with their family too.

We went out on the boat, watched fireworks, swam in the lake, and had a few bonfires. Jim and I had a few little getaways too. We went to Rafferty's in Nisswa with my cousin Lisa and her hubby Scott. Just like our last trip to Nisswa, we spent 4 hours sitting on the deck just telling stories, drinking some beer, and eating some pizza. We of course followed this up with the mandatory stroll through the shops. This only takes us 15 minutes, but we have to do it.

Jim and I took a boat ride around the lake just the two of us one night. Nana and Pappy (my parents) watched Josh and had a good time doing so. They experienced a blowout and had to give him a bath. Glad we were on the boat! :)

Mr Hilo also had some fun at the lake. My cousin Matt and his wife Shannon brought their puppy Gunter along. Gunter is 4 months old and is from the same mom and dad as Hilo - just a different litter. So it was really cute to seem them play together. They are so so similar it is scary!

Thursday we drove back to my parents house in the cities to stay for the weekend. We were able to meet up with some of my high school friends for dinner one night. I can't believe we graduated high school, graduated college, got married, and now have a baby... the last 9 years have definitely been life changing!

The last picture in this post is a teddy bear Joshua got from our family friends John and June. He seriously was laughing at first... just don't have proof!