It's Been...

two months since my last blog post. Whoops.

ten days since Jack's 1st Birthday party. My little King of the Wild Things had a blast. We all did. I can't even begin to speak of how grateful I am for all of the support from friends and family we have here in South Dakota. It doesn't quite make up for being so far away from my friends and family in South Carolina and Michigan, but it eases the pain a bit. We had such a great turnout of friends and family, and were blessed with perfect weather that day. It couldn't have been any better than it was. And seriously, what did we do before Pinterest? Could not have pulled off anything nearly as cute without it!

11 weeks since the start of the school year and things are finally running smoothly. My routines are set, my kids are fantastic, and I still love my coworkers. I'm starting to plan for my class's Christmas party (next month!) and I'm excited for some new ideas I came across. Yes, on Pinterest. 

33 hours since I slipped and fell down the stairs at work. Ouch. Darn snow...

too long since I read a good book. I'm open to suggestions before I begin my annual Christmas rereading of the Harry Potter series. 

a while since I made dinner at home. Baked salmon is on the menu for tonight and I WON'T decide to scrap it and get take out instead. I won't. 

a busy few months, but I'm ready to start blogging again. Work has finally slowed down and I'm no longer going in on the weekends. So on that note, I'll see you for "Five on Friday: Jack's Partay" in just a few short days!

Thankful For...

For the last few weeks, I've seen lots of people post on Facebook things they are thankful for. I typically use the month of November to really think about my blessings and what I'm grateful for, but I thought today: why limit that to one month a year? That being said, I'm thankful for...

My little family. My husband and I, along with our son, make quite the family. It's a lot of compromise, a lot of give and take, a lot of laughter, and a lot of new experiences. I love being a mom, a wife. I love having a purpose. It's everything I was meant to be. 

My friends. Oh, I have some wonderful friends. I love our girls' nights. I love our lunches. I love our secret Facebook group conversations. I love that you don't mind babysitting so Aaron and I can go out. I love you all. 

My job. It's hard but I love it. I love the challenge and I love the fulfillment it gives me. I love my new school so, so much. I love it's energy, it's positivity, and its  proximity (yay 4 minute drive to work!). 

My health. I know so many people, so many young people, with chronic illnesses and it makes me grateful that I'm not suffering from anything debilitating. 

My larger family. My parents , my sister, my nephew, my niece, my extended family, and my inlaws. They are The. Best. I don't live near many of them, but thanks to Facebook, email, cell  phones, and Instagram, I am able to keep up to date with all the goings-on and share what's happening in my life, as  well. 

Jack's new daycare. I was devastated when his old daycare closed. It was so. hard. to find a daycare to begin with. I had no idea what we were going to do. Through the power of social media and with the help of some amazing friends, I found a place run by a "friend of a friend." It's small. It's cozy. Jack gets a lot of one-on-one attention. And the best part is that he literally grins from ear to ear as soon as he realizes that's where he's going in the morning. I couldn't be happier and more relieved. 

So there you have it. I'm one lucky girl. I try to remember these blessings each day, but some days it's harder than others to be thankful. On those tough days, it's all I can do to put a smile on my face, but really, those are few and far between. I'm lucky. I'm happy. I am blessed. 

Five on Friday

It's been a while. Life is a whirlwind of work, baby, husband, family, and friends. (Not in that order.) So here's what's happening. 

One. 

Oh my. I love my job. Love. I have some of the sweetest kids in my class. I also have a few testy ones who are going to need to be whipped into shape. It's all worth it, though, when I see those little lightbulbs go on in their heads. When I get those hugs at the end of the day. When something funny happens and we all laugh. When I get the sweetest notes and drawings. Such an important job I have. Such a rewarding one. 

Two. 

Speaking of this job of mine, I signed up for a graduate Literacy class this fall. It's every Tuesday evening from 4:30-7:30. Yuck. 

Three. 

Wedding bells are a-ring-ing. On Thursday, the three of us fly to Lawrence, Kansas to go to Aaron's brother's wedding. Cannot wait for that sweet girl, Megan, to join our family! Maseltov! 

Four. 

I will never understand South Dakota weather. On Monday it was 94 and by the end of the week, it was 45 degrees cooler and snowflakes were falling from the sky. I am NOT ready for winter. I want my fall. My season of cozy sweaters, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, knee-high boots, colorful leaves, and brisk morning air. If we have another blizzard in October (or, God forbid, sooner) I will flip. 

Five. 

Jack started his new daycare a few weeks ago and he loves it. I love it, too. It's 3 blocks from work, run by a "friend of a friend," and when I pick Jack up, he is happy. Like, grinning from ear to ear. I have never seen him so happy at daycare. It makes me feel good that he's in a place that he likes so much, and in a place where the kids and employees like him so much, too. Every morning we're greeted by a three year old girl who loves Jack to bits, and it's the sweetest thing ever. She calls him Jackie and I don't even care. 

One Day

One day you'll be walking and I'll wish you were still the weeks old baby who wanted nothing more than to be in my arms. I'll be chasing after you everywhere. 

One day you'll start kindergarten and you'll be so excited to buy school supplies and start going to school with the big kids. I'll cry your first day as I drop you off. 

One day you'll have a crush on a little girl and she'll break your heart. I'll hug you and let you cry on my shoulder, if you want to. 

One day you'll want a cell phone and you'll be upset that your father and I won't buy you one. 

One day you'll get your driving permit and I'll be proud and scared shitless at the same time. 

One day you'll go on your first date. You'll tell me not to wait up, and I'll pretend that I don't. But I'll lay awake to make sure you come home and wish that you'd tell me how it went. 

One day you'll graduate high school and I'll be so extremely proud of you and bursting with joy. 

One day you'll go off to college and I'll be so sad to see you go. I'll sit in your bedroom, smell your pillow, and shed a few tears. 

One day you'll meet the woman you're going to marry and I'll love her like my own daughter. 

One day you'll escort me to the front row in the church on your wedding day. 

One day you'll have children of your own. I'll bounce them on my knee and spoil them rotten, and then you'll finally understand how a parent can love their children so much. 

Five on Friday

One. 

Back to work I go! I officially started school Tuesday afternoon, and let me tell ya...it was rough! Having to leave Baby Jack and actually be somewhere at a specific time...yeah, that was hard. But I'm ready for a new school year. I worked hard all week on finishing up my classroom and it's pretty much done. I think the kids will like it, anyway. We had Meet the Teacher Wesnesday night and I was able to meet some of my new kiddos and their parents. I think I'm going to have a good group. I have a feeling I'll have a few challenges, but that's ok. Sometimes those are the ones who turn out to be my favorites! 

So, as most of you know, I moved schools and changed grades this year. While going back to work was tough, it was made easier by the fact that I love my new school. Love. The staff is friendly, the atmosphere is positive and fun, and it's been an awesome week. I'm ready to make my new school my home for the next nine months!

Two. 

After a long week of packing, driving, cleaning, and unloading, Aaron's parents have finally moved to Rapid City. We are so happy to have them here! I am so glad Jack will grow up knowing his grandparents and being able to spend time with them on a regular basis. He is one lucky kid!

Three. 

It's almost Fall and the Central Stated Fair is in town. That means Gyros, funnel cakes, and the German tent. 

Four. 

Jack's daycare informed us they are closing at the end of September. After a lot of looking, I finally found a place. Seriously, what did we do before social media? I was lucky to find a place by inundating friends and strangers alike with requests for daycare information. It paid off and Jack starts his new school Monday. 

Five. 

In just a few weeks we get to travel to Lawrence, Kansas to watch my brother in law and his wonderful fiancée get married. It'll be Jack's first plane ride and our first with a child. Can't say we're looking forward to that part, but we are definitely ready to see this lovely couple get married!

A Look in the Mirror

A few weeks ago, I read an article about a mother of five from Canada who went to the beach in a bikini for the first time in years. A group of teenagers, noticing the stretch marks on her belly, began to make fun of her, saying she should be ashamed to go to the beach and put a body like hers on display. The comments made her feel ashamed, embarrassed, angry. She responded to those teens in a blog entry, which soon went viral.

I hope those teens read her entry. I hope they felt guilty for talking about this mother that way, for making her feeling badly about herself and her body. I hope she hit a nerve with them; I know she hit one with me, and thousands of other women who have been blessed enough to give birth to another human being. 

This woman's blog entry made me think. The next time I took a shower , I stopped and really looked at my body. I saw the stretch marks on my own belly, the tops of my thighs, my torso. They've faded in the last nine months so they're not very noticeable anymore, but they're there. I saw the hair on my head that is still shedding after nine months, that I find everywhere around the house. I saw a fuller face and a thicker body, one that is a good 25 pounds heavier than I'd like for it to be. I saw the pooch of a tummy that wasn't there two years ago, but now keeps me from squeezing into my size 8 pants. But. I also saw breasts that nourished my baby for five and a half months, that made him grow and thrive. I saw my belly, the place where my baby spent nine months, the place where I first felt him kick. I saw my arms, a little thicker than they used to be, but where my baby finds comfort when he's sad, grumpy, or just in the mood to snuggle. I saw my face and my smile, the same one my baby sees when I go to get him from his crib in the morning and when I pick him up from daycare in the afternoon. I saw my legs, which my baby clings to as I make his bottle in the kitchen, as he stands there waiting to be picked up.

Looking at the changes my body has gone through in the last 18 months didn't make me sad. Do I wish I were skinnier? Yes. Do I wish I didn't have stretch marks? Yes. Do I wish my dang hair would stop falling out, finally? Absolutely! But I am proud of what my body has accomplished, this feat that not everyone has the ability to do. I've made and given birth to a human being. A tiny person who could one day grow up to be a doctor, a teacher, an engineer, or President. He's going to make a difference in this world one day, this little boy who I gave birth to. In fact, he already had. I proudly wear these changes on my body, these warrior wounds, these "tiger stripes," as some people call them. I proudly wear them as I look on at my little boy and feel the happiest and proudest I've ever been.

A Summer of Firsts

Have I mentioned that I'm not ready for my summer to end yet? Well, in case I haven't... I AM NOT READY!!!! It's been such a wonderful summer with friends, family, and lots of time spent with my Jack Norman. I am so blessed to have a job that allows me to have this time each year. I could never be a full-time stay-at-home momma (bless you all, you are Wonder Women!), so I'm thankful to have the best of both worlds: a job where I can be a working mother for nine months of the year and a stay-at-home momma for the other three. 

This was my first summer as a stay-at-home mom, and it was everything I imagined it would be. It was fun. It was exhausting. It was busy. It was hectic. It was stressful. It was wonderful. It was unforgettable. I was lucky to experience a lot of "firsts" this summer with my little boy, who keeps getting bigger and bigger right before my eyes. Every time I look at him he looks just a little bit older, more like a little boy, and a little less like a baby. It's exciting and heart-breaking at the same time.

Here are some of the "firsts" I witnessed this summer:

Standing tall.

My baby is pulling himself up. He started sometime in June and has been standing at every opportunity ever since. Lately he's been letting go and standing on his own for a few seconds before plopping down on his little diapered bum and it's the cutest thing ever because he is so dang proud of himself. As soon as he sits, he looks up at me to see if I saw him. And I did. Every time.

 

Cruisin'.
Jack loves to cruise along the furniture. He walks from the couch to the chair and back again. He cruises kitchen cabinets, dining room chairs...just about anything. He started doing that in June, too.

Walk hard.
A few weeks ago I bought Jack a walker, and after a bit of a wobbly start, he has taken to that thing like a fish to water! He loves pushing that thing around and will plow right through a pile of toys with no problem. If he's headed somewhere, look out! He has no problem running over your toes. I know this from experience.

 

Finger foods.
Before the summer began, Jack was just learning how to eat Puffs. Most of them ended up all over his highchair and on the floor, with only a few actually ending up in his mouth. Since the summer began, this kid has gotten good at feeding himself. Not only is he eating Puffs, but he also nibbles on peaches, banana, cheese, spaghetti, mac n cheese, and bits of hamburger. And that's just what he's feeding himself. He definitely takes after me... he's got an appetite!

 

Waterbaby. 

I bought an inflatable pool for Jack and me this summer. He loves the water. Loves. It. He could literally spend hours in the pool or tub, just splashing his little heart out. I love seeing his face light up when he hears the bath water running and he gets just as excited when I pull out his little baby Speedos for an afternoon swim.
 

Ballin'. 

Aaron always said he needed a kid who loves sports. Well, I don't foresee that being a problem because Jack is in love with his Melissa and Doug ball that his Pops bought for him. He loves rolling that thing around and gets the biggest smile on his face watching me bounce and dribble it. I think he's going to be into sports when he's older.

 

Park it. 

I got to take Jack to the park for the first time and boy did he love it! He giggles nonstop when he's on the swing and has even let me and Aaron slide him down the slide a few times. Most of the time we're there we just sit in the grass. He loves feeling it between his fingers.

 

Summer nights. 

With Aaron busy at summer nights each Thursday, there's really nothing else to do but take Jack downtown to go and visit him. While he's not crazy about the loud music, he does fine once his earmuffs are on and he can sit and people -watch while munching on some Puffs. I can't wait until he's a little older and we can go to the Kid Zone for some bouncy-house fun and face-painting.

 

I scream you scream.
Jack had his first taste of ice cream this summer. He noshed on some pistachio and absolutely loved it! Unfortunately for him, that will be the last time he eats that much sugar for a while, especially so close to bedtime!

Tiny dancer.
I think my favorite thing of all was when I got to see Jack dance for the first time. He has a couple of toys that play music and the first time I saw him bounce to the Fisher Price tune on his walker, I about died. He was in the middle of walking across the living room and had to stop where he was so he could dance. It was literally the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Toofers.
Jack got three teeth this summer - two on the bottom and one on the top, so far. The teething was no picnic, but it wasn't as awful as I expected. He still slept at night, but he ran a couple of fevers and was a bit of a cranky pants. He was extra snuggly, though, which made up for it.

 

So, there you have it. I didn't go on a vacation this summer. No trips down South or out west to Bellingham. No tropical islands. Not even a weekend trip to Denver. But I did enjoy my time off and all the time I got to spend with Jack. Yes, he went to daycare once a week so I could get a break and he could interact with some other kiddos, but when we were together I made an effort to put down the tv remote, let the laundry go, and worry about the vacuuming later. I wanted to enjoy every minute we had together because he will never be this little again. Next summer, he'll be running around and talking, and it will be all I can do to keep up with him. We'll have more adventures and our summer will probably be a bit more exciting because he'll be able to DO more things, but it'll never be like this one was. So I'm going to do the best I can to remember what this one was like and to appreciate the time I had with him before I go back to work and meet my 22 new second graders.