A couple weeks ago I was approached by an intern at New Parent Magazine to be a featured blogger! If you’re a mom, or pregnant, you’ve probably seen New Parent or Toddler magazines in your OB or Pediatrician offices. I was pretty stoked to be asked to write a story for their informative & interactive website.

The story that they featured is called “The Mommy Competition” and describes the competitiveness that new moms often experience following the birth of a child… click here to check out the article, and never forget that your child is a unique individual who will grow at his or her own pace, no matter what anyone else says or suggests. No one graduates high school still sucking on a pacifier, after all, right? :)

Hope you enjoy it!

So, the rain. It’s raining. Again. I have about a zillion errands to do today (including going to the bookstore and buying up the rest of the Sookie Stackhouse series… seriously… I’m addicted now after reading book 1 and part of book 2). And rain does not go with my plans. When you have a toddler, and you want to run errands, it just does not work – getting the kid into the car, strapping them in, getting the stroller in or out, getting the child in or out of the stroller… it’s a nightmare. By the time you get into the car, everyone and everything is soaked and freezing. It’s not even worth it.

I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that the rain lets up so I can get out and get my stuff done. Until then I’ll try to finish some more work and play with Zachary… and maybe read more of the next Sookie Stackhouse book if I get lucky! ;)

When I first registered for all the baby stuff after finding out I was pregnant, I fell in love with the Chicco Travel System because it was highly rated and I was told constantly how safe it was. Well, what no one could have told me was that my son would grow out of the stupid infant seat (which never hooked on to any grocery store shopping cart properly) in a mere FOUR MONTHS, when we had to graduate him to a beautiful Britax Marathon…. and that ginormous Chicco Cortina stroller would become nothing but an extremely heavy hassle to get in and out of the car.

I was incredibly grateful when my mother-in-law, Debi, purchased a Maclaren Quest for us, relieving my back from having to lift that monstrosity of a stroller out of the car, and we use it quite often, but since we are a two-car family, the Maclaren typically stays in Adrian’s car, which we use more often, and the huge Chicco hangs out in my trunk. For the past month or two, I’ve been considering selling my Chicco system as it’s in very good condition (anyone interested? it’s red), and purchasing an inexpensive umbrella stroller for the other car, like the Chicco Capri, which my mom & dad have and like.

So.. today I hung out with my parents and Zachary while Adrian stayed at home to get work done as we prepare for the big photographer convention next week (our studio software company has a booth there), and on a whim, without ANY prompting from me, my mom asked if I needed another lightweight stroller, and then, in an awesome gesture, offered to purchase one for us! We headed over to Buy Buy Baby and after looking at the aforementioned Chicco Capri, then an Inglesina, and then a few different models by Combi, I finally decided on the Combi Cosmo in Sand, a nice neutral color that will work.

The price was very reasonable, at only $129, and it comes with a zillion features, including a little storage pack on the back, a high weight limit,  and a drink/snack cup holder in the front bar. The turning radius is also pretty fabulous and I can steer it with one hand for the most part. The best part is that it folds up in under 3 seconds – SERIOUSLY! We put Zachary into the stroller to test it out and he got sooo comfortable – even putting his feet up on the bar! Our Maclaren doesn’t have a bar, and there’s no way he could get his feet up on the bar in the Chicco, so I think this was a perfect choice for him and will allow him a lot of comfort, especially since he’s in a stage where he’s not very happy in the stroller and would prefer to be running around.

Here’s the stroller we got:

The great thing is that even though this is a lightweight stroller, the Combi infant car seat works with it, so no need for a travel system! Phew! I’ll definitely be purchasing one of those for the next kiddo in a couple years.

Now all I need to do is sell that Chicco.

The rules for the award are as follows:
1. Thank the person(s) who nominated you and link to their blog(s).
2. Copy the award and paste it to your blog.
3. Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.
4. Nominate 7 bloggers that you love and link to their blogs.

Here we go:

1. I am an only child, but I definitely want at least two kids.

2. I’ve been on about 50 cruises – that’s what happens when you grow up with a dad who owned a travel agency! We traveled a lot.

3. I love anything dachshund related and like to collect little things here and there.

4. I DJ’ed a radio show in college! It was so much fun.

5. My first car was a Honda Passport. I loved driving a huge SUV and sincerely miss it.

6. I can drink coffee any time of day. I have been known to drink my morning pot coffee, stop at Starbucks later on, and then make another pot in the evening. I am definitely an addict.

7.  I love chocolate, but it usually gives me heartburn, so I don’t tend to eat it very often. Sad. :(

Here are my awesome blog nominations:
1. Dear Crissy
2. Dawn & Walter
3. A Small Song
4. The Angels
5. Have you seen my marbles?
6. My World, My Words
7. David & Anne Plus One

And don’t forget to check out Mommy of 1! :)

Zachary is at a very interesting age right now. He is all at once an easy baby and a hard baby, which is probably a common thing for most parents to feel, I’d think.

He is challenging in many ways – mainly because he doesn’t want to sit still and I’m usually a pretty tired mama (but that’s really a good thing, I reassure myself, because he’s happy and he’s curious, and he likes to explore and engage himself with the world around him), but every day, Adrian and I say to each other that we are just SO lucky that he (insert some smart, intelligent characteristic here) or that he never did (insert one of many awful habits or characteristics here) like other babies we have heard about and that we are so thankful that we have such an easygoing, happy, curious, interesting, loving boy.

Since Zachary became more mobile, it has frustrated me that he no longer wanted to cuddle with me. Once he started to crawl (around six and a half months old) he became much more of an independent baby. And he is very independent, it shines through him. He loves doing things on his own, and even though sometimes he requires a little help, guidance, or encouragement, he is very proud of doing things by himself. You can see that even at just a year old.

The last time I can really remember Zachary being cuddly was when he was getting his first tooth at about 8 months old. He wasn’t walking yet, so he wasn’t completely mobile, and didn’t yet know what he was missing. So he, in his teething misery, was content to cuddle in my arms until the effects of the Tylenol that I’d given him kicked in, and he fell asleep. I still remember how I felt sitting in my glider, cuddling my poor, sad little guy with his head resting on my shoulder, which was wet from his tears. It seemed like he started walking so quickly after that, at about 11 months old, and he simply stopped being a cuddly baby at that point – there were too many other interesting things to do. Life is very fast paced when you’re a baby trying to absorb all of the interesting things in life.

So now, fast forward a few months. It’s funny, when you have a kid, time seems to pass very slowly and yet too quickly at the same time. Four months is an eternity, but at the same time, how did my child just turn 15 months? Didn’t he just turn 1 five minutes ago? But I digress. Now that Zachary has been walking for a few months now and is even running around our house, he’s able to see things from a different perspective. He’s really grown up a bit, which is funny to say because he’s still just a year old, but a lot can change in a few months.

It seems like something has kind of  clicked in his brain. I’m going somewhere with this, I promise. I noticed in the past day or so, that he is saying Mama and Dada much more deliberately these days. Like today we went to the mall and I walked into Bath & Body Works for a few minutes while Adrian and Zachary stayed outside and away from all the smelly stuff. When I returned, Zachary looked at me with a pointed expression and said “Mama, Mama!” Adrian told me that he’d been calling for Mama the entire time that I had been inside the store. He knew that I had left and he missed me! He is similar with his Dada… When Adrian is working in our home office during the day, Zachary doesn’t understand why he doesn’t want to come out and play all the time. He calls for Dada so much he sounds like a broken record! He will wander in to the office excitedly saying, “Dada, Dada!” in a voice that just begs you to come and play with him. It’s very cute. Very engaging.

So that’s where I was going with that little explanation. Zachary is very much interested in engaging with those he loves right now. He doesn’t understand how important it is (maybe he does- I don’t know- kids can be very intuitive) but I love that he’s in this little stage and I hope it lasts longer than his non-cuddly stage. It makes me happy when he waves at my mom or hugs my dad all on his own after they leave from babysitting him. It melts my heart when my little boy crawls into my lap at the end of the day when he’s ready for bed and in need of a few cuddles from his Mama. It makes me so happy when I ask him to come over for a hug and a hiss and he gives me a hug and (this is so cute) puts his little head under my lips so I can kiss his forehead. Then once I give him a kiss and he pulls away, he puts his head back again, so he can have another kiss. He is just the sweetest, cutest, happiest, CUDDLIEST boy right now! Cuddly only when he wants to be though – it definitely has to be on his terms. But, I am thankful that he decides to include his tired-out Mama in those plans several times per day. I personally plan to take advantage of it as much as I possibly can, while I can! And hopefully when he’s a little older he won’t be too old to give his mom a hug right when she needs it! :)

Zachary was 4 months old when we decided it was time for a lightweight stroller (we got a Maclaren…love it!), and I remember his little legs hanging down from the seat, sock-covered feet dangling and swinging in the air. He’s such a big kid now! He sits in the stroller like a boy, not a baby! And his little feet (now wearing toddler-sized shoes) no longer dangle, they sit on the foot rest.

Time sure passes much faster than I ever anticipated. Some days are hard and some are challenging, but still I wish I could slow it down a little bit. There are too many wonderful little moments that I’d like to have more of….

we came home to hugs and kisses from daddy, Zachary’s favorites for dinner, play time with his books, toys, and his fun airplane which he loves to push around his room, and lots of laughs and sweet, funny faces for mommy. he is just a sweet, loving little boy and I am glad to have been able to spend the day with him.

tomorrow starts the work week again as Adrian and I prepare for the WPPI (wedding & portrait photographers international) trade show, the biggest tradeshow each year in the photography industry, where we have a booth for our studio management software, Táve. it is going to be a great time, but we are spread thin right now getting everything ready!

hope you all had a lovely Valentine’s… here is a little card to brighten your day!

*sigh*

Today while Zachary and I were playing, he crawled up on the couch while I had my back turned to pick up a toy. I turned back around and saw him sitting with his back to me and he kind of teetered there.

I thought he might fall and all of a sudden (it felt like) slow-motion I started making a mad dash to go grab him and I slipped in my frickin fuzzy blue cookie monster socks (my feet were cold!!!) and fell FLAT on the cold, hard TILE floor.

It took about a second before everything suddenly started hurting really badly and I started to cry, which of course scared Zachary and he started to cry hysterically. Adrian walked in and peeled me off the floor (I could barely move) and had me lay down and take something for the painl. I fell hard on my face, elbow, wrist, and my hip/leg. My right side is hurting (arm, wrist, neck) and my entire pelvic area is extremely sore around my hips. I am just incredibly thankful that the wedding I’m shooting is next weekend, not this weekend. I am in a lot of pain right now. :(

Zachary was not a happy camper after that. He would not stop crying. He was very upset seeing me get hurt and it took him a good 2 hours to calm down and figure out that everything was okay. He kept crying off and on, and for a kid who has stopped being cuddly the past few months because he would rather run all over the place and explore, he would not let go of me and would not walk around without holding my hand! I sat down on the floor with him and he just hugged and hugged me. We sat there hugging for a good 5 minutes! He never sits still that long so it was actually nice to get so much attention from my little guy. Finally I got him to calm down…

I called my mom and told her what happened, she happened to be over at Bed Bath & Beyond, and she bought me some cool fuzzy socks that have TREADS on them. Just like those baby socks with the non-slip bottoms. Nice, I can have my fuzzy socks once again and still be safe! :)

Anyway, bottom line is, if you have tile floor, be careful what you wear on your feet when you’re chasing a toddler!! I am thankful that I was not actually carrying Zachary when I fell… I have no doubt I would have been able to protect him with my instinctual reactions, but I’m sure that I would be hurting even more than I am now! ugh.

Here are some photos from a particularly cute bath time a couple weeks ago. Adrian decided to put on his swim trunks and jump in with Zachary for some pool-like play time since it was too cold out to use the pool. Zachary had a great time!

Loving his bubble baths :)

Playing with Thomas the Train bath toy

Getting squirted with an airplane bath toy. What a cute little face!

That said, here are some of my favorite images from Zachary’s 1st birthday party. Since it was his 1st birthday party and he was born around Thanksgiving, we decided to have a pumpkin/fall theme. I’m sure the next one will be something like Thomas the Train or Bob the Builder or Elmo or whatever…but he won’t remember this one, so I got to pick. :)

The images were kindly taken by my good friend Jessica Savidge, a fellow photographer who I work with quite often (can’t wait to shoot with her this coming weekend at a wedding, in fact)!

I painstakingly made this birthday banner by hand without a Cricut machine. I cut out all the letters with an X-acto knife. It was super hard, and I worked on it up until 3am the night before the party, but it was totally worth it! It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever made and I'm so glad I finished it for Zachary's party.

Yummy half & half cake from Publix. This was originally a Halloween design with Jack O' Lanterns on it. I told them not to put the faces on the cake since it was for a birthday, not Halloween. Well, as you can see, one of the pumpkins still has ears. LOL.

Pumpkin cookie favors for Zachary's friends :)

Me, my mom, and Zachary

Zachary thought his birthday cake was pretty cool!

He was not really interested in his little smash cake though. It was cute!

He wanted to feed his cake to Mommy. :)

Then it was time to open presents….

Zachary really loved this alien stuffed toy!

He loved his little piano!

One of my gifts to Zachary - a book about wild things for my little Wild Thing! :)

Our happy little family! :)

You can see more photos on my Flickr page. :)