motherhood.

i've recently started reading "don't make me count to three" by ginger hubbard.
(a recommendation from a sweet friend of mine)

it is a mother's look at heart-oriented discipline and so far i am loving it.

nash has started to have much more of an opinion lately and the real discipline has officially started in our household.  discipline is certainly not for the faint of heart and i want to make sure i try my best to get it right or at least educate myself so i have some additional knowledge to stand on.

because as parents, let's be honest, we need all the help we can get.

for real.

God has given me the responsibility to raise Nash and that is not a job to take lightly.

He has entrusted Nash to us and as parents we need to guide, encourage, mold his character, nurture, love, and build his confidence.

in the book, the author, pointed out some quotes that some influential people said about their mothers.
  it hit home and reminded me what a big role we have in the lives of our children.
  being a mother, is one of the most important things i will do in my lifetime.

"My mother was the making of me.  She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt that I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint."

  -- Thomas Edison

Abe Lincoln described his mother as the person chiefly responsible for all he was or ever hoped to become.

"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw.  All that I am I owe to my mother.  I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her."

 -- George Washington

12 month well baby check

19 pounds 4 ounces (7th percentile)

31 inches (80th percentile)

tall and skinny.

  nash, don't get used to that tall stature.  i'm sure it won't last long.

the skinny part on the other hand i'm sure will be sticking around for the long haul.

i have a feeling you are going to be the little "runt" in all of your classes just like your mom and dad were.

but that's ok with me.  itsy bitsy teeny weeny small children are the cutest in my opinion.

the doctor's visit was somewhat of a circus.

you were pushing the stool around, swinging the blinds around, and continued to try and open the cabinet and release all of it's contents over and over and over and over.

  i kept going over and closing it and attempting to get your mind onto something new.  not working.

finally the doctor said, "nah just let him get in there - we can clean it up at the end."

you then proceeded to take every single thing out of that cabinet.

pee cups included.

i'm sure she regretted that decision.

next up was checking those ears of yours.  the ears that are prone to ear infections every other month.

everyone cross there fingers and toes for me that we don't have to get tubes put in.

although i don't think any amount of finger crossing will work.

i have a feeling we won't be able to escape the inevitable.

boo for crappy genes in the ear category.  you can blame that on me son.

you screamed and screamed while we were checking your ears due to some annoying wax that was in the way.

  you looked like a little hyena trying to escape my arms when i was holding you tight to me.

and two adults trying to communicate over a screaming baby is always a hilarious site.

your dad would have done a much better job at this.

next up a toe prick and 4 shots.

brutal.

by the end we were a hot mess, you and me.

but you are healthy.  and that is a good thing.

nash's first birthday

a little video to always remember the day that nash turned one.

moments and time are fleeting.

i always want to remember how special this day was.

tomorrow you are ONE!!

tomorrow by baby turns one.

a few things i always want to remember...

you are the most social baby.  you interact with everyone and everyone loves you.

you make the best "ooooooooo's" and "wow's"

you are a fast learner and if there is an obstacle you just crawl right over it.

you have stolen me and your dad's heart and i am sure that will continue for years to come.

you are a skinny little thing.  i never want to forget just how small you are.

you are the cutest little walker.  most of the times you have your hands up and you are chatting all at the same time.

the past few months when someone new comes and chats with you you like to pretend that you are shy.

you lean your head in to me and i am your comfort.  feel free to do that as long as you want.

you have been one of the best little things to ever happen to us!

since you were a day old we couldn't imagine a day without you.

thank you for rocking our world in the very best of ways.

11 months old

this month you accomplished,

clapping.

showed us more evidence that you are a pro traveler.

stole your first kisses from a girl besides your mother.

walking!!

met some of my best friends and your future best friends.

became more opinionated.

eating and loving more of what "the adults" eat.

continuing to steal anyone's and everyone's heart. 

10 months old

camping

our family went camping over the 4th.  it was our first time camping with nash.  i figured he would do well because he is a great baby but you never know.  camping and a baby don't really seem to fit well together in a sentence!  but alas, it went smooth.  smooth as peanut butter. 

we swam, and played, cooked, and ate, chatted, and enjoyed each other.

we even took nash with us when we road the 4wheelers.  he loved it.

although, we did get caught in a crazy rain storm!  i saw a storm off in the distance and secretly i wished we would get rained on.  ha.  well i might have second guessed that decision when the rain drops were pelting us like rocks.  it was still fun and thankfully i had a light blanket packed with us so i could cover nash up.  he thoroughly enjoyed the rain storm and was laughing under the blanket as we were racing back to the campsite as fast as possible.  lucky baby had cover from the crazy storm!

we came back to our campsite to find our tent not in the spot it was when we left.  yes.  true.

we both had a small freak out inside.

our camping neighbors quickly came over and said they had wrangled our tent but it was completely upside down with our stuff everywhere inside of it.  pack n play, bags, clothes, air mattress, bedding.

all i could do was laugh.

robert got everything fixed and put back together.  he is a gem.

i love camping.  it takes you outside for days on end.  it brings you together with family.

  you get to enjoy each other and the outdoors.

what could be better?

 

                   

9 months old

oh nash.

you are just too much fun.

you are a little ball of energy and literally the happiest baby on the block.

i have never met a happier baby and we constantly are getting comments
 about how you are the happiest baby they have ever met.
  that is how happy you are and with no exaggeration.

and let me tell you there is nothing NOT to love about a happy baby.

you are a big huge bundle of joy for us.

we are always in awe of you and could just sit around watching you do the smallest things.

it's like we can see that smart little brain of yours working.

you have two little teeth that peak through in your sweet smile.

you are speed crawling and constantly crawling on your hands and feet any time we have you in shorts or it is too rough on your knees.  we call it your stink bug crawl.

you love to go outside and to explore new places.

you can be noisy and we get noisy right along with you.

i think you can say "ball" and "whoa". 

you have attempted to crawl up the couch and a few other things lately.

we got you a little car/walker that you can push around.

you started walking and pushing it right when we gave it to you.

you have started to eat more solid foods this month and you love that!

something about the food mom and dad eats makes you so excited that you can eat it too.

it's cute.

in fact everything about you is cute, who am i kidding.

we recently were at the park swinging you and a stranger next to us asked if you were our first.

we said yes and he then told us we should keep having kids because you were the cutest baby ever.

this came from a big tall burly guy with a beard.

you see nash, you even make the strong big guys drop to there knees with your cuteness.

i am ok with that.

in fact i have a hard time handling your cuteness.

our life before you was awesome but you have brought such a light to our life.

we can't imagine living here on this earth without you.

you are such a gift.  and we are so thankful.

his first father's day.

we celebrated robert yesterday and he is so deserving of it.

  he actually deserves to be celebrated as being a dad more than just one day a year.

  me and nash, we are so lucky and blessed to have robert in our lives.

  he is so selfless.

  he wants the best for both of us.

  he provides and does it with a giving heart.

he is so fun and full of energy.

he always has a smile on his face.  we love that.

i just love to see the two of them together and the sweet bond that they have.

he is our guy.

nash is constantly saying "oooooooooooooo" and making this face.  he makes us laugh.

we are so...

and here are some little "outtakes".  it is HARD to get a picture of nash these days.  i take tons to get a few decent ones.  then throw a few more people in the pictures in with nash and it is that much harder to get a good picture!  i love these pictures so much also because you can see his little personality but these types don't get shared as much!