My little bean is ten months old today.

I know I say this every single month but… seriously??? He’s already ten months??

This has by far been the best month yet too (I know I say that every month too – ha! I just love every single stage he’s been in so far!). He’s so funny, so entertaining, so goofy and SO exhausting!

He’s discovered that he can play with us – so this month we’ve been doing a lot of chasing around the house and last week, Nathan started attacking Jon while he was laying on the floor like he was wrestling with him. It is SO cute. He starts growling and crawls as fast as he can over to us and buries his head on us. I love it!! He’s also discovered that he LOVES books and I cannot tell you how happy that makes me!

Still not walking, but he’s a lightning fast crawler and he pulls up on something about every four seconds. He’ll stand by himself for a little bit, but he hasn’t tried to take his first step. We’ve got the video camera all ready to go, though, because I have a feeling it might be soon. He’s very into pointing these days – it can be a little awkward when we’re out. Ha!

He’s now almost completely on table foods – such a big boy! He eats most meats, lots of veggies and fruits. Anything that we eat, he wants some. So he’s also had bites of cookies, donuts, milkshakes (we are both on dairy! I am so glad to have ice cream again!! Nathan has only had yogurt, but he’s been doing great with it!) and I don’t even want to know what else. There goes my grand plan of making him wait until a year to have sugar! 🙂 He still eats like a five year-old. It scares Jon and me to death about what he’ll be eating like when he’s 15.

He has been doing SO good at leaving things alone when we tell him no. Thank you, Lord! I hate, hate telling him no, but he’s caught on pretty quick. I’m praying hard that this continues to be the case!!

He talks ALL. THE. TIME. When he is awake, there is constant baby babbling going on at my house. It’s so cute!

He has now been to the zoo twice and absolutely LOVES it! We have so much fun! He waves at all the animals and just smiles. I love our little zoo here – it’s small, but it’s fun. Plus, it’s nice to be able to get out on pretty days and walk around.

And since he’s ten months old and Mother’s Day just passed, I thought I’d write a Top Ten List of things I never anticipated about parenthood. 🙂

10. The way that my house would start smelling – every time I walk into my house, I can totally tell that a diapered baby lives here. We heart Febreeze.

9. How absolutely disgusting a high chair tray can get.

8. How my heart completely stops beating anytime I feel like he’s about to fall.

7. I never thought I could be so exhausted and yet be able to keep going through my normal day.

6. I never in my life ever thought I’d pray for someone as much as I pray for Nathan. My days are sometimes like one constant prayer (particularly during grouchy days – ha!).

5. It takes me three days to get somewhere on time now. And spur of the moment Walmart trips? Those are long gone. And I only have ONE kid. I don’t know how you moms of multiples do it.

4. I never knew how much STUFF one little baby could collect. And how big most of that stuff is!

3. I don’t think I ever realized how long and short a day is at the same time. We love when Jon gets home, but when I tuck Nathan in bed, it seems like the day has flown past.

2. I never knew I could love someone like I do Nathan. It’s a totally different type of love than I have for Jon or anyone else. It’s completely changed my view of the Cross – I honestly can’t comprehend how God could give us His Son like He did.

1. And my all-time favorite: I was nursing Nathan in a little back room at a friend’s wedding and a lady walked in and said, “Oh, is that your baby?”

Definitely did not anticipate every getting asked that question. WHILE BREASTFEEDING.

😀

I love being this kid’s mom. 🙂

Yesterday was my very first Mother’s Day.

It kind of weirded me out, to be honest. 🙂 I’ve spent my whole life being the kid on Mother’s Day, so to suddenly be the MOM was cueing all sorts of Twilight Zone music in my brain. This whole past week, I’ve been looking at Nathan as he crawls around, gets slimy while he eats chunks of bananas, grins with soap on his head in the bath and I’ve been just shocked by this:

I. AM. A. MOTHER.

I have a son!

I am so blessed. It takes me off guard most of the time.

Yesterday was so fun! Jon made it very special for me. I got in the shower to get ready to go to church and in the meantime, Jon and Nathan disappeared. When I came into the kitchen, they had Starbucks and flowers sitting on the table. 🙂

We had lunch after church with my family and Clint and Leigh Ann. It was such a sweet time because it’s both of our first Mother’s Day! Afterward, Nathan gave me his card which was ADORABLE – it had his little handprint and footprint inside! I loved it!

And then we went over to my parents’ house so we could be with my mom on Mother’s Day. I love this picture of Nathan helping his Gammy unwrap her gift! And can I just say that having a baby has completely changed my perspective on my mom? I love her more now than I ever have in my whole life. God has blessed me so much in giving me a mother who loves and serves Him. And I know now exactly what she went through with me as a baby and trust me – the respect is flowing unheeded nowadays. 🙂 THANK YOU, MOM – I cannot ever say it enough!

Yesterday was also one of those days where it was just sad being so far away from Jon’s family too – we missed you, Connie! Love you and looking forward to celebrating Mom’s Day in the summer! 🙂

But the best thing about Mother’s Day? It’s the wrapping paper Slip-N-Slide on the carpet after all is said and done:

Goofus. 🙂

What did you do for your mom?

So, despite the snowfall we had on Sunday (not even kidding), we have had really nice weather the last few days. It’s so hard to stay inside when it’s so beautiful outside.

Which is why my shoulders and upper back look like I fell backwards into a tub of red paint. I will now have the outline of my around-the-house nursing tank imprinted on my body for the rest of the year.

Sunscreen. It’s not just a good idea, folks. Naturally, I lathered up Nathan like he was going out of the atmosphere and touching the sun.

I just didn’t think that I would burn that quickly.

I’m not sure why I didn’t. Every single year I get some horrible sunburn the first day out in the sun and then I wear those tan lines the rest of the year. I will be a prime candidate for skin cancer research someday.

We haven’t done much that isn’t out of the ordinary. Jon’s been working, I’ve been writing and slathering on aloe lotion, Nathan’s been doing his playing-eating-sleeping-nursing thing (though we did cut another nursing session out. And he’s eating WAY more solid foods now. He’s getting so big). Kody’s been depressed, but that’s pretty normal now.

Poor dog.

Jon and I have gotten into a new show these days – Bones. And while there have been a few episodes where I’ve regretted eating dessert while watching it, for the most part, I really like it. I always turn off the TV feeling a little smarter and considering about the only time I have the TV on now is to watch Veggie Tales, that doesn’t happen too often.

What have you guys been up to? Any other shows y’all would recommend?

This last week, I was in St. Louis talking at the Willot Road Christian Academy’s annual Modesty Fashion Show.

SO FUN.

I met the sweetest girls, got to chat with the nicest moms running it and just had a complete and total blast! I think one of the highlights was I got to sign one of my books for the second time – ha! Sarah had already ordered one from me and I got to sign it again! I loved it!

We left on Thursday and my amazing mom came with me to help out with Nathan since Jon already had a hunting trip planned for this past weekend for about a year. And he ended up successful:

Don’t you love the smile he’s got? I was so dang proud of him when I saw this picture!!

Mom, Nathan and I had a great time. We stayed with my aunt and uncle, Dolly and David, and their two girls, Marissa and Rachel. And my grandmother drove up to see us too. Full house! Nathan LOVED getting to meet his Missouri relatives and see his great-grandma again!

I wish I’d gotten more pictures, but I seriously packed my suitcase so full that I couldn’t fit the camera (and actually had to redistribute stuff at the ticket counter because my suitcase weighed too much. The perils of traveling with books). So these pictures are from my mom and I’m so glad she got a few!

Wasn’t the stage just gorgeous? I felt like I should be getting married instead of going up there by myself. Ha! 🙂

This is my favorite part of going to events like these – talking to and meeting tons of fun, sweet girls!!

Thanks David, Dolly, Marissa, Rachel, Nama and the fabulous women at WRCA for your hospitality! We had a great weekend!!

I also wanted to tell y’all about a couple of FUN things I’m going to be introducing soon!! Since September seems so far away, I’ve been working on some new things in the mean time. I’m hoping to have four novellas releasing this late spring and summer! YAY!!! They’ll be a Kindle-only release, so if you don’t have a Kindle or the Kindle app on your phone, you can download it for free to read on your computer here – PC or Mac.

SO excited for these new releases!!! 🙂

Easter is one of my all-time favorite holidays – mostly for the church service. I love, love, LOVE Easter services!

This was Nathan’s first Easter and our first Easter service at our church – we were going to Mars Hill ABQ a year ago, but didn’t make it to the service because we ended up sick.

So, it was SO fun to get to see it! Our church really did it up nicely – awesome songs, a great message and at the end, they released tons of huge balloons from the top of the balcony that everyone bounced up and down in the air. SUCH a party!! I love it! There is no better way to celebrate Jesus being alive! And Nathan was just AMAZED.

We tried to get family pictures which is always an adventure these days! Ha! I loved this one, but I think this one more captures who my son really is:

We went to Mom and Dad’s for yummy hot dogs and hamburgers and spent the rest of the day watching Nathan do his first Easter egg hunt, as in, he picked up the eggs scattered all over the family room. 🙂

He was very excited about it. We even put Puffs in a few of the eggs. Ha! 🙂

Auntie Cayce helped him find some on the coffee table. 🙂

Nathan got to ride the tractor with Pops. Doesn’t he look so big in these pictures? I cannot believe how big he’s getting!

He got his first goose egg yesterday (fitting, right?). He was pulling up and down on the coffee table, lost his grip and smacked right into the edge of it with his eyebrow. It swelled up into a little bump and cried and cried and I might have teared up too. 🙁 Some ice and snuggling with Mom seemed to fix it. 🙂

And he was more than fine a little later playing with Gammy…

Such a fun day! Today has been such a great day too – he took an awesome morning nap and then we went over to my friend Jamie’s house for Lunch Bunch. Nathan always plays himself silly every Monday and today was no different! Leigh Ann brought little Hayley Grace for the first time today and since Leigh Ann still can’t drive from her C-section, they got to come with us!

The kids afterwards – so cute!

What are your special Easter traditions??

There were SO many good deals out there today, that we had to go have a day of running errands. After being at home most of the last few days, it was fun to actually take the time to dress nicely (i.e. not sweatpants!), get out in the beautiful weather and have some mom/son time with Nathan. 🙂 Most of these deals I found by reading moneysavingmom.com – awesome, awesome site that always inspires me to be a better at budgeting!

First, we made a stop at Walmart where I had a few coupons for diapers and a free contact solution kit that they are giving out in the Vision Center today. I was getting low on solution but was procrastinating on buying more – guess procrastination DOES pay off? (Don’t tell my editors I said that! Ha!)

Then we had to swing by Starbucks and pick up their free coffee or tea. All you’ve got to do is bring your own mug. That was easy enough.

We went and did a few not so fun errands – the bank, the gas station – and then headed to the mall where Origins is giving away a free facial cleanser with this form and a bottle of a skincare product you want to swap for it. Yours can be empty or full, lotion or soap – it doesn’t matter. So I took a small lotion bottle I’d bought very cheap and hated. And an added bonus, we got to say hi to Nathan’s Auntie Cayce who works in the mall. Nathan was very happy about that visit. 🙂

I walked around Old Navy, but aside from trying a few summer hats on the Nater Tot (which he promptly removed), I didn’t see anything. I’ll probably go back there tomorrow because they are having men’s polo shirts on sale for $6 and you can’t beat that.

Also tomorrow, you can stop by Lowe’s for a free tree. Yup. Tree. I know, I know, flowers and plants come to my house to die, but maybe trees are in a different category as far as that goes? Anyway, I figure we can replace the tree that is um, dead in the backyard. (I really need to remember that plants need water.)

And let’s not forget the BIGGEST freebie of all – it’s Good Friday and Christ died so that you can have the FREE gift of eternal life with your Heavenly Dad! I love how the song puts it: “It was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished. I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom. But I will boast in Jesus Christ! His death and resurrection!”

Nathan crashed about five minutes after we got home which gives me a chance to have my quiet time, clean up my messy house and get ready for a date night tonight with Jon. My parents are watching him – we are so excited! Thanks Gammy and Pops!

Have you guys found any good deals lately?

Nathan’s first graham cracker! Based on the hyperventilating that happens whenever he sees the graham cracker box now, I’d say he’s a fan. 🙂

Last weekend, Jon’s parents came in town to visit. So fun! Nathan had a blast entertaining his Nonnie and Papa O.

And I do mean entertaining.

The boy thrives on attention and he got plenty of it this weekend. He laughed, he made his goofy faces, he threw a couple of fits (ha!) and he also figured out how to push his firetruck around and walk behind it.

He’s getting to be so big!

Nathan and I took Nonnie and Papa O to the airport on Monday morning and I think he was asleep before I even left the airport property. Someone was worn out from his fun weekend!

We went over to my friend Eryn’s house for a little bit yesterday and it was great seeing everyone from my mom’s group. We didn’t stay long though because Nathan was about to melt down and did, actually, the rest of the day. Poor guy! He didn’t sleep super well while Jon’s parents were in town – I think he was worried he was going to miss something!

I finally went on a short walk yesterday with him because we just HAD to get out of the house and have a change of scenery – it seemed to calm him down for a bit, but Nathan was definitely in bed a little early last night!

What did you guys do? 🙂

Nathan turned nine months old on the 13th.

Where does the time go???

He is so fun and so sweet. He LOVES to laugh and spends most of his day entertaining me and trying to get me to laugh. I just love him!

He has been cutting his two bottom teeth and this past week, they popped through the surface! I can’t believe my baby has teeth! He did SO good with the teething – other than being a bit more restless (particularly at night), he didn’t seem to have that bad of a time with it. Praise God!

He also started officially throwing fits this month. He’ll straighten his little arms out and just yell for a bit. It’s kind of funny – ha! I have to try really hard not to laugh as I tell him no. He is getting better with the “no” word though – maybe it’s starting to click what it means???

He’s started sitting on his knees a lot – I think it makes him feel taller. And he loves to pull up on EVERYTHING – our coffee table, his toys, the couches, my pant leg. You name it, he pulls up on it. He is a crawling machine and follows me around the whole house – so we keep all of the bedroom doors closed now and have a gate up on the kitchen doorway. It’s reminding me of the days when Kody was a puppy! Ha!

Nathan is just the BEST blessing we have ever gotten. I am just soaking up every second with my boy!