Liam's First Snow

Denver weather is crazy. On Monday it was 80 degrees with sunny skies and on Wednesday we got our first snow of the season! It's mostly melted away by now and it's supposed to be in the 60s on Halloween.

Anyway, it was fun to introduce Liam to the snow. Alex had to go to work, but my friend, Shannon, came over and took a few pictures of Liam in the snow. I realized quickly that we're going to have to get him some more snow-appropriate clothing. Maybe a one-piece snow suit that covers his hands and feet...and some moccassin-type shoes to keep his little toes warm.

Anyway, here are the photos of Liam experiencing his first snow! Thanks for the photos, Shannon.

"Uhh, mom, what's going on here? What's all this white stuff?"

Chillin' in the snow.

View from above. Those shoes were way too big and kept falling off.

What a cute little eskimo. 

"Okay mom, let's get inside, it's cold out here!"

the hard days

I am beyond thankful for the blessing that Liam is to our lives. I am also beyond thankful that I am able to stay home with him everyday. But that doesn't mean it's all rainbows and butterflies. There are some days when I want to crawl into a hole and hide for hours. I just want to sleep and watch a movie without having to press pause ten times and get some work done without interruption and have peace and quiet. Yesterday was one of those days where I just wanted to get away. I was tired and we were having breastfeeding issues and Liam was just being crabby. Thank God Alex had the day off from work so he was able to help out quite a bit. And today I woke up feeling much better. The hard days are certainly no fun but they make me really appreciate all the good days.

Check out this sweet video Alex made. Mornings with Liam are my favorite.

Pumpkin Patch

I don't think I had ever been to a real pumpkin patch before last Sunday. Now that we have Liam we are trying to create fun family traditions. The obvious tradition for the Fall/Halloween season is visiting a pumpkin patch and decorating pumpkins. [I would also like to pick apples at an apple orchard! I think I'll wait until next year though.] Alex found Rock Creek Farm in Broomfield and we were on our way.

It was such a beautiful day! Warm with clear skies and a light breeze. Predictably, Liam fell asleep in the car on the way there. I usually don't like waking him up when he's napping, but I didn't want him to miss our first ever pumpkin patch visit. We didn't bring Jaxon with us this time (sorry Jaxon!) but we did get him his very own pumpkin. Everyone in the family got one. Now, the next step will be decorating them. That's tomorrow's project.

Love those mountains.

Sleepy Boy.

Picking out the perfect pumpkin with Papa.

Me - Liam - Jaxon - Alex

Alex

Source: photosandquotes.net via Kristel on Pinterest

I don't remember the first time I met Alex. I know we went to the same high school. I remember seeing him around. And I remember the girl he dated (I have to say, I didn't think much of her, so I didn't really think much of him either). I even have a couple of pictures of him in my scrap book. He played with the youth band at my church for a while so he's in the pictures of the band that I took. I don't really ever remember saying two words to him. So I guess we must have been introduced at some point in high school or at church. But we had different groups of friends so we just never interacted much. I thought he was just some guy I would never see again and he probably thought the same of me. I graduated high school in 2003 (he graduated 2004) and moved on with my life.

Two years later I walked into Guitar Center with a friend of mine and there he was. He worked there and we recognized each other. Eventually he and my friend became friends. He started coming to my church. We started hanging out. I still didn't think we would ever be more than acquaintances. Somehow that all changed and Alex became the most important person in the world to me. We fell in love, got married, moved to North Carolina, got pregnant, moved to Colorado...and now, here we are. When I saw the above quote on Pinterest (my new favorite website!) it resonated with me.

Alex, I really didn't think you would be so important to me, but you are. I love you.

Guest Blog on Live Freely

I wrote a guest blog post on my friend's blog, Live Freely. I wrote about stylish clothing options for baby boys (like our handsome Liam). Click over to Chanti's blog and check it out... And if you're not already reading this blog regularly, you should! It's beautiful and inspiring.
Happy reading!

Life Changer

I saw this shirt on Zulily last month and knew I had to have it for Liam.
He certainly is a Life Changer. It's been just over two months since he came into this world and my life is forever changed. I have experienced a love like no other. I've been pushed to be more self-less than ever before. And I certainly don't get as much sleep as I used to. My current life is much different from my former life. Sometimes I miss the carefree days, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Liam is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me and I thank God for bringing this little Life Changer into our family.

Shirt from: Oh Baby London

Diaper from: Fuzzibunz

Shoes from: They were Alex's when he was a baby! Cute. 

[If you'd like to join Zulily click this link...I love this site! So much good stuff on sale all the time]

married with children

Bringing children into a marriage really does change everything. I really didn't think it would, but it does.

In the beginning, I have to say that it was a struggle. Finding that balance of being married, taking care of a baby, fulfilling responsibilities, and still having fun was tough. I think I resented Alex because I felt like his life really wasn't changing that much. He could still go to work. Still wear the same clothes. Still get some good sleep at night. He was still able to do pretty much everything he did before Liam arrived. Whereas my life was rocked. Most of my clothes didn't fit (some still don't) and finding something nursing-friendly in my closet was a challenge (still is sometimes). My body is...completely different. The physical toll of labor and delivery had me feeling weak and tired. I had this baby constantly attached to my boob, which were always in pain (still are). My emotions were (and sometimes still are) all over the place. There would be times when I would be up feeding the baby at 3am and I would stare at Alex snoring next to me and, well, let's just say I wasn't thinking happy thoughts.

Ten weeks later I think we've really gotten into a groove. Yes, we still struggle sometimes, but for the most part we've figured out how to work as a team. I'm really thankful for Alex and I know I wouldn't be able to raise this kid on my own. Because Alex goes to work  everyday I am able to stay home and be with our baby. I'm Liam's main caregiver because Alex works so hard to provide for us. When Alex gets home from work he often cooks dinner, takes the trash out, spends time with the baby while I take a break or finish up chores, walks Jaxon... He never turns his nose up at changing a diaper or helping me in any way I ask him to. On his days off we take turns taking care of Liam. When one of us needs a break or has something to do the other will take over. Really, the only thing Alex doesn't do is breastfeed...and we can't really blame him for that.

We have even slowly been figuring out how to spend time alone together...whether that's getting a baby sitter so we can go out on a date or catching up on tv shows (thanks hulu!) while Liam is sleeping. We definitely don't go out as much as we used to and we're still figuring out how to make time for friends, but I'm sure it'll be okay. We're only two months into this parenting thing, we're still adjusting.

We also started reading this book together called "Just Stay Married." We don't get to it everyday, but when we do it's a nice little way to get us thinking and talking about the spiritual condition of our marriage. Like I said, we're adjusting. Some days are harder than others, but all I know is I am thankful to have Alex as a partner in life. Being married with children (or even just one child) changes everything, but I'm kind of glad it does.

Picnic at City Park

Testing out my sling.

Family Photo!

Reading time.

skype baby shower

Yesterday was my sister's baby shower in Miami.
I really really wanted to be there...but in the end, it just didn't work out. Thankfully the venue where the shower was being held had wifi and I was able to skype into the party. Hallelujah! I still wish I could have been there, but I am so thankful for modern technology that allows me to be a part of the special moments when I can't be present physically.

I love you, Danibel! I can't wait to meet my nephew, Julian. See you in December.

Saying HI to my sister.

Liam and I watching one of the games.

Liam meeting his cousin Aiden and Tia Reima.

Liam really enjoyed seeing his family in Miami. :-)

date night

In just a few hours Alex and I will be on our way to Boulder to see Switchfoot in concert. I have felt mixed emotions about tonight. We planned this months ago. I know Alex is excited. Switchfoot is one of his favorite bands and he's been wanting some alone time with me. Sweet husband. :-)

I'm excited to go to the concert also. And I do miss having uninterrupted quality time with my husband...but I am so nervous to leave our baby! He will be in capable hands. Our friends, the Barleys, will be watching him. I have no doubt that he will be well cared for...but man, I'm going to miss him! And, of course, I worry. I worry that he'll miss me. I worry that something will happen and we'll be all the way in Boulder. I worry that he'll be fussy and sad. I worry that he won't have enough milk. It's silly but I guess that's what happens when you're a mom.

This won't be the first time we leave him. My parents watched him for a couple of hours last weekend when they were in town. Alex and I went to a party and I definitely cried in the car on the way there. Liam was fine, of course. When we got home he was cooing in his bassinet ready to go to sleep with a belly full of pumped breast milk and a fresh diaper on. But this is different! We'll be gone for six hours (at least!) and we'll be in another town! I'm going to miss my little booger and I just pray that he will be fine without me.

I think our next date night will be a little closer to home because I don't think I can stand being away from my handsome guy for so long. At least I'll be in the company of my other handsome guy. I love you, dear husband of mine! :-)

Parents, how was it for you the first time you left your baby with a sitter?

two months

Liam is now two months old! He's a pretty great kid. He has his fussy moments (I mean, c'mon, he's a baby) but for the most part he's a happy baby. Lately he's discovering his hands and learning to hold his head up. He wakes up about two times a night to eat but always goes right back to sleep when he's done. He's also starting to smile more. I love seeing that adorable toothless grin. I also love hearing him babble. Cuteness overload! He has the stinkiest farts but I kinda love them. He really enjoys bath time. He's so calm as the warm water pours over him. He's not a huge fan of tummy time, but we're working on it. Tomorrow he has his two month appointment with the pediatrician so we'll get his official growth stats then. I'm going to predict that he weighs around 11 pounds...we'll see!

P.S. I wrote a guest post for the Walking Worthy blog on trust, worry, and being a new mom. Check it out here.