Constant Beginnings

Dearest G, Life is funny. After we had Claire, we wondered if we were capable of loving anyone else quite as much. Along came Mya and blew all hesitations away,  yet we wondered once again. Finally, came you. Our love for you has surpassed any measure. You are a perfect addition to our family. God certainly knew what he was doing when he blessed our family with your presence. You are the ying to your sisters' yang. You are the balance we needed. You, my sweet boy, are one year old today. It is with such joy and happiness that we've celebrated all this first year has encompassed and look forward to each amazing adventure ahead. Here are the facts: You wear size 4 diapers. 12 mo. clothing Eat anything and everything. I kid that you are delayed as you think a wave means anything/everything. Perhaps you got it right as that wave is guaranteed to bring smiles to everyone's face. You say "mama," "dadda," "yumm." I swear you've said "m...

My dearest Gavin, You have become such a little man! I love it/you with all my heart. Every breath you take, every thing you attempt to say, every step you take, every little thing you put in your mouth. All. Totally. Adorable. I can't believe you are nearly one year! It seems like yesterday we had just come home from the hospital and were learning to navigate this new life together. It has been a crazy ride, but we are in such a good place right now. You have the best qualities of each of us. It really is an amazing thing. My biggest worry was that you would be a high maintenance kid. You went through a significantly fussy period and I fretted that this would become the you I would know forever. Thank goodness that has been far from reality. You are such a mellow kid. You go with the flow--letting the girls lug you around like a sack of potatoes, run with us from activity to activity, eager to see where we go. You are an independent player. You love to explore. I frequently ...

We are in such a good place in our lives right now. Chris and I both have rewarding jobs that we enjoy. I'd say love, but I'm not sure if he "loves" his or not. :) We just marked our anniversary of our first date on February 12th, which was 17 years ago! I feel we are closer today than we've ever been. Chris and I chatted about the crossfit/support issue and he finally saw the light. Needless to say, this week has been much better. I feel supported and loved. Our kids are healthy, active, smart and dare I say, happy. All that said, I find it fascinating that we cannot help but feel sad or unsatisfied, held back by the what could have been's. Chris made the decision to retire from the Air Force. It was a tough decision. One filled with pros and cons. The pros obviously being stability for our family and more time together. The cons being what is bringing us to this bittersweet place. It is this month that we would have found out, along with our other friends,...

Chris and I started this crossfit journey 2 months ago. In that time, I missed about 5 classes or so. While I've seen so many positive changes and surprised myself many times--like going from not being able to do any butterfly situps to doing 30 or not being able to jump rope at all to jumping 100 times in one minute or hurling 80 pounds over my head? Yeah, I've progressed. Yet, my disappointment and frustration in what I am still unable overwhelms me. Takes hold of my focus. Pushes me to feel trapped. See the thing is that the pieces of crossfit that I really love above all other types of programs is the competition aspect. I like a challenge. I always have. I like to win. I like to beat people and I love to surprise them with my mightiness. Last night was tough for me. I am not a good loser. It isn't pretty. In fact, I am a pretty pathetic loser. Our WOD was the following--5 rounds of 15 calorie row, 15 pull ups (with bands), 15 dragon crawls, 15 sit ups and 15 wall balls...

I really should have combined your 9 and 10 month updates as I was so late writing the 9 month. So, I am going to do something a bit different. In honor of 10 amazing months with you, I am going to do a top 10 list. Top 10 Things I LOVE about Gavin. 10. i love the way that you are a perfect mix of all of us. you are easy going, mellow, short tempered,       happy, goofy, fussy, funny, and loving little boy. truly, a perfect fit. that missing piece of our              puzzle. 9.  i love the way you give us a full, uninterrupted night of sleep. just when we need it the most. 8. the way you look at us when we feed you your bottle. i love that time with you, although daddy has     been doing more of those feedings lately. 7. the way you eat anything. you seriously love food and will eat anything we put in front of you.     thank you! 6. how you love baths. we've moved to baths in our huge bathtub. you move fro...

This post is long overdue, but as with most things lately, I am behind and trying desperately to catch up! My dearest Gavin, you are 9 months old! You have changed so much and have begun doing some amazing things this month. We've been battling colds and runny noses. Some of which relate to your teething. You have 6 teeth--4 on top and 2 on the bottom. Everyone is constantly commenting on your little chompers as you now have the toothiest grin. It is adorable. Now that you have some beautiful teeth, we've made the final adjustment to only eating finger foods. You can feed yourself for the most part and eagerly anticipate each meal. You particularly love blueberries, yogurt, fried rice, pancakes, cheerios, and bananas. We've also transitioned to sippy cups. It was a battle at first, but probably because you just weren't ready, but you use one all day at Ms. Natalie's house and we use one at home for meals. I am not quite ready to give up the bottle yet. Perhaps I a...

Chris and I began a new adventure last night--Crossfit. I first learned about Crossfit when we lived in Massachusetts, but I was too busy being pregnant, dealing with life as a new mom and work to take the plunge. It intrigued me. I read blogs documenting the journeys of overweight, stressed Mamas who transformed themselves both mentally and physically through this activity. I love exercise. I love trying new things, but hate feeling incompetent or less than. It's a psychological war that plays out in my head. It's just a matter of if I let the fear paralyze me or not. Crossfit is popular here. It seems to be the "new thing" in the fitness world. A new gym opened in our little village, which offers crossfit classes. Chris and I took the leap. Our first class was a success. Being a new gym, their membership is low. That meant Chris and I were the only ones in the class. Of course, I didn't desire all the attention, but at the same time, it allowed us to not feel c...