First Year of Monthly Photos

My baby boy turns one year old today! I can't quite put it into words all the emotions I'm feeling at the moment. I remember how he came into this world last year. It was scary and terrifying. There have been terrifying moments during his first year of life, but I think any new parent would say the same. 

All I can say is that every single one of the new child cliches are 100% true! My husband and I have never been more tired, yet happier. 

Virginia Winery Weekend

This past weekend was my best friend's bachelorette weekend. We skipped the glittery components of most bachelorette parties and instead seven of us stayed at a gorgeous bed and breakfast in Virginia's wine country. The weekend included group runs, winery visits, decadent food, sunshine, and plenty of laughter.

I've never been to a winery, nor even a wine tasting before, but I had so much fun that I see more in my future. Even this bourbon and beer lover can appreciate a good wine every now and then. Especially when said wine is paired with gourmet chocolates :)

Scenes from Frankfurt

Earlier this month I had the absolute joy to cross out an item off on my bucket list.  Ever since I was a little girl I had hoped to go to Germany one day with my grandmother. When my dad's sisters and brothers went to Germany when I was a teenager I actually had an embarrassing case of envy. I was so happy for them and loved to hear their stories, but secretly I was frustrated that I wasn't able to go on the trip with them. My mom and Oma (grandmother in German) have crossed the pond a few times together and every time they go that little green eyed monster grows in me.

This year it certainly didn't seem like the ideal time to go. I have a baby. I don't get a full night sleep every night. My house is a wreck. I don't have enough vacation time to go thanks to taking a few days off after my son's surgery earlier this year and a massive snow storm (in factoring out my yearly vacation time I completely forgot that when daycare is closed due to snow that means someone has to stay home with the little guy!).

All the excuses were there not to go. But, my Oma's beloved husband passed away last year and she hasn't been her mentally upbeat person ever since. Around Christmas my sister mentioned that she was looking into going to Germany this year with my mom and my Oma.

Guess who was the person to find airfare so that we could all assemble from Baltimore, Austin, Florida, and NY into Toronto and catch a flight over to Frankfurt?  Yeah, that was me.

My husband told me to go. He'd gladly take care of our son for a week so I could cross off a very special item on my bucket list:

sharing a beer in Germany with my Oma.

Sherwood Gardens Tulips

My little family did not make it down to the DC Tidal Basin this spring to take in the cherry blossoms, but we made the quick trip over to Guilford this past weekend to walk along the tulips. Naturally, the little guy fell asleep as I was parking the car. My husband and I were able to enjoy a lap around Sherwood Gardens and take in all the sights, including some people and dog watching. We ran into friends, with their extremely cute and energetic little girl, and we were able to chat for a few minutes. 

I couldn't believe how many teenagers were in the park taking prom photos. That part didn't surprise me - the scenery is GORGEOUS. The part that surprised me was that most of these teens were working with professional photographers. I mean reflective boards, off camera flash, and one group even had an aisle runner down on the gross to protect shoes and dresses from grass.  My husband jokingly said, "that's you in 17 years."  I mean, I guess I could figure out how to use an off camera flash in that amount of time.

One such couple and their lovely photographer helped me get this family photo. I had my camera set up on a tripod and my remote in my hand. I had taken about 10 photos, but Sterling wasn't looking at the camera and we were getting closer and closer to food time.  Then there would be no more photos! The adorable teenagers stood behind the camera and their helpful photographer hit the shutter button for me.

It takes a village people! 

 

If you're in the Baltimore area I would suggest an immediate trip over to Guilford to take in the tulips at Sherwood Gardens. It's one of the prettiest little parks in all of Baltimore.  The stately homes surrounding the park are majestic. My husband was impressed by the structural soundness of the homes and was admiring their heavy slate roofs. Just prepared for tiny side streets that you swear should be one way streets! 

8 Months Old

Weight: 15lbs (unofficial weigh in)

Weight: 16lbs, 10oz

 

Weight: 18lbs, 2oz

 Weight: 20lbs (unofficial weigh in)

These monthly photos are getting harder and harder to take because our three stooges can't seem to hold still for that long anymore! Except for Jewels because she's able to pose like a statue if a treat is involved. 

I think our kid lost his baby status somewhere around six months old. It's hard to explain, but all of the sudden he looked less like a baby and more like a tiny adult. Maybe it's all the hair! And his bald/flat spot on the back of his head has finally started to grow hair and round out. That's one downside of a kid who sleeps through the night from an early age - they get a flat head!Although we've had some sleep regression the past few months and I think it is safe to say we were spoiled rotten by those peaceful sleep nights in the earlier months.

I've kept this private and I will continue to keep the details private, but our little guy had surgery when he was six months old to correct a birth defect. Perhaps that's when he grew up seemingly overnight. We were a bit surprised he put on any weight between months 6-7 because for two weeks after surgery he wasn't eating as much, but then he was crushing 40oz of food for three days right before his one month post-op check-in. Let's just say that was a growth spurt that had everyone in the house tired.

Back to basics

Emerson Fry sandals

For some reason basics get a bad rap, but I'm going back to basics this year - sartorially speaking.  I've packed my maternity clothes away and purged my closet of anything that doesn't fit or anything that I'm just sick of wearing.  The only exceptions are my button up blouses because even though I'm back to my pre-baby weight my chest size is no where near close to pre-baby size.  I still have hope for some of those shirts. 

Besides maternity wear I haven't purchased any new clothes since mid-2014.  That's a lot of time to stare at a closet and think, "ugh, this outfit again." 

I'm going back to basics and focusing on timeless pieces that I'll want to reach for again and again. Except for bags because I'm going to be carting around a diaper bag for a few more years. Seriously, the diapers seem never ending. Smartest baby registering decision my husband made was registering for a diaper backpack. We need all hands free for our little guy!

My birthday is this weekend and I can officially declare myself as "mid-30s." My goal for clothes are structurally sound pieces that might actually have a chance to carry me into my forties. Yeah, that's kind of crazy, but let's go with it.

If you're still checking in around here then expect lots of basics this year.

And I swear they'll be pretty.

A Quarter Year Old

One week old and not a fan of photos! Weight: 4 lbs, 14ozs

Weight: 8 lbs, 1oz.

Weight: 11 lbs, 6oz

Weight: 13 lbs (unofficial weigh in)

Weight: 14 lbs

 

I remember when I was 10 weeks pregnant I proclaimed to my hubs, "I'm a quarter way done!" He responded that most people measure their pregnancy progress by thirds, as in the standard trimesters. But he did acknowledge my never-ending need to compartmentalize things into quarters and even numbers.

And now we've got a four-month old aka a quarter year old. :) Every month we take a few minutes and prop him up on our couch, tempt the dogs with some treats, and try to get a decent photo of our three kids. We're getting better at it! There may or may not have been close to 75 attempts the first month mainly because we had a bolster pillow on the couch and Sterling couldn't hold his own head up yet. Anytime he'd start to fall over Jax would start to lick him.  Month 2 included a pretty serious meltdown. Month 3 included a bit of clear spit up.

This past month we nailed the monthly series in less than five minutes. Baby on the couch by himself - boom!  Get Jewels on the couch - check! Make sure baby is still sitting up - double check! Get Jax on the couch - quasi check. Get Jax to focus on his treat and not lick the baby - check! Photos taken - check! Baby spit up all over himself - CHECK!  Backup white onesie for photos on his special blanket - check!

I got sad the other day flipping through Sterling's photos and realizing that we barely took any photos of him in the month of November. I blame the earlier sunsets and working full time. Our weeknights are just too hectic for a ton of photos right now, but I'm trying to get better about capturing our random moments.