So we meet again...

In case you haven't noticed, I get into a habit of updating regularly, then dropping off the face of the planet for a month. It's not that I don't enjoy blogging - I do. It's just that, as the saying goes, I have many rods in the fire. Wait... Is that right? Did I just make that up? Ha!

One thing I HAVE stuck with lately is diet and exercise! I'm officially BELOW my prepregnancy weight! Woop woop! I still have a way to go until my first goal, but eating clean (usually) and throwing in cardio 4 or 5 times a week has helped me drop several pounds. No big secret. Count my calories, eat whole foods, and workout. And when I say workout, please know I mean a 20 minute DVD or a walk/run. Nothing fancy. I don't have a desire to look perfect or have rippling abs. Because in order to keep those perfect abs, I'd have to workout insanely every day for the rest of my life! I settle for looking trim and tone and still having time to do other things. Like blog. At midnight.

Getting Fit!

I'm still rocking out the 1 am bedtime. Unfortunately there just aren't enough hours in the day. Corbin is into EVERYTHING these days, so I've been coming up with lots of activities to keep him busy/occupied. Sidewalk chalk had been a hit. Finger paints were surprisingly a dud. Water colors were fun because it included his favorite thing - water. He enjoys helping me prepare food and clean. If you need something thrown away or spoons put in the dishwasher, he's your man! Actually, he's mine. Get your own!

I intended to write a whole blog about our first family vacation... But *sigh* there just isn't much to write about. We went to Myrtle Beach and it rained 3 out of 5 days we were there. The few times we went out on the beach, Corbin wasn't a fan of the ocean. I think most little kids aren't. He did enjoy digging around in the sand. His favorite part was the outside kiddie wade pool! It was perfect for Corbin and the sprinklers and sprayers were extra exciting for him. He played so hard, he even took a nap poolside a couple of times! That does NOT normally happen. Ever.

Getting sleepy...

OUT!

He slept through so much noise!

Beach baby!

Not so "shore" about the ocean. See what I did there?

Feeling brave (both of us!)

Miss it!

We had lots of swimming lessons in the inside pool while it was raining (which it did... a lot.). Corbin is a natural! He already has no issues having his face drenched in water. It didn't take him long to get the concept of kicking his legs. I want to keep up his lessons this summer... But that would require a pool. Hmmm... Anybody with a pool need a new best friend?!

This does not count.

Also new in my life, my sister will be visiting this summer from South Korea. She and her husband live there on base. I think she might be surprised at how much Corbin has grown and changed... Considering he was only 2 months old when she left! Hello! He went from newborn to toddler! Oh. Em. Gee.

Oh yeah...how could I forget?!  The most traumatizing experience as a mother yet. Last week Corbin fell down two concrete stairs outside and face planted in concrete. I knew this would eventually happen once he started climbing stairs.  I turned my back to water the flowers for TWO SECONDS! Yeeeeeah... Not his (or my!) best moment. A week later, the bruising is almost gone and a little scar is left by his eye. No concussion or anything serious. THANK THE LORD! First of many, though, I'm sure!

The scene of the crime

At the doctor's office

The night after it happened!  UGH!

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

So that's pretty much what's new in my life. It's never dull around here. Boredom is not an option!

Mother's Day

It's midnight. Mother's day to be exact. This is my second mother's day, actually. I haven't really had time to reflect lately, what with being showered lavish gifts and adoration and all, so I thought now would be as good of a time as any. When I should be sleeping. Sleep shmeep.

Entering into my second year of motherhood, some things have changed, but at the same time, they remain the same. My heart still skips a beat when I see his smiling face every morning. Or when he runs around the house saying "quack quack" (or cluck cluck... We aren't really sure. ). Or when he grabs a book in one hand and shoves me to the rocking chair with the other. I still take in the smell of his hair (except when he's been outside sweating. P. U.) and the feel of his little body curled up to mine as I rock him to sleep. I still attack his face with kisses even though he now pushes my head away, usually because he's so focused on whatever it is he has discovered for the day. And I still love watching him grow and change every day.

Now a mother of a toddler, I can appreciate how big the world seems to Corbin. Everything is new and exciting. Unloading the dishwasher. A swiffer duster. The garden hose. Pushing buttons on EVERY CONCEIVABLE DEVICE. Yes, it comes with its own challenges (tantrums resulting from not getting to push aforementioned buttons?!), but the rewards are so much greater.

(if this poem is terrible it's because I did not intend on writing a poem. It just sorta happened so I went with it)

Little arms around my neck.
Resting his head on my shoulder.
Tugging my hand to get me to follow.
Turning back pages when the book is over.

Smiling because I made the right sound.
Or face or what he finds funny.
Laughing when I squeeze his knees.
Crying because he got an owie.

Plopping his butt in my lap on the couch.
Singing along when he should be sleeping.
Pointing out all of my freckles and moles.
Picking up rocks he thinks he'll be keeping.

Babble and chatter.
Determined bubble catcher.
Loves water and lunch time and then
Scrub-a-dub in the tub.
Book, bottle, and wubanub.
Just a few things I love about him!

Happy Mother's Day!

My Life in Real-Time

I need to vent.  It's been one of those days weeks when you just feel like your head is going to blow of your shoulders because you can't handle.  You just can't.

First of all, I'm still recuperating from Corbin's birthday.  Shake your judgmental heads all you want - party planning and executing is stressful!  Plus, our checkbook is still hurtin' from it all, so we'll be eating oatmeal and spaghetti for dinner for a while.  That's life.

So that brings me to my next woe.  We got this new health insurance through Josh's work, right?  Sure.  So we needed to go get wellness physicals to prove we aren't dying or something (because looking down your throat and in your ears predicts that, eh?).  I get there and they start talking about blood work, to which I'm like, OH GREAT.  Needles. Bad.  Blood. Bad.  And after the needle/blood incident with Corbin two days ago for HIS wellness check (hello, Corbin is a bleeder and I should not have worn white that day), I was just SO excited [insert sarcasm].  But regardless, I let them stick my arm, and I said "ouch" and stared out the window while I tried to find my happy place.

Then today they called us with the results.  Evidently, nobody told me I needed to fast prior to the blood work because nobody told me I was getting blood work to start with.  Therefore, my vitals came back showing I had elevated bad cholesterol (212) which is unusual for me.  But I had really good triglycerides! And my blood pressure was low (typical) and my blood sugar was normal (typical).  Oh, and apparently I've lost a whole whopping 10 pounds in one year.  Whoop-de-do.

Then there's Josh. *sigh*

High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, low triglycerides. UGH.  What am I going to do to make this boy stop eating gas station muffins on his way to work!?!  I gotta give him credit for trying to eat better (less?) lately...but something else has gotta give.  Corbin and I need him around for a long, long time! I wish we could afford a gym membership but...

One. income. family.

I think I need to learn extreme couponing.  Or sell plasma.  Or something.  Because, while I love staying home with Corbin and I absolutely feel like it's the right decision, cutting your spending in half because you dropped to one income STINKS. And that's all I got to say about that.

Look at that pitiful face :(

Getting some love from Grammy

Then add to all that, Corbin has been sick, teething, and feverish (shots?) all week so it's been "fuss-whine-snot-fuss-cry-snot-whine-snot-cry-fuss-snot" all the day long.  Oh, and let's not forget it daggum TURNED WINTER AGAIN!?  What is up with that, April?  I mean really.  First you tease my kid with sunshine and dandelions then BAM it's 40 degrees and I'm covering my petunias and geraniums.  So, we've been stuck in the house and I'm just tired of sweeping and vacuuming and dishwasher-unloading and bed-making and all that jazz because there's nothing else to do while I'm procrastinating.  Except blog.  Notice the surge in blogging lately?  Yeah...

Precious bebe

I'll  miss this one day.  Ok, I already miss it.

So that's pretty much it.  Stressin' about health, money, life... the usual.   It's hard to not just implode and go hiding in the corner, whilst rocking in the fetal position.  But then I pull myself together and go searching for what God has to say when life gets too hard:

Isaiah 41:10
'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

Philippians 4:19
And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-8
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

and my favorite...

Jeremiah 17:7-8
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.



There.  I feel a little better.  I'd feel a lot better after a nap...

A birthday boy and his outside adventures

Ok.  So leaving you at the last post without a plethora of pictures just felt wrong.  So here's some cute-baby/toddler-crack for your viewing pleasure.  I now present to you a little boy and his birthday playhouse...

Plaid. Overalls. Love.

That hair.

That face.

Hammering some nails

Walking in the front door

Looking mischievous

Cookin' up something on the grill

Dumb telemarketers.

The life.

My ball.

Into the house you go, ball.

Ball goes with me.

Running away with his ball!

Corbin turns one year!

I am now the mama of a TODDLER.  Somebody hold me, please.

Has his teddy bear and is ready for his check-up!

Waiting the ridiculously long wait.  Sheesh.

Seriously, what's the point in the paper?

"Parents, please do not let children play with instruments."

Really?  So you put them WHERE?!

I own this room.

Yes, Corbin is now 1 year old.  His birthday and party were last Saturday.  I did my very best to not overwhelm myself and get so caught up in hosting that I couldn't enjoy myself.  I'd say it was better than my wedding reception, but still not as "enjoyable" for me as I wish it had been.  Hindsight is 20/20.  Next year, rent the facility for longer than actually intended so we aren't shoving people out the door as they're shoving cake in their mouths.  Just sayin'.  Sorry y'all.

Anyway, I wanted to give a quick little update on my 12 month old (there, doesn't that sound better than 1 year old?).

At 12 months/1 year, Corbin...

• weighs 20.6 lbs.
• is 29 inches long
• is a peanut
• can fully walk
• points at everything
• follows simple commands, such as "go get _____."
• takes a sippy cup 2x a day
• takes a bottle for naps and bedtime
• drinks 15-20 oz of formula a day
• hates whole milk
• is tolerating sweet acidophilus milk
• sleeps 10-12 hours solid at night
• takes one 2-4 hour nap in the afternoon
• has 5 teeth
• likes to hold your hand and walk with you around the house
• wears 6-12 month clothing
• wears size 3 diapers
• wears size 3-4 shoes
• can drink from a straw
• is starting to feed himself with a baby fork
• loves scrambled eggs the most
• loves brooms
• loves, loves, LOVES playing in water
• HATES swinging and being forced to sit in hard plastic seats
• says "mama," "bye-bye," "hey," and "duck"
• can wave bye-bye
• knows to hold the phone to his ear to "talk"
• mimics everything I do
• throws temper tantrums when you shut a door he wanted to go through
• waves his hands around in the air when you tell him something is "shooey" or "stinky" or "yucky"
• likes to water the flowers with his little watering can
• likes to kill the flowers with his little shovel
• uses his crib mattress as a trampoline
• loves Veggies Tales and Blue's Clues
• "whispers" to himself while he plays
• is loving, cuddly, and affectionate
• is the apple of my eye
• is mine.
• all mine.
• forever.
• sorry, ladies.
• is very, very loved.

If you want to see more pictures from his party, check out my FB page or the previous post which links you to the birthday photo book I made on Shutterfly!

The last 1.5 months as narrated by Corbin

I now present to you the last 1.5 month's worth of cell phone pictures.  Just kidding.  That would be a lot of pictures.  But here are a few great ones that pretty much sum it all up!

I love snacks!

I love Baby

I hate swings

I love technology

I can open the diaper pail.  I leave the room smelling fragrant.

I love Mommy

I love Mommy

I like this cookie

I love Ducky

I went to a birthday party

I wear Mommy's glasses.  I love Mommy.

Daddy has a cool phone.  He's okay.

I think I love muffins

It was okay.

I love Mommy

I love ice cream. And Mommy.

I finally hold my own bottle!

I started taking my sippy cup

I sometimes sniff my high chair tray

I like to stand

I don't like couponing

I am adorable

I can't believe you put a bow in my hair!

I make a pretty girl

I think you've gone too far.

I love Mommy

Supa-Star!

I like technology

I like dust mopping

I love throwing my food down to Sammy

I have a mullet

I look snazzy

I love Mommy. And Ducky.

I can use a fork!

I take my dog for walks

I like to sweep the floor

I get the hard-to-reach places for Mommy

I don't know what you mean by "child labor laws"

I like to stand and watch TV

I climbed up here by myself

I will be blackmailed during my teenage years

I am a shorty

I get amazing bed head

I'm sexy and I know it