Our baby hits his 1st Milestone…and how I’m surviving!

A couple months ago our baby boy Mac turned ONE. Amazing….seriously, does anyone else feel like time these days is flying by at warp speed?! Does this happen when you turn 30? Or when you become a parent? Or when you have little ones in the house- all.day.long.?? Or is it just a sign of the times in general? As I continue on the downward slope, staring 40 in the face, I am realizing just how precious time is. Now, that does not by any means make me a better time manager or better at “stopping to smell the roses”, although it should. Rather, its making me hold me kids just a little tighter, engraining their little laughs and kisses and tears in my memory bank, and reciting my daily mantra of “I will miss these days” over and over while the screaming and not-sharing and the throwing of the food and the temper tantrums ensue.

Back when my husband and I were discussing having kids, we both decided we wanted our kids close in age, apparently VERY close in age, as ours are a mere 19 months apart. Looking back, I’m pretty sure this decision must have been made over a bottle (or 2) of wine (haha), or maybe it was because our first, Ava, was such an amazing baby (she’s clearly making up for that in her toddler years!!), but whatever the reason, I know that having them grow up so close together in age will be amazingly fun (for them- lol!). A little buddy to play with day in & day out- I cannot wait to see how these youthful years unfold & to see how close they become as adults.

The first year of Mac’s life was an absolute whirlwind, I mean complete and total whiplash. The week he was born we finalized the decision to move back to the USA from Malaysia (where we had been living for 3 years), we introduced Mac to our expat friends, we baptized Mac in our church in KL, we said goodbye to our lovely expat friends, we took an ah-mazing 2 week ending of our expat posting holiday in a private villa in Bali, we arrived back in Indiana and into corporate housing for 3 months while we searched for a home to buy, David started his new position within his company, we reconnected with some very dear and close friends from when we lived here before our move,  we moved into said home, we found a church home, we started Ava in preschool & survival swim classes, I searched for and found a couple of fantastic mommy groups to join, we hosted some family in our new hometown, we took a little mini-break just David and I for 48 hours away from the kids for the FIRST TIME EVER, we flew to SoCal for my brothers wedding, we hosted more family in our new hometown, we took the kids on a day trip exploring and hiking in our new home state, we survived our first fall & winter in over 3 years, we flew to the west coast to accompany David while he worked, we experienced extremely high and disheartening low emotions, and we settled back into life in America. Are you as tired as I am yet?!?!?!?!?!

But through all of that, our little guy was a total trooper, although he was a complete jerk with his 4 month sleep regression (really the entire time we were in corporate housing- horrible), but once we moved into our home and he was able to sleep in an actual bed instead of a pack & play and when I finally had my rocking chair back instead of pacing the hallways, he found his little groove and totally thrived. Since day 1 he has had such a quiet confidence. Such a happy little man, totally chubby and full head of hair, he’s been a complete joy to be around. Watching him grow as the hectic months passed, I had to remind myself to write milestones and fun facts down so my jumbled mind wouldn’t forget. Mind you this is right about when Ava began her hellacious 2’s…..seriously though.

Now he’s walking (running), climbing, and trying SO HARD to talk, but all that comes out is mush, totally cute mush. He’s got the most infectious belly laugh, is super duper ticklish, has the most amazing set of eyes to stare into, can melt anyone who’s ever met him with one huge smile on that chubby little face, and has the most hilarious temper tantrums by flinging himself on the ground and screaming- lol! He ADORES his big sister, and she him. He’s basically obsessed with mommy and has been extremely taken with daddy these past few months. I just love my little man to pieces and watching him and Ava begin to play together is seriously the best, that is when she’s not stealing toys away from him.

But wow, how unprepared I was for being a stay at home mom to 2 little ones. It completely wipes every fiber of my being out at the end of every day, especially the days Ava is not in school and I have them both all.day.long. As the hours tick closer to 6pm, my ears perk up at every sound, waiting for the garage door to open and for my husband to help relieve me of these adorable monsters we created together. LOL. Caring for 2 toddlers for about 10 hours alone every day is absolutely the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I know that the grass isn’t always greener but man how I long for my corporate days at times….but then they do something that totally melts me and I am once again reminded of how fortunate I am to make the decision to stay at home with them and raise them as I want to.

Through this whole crazy parenthood ride, at least my initial few years, I have to say that being a parent and creating human beings is literally the most rewarding thing I have ever done. The “world is ending” days mixed with the “sunshine & puppy dog” days have fulfilled me more than I ever thought possible. Who knows what the future holds for our family, but I do know that TODAY, RIGHT NOW, is the best gift I’ve ever been given. And even if I complain about it for hours on end, God knows my heart and knows what I need and when I need it, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Thanks for listening to my rambling….seems to be all I do these days~

Kimbra