A Little Realization...

(Blake asleep in my arms last night...)

Let me start off by saying tonight I am a tad bit emotional... I think that every mom has that moment (or moments), an epiphany if you will, where they realize that their baby is growing up. I had a mini-moment right around when Blake was three months old, when I was packing away his newborn clothes. Tonight I had another one.... It was a pretty big moment.

Tonight it hit me as I was rocking my sweet baby to sleep that I will never get this day back. He is growing so fast, eventually he won't even need me to rock him to sleep. Someday he will not need me to hold his last bottle of the day when he is too tired to do it himself. Someday he will be too big to fall asleep in my arms and someday he won't want to anymore. It makes me so incredibly sad because these last fifteen minutes of the day are my absolute favorite with him. Don't get me wrong, we have tons of fun and many moments throughout the rest of the day, but for me the last fifteen minutes are the best, they are my little slice of heaven.

It's the time of day where no matter how difficult the rest of the day had been, it all just melts away. Watching Blake fall asleep in my arms, so peaceful, so comfortable, so safe, and so loved makes me fall in love with him over and over again. To know that he feels all those things and to know that I provided it is one of the best feelings someone can ever feel. It can be a little bittersweet as well.

Tonight, I did not want to move Blake to his crib. I wanted to hold him in that rocker and sleep with him in my arms all night long. It's because I know these days are numbered. It's because I know that tomorrow he is going to be another day bigger, another day older, another day more independent. I am reminded of this every night when I move him to his crib. He just takes more and more room in there. He is no longer a swaddled-up newborn, he is turning into a sprawled-out toddler.

I wish I could just freeze these moments in time, especially tonight. These moments are truly the most precious gifts, my own little slice of heaven.

It's been a while...

(Baby B LOVES the beach!!!)

Gosh, it's been a while since I have wrote a blog. What a bad mommy I have been!!! Well, Blake is 8 1/2 months old now. He is growing so fast, he can roll over by himself, though rolling back over has proved to be more difficult! He is a total little chatterbox & singer. He sits up by himself and he can even stand on his own propped up against the couch or something like that. He plays peek-a-boo, he will pull the blanket over his face then push it off waiting for me to give him a 'BOO!' and he rewards me with the cutest, most heartwarming giggle! He is becoming quite a little man, he will let you know when he is mad or if he wants something. He gets mad if he is left alone in a room and he always wants to be on the move, though not being fully mobile puts a damper on that! He is a mover, though mobility is only through the help of his walker, there is NO sign of crawling anywhere. I have tried to get him to do it, but he will get super mad and just bury his face in the carpet and scream. Speaking of screaming... He realizes how loud his voice is now and just will scream. Not because he is mad, but because screaming is fun. Of course he does it at the most inopportune times. He is officially too big for his swing, it still sits in our living room. It's the last 'newborn' thing left... I have to put it away but I don't want to... It will probably sit there for a little bit longer!

(Daddy & Blake.)

(Mommy & Blake.)

Last week, we took Blake on his first long distance vacation. We took him to visit his Uncle Dave in San Luis Obispo. He didn't make a peep during the 5 hour drive and he was such a good baby during the rest of the vacation. He slept through the night in his pack and play. I was super happy about this because when we took B on a overnight trip to Reno to visit his cousins he would not sleep in it. Noah ended up sleeping in a recliner in the family room with Blake on that visit... Good thing it is a comfy recliner!!!

(Uncle Dave, Mommy, & the little chicken.)

Anyhow, we took Blake to downtown SLO and to Avila Beach. It was B's first trip to the beach and he thought the sand was the greatest thing. He would take a handful of it in his hand, but it would pour out in between his fingers so when he would open his hand to see it there wouldn't be anymore sand. It was so cute! It was so nice to spend time with Uncle Dave since we don't really get to see him too often and B doesn't get to play with him too much. Blake, Uncle Dave, & Kristina had 4 days of playing & feeding... No diaper changes though! It was such a great trip, the only thing missing were the doggies!

Next week we are taking a trip to Pajaro Dunes. Blake had so much fun at the beach so I am super excited to take him to the beach again!!!

(This sand stuff is the best!!!)