My First Official Mother's Day

I know, this post is late. But I think I deserve some slack here because somehow I'm managing to be a mother, wife, and a student and maintain my goal of getting A-'s or better in all my classes. So, I think it's reasonable to be behind on my blogging.

This year was my first real mother's day! And it was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Derek spoiled me
with an awesome cook/craft book, Six Sisters' Stuff! Everything that has been made from it so far has been delicious, and all the crafts/projects look really cute too! I love their blog.

He also got me four little pots with soil and seeds to plant some flowers! I tried to get them to grow for a week, and when nothing sprouted, Derek took over. Two days later, they sprouted. I'm not good with plants. Never have been.

Derek got me a fragrance warmer! I LOVE IT. He bought mango scented wax to melt in it, and it smells like heaven. I turn it on at least once a day, because that moment where I can start to smell the scent is my favorite.

We had a wonderful, relaxed morning with a delicious breakfast prepared by my wonderful husband. Went to church where I got a bag of delectable treats. And then came home, had dinner with my little brother, and then went over to Abbie's for dessert. Oh so good.

It was a fantastic day. I am so grateful to be a mother. It is something that I will never regret. The increased capacity that I have to love is incredible. I have increased compassion and understanding of other women in my same situation. I love my daughter more each day, and I fall in love with Derek all over again each time I see how much he loves Reece and what a wonderful father he is to her. Reece is our entire world, and she is the perfect addition to our family.

I can't write a mother's day post without giving thanks for my own mother. Without her, I would not be where I am today, and would not have the good instincts and skills that I do. She is one of the most gentle, kind, and loving people I know. She has taught me so much, and I have always known that I can go to her for anything. I am lucky enough to be daughter #4 in my family, so I have three absolutely amazing older sisters that are all mothers, and are all incredible examples to me. I have been privileged to learn from them, see what wonderful mothers they are, and to get their advice and tips on entering the world of mommy-hood.

I am also incredibly grateful to have a mother-in-law who is a wonderful example of having unconditional love for her children and grandchildren. She helped Derek turn out to be the man he is, and I just so happened to fall in love with that man, so I will always be grateful. She is a blessing in our lives.

So to all you mothers out there, and to me, happy belated mother's day.

  

Reece: Eight Months

I feel like so much has changed over the last month. Reece has been doing SO much and seeming more and more each day like a big girl. She's still the sweet, smiley, happy baby that she always has been, and we love her more every day!

Her favorite things right now are:

• Eating. She LOVES to eat.
• Anything with apples. Her favorite fruit combo is apples and blueberries, but she snarfs down applesauce, apples-pears-bananas, and apples-bananas each time I give them to her. She could eat apples all day, I'm sure. Her least favorite fruit is peaches. She hates them.
• Sweet potatoes. They're her favorite vegetable. Her least favorite: green beans.
• Standing up to the furniture, entertainment center, kitchen/bathroom cupboards, and the door frames.
• Chomping on her refrigerated teething toys. 
• Playing with her lotion bottles.
• Blowing raspberries, giving kisses, and smiling.
• Walking around while you hold on to her hands. She LOVES it, and will do everything she can (arch her back, pull up on your hands) to avoid being set on the ground.

Things she can do:

• She's crawling! She gets everywhere and gets in to everything. I have already had to correct quite a few questionable edits Reece has made to this post. 
• She can say "dada", "nana", "yaya", and she says "mama", but only when she's crying/sad/upset. 
• She can stand up next to furniture/boxes/door frames for a couple of minutes. She's even starting to walk along it. Just a few steps at a time, but still. It's a little scary.
• She can feed herself puffs, and she loves them! Reece figured out in the last couple days that it's much easier to get the puff into her mouth if she opens her fingers.
• Make her mom smile even if I am frustrated that she isn't taking her naps.

Reece is also teething right now! And I wouldn't have ever been able to guess if I hadn't felt the little tooth poking up on her jaw! She hasn't been any different except for a little bit of increased fussiness when she gets hungry. Other than that, she's been her normal, happy self! Derek and I are so lucky to have such a good baby.

It is so fun to see her growing up and doing things on her own. I love seeing her learn from everything around her. She is such a sweet, smart, and determined little girl. She gets more lovable every single day.

Happy 8 months baby girl!

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