Karen Kingsbury

My mom got me hooked on Karen Kingsbury novels and I look forward to each new one that comes out. With great sadness last night I finished the final book in my favorite 3 part series on the Baxter Family. Being a 3 part series I feel like I have travelled and got to know this family so well and I am sad that it has come to an end. I started off reading the 5 book Redemption Series, moved on to the 5 book First Born Series and just finished the 4 book Sunrise Series. WOW - 14 novels dedicated to this family. If you haven't read this series you are really missing out! Truely amazing :) All her books are amazing actually. She is such a talented and gifted writer. Check out her books - they are life changing!

Happy Birthday Sommer!

Well it happened. Sommer is 1! So exciting and emotional all at the same time. She is so cute!! Today she finally had enough hair to sport the birthday bow :) I have been dying to put one in her hair and I am so glad that it could happen on her birthday. We had a pretty low key day with pancakes for breakfast (James made Sommer a Mickey Mouse pancake), went and did some shopping, had family (and Conrad & Sheena) over for a bbq and then the girls headed to Winners! She got spoiled of course by family... she has more than enough toys now! I put her to bed and kissed her good night... I feel like today she is no longer a baby, welcome toddler! She walks, talks, and has hair. WOW! This year FLEW bye.

Happy Birthday Sommer - Mommy loves you!

I am a Mom

October 22, 2008

Exactly one year ago today was my due date.
WOW!
I remember how impatient I was to meet her, my daughter, my Sommer.
I just checked her in her crib, all snuggled beneath the MANY layers of blankets, fast asleep.
My angel, my precious daughter, the light of my life.

She has changed me - I am not who I was a year ago.
I am softer, more tender, less harsh.
I pay attention to the small things in life - like the sounds of little feet
I kiss hurts, wipe tears, smile.
I am a Mom.

This past week I have been once again overwhelmed with the fact that my baby is turning ONE. I keep thinking to myself about where the time has gone. I feel as though I did not cherish enough of the small things and did I write enough stuff down to remember later on. People always told me to cherish every moment/memory because before I would know it she would be turning one, well the time is just around the corner and I am on the verge of tears.

Honestly, it seems like yesterday I was writing her a letter begging her to come out! Hard to believe that was a exactly a year ago tomorrow! I can remember so clearly how bad I wanted to see her and find out her personality. Man, does she ever have a personality!

The video above was the first video taken of Sommer about 1 hour after she was born. James and his parents were in the NICU watching Sommer and marveling in how cute she was. James was such a proud Daddy, he just couldn't get over how "cute" she was. One thing that amazes me was her ability to suck at such a young age... I really wish I could have been there in her first few hours to breastfeed her. Hopefully my next baby will have a safe delivery and be able to spend the first hours of their life in my arms.

One another note - Sommer learned to walk last weekend! So much fun :) She had never stood before on her own and we were sitting in James' sister's living room and all of a sudden we looked and Sommer was standing there. I took her and balanced her while James called her - sure enough she took 6 steps to him! By the end of the weekend she was walking from person to person or object to object. This weekend she is getting much better. She has a bit more confidence now and will walk all over the place. Yesterday she figured out how to stand up from the floor all by herself. So here comes trouble :)

We are at James' parents house this weekend in Outlook. We came to get our piano from them and also to attend an alumni Basketball game (which James' is playing in) at his high school. Every October they have a Home Coming weekend for alumni and present students. Tonight there will be fireworks, so I am excited to take Sommer! We will get her all bundled up for the event... she probably won't even care.

Hope you enjoy the cute video!

Ugh - Sasktel

Sasktel - Why do you only do "all day bookings" in White City? I dont want to stay home all day waiting for you to come and hook up the phone! I hope you come on a rainy day....

Birthday, Bobcats, and Big Girl Chair

Yesterday was my birthday - the BIG 2-4! Haha. I can remember when I was 19 I thought that 25 years old would be when I made it to adulthood and you are mature. HA! I am 24 and have been married for 4 years and have a daughter who is almost 1... I think I have made it to adulthood but maturity... that one is debatable and depends on the day (and possibly who you ask). Excuse the horrible birthday picture - ugly!

Baby Brandan Bobcat! James family (some of them since there are 6 kids, Mom and Dad) came down to watch his sister Christie Anne (holding Som's hand in the pic) play in a basket ball tourny at U of R and also celebrate my birthday. Sommer felt so important when she was standing with the team. She even stretched with them - too cute!

Sommer LOVES auntie Christie Anne. Christie Anne has been lucky enough to see Sommer lots this fall, something that doesn't usually happen.

Grandma Cheryl (James' Mom) loves Sommer and teaching her new things! She is the one who gets credit for teaching Sommer to clap and will probably be the one who gets Som to walk! Sommer hates walking for me - why walk when you can crawl as fast as a cheatah? She could totally walk if she wanted to but she is a speed crawler and is too busy for the walking stuff. But I'm not too worried - like her hair, walking will come eventually!

Sommer LOVES uncle Sammy!! She gets the biggest smile on her face when he comes into the room and speed crawls right to him. Uncle Sammy can do no wrong. He is so good with her too - I love seeing their friendship and bond get stronger each day :)

My Grandma (the one who lives next door) is going on a cruise this week (for 3 weeks around Rome, Spain, etc.) and will not be here for Sommer's birthday. She wanted to get Sommer a little leather recliner and searched EVERY WHERE but could not find one. So sad! She did find Som a little chair and Sommer LOVES it! She doesn't know how to get in it yet and get's very upset when she wants to sit in it, so hopefully she will learn soon. This morning she sat in her chair and drank her milk - she is growing up too fast!

Where did the year go??

I just can't stop thinking about how fast this year has gone... it is consuming my mind lately and I just need to write it all out. It honestly seems like yesterday that I was praying for my baby girl to come, although scared of how she would come out, I really wanted to meet her. I wanted to know what she looked like, how she would act, what kind of personality she would have, all those wonderful things that I have now found out. I can remember feeling so grumpy and huge... my belly hurt, my legs hurt, my back hurt... I just wanted to feel normal again. And here I am... almost one year later missing those times. Am I crazy?

I can remember jumping at every twinge I felt in last couple of weeks of my pregnancy... maybe this is labour! People would tell me, "Oh, You'll know labour" and I when I finally went into labour 3 days late I thought, "OHHHH!! THIS IS LABOUR!!" I can remember driving to the hospital while having contractions, getting set up in Rm 1, and what the whole labour was like. So scary and exciting at the same time. What I remember most is when Sommer finally came - that last push when they said, "It's a girl!" Instant Love! I looked at that squished little face, squinty eyes and thought "Gosh, she is so small!" 6 lbs 5 oz... perfect size. I remember her being in NICU and just dying to have her in my arms. Thinking that a mother needs her newborn with her and how hard it was for her to be down the hall from me. The first night together was long - but a bonding time. WOW... all these memories... precious moments that I will cherish forever.

Hard to believe that Sommer has so many firsts in her little life. I remember each one: first smile, first laugh, first roll, first crawl, first time nursing, first bottle, first baby food, first table food, first word, first time standing... so many. I have a wonderful book by my favorite author, Karen Kingsbury, called "Let Me Hold You A Little Longer" where she doesn't talk about all the firsts, rather she talks about all the lasts. It made me think last night when I was reading it... what about all the lasts Sommer and I have had. The last time she slept in a bassinet, the last time she swang in her swing, the last time she rode in a bucket carseat, the last time she nursed, the last time she was swaddled. WOW! I can honestly remember each 'last' we had... just shows how much she is growing up.

Sommer is a blessing to us and each day I thank God for her. We love our angel :)