Right in front of us.

I've always heard people say that God uses their children to teach them about, well about everything. The minute I found out I was pregnant it became evident that God would use this child to reveal Himself in big ways in my life.
It's impossible to have a child and NOT learn from them.

Well, for the first time God used Tanner in a very specific way to teach me something that I guess I've been dealing with and didn't even know it.
His faithfulness amazes me everyday. 

It was a normal morning, me trying to hold my eyelids open so I could see well enough to lay Tanner on the floor while I made my breakfast and prepared the coffee. I put the blanket down (which is pointless because he doesn't stay on it) got out all of his favorite toys in hopes he would be amused long enough for me to accomplish my tasks. 
Instantly I watched as my son slightly glance at his bright, new, baby toys and then proceeded to do his version of army crawling towards the computer and cords across the room.
He isn't very fast yet so he grunts and squeals while doing his very best to get to the one thing hes not allowed to touch in the room.
I sort of chuckled and placed him back in front of his toys.

 Again he instantly spun around and diligently moved towards the computer.

After having a small lesson in "no touch" I moved him back in front of his toys and showed him those were the toys he was allowed to play with.
Again he wanted nothing to do with his toys and started his mission towards the computer.
And in that moment as I watched him head towards the computer God so clearly showed me an ugly picture of myself.
How many times in life does He place beautiful blessings right in front of me and I barely glance at them while I head towards other "things" of this world. How often does He bless me simply because of his unconditional love and yet I ignore those only to run after the things He instructs me not to touch.
I picked up Tanner, asked forgiveness to God and thanked Him for reminding me that I have so many things in this world.
Thankful.
He has commanded me to be thankful. 

And not because of the many blessings I have but because He died on the cross and through Him I have victory.

I have a feeling this will not be the last time God will use Tanner to reveal sin and even when those moments are uncomfortable, I am so thankful He is faithful to teach me every day.

.

Five months

 I don't know how this has happened. My itty bitty, tiny, squishy little boy is now
5 months old.
I can't believe he has been in our life for 5 months.
What an incredible blessing! 

What we want to remember from month five:

Tanner is absolutely full of life.

 He makes us laugh all day long.

 I started noticing him grabbing and fussing when Kevin and I ate so this month we have introduced some solids to him. We have been taking it very slow, never pushing and only doing one meal a day but he has adjusted very well. The first couple bites he still looks at me like I am feeding him the worst food ever but then kicks and screeches in between each bite.

 When Tanner was born he was such an easy, laid back baby and I would have never guessed that he would be this very active, always on the go child.
Tanner LOVES people. When I take him to the store he stares and smiles at anyone that will notice him.
He definitely has my personality there.
He thrives on people interaction and it is a daily struggle for me to get anything done because he hates being alone.

 This week Tanner has been desperately trying to army crawl. He can get his feet going but can't figure out how to put his arms in front so he sort of drags them along. He rolls all over and then grunts and tries so hard to get where he wants to go, and then screams because he gets so frustrated he can't get there.

 He is still not sleeping through the night, waking anywhere from 1-3 times wanting to nurse.
Thankfully this week he has only gotten up once a night, I'm praying this trend continues.

 Naps are also a struggle. He is just not a good sleeper. So we do what works for us with his naps and someday I pray he will take at least 1 decent nap a day.
For now, I'm doing my best not to be frustrated or take any of this time for granted.
I know I will never get any of it back.

I say it on every post, but I really am so thankful for this precious baby. Motherhood is the hardest job God has asked me to do and it takes daily prayers and a whole lot of grace.
I love watching Tanner grow and change, but it has just hit me lately how fast each moment passes. 

I'm so thankful I have him to take on this life with and Kevin and I can't wait for whats next.

Four Months

Summer is almost over.. I remember sitting in this exact spot the week Tanner was born thinking about how time was moving so slow but before I knew it summer would be over and I would have a 4 month old. Well here we are, summer is almost over and somehow, someway I have a 4 month old.

crazy. 

 Things we want to remember from Month 4 :

 New Zoo:

 We decided to take Tanner to the zoo! What a fun zoo and what a fun day! We were able to pet the giraffes, watch the monkeys play, see the cutest baby monkey ever, watch the penguins waddle and see the coolest looking red panda ever. Kevin and I have always loved the zoo and this one met all of our expectations. Its a beautiful zoo filled with fun animals. I can't wait to take Tanner when he will be a little more excited. :)

  

 Crabby cakes:

 This month has brought some terrible crabby moments and continues to do so. I think he has started teething and what an adventure. Good thing hes so darn cute.

 First sickness.
Tanner had his first ear infection so we did a lot of snuggling and napping.

First Tick:
Though a very long story for a completely different day I found a tiny tick on Tanners eyelid. I had to take him to the dr where we had to strap him down, numb his eye and try and remove the tick. Thankfully the doctor was able to get it without sedating him. They took some blood ( what a miserable experience) and we are waiting on the blood results to see if he has Lymes. I'm not to worried about it..it sure was an adventure though!

 Kevin and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. We are so thankful to have Tanner this year.

Tanner loves bath time! It is by far one of his favorite things!

 Tanner is continuing to be a busy little boy and one day I went to the bathroom and came back to find him stuck under the chair! Of course once I knew he was ok I laughed and snapped a picture.






Tanner keeps us laughing all day. He is full of character and this month has definitely been one of my favorites but I'm pretty sure I say that each month.
:)


I'm so thankful for this little man and all that he teaches me every day.

3 years.

What a year it has been. This time last year we were finding out about baby boy. I can't believe it's been a whole year. 

I am so thankful for this man. Through countless hours with my head over the toilet, recovering from childbirth, to recovering from surgery my husband has been my best friend. He has supported me through one of the most physically challenging years of my life and honestly hasn't complained once. He did the dishes, made dinners, washed laundry and scrubbed the floors when I was unable.

 He has loved me unconditionally through some of my most disgusting moments and never hesitated in telling me how beautiful I am. 

One of my favorite things about Kevin is his quiet but steady nature. He is a man of few words but they aren't needed because his actions speak so much louder. He makes me laugh on a daily basis and is continually surprising me with his witty personality. 

Kevin is not perfect, and we all know neither am I but I can't imagine doing this life with any other. 

He is my treasure. 

 

3 Months

My sweet boy

Here we are. Our baby boy will be 3 months old on Saturday and with a busy weekend ahead I figured I would get a jump start on his update. I'm pretty proud of myself for not being late... :) 

Each day he amazesus

Each day he makes us laugh

Each day I change more diapers then I can count

And each day I feel completely humbled that God choose me to care for this little man

  Things we want to remember from Month 3

Weight: Probably 12lbs..he was 11lb 15 oz at his 2 month appointment.
Height: Again, not sure but he was 24 inches at last appointment.

                  Tanner spent his first 4th of July with my family on his first vacation. 

We ate, played, and made lots of fun memories together. 

Right now Tanner hates all things that make him feel confined. His least favorite thing in this planet is his car seat. He pretty much screams from the moment his body touches the seat till we release him from his baby prison and get him out. It makes all traveling a bit stressful but we are working trying to not let it overwhelm us! This whole paragraph may seem a lite dramatic but trust me, when he is in his seat it's all drama. :)
This is a rare moment where he is not furious at me for putting him in there.

 

Tanner loves Kevin. He is always full of smiles and has lots to say when Daddy comes home.

 It's my favorite part of the day.

Tanner is full of personality and is as busy as a 3 month old can be. When he's awake he is always moving in some way..kicking those legs, moving his arms or spinning in circles on the floor. He gets bored so easily and enjoys people talking to him more than just about anything. This week he rolled over for the first time and it was so fun to watch.

 It's amazing how the simple things in life become the big things. 

 

 Tanner sleeps fairly well these days. He's not sleeping through the night but he goes to bed around 7 and then is up for the day around 6am with a few naps throughout the day. He usually gets up around 11 and 2 and lately 4...though some nights he cuts out the 11 or 4 feedings and only gets up once. 

We like those nights. :)

I love watching him sleep.

 I probably can't say anything I already haven't said.

Kevin and I love being parents.
This is the first month that we have had some hard days where I feel like a completely worn out momma and the minute K walks in the door I hand over the baby and hop in the shower for a few minutes of quiet. He really is such good baby, he just gets bored very quickly and has hit the " do not put me down" phase.

I guess I can't really be surprised that I had a baby who likes people.
:)


He changes me everyday.
I am so thankful for this squishy, crazy, full of life baby.

 

Update on Summer Goals

As I was stuck in the hospital recovering from my gall bladder surgery I wrote this post about some summer goals I wanted to complete.
Here is a little update! 

I have one more color to pick up and a frame to paint and then I will be hanging them on the wall and doing a full blog post to explain.
I have to say though, I am loving this project already. I took the idea I saw on pinterest of the fun colored frames and made it my own.
Can't wait to show you the finished look! 

Happy Summer.
Oh, and as far as the making memories goal... 

I'm doing my best to hold on to every moment.

2 months 5 days

 I was late posting his 1 month update so why not keep with tradition.
:)

Here we go, its time for me to talk brag about my handsome little boy.
Tanner is 2 months old and life has continued to be an adventure since my surgery.
Last weekend my brother got married to the most beautiful girl in the world and Tanner gained an aunt. A very special girl who loves this little boy so much. It was pretty emotional watching my brother marry the girl of his dreams and I know I have never seen him so happy.
I'm so happy for Lucas and Elizet and I can't wait for all the memories we will make together, and for the memories you will make with T. 

 Tanner has continued to change every aspect of our lives and Kevin and I still can't believe we get to keep him. We laugh at ourselves because after K comes home from work the three of us just lay on the floor and make crazy noises and talk and sing horribly so we can watch him smile.

 He continues to be a happy, filled with joy little boy. He cries when he is hungry, tired, or has a dirty diaper and that is about it. He rarely fusses for no reason unless he's in his car seat. We were hoping the older he got the more he would like it but nope, Tanner loves almost all things but that seat. He cries at almost ever car ride which can make most simple trips to the store a little stressful.
We are working at it though and he is getting a little better.

Tanner loves his tongue and makes me belly laugh through out the day with that thing. He plays with it a lot and is always doing the craziest things. My favorite is in the middle of the night after he nurses and is falling back into a deep sleep, he sticks his tongue out and licks his lips, gives a big sigh and then snuggles into my chest. No matter how tired I am after he does that I have the hardest time setting him back in his crib. 

 

If he is not sleeping he is alert and always has to know whats going on. He loves to be perked up on your chest so he can see, see, see! He is definitely turning out to be a little social bug, which of course I have no idea where he gets that from.
:) 

Yesterday at his 2 month appointment he weighed 11lbs 15 oz and was 24inches long. Looks like he might be tall and skinny like his daddy..and half of the rest of his family members.

 My little man nurses about every 3 hours give or take a little and is such an easy going baby.
A friend picked up a play mat for him and that is his favorite thing to do. He loves to lay on his back and he will play under that with his favorite little toy who I named Gus, for usually 20 minutes or so.
Today, he has been throwing his hands around like crazy and grabbing Gus while he plays.

Watching Tanner learn new things every day is one of the coolest things about being a parent.

 He sleeps in 3-5 hour stretches and is such a good boy about going back to sleep after he eats. Last night he was up every 3 hours and was a little fussy but normally I can lay him back down in his crib and he will go to sleep.

This last picture has become one of my favorites and it will be on my wall soon.
I just can't say enough about being a mom and feel so blessed to have this little boy in my life.
And with that, its time to do my favorite daily activity of rocking my sweet boy before bed.