van goes mobile

{6 months}



I'm behind, so Van actually hit 6 months 2 weeks ago, but I realized I haven't given an update an him for some time, so here's the rundown.

Our son, it turns out, is a very very active boy. He has more energy than we can sometimes understand or know what to do with! He never stopped moving in my belly, and he hasn't stopped moving since! (we can all guess which one of his parents he gets the wiggles from....)

This kid is nonstop going going going, and he gets bored with any activity within 3 minutes. He's got a chronic case of the jitters, comparable to a constant caffeine rush, without the caffeine. Changing his diaper has become nearly impossible as we find ourselves in a constant wrestling match with a little rolling, twisting, turning body. Although, he has started holding his toes up for us when we change him as soon as we say "hold your toes!," and I have to say, it's the cutest thing ever.



Bathtime, which used to be calming, is now his time to splash, squeal, and grab for everything in sight, and wiggle like maniac. Mealtime can often involve one of us being a one-man circus while the other double crosses the baby by sneaking bites into his mouth while he's distracted. (His weight had dropped from the 50th to 25th percentile at his 6 months appointment, so we have him on the new 'shove-as-much-food-in-your-baby's-head-as-possible' diet.' So far so good.) The good news is Van will eat pretty much whatever we give him, and he is getting better about not having to be quite so entertained while he eats. I've started making some of my own baby food, and he loves that too. It's super easy, and a lot cheaper, so I'm excited to do more (thanks for the inspiration Jami!).

Van's most hated moment in the day when we get him dressed and have to put his hands through his sleeves, I think it's kind of funny but I think he would get even more mad if I laughed. The most commonly used words we use to describe him in our house (besides cute of course, which is our #1 adjective for him, so don't worry, we give him positive reinforcement too) are crazy and insane. The only things that seem to put this boy in a trance are the outdoors, and watching me straighten my hair (so weird, and so funny to watch him stare like that). If we go outside, he can be quiet and good and happy for hours on end.

Oh, and sleep. SLEEP. If there were one unspoken rule of thumb in our house, it would be "play hard, sleep hard", and this kid ROCKS that rule out of the ballpark. After bathtime and storytime, we drop him in the crib at about 8 pm, and don't see his cute little bleary-eyed bed-head face again for 12 hours. It's a beautiful thing. Jon and I have a new wallchatter quote above our bed that says "a day well spent brings happy sleep", and we're ecastatic that Van agrees. He's down to 2 regular naps during the day, with the occasional power nap in the early evening, but he still plays hard enough to tucker himself right out. I tell Jon that all Van does is work out all day long since he just moves nonstop. No wonder he sleeps so well!



When he's asleep, he's the complete opposite of himself at any other time during the day. We swear he looks like a totally different baby...he's so...calm. :) I could stare at my sleeping baby all day long.


And then when he wakes up, his knees are all red from sleeping on them all night long—with his little bum straight in the air. He automatically sleeps that way, no matter what position we lay him down in. It's so dang cute and baffling all at the same time.


He's also been owning the remote control (one of his favorite 'toys that's not a toy', unfortunately one of many, including plugs, cords, electric sockets, flat irons, flashlights, and pretty much anything that's shiny, metal, or glass. Really, how does he know what he's not supposed to touch and go straight for it??) and yes, giving his mother hickies. No joke. I had to explain it to almost everyone who saw me because they all thought it was from Jon. haha


He makes the cutest faces.


Even if sometimes it looks more like he's grimacing. :)


I love these litte pj's, so even though this is like the 5th photo of him in them this post, here is yet another, this one's for my mom so she can see the whole little bodysuit. And check out that bottom lip!


Van's been getting much better at sitting up. He can't get there on his own, but if I put him there, he stay there really well without leaning on anything now. It's so cute and makes him look so much older! And despite the lack of photos showing us outdoors, we have in fact been going out more, thanks to the beautiful weather, and Van has loved being in his baby carrier. He's so good when we put him in that thing.


And now for the most the exciting news....he's crawling!! Well, army crawling. He's got some quick killer moves on his tummy as he yanks himself forward with his elbows and kicks off the ground with his little toes. The video below was taken on the very first night was actually saw him crawling from point A to point B to get something, which was 3 weeks ago today. I thought it was real fun until I put him on the floor between pews at church, looked at him, and 10 seconds later when I looked back he was gone...and already on the laps of the people behind us. Oh boy.

Since then he's sped up and taken over our house, making me much more self conscious about sweeping and vacuuming after I see the things he drags around with his hands and stomach like our own personal mop. He's been getting up on his hands and knees on his own and rocking back and forth, so he might just surprise us and take off for real one day soon.

Wild energy and all, we couldn't love Van more! We love him just the way he is, craziness included. :) He's the funnest little person that we just get to take around with us, and it's so fun to see him growing up, learning, moving, and bursting with curiosity about everything around him. I especially love when he looks up at us with his big blue eyes like he knows that his whole life depends on us right now, followed by a big crazy grin and a squeal like he knows life is supposed to be fun.

The video is mostly for our parents to get to watch his latest moves, it would probably be boring to a general audience. (I made sure to include the last clip so you guys could see what he sounds like when he crawls around in church, oh so reverently.)

2 years ago today

we were just getting off of one of these


and arriving here


to look real hot in helmets like these


while we drove around the island with beaches that looked like this


which had potential to be real romantic, except it poured rain so it ended up being more like this

(aka lots and lots of fun) which we loved.


And then we woke up to a sunrise like this


and we did a little wading here


and enjoyed a breakfast like this



and all the kissing photos were justified, because we were celebrating this beautiful event
(which had taken place just 2 days earlier, May 12, 2007)



I definitely could go for another honeymoon. :) But until we can pull that off again, I'm ecstatic that I get to spend every day of my life with this guy.


he's pretty much the best thing that's every happened to me. 2 years. 2 apartments. 1 baby.
happy anniversary, love of my life.

happy being the key word.

it's offical—i'm going to have to work out

26.2 miles. In just 4.5 months.

Nothing like a lofty goal and its accompanying fear of chronic injuries from lack of preparation to motivate one to get in shape again. And so the training begins. My dad and I just found out Monday night that we made it into the St. George Marathon! I have appointed Jon and Van as my personal cheerleaders, my dad as my accompanying runner the day of, I got the new shoes for Christmas, and now I have no excuse.

2 weeks ago I ran for the first time since I was oh, 4 months pregnant, max, and I was pretty sure that I was going to collapse on the spot and leave Van rolling down the trail alone in the stroller. Granted it was noon, and 92 degrees, deathly humid, and I was pushing a baby. But my muscles were aching before I ever made it to the trail, I had sideaches, I was slow, I couldn't breathe or even see straight, and I felt like a horse. An old one. I realized I've never been so out of shape my entire life. Ever. It was a depressing thought for someone who was once a cross country runner—not to mention a competitive flip-flop speed-walker to, from, and on the metro pre-Van-birth (2 miles a day!). Someone biking by asked me if I was okay and told me to stay hydrated, and then I realized I must look pretty rockin' too. I almost laughed out loud at the thought of me running a marathon until I thought that might not feed my dwindling confidence to do so. Game face, baby, game face.

Jon made me get out again and he ran with me a few days later, and I'm happy to report it was MUCH better. I've been out a few times after that and while I'm sure it will take a lot of work, I can do it. I'll survive. Even if that's all I do. :) But with marathons, a survival is as good as gold.

i am a mother

6 months later, and it still seems completely surreal to me.

I am a mother. I have a child. He depends on me every day to eat, to grow, to learn, to enjoy, to laugh, to work, to sleep, to give him stability and to give him love. For some time now I've been meaning to start a series of motherhood posts, if nothing more than for my own self documenting, starting with the birth and moving forward, since I've never written it down. So that's my goal, to start getting to that now. Hold me to it.

In the meantime, Sunday was Mother's Day, and it was simple and lovely. I got flowers from my husband and flowers from church. The ward got all the women primary teachers out of teaching during the last hour so we could attend Relief Society, and I'm so glad, because a. I needed a break and b. I loved the lesson (see post below). I was also surprised and flattered to see my little primary kids (sunbeams, ages 3-4) flustered with the fact that I wouldn't be with them during class that day. The girl I thought didn't even notice me or ever listen to anything because she's busy in her own world came running to me down the hall, screaming with tears streaming down her face (running away from her male teacher for the day, poor guy). The boy with an excessive amount of energy and an over-expression of his emotions told his mom he wanted "Sister Smith" when she asked him who of all his friends he wanted over for a playdate, "because she's my friend." They like me! This is positive reinforcement for me knowing that someday my children will be that age and I will have to understand them, know how to make them happy, and help them learn, just like I'm doing with the sunbeams now. And after my feeling of lacking in certain primary teaching (aka entertaining) skills the first few weeks in January, this was a reassuring week.

After church Jon made me dinner (he also made me breakfast and lunch before church) and we went out on a walk in the perfect weather—FINALLY, I was so done with the straight week of rain we'd been having. We came home and called our moms and went to bed. Ahhh, I love sleeping. Thank you Jon for always being so grateful for me and for helping me become the mother I hope to be. I love love love being with Van and I love all the things I'm learning. It's like seeing all these things inside of me surface and find their place—new skills, new emotions, new work, new love. Van made me a mother, and I'm so grateful for that, I'm loving every minute (minus a few blow-out diaper/orange spit up minutes, but to clarify those are made up by all his scooting/laughing/smiley minutes). :)

I'm so grateful to all the women in my life (mom, sisters, grandmothers, in-laws, mothers and not-yet-mothers alike) that have shaped who I am, who have given me inspiring examples of love and kindness, who have given me the courage to be who I want to be and to stretch myself to who I can become, who have loved me unconditionally and who I now think of daily when I'm trying to raise my son in the best way I can. I could not be doing this with out any and all of them. Thank you for showing me the joy of motherhood, and for sharing that joy with me now. I have also been blessed with amazing in-laws that I love and admire in so many ways! And thanks especially to my own mom, who came out here when Van was born and saved me when I needed to rest and when I had no idea what to do with an infant. She made it fun, she made us smile, and she gave me confidence. You're a lifesaver mom!

I still can't get over it. I. Am. A mom.

I love it.

happiness

Yesterday in church during Relief Society (the portion where women get their own class and the men have their own class separately) we discussed a talk given in the general women's conference last year (oct 08) that for several reasons—mostly being out of town and on the road for a family event—I had missed. I suddenly felt guilty when everyone was discussing this talk given by Pres. Uchdorf that I didn't recognize at all. I hate missing things like that. But it was a good reminder to go back and watch all that I had not heard or seen, and I then realized where the following clip that has been circling around the blogosphere was from. I loved it when I first saw it posted on my cousin Kristin's blog, and and then I started to see it everywhere, but I had no clue where it was taken from. Now I know!!

I had Jon sit down with me last night and watch his whole talk titled "Happiness: Your Heritage," and I LOVED it. Everyone should watch it. I mean obviously it was directed toward women, but I think everyone can benefit from it and be inspired from it. As a little taste from his words, here is his preface leading into the rest of his talk:

"Today I would like to speak to those who have ever felt inadequate, discouraged, or weary—in short, I would like to speak to all of us...

We know that sometimes it can be difficult to keep our heads above water. In fact, in our world of change, challenges, and checklists, sometimes it can seem nearly impossible to avoid feeling overwhelmed by emotions of suffering and sorrow... I recognize that in all of our lives there are real concerns. I know there are hearts here today that harbor deep sorrows. Others wrestle with fears that trouble the soul. For some, loneliness is their secret trial. These things are not insignificant... However, I would like to speak about two principles that may help you find a path to peace, hope, and joy—even during times of trial and distress. I want to speak about God’s happiness and how each one of us can taste of it in spite of the burdens that beset us...

You are choice daughters of our Heavenly Father, and through the things you create and by your compassionate service, you are a great power for good. You will make the world a better place."

You must read on, it's so motivating. What a perfect Mother's Day message for all women. Here's the full text version: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-37,00.html


Here's the video clip from his talk that has been seen a lot (watch it. love it.):


And you can view the video of the full message here:
http://broadcast.lds.org/genconf/2008/10/60/GRSM_2008_10_608_UchtdorfDF__04903_eng_300k.wmv

two-lip lovin'

Last year we discovered the tulips at the Netherlands Carillion just one week too late. The week when all the blossoms were tired and they'd been bursting at the seams long enough to call in sick or petal-less the next day. So all year long I waited patiently for the cherry blossoms to come, giving us our cue that the tulips of all shapes, colors, and sizes would soon be in full bloom at the Carillion (right across the street from Iwo Jima). We waited for a sunny day and good lighting, and the tulips did not disappoint.

Thank you Netherlands, and thank you springtime, for yet another rewarding mid-April.










The Carillion is in the background, it's a huge bell tower that even has concerts at certain times of the day. And that's our cute little boy looking manly (it takes a real man to look manly while surrounded by flowers).


family head shot. :)




So, sometimes I just turn my head and look away so that I don't fear for my son's life every other minute he's with Jon (disclaimer: he's an amazing Dad. Just like any dad, he likes to play and rough house a little. Or a lot. :). But other times I think, wow, I have to get a picture of that. You're gonna want to look at this one twice.

the ritual continues {cherry blossoms 09}

Just a month ago now (so much for catching up in a timely manner), all life in DC and near MD & VA flocked, as always, to the very essence of spring itself—the Cherry Blossom Festival. Jon and I planned to go in early one morning just like we did last year, and just like last year, we were greeted with cold gray skies and wet misty air. We must have a gift for fending off sunshine. :) We of course had the dude with us and he managed the cold pretty well, mostly grabbing violently at blossoms and trying to suck his fist through his mitten the whole time. Oh how we love a good wet romp through the blossoms.







Thankfully, however, we were blessed with the lovely company of the Rileys that following weekend, who came down from NYC to join the masses in walking amongst all the pink and white fluffiness. And we're so glad they did, because we needed a re-do without the gloominess. Allison was my roomie in DC now just shy of 3 years ago (wow, time flies) and it was so fun to have her here in DC again with her hubby Noah.

Saturday dawned sunny and warm as ever, with an added bonus of excessive wind. Excessive as in when we were crossing a bridge over the tidal basin it felt like we were going 75 mph on the freeway and decided to stick our heads out the window for fun. Can't. Breathe.

Loved it (but not really at all). We all ended up with some pretty wicked hair to show for our day out on the town.


Go ahead and be jealous now.




And again now.



HOT.

In other news, there were blossoms. Which were somehow even more crowd-stopping than our hair. (they were so lovely that no photoshop was required. nada.)





Our lovely house guests.

**I only made the photo to the right black and white so that you wouldn't have to see the ugly brown-ness of the Potomac. Believe me, you didn't want to see it.









The man eating on the go.




We could almost just roll him up into a ball and take a big bite out of him he's so cute.


With Allison and Noah in town we also made sure to take them to DC's newest monuments since they were here last, so after a trip to the Air Force Memorial and the Pentagon Memorial, their trip was complete. Please come again!



I love this photo {below} of me & Allison...it's just missing Ashlee, Kami, and Mindy! We were able to have Kami over one night while Noah and Jon were at priesthood, and we had so much fun chatting like ladies do (we didn't take a picture with her!! so sad!). But we missed our other 2 roomies!! All I have to say is Virginia Beach, ladies. May it live forever. :)



And thanks again Al & Noah for making the trip down! We had so much fun, you better believe we'll be heading your way soon for a repeat weekend with the Rileys!

AZ {thanks}

As our final Arizona post... a million thanks to the Neilsons for letting us come and crash at their house for a week, and for feeding us your awesome meals (you're amazing Julie) not to mention the homemade salsa and "temple lemonade" (thanks Nick!). We had so much fun hanging out with you guys and wish it could have been weeks longer! We miss you guys and the kids already!

Thanks to the Smiths also, Alexis and Riley, (my mission comp/hija and her hubby) for picking us up from the airport and taking us all the way to the Neilson's house, that's love. I can't believe we didn't take any pictures together, how lame are we! You guys are so fun and we wish we lived closer to hang out with you guys! Aguante Argentina! :)

We're definitely keeping Arizona in mind for potential future homes for the Smith fam...