Oh hey, its been a while.

I do recall my last post was about catching up with where i've been-well I guess this post will be the same?

Sorry guys. Its cool I don't really know who reads this or if anyone cares that I took a super delayed blogging break, but I do care to catch up and jump back into a cup of Hope.

Okay. SO. My last post was about my Grandpa's Memorial, and a lot has happened since. So we can catch up on some highlights eh? 

We took a weekend Camping Trip that involved lots of whiskey, cheap beer, canoes, rope swings, good friends, and lots of mosquitoes. 

One of best friends had her second baby boy, Giovan. :) We had her maternity pictures planned and the day of, she texted me that she was going to have a C-Section the next day! So we didn't end up doing a maternity session. With her having the babes 4 weeks early, I asked many questions, but she was fine and so was baby boy. That next day Giovan came into this big world and was perfect. I got to do some hospital pictures when he was 1 day young, and they turned out great!

                        

Seriously, did Abi really just have a baby? Too pretty to be 1 day post-pardum.

I also went back to OSU. Basically I'm waddling between two different majors at OSU because one of the programs is VERY competitive. And I'm honestly comfortable at this point with any degree. We won't get into the whole "I hate my life because I'm almost 25 with no degree lalala" speech. I'm ready to be done and done.

I wasn't the only one who went back to school. My sweet little handsome started school too. Its for the program Help Me Grow, and since he was a late walker and qualified for services, he qualified for school too! Obviously he's been walking now for months but since it was less than a year ago that he received his first services we are good to keep him in school until he's three. Awesome, huh? He goes 2.5 hours Mon-Thurs in the mornings. Its a legit school, with classrooms that have tons of toys, learning games, a toddler playground in the back, and little potties that they introduce to the kids. Its amazing. I'm happy we have this opportunity to get Levi playing with other kids and learning. 

These were Camera Phone pictures, so sorry for the awful quality, but I did not have time to break out the Canon with an already rushed morning.

So school for Levi is going well. He's been there a week so far. The worst part is leaving him, he gets pretty sad. So I distract him then have to sneak out which makes me feel worse. His teachers say throughout his time there he gets teary eyed a few times. And knowing Levi, he never cries. So its obvious that he misses us. Which breaks my heart, but I know its good for him. He is a Mama's boy that's for sure. But its hard to balance coddling him too much and letting him experience the separation, because I don't like to see my baby sad that I'm leaving. 

I have been planning Levi's SECOND birthday party. Holy Moly has time flown by. This past year, my baby has grown into himself so much. He is still a shorty pants (Sorry for the genes Bubba) and has such a personality. He is goofy, cracks up at himself, fake cries all with a little grin, is such a cuddler, loves his mommy, loves his daddy being the tickle monster, loves to DRIBBLE a soccer ball (proud mama over here), loves ALL veggies, fruits, meat etc, Loves to scream "outside" and just be outdoors in general, his language has grown leaps and bounds over the past few months, he is comprehending everything, he is quite the problem solver, super clumsy (once again, sorry for those genes honey), still sleeps 12 hours every night, still takes a solid 3 hour nap for me, loves loves to dance, and sing Twinkle Twinkle, You are my Sunshine, No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!, and the Itsy, Bitsy Spider. If he hurts himself, instead of tears he runs up to you and if you kiss his boo boo he is a happy camper. He is shy like his Daddy, but warms up to you in minutes. He is also the happiest toddler so far. No temper tantrums yet, and honestly (knock on wood) he is such an easy going kid that I'm not sure if its in his nature to throw one. We will see though, he has been pinching lately. But he will kiss you right away if you say "Be nice". The list could go on people. I am so incredibly proud of my boy. He is going to be an amazing man someday, just like his Daddy.

My inner DIY is shining through planning his party. It is an outdoor "By the Campfire" theme-perfect for his Fall birthday. I am excited, lots of fun stuff planned. Josh, Levi and I all have birthdays the same week, so it will be an exciting one that's for sure!

Now its time to go watch the Buckeye game with my family. And I promise to not overload you all in a post again, by not writing for another month. 

XO

Where I've Been...

I took a little break from blogging, mostly because I've been pretty busy since the end of Summer is quickly approaching. I've tried to get my classes all in order for school, and get in the mindset of not being with my little man every. day. of. the. week. Its a little sad. But its good his Daddy's job will allow him to be home the days I am in class. For that I am blessed. And it is enough for me to stop dreading about school and look at the positives. In my next life-I will attend a University right out of High School and get this ish over and done with before the man of my dreams and a baby pop in to surprise me.

So a recap of where I've been: We have seen lots of family near and far lately. My Grandpa's Memorial was a success. Easy, not a huge tear fest. It was more directed to the wonderful life he and my Grandma lived, and how we were all affected in the best way possible. I loved hearing about his days playing baseball, and his dreams of becoming a sports journalist, and then stepping in the Breadwinner role when his Father passed to provide for his family. My Grandpa was an honest, wise, goofy man who took pleasure in the simple things. As well as my Grandma. They were not simple people, but they led simple lives, and that is the key to happiness I think.



Bill Gumbiner. The man responsible for setting up my Grandma and Grandpa. He was my Grandpa's best friend for many, many years and also my Grandma's sister's Husband. The four of them were very, very close. It was touching to see him there, tearing up, watching him as his thoughts took him back to the memories that have lasted him this long. It is a reminder to me that life is happening now. These are the days when we are old and gray, that we will look back on. These are the days we will yearn for when our loved ones move on to Heaven. So make them special, and love as much as you can.

Oliver and Alexander

Nate and Mira (No they didn't just get engaged ;) )

Bobby and Candace

My Dad

My Parents

My little boy :)

Ah. Loves of my life.

Josh took this. I love it.

Oh Mira. Gorgeous woman.



The Gumbiners and Hungs. Gorgeous family.

My brother is a model guys.

Levi, Josh and Skylar


Overall, it was a beautiful day, full of smiles and laughter. It was nice to see those closest to my Grandparents there to show their support for the family and share stories with each other about how their lives were touched through them.

In the car ride home, my Husband who shows emotion rarely, was pretty effected by the Memorial. He expressed his love for Levi and I and promised to be the best husband and father he could. As I did the same, "Remember When" by Alan Jackson came on and we both just got flooded with emotion. We are blessed to have one another, to have a little boy together, and these are the days, the moments that we will always have in our hearts when we are old and gray.

I will update more about where I've been later!
XO.

Its a choice to be happy.

I woke up this morning feeling blah. I think I use the word blah to describe my feelings whenever I am just overwhelmed and I choose to focus on the negativity surrounding me. The word blah is a way to acknowledge that I just don't feel like dealing with life right now.

I sat down and opened my journal. Usually doing this will help me realize why I am actually so down. At the end of the entry, a light bulb went off in my head. Or maybe just a realization. I can chalk up my problems which are so not problems in the grand scheme of things, to be this sort of road block in my life. Instead of letting things keep me down, I realized that its my choice to be happy. I mean why in the world am I letting the fact that I live in a condo, and really want to move into a spacious house get me down? That is ridiculous. Why am I stressing over the fact that I never took school seriously, and now I am at a point where I have 2 years left? Josh and I are at a point where we would like to think about Baby #2 (gasp!) but why can't I focus on the positive in that, rather than second guess every little thing in my life. No circumstances are ever going to be good enough. Life needs to be lived to the fullest every day.

At the end of the page, I wrote down the main things that Josh and I want in the next few years. And you know what? We'll get there. We own and live in a beautiful condo, we live in a great neighborhood, we have great health in our home, I am pursuing my degree, and Josh is continuing his job that we are so grateful for. So why am I complaining? The degree will come. The house will come. Baby #2 will come. A second income will come. But we need to practice patience now. Past mistakes, or shoulda, woulda, coulda's cannot consume my thoughts anymore. Josh and I are guilty of dreamin. But you know what? That's what I love about us. That just comforts me knowing we will get there, and we will have the life we want.We will have the house in the country where our kids can roam around the land, we will have the front porch that we can close our days and begin our mornings on, and we will have a sense of peace. I cannot focus my thoughts in the direction of envy, instead my focus needs to be on the here and now. Because 10 years from now, these moments will be known as the good ole days. Josh and I will reflect on these days with smiles and laughter knowing we crammed our first few lives together with babies in this place, this condo, our home. And we will reflect on how awesome it was to have time at home with Levi while I was in school, and while we are sippin' on our hot cocoa at Christmas time with our babies snuggled up next to us, we will share stories about how easy our life once was, when we had little money to spare.

Now enjoy a little photo shoot from today.

 

XO

All about my toddler.

Thanks to my Aunt Claudia who sent me a wonderful book about Parenting. I have been so much more at ease raising my own toddler these past months since reading it. Every Parenting book I have read so far really focuses on where your toddler should be rather than how and why they will get there. This book really deals with how children come into their own, and how every child does it differently and at their own speed.

Let me just say that it is not easy raising a toddler with a very laid back temperament. Its especially hard when every other toddler you know is so outgoing and "ahead of the curve" it seems. Therefore it makes it hard to "compare" Levi's progress etc when he's just not there yet. I mean come on, the child just started walking at 19 1/2 months. If that's not enough to freak you out a little then I don't know what is. Of course when you Google late walkers, there's plenty out there like Levi, but not in the small circle of toddlers I know, and its definitely not encouraging when the young Pediatrician in his 30's is telling you to get him evaluated. I do everything I can that is right or best for Levi in my opinion. I don't use the TV as a babysitter, I let him pick toys that make him happy, I give him a say so and let him do what he wants as long as he is safe and happy. I let him play in mud. I let him get dirty. I want him to be barefoot outside. I don't feed him sugar. I don't feed him processed foods. He has a fresh juice every morning, milk and water throughout the day. That's it. He eats organic. He eats his veggies. I eliminate chemicals in the house. I keep him rear facing. The list could go on and on. I am not perfect. I don't judge any other mommies who don't do these things. I honestly am thankful for having the knowledge of how important these things are, and the positive effects that Levi will receive from it.
So why is he needing to get evaluated? What did I do wrong?

-So we got him evaluated. He was not  developmentally delayed. He was simply not walking yet, because A) He didn't care to be all motivated about learning something new when he was all for crawling. Crawling was easy, not scary, no falling involved. (This was my Mama's Intuition) I knew all along there was nothing wrong.
And B) He didn't have the strength in his core to be able to hold up his chubby, short self. (Sorry Levi for the Shorty genes ;)

So we got some strengthening exercises to get his core strong enough to walk.

While he was accomplishing these gross motor skills from about 15-19 1/2 months it seemed all of his other skills took a back seat. Which we were told is perfectly normal, and that once he did master walking, he would catch up his other skills.

So here we are. He is repeating everything to the best of his ability. He is so freaking receptive its a little scary. He gets everything. Seriously. He can probably read my mind. He is accomplishing his fine motor skills, although he still won't eat with a fork or spoon. Here we go back to the first paragraph. Do I think he can't, no. I think he really is like Dude, eating with my hands is easy so why not? I provide him with utensils, encourage him and let him decide. He is trying to climb on everything. The couch is a little rough. (Sorry for the short genes. You can do it!) He's got the strength, but not the length ;) He's taking his clothes off, not playing nice, then will kiss you when I say "Play nice Levi". He is a manipulator. Oh boy can he get his way. Or so he thinks. :)

I called Josh when I read this quote in the book. I was so excited. I think as parents its hard not to jump on that train of pushing your toddler to learn, learn, learn. To have the bragging rights to say my toddler is doing this, that and some more. Which is totally awesome and rewarding. But I think I lose focus sometimes and this quote put it into perspective. "Our role as parents is not to 'motivate' our young learners but to nurture and support their natural motivation."
I think I really like this book because it reminds me so much of Montessori School. The children pick what interests them and learn how they feel fit. I need to keep in mind that if I continue to supply Levi with all the tools to learn,he will get it when he naturally gets it. And that is the most rewarding I think, when you know they get it because they accomplished it on their own.

Another thing that I have noticed is it is becoming hard for him to separate from me. This phase kicked in around one, but lasted a few short weeks. Over the past 2 months its gotten a lot worse. Everyone was giving me crap saying well maybe he's just a little delayed in this area, or stop letting him be up your butt. Josh got frustrated with me for picking him up-but I knew he was truly upset. It wasn't him just being clingy for no reason.Then after reading through this book my Aunt gave me, I came across the Separation portion. I was amazed. Like go ahead and name that paragraph Levi.

It said, "Toddlers also go through periods of difficult separations because of their rapid growth. Any time a child is having a developmental spurt or going through a period of increased fears, she may want to stay close to her family. As toddlers push for autonomy, the natural counterbalance is clinginess: 'I want to be out climbing, throwing, jumping, making my own decisions, playing with the kids, and I want to be on your lap, all at the same time."

I read this and was like wow. This separation anxiety kicked in right around the time he was mastering walking, and has gotten worse in the past few weeks. Now that makes sense! He is having a developmental spurt, and I now know of a sign that signify's that spurt coming, and also explains the current behavior. So now people can stop thinking I let him be up my butt all day, and don't give him social experiences, la la la. (Mama's intuition again)

The next paragraph said, "Children who are late talkers and who rely on a unique communication system with their parents often find separations more challenging. And children who tend to be observers, who like to "take a lot of notes" before they move out into the world, may also find that comfortable separations take longer to develop."

I mean wow. Its so comforting when you read something and really are like "That's my kid." And being surrounded with toddlers who are so outgoing and risk takers, and expressive, and seemingly advanced. I mean this totally makes sense. Levi will look you up and down while squeezing me tight until he decides you're cool enough to talk to ;) You may take it personal, but he is really just taking notes in his head. He has had this approach since he was born. He totally has this type of temperament and it effects how he views the world. I also sign quite a bit with Levi, mostly just basic needs signing, and we sing songs with signs when he's sad, and we cuddle when he's tired. I understand why this may scare him when I'm not there. He may fear if Daddy, or Grandma will understand him. Will they know he's hungry? Or thirsty? Or tired? Or cold? I totally get that.

Thanks Claudia for the book! I am learning so much about my toddler from a standpoint that makes sense. I am understanding Levi from a view that focuses on how and why he will get there, rather than where he needs to be.

If any of my mamas want the name and author its Becoming the Parent you Want to Be-a sourcebook of strategies for the first five years by Laura Davis and Janis Keyser.

This was lengthy but I think it may help my fellow mommies who are going through the same thing.

Now I'm going to keep brainstorming ideas for Levi's "By the Campfire" Fall birthday party!
XO

'Merica!

If you follow me on Facebook, or Instagram, you have probably seen way too many pictures from this weekend.
Thursday we had a cookout with family and then I took a lot of pictures, maybe like crazy mom status amount, but who cares? I love the idea of having pictures to have as memories in the years to come.

Maddie has some serious reactions to grass, so she was so done with photos after a few minutes. I love having her here. Levi loves her so, so much and she is just so helpful and such a good big sister!
















Aunt Candace! Levi seriously chose her over me. I was sad. I guess her squeaky, baby voice is irresistible!


Candace and Bobby, who looked very 'Merican!


My boys :)




These two.


The lovely Mira.




Aunt Holly lovin's!


Red, White, & Cool!


Loverboys.


Gorgeous Sister :)


Maddie Girl being Candid!


Daddy's Girl.


Maddie looks like a homeless person here haha. She was NOT getting rained on!




That was pretty much our whole 4th. Levi LOVED the fireworks. Its so bittersweet, because 2 years ago he was kicking like crazy in my belly. Last year, he literally slept, then I made him wake up, and he just stared. This year, he was so amazed, and was shaking so much at first! But he wasn't scared. He looked at me numerous times and smiled like "Ma, is it okay?" So I clapped a lot and smiled to reassure him. We were so close that ash was getting all over us. But Levi kept snacking on his chips, looking at me, looking at Papaw, shaking, smiling, and then clapped at the end. Priceless.

So Josh and I are doing the Couch to 5K starting today. I almost feel like the beginning will be too easy, but at the same time after 10 minutes of running I feel like dying. So I think easing my way into it, building up the endurance to get through it, slowly, will keep me motivated to run. I also really am not happy with my post-body. I'm not where I want to be. I'm not as healthy as I could be.

My fresh juices are really the motivation behind it all. They keep me full, keep me less bloated, make my skin look better, and make me feel "cleaner". So this paired with clean eating, and some exercise is the ticket I think. :)

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!
And hope this Monday is peachy for you all :)
XO