I have a 1 year old...yikes!

So...as evidenced by my last post and the ticker on the right side of this blog, my little boy is now 1 year old! With every month that has passed, I have noted how I couldn't believe how old he was getting and I am still in that boat (and will remain there for the rest of his life). Each age gets funner and funner as he gets more interactive! I love watching him learn and think...he is a big thinker!

We had a little party for him on Saturday with our good friends here in Guadalajara. It was nice and he played so well with all the kids that were over. I will post about that later!

I wanted to make some notes about him at 12 months before I let it pass me by...

- Tate's bag of tricks is increasing a lot these days! The most recent are high fives and clapping. He gets so proud of himself when he does big kid things and always looks over at us for a smile or a "Yay Tate!"

- He loves to pull up on everything and has for quite a while, but now once he gets to standing, he loves to let go and balance on his own. He is getting really good at it!

- FINALLY...seriously, finally, starting to eat a little better. And by eating better, I mean not screaming through all of his meals. He still prefers his bottles (which I am trying to slowly wean), but his pediatrician told me I could keep him on formula for a while longer due to the preemieness...mostly due to the bad eating.

- He is still our little guy...tall and skinny. He has almost outgrown all the 3-6 month clothes, but still has to wear some 3-6 month shorts due to his skinny little waist. Most of what he is wearing these days is 6 month or 6-9 month. His growth has definitely slowed lately.

- He is a total sweetheart and loves his mommy! He will crawl over to me when he gets tired and lay his head on my leg and let out a cute little sigh. He always smiles when he sees me and it totally melts my heart. That being said, I still firmly believe that his daddy is his favorite person :)

- He has never been much of a tv watcher, but now that the cartoons are in spanish, he seems to like them much better. He will stop what he is doing to watch Backyardigans. Interestingly enough, he is obsessed with one commercial here. It is for the local cable company and is mexican cheerleaders. He will crawl (quickly) from where ever he is to watch it...funny!

- He talks all the time. Sometimes it isn't really talking so much as happily screaming. But he is super super loud. Here in Mexico you open your windows to get a breeze in the house due to no ac, so I am sure the neighbors are quite accustomed to hearing him!

I am sure there is a ton more I could say about him, he is really the funniest kid! I am so lucky to get to see his happy face standing up in his crib every morning. I love that little boy!

Here he is on his birthday...looking just like his daddy!

What a difference a year can make...

So this time last year (like 9:45 of last year), we were at the hospital and Zach was making calls to all of our family to let them know that Tate would be born soon. I was not making those calls, cause I was being prepped for surgery...and crying. I did that for about 2 hours straight that night.

I determined at about 8:30 or so that my water had indeed broken, not in the way I expected water to break...no flood! We called the doctor and she was going to meet us at the hospital. I was convinced I would be put on bedrest and Tate would make it another 3 or 4 weeks like we were planning. Zach knew better but didn't want to stress me even more! Those few hours, until our sweet boy was born at 12:06, went by so fast but I still remember them so well. It is the 3 weeks after that went by so slow.

As I sit here and type this I just cannot believe that is has been a year. Some days I don't even think about the birth and other days it crosses my mind a few times. It doesn't impede me from living my life, but it has changed me. As a little girl you think about falling in love, getting married, and having a baby. My love story with Zachary is perfect and continues to be everyday. While the having a baby part was nothing like I imagined, and I know it never will be for me, it is perfect for me.

Having a preemie has made me the mother I am. I could not be more grateful for the son I have. He makes me smile so much everyday that my cheeks hurt most nights. He looks like his daddy and has some of the same quirks as me. He is perfect and he came at his time. The fact that he came so early just makes me more grateful for every little thing he does. Every. little. thing.

I waited what felt like forever for his first real smile, and when he smiled at me, on purpose, I cried. He was really late to roll over and did it in his crib without me seeing...I think he wanted me to miss it so I didn't make a huge deal over it. When I saw that sleeping baby on his back instead of his tummy, I cried again. As time has progressed, he has began to catch up on his milestones thanks to physical therapy. Because he was premature, I was more aware of problems he could have and pushed things with doctors to get him the care he needed. He is now so close to walking at 10 months adjusted and I could not be more proud of him.

The struggles he had, he will never remember. I am the one that feels sadness for what happened to him. I used to feel guilt, but that has passed. Now it just the occasional sadness and pity...not just for him but for me. It may seem selfish to feel that way for myself, but I know from talking to other people who have been in my shoes that it is totally normal. That being said, when I look at my handsome, blue eyed, big dimpled, smiling son, I feel nothing but gratitude and pride! He is the cutest thing I have ever seen...and I am in no way biased!

I can't believe he is almost 1...like 2 hours shy of 1...but I look so forward to getting to continue to watch him grow and learn and thrive. Zachary and I are lucky people to have been given such a sweet happy baby. Every night, when we lay down in bed, we talk about our little monster...every night. I can't imagine our lives without him. And, I am truly grateful for every part of his story!

1 year ago...my first time seeing my 3lb10oz son!

And tonight, my boys making me dinner. Couldn't be more blessed!

And his actual birth story...here.

Limbo, limbo, limbo

So our life over the last months has been limbo, limbo, limbo...not my favorite place to be. After the dreaded 9 weeks apart, Zachary came back to the states to study and take step 1 of his board exams. We lived with his parents and closed up our place in Mexico for the most part.

Since the birth of Tate, our $212,000 peso baby, we have been trying extra hard to watch our money. Because of that we decided that selling most of our stuff in Mexico, and, as a result, not having to pay rent for a few months would be worth it (and we still feel it was). At the time we also were looking into transfer options to put us back in the US for the last 2 years of med school.

To make an already long story a bit shorter...Zach took his boards, we waited a painfully long 3 weeks for the scores, they came back great, transferring turned into too much of a hassle and gamble, and Zach is back in Mexico all settled into a new, cheaper house. Since making the decision to go back to Mexico, which was not what any of our family and friends wanted to hear, we have been blessed in many ways. I know with confidence that it was the best and right decision for us to make...and it was the hardest one we have ever had to make.

Tate and I will be joining Zach in Mexico in a few weeks which we can't wait for! I am so ready to be out of limbo, in our own place, and just living a daily life and routine. Zach will be flying in next weekend to then turn around and drive our car back down to Mexico. (that was another decision we had to make... ultimately, we feel better to take our car back with some stuff in it than to buy another, less reliable car.)

This whole limbo experience, well...really all of med school thus far, has taught me a lot. Mostly, how to pray for answers, how to act in faith, and how to roll with the punches. Life over the last year has not been even remotely close to what I would have expected it to be. That being said...we as a family have come so far, gotten so much closer (despite the extended times apart),and learned from our trials.

I am grateful for my husband, for his hard work and devotion to his son and I. And I am dang grateful for our sweet, not so little anymore baby boy. And I am grateful for the path my life has taken and will continue to take. I guess what I want to say, is we are going back to Mexico, successfully, and are really excited about the rest of our lives!!

Daddy on skype...our life line these days!

Crawling and more!

We have a full blown crawler on our hands! He started really crawling at 9.5 months (actual age) which considering how far he has come is amazing! His therapy is working wonders and now I feel like it is making my baby get big a little too fast :( but I am so happy that he is doing so well! He is not at all picky as to where he crawls...the crib after (or during naps), carpet, tile, wood floors. The poor baby needs knee pads cause his little knees are always red! He is loving his new method of transportation and is getting really fast at it!!

Zach took his big test last Friday...and now doesn't know what to do with himself without having to study all the time. Now it is just a bit of a nervous waiting game for about 3 weeks or so to see what the score will be! I know he will do well, and I now like to refer to him as Dr. Daddy. After all, he is halfway there and I couldn't be more proud of him!!

This weekend he enjoyed his first Father's Day. It was low key, but fun just to have him with us all the time!

Father's Day family photo!

Last week Tate had an appointment with a neurosurgeon about his head shape and size. He ruled out a cranial problem we were worried about, but is wanting to send Tate for an MRI to rule out some other issues. We should know this week the date of the MRI and then will go from there. Trying not to worry about anything until we have some answers...but keep Tate in your prayers.

This last picture is just to show how happy the little boy is (almost) all the time!!

9 Months Old!

So my baby is 9 months old...I will never believe he is growing up, but he is! Everyday he gets more and more fun and makes me laugh so much (and my laughing makes him laugh, so we have a lot of fun)!

Right now he is doing a lot of changing and developing. His therapist is basically calling his torticollis gone (just waiting on the pediatrician's confirmation next week). Both of his therapist are really impressed with his progress, and we are working on strength building exercises, coordination, and basic cognitive skills. I am really impressed with what they teach me, and how fast I see it work in him!!So besides being ridiculously cute (all the dang time), here is what Tate is up to...

1. Still rockin' the 3-6 month clothes. He has pretty much moved up one size late (went into 3-6 month ones at 6 months). I tried some 6-9 month stuff on him and he is not quite ready. His waist is just skinny...but he is gonna be a tall dude, that is for sure!! We are waiting for his official stats at his check up, with shots :(, on Thursday.

2. He started really babbling on Mother's Day, which I thought was sweet...but started with the wrong syllable, "da". It is now ALL we hear! He tells all his friends (toys) about his dada or adad. I know he doesn't know what he is saying yet, but he loves to say it!

3. Naps like a rock star. I can lay him down being totally awake and he doesn't ever make a peep or even pick his head up to get mad. He naps on his tummy and takes 2 good ones every day (1.5 - 2 hours) and occasionally another smaller nap. He still sleeps about 12 hours at night. Mommy can't complain!

4. Eating is not his strong point, but he is much improved. Still taking three 6 ounce bottles and one 7 ounce bottle and having solids twice a day. Maybe we will up it soon, but for now it is working. He is also enjoying snacks is just getting the hang of being able to put them in his mouth. He loves yogurt melts....and says "nummm" with every bite!

5. Loves to sit and play with as many different toys as he can. But we all know that play really means look at and eat. He also enjoys hitting toys, with his hands or together.

6. Scoots around in circles on his tummy, and fast! This week he has started doing the push up position and tucking his knees up in the crawl position...but from there he just gets mad and grunts. Grunting is another favorite these days.

7. He has had a cough off and on pretty much all his life. Now he does this dramatic, totally fake cough...complete with half closed eyes. It is hilarious! He is already learning to work us!

8. Has been swimming twice and is a big fan!

9. Loves to scratch things. He always has to an extent, but now sometimes he can't focus because of it. We go to visit daddy in his study cave and sometimes Tate totally ignores Zach in order to scratch the desk chair...apparently it makes the best noises. He also will silently scratch his car seat while he and I are out...I call him a bug for that!

10. Does this strange spit thing. He spits out some slobber (actually a large amount) and then will suck it back in. Sometimes he gets lazy and just lets it drip everywhere. Any other babies do this? Seriously so strange...and gross!

That is mostly what I can think of right now. We just love the little guy and I love watching him grow and learn. It is so funny how when you are a mom, the smallest thing can get you so excited! I am excited for all the things to come and all the cuteness!!!

Oh...and I have a vision in my mind to take some good pictures of the little dude. It should happen soon. The scenery around here rocks. So wait for it!

Catch Up

What have we been up to since daddy has been home? Lots of fun stuff...and lots of studying on Zach's part! We have been able to enjoy a lot of family time, but Zach still has to study like crazy. His big exam (the USMLE Step 1) is June 17th. As soon as that test is over, we will be ready to have a wonderful summer of nothing but family time...and I CAN'T WAIT!

1. We experienced Tate's dreaded first ear infection. He spent 2 whole days so pitiful and tired, but the meds worked quickly!
2. Tate had a great first Easter here in Fair Oaks. Over the holiday weekend all of the siblings in Zach's family were able to be together which is rare! It was nice and Sunday we went to the Easter Egg Hunt at the Country Club...next year little man will be running around that thing!!
3. Tate had his first beach trip, also on Easter weekend. The water was too cold for him to really play in it, but he did dig his little toes in the sand and get a great beach nap on mommy!

4. We walked in our first March for Babies walk! Our family team raised over $400 and had some cute t-shirts. The walk was wonderful and very humbling to realize once again how fortunate we were in our preemie situation. It will be a yearly event for us without a doubt!

5. We attended cousin Emma's 1st birthday party! Not sure how is already 1 year old but the calendar doesn't lie. She had so much fun running all over the place! And at the party, Tate gave us his biggest belly laugh ever all because of a dumb stuffed bunny. This kid laughs all the time at everything (but that is a whole other post)!

6. Got to spend time with 3 of Tate's 4 great grandparents! Now he just needs to meet my Grammy!

7. I celebrated my first Mother's day. These almost 9 months (crazy) of being a mom have been wonderful, amazing, tiring, stressful, and so happy! I feel so so blessed to be Tate's mommy...because I am!

8. Tate mastered sitting up! And now is a little scooter as well. He moves all over the floor, mostly in circles, and only when he is on his tummy. He is getting so strong and is so proud of himself!

9. Zachary and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on May 12th and spent the whole day out and about. Grandmom took care of Tate and we went to lunch, movies, dinner on the Riverwalk, mini-golf, and shakes (a little shopping in there too)!

10. Tate had his first breathing treatment. It went really well actually! It was at the doctor's office and his daddy kept him smiling through most of it. We now have a nebulizer at home to use as needed. He has pretty much had a cough every week or two his whole life. Hopefully this is the trick and it doesn't develop into asthma. (And we totally totally love our new pedi here in San Antonio...that is also another blog.)
Those are all the big things I can think of for now. We are SO happy to be back together as a family and are looking SO forward to the summer!

Saturday!

Saturday we will be reunited with Zachary after 5 LONG weeks apart. Tate is a totally different baby just about everyday...so he has changed a lot in 5 weeks! Zachary has been working so hard in Mexico, studying non stop and is taking a big test tomorrow that could allow him to done with Mexico for good. We are hoping that is what is in our future! So prayers for my sweet husband!

In other news...Tate finally rolled over on April 5th. I know by normal standards it is super late, but for us it is great! I have been very diligent with his physical therapy and the roll is further proof that it is paying off. I laid him on his tummy for a nap in his crib, went back in to check on him and he was just chilling awake on his back. I was so excited but sad that I missed it! He now does it all the time and looks so proud of himself every time.

Post roll over, holding the bumper...so cute!

I am so glad to have physical therapy available to us and for all the amazing things I have learned from it! So many things that I was doing with him, that we all do with our babies, were harming, not helping him. I am grateful to know what is best for him now!!

Lastly...I ordered a "Line A Day Journal". I got the idea from my friend Heather (the clothes sender!). I am super excited about it...just wish I had started it sooner. It is really cool and has a date at the top of each page and then 5 paragraph sized lined sections. It is meant to be for 5 years, so you just write the year at each paragraph and go! I know that it will be great to look back on just one little thing from every day of Tate's life. Such a great idea and maybe something that I will be giving as shower gifts in the future!!

The cute little journal!


This last one is just cause I think it is cute. From our strawberry picking day with my mom, Ashley, Jeremy, & Em! Maybe I will post about that later when I get more pictures from my sister. Most of my pics these days are phone ones...like the 3 above!!