2013 - The Year in Review

I did this post last year, so I thought I'd make it a yearly tradition.  2013 was pretty great.  My biggest dream was fulfilled.  I became a momma.  2014 is really going to have to bring it if it wants to even sort of compare.

1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before? Gave birth.  It was single handedly the most amazing experience of my life.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make New Year's resolutions.  Why set yourself up for failure at the beginning of a new year?  Not exactly the best way to start...

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Me!  I don't thing it gets any closer than that...

4. Did anyone close to you die? No. 

 

5. What countries did you visit? None.  Just some travel within the southeast.  Kind of hard to travel internationally either super preggo or with a teeny baby.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?  More money would be nice...

7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 23, 2013 - welcome to the world Holt Fairfield Watts II!!!!! April 20, 2013 - my big brother got married.  September 11, 2013 - I turned the big 3-0
 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Becoming a momma.  It's the biggest achievement of my life.
 

9. What was your biggest failure? Not being able to breast feed.  I tried.  I really did.  But, at the same time, I feel like maybe I could have tried harder.  It was suuuuuch a struggle from the get go.  Then, with B being gone for 2 weeks on top of all the issues, it was just too much.  H is growing and thriving, so I know he's ok.  But, if I could go back, I would and try harder.
 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Preeclampsia, I suppose.  That had me bed ridden for 3 weeks pre-baby!

11. What was the best thing you bought?  Since we paid hospital bills, I'll say the baby!  LOL.  I know it's kind of a stretch, but since 2013 was the year of Holt, I'm going with it.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?  I'll give this one to my sweet husband again.  I thought I was in love with him before.  But, man, seeing him be a dad just made me fall even harder.  He's such a good dad to our little kiddo.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? I honestly don't think anyone's did this year.  At least not to me personally.

14. Where did most of your money go? The kiddo.  Of course
 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Having my sweet boy and becoming a momma

16. What song will always remind you of 2013? You are my Sunshine.  It's the lullaby I always sing to Holt and almost always calms him down.
 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
(a) Happier or Sadder? Happier!

(b) Thinner or Fatter? This is a trick question.  I was 25 weeks preggo this time last year.  So, I'll compare it to the year before and say fatter.

(c) Richer or Poorer? Poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Enjoying every minute of my maternity leave and soaking up every ounce of newborn squishiness

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stress!

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2013?   In Tennessee with my family.  Holt got to spend his first Christmas with his cousins and his aunts and uncles and my parents.  It was chaotic and awesome and so filled with love

 

21. Did you fall in love in 2013? Yep, with my sweet sweet little love bug

22. How many one-night stands?  Negative

23. What was your favorite TV program? I discovered the gloriousness that is Scandal.  It's the one show that I'll actually stay up for to watch live.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.  I try to not hate anyone.  I don't have the time for that kind of negativity in my life.

25. What was the best book you read? Oh gosh!  I read a lot of good books this year!  Ummmm...The Fault in Our Stars.  That book was amazing

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Twinkle Twinkle Little Rockstar Pandora.  Anything that has Hey Ya as a lullaby is amazing in my book!

27. What did you want and get? A happy, healthy, thriving baby
 

28. What did you want and not get?  Nothing that I can think of

29. What was your favourite film of this year? The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
 

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I worked then went to a low key Mexican dinner wit the hubs.  I turned 30.  I did go out the following weekend with some girlfriends and partied it up like I was 21 though! 

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Can't think of anything.  That's the funny thing about getting what you've always wanted.  It's kind of hard to top it.

 

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013? Stretchy and comfortable!
 

33. What kept you sane? My hubby and my mom. 

 

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Aaron Paul.  Love him!
 

35. What political issue stirred you the most?  Not much.  I'm not a super political person, so I try to ignore it as much as possible.
  

36. Who did you miss? My family in TN.  Always
 

37. Who was the best new person you met? Definitely Holt.  He's the best person I've ever met.
 

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.  Sometimes life doesn't turn out how you plan it.  Things don't go according to plan.  All you can do is hold on and enjoy the ride.
 

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

40. What are your resolutions for 2014?  I usually don't do resolutions.  But this year, I will try to stress less.  Things always have a way of working out in the end.  And, if they don't, I'm learning I'm strong enough to deal with whatever life throws at me.  I'll also work on remembering that!

9 Months!

My sweet little 9 month old got me sick, so my apologies if this post doesn't make the most sense ever.  My head is a little cloudy from all the medicine.  And snot.  Lots of snot.  Yum.

Anyway, H turned 9 months old while we were in Tennessee visiting my family for Christmas.  So, the pictures weren't taken until yesterday.  And we didn't have his well baby visit until today.

8 months vs. 9 months

Developmentally, he's exactly where he needs to be.  He's growing and learning new things every single day.

For weight, he's right at the 50th percentile at 20 lbs 11 oz
For weight, he appears to be leveling out.  He's 28.5 inches long in the 55%
His head, thank goodness!, is also leveling out.  It's still big - 18.5 cm (inches? I have no idea!) and in the 89%.  But, as the doctor said, it just means bigger hats.

He's a great eater, and will eat everything we give him.  He's at about 3-5 bottles a day and 3 meals.  He's on level 3 baby foods.  The doctor said to start giving him more finger foods.  He's got 5 (almost 6) teeth! So, he can handle more foods.

He's pretty much always in a great mood.  He's so smiley and happy.  He giggles more and more and babbles all the time.  I swear, I could just listen to him talk and giggle all day long and do nothing else.

Such a goof

He is soooo close to walking.  He can stand, unassisted and unsupported, for a few seconds on his own.  He cruises around on everything.  WHen he's not doing that, he's crawling all over creating.  He's so curious and I love it.

He doesn't really dislike much right now.  Although, during his cold last week, you'd think someone was murdering him anytime they tried to clean the snot situation going on in his nose.  But, aside from that, he's good.

He's loving his B Zany Zoo Cube he got for Christmas.  As well as his doll that we've been referring to as the "murder dog".  It's this stuffed V-Tech dog that lights up and talks.  However, when it says "it's learning time!" it really sounds like "it's murder time!" and it'll go off at weird times.   He loves to read books every night before bed.  He's also graduated to the big boy tub and no longer uses his infant tub.  It took some getting used to, but now he loves it as much as the other.

He's in size 3 diapers, still.  For clothes and jammies, he's in 9 months, or 6-12 months.  I can't believe he's already getting so big!  He's got a long torso, so a lot of the one piece things and overalls don't fit as well any more.  This morning, I had him in a fleece vest that was quickly veering into belly shirt territory.  Maybe he just has a milk gut?  LOL

This face!

He can wave bye bye and occasionally say it too.  He says mama and dada.  He gives kisses and I live for that.  I also love when he's cuddly and just burries his face into my neck.  That's my happy place.  He's starting to clap when we say "YAY!" and he could play peek a boo all day long.  He even holds a blanket over his head and will lower it when you say "where's Holt?".  Then he just cracks up.  He loves to have his chubby thighs tickled and  will laugh and laugh.  So, naturally, we do it all the time.

Sweet little Boo,

I love you so much I can't even stand it.  You are so much fun and we just can't get enough of you.  Can you please stay like this forever?

We love you!
Momma and Daddy

These are my confessions*

*You must sing the title from the Usher song "Confessions" - cause that's what I'm doing.

Ok, technically, it should be titled "this is my confession".  Guys, I miss being pregnant.  Like woah.  Sometimes I ache for it.  I loved being pregnant.  I loved every single second of it.  Even when I was big and sore and swollen, I loved it.

I don't know if it's because I had a relatively easy pregnancy, or if it's because I tried soooo hard and wanted it sooo bad, but I soaked up every single second.  I even find myself still resting my hand on my belly, like I did all the time when I was preggo.

I loved having B lay on my belly to feel the baby move.  I loved feeling him move myself.  I loved actually seeing him move the bigger and bigger he got.  I loved how pretty my hair was.  It was so thick and lovely.  LOL  I loved the pregnancy glow.  I loved the cute preggo clothes.

Seriously, how great does my hair look?  LOL

And, now I miss it.  Basically, I have pregnancy fever.  Do NOT confuse that with baby fever.  I definitely do not want another baby now, if ever.  I am so madly in love with sweet little H that I'm not sure I ever want another baby.  But, boy could I be pregnant again.  It was the best 37 weeks. 

I miss it so much I've actually given serious consideration to being a surrogate.  However, since I didn't have a normal healthy pregnancy, I'm out of the running.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll give in and decide I'm ready for #2.  But, right now, I'm content loving my sweet boy and missing being knocked up.

Merry Christmas!!!

I just love this time of year.  Although, admittedly, the past few years, my house and the holidays seem to have a love/hate relationship.  Prior to this year I had only decorated once in the past 3 Christmases.  Oddly enough, the one I did decorate for, we weren't even home for it.  I'm a strange bird.

However, since it's sweet H's first Christmas, this momma had to get it together and really make things festive!  We decorated last weekend.  There was a brief moment where we thought we lost our decorations.  But, B found them and saved Christmas!  (actually, I found them.  He just crawled into the attic where they were.  Not a chore I wanted, so he gets credit.  Sort of).  H did a great job hanging out in his pack n play watching us decorate.  And, so far he's not really interested in the tree.  The presents, on the other hand, are very fascinating to him.  Sadly, only two little board books are for him. I figured, his grandparents will get him more than enough and he has so few needs.  So, we will wait till later years to really go all out.  He won't really notice this year anyway. 

This weekend, we took him to see Santa.  He was all decked out in his holiday finest.  And, by finest, I mean an adorable outfit that I bought for this specific outing that he won't be able to wear again.  He and Santa had matching bellies and the pants were more like capris.  He did so good with the big guy though.  He sat there and smiled like a good boy.  He even cried when I picked him up off Santa's lap.  Such a little ham.  The girl doing the pictures took a ton because he was doing so good.

This coming weekend, we will celebrate Christmas with B's family.  Then we head off to celebrate with my family in TN.  I.  can't. wait.  We will be there the whole week.  I absolutely adore my mom's house at Christmas.  That coupled with my family for a whole week makes my heart smile.  I can't wait to see H with his cousins now that he's mobile and interactive.  It's going to be the best.

Love this.  Aside from the fact that he looks like a ginger.  He's not.

 

My handsome med waiting to meet Santa
 

This face

 

It's Santa!  I know him!!

I hope you all have a very wonderful and Merry Christmas!!!