1 Year 2 Shots

1 Year Doctor Visit

Weight: 20 lbs, 8 oz, 55th percentile

Height: 30 1/4 inches, 75th percentile

Head: 19 inches, 98th percentile

Today Lyla had her first appointment with her new doctor in Texas.

I'm always a bit hesitant and nervous when seeing a doctor for the first time.

I understand that we aren't going in for open heart surgery or anything. 

Routine check-ups accompanied with standard vaccinations seem pretty basic,

but I'm picky and sometimes it's difficult to find doctors I jive with.

Anyhow, this new doctor seems pretty decent off the first impression.

He didn't creep me out or make me feel like an inadequate parent, 
so that's always a plus.

He went over all the year one basics and Lyla's exam followed shortly after.

It's so funny because she will be acting like a total spaz and the 
instant the doctor starts checking her out she goes into a trance-like state.

She always holds very still and watches carefully as he examines her tiny body.

His only concern is the size of her head. eek! 

I explained she has always had a larger than average head and

 her previous doctor never expressed any concern for potential issues.

He said she is probably perfectly fine and it's likely just her genetics.
He also said genius babies need bigger heads to hold their huge brains,  

but he still intends to request her records from our Idaho doctor just to be sure

her growth has been gradual and she didn't suddenly develop a huge noggin.

 Better safe than sorry I suppose...

My big girl received two shots in the leg today.

To my surprise, she didn't cry for the first poke and 

only let out a small pout for the second one.

This doesn't make much sense to me since the world around her 

seems to crumble every time she lightly bonks her head.

But that's just a typical princess for ya!

To check out Lyla's stats over the past year click

here, here, here & here!

A Blue Baby

This blog usually features Lyla. My little star! 

But she better get used to sharing the spotlight because 

this post is all about her baby brother.

It is true. I'm growing a baby boy! 

His heart rate is strong and the doctor says he's healthy, so that's what truly matters.

 Kirk has a good point when he said a baby girl would have been cheaper. 

(pretty sure I have five dozen outfits Lyla wore only once.) 

But now I can buy ALL the cute baby things in the world 

and it doesn't matter what gender it's made for. 

The fan club in the ultrasound room was much smaller than our first go around.

Lyla didn't seem to even notice we were there to find out  

if she was going to have a little brother or sister.

And when the technician announced it was a boy, I started crying, as usual. 

I am so excited!!! (still fearful of losing my sanity with two babies)

 But for now, my excitement overpowers those feelings of anxiety.

I wanted to post the ultrasound picture, but it seriously looks like porn to me.

I just can't bring myself to subject my baby boy to the world of internet pornography.

So, below is a cropped picture of the caption printed on the picture...enjoy! :)

Baby on Bourbon Street

This weekend we took a mini vacation to New Orleans.

Not only did we have a wedding to attend, but we couldn't pass up

 the opportunity to see family when they were only five hours away. 

Now that I'm living in Texas, I can't miss any chance to spend time with the Idaho fam. 

Plus, who doesn't want to find out what New Orleans is all about!

And on that note, I have one word for the place known as The Big Easy...wild.

Seriously, pretty much anything that disturbs you about

 the human race you will find in this little nook of the great u.s. of a. 

More specifically, the French Quarter. 

Luckily, I'm not easily offended.

It was pure entertainment for a pregnant lady like myself.

Kirk and I are pretty easy going when it comes to

 shielding our one year old from the harsh realities of the world.

 But when day turned to night and more ignorant men paired with topless women

 began to emerge, Lyla and I decided to take our party back 

to the hotel room and leave dad to play with the grown ups.

 Maybe next time I can experience the freak show

 when I'm not growing a little person and we hire that full-time nanny...

So! The little bit of New Orleans we were able to explore in the

 short time we were there I would not recommend for families. 

I'm sure there are kid friendly places to be found...we just didn't have time. 

Our main purpose in New Orleans was for the wedding.

The wedding venue was held in a wax museum on Conti Street.

I thought it was a unique and clever location choice. They even had a band.

Lyla babbled through the ceremony and was really excited when the reception began.

I know this is probably true about a lot of babies, but Lyla loves parties! 

She loves big events, lot of people, and loud music.

I think her walking improved dramatically at the wedding.

 She kept getting upset when we tried to hold her 

and insisted on waddling out to the dance floor.

 There were also several other kids and babies who Lyla 

enjoyed flirting with and following around. 

It was obvious she was having a great time.

Overall, we had a really fun weekend and it was so great to see some of my family.

It truly is a fascinating place to visit!

My Heart Got Left in Idaho

A few pictures from our trip back home.

 (really, only a few because who remembers to take pictures when you're having fun.)

We had fun ending the year with family and friends, 

but we sure did miss da-da aka Kirk.

Good things are coming for 2013. I just know it.

The two biggest projects in our future are as follows:

1. find ourselves a texas home of our own.

2. family of four.

Blank Johnson

The universe decided 2012 just wasn't memorable enough,

 because my second pregnancy emerged into our lives with a huge surprise.

It started like this....

Kirk left for Texas the beginning of October and immediately after he left I was sick.

Not the "cough, I'm gonna stay home from work and clean my house" kind of sick,

This was "I'm going to stay in bed and only get up to greet the toilet" kind of sick.

I was literally in bed all day. And that never happens to me.

I suspected food poisoning, maybe the stomach flu.

My mom suggested I was reacting to the stress of being solo mom for a month.

My body typically doesn't react physically to stress....

but it seemed like a logical answer, so I went with it.

A few days later I was feeling slightly better, but still not quite right.

I was expressing my symptoms of extreme nausea to a co-worker 

and she proclaimed, "maybe you're pregnant."

I quickly did some math in my head and realized that was quite possible.
How did this possibility not even cross my mind?

That's when I started to panic...

I purchased two pregnancy tests. 

I took the first one when I got home that evening
 and it read positive almost instantly.

At first I thought that couldn't be accurate because the directions clearly state,

"please allow two minutes for results to appear."

I took the second one in the morning with the same result.

I wiped the tears away and called Kirk with the news.

Unlike myself, he remained calm about the situation.

In retrospect, I wasn't upset about having another baby.

We wanted Lyla to have a sibling. I was simply upset about the timing.

The past year has been really challenging for me, in more ways than just one.
I was ready for life to slow down and chill out a little for 2013.

I didn't want to be pregnant again. I'm not ready for another double chin.
I never planned on having TWO children in diapers. eek!
I imagined Lyla being a princess for a couple more years before sharing the spotlight.
And lastly, I'm definitely not prepared for the chaos of raising two babies!

My thoughts continued to spin around in self pity until
 I realized I wasn't focusing at all on the positive, I said to myself,
"hey self, you're being pretty darn selfish. 
Lyla is going to have a buddy and it's going to be awesome!"

All of the things I was dwelling on weren't negatives at all.
I can do this!

1. I'll get another pregnancy out of the way and 
then vow to never ever have a double chin again.

2. Two children in diapers at once, that's actually a brilliant idea.
 Kill two birds with one stone theory?

3. Lyla will always be my little princess, but now she will have a friend to play with and
 I think their itsy bitsy age gap will mold them into best friends.

There's no doubt that life with two babies will be choatic. I may lose my mind. 
And even though the timing seems inconvenient at the moment, 
I truly believe everything happens for a reason.
This baby was meant for our family and it was meant to happen when it did.

So, boy or girl predictions? 
I've been constantly nauseous this time around,
which is complete opposite of my first pregnancy.
I've been having crazy, wild, vivid dreams, which is also opposite of my first pregnancy.
Also, they have almost exact opposite predicted birthdays.
Does all this opposite business mean anything gender wise? I'm not sure.
I can honestly say, with my whole heart, that I don't care whether it's a boy or girl.

(This next part is going to sound corny, don't judge me.)
There was something magical about holding Lyla for the first time.
In that very moment I realized I wasn't awaiting the arrival of a boy or girl,
I was waiting for this exact little being. 

She was made perfectly for us and 
I know baby #2 will also fit perfectly into our little puzzle.

So, for now I'll say goodbye to my hipbones once again.
See you again around June 5th!

Party Time

Happy Birthday to my favorite little person!

Lyla's birthday was yesterday, but her extremely awesome party was today.

(Thank you to aunt Kari and grandma Paula for all their help and expertise.)

pre-game.

 "let's get this party started, mom."

Happy Birthday to my beautiful, smart (not so ->) baby girl. 

We have learned so much in a year and it's gone by way too fast. 

 I don't think Kirk and I can even remember what our lives were like before Lyla!

Motherhood has met my expectations and beyond. 

There are a lot of moments that are simply indescribable. 

She continues to challenge me. I'm consistently learning something new.

And I wouldn't change a thing. Every day is worth it.

Watching Lyla grow is bittersweet.
 I love watching her learn and develop.
 I love each new stage.

But at the same time, it makes me sad that time is irreversible.

She is becoming less and less baby with each passing day.

She is getting taller. Her hair is growing longer.

She has learned to roll over, learned to crawl, learned to walk, 
and it has all been amazing...

but I can never go back to enjoy those things with her again. 

It pulls on my heart strings a little!

Year One

31,536,000 seconds

525,949 minutes

8,765.81 hours

365 days

52 weeks

12 months

the skills and life experience of a one year old:

1. she is so close to walking. 33 steps is her record thus far.

2. tell her 'no no' and she turns around and shakes her finger at you. 

the next few years are going to be sassy ones.

3. she has an obsession with doors. 

she loves to shut and open them. I think she likes the disappear/reappear feature. 

 this game may sound dangerous, but she is quite aware 
of her fingers and hasn't hurt herself, yet.

4. she is saying lots of words. 

However, some words are probably recognizable to only the mommy ear.

Some of her words include, momma, da da, bottle, kittie, doggie, bye bye, here, baby,

and one time, i swear, she said 'bless you'...maybe it was a fluke. 

5. she is so lovable. i used to call her the anti-cuddler, but she is changing her ways.

6. if we go out to eat, she will sit in a high-chair the entire time. 

this may not seem like a biggie, 

but she is a wiggle worm and it took a long time for us to get here!

7. not a pacifier girl, but she enjoys sucking on bottle tops. odd?

8. she can climb up stairs. she can slide down stairs.

9. her new thing is to throw both her hands up as a response to any question
that asks what, where or why something or someone is.

10. she has rode on an airplane and was an angel both trips, 
layovers and everything. hooray! 

11. she has traveled to idaho, wyoming, utah, colorado (briefly) and texas. busy girl!