Time for CHANGE

Alrighty. Enough. I've been using Blogger and my Facebook status as an outlet for frustration latey.

I need a change. I wanted to post all the pictures that went with all the great happenings in that last couple weeks, but the truth is, I don't have the time or patience to upload them and I need to talk about how awesome life really is. All out of order, here is my life from the last little while.

I was able to go with my girlfriend Mary and Jonathan to Olive Garden for lunch last week. We had their lunch special and I don't think I could cram in enough salad and breadsticks. I loved the soup, but really, the true love of my pregnancy life is Olive Garden salad. Then I had a sitter for baby later that day and was in and out of my new insurance office before I could even sit down, in either waiting area I was sent to. Then I got to come home to find my husband already home, which was great surprise.

Jonathan has been learning all sorts of adorable things: he's finally figured out how to talk into a cell phone correctly (many other little boys of my friends around his age figured this out a couple months ago), and now EVERYTHING goes to his shoulder- including dirty socks! He knows how to climb on just about everything if he wiggles enough, which can be interesting keeping him from pulling things down off the counters. He's also figured out how to get past most of his baby gates!! He's been learning to WALK up the stairs and not crawl, although most of the time, he still prefers the latter. He will eat just about anything I feed him now, as long as it's not too bitter, like peas, so I mix them with another vegetable and the amount he eats, unbelievable! He lets me know when he's ready to go outside almost like a little puppy- he brings me his jacket (when we forget to hang it up on the coat wrack), socks from his dirty laundry, and his shoes. It cracks me up! He's very good about going to bed, he runs on a good schedule and hates it when we mess with it. And I finally figured out that when he holds his arms out to me and grunts, "Uooo, Uooo!" he's been saying "Up!"

He also LOVES to play fetch with his little soft baseballs. For a long time, if he brought me a toy that I was tired of being shoved me face, I'd toss it across the room or into the hallway by his bedroom and sit back down at the table or couch to finish whatever it was I was doing and he'd ALWAYS bring it to me in the next ten minutes. Then we eventually though about it, found a ball, tossed it across the room and told him, "Go get it!" He was fast about it! We had a good laugh about it when we figured out Jonathan thought I'd been playing a game for the last few months.

I've been working on anger-management being a mother and I can tell you, it feels AMAZING! I don't yell anymore, even when I'm frustrated and it's wonderful not to carry around the guilt that inevitably follows. It helps SO much that Larry and I try to get on the same page in our parenting and discuss things that we're not sure about to ask the other parent's opinion. I'm also happier because of it. I enjoy my time with my son so much more than when I was trying to make him understand things he's simply just to little to grasp. He's my little angel and I only get to have him tiny for so long before time and the world force him to grow up.

So there anger! Take that to the bank. I'M HAPPY DANG IT! Life is wonderful and there is no more morning sickness. How much better can life be when you choose to be happy no matter what the situation?

**Update on Jonathan**

Jonathan turned one entire year old on the tenth last month. I haven't posted anything about it because we've had LOTS of computer problems. **UGH** moving on....

Kellie took us to this great little place to do our Christmas photos, which coincided perfectly with Jonathan's one year, since we all know I do baby photos every 3-4 months. He is SO big!

All his skills he's learned in the last 3 months since living in our new apartment are crazy. I'll try to list them all in order: walking a couple days after we moved in in Sept. but he got uneasy so he kept cruising on furniture until Halloween when he took off across Gma's bedroom, he opens our doors and we ended up having to be doorknob covers months before I ever thought he'd be able to do that, he started to take PediaSure and water from a cup instead of wanting Mama for every second of everyday, he can clap his own hands together, he learned how to crawl up a small flight of stairs- the chapel stairs at our church, his first word other than "Mama" or "Dada" is "Nooooooo" when he touches the computer and he purses his lips **I used to do that to enforce what I meant. Oops**, when he needs a change he'll bring me a diaper from his bin without prompting, he's running, and now he cuddles with me in the morning after he wakes up and gives hugs most of the time. He's due for his 12 months shots on his 13 month birthday so he's behind, but there was a mix-up with a flier we got from his pediatrician. Long story short, he'll get his shots right before we go to Idaho, so he should be good. **sigh of relief**