30 Before 30 - A Different Perspective

When I originally created my 30 Before 30 list in January 2011, I was just turning 25 years old. Keith and I had not even been married for one year and it was just me and him. No pets and no thoughts of having a baby anytime soon. Fast-forward a year and a half and a lot has changed! More than anything, my outlook on life (and thus this list) has vastly shifted. 

So what's changed? Everything! On February 29th my son entered this world, and becoming a mother has been indescribable. Truly. I never dreamed that it would impact me this way. Sure, I knew that my life would change, but I had no idea how much. I knew that I would love this little boy more than anything, but I could never have prepared myself for this precious life. Gavin is my sunshine. :) I'm in awe of the unconditional love that I feel for my son. Further, knowing that God feels this way about me completely blows my mind. I know I sound all hunky dory, but I'm being completely honest. Does is stink (literally) when Gav pukes all over me or has a diaper blowout? Yes, absolutely. But none of the stinky stuff matters, because he is perfect to me.

This week I have been thinking about the to-do list that I've created for myself. As I thought of all of the tasks, I began to ask the following questions:

* Must these items need to be accomplished before I turn 30 years old, or is this a lifetime goal?

* How will certain items impact my family?

* Am I being selfish by wanting to do these things?

* Can any of these tasks be replaced by things that are more relevant and won't become outdated?

In August 2011 I made a few changes to The List, and I think it's time to make a few more. This time though, I will keep the above questions in mind so that this will be the last update to the 30 tasks. It's crazy how much my priorities have changed and I'm excited to make one last revision. 

I'll be back soon with my updated list, and what I'll be tackling this year!

What do you guys think? Am I breaking all of the rules by making a second change to my list? Any suggestions on what I should add that is baby/toddler friendly?

Three Months Old

(Gav turned two months old on April 29th, and that is when his 2 mo. pictures were taken. This monthly update will be for months 2 and 3. :))

Sleeping and Eating: While we are not on a "schedule", Gav has created his own and is only waking up once a night between 3am and 4am, and then he's up for the day around 6:30am - 7am. Sometimes we get lucky and he'll sleep straight through to 6am or 7am, but those wonderful nights are rare. I have learned to function on less sleep and honestly do not mind waking up and taking care of him. Since Keith has been very busy at work, I've been on the night shift with Gav. He is truly the greatest blessing that we've ever received. As for eating, he is still breast and bottle fed and his bottles range from 3-4oz at one sitting with a 5oz bottle during his night feeding. His "stinky old man" gas has severely decreased, although I'm not sure why.

Likes and dislikes: Gavin loves to be rocked by Mommy or Daddy, and gets especially excited when Daddy gets home from work. His favorite thing to do is laugh at all of the silly faces we make. He also really likes his bouncer and the singing frog. His favorite song this month was Take Me Out to the Ballgame and loves when we dance with him. He is getting very strong and is comfortably holding his head up without any support from me or Keith. Since month two, he has been holding himself up on his little legs! They are so strong and are constantly moving and kicking. Gavin is such an easy baby and really enjoys his car seat, stroller, and being in his baby carrier. Lately, I've been taking him on walks in both the stroller and the baby carrier and it has been so much fun. He is getting so big and we are very thankful that our son is healthy.

As for firsts, this Mommy hasn't been keeping track of too much (shame on me), but Monday, May 21st was the first time he really laughed out loud. It made my heart so happy!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mickey Shunick, Missing from Lafayette, LA

Mickey Shunick, a girl from my hometown, vanished without a trace on Saturday night. Please take a moment to read the flyer and look at her face. Have you seen her??? It doesn't matter what part of the country or world you live in. If someone has taken her, then she could be anywhere. If you have any information at all, please call 337-291-8633. I do not personally know Mickey or her family, but if you mess with one Cajun then you mess with us all. Beware.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Gavin Overload

 "Mom, would you pleeease stop with the pictures???"

Big boy in his stroller

Laughing with Grandma Debbie

Silly monkey

 

I just want to eat him. Ah! :)

The Motherless and Mother's Day

Mother's Day this year was absolutely wonderful. It was my first time celebrating and I couldn't have been prouder. My wonderful husband and the little boy that I am lucky enough to call my son made the day wonderful. I woke up to beautiful pink roses, two very sweet cards, and a coupon book! The cards will forever be dear to me, but the coupon book is like gold! What's in it? I've got about 30 of those bad boys, and they range from "a romantic dinner" to "a relaxing bubble bath" to "sleeping in" (!!!) and so much more. This is absolutely my favorite thing! Keith also got me a North Face bag that I've had my eye on and it was just so sweet. My boys took me out to lunch and then we spent the day together at our home. It was perfect.

He makes me so happy. :)

While I was overwhelmed with happiness, a part of me was also very sad. I've written before about my desire to do missions in the Philippines and how my heart breaks specifically for that country. A few weeks ago I was researching different mission opportunities and I found a specific trip titled "Work with Street Children in the Philippines". This caught me off guard because I had no clue what they were talking about. Street children? As in orphans? Well, yes. But these children are not just orphans. They are orphans who live on the street and survive by begging and digging through trash. More specifically, "In the Philippines, more than 250,000 children live on the streets and around 20,000 a year are imprisoned every year. Most of these children survive by begging and scavenging in dumpsites and garbage piles for plastic bottles to recycle for small amounts of money" (via). Furthermore, these children often "resort to prostitution, and are addicted to sniffing industrial glue, which is cheap and helps silence their hunger pains" (via).  

Reading about these children and the extent of their desperation truly cut me to my core. Why God, why?? Why are children living like this? Why isn't anyone taking care of  them?!? I've always had a soft spot for children, but since having Gavin my sensitivity level has risen by much. I hurt and cry for these children and wish so badly that they didn't have to live this way. So, the night before Mother's Day, I wept for the motherless. I stared at my son and thanked God for his life, and I also prayed for those precious children in the Philippines. I prayed that one day I'd be able to look into their sweet faces and tell them how much God loves them, how much I love them. I know that one day Keith and I will adopt, and if it were up to me I'd take them all in (that's right, all 250,000), but I know that's not possible. Well, what do I know? As I typed "I know that's not possible" I felt my heart tug. God is the master of making the "impossible" happen. So I guess we'll see. I don't know why my heart aches the way it does, but I am hoping that God will use me to make a difference. 

 You are Peter. God already knows that you will make a mess,

but His plan for you is great. Go. Feed His sheep. 

-- Katie Davis, Kisses from Katie --

Miscellany Monday

* I miss blogging so much. Not only do I miss the interaction with you guys and the opportunity to get my thoughts on "paper", but I love documenting my life. I began blogging when I moved to South Carolina in 2009 and was able to write about wedding planning, married life, being pregnant, and everything in between. Now more than ever, I want to remember all of the sweet moments we're having with Gavin. We are finally getting a routine going in the Christmas household, I think that I may actually be able to start writing on a consistent basis (fingers crossed).

* The last time I wrote I told you guys that I'd be heading back to work on June 4th. Well...scratch that. As much as I wanted to get back out there and contribute to my family's finances, it just isn't feasible. Multiple factors played into this decision, with the main reason being Keith's work schedule. He is one busy man! Most days he's home between 5pm-7pm, while other days he has to spend the night in upstate South Carolina or in North Carolina. Due to the fact that I maintain our home and haven't expected much of Keith in this department, I just don't feel like I'd be able to be a good employee, mom and wife if I had to spread myself so thin. I am thankful that going back to work is an option and not a necessity at this point, but I do hope to get back to work sometime next year. Until then, I'll be enjoying precious moments with my handsome little boy.  

Moments like these... *sigh*

* Keith and I started Weight Watchers a week ago and I am ecstatic to report that things went great! I've yet to step on the scale to see if I've lost any weight and quite frankly I'm going to put that off for as long as possible. I could honestly care less what that number is, because I'm feeling awesome! Slowly but surely I'm starting to plan my day to be able to get a good workout in and I'm excited to transform this post-baby body. (Plus, I'm hoping to knock off #12 - Meet my weight loss goal, off of my 30 Before 30 list!) 

* I know this is a bit late, but Keith and I absolutely loved the season finale of Once Upon a Time! We have been faithful watchers and were beyond pleased with the first season. I don't want to spill the beans for anyone who has not seen it, but goodness! We can't wait to see what happens next.

* My heart. :D

Have a great day y'all!