15 Months

Almost a week ago we hit the 15 month mark.  Time surely is flying by.  It is an interesting stage because in some instances, he seems so grown up and more toddler-like, and then at other times, I am reminded that he is still my little baby.

He continues to change daily and learn new things.  His vocabulary is expanding somewhat.  There is still mostly jibber jabber however he says "mama", "dada", "Belle-Belle", "bye-bye", "on" and a few other variations of other words.  He is a sweet little boy, loves to blow kisses, and give them, and he waves to everyone, whether it is out at the grocery store or out to dinner.  He is constantly saying hello to everyone.  However, the toddler tantrums are in full swing in our home.  If Brady does not get what he wants, he will make it known that he wants it.  We do not give in to his fits, however he still makes sure to try to get what he wants!

He is now running all over the house, down the street, and chasing after the dogs.  When he goes, he is gone, swinging one arm as fast as he can.  He likes to walk up the stairs like a "big boy" taking it step by step with a little help from mom and dad.  His favorite foods are pancakes, bananas (at times), avocado, edamame, grapes, and of course Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets.  He has a pretty good palate and will eat most of what we eat, as long as you can get him to taste it first.

We are finally a bottle and pacifier free home!  We dropped the pacifier at 6 months and we got rid of the final evening bottle about 3 weeks ago.  He has done great and now puts himself to sleep at night.  He no longer lets me read him a story and rock him for a bit.  Once we go to his room, he points to the light and his music and he goes to bed.  It has been nice, but it is bittersweet at the same time.

We are having fun here.  Days are exhausting at times when we don't get enough sleep or are not in a good mood, but then I look at evenings like tonight, when I took my little guy out to dinner, ate cooked apples together, and danced around the hallway to the radio.  These are the days that make it all worth it!

A Year In Review 2012

I was reminded today by my son that I should capture a few memories of this past year in writing.  There are so many blessings that we are thankful for, and moments that I would love to capture while they are still so fresh in my mind.  So here is the Goble 2012 year in review.

This year started for both of us as first time parents, and for me, going back to work full time as a pharmacist.  Shortly after returning I reduced my hours down to 32 hours, and then even later, down to 16.  I love being at home with my little man, and I want to first and foremost thank my husband for this.  He is so unselfish, and although there are many mornings that I know that the look in his eyes wishes that he could be at home with us, I am so grateful that he works so hard for the three of us, and I want him to know that he is showing our son a great example in the time and effort he spends helping so many other people each a every day.  For that, I love you.

I wanted to capture of few of my favorite Brady moments from this past year.

• I love how he is such a great night sleeper.  Not quite during the day, but since 5 months old, he has consistently slept through the night.  Thank you for that!
• His blue eyes melt my heart every time I look at them.
• I love how his hair sticks up in the back and makes him look like Dennis the Menace.
• He was NOT a good teether...but we made it through it each and every time. Thanks to Tylenol and Oragel.
• He went on his first plane ride, and tried the pool for the first time.  For the rest of the summer the pool was a great baby calmer when he would get fussy in the afternoons.
• I love how he smiles and grabs my phone whenever I play Paul Simon's Father and Daughter song.  I am not sure if it is because the album cover is a baby's face, or if he likes the song, but either way, I love to sing it to him, and always change the words to Mother and Son. 
• I love how he says Uh Oh! to almost everything.  It is just so sweet and innocent. 
• Lately there are a lot more toddler tantrums and fits, but those too, we survive one at a time. 
• He loves to feed the dogs his snacks, and most end up in the dog's mouth than in his. 
• I feel special that I captured his first smile. 
• He goes through his phases, but he is such a daddy's boy.  I love to watch the two of them together. 
• It was cute that he started grabbing our hands and leading us to something he wanted, except now that means we climb up the stairs 10+ times a day.  No need for a stairmaster here! 

Gosh, I think I could make the list go on and on.  And I am not a "real" mom if I did not say there were days when I wanted to scream right along with him, but looking back, they were just small bumps in this amazing road we are traveling on as parents.  And through our travels, I have realized how fortunate we are to have such an amazing support system in our parents.  My mom flew down at a moments notice when I decided to pull Brady from daycare and needed a sitter.  My mother-in-law is our saving grace when we are sick or out of sitter options.  I hope their guidance continues to mold Dave and I in our roles as mom and dad.  

This year has brought us joy in welcoming another new nephew, and Brady is so blessed to have 2 boy cousins so close in age to him.  We also have some sadness in realizing that we may lose a wonderful woman in our life, who has shown my husband, his family, and myself, love, strength and endurance.  As these holidays came filled with sickness and stress, knowing that for all of us, it could be our last, truly makes you reflect on where you came from, and where you are going.  

My hope for this next year is one filled with blessings for all of you.  Wishing you all a Happy New Year ALWAYS!!  

"Always"
Kristian Stanfill 

My foes are many, they rise against me
But I will hold my ground
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

Troubles surround me, chaos abounding
My soul will rest in You
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
From You Lord, from You Lord

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always, always

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!  The Gobles were able to share a wonderful weekend with family.  Our gathering was quite a bit smaller this year since my in-laws were in NYC and my sister and her family were in TN.  Despite the fact that my husband and I both had to work on the actual Turkey Day, we were still able to share in a wonderful feast on Saturday.

I have decided that roasting a turkey is not so difficult, it is the last minute prep on everything so that it all comes out HOT is the tricky thing!

But the holiday is a great time to reflect on what we truly are thankful for, and I do have to say, I could compile a gigantic list, however, I will narrow it down to a few things.

1. My parents and my husbands parents.  They have been so helpful in our first year of parenthood.  There were a few days where we were not sure what we would do without Nana.

2. The lovely ladies that I have met through our church and MOMS group.  It is great to share my growth in God with wonderful supporters.

3. Lastly these two guys.  I think the pictures state it all. I am one lucky lady!

Happy Holidays!

Our Little 1 Year Old

I know this is about 2+ weeks late, but this past month, our little guy turned one year old.  It amazes me every day to see how he has changed and the new things that he is learning.  At 12 months old we are getting a few "words" out of him.  He seems to say "Mama" and "Baba" and the last day or so he has started babbling quite a bit to himself.  It is pretty cute to listen to, and I am sure it is a preview of his vocabulary to come.  Despite his limited speech, he is able to communicate through sign language.  He can sign milk, more, all done, water, food, dog, bath, nap, and thank you.  When asked (and he is in the mood) he can tell you what a lion and monkey says.  He knows where his head, nose, and ears are located and he can clap, stomp his feet, and blow kisses on command.

He has 7 teeth, and the molars are on there way.  I noticed a tear in his gum on one side, so I think one will be making it's appearance soon.  He is now on whole milk, but both Mom and Brady made it to the one year mark breastfeeding.  My freezer stash helped us get through the last few weeks, and I am thankful for that.

He truly is a sweet little boy.  He has his moments and tantrums, but he has a shy side that is precious.  I think he gets that more from his Daddy, but I can see why, because he is a Daddy's boy!

I cannot put to words what this past year has meant to me, but I will say as I have before.  The LORD truly allows us to be parents to give us a glimpse of the love that he has for US, and what a LOVE that is, so powerful and life changing!

Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?

A few weekends ago, we celebrated our little guy's first birthday.  We actually had to have it a week early since my husband had to work on his actual birthday weekend, but we were so blessed that our friends and family were able to come and share the day with all of us!

I decided to go with a Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  theme based on the Eric Carle book.  Once I started planning, it seems like it kept going and going, and with some help from my Mom and Aunt, it turned out to be quite a success.

This was the beautiful banner my Aunt Sharon made and shipped it all the way from Colorado to NC.  My mom put together the 3-D table and mantle decorations using the Eric Carle fabric cut out and glued on different colored paper.

Our balloon wreath welcomed guests into the party.  I found this idea here, and we attached a cut out of the brown bear from the Brown Bear fabric my mom purchased. 

Next came the food.  I had alot of fun decorating the dessert table and found alot of items from multiple Etsy shops.  We had Brown Bear Chocolate Grahams, Goldfish Crackers, and Red Bird Red Velvet cupcakes to name a few treats. 

Instead of getting a smash cake, we let the little guy experiment with a cupcake, he wore the Brown Bear bib his Grandma made him and he seemed to enjoy the frosting for a bit, then was ready for it to be off of his hands!

I had a great time putting together the favor bags for the kids.  I was able to print off a bunch of Brown Bear themed learning activities, which allowed them to play Heads or Tails with the animals from the book, and they were also able to color their own book to keep.  I stuck in a bag of Goldfish Crackers, Chocolate Teddy Grahams, and gummy bears for an additional treat (as if the cupcakes and ice cream weren't enough!) 

I think the little guy had a great first birthday party surrounded by wonderful family and friends! 

If anyone is interested in where I bought any of the products in the pictures, feel free to leave a comment and I am sure I can do some digging and find the sites I visited.  I know most are pinned on my Pinterest page, and most things were bought on Etsy or Target.  

Happy Halloween

I know this is a tad bit late, but I have been BAD about uploading pictures.  Here are a few of our little lion man on his 1st Halloween.

New Mom Hospital Essentials

I was reminded a few weeks ago of my hospital stay after the birth of our son, when I saw a post on Facebook asking for recommendations for items to put in you hospital bag.  I, like a lot of first time moms, most likely over packed for that two day stay.  I added my two cents in the comments of my friend's post, but it was great to read all of the other comments of other moms, filling in the blanks where I left off. 

So I decided I would compile a list of things to put in that hospital bag, and hopefully help out other first time moms, when they are planning ahead for their stay.  

1. Nursing Bra- If you are planning on nursing (or a nursing tank will also work well) 

2. Toiletries for you and your significant other

3. Lanolin

4. Breast pads

5. Couple of outfits for baby

6. Swaddle blanket (hospital will provide this but you may want to bring your own)

7. 2 outfits for mom 

8. Granny panties

9. Snacks

10. Robe

11. Slippers

12. Your own pillow and maybe a boppy to help with nursing 

13. Phone chargers

14. Maybe music

15. Health insurance info

16. You will have lots of visitors so whatever you forget, they will bring it!

I hope this list will help out a few other new moms, and feel free to share your experiences/suggestions as well.