Search Results for: The day you were born

A Onederful First Year!

Posted on June 6, 2010 Written by Tonya

Today you are one year old! While some days certainly seemed a lot longer than others, one year never went by faster!

One year old. Wow!!

Looking back on all of your monthly milestones, I am in awe. You have grown so much, learned more than I ever thought you would and are becoming your very own little wonderful person full of character and charm.

Like every other month, this was a big one full of lots of firsts; like:

Visiting Legoland
Graduating from your second Kindermusik class
Graduating from wearing the Doc Band (read all about our experience here)
Sitting forward in the car!!
Knowing where your belly, head and toes are
Picking your lovey and a favorite little stuffed monkey out from a pile of several other things
Can follow simple commands like, ‘go get it’ and ‘put this in there’… we are still working on ‘no’ and ‘don’t touch that’
When asked a ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, or ‘why’ question, shrug your shoulders and turn your hands up. This is the most adorable thing I have ever seen a toddler do!
Developed a love affair with every household appliance we own… hence the reason to learn the word ‘no’!
Attended two more birthday parties (for a grand total of six in just your first year of life!)
Your eyes are still blue and I think it’s safe to say that they are going to stay that way. 🙂

We celebrated your special day yesterday at home with a BBQ, balloons, cupcakes and plenty of gifts. Your two aunts and grandparents came to visit and it was a lot of fun.

I will never forget the day you were born and how I held you in my arms until the sun came up, just staring at you in complete adoration. What a great day. Happy Birthday, son. I love you.

Your destiny is waiting and the best is always yet to be.

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Lovey – Update

Posted on May 26, 2010 Written by Tonya

On the day you were born, the first family member you met was your Aunt Leah. When she arrived at the hospital, she brought you Arnold the Snoring Pig.

Arnold makes snoring sounds, talks in his sleep while his ears and body move when you press his hoof.

You can’t quite press his foot yet without help, but you LOVE this pig and think that all of your stuffed animals have a “magic” paw. It’s really cute; you hand us monkeys, giraffes and teddy bears and want us to make them move.
Clearly, no matter how many furry, fuzzy, plush toys you have, your heart still belongs to your lovey.

The best is yet to be.

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Old School Blogging: The ABC’s Of Me

Posted on September 17, 2015 Written by Tonya

I’m linking up with my friends, Elaine of The Miss Elaine-ous Life and Andrea of About 100% for a little Old School Blogging and this month is the ABC’s of me, a questionnaire of sorts.

Come play along! Copy and paste the words in bold below, write your post and link up.

A- Age: 43 or…

Best. Quote. Ever.

B- Biggest Fear: Missing my children’s futures and having them both turn out like assholes.

C- Current Time: Nap time!

D- Drink you last had: Diet Coke

E- Easiest person to talk to: My 19 month old daughter.

F- Favorite Song: #41 by Dave Matthews Band

G- Grossest Memory: The time Lucas smeared poop on his bedroom wall. It was AWFUL. I wrote about it. Of course. (I’m Still In Shock, February, 2012)

H- Hometown: I was born in Amarillo, Texas but grew up overseas. Arizona was home for a long time and now, it’s wherever my children are.

I- In love with: My husband and children. And always in that order.

Two drifters off to see the world.
There’s such a lot of world to see.

J- Jealous Of: I wouldn’t mind being Beyoncé for a day.

K- Killed Someone? What the hell kind of question is that?

L- Longest Relationship: The one with myself.

M- Middle Name: Dawn

N- Number of Siblings: 1

O- One Wish: Ah. I wish more than anything that my parents were still alive.

P- Person who you last called: Lisa, my ray of sunshine friend.

Q- Question you’re always asked: Uppie?

R- Reason to smile: Topping the list today is Lucas’s latest family portrait:

Complete with disco ball (don’t ask!).

But I also love; a good sweat, starting a new book, my children’s laughter, finding time to write, sunflowers, smelling the sea, an iced Chai tea latte, date nights, fresh sheets, Christmas morning, Dateline, capturing the perfect photograph, green lights, a glass of Dreaming Tree Cab, spending time with my friends, my sister, Jimmy Fallon, the smell of rain, kindness, pizza, fast Internet connection, a good hair day, stop me anytime.

S- Song you last sang: Something annoying on KidzBop.

T- Time you woke up: 6:30

U- Underwear Color: I’m not wearing any. Shhh…

V- Vacation Destination: I’m dying to return to kiss under the Eiffel Tower again, but also look forward to seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, sipping a margarita on the beach in Cabo (hopefully next summer!!) and standing in the middle of Times Square sooner rather than later. (:

W- Worst Habit: Setting impossible expectations and being disappointed.

X- X-rays you’ve had: Mouth, leg, fingers and ankle. Nothing was ever broken.

Y- Your favorite food: Mexican… lime, cilantro, onion, jalapeno, avocado, chips, margaritas

Z- Zodiac Sign: Cancer, the crab. Explains so much.

Incidentally, I’ve done one of these before, ABC in June, 2013.

Your turn! Answer the questions, post them on your blog and then link up at Elaine’s or Andrea’s place (don’t forget to tag #OSBlog on Twitter when you share!)

What My Six-Year-Old Knows About Me

Posted on August 6, 2015 Written by Tonya

I saw this questionnaire circulating around Mother’s Day and was curious how Lucas would respond so I had a third party ask him these questions about me.

I love his answers! Especially #11. I can’t even remember the last time I did a handstand, but obviously he was impressed.

1. What is something your mom always says to you?
Maybe

2. What makes your mom happy?
Me & Lola

3. What makes Mom sad?
When she has to yell.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
When she uses funny names.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Smart, funny and awesome like me.

6. How old is your mom?
43.

7. How tall is your mom?
Two feet.

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Read Dinosaurs Come Everything, play Uno and other games.

9. What does your mom do when you’re not around?
Change Lola’s diapers, laundry, work out and have fun with Daddy.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Making books.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Cooking and handstands.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Skateboarding and video games.

13. What does your mom do for a job?
Take care me and Lola.

14.What is your mom’s favorite food?
Spinach, lemon and kale.

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
Everything.

16. If your mom were a character, who would she be?
Sally from Cars.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Play games and read.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We both have blue eyes.

19. How are you and your mom different?
She’s taller and older and sleeps in a bigger bed.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
I just know. She tells me.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
He makes her laugh.

22. Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?
Cardio Barre and El Matador.

23. How old was your Mom when you were born?
36.

24. What do you want to tell your mom?
I love her.

25. What is something you wish your mom knew?
I wish she knew everything. She knows a lot but not everything.

Interview conducted July 23, 2015.

The Best Thing About January

Posted on January 29, 2015 Written by Tonya

January sucked.

Top to bottom.

I celebrated the new year sick in bed, had two decent weeks and then my whole family was hit with the flu. Lola’s temperature reached as high as 104 one evening and we were so nervous calling her pediatrician every few hours for advice. My entire body hurt so much that I hurt couldn’t get out of bed for two whole days. We were down for the count for almost a week. Each one of us saw the doctor and were prescribed meds. Nasty lingering coughs remain. I know we aren’t alone. Tis the season, right?

What should have been my dad’s 68th birthday was yesterday and that always makes me sad, bitter and grief ridden.

And then this morning, my husband was admitted to the ER. He woke up with a back ache but felt it was more tissue related and went to his gym to see if his trainer could “stretch him out”. Turns out it was/is kidney stones. Five hours at the hospital and four heavy duty pain killers later, he is resting and waiting for them to pass.

Tomorrow is my daughter’s first birthday and I am a mess.

I’m happy for this milestone but melancholy that my baby is no longer a baby. Lola is toddler, through and through. She’s almost walking and “talking” like crazy. She’s willful and feisty and funny and so sweet. Lola worships her big brother and wants to get into anything that isn’t for babies. She loves to empty drawers, play with remotes and other electronic devices, dive head first down the stairs and squirm and roll over while getting a fresh diaper. We all agree she’s the best thing that ever happened to us.

It was completely surreal being in the same hospital where she was born a year later today.

The best thing about this month is celebrating Lola.

I have been working on a birthday letter to her for several days. I hope to share it here tomorrow, but for now I’ll share these lovely photos my friend, Tereza captured. Lola wasn’t too into the balloons but looked awfully cute just the same.

These photos are special for a few reasons; I take photos of Lola all the time but haven’t had professional shots taken since she was born and the purple Ralph Lauren dress she’s wearing, it was her cousin, Francesca’s. Francesca is 11 now.

Thank you, Heidi for handing it down.

This House Needs A Mouse: A Book Review

Posted on December 8, 2014 Written by Tonya

We love books in our family!

Reading has always been one of my favorite pastimes and before either of my children were born, they had a ready and waiting library of childhood classics. Now reading together before bedtime is sometimes the best part of our day. We snuggle up together with a pile of books, with firm instructions to “read them in the order on your lap” and I try out different accents and change my voice as the characters do and we giggle and talk about the illustrations. At five-and-a-half, Lucas is starting to read now and hearing him read to his little sister, Lola fills my heart with so much joy.

We especially love new books and new titles find their way into our house several times a month thanks to three different libraries we frequent and a mom who has way to much access to Amazon Prime!

To receive a book in the mail is quite the thrill. Brand new and/or new to us books must be read right away!

Since its arrival, This House Needs A Mouse by C. Jeffrey Nunnally has been enjoyed many, many times.

This delightful book follows a mouse on a mission to find a house and escape the pet store he’s confined to and through a stroke of good timing, quick thinking and a family that needs a mouse to help with all the crumbs in their house, the mouse finds himself full of purpose and happy.

Soon the poor mouse’s life is turned upside-down by an unfortunate chain of events involving traps, rat poison and one unmotivated cat, but this seemingly ordinary mouse comes to grips with his new situation and his true purpose in life.

Lucas loves the repetitive language, rhyming and darling illustrations by Tamara Z. Brink. Every time we read it together he points out something different about the three families featured in the story and always giggles at the surprise ending. I love the underlining lesson that even ordinary things and people (and pets) can be extraordinary!

Lucas posing with his goldfish, Chocolate and his favorite page of This Mouse Needs A House.

Treat a child you love to a copy of this adorable book and I promise it will soon be a favorite for you too.

This House Needs A Mouse is available now on the book’s website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Big Tent Books. You can also find This House Needs A Mouse on Facebook and tweet with the author, C. Jeffrey Nunnally on Twitter.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of This House Needs A Mouse to assist in my review. No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own.

Before Turning Five

Posted on May 30, 2014 Written by Tonya

I have been feeling nostalgic, extremely proud, a little sad and slightly offended by the passing of time lately. A week from today my son, my firstborn and the one who made me a mama will be turning five. Five!!

Lucas is an awesome kid with a silly sense of humor and an undying curiosity, two traits I hope he always possesses. He’s also a sweet sensitive little boy and is learning how to be more independent and how to take no for an answer.

My son had a banner year and I couldn’t possibly list all of his accomplishments (yes, this is going to be one of those posts) but I would like to share a few that stand out for me. In no particular order:

As a family we survived a nine month stint in a tiny two bedroom apartment while we searched for a house and while he mirrored my frustration with our living situation, Lucas really made the best of it and out of all of us was the most adaptable. He also served as an active participant in our home search and shared his desire for a backyard and missing his trampoline and a dedicated play area. He was patient and understanding through our moves.

Twice this year Lucas has gone through his toys and allowed us to either set some things aside for his little sister to play with someday or give items to goodwill. This is not an easy feat for children but he did it with ease and graciousness.

I will always remember this as the year Lucas went from being obsessed with Cars to being obsessed with Star Wars. We are currently up to our eyeballs in Jedi, droids and intergalactic battles. Enough said.

In January, Lucas was moved into the upper Pre-K class at his current preschool and in March was accepted into a local prestigious private school where he will begin kindergarten this fall. He was one of only 17 students out of 70 accepted! We are excited about next school year and all the new things Lucas will be exposed to.

One of Lucas and his dad’s favorite things to do together is go skateboarding and over the last year, Lucas has become proficient at it! He practices safety and caution while at the same time pushing himself and being daring in spite of a few skinned knees and elbows.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we hosted Lucas’s first sleep over and it was fun, but also a tiny glimpse into our future of being cast aside in favor of being with friends.

Just yesterday, Lucas earned a yellow belt in karate, a sport he’s only been participating in since mid-January. He’d been practicing for days, worked with a friend and his sensi to perfect the series of moves and announced on the way to class that he was ready to test. He said advancing to the next level was something that he wanted to do before turning five and he did it!

One of Lucas’s biggest accomplishments this year was becoming a big brother, a role that he seemed born to have. At only four months old, Lola idolizes him and has since the very first moment they met and he is completely enamored by her. Watching their relationship grow and develop and seeing Lucas’s nurturing side has been one of my greatest joys. I knew it would be!

Being a good sibling and working hard towards something he wants were major themes for this year and prompted a lot of discussions about what being a good role model means. I’m happy to be this amazing boy’s mom and he delights and surprises me daily. I can’t wait to see what five has in store for us.

Next up? In his words, “mastering the art of tying my shoes!”.

Lucas, my sweet boy, you have all the time in the world for that. Enjoy your last week of being four. I love you.

Live & In Person

Posted on April 3, 2014 Written by Tonya

Several times I have shared how much I love music, from my current workout playlist, to favorite songs and my adoration of Dave Matthews.

I have a short list of songs that I *must* hear performed live before I die because they are some of my all time favorites, meaningful to me and have helped me find my voice when my own words have failed me or I simply admire the artist so much that I have to see them in concert. In alphabetical order, they are:

#41 by The Dave Matthews Band*
A Thousand Years by Christina Perri*
Anna Begins by The Counting Crows*
Clarity by John Mayer*
Good Enough by Sarah McLachlan
Nick of Time by Bonnie Raitt*
Piano Man by Billy Joel*
Pictures of You by The Cure
Second Hand News by Fleetwood Mac*
Someone Like You by Van Morrison

I’ve been lucky enough to see the starred ones, some more than once!

Last night I saw Christina Perri at a small radio marketing event that my sister’s company was involved in at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood. Perri sang only three songs, two from her new album, released this week and opened with “A Thousand Years”.

I cried through the entire song. I didn’t sing along even though I know every word, I just cried.

I loved the Twilight series, read the books and was first in line to see the movies (all five), but I don’t remember hearing Perri’s song during the credits of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1. Apparently after fans heard it on the movie’s soundtrack, they adopted it as “Bella and Edward’s song”. It’s significance to me isn’t Twihard related; for me it served as an anthem during my struggles with infertility, a love song to a child I longed to meet someday.

I’m still recovering/processing/coming up for air from that chapter of my life and it’s proving to be harder than I thought. Infertility is a crazy roller coaster ride of ebbs and flows, hope and disappointment and there were some very dark days when I didn’t think I could handle it anymore and those were the days I turned to my infertility playlist for inspiration, a good cry and above all comfort. “A Thousand Years” is on that playlist and will always be a favorite and gentle reminder of a very difficult period of my life.

Last night was only the second time I have heard the song since my miracle, Lola was born and I was completely overcome with emotion. It’s a beautiful and moving song.

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don’t be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more

Not only did I get the chance to hear Christina Perri live, I also met her after her set and told her how much her song means to me. She was gracious and kind and asked how everything turned out and thanked me for sharing my story.

It was a very special experience. Thank you, again, Leah! You better believe I rushed home to snuggle our little Lola.

Meeting Christina Perri – Hard Rock Cafe, April 2, 2014

Dear Baby Girl

Posted on December 31, 2013 Written by Tonya

My first Letters For Lucas post was Dear Baby Boy, a letter I wrote to Lucas before he was born. I wrote this letter when my heart was light and my cares were few. I was bursting in anticipation to meet our son and loved every minute of being pregnant with him. Looking back, I took my entire pregnancy for granted. I was native. I didn’t realize at the time what a miracle getting pregnant and staying pregnant was. A long hard three and half year battle with secondary infertility would teach me what a gift bringing a child into this world truly is.

Our baby girl will be here very soon and I know her arrival is going to be something I will have a hard time putting into words. It’s hard for my brain to go there even now as I feel her slowly move and adjust inside my belly. I can’t wait to meet her and hold her and kiss her and be her mother.

I wrote the following letter on Sunday, December 22 at 3:53 AM, I was 35 weeks pregnant:

Dear Baby Girl,

In just a few short weeks you will be here and I’m feeling surreal, scared and overwhelmingly happy. Finally, after years of trying, years of hoping and wishing and praying for you, you will be here.

My daughter. I never thought I would be the mother of a daughter, but now I can’t wait! It is such a wonderful time to be a woman in this world and I already know what a fighter you are.

You aren’t even here yet and I have fallen madly and completely in love with you and you will never know how much I have dreamt about the day we meet, in fact just thinking about it makes my heart twinge and eyes fill with tears. You are so very wanted and we have been waiting for you for so very long.

This is an exciting time for our family, we just moved into a beautiful new house but I know it won’t be until after your arrival that it starts to feel like a home; that it feels complete.

Your brother is anxious to meet you too and is already very protective of you. I hope the two of you will be the best of friends and that you protect him as well. He is an amazing boy and I know he will be a good big brother to you. Some day when your father and I are gone, he will be all you have left of us. Be there for one another and always be strengthening your relationship.

I know that you and I will have our ups and downs but we are forever bonded as mother and daughter and I will cherish you and our relationship always. May you never ever doubt my love.

Anxiously awaiting your arrival.

With all my love,
your mother

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more.

– A Thousand Years, Christina Perri

(This was my “go to” song so many times throughout this journey to have you and I love the lyrics.)

A Week Of Milestones

Posted on December 16, 2013 Written by Tonya

Hello friends, it has been a while. Almost an entire month in fact and in that time, we moved, decorated for Christmas, surpassed the critical 32 week point of my pregnancy (!) and were without Internet access for almost three weeks. It has been busy and we are anything but settled into our new home, but have already had guests, are hosting family and friends for Christmas and are enjoying making our house a home.

I’m currently sitting at the island in my beautiful new kitchen listening to holiday music, avoiding my very lengthy To Do list and thinking back on a week of some pretty big milestones for Lucas:

Milestone #1 For the first time EVER, Lucas ate what we ate for dinner!

Before becoming a parent I always said I would never be a short order cook, serving up a separate meal for my child, but having such a picky eater that was not the case in the least bit and until last Tuesday, that’s just what we did.

Tuesday he enjoyed pesto pasta with chicken and broccoli.

This is huge!

No separate meal.

I know it won’t happen every night, but we are headed in the right (and way more convenient) direction.

Milestone #2 While out to dinner on Saturday evening, Lucas asked to use the men’s restroom (gulp), which led to me sending this tweet while I waited (and worries):

I don’t know what the appropriate age is to let your son use the restroom by himself, but I know that I won’t be doing it again unless it is a another single stall situation.

Milestone #3 There are very few things in my life that I have had to have. These shoes purchased long before Lucas was even born were one of those things.

I completely fell in love with this New Balance sneaker, size 12(!) decked out with Oscar the Grouch, complete with several pesky flies. On the bottom of the sole, it says: “Have a yucky day!”. Having grown up watching Sesame Street, I just had to get them!

We bought them while in Old Town Pasadena in the Spring of 2009 and never thought our little boy would ever be able to wear them.

At 4 1/2 years old, Lucas’s tiny feet grew and grew are finally big enough to wear them!

Be still my heart, my little boy is no longer so little.

Search Results for: The day you were born

A Onederful First Year!

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