2012 Rewind

2012 was a year of first's

• First full year being parents
• First full year being self employed (both of us, and we made it!)
• First road long road trip with a baby
• First steps, words, and so much more from the little person that lives in our house
• First feud with neigbors
• First full night's sleep since having a baby...oh wait, that didn't happen

Nick and his dad started Bezates Construction back up this year. We took it slow and steady and successfully made it through! I do the books, Nick and George do the work and it works out pretty well. Our company is a heavy civil construction company which means we do things underground. Pipe, water, sewer, grading work, earth moving...

I was asked to come back as a contract accountant to the company I was working with before I had Barrett so I went back 2 days a week. I have my own company, Bezates Consulting, and it has worked out great. I went back in July when Barrett was 9 months old and have stayed on. Barrett has a wonderful nanny, Keighley (Kay-lee) who Barrett really enjoys being around and is very sweet with him.

'We traveled. McCall in the 2011/2012 new year, Barrett and I to Palm Springs to visit Grammy in February (or March?); the whole family road trip to Palm Springs California, Sedona Arizona, Zion Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah and back home in April; McCall in July; Bend/Sunriver in August; McCall in October; and Hawaii in December. Phew!

We got more house projects done. Garage doors, front door, new deck, lots of landscaping, a new driveway, new siding and paint, finished the guest bath, backsplash in kitchen.

We had so much fun being parents. Parenting is the hardest most amazing experience and I am so glad we have had the opportunity to embark on the journey. I committed to breastfeeding for a year and made it just past Barretts first birthday. I was a full time mom until July and then still got to be a full time mom 5 days a week after July. Barrett still doesn't sleep through the night...but if that is the only thing I would prefer to change, we're doing pretty well. He is a happy, healthy, sweet, vocal, BUSY part baby/part toddler who has been so fun to watch change and grow. He is a good traveler, great snuggler, wonderful eater who loves to be read to, loves to see how things work, is gentile  and sleeps like crap.

We had some surprises this year. Going back to work was a huge surprise. I suppose the biggest surprise of the year is that Barrett is going to be a BIG BROTHER! We may or may not have been planning on having only one child ;-) but there were other plans in the works for us and we are excitedly, nervously, happily, surprisedly (is that a word?) awaiting the arrival of Barrett's little brother (we currently refer to him as Rinkie 2) on or around May 6. The boys will be 19 months apart and I am sure they will be very close! I am now very outnumbered with a husband, 2 boys and a boy dog.

This year went so fast. It was full of so much. It was fun, it was hard and we are very excited to see what 2013 brings. I know for sure I will become a mom to 2 boys very close in age - and that is going to be CRAZY BUSY.

The Food We Eat

I have been thinking about food a lot lately. I think having a child and feeding that child real food really makes you think about what is potentially in that food. I think for one, it is a mothers protectiveness that makes you pause and think...but it's more than that, I think. Part of it is that their bodies are so tiny. You watch yourself feed them things and you really pause and think, what is in this? Preservatives? Pesticides? Hormones? Antibiotics? And what are they doing to my child's tiny body....

I have begun to do a lot of research about food, where food comes from, what is in it. Our generation and quite possibly our parents generation is likely to live fewer years than their parents - largely due to the food that we eat. Our diets are hugely weighted by corn. Almost everything has corn in it. And the corn is not regular corn like you would eat off the cob, it is an industrial un-edible corn that must be processed to become edible. Processed into corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn meal, animal feed...corn corn corn. Most of our meat is corn because rather than taking several years to raise a cow, it takes a mere few months with feed lots that load the cow with corn, keep the cow immobile and voila - produces a meat that is ready in record time, and fattier than ever. A steak of our grandparents generation had about 1oz of saturated fat, ours has 9. That's sick. And its pumped full of hormones and antibiotics and who knows what else. 70% of antibiotics consumed in the US are consumed by cattle. But then we consume the cattle....

The hard reality is, how to you not consume these foods? It is extremely hard to find meat that is hormone free, grass raised, antibiotic free, etc. And even if you do find it, it is EXPENSIVE. And often, one lb of ground beef of this sort will say it came from Australia, Chile, and the US. Just 1 lb of beef can contain cows from all over the world. Who is to say there wasn't something wrong with one of those cows...but you could never trace it. You would never know. Fruits and veggies are equally tough. Organics are expensive, they are shipped from all over the world, they are grown...who knows where and organic practices are, or are not followed...in many ways, it is an expensive exercise in trust.

When you move to the center isles in the store and buy anything packaged, you have totally fallen apart. You can pretty much guarantee there is at least 1 ingredient that you don't know or can't pronounce. We are conditioned to simply purchase our food, consume it and enjoy it - but when you stop and think about the fact that you are consuming things you can't pronounce and don't understand...it's scary.

Our generation spends far less on our food than any generation before. On average, we spend 16% of our incomes on food. This leaves plenty left over to buy all kinds of things - clothes, toys, our homes (which cost disproportionately more). Previous generations spend a large majority of their income on food or food related activities such as the production of their own food.

I have done food re-think's before. But I didn't have a miniature person who I was concerned about - both for his health and for mine and Nick's.

So what to do? Changing diet is hard. I did it when I was nursing Barrett and had to go Dairy free. Dairy is like corn, it is in EVERYTHING. But the thing is, if I had anything with dairy in it, my child would get sick and had blood come thru in his poo...it was a big motivator to be completely (and I mean, completely) dairy free for a year. So I need to look at a diet change in that way - that eating certain types of things will make my little guy sick (and me too).

So what will I do? Small changes.

I joined a local Meat CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture). Starting in July 2013, we will get monthly deliveries of meat including chicken, turkey and pork. They will be different cuts each time, but always 10 lbs. Sometimes we will get something like pork chops, 1 whole chicken, turkey sausage and a pork loin...each month will be different combos but always 10 lbs. There are 57 members of the CSA so the people (who have a farm in Molalla which is about 15 miles south of us) only raise enough meat for 57 people at 10lbs per month. All the meat is free range, grass or whatever they naturally eat fed and never get hormones or any other unnatural things. All the animals come from one place. So step 1 is to get meat and consume meat only from where I know. This means meat at restaurants will be out.

Just like giving up dairy (which is in everything and super hard), I am going to give up all things that contain high fructose corn syrup. Eventually this will move on to processed foods too, but I have to start small. While we eat mostly organics (or try to), we are probably only at around 60% so I will, in the future, work towards increasing this. I will also work on increasing the amount of food we produce here in our garden and try to make it a point to go to farmers markets (something I really haven't done much of). The steps will be small. The meat part starts in July 2013. The HFCS will start in the new year. Slowly, as I get used to these changes, I will make more. The goal is healthier food, food that is real, food I can pronounce, food that nourishes, and eventually, being more self sustaining and more supportive of local agriculture (like the CSA).

So here's to food changes in our house...and a healthier us.

Barrett 12-14 months

Barrett 12-14 Months:

• Sleeps "ok" he has never slept through the night without waking up, he will wake several times. Goes to bed in his crib but will generally end up in our bed eventually. Still snuggles up very close to me when sleeping in our bed. 
• Naps 1 to 2 times a day (10am and then sometimes again around 3 or 4) in his infant car seat...we have tried to transition him to his crib for naps but it has been unsuccessful. 
• Walks full time, started walking at about 12.5 months. He observed and had very little practice before he decided to just get up and go. He seems to be the type who observes until he believes he has the confidence and ability to just do whatever he has been watching. 
• Gives high fives
• Eats everything but prefers the baby fruit and veggie pouches
• Has 9 teeth, 5 on top and 4 on bottom
• Says "hi" "hot" "woof"
• Understands a great deal. If you tell him to get a pouch, he will get up and go to the cupboard and get one. If you tell him to get a book or his bunny or ____ he will generally retrieve it. 
• Is very coordinated and walks extremely well. Seems very pleased that walking allows him to have 2 hands to pick things up and play. 
• Loves to be outside and is willing to play outside even if it is cold
• Laughs all the time. He thinks everything and I mean everything is funny. 
• Has a very gentile personality. Plays very gently with his toys, other kids, adults, etc. 
• Plays very well by himself. Goes over to his toy area and plays without needing interaction from us but really enjoys when people play with him. 
• Loves to listen to music and will bob up and down when he hears it. 
• Seems to have started recognizing that "strangers" (even people he knows) can be scary and that mom is "safe"
• Wears size 4 shoe, size 9 or 12 month pants, size 12-18 month shirts. Is still quite small. (was 19.12 lbs the other day at the doctor when I thought he had an eye infection (he didn't)
• Loves to cuddle. He has always loved cuddling and continues to consider it one of the best ways to spend his time, I have a feeling he will be like this for a very long time. Good thing I love cuddles too. 
• Does not sit in his high chair like ever - he eats on the go. Bad habits, maybe, but I am a really easy going mom and this isn't something I have chosen to battle. 
• Is busy. Loves to walk, run, play, move, go go go. 

Politics

I never divulge who I vote for, so read the “if I voted for…” as hypotheticals. I love that this country allows you to vote privately and to me, my vote is a private matter. Period. I never get political on my blog for several reasons. Politics are not what this blog is about and because quite honestly, politics make me nervous. People are SO opinionated about them. And to be honest, I have very little faith in politics.

Politics bother me. People have this black and white view where you are either Red or Blue. If you are Red, you are against equality, you are against human rights, you are against helping people, you are rich, you are religious, and you are shallow and narrow-minded. If you are Blue, you are helpless and dependent on government handouts, you believe in socialism, you want a classless system, and you are unsuccessful.

I hate that people generalize this way. It really bothers me that the assumption is, if I vote Red, I am against same sex marriage, I am against a women’s right to choose, I am against equality and that I am against human rights in general. It bothers me that if I vote Blue I have my hand out, I want the rich to take care of me and I have no traditional values and morals.

The only admissions I will make are these: I cross party lines. A lot. I vote Red. I vote Blue. I vote with my heart and 90%  99% of the time I dislike BOTH options. I have no faith in politics because all they are is hidden agendas with big money backers that push for what is best for THEM and not what is best for AMERICA.

My beliefs cross both lines. They are Red and they are Blue. I do not understand why we have to insist that if you vote one way, you are narrow-minded toward that one way of thinking.

All that to say, the red tape involved with politics makes it so that nothing gets done. We get so focused on the national politics that we forget that the most important politics are the ones that are local. Through local politics, we can make a difference in the communities in which we live. Education can be fixed on a community level – if you live in a place where families find value with education, they find a way to fund that education with their local votes on local measures and local leaders. I think that if we spent more time looking at who our local leaders were and focusing on that rather than the big government races, our communities would be places we are proud of that make important what we ourselves believe is important.

I am sick of assumptions and generalities – I am tired of people making people feel like they are terrible for voting one way or the other. We have the privilege of voting and that privilege is not extended to just the people who vote like you vote or like I vote. It is, in part, what makes our nation great.

And that is my political soapbox, or whatever you want to call it. It is probably the first and last time I will ever take up politics on my blog.  And one more thing, I am so sick of politics on Facebook. Some much hate…

More Randoms

 Need anything hauled? I'm for hire!

 Just a guy in his dump truck. 

 Yep, Im that cool.

 Ready for the snow guys!!

 Nick and George built their own baby proofing around the wood stove at the cabin!

 A hat and pants, what else does a guy need...

 Snoozing on the couch. 

 Swimming in the lake

Ski goggles, check. 

So uh, did anyone else notice my child is either wearing a shirt and diaper no pants or a diaper and pants, no shirt? Uh, I swear, I am a good mom :) A guys just doesn't always want to wear pants. Or a shirt. 

Part of the Summer in Pictures

Barrett - 11(ish) months

I totally missed posting at Barrett's 11 month birthday but I still have 1 week before his 1 year (ONE YEAR!) birthday, so I will do a quick post about our little Rinkie Rink.

• Still not sleeping through the night. We are working on this. We now wake up at 1:30am but I don't feed him until 4:30 so he will either go back to sleep nicely or he will cry for a while. Either way, we are making progress. He starts his night in his crib and at hist 1:30 wake up, moves into bed with us. He cuddles up so well and just molds into the crevices of my side so well, how can I say no? This little boy loves to cuddle. I am betting he will always be this way.
• Smiles huge and wide! Has 4 teeth on top, 2 on bottom.
• Giggles at everything. If you laugh, he laughs. If you tickle him, he laughs. Pretty much everything makes him laugh.
• Loves to push things around. Cars, lids, stuffed animals. Loves to stand and push things. His stroller, piano and push toy.
• Enjoys hammering on things with his hammers and seems to grasp the concept.
• Pretty sure he isn't really talking with actual understanding but will say "mamamama" and tries to mimic sounds
• Can stand up in the middle of the room alone, without the use of his hands. When outside, he will suddenly stand up. He reminds me of a meerkat.
• Has taken 2-5 steps in a row. Chooses crawing far and above walking.
• Likes his mama at night but likes most everyone during the day.
• Loves to climb on things. The couch, the riding mower, the new deck that is being built, the fireplace, ect.
• Eats everything (except dairy). Loves avocado and hummus.
• Naps in his baby carseat. Naps anywhere from 1-3 times a day. Usually naps in the car
• Loves baths and will stand naked at the tub as it fills and bounce up and down.
• Likes being naked above wearing clothes
• Wears 9 month pants, 9 month shirts (but we put all the way up to 18 month tees on him, they are just a little big)
• Weighs approx 19lbs. (I think)
• Is very happy but very busy! Plays hard, sleeps hard (but short).
• Enjoys being outside and loves to play in the dirt
• Likes to play with cords for tools...?

I can't get over how great this little guy is. Yes he cries sometimes. Yes he has the occational (very rare) bad day.  And yes he doesn't sleep through the night (poor mama). But seriously, this kid is a total delight. He is such a good little stink and fits really well into our little family. I can't believe he has been here for almost a year! This year has flown by unbelievably fast!

House projects (so much done, not as much left to do!)

This list is really more for my reference to see what we have done and what is left to do on our house. We have done so much and I feel like we are closing in on the finish line a little bit. While it looks like there is a ton left to do, really a lot of them are wishlist items that if they don't get done, it isn't the end of the world but it would be nice. Items that must get done are highlighted.

Inside the house:

• Finish Baseboard trim
• Add crown molding to either the whole house or just some of the rooms
• change out the doors either to wood or more updated white
• change out closet doors in both guest rooms
• change door to laundry room from swinging to sliding (pocket door)
• Square off arches and add wood trim
• New carpet in all bedrooms
• Entryway built in
• Laundry room built in
• Master bathroom / closet overhaul
• Outlets in kitchen backsplash
• Lights over island
• Fill in any canned lights not in use
• Touch up work in guest bathroom
• Update fireplace with slate/concrete and wood mantle
• Update water heater to tankless

Outside the house

• Finish the deck (lights, cover, railings, planters)
• Sprinkler system in front and back
• Plants in front and on side
• Grass in front
• Plant forest/natural landscape in side acre
• Path around front of house (either pavers, concrete or gravel)
• Redo driveway and path to house (either concrete or pavers)
• Blacktop pavement on all gravel areas (or concrete if more cost effective)
• Concrete around fire pit
• Table top for fire pit
• Fence between front and back yard with gate
• Remove 2 giant squioia trees (one on side and one in front)

Completed:
Inside:

• Hardwood floors
• Tile entry and gues bath
• Guest bath overhaul including moving toilet, new tub tile and shower, new sink, new floor, new hardware
• Kitchen overhaul including cabinets, island, counters, sink, tile backsplash, appliances, hardware
• Converted stove to gas and fireplace to gas insert
• New front door
• New back door
• 1/2 new baseboard trim
• New window blinds
• New siding
• New roof
• New garage doors
• New paint inside and out

Outside

• Fence from side to back of the yard
• Complete re-do of back yard including level, add fire pit, add planting areas, new driveway, get rid of tons of blackberries, get rid of chain link fence
• New deck in progress
• Garden beds
• New water line from street to the house
• New trees and plants
• Shop pad built

A life update

Things have been busy around here, and lets be honest, my documentation of our busy lives has been lacking. If this is meant to be a journal for me to look back at what we have been doing, then I would be sad since it is all too easy to forget what happened last week, never you mind last month or last year.

Travel
We do a fair amount of traveling in this household. We kicked the year off with a trip to McCall, Idaho followed by a trip to California (just Bear and I), Palm Springs to be exact - where we visited Grammy. That trip is well documented in the archives.

We made a quick trip to Whidby Island to visit Amanda. We have gone 2x this year, but I was a lame documentor so I have no idea when they were. One, Bear was not mobile, the other he was...so one must have been in May and the other in February. We will stick with that.

The next trip was a road trip with stops in Stockton, CA for a night (at the lovely University Inn) and Palm Springs, to visit Grammy, onward to Sedona, Arizona for a week (cool but not a repeat) and then up to Zion National Park (maybe a do again once we can backcountry with Bear) and then to Salt Lake City to visit Matt and Missy with a tour of Park City (must make a trip back) and finally, a marathon drive home in one day.

The next trip was back to McCall for the fourth, ah McCall for the fourth - doesn't get much better. On our drive home, we made a quick stop in Bend for the night at what was the Ameritel, is now the Hilton Garden Inn. Lovely trip, love Bend.

Following this was a trip to the Newport Coast - Ah lovely Newport (at the Hallmark Inn). The weather was perfect, the breeze was low - we went to the Aquarium (expensive and not a do again) and an epic walk on the beach.

Next up? Another trip to the coast, this time at the Elizabeth Street Inn with my mom. I like the Hallmark better. It was a quick one night trip so a little beach walking and some delishious food was all we had time for.

A quick jaunt down to Chiloquin Oregon to pick up a yurt (more on that later) and then a beeline (um, did you know that Mosquitos are crazy in Chiloquin?? We were ther for maybe 4 hours and I have like 25 on my legs) to Bend. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn again. We parked and never left the old mill district with dinner at Red Robin, breakfast at the organic coffee place and lunch at Gregs Grill.

Peppered in were trips to Eugene - Lots of trips to Eugene. Yep. We travel. A lot.

Work
I havent talked about my job since I moaned and cried over how sad I was to peace out on stay at home motherhood and how much I thought it would damage me/my child/our mojo to be a (psudo) working mom.

I.LOVE.OUR.SITUATION.

OMG (just had to throw in a little teenage cell phone lingo), I feel like I have to pinch myself from time to time. I can't believe I even debated not working. Seriously, the company is amazing to work for, they are so flexible with me. I work 2 days a week from the office and 1 from home. I work for myself meaning I am a contract employee. They are flexible with the days I come in so sometimes it is Monday/Tuesday, sometimes Tuesday/Wednesday, ect ect, so really, I still have a life. I still get to pick when I do things. Seriously though, I contribute in a meaningful way to our family financially, but I still get to be a mom most of the time. We found a fantastic nanny who Bear seems to really like. She has a masters in elementary education and I couldn't ask for better - because the economy, especially for teachers, is super depressed, she hasn't been able to find a job as a teacher...so she nanny's. She's great! She is more quiet than we are and plays differently with Bear which is nice because he gets exposed to someone who isn't me.

I seriously seriously love what I do, love that I work, love that I still get to be a mostly full time mom. I can't say anything negative about my situation. Seriously, it is all I every could have dreamed about...maybe more. I am so happy and so glad I didn't let my fear dictate my response to going back to work.

House
Our house is crazy different. Pictures are needed.

New garage doors (coachman style)
New siding and paint
New trees in the back
New plants in the back
Our deck is currently torn off and will be re-built
Our front yard is still torn up but will be planted soon
And the yurt. I will post about that when we get going on it.

General
I feel like as humans in general, we usually talk about "when this happens" and "someday when..." - we have dreams and goals, we look to the future. We want that amazing job, the house of our dreams, the husband, the kids, whatever. I feel like I have so few of those left. I feel like I made it - arrived at the dreams I had. The kid, the house that I could stay in, the husband that treats me right, the job (oh the job!). I mean, yes there are dreams left (pay everything like the house off, someday move to Bend or McCall, finish our projects at the house) but I feel centered, happy and complete. I can't believe I have arrived at this dream. I can't believe how content I am in it. Who is this person who replaced the old me? The me that was never satisfied with the now? I don't know where she came from, but I like her.

Life with Barrett - Pictures

 With Auntie

 At the beach. Oh Trooper, such a great mid-shake picture

 As per the usual, getting to things

Fearless (and busted)

You're not watching are you...?

Where we are at - Rinkie

I feel like I really missed the boat on Barrett's 10 month post. The thing is, in the beginning of life, it is all about milestones - rolling over, eating well, sleeping well, ect. We are well into life with Barrett and while gross motor skills remain big events and milestones, a new type of descriptor should have begun to emerge in my writings about him. Personality. And perhaps also, the finer points that make life with Barrett, well, life with Barrett.

General Stats
Nicknames - Rinkie, Stink-a-Rink, Rinkie Rink, Barrett, Bear (but more often, I simply type Bear, rarely do we actually call him Bear).

Gross Motor Skills
Stands for several seconds unassisted, cruises standing on furniture, walks several steps with a walker (doesnt seem as interested in walking because he is so fast crawling), climbs stairs (like really well), climbs the couch, climbs the hearth, goes down stairs and off the couch and bed face first...not my favorite move. Bear crawls...he doesn't like the feel of grass or rough aggregate concrete so he will walk on his hands and feet like a bear does and gets around quite well, thank-you-very-much.

Personality
A is for Analytical
I have a feeling this kid is going to be smarter than me. He plays with a purpose. When he picks up a toy, he tries to figure out how it works. When he plays, it's not random banging, it's purposeful. I see him as the type who wants to take things apart and see how they work. Note to self, buy him lots of things that can be taken apart and hide the computers...

B is for Busy
Some kids are calm and quiet. Barrett is not. He's crawling, moving, bouncing, dancing, bobbing, playing, going and going and going. Until he's not, then he sleeps. He loves to swim. I mean LOVES it. Future Michael Phelps? (perhaps a little on the small side) He is very agile as well. I plan to enroll him in gymnastics for babies in September. It will be fun to watch him learn about how his body moves and works. I think the key for me is to find ways for him to get his energy out, constructively.
C is for Cookie...E is for Easy-going:
This kid is easy going with a capital E. I mean seriously. He blends into any situation you throw at him. He is not routine orientated and therefore, he just goes with the flow. Remember in the last post where I said that his challenges were the perfect ones for us? Take for example the fact that he sleeps in bed with us and not in his crib (much) - A hotel stay is no problem, he sleeps in bed with us anyway so he is fine doing it in a hotel room. And because he doesn't nap in a crib and instead opts for the stroller or car seat, naps are a cinch on the road because we generally have a car seat and a stroller with us. He makes everything into a toy and so we travel light - we don't bring an arsenal of toys along with us. I recently removed all toys that made noise or were battery operated (apparently this goes with the whole screen time thing in that babies under 2 shouldn't watch TV and shouldn't have lights and noises on everything...never fear, if you have these toys, I won't judge) and he actually seems happier and it is much easier to find toys, measuring cups? Yes please. He does very well being woken up from naps. He never seems cranky or grouchy if he is woken up. If he gets less sleep than he should, he is still happy and go-with-the-flow.

T is for Tough
Almost nothing makes him cry. He bonks or scrapes or falls and if he even cries at all, it is momentary and fleeting. He is fearless and will try anything...note to self, get better insurance...

R is for Rinkie
Ok ok, we get it...he's small. Move on mommy. 

Did you guys see what I did there? Pretty much got the letters of Barrett's name, by accident (until the R is for Rinkie). Baret (only there are 2 R's and 2 T's...T is for Tiny?)

10 months old

• Sleeps in his crib for the first part of the night, then transitions to bed with us. Wakes to eat several times a night. 
• Wears 9 month clothes and some 12 month if they are well worn and have shrunk in the dryer
• Smiles, laughs and giggles
• Will engage with you to get your attention - when you are holding him and not paying attention, he will crane his neck so that he is looking at you and will smile. 
• Claps
• Plays peek-a-boo
• Pulls up and cruises along furniture
• Has taken some steps with his walker
• Crawls lightening fast
• Bear crawls on his hands and feet when on a rough surface or on grass
• Makes a wide variety of sounds with mamamamamamama being one of his favorites
• Eats everything (except dairy products) and is easy going with food. Especially likes bunny grams, hummus and pita, and baby fruit and veggie pouches. 
• Can consistently put food into his mouth.
• Knows basic commands like "grab your paci" and "are you hungry?"
• Doesn't like it when something he is playing with is taken away
• Climbs. On the couch. On the hearth. 
• Has been to Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and California
• Sleeps in the car - has transitioned to his convertible car seat even though he is small enough to still fit in his old one. 
• Takes 3 or so naps a day
• Loves to play with his toys and will pull them out of the bucket, is very inquisitive and rather than just banging toys, you can see the wheels turning in his mind trying to figure out how everything works. 
• Very social, loves people but can take some time to warm up to people actually holding him. 
• Still likes to be with mom/dad/ect and does not like to be alone. 
• Very cuddly and loves to have time to connect with us throughout the day/at the end of the day. Is happiest when being held or being directly engaged by another person. 

I cannot believe we are all the way to 10 months. If there is one thing that becoming a parent has done that has been a real positive for me is that I have learned to live in the moment. I have learned how to enjoy where we are and not look toward what is to come. Each stage has been full of "firsts" and has been so amazing to watch and be a part of. 

Barrett has found his place in our family and is such a perfect addition for us. I can't believe how lucky we have been in the way that he is developing and growing and how fun it has been to watch him change and mature. Being a parent has been such a joy thus far and with each stage, I welcome the changes that he presents. There are, naturally, challenges that come along, however, the challenges are definitely the right ones for our family - I think that Barrett must have grabbed all the right genes from Nick and I because he just fits in so well. (Kind of makes you think maybe 1 is enough because could lightening really strike twice?)

More

Anyone have an opinion?

Or perhaps none of the above. Or maybe, you're on the right track but not quite there...