My Baby is 1

To my Beautiful Baby Boy Zachery,

The first thing I want to tell you is that I am so proud to be your mother. From the moment I get you out of your crib in the morning and you give me your big, toothy smile until you and I cuddle before you go to bed every night I am so full of love and joy. Everyday you amaze me with how inquisitive and smart you are. I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember and it is everything I had hoped and so much more.

The first few weeks of your life were so difficult, it was much harder than I ever thought it would be and there were moments that I didn't think one of us were going to make it :). At 6 weeks I learned you had a sensitivity to dairy so I had to cut it out of my diet and we soon learned that you had a hernia in your groin which required surgery at 11 weeks. After both of those things were repaired you were so much better but then at 16 weeks you got your first 2 teeth! I felt so bad because my poor baby seemed to be in constant pain and there was nothing that I could do to help you.

At about 6 months things changed and you suddenly became so much happier (of course you had gotten your 8 teeth by this time). I have loved watching you grown and develop. You have accomplished so much in this first year and it has truly been amazing to watch. You have grown from this little bundle that just cried and ate and slept at all the wrong times to this handsome toddler who crawls like a pro, cruises the furniture and is starting to stand up all by himself. I love that you are still so loving and that you love to crawl into my lap and cuddle with me, I cannot explain how much my heart feels like it is going to burst with love when you do that.

There are so many things I wonder about the future and I really hope that I am doing everything I can to make you a happy, well-rounded child. If I had guess how you are going to be based on right now I think you will be a kind man who is very empathetic to the needs of others. Your love of animals makes me think you may do something where you work with animals but you seem to catch onto things so fast I know you can do anything.

Zachery, I love you so much and have cherished every moment of your first year of life. I can't wait to see how you are as a toddler and am looking forward to the milestones to come; walking, talking and independence. Always know that mommy is here for you and I will always love you more than words can express.

Love,

Mom

Almost 1!

So the last year has literally flown by. I cannot believe that in a week and a half I will be the mother of a toddler. I wanted to get photos done for Zach's first birthday so we set up an appointment with Jessica Lake, the amazing photographer who took my maternity/newborn photos and the baseball pictures of Zach at around 8 months (you can see her stuff on her blog: www.jessicalakephotography.com/blog and the sample pictures of Zach should be up soon). She does this really cute session for the first birthday where you take the traditional dressed up photos but then we get the baby to his diaper and put a cake in front of him and let him go. The photos on her website are always so cute that I couldn't wait to get pictures of Zach all messy, frosting covered and smiling. We were set last Thursday and I got a really cute cake for him to attack along with a really cute blue outfit for the nice pictures. I should have known we were in trouble when he only took a 45 minute nap that morning (he usually goes for an hour and a half in the morning) but I was optimistic. We got there and started taking pictures but Zach wasn't very cooperative. He didn't want to smile and he kept trying to crawl to me but luckily Jessica said she got some cute ones so we decided to move to the fun part. That's when it all went downhill. I apparently have the only child on the planet who doesn't like sugar or getting dirty (he's a boy!!). He put one hand on that cake and started screaming. We tried to get him to have fun with it but he just freaked out and the more I tried the worse it got. He would let me feed him a bite or two of cake but if I tried to put him down near it he threw a fit. So, I wound up wearing most of the cake :)

Not exactly what I was hoping for but it was an experience all the same!!

2010 Wrap Up

So it turns out I'm pretty terrible at this blogging thing :) My goal for this year is to get on here once a week (I've even put it in blackberry as an ongoing event!) so every Saturday during Zach's nap I plan to get on and keep everyone up to date. Rather than try and catch up on everything we've been up to I'm just going to do the top 10 best things that happened in 2010 to my little family (strictly from my POV, I'm sure my husband would have a different list!):

10. Our first nights away from the out little one.

This was a major accomplishment for me but luckily I have my amazing parents and in-laws who were willing to take Zach the first 2 nights from home because Matt and I had weddings (2 in the same week!). It is silly but I had forgotten how much fun I have with just my husband and how much I loved sleep!!

9. Zach's first Easter and Halloween

Obviously most of my top moments involve Zach since all of his firsts are firsts for me too :)

8. My parents buying a house in Las Vegas

Their new house means that Zach gets to see more of his family out there and I get to spend more time with my amazing best friend Carly and see her adorable little guy, Aiden.

7. My in-law's annual family vacation to White Stallion Ranch in Tuscon, AZ

It was wonderful to get to spend a week away with my boys and the rest of the family. Zach got to pet horses and get up on one and we just got a lot of quality together time which doesn't always happen with everyone always being so busy.

6. Zach crawling!

Every milestone he accomplishes just amazes me but this has been the most fun (and most work!)

5. Zach's first Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving and was so excited to spend time with family. It was especially fun since Zach was eating solid food so he got to partake in the gluttony :)

4. Zach's first Christmas

Again, being with my family is always great and spoiling the little guy was tons of fun too!

3. Family vacation to the Virgin Islands

We went with my parents, my brother and his girlfriend and had such an amazing time. As I get older I really cherish all the time I get with my parents and I love watching them interact with my son.

2. Celebrating our 2nd anniversary

I know it's not a very long time but I am so grateful for my amazing husband. He works so hard to take care of our family and he always makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. I love you honey!!

1. The birth of my son/first child, Zachery Robert Seibert

Nothing could prepare me for the emotions I feel for this little guy. I will never forget how I felt the moment I first saw him and how I feel every time he looks up at me with his big, beautiful blue eyes. Being a mother is the most amazing experience and I never knew it was possible to love another person so much. He makes me a better person and I am so grateful that he's a part of my life :)