One Year Later

Well, friends, it seems that being a working mommy of 2 with a new job has proven to be busier than before, as my last post is from early February!!!

Since then, I have become fully immersed in my new job. In April, I traveled to Houston for the NCAA Final Four (which was a huge blast and a lot of work) for 6 nights. It was a long time to be away from the family, but Jason held down the fort with some help from our nanny and his parents. My boss is currently on maternity leave, so I've had some good opportunities to interact with senior management on several projects and get visibility to things I normally wouldn't have. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm coming along nicely, or so I think I am!

In March, Jason and I took Abby skiing for the first time with friends of ours (and hers). She definitely didn't love it at first, but she got adjusted and seemd to enjoy it. She requested a ride on the chair lift, which we promised her on our next ski trip (next winter). Abby's also been going through a major "dress" phase - she wants to wear a dress EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. and cries if she doesn't! Every morning, the first words out of her mouth are: "Mommy, can I wear a dress today?" My almost 4-yr-old little girl is growing up fast, because she also requests a necklace and "party shoes" to go with it!

My little pumpkin Zach turns one tomorrow. I have NO idea where the past year went - it seemed to just fly by! The one thing that hasn't changed is he is still the happiest baby I have ever seen. The kid doesn't cry (unless you take something away from him that he wants, like the remote or a brush)! He is a good eater for things that he likes but he refuses any/all meats (i.e. chicken, turkey, steak, fish) as well as beans. He does LOVE cheese, cottage cheese, veggies, pasta, sweet potatoes, yogurt, fruit and bread, so pizza and grilled cheese are generally his favorite foods. At his 1-yr appointment on Monday, I plan to ask our doctor what I can do to get him to eat our "staple" foods (i.e. chicken and turkey) more so that he doesn't live on cheese and pasta!

Developmentally, he is doing ok. His fine motor skills (talking, pincer grasp, waving, clapping, etc.) are good but he is still delayed in his gross motor skills. We had him re-evaluated for Early Intervention this week and the reco will be to give him PT services, with a focus on sensory PT - he doesn't understand the space around his body, so when he leans forward or to the side, he doesn't yet put his hands out in front of him, which makes learning to walk or crawl quite difficult. He is not crawling or walking yet, so we still have a long way to go, but he is quite squirmy and rolls around everywhere so I know we'll have our hands full soon enough.

I just can't believe that a year ago today, Abby was still an only child and Zach hadn't come into our lives yet. He is such a joy and I can't wait to see what this next year brings for him (and us) - I know it will be so much fun to see him walk for the first time, start talking (though he does say "hi daddy" as clear as day) and of course, become more independent. In the meantime, we'll celebrate with pizza (his fave) and he'll have his first taste of cake tomorrow.

Happy first Birthday, little Zachary Jacob!!! Mommy, Daddy, Abby and Sadie love you!