Christmas Approaching

With Christmas just weeks away, Nathan and I have been discussing what Christmas will be for our family - what traditions do we want to start and what do we want to carry over from our families. It's amazing how little you talk about these things until you have children. I look back at my childhood and Christmas was always such a fun and special time. There are so many of my experiences that I want to give to Nash. But there are also new ones that we want him to have. I want Nash to know that we don't celebrate Santa and that Christmas is not about "me". It's about the birth of our Lord and celebrating the sacrifice he gave to us. While a big fat man coming down your chimney with presents may sound more magical to Nash, the true wonder is how our Lord came into this world and that he defeated death that we might live. But how do you teach that? How do we learn that and model that for our son? That is definitely my prayer this Christmas - that God would change Nathan's and my mindset so we could teach that to our son. I so desperately want him to be a better person than me!

Parenthood

Today has been one of those memorable days that Nathan and I have many exchanged looks that say, "Yes, this is parenthood." Here's what we have experienced in the past day:

• Baby waking multiple times through the night to babel, cry, and cough. (breaks my heart to hear that pitiful cough!)
  
• Diaper explosion that had poop up to the armpits, complete with Daddy accidentally flinging said poop onto my face. (Yes, that was disgusting.)
• Quickly running over to whatever Nash is getting into and yelling "No, Nash!" about 50 times.
• Baby almost pulling a bottle of red wine off the end table
• Baby almost pulling a glass of Scotch off the end table
• Pulling a dog bone out of Nash's mouth as he peeks up between your legs as you sit on the couch trying to enjoy that glass of Scotch
• Baby licking an outlet (yes, it had protective plugs in PTL!)

Whew...and we're loving every minute!

Change is good for the soul, right?

Once again, a lot has changed since my last blog post. I definitely have to mark 2011 down as the year I have seen the most change in my life - and there are still 3 more months to go! Since my last post, I have left my job at ONEsite, returned to Rockfish working remote from OKC, and our baby boy has started moving and grooving. When I stop and think about everything we've been through this year, it's no wonder I'm exhausted!

• We had our first baby.
• I returned to work.
  
• We moved to OKC.
• We sold our beloved custom-built house in Arkansas
  
• I took a new job.
• We bought a new house that we love even more, despite its quirks. ;)
  
• I put Nash into a new school, that lasted 3 days.
• I put Nash in a new in-home school.
  
• I left the new job.
• I returned to an old job, working remotely.
  

Whew. It has already been a year of change, of life lessons, and immense blessings. Now that my work life has leveled out a bit, we finally feel like we can focus on establishing our life here in OKC. I'm so anxious to build relationships here - we truly miss our friends from Arkansas.

Nash continues to change every day, it seems. He brings us so much joy. He is crawling and babbling now which makes him so much fun. He is such a blessing to our lives. Don't these pictures just make you want to squish him? :)

A Baby Changes Everything

Having a baby changes your life. We knew this, but the reality is so different, so much better than anything we could have ever imagined. Nash is almost 8 months old and by now, it feels like he has always been a part of our family and that our routine isn't a burden any more but just our lovely life. He has been doing so well - learning all sorts of new and exciting things. He wants to crawl so badly right now. As I watch him struggle to learn this new skill, I just want to help show him exactly how to do it but know that he must learn it on his own and in his own time. I know this is just the first of many times where I will want to jump in and show him exactly how to do it, but doing so would deprive him of the triumph he will feel once he accomplishes something himself. I'm sure I will learn this lesson again and again as a mother.

We are facing new challenges in this phase of his development, though. We are trying to get him onto table food, which he is less than happy about. You put a spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth and you'd think the boy had been fed poison. He gags and acts like he is just going to throw up! I'm hopeful that we will get over this hump soon so he can begin enjoying the flavors of the world...and so mommy and daddy's bank account can hopefully be a little less burdened by baby food! Whew - that stuff is expensive! I've been getting lots of tips from other moms that have been so helpful. I even got to be the "experience mom" in the grocery store the other day. A mom was there with her 7 week old and was looking at formula while I was grabbing some more for Nash. She stopped me to ask questions about what we used, if it seemed to be OK on Nash's tummy, etc. It was great to share my experience with her, and at the same time, realize how much Nash has grown since he was 7 weeks old. I remember being so frustrated when someone would tell me "They just grow out of it." But it is so true! I was glad to lend her a little comfort, though, knowing how much it meant to me to have another mom share their insights when Nash was first born. It was so overwhelming and I often felt so helpless. I finally get why moms need a network of other moms to offer support. I am anxious to find that here in Edmond as well.

I'll leave you with a few of our favorite shots from Nash's 6 month photo session. I might be biased, but I think he might be the most handsome baby I've ever seen. :)

Update from the Heart Land

I was driving this past week and had a sudden realization - we moved. I mean, I knew we moved to Oklahoma but the weight of that finally hit me. Everything we once knew has changed. Even though I grew up in Edmond, it is a totally different town now and different things are important to me today than 10 years ago! It will take us time for this to feel like home.

We also bought a "used home" (as we lovingly refer to it) for the first time. It's been strange moving into a house that requires a bit of work (ok, maybe more than a bit) but we are also excited to live in it for awhile and really plan out what we want to do. The yard needs a ton of work as well but who wants to do that in the 100+ degree heat. I had forgotten how unbearably hot Oklahoma can get! Whew!

Our house has sold in Arkansas and closed today. Our NWA chapter of our lives has officially come to a close. It's bittersweet - we loved our time there but are so happy to be here close to our families. It has been nice to see them so frequently and for Nash to get to spend quality time with them as well. He's a very loved little boy.

Speaking of Nash - he is now 6 months old! Can't believe he's changed so much and how quickly time has flown by. He is now rolling over, eating lots of baby food (his favorites are sweet potatoes and pears), cooing and squealing ALL the time, sleeping through the night, and overall one of the most chill babies I have ever seen. I can't express how much we love him and how lucky we feel to be his parents.


Our family on Father's Day



Nash and Meme Grape


Tummy Time at School


Overall, life is good but hectic. We are anxious to feel settled and have everything put away in its perfect place and get back into a groove. Hoping it comes soon!

O----klahoma!

Well, the NWA Pyles are officially Oklahoma bound...for good! We are moving back to Edmond so we can be close to our families and have Nash grow up close to his grandparents. I have accepted a job with ONEsite as their VP of Client Services & Nathan will continue to work for ThinkPen. It's a bittersweet decision for us. We have loved our years in Arkansas - we've considered these past 5 years our extended honeymoon. It has been so great to spend this time together just us. But Nash has truly made our life sweeter, and we want to share that with our families. So while it's sad to say goodbye to our home & friends, we are looking forward to the new chapter of our life!

In the words of Carrie Underwood, "There's nothing like Oklahoma."

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work I go.

Nash is now 3 months old, I have returned to work, and our household is finally taking on a new rhythm. It's been an interesting adjustment back to the professional world after 12 weeks of being a stay-at-home mom. I am so grateful for my time home with Nash - it was the toughest and the most wonderful 12 weeks of my life. We were blessed that Nathan was able to work from home during those 12 weeks. That was truly God's provision. I'm not sure I could have handled being alone for that long or had the stamina to keep up with a colicky baby. Praise the Lord those issues have passed!

My last post was 7 weeks ago - Nash has changed a lot! Here's what's new:

• Nash has just started sleeping 10 - 11 hours at night, waking only once to eat quickly and go right back down. It's wonderful to be getting 8 hours of sleep again - not looking forward to teething when that might get disrupted again!
  
• Nash weighs 14 pounds, 12 ounces as of last Monday. He's a big boy now!
• He laughs and smiles and interacts with you now. It melts my heart every time I tickle him and he gets his big toothless grin on his face. Priceless!
• Nash still isn't interested in toys but he's watching them. I can just see those little wheels turning & thinking, "How can I get these arms to reach those toys?"
• Nash has been adjusting great to school. His teachers love him and he seems to like them as well. They have webcams so I get to peek in on him throughout the day, which helps me make it through the day! The first day was the hardest, but we're all adjusting and getting our new routine down.
  

I'm still amazed at how much I love him - I didn't know it was possible! We can't wait for the next new thing he'll do - and at the same time, we miss things he has already stopped doing. That's the life of a parent, I guess!

That's the latest and greatest in the Pyles Household. Good times and lots of love!