Our PB&J Adventure Book

365 Days + one month!

Evolution

When I first stared this this PB&J parenthood series, it was meant to be a look back on how PB and I were hanging in there in regards to being first time parents. With time, the posts evolved more into monthly recaps of our Ben. As much as I told myself that I'd only do things for his first year like my Instagram #PBJmommyandme series and these monthly recaps, it was hard not to get sucked back into things. There's just too much fun that happens not to share. So here we go again with our year 2 series and looking back on ONE year and ONE month into the newest territory: Toddlerhood!

Mr. Independent

So what has the first month of toddlerhood look like? EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE. No really... while last year was all about making sure we did everything right, taking care of our fragile little newborn... enjoying the tiniest little smiles and coos, this year is a little different. Ben is definitely far from that tiny, helpless newborn. He's our Mr. Independent now. He's so curious and adventurous about the world around him. We have to keep up with him, his newfound mobility, and his new sassiness. Ben isn't fully walking yet, but give him a couch, gate or chair and he'll find a way to maneuver around it. He loves to chat, he's been talking up a storm with his babbles and ever expanding vocabulary and has now learned the power of a toddler tantrum. When he isn't into something he will 100% let you know. LOL.

But with all the new mobility and personality comes a whole lot of goodness! This kid knows how to melt our hearts with his silliness. He's now giving the sweetest koala hugs and his sense of wonder has been so wonderful to watch!

It almost feels like something inherently clicked the second he turned one. As exhausting as his newfound toddler abilities have been for us as parents, its also been such a blessing. It's been amazing to watch him form his big personality, watch him grow and learn new things. He literally amazes us each day with his wits and smarts!

Ben is crusin' around the house like crazy! He's still not walking on his own, but we're doing PLENTY of activities to try get him on the move independently, LOL!

Looking forward to another year of milestones!

If month one has been a glimpse into how the rest of year two will go, I'm sure we're in for one heck of a Ben Adventure! As I type this up right now, he's sleeping peacefully next to me, but I know he'll be up in a little bit, re-energized and ready to conquer the rest of the day. As crazy as our days can potentially be now, I'm still so unbelievable thankful. Thankful for his newfound awareness of the world, thankful for his big bright smiles that greet us each morning, thankful for his adorable playfulness, thankful for every single second I get to be this amazing little miracle's mama!💜

All the magic for our little mouseketeer!

Ben's Disney Birthday! Another incredibly magical night complete for our adventure book and for the most special reason of all... our Ben!

Ben's Big ONE

A little photo look back at Ben's 1st Birthday party, the "at home" edition.

Ben's smash cake aka the "first" cake they get to have. It's supposed to be smashed into by the birthday celebrant, hence "smash" cake, lol. The bakery where we ordered it from warned us that since the frosting was red that the aftermath wouldn't be pretty... stay tuned to find out how that went, lol!

We did it! We've officially reached ONE YEAR of being parent to our little Benjamin!

Month 12

Ben's twelfth month was definitely a BIG one for so many reasons. There was growth, more milestones and plenty of holiday fun. Month twelve saw our little Ben trying a whole new world of solid foods which he immediately took to, let's just say that pancakes are now his favorite food group!

We did it. We survived our first year of parenthood! In all honestly, time felt like it flew by in the blink of an eye. It felt like only yesterday that we were two frazzled first time parents with our newborn son, desperately trying to figure out how to navigate the waters of being a parent. I still remember the first 24 hours of being parents to Ben. How we were completely clueless, sleep deprived and slightly going bonkers. We hatched a "genius" plan to each hold Ben for an hour, so the other could sleep.... until the nurse came and and said "you know you can let you baby sleep in his bassinet next to you so you can ALL sleep?" LOL. It's hilarious to think of it all now. How we were so scared to hold Ben because we didn't want to drop him, or how anxious we were about every. little. thing.... Now we let our little guy roam freely, pick up him with one hand and pretty much do things that 24 hours into parenthood PB&J would be completely shocked by, lol! With 365 days of parenthood under our belts, it's crazy to see how things have changed from day 1 to today. We're definitely a lot wiser, braver when it comes to parenting, and our hearts our definitely fuller with each day that has passed with our little Ben. 

On a more personal level as a mama. I still remember feeling so helpless after my c-section birth to Ben. All the emotions swirling in those first few weeks with the combo of recovery, things not going according to the "ideal" plan, the breastfeeding fails and woes and pretty much everything in-between. In a nutshell, it wasn't at all the warm and fuzzies I thought being a new mom would be.. But then my little Ben showed me just how wonderful life as a mama could really be. I just needed those first few weeks of "initiation" into mama hood for me to see. Once I let go of the expectations I had in my mind of a perfect start and just went with the flow, knowing that each day may have it's ups and downs, but it will always be okay, along with the reminder that "I'm my child's mom...I know and will always know whats best for him" everything became so much better. 

From week ONE

To year ONE

Everyone told us that the first few weeks of parenthood were always the hardest and trust me, it was... then things just start to flow... things become a little easier, you start to recognize the cries, the coos, the behaviors and then your heart just knows.... It's hard to describe. You finally feel like a parent and you know that life will never be the same in the best way possible!

So here's to our first year of parenthood! All of the ups, the downs, the stresses, the joys, the laughs, the tears and most of all the love. Now onto year two! If the past few days into it is any indication... we're in for one amazing adventure with our big Ben! 💜