Special Occasion

May is a special occasion kind of month for us. Basically, everything that ever happens/ed is in May. This means that our gift budget for May is way too high and last week we had three cakes in our fridge for three separate occasions. I felt pretty glutinous, which is all I want in life.

MAY 3RD is our wedding anniversary. This is the 3rd one, for those of you keeping track. (Or placing bets) Our options for celebrating were limited (due to Adam), but not as limited as last year (due to bed rest with Adam- common theme?). We went out to a fancy restaurant, Sundance the Steakhouse that I've been wanting to go to since we moved here. In fact, as soon as I saw the word "steakhouse" nine months ago, I pulled a Liz Lemon and said, "I want to go to there."  We both had the prime rib, and two bites into it, we simultaneously expressed the regret that we didn't order a larger cut. In my book, that is a smashing success of an evening!

We plan on taking a small trip in June, when Jeff's parents are in town (graduation), and we will not be taking Adam! That will be strange, a special occasion in itself.

But in all seriousness, these 3 years have been the best of my life. Apparently marriage is supposed to be hard? Not with Jeff Carr. I recommend you all marry a Jeff Carr. Wait...


MAY 8TH is Mother's Day. My first one as a Mom. As I've said, I require presents pretty frequently, and Jeff and Adam were kind enough to oblige me. Most notably, they gave me one of my favorite movies as a little girl, "Mathilda." I loved the book too, I read it after I saw the movie- it took me a shockingly long time into the novel to figure out that the characters were British. I think it was after she blew up the "telly." My mind was blown that characters that I assumed were American were actually British.

I like being a Mom, maybe even love it. I guess I feel like I would be lying if I were to gush about motherhood, because it's not always perfect. Every morning when I hear Adam at 7:00, I say a little internal "Aw, man!" Motherhood isn't always the cute moments. Sometimes you're bored, sometimes you're frustrated, you're ALWAYS tired and anxious about your performance. Sometimes, you wake up and for just a minute, you want your old life back. 

But then I see Adam standing up in his crib, wearing that ridiculous sleep sack that I love. I ask him if he's grown any teethies yet, he grins his gummy smile in reply. And even though I'm tired and inadequate, I think, "Yeah, I love being a mom." It's funny how I can list all of my issues with motherhood, and feel they are legitimate, but they are completely overshadowed by the positive experiences. Basically all I have to do is see his face and I forget that I ever had a bone to pick with motherhood.

MAY 9TH is Jeff's birthday! He is 26 years old, which I think bothers him a little bit, but I have no idea why. He's lived a great life in such a short amount of time! He has...

• Been to 4 of the 7 continents. (Africa, Asia, Europe, and lame old North America)
• Lived in a foreign country. (Russia)
• Lived in a crazy part of an freaking crazy country. (Siberia, Russia)
• Lived in this crazy land because of his beliefs and convictions and did so for 2 years! (and it was cold!)
• Published pieces of his writing. (fiction and non)
• Graduated with honors from USU. (Creative writing)
• Is about to graduate from Stanford (Russian Studies- don't think they give honors to MA students.)
• Got married. (and word on the street is she's a 10!)
• Had a baby. (I'd give him a 9.5 because of his recent grumpiness)
• Worked full-time in PR and was loved universally by his office. (and he loved it too)

There are many other cool things about Jeff, but these are just some cool life milestones. I think he stacks up well against any 26 year old, except maybe Mark Zuckerberg. (Who actually just turned 27- so you're doing ok, Jeff!)

Jeff's best birthday gift? Tickets to the NCAA tennis tournament, conveniently held at Stanford this year. Good luck trying to get me to accompany you.

MAY 12TH is Adam's birthday! It's weird that he's been alive a whole year. Unfortunately, his accomplishment aren't as varied as Jeff's.

• Was born. (May 12th, 1:25 AM)
• Came home from the hospital. (May 28th)
• Was allergic to milk. (still is.)
• Gained some weight. (he's 17.5 pounds now- and honestly, I deserve the credit for that.)
• Likes computers. (we bought him a baby laptop.)
• Said the word "duck." ("da")
• Like to eat leaves any chance he can get. (this has resulted in him gagging and throwing up many times)
• Likes veggie stix, and really nothing else. (except the aforementioned leaves)
• Likes to walk around the house holding onto things. (no real walking yet)
• Once sneezed 8 times in a row. (awesome)

It has been an amazing year. Adam, you make us smile about a billion times a day. When you go to bed, all we do is talk about you, and we sneak in your bedroom to watch you sleep. You might be aware of this last fact, because some times you spring up, look at us, and fall back into your crib. You've got excellent reflexes. 



But the cupcakes were delicious.

I've blogged a mighty long blog, and I hope that everyone who chances to read it will comment. (And I mean everyone!) Hopefully, the praise from my peers will entice me to be a better blogger. Also, here's some pictures.

We got married.

I'm a mommy.

Jeff is 26.

Adam is only one.

We're happy.