Bonjour, mamma.

Jane's newest love is door knobs and doors.  She loves opening and closing them, and mom is closely monitoring so she doesn't catch any of those precious, chubby fingers in the cracks.  In other news, the title of my post is "Dormir mean to sleep." Dormir is the French verb "to sleep." My mom confession is that I am a better mom when I get a good night's rest. Those first few sleepless months with an infant are fueled by adrenaline alone. Then that starts to fade, and you need a better routine. Michael and I decided Jane would sleep in her own crib from the beginning. Since we exclusively breastfeed, that meant that mom would be up and down all night, picking her up from her crib, nursing her, then putting her back down.  I would say from about months 3-6 this happened about three times per night. I didn't mind because I fell back asleep quickly and if I added the hours up, I always slept enough. But sometimes the constant feeding...

My two favorite people of all time.  As a young girl, a lot of time is spent day dreaming about who your future husband will be. Then you start dreaming about what your future children will look like.  Then you start dreaming about what their children will look like.  You dream of a home, family dinners, weekend bike rides, and playing in the backyard. You dream of all the happiness that your future holds! Here I am, living my very own dream. xo

Sometimes, when the day was very long and hard, I wonder how mothers and fathers around the world do this parenting thing. They never complain, they're always smiling and grateful, and seem to do it all so easily. Well, the truth is, it's never easy. Not for a moment. But it is darn rewarding. In fact, it's the most rewarding job a person can have. Being a parent, and a good one at that, requires selflessness and love.  We love our kids, of course. But what's more is the idea of doing it all because you truly enjoy it, not just out of necessity.  My child's basic needs are always met, but what am I doing every day to make sure those needs are met to the best of my ability?  There are times where we would much rather be reclining and zoning out for a while, but our sweet little kin fancies some attention or play time. We get up and play, but our minds are still focused on the fluff surrounding us. I never want to be thinking of the other things I could be doin...

What an amazing year 2014 was.  In January, we moved into our new home. In March we brought sweet Jane into the world. In the following months we celebrated birthdays, watched many UCLA games, cooked countless, delicious meals together, and really relished the sweet moments of being a family of three.  Although these intimate moments are so wonderful and treasured, I am so ecstatic for the many years to come of a house full of children and love. This year we are to celebrate my dearest friend's wedding in New York City, catch a flight to Paris and spend a few days there, and finish the trip in DC with my sister.  Fast forward a few months and August 2015 we will spend in Sunriver, OR- white water rafting, brewery tours, family bike rides, sleeping in and staying up late! Our goal for next Christmas 2015 is to take a cruise.  And my plan is to be pregnant again by that time, so eating the whole entire time shouldn't be an issue.  Just a few famil...