One year ago, Oakley Kolden entered my life and promised to change me forever; and he did just that. Even before he took his first breath, he taught me that life would from now on be lived on his terms. He quickly taught me not to be selfish and to put anyone, and everyone before myself- that was his gift.
On that day, not only did I receive a gift, Oakley did as well- my love and a part of my soul.
Everyone else watched, and listened, and learned, as this beautiful baby boy unfolded his personality and too his distinctive place in this world.
There are certain traits about Oakley that make him special. From the beginning it was love at first site with Oakley. He has always been a happy boy. He rarely cried when he was little unless he was hungry or needed to be changed. For the first couple of weeks he never opened his eyes, just laid there and cuddled. He hated his first bath, but today it’s hard to keep him away from the bath tub. We would have long conversations just between the two of us. All that we needed in life was each other, and we were both happy.
He loves the trees and being outside. Once he got old enough Grandma Shelly bought him a swing for outside. He loves sitting in it swinging as high as it can go. He is a typical boy, scared of nothing until he gets hurt or falls. He will climb up on anything, then cry for help down, he is fearless.
Mornings are my favorite, especially the mornings when it is time to go and he is still sleeping. When I wake him up his eyes always slowly meet mine and I get that smile from him I always love to see. He knows he is love and that is enough to bring him ultimate joy. Through Oakley, I learned to love deeper and more truly. For as much as one can love their parents, siblings, and friends, the love I have for Oakley stands apart.
He taught me how to smile wider, laugh louder, and value life to its fullest. He taught me to see that life’s possibility was endless and how to pay attention to the details. He was the bond that brought me to be a better person in life. This last year has been the most exciting year I have experienced and there is only one person to thank for that- Baby Oakie!
Oakley brings a focus to me that has touched all aspects of my life; at home, at work, and with my friends. He has inspired me just by being himself. It seems so surreal that is has already been a year with Oakley, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. There will be many life lessons we will cross together and ups and downs, but I will always, always be Oakley’s Number One Fan. We all have dreams-some big, some small. No matter how hard we try not all our dreams come true. Still that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to make them a reality. You can never reach that for which you don’t achieve. My advice to my little chump is to Always Dream Big…!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Oakley's Weekend Adventure.
It has been an eventful weekend for Mr. Oakley. Friday after daycare he left with his daddy for the weekend. He stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Trueblood's Friday night. Saturday I met him and Adam for a few minutes before they got on the road to head to Linton to visit Adam's family. I am missing that little boy like crazy right now, but he will be home in a few hours. Adam made sure he sent me a lot of picture texts through out the weekend, which was awesome. I got a lot done this weekend with him being gone. Him and I moved over to my sister's house. We both have our own bedrooms now!:) I'm super excited about that. I got his room all set up and decorated and ready for him to come home to. I got mine pretty much done as well. Now I am just sitting here doing laundry waiting for that little bugger to get home. I will get recent pictures on here as soon as we are all settled in. Kelly-I'll make sure I put pictures of his room on here, just for you. This weekend were headed out to Wyoming for my cousin's graduation-should be a blast. I can't wait to see all of the family...it's well over due.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Operation: No More Bottle
Today is exactly one week until Oakley turns the big 01… so you know what that means NO MORE BOTTLE. I think it’s going to be a tough process! At daycare he does just fine because he sees all the other little ones with their sippy cups so he wants a “big boy” cup too, but at home it’s another story. Usually Alexzander(Oakley’s 5 month old cousin) comes over to Grandma and Grandpa’s and it is a fight to keep Oakley away from Zander’s bottle. At home he plays baby with me all the time and bawls for his bottle. Last night was the last time he had his bottle…hopefully I can stick to it and not give in to him (he definitely knows his ways with me and how to get it!) I picked him up from daycare and he only had it at nap time with a small amount of milk so that is a start! It might be a tough week, but we will make it.
He is getting good with baby sign. He can sign “milk”, “more”, “call the puppy”, and sometimes he does “all done”. I just have to remember when I ask him if he wants more milk I don’t include the word “bottle” anywhere in the sentence. So it will be practice for both him and I. The only word he has down so far is dada…little stinker. Of course, Adam rubs that into me all the time, but with time he will start saying everything and never stop :)
I found out the only way he will cuddle, EVER, is if he is sick. The other night I was over at my Auntie Liz’s house and I was sitting in a lazy boy chair. He climbed right up in the chair and cuddled with me until his eyes slowly shut and he was sleeping. After going home that night he laid on the couch will me all night snoozing until it was bed time. I loved every minute of it, beside the fact that he was sick. The next morning he woke up and was not running a fever anymore…come to find out he has another tooth coming. He has never liked to cuddle but I enjoyed every second of him cuddling with me that day! My aunt got a picture of it so I will have to get it and post it on here for proof :)
He is getting good with baby sign. He can sign “milk”, “more”, “call the puppy”, and sometimes he does “all done”. I just have to remember when I ask him if he wants more milk I don’t include the word “bottle” anywhere in the sentence. So it will be practice for both him and I. The only word he has down so far is dada…little stinker. Of course, Adam rubs that into me all the time, but with time he will start saying everything and never stop :)
I found out the only way he will cuddle, EVER, is if he is sick. The other night I was over at my Auntie Liz’s house and I was sitting in a lazy boy chair. He climbed right up in the chair and cuddled with me until his eyes slowly shut and he was sleeping. After going home that night he laid on the couch will me all night snoozing until it was bed time. I loved every minute of it, beside the fact that he was sick. The next morning he woke up and was not running a fever anymore…come to find out he has another tooth coming. He has never liked to cuddle but I enjoyed every second of him cuddling with me that day! My aunt got a picture of it so I will have to get it and post it on here for proof :)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
One Year Gone By Summary
I really wish I took on the job of blogging about the adventures of Oakley the last year but I'm off to start as of today. For now, I will just have to sum up our past year together. Oakley Kolden Trueblood was born May 27, 2009 weighing 7 lbs 13 oz. He was due on May 22, 2009(same day my sister was due with her son), but he decided to "cook" longer; which was perfectly fine with me. The name Oakley was decided while Adam and I took our dog Jax that was hurt to the vet in Minnesota. We were sitting in the restaurant at the hotel we were staying at. I pulled out my blackberry and started looking at baby names. I was reading off names and when I said "Oakley"...Adam said yes, that's it. At first, I wasn't sure about the name. It was a different name and I was not too fond of it. I was really stuck on the name Elijah… But I knew Adam was not having it. I thought maybe if I begged enough I would get my way… But eventually, Oakley stuck with me. Adam did not have a choice in the middle name, as that was set in stone from the time I was little. My great-grandma’s maiden name is Kolden. I always said I would name my first boy Kolden, but having it as the middle name was okay with me.
Deanna, my younger sister had her high school graduation on May 24, 2010. I was very pregnant and uncomfortable but I think Deanna did some sweet talking to Oakley to make sure he didn’t “steal her thunder” on her big day. Also, she would not miss the birth for the world so there was no way Oakie could come on graduation day. Some of the family from out of state was hoping he would be here so they could see him while they were up for Deanna’s graduation, but oh well; he was a healthy baby so it was worth the wait.
So there he was…! From the get go, he was never still, and is still never still. We have had many ups and downs within this past year, but mostly ups. The first trip he took was to Glendive, Montana with Grandma Shelly (my mom) to pick up my nephew Braden for a few weeks that summer. Oakley’s first time away from Mommy and Daddy was 4th of July night (his first holiday.) Adam and I and Oakley’s godfather Justin, and his fiancée Sierra decided to go camping. We took Oakley along the first night but the second night Grandma came and got him. It was a good first holiday.
The summer was great. We had a lot planned from weddings, going to the lake with Grandma and Grandpa Trueblood, and visits to family. When I started back up in school I enrolled Oakley in daycare. He still attends the same daycare to this day and he loves everyone there. He seemed to love daycare from day one. Sometime I feel he would rather be there playing with the kids then playing with his boring momma every day. You would think he would get sick of seeing me, but I am never sick of seeing him!! During the winter, Oakley and I moved back in with my parents. It is awesome having Grandma and Grandpa around, but they just spoil him way too much. But I have to admit, for him being spoil; he is still a really good kid.
We had one accident during the summer which landed us at the Emergency Room. Oakley somehow got burnt on his right pinky toe (no one to this day knows how). We took him to the ER because it started to look really bad that night. Everything healed right and he has no scars from it. It was just one of the many little accidents that little boy will endure in his lifetime! He is into everything and is fearless!
This winter we spent a lot of time at daycare and inside. It was way too cold out for us. Finally toward the end of winter we got Oakley out in the snow. He was not too excited about it…didn’t want it to touch him at all, just wanted Auntie Deanna or me to hold him. He spent a lot of Friday’s at Auntie Deanna’s house instead of going to daycare because she usually had the day off. Sometimes he would drive her crazy but she found out as long as you were feeding him he was as happy as can be. Time with Auntie was a good thing because she would always have photo shoots with him. (I slack in the photography aspect)
Oakley’s first Thanksgiving was pretty exciting. He got to try mashed potatoes, gravy, and cottage cheese for the first time. He was not fond of the mashed potatoes at all or eating anything as a matter of fact, so he slept through most of the Thanksgiving Dinner. Auntie Danielle, Uncle Travis, and cousins Braden and Kellen came from Billings Montana to spend the holiday with us. That night he went with Daddy to Grandma and Grandpa Trueblood’s for a while and hung out and decided then he would eat and play with everyone. It was a very quiet first Thanksgiving, but that was okay with us.
Right after Thanksgiving we celebrated Christmas. There was a huge blizzard so Grandpa and Uncle Dean were stuck out at work on the rig so it was a very small Christmas. It was Grandma Shelly, Uncle David, Auntie Deanna and Uncle Cole. Oakie was the only kid there—so of course he was spoil like crazy. I will post pictures soon to show how spoiled he was his first Christmas. Funny thing was, he didn’t want ANYTHING to do with his toys, he much rather wanted to play with boxes and paper.
After Christmas break when I started classes again we were on an everyday routine. I would get up, shower, wake Oakley up, and get him in the bathtub (If I would let him stay in the bathtub all day he would never get out!), and head to daycare for the majority of the day. I rarely feel guilty leaving him at daycare because I know how much fun he has there and how well he is taken care of during the day. I mean, what kid wants to hang out with just his mom all day anyways… they would much rather be playing at daycare anyways. I would go to class during the day then head to work until 5. At 5 I would leave to pick up Oakie and we would head home. We usually found something to do inside cause of the weather. It would usually consist of me chasing him around and picking up after him all day.
He started teething in October. He left for Montana for Braden’s birthday party. The day he got back I looked in his mouth for teeth and there were none. The next morning when he got up, he had his top two front teeth. He started crawling during Thanksgiving and was walking by February 2010 at 9 months. He has never stopped going to this day! I like it because it keeps me on my feet and there is always something to do. He never seems to let me do my school work as he wants to tear up my papers or bang on the keyboard so I usually find alone time to do homework whether he goes with Grandma Shelly after daycare or I do it when he is sleeping.
We have had a ton of birthday parties this year to attend, usually all at the pool. Just like his baths, he would stay in the pool as long as he could! He will be in a wedding on June 25, 2010-his god father’s wedding so that will be an experience for him. He will be one next Thursday and I can’t believe it already. Seems like just yesterday I was walking around with my fat little belly anticipating what my little guy is going to look like. We will be leaving for Montana on his birthday (the 27th) to go to my cousin Scottie’s graduation. We had to hold off on his birthday until June 6, 2010. Were having a pool party and excited to see everyone there.
For Mother’s Day this year I received a memorable present. Oakley was hanging out in the bathroom with Grandma Shelly and pulled the curling iron down. It hit him right by his eye and also on his arm. His eye was fine and healed quickly but his arm is still healing. It has been a week and a half now and I’m still wrapping his arm every day and changing it once a day. Monday we find out if we have to keep doing it or if it’s better. There will be a scar on his arm I am guessing, but as long as he is okay…he and I are fine with that :)
I’m going to try to update my blog as much as I can so family out of state and people we don’t see much can have a taste in the life of Oakley and me. Once school starts back up (summer classes start June 1, 2010, not much of a summer for me!) things will be hectic again so I will update when I have time. I will try to have my sister upload photos and keep the photos coming, as we all know I am not a photographer at all! Maybe I can have her help me with this blog as well… she is a little more artist than I. Here is the start of something new for me; hopefully I can stick to it!
Deanna, my younger sister had her high school graduation on May 24, 2010. I was very pregnant and uncomfortable but I think Deanna did some sweet talking to Oakley to make sure he didn’t “steal her thunder” on her big day. Also, she would not miss the birth for the world so there was no way Oakie could come on graduation day. Some of the family from out of state was hoping he would be here so they could see him while they were up for Deanna’s graduation, but oh well; he was a healthy baby so it was worth the wait.
So there he was…! From the get go, he was never still, and is still never still. We have had many ups and downs within this past year, but mostly ups. The first trip he took was to Glendive, Montana with Grandma Shelly (my mom) to pick up my nephew Braden for a few weeks that summer. Oakley’s first time away from Mommy and Daddy was 4th of July night (his first holiday.) Adam and I and Oakley’s godfather Justin, and his fiancée Sierra decided to go camping. We took Oakley along the first night but the second night Grandma came and got him. It was a good first holiday.
The summer was great. We had a lot planned from weddings, going to the lake with Grandma and Grandpa Trueblood, and visits to family. When I started back up in school I enrolled Oakley in daycare. He still attends the same daycare to this day and he loves everyone there. He seemed to love daycare from day one. Sometime I feel he would rather be there playing with the kids then playing with his boring momma every day. You would think he would get sick of seeing me, but I am never sick of seeing him!! During the winter, Oakley and I moved back in with my parents. It is awesome having Grandma and Grandpa around, but they just spoil him way too much. But I have to admit, for him being spoil; he is still a really good kid.
We had one accident during the summer which landed us at the Emergency Room. Oakley somehow got burnt on his right pinky toe (no one to this day knows how). We took him to the ER because it started to look really bad that night. Everything healed right and he has no scars from it. It was just one of the many little accidents that little boy will endure in his lifetime! He is into everything and is fearless!
This winter we spent a lot of time at daycare and inside. It was way too cold out for us. Finally toward the end of winter we got Oakley out in the snow. He was not too excited about it…didn’t want it to touch him at all, just wanted Auntie Deanna or me to hold him. He spent a lot of Friday’s at Auntie Deanna’s house instead of going to daycare because she usually had the day off. Sometimes he would drive her crazy but she found out as long as you were feeding him he was as happy as can be. Time with Auntie was a good thing because she would always have photo shoots with him. (I slack in the photography aspect)
Oakley’s first Thanksgiving was pretty exciting. He got to try mashed potatoes, gravy, and cottage cheese for the first time. He was not fond of the mashed potatoes at all or eating anything as a matter of fact, so he slept through most of the Thanksgiving Dinner. Auntie Danielle, Uncle Travis, and cousins Braden and Kellen came from Billings Montana to spend the holiday with us. That night he went with Daddy to Grandma and Grandpa Trueblood’s for a while and hung out and decided then he would eat and play with everyone. It was a very quiet first Thanksgiving, but that was okay with us.
Right after Thanksgiving we celebrated Christmas. There was a huge blizzard so Grandpa and Uncle Dean were stuck out at work on the rig so it was a very small Christmas. It was Grandma Shelly, Uncle David, Auntie Deanna and Uncle Cole. Oakie was the only kid there—so of course he was spoil like crazy. I will post pictures soon to show how spoiled he was his first Christmas. Funny thing was, he didn’t want ANYTHING to do with his toys, he much rather wanted to play with boxes and paper.
After Christmas break when I started classes again we were on an everyday routine. I would get up, shower, wake Oakley up, and get him in the bathtub (If I would let him stay in the bathtub all day he would never get out!), and head to daycare for the majority of the day. I rarely feel guilty leaving him at daycare because I know how much fun he has there and how well he is taken care of during the day. I mean, what kid wants to hang out with just his mom all day anyways… they would much rather be playing at daycare anyways. I would go to class during the day then head to work until 5. At 5 I would leave to pick up Oakie and we would head home. We usually found something to do inside cause of the weather. It would usually consist of me chasing him around and picking up after him all day.
He started teething in October. He left for Montana for Braden’s birthday party. The day he got back I looked in his mouth for teeth and there were none. The next morning when he got up, he had his top two front teeth. He started crawling during Thanksgiving and was walking by February 2010 at 9 months. He has never stopped going to this day! I like it because it keeps me on my feet and there is always something to do. He never seems to let me do my school work as he wants to tear up my papers or bang on the keyboard so I usually find alone time to do homework whether he goes with Grandma Shelly after daycare or I do it when he is sleeping.
We have had a ton of birthday parties this year to attend, usually all at the pool. Just like his baths, he would stay in the pool as long as he could! He will be in a wedding on June 25, 2010-his god father’s wedding so that will be an experience for him. He will be one next Thursday and I can’t believe it already. Seems like just yesterday I was walking around with my fat little belly anticipating what my little guy is going to look like. We will be leaving for Montana on his birthday (the 27th) to go to my cousin Scottie’s graduation. We had to hold off on his birthday until June 6, 2010. Were having a pool party and excited to see everyone there.
For Mother’s Day this year I received a memorable present. Oakley was hanging out in the bathroom with Grandma Shelly and pulled the curling iron down. It hit him right by his eye and also on his arm. His eye was fine and healed quickly but his arm is still healing. It has been a week and a half now and I’m still wrapping his arm every day and changing it once a day. Monday we find out if we have to keep doing it or if it’s better. There will be a scar on his arm I am guessing, but as long as he is okay…he and I are fine with that :)
I’m going to try to update my blog as much as I can so family out of state and people we don’t see much can have a taste in the life of Oakley and me. Once school starts back up (summer classes start June 1, 2010, not much of a summer for me!) things will be hectic again so I will update when I have time. I will try to have my sister upload photos and keep the photos coming, as we all know I am not a photographer at all! Maybe I can have her help me with this blog as well… she is a little more artist than I. Here is the start of something new for me; hopefully I can stick to it!
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