30 for 30

I bet you all didn't know I was a cougar?  It's true.  I turned 30 last July and my husband turns 30 on Wednesday.  He's a hard person to plan anything for.  He doesn't really like to party (although he's a DJ) and he doesn't drink (despite this picture.... I had to memorialize a rare drink with a picture.)  So I decided instead to plan 30 fun things for us to do during the week of his 30th birthday.
To start things off I compiled a list of 30 reasons why I love my husband.  I could have kept writing after I finished which is even more reason for me to love him.
So if you don't know my husband very well you're about to.

1. He's an amazing husband.  And we're well past the honeymoon phase so you would think some of that would have died down.  I know that after God, I am the most important thing to him and I know he knows I feel the same about him.

2.  He is an amazing father.  I knew from the minute I met him he would be great but he's exceeded all of my expectations.  He's a hands on dad and our kids will hopefully realize one day how lucky they are to have him as their dad.

3. He's a lover, not a fighter.  This was tough for me at first because I had to learn he responds to conflict differently than I do.  When I would bring up something I wanted to "discuss" I would want a reaction from him, but he just doesn't have it in him to argue.  He thinks before he reacts.  He processes and wants to come up with a solution rather than argue.  Sickening I know! :)

4. He's incredibly smart.  I have already instructed Farrah that Daddy will be the one to ask for any help regarding math and science.  And when she gets to high school, probably everything.

5.  He knows how to make others feel important.  When you're in his space you can feel his sincerity and you leave a conversation with him feeling better about yourself.

6.  He has an amazing ability to teach.  He can come up with a quick game for pretty much any teaching scenario for kids to understand a concept.  There's usually a basketball reference in there too.

7. He's goofy.  He's not afraid to look silly or tell a dumb joke.

8.  He's great with kids (see # 7.)

9.  He's a great listener.  I'm sure he wasn't listening all those times I told a lengthy story, told him about something that happened at work, or vented, but he sure made it seem like he was.

10.  He is strong in his faith.  He's flexible when it comes to most things but when it comes to his faith, he doesn't waiver.

11. He knows who he is.  Is there anything sexier than someone with confidence in who they are? (sorry mom!)

12. He won't apologize for who he is.  I remember countless times where people have said "you don't drink???"  It's not a situation where he judges people that do.  He just doesn't really like it so he doesn't do it, and he doesn't feel the need to explain.

13.  He doesn't follow the herd.  This is one of my favorite things about him.  In college he took some Black Studies classes, enjoyed them and decided to make Black Studies his major.  In case you didn't notice, he's white.  It didn't matter to him that other people would think it was weird and I was so intrigued by this super white guy majoring in Black Studies.

14.  He would give anyone the shirt off his back.  He loves people.  He cares about people.  He wants to help people.

15.  He laughs at his own joke before he even finishes telling the joke.  It's really the cutest thing.  He starts to tell a joke but then starts laughing and oftentimes can't get the rest of the joke out.

16.  He balances me well.  We're very different in certain ways.  He needs details, I don't.  I make quick decisions.  Let me tell you about the peanut butter story.  One of my first experiences of his need to make an educated decision came in aisle 6 of the grocery store.  I had wandered around looking for something, probably a dessert of some kind, and when I went to find him I saw him in the peanut butter aisle staring at the backs of 2 different peanut butter jars reading the ingredients.  He sat there for probably 5 minutes deciding which peanut butter would be the best..... Peanut Butter!  I wanted to just walk over, grab one, throw it in the cart and be done with it but that's not how he rolls.  At least when we're learning a new game I can make him read the rules and give me the cliff notes version of what I'm supposed to do.

17.  He makes time for himself so he can be the best version of himself.  Whether its playing basketball, working out, writing, whatever he has to do to be the best version of himself so he can be the best husband and father.

18. People think he's quiet when they first meet him.  I did too.  Once they get to know him they find out how funny he is and that he has a lot to say.  He's just selective in who he shares that part of him with.

19. He allows me to do my thing but takes the reigns when I need him to.

20. He loves his mom.  I always think you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their family and he is a wonderful son and brother.  And it just so happens the icing on the cake is that I love his family.  Jackpot right?

21. He's a great friend.  Loyal is definitely a word I would use to describe him.  If one of his friends called him in the middle of the night and asked him to meet them somewhere with no explanation he would do it.

22. He's a very hard worker.  There have been many times when he would leave the house around 10am to work a gig, and not get home until 3am and then have to be back at work by 9 the next morning and he would never once complain.

23. He's optimistic.  He doesn't think about the worst case scenario.  He believes that everything will work out and it always does.

24.  Every decision he makes is based on what's best for his family.  Even down to which peanut butter to buy. :)

25.  He is so passionate about basketball.  I didn't grow up watching basketball so this was all new for me but I'm pretty obsessed myself now.  I didn't realize that basketball was a metaphor for everything in life but just ask him and he'll explain to you how everything relates to basketball.

26. He loves music.  Music is something I did grow up with but he's taught me about different types of music I would never have been exposed to if it weren't for him.  And I think I've brought him over to the country music side too.  Mission accomplished!

27.  He wants everyone to be happy.  Which is why he'll watch my stupid reality show, play dress up with Farrah, and give Evan raspberries until he laughs uncontrollably.  If he can make other people smile it makes him happy.

28.  He's got a hot body.  Enough said. (Sorry mom!)

29.  He never has a bad word to say about anybody.  He doesn't have it in him to try to bring someone down or hurt anyone.

30.  He's everything I ever dreamed of as a little girl when I thought about the man I would marry and I have no idea how I landed him.  The big man upstairs was looking out for me the day our paths crossed in that quiznos sandwich shop :)

Happy Birthday my love!  Looking forward to the next 30 years and beyond!

Stages

 Stages of life, stages of grief.  It all seems to be hitting me at once.  There are times when I think about Britney Spears' meltdown circa 2007 and think "You go Britney!  Shave that head!"  My husband mentioned to me the other day that most couples who go through any one of the things we're going through would be stressed, but we seem to do them all at once because that's just how we roll.  Grief, pregnancy, selling a house, grief, leaving a job, moving, grief, new baby, grief.
We're in a new stage with Evan.  We're attempting to begin transitioning Evan into his crib in his room.  We've started with his afternoon nap this week and last night we decided to try his first stretch at night in his crib.  Have you ever known someone that was in a car accident and after the accident they were afraid to ride in a car?  That's how I feel about cribs.  He has every possible monitor hooked up to him, no blankets, no crib bumper, he's on his back, so logically I should know that he's fine and even if he's not fine every bell, whistle and drum is going to go off so loudly that I wouldn't need to call 911 because they'd already hear the ridiculously loud alarms and yet, I couldn't remove this monitor from my hand.  When the screen would go to sleep I would immediately push the button again because there's no way I could get through it without staring at it.  I don't know when I'll be ready to have him in there at night while we're sleeping.

I've learned that grief is a living thing.  It evolves, it appears, it hides and it reappears again.  Never disappearing all together. When I think I'm doing fine is usually when a meltdown hits me.  So wish us luck in this new stage of life and grief.  And if you see me walking down the street wish a shaved head, just smile and nod.  Everybody deserves a good meltdown every once in a while.

Why I'll be parenting a little differently in 2015

Have you done it yet?  Have you made your new year's resolutions?  I love the idea of self improvement.  I probably singlehandedly keep the self help book industry afloat.  I just love the idea of constantly bettering myself.
But this year will be a little different for me.  If 2013 was the worst year of my life, then I would say 2014 was the hardest year of my life.  Time forces you to move on after the death of a child.  It doesn't matter if you're ready, life goes on, the world keeps moving, and no matter how much you want to just stay right where you're at, you can't.
I had a moment yesterday that made me think about my self improvement attitude.  It came when I asked Farrah why she had a band aid on her knee, to which she responded "I fell and hurt myself but it's ok, I'm fine, I got back up.  That's what happens when you get older Evan, you get hurt, but you get back up."
It's something we all teach our kids, right?  You fall and you get back up.  A noble message.  But what about when something happens to them, that knocks the wind out of them?  That completely turns their world upside down?  I want my kids to know, it's ok to stay down for a while.  I realized in that moment, I never explained to Farrah that she doesn't have to pop back up instantly all the time.
A few weeks ago, if you would have asked Farrah what she wanted for Christmas, she would have told you all she wants is her brother back.  Let that soak in for a moment.  As most people were out lining up weeks before black Friday to score a deal on a TV or an iPad, or fighting over a waffle iron at Walmart, my little girl was asking for something no one can give her. She hasn't popped back up yet.
My anxiety about the safety of my family is still just as strong now as it was the day after Kellen passed.  I haven't popped back up yet.  Some things are laughable, I'm sure.  Even I can have a sense of humor about it.  The other day Farrah got her first loose tooth (I know, I had to do a double take when I saw it because I can't believe she's old enough for that).  After seeing it, my first thought was "what if it falls out in the middle of the night and she chokes on it?"  Seems kind of far fetched but that's where my mind goes now.  I haven't popped back up yet.  Making sure my children are breathing is on my mind ALL.DAY.LONG.  I'm not exaggerating with this one.  I think about it all the time.  There is no logical reason why a perfectly healthy kid, who falls asleep in the car would stop breathing, but there have been multiple times that I actually pulled the car over, got out of the car and ran around to their seats to poke them to make sure they were still breathing.
I'm don't think I'll ever pop back up from this one, and I'm not sure that I even want to.  So for those of you that have been through the wringer this year, you may be happy that 2015 is on the horizon, as am I.  Just remember to take the time you need.  There are times when you should dust yourself off and move forward.  And then there are times when it's ok to give yourself permission to stay down for a while.
Happy New Year, my friends!  I sincerely mean that.  I wish you a new year of comfort.  Whatever that is for you.

Grumpy Mommy

Hi friends..... we're friends, right?  So I can be real on here.  It has been a rough few days.  It is possible for all of my real life friends that all they're going to be seeing of the Naldjian family over the next year will be on facebook and on this blog.  You see, according to the vast internet research my husband did, and the cliffnotes version he gave me (which basically makes me an expert), we have a colicky baby on our hands.  This is new territory for me.  I had milk supply issues with Farrah, Acid reflux issues with Kellen, and now colic issues with Evan.  I remember when I was pregnant, sitting under the hair dryer at my salon doing a little light reading in US magazine about Kristin Cavallari (don't judge... remember we're friends) and she said her son never stopped crying the entire first year and I thought "Wow, that sucks but she must be doing something wrong.  No baby cries all the time for no reason."  False!
Evenings are the worst.  From about 4pm to midnight every night if he's not asleep (which during this time frame he may take a couple of 10 minute naps at most), or he doesn't have a boob in his mouth, he's crying.  We've resorted to putting him in the baby carrier and turning on the blow dryer to get him to fall asleep and today while I was gone, Abe had to put him in the swing and turn on the vacuum just to get him to calm down.  
But that's not what has me grumpy.  Well maybe just a little grumpy, but even more than that is that all of my internet research tells me I need to get rid of dairy from my diet to help his colic.  No dairy? Come again?!  Dairy is the one and only reason I could never be a vegan.  I could care less about meat, but cheese?  Ice cream?  Delicious, overpriced coffee beverages?  That is not ok in my book.  Do you know how many things contain dairy products?  Pretty much everything... I checked.
You know what doesn't have dairy in it though?  Wine.  So I bought some at the store today.  I may be partaking in a glass tonight.  I invite you all to drink a hard alcoholic beverage tonight in our honor.  Remember, I'll have a baby attached to me all night so 1 glass of wine is all this mom can have.
And now my baby has woken up from a 10 minute nap.  Until our next social media rendevoux my friends....

(Almost) 3 weeks of Evan

Sleepless nights, endless feedings (both the baby and me), baby talk, no clue why he's crying.... ahh yes... it's all coming back to me.  Life with a newborn again has been crazy but fun.  I have completely fallen in love with a little guy who couldn't pick me out of a line up at this point and I'm completely ok with that.
The delivery was very emotional as you probably could have guessed.  I'm much more aware of the preciousness of life and how something could easily go wrong.  I was worried about the baby and myself.  But we're just fine.  The nurses and doctors were all so wonderfully understanding of our circumstances.  And when they placed him on my chest for the first time and I said "he looks like Kellen," I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the room.
And then came the time to leave the hospital and take this perfect little person home with us.  I've always tried to be very honest on this blog so I'm not afraid to admit that the first week was very hard.  And not the typical things new parents complain about, lack of sleep, needing a break, etc.  But it was very difficult for me because I was so worried and anxious about him.  Neither Abe or I was comfortable with him sleeping without one of us watching him so we took turns in the middle of the night being awake while he slept and we just watched him.  I knew going into this that that would be difficult but I didn't know how difficult.  A couple nights in I was watching him sleep, swaddled up tight when his arms escaped out the top and the swaddle blanket came up over his face.  I jumped up to move it out of his face and he went back to sleep.  I sat there and sobbed. Postpartum hormones are no joke but add anxiety over the safety of your child to that and it will take it's toll.  So that was the end of the swaddle blankets.
Thankfully the anxiety has subsided a bit (definitely not all the way but a bit).  We have a monitor attached to him when he sleeps that gives us peace of mind but also freaks us out if it goes off as a false alarm.  Needless to say when we are sleeping, we sleep very lightly and constantly wake up to check him.  Abe and I have many middle of the night "speed dates" when I wake up to poke the baby and make sure he's breathing and I see Abe is awake and doing the same thing.

 And then there's the love.  As any mom will explain, I have no favorite child.  I love all my children equally and each time I have another one, my heart somehow creates enough space for each of them to have 100% of my heart.  Just trust me on the math.  But when I think about the love I have for Evan, it is different than anything I've experienced before.  I have a healthy obsession with this little guy.  I want to stare at him all day long.  There is something amazing that he has done to help heal my heart when it seemed that nothing in the world could possibly help repair what I had lost.  I don't want him to feel the burden of being the "savior child."  I don't want him to feel like his only purpose on earth was to make his mom and dad feel better.  But I will say that he has done for us what nothing else possibly could.  I now fully understand the value of life and I will have a deeper love for this little guy than I ever could have imagined all thanks to his big brother.  I realize how lucky we are to have him and that our tomorrows aren't promised.  We are soaking up every moment with him.  Even the 2am wake up call... and the 3am wake up call... and the 4am wake up call :)
Baby faces, baby snuggles, unconditional love.... ahh yes... it's all coming back to me.

1 year later

I realize I haven't updated my blog in a while.  There's a lot to share with Mr. Evan's arrival but today, for me, is about Kellen.  Exactly one year ago I woke up to every parent's worst nightmare.  I'd love to say that day was a blur, but I remember every detail of that day and could probably give you a minute by minute account of all the details if you ask.  To this day I still can't set my alarm for 6:15 am because that's the time that my alarm went off that morning and I panicked realizing he hadn't woken up for his feeding in the middle of the night. 

We have survived.  Most people would have understood if we crawled into a hole and just existed the rest of our lives.  But we have chosen to live and I'm pretty damn proud of us.  I struggle with the message we give that you could possibly lose a child and still live a full life.  But I know that choosing joy in our lives will never take away the pain of losing a piece of our hearts.  

When I was recovering in the hospital after having Evan, they sent a social worker into my room to chat with me.  I knew it was coming.  I'm sure my file has all kinds of red flags in it.  She said the Doctor's wanted her to talk to me because they were concerned I may not have had enough time to grieve before having another baby.  While the intentions were genuine, I shook my head thinking there is no expiration on grief.  I will forever grieve the loss of my son.  No amount of time will pass where I'll feel better and be ready to be done with this grief thing.  However, I heard a song on the radio that put words around how I'm feeling now.  It's by Danny Gokey and as I drove in my car I listened to the words of the song and stared at the new sleeping baby in the rear view mirror and the tears would not stop coming.  

"I've been running through rain
That I thought would never end.
Trying to make it on faith
In a struggle against the wind.
I've seen the dark and the broken places.
But I know in my soul
No matter how bad it gets
I'll be alright.

There's hope in front of me
There's a light, I still see it.
There's a hand still holding me
Even when I don't believe it.
I might be down but I'm not dead.
There's better days still up ahead.
Even after all I've seen
There's hope in front of me.

There's a place at the end of the storm
You finally find.
Where the hurt and the tears and the pain
All fall behind.

You open up your eyes and up ahead
There's a big sun shining.
Right then and there you realize
You'll be alright.

There's hope in front of me.
There's a light, I still see it.
There's a hand still holding me.
Even when I don't believe it.
I might be down but I'm not dead.
There's better days still up ahead.
Even after all I've seen
There's hope in front of me.

There's a hope still burning
I can feel it rising through the night,
And my world's still turning
I can feel your love here by my side.

You're my hope
You're the light, I still see it
Your hands are holding me
Even when I don't believe it.
I've got to believe.
I still have hope.
You are my hope."

I love you my sweet Kellen.  1 year later.... forever more.  Until we meet again. 

11 months here, 11 months gone

Exactly 11 months ago, on his 11 month birthday, Kellen passed away.  In a way I've been quietly dreading this day more than the upcoming 1 year anniversary.  There's a significance to this day that gives me an uneasy feeling.  Starting tomorrow he will have been gone longer than he was here. 
The 29th is going to be an interesting day these next few months.  This month is the 11 months here/11 months gone day, next month is the 1 year anniversary, and the following month would be his 2nd birthday.  My greatest fear about today is that now that he's been gone longer than he was here, I'll be expected to move on.  That this time that has passed somehow erases the time he was here.  I can't speak for all grieving parents, but I feel strongly that part of the battle I go through is between wanting so badly to "feel normal" again and "move on" but being sickened by the idea of the possibility that I could ever move on.  There is no moving on. 
So 11 months later, I think I'll spend this day remembering the 11 months I had with him.  Our new house has little touches of him that make us smile.  His star map given to us by a dear friend that had a star named after him.

 Our joy sign to remind us of the joy he brought us.  Joy upon joy upon joy.

 And my jewelry box with his picture on it given to me by a family member that I see every morning when I get ready.  He was a true mama's boy. 

Life is unpredictable friends.  11 months from now your life could be completely different than it is now.  Enjoy the time you have with the people you love.  Whether you're at work or at home, be in the moment.  Your life deserves your attention.