I got this idea from The Fisch Tank. At the end of the year you take the first sentence you blogged from every month and reflect. Then you do a nice little summary for the new year that you can reflect on that next year as well. I didn't blog the whole year so this year this post will be a little short but I want to do it nonetheless. So here we go.
September: "I figured we ought to start at the beginning" I started the blog in September after Tyler was born, but started with my pregnancy just for fun. This was my very first blog post ever.
October: "It's been a couple weeks since I posted so I figured I better put something out there." I guess I slacked off in the beginning of October but the truth is things tend to happen in clusters around here, hence the loads of blog posts I am throwing at you today.
November: "On facebook I am doing the 30 days of Thankfulness" My post about being thankful the election was over. November was a month focusing on being thankful, but I hop to carry that spirit year round.
December "I have been enjoying photography as a hobby for a while now and have been hoping to make it into something more." My post about my first "photo shoot" Something I hope to become more common place this year.
Since I don't have predictions from last year I'll just give a little blurb about what I think. This year was obviously a big year for us. We went from being a couple to being a family and we absolutely love it! I hope you enjoy the blog and keeping up with us this way.
My predictions for 2013: Since we sold the house in Denver I fully expect to become debt free in 2013, I don't include a mortgage if we decide to buy another house.
I am doing a whole30 in January, google it if your curious. I know it's not really the goal but I fully expect to lose some of this baby weight. The before so I can be held accountable: weight 146.4, waist 31", hips 39", thighs 25", and upper arms 13.5". I'm sure I'll be posting some yummy food and thoughts along the way.
In August we will celebrate Tyler's first birthday and I expect that to be the party of the year, in baby land anyways!
I don't really know what else to say- I hope my photography business really starts to take off and I fully expect a few surprises in 2013, but we shall see. Have a wonderful new year!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Snow!
There was snow on the ground the entire time we were in Denver and it did snow Christmas day! Yay for Tyler's first Christmas being a white Christmas, my mom said that happened because I always get what I want, either way I'll take it. So here are some photos we took in the snow our last day there. Excuse my red nose, I was practicing to be rudolph in a play, or I got a cold and blew my nose too many times, you decide.
We also got Tyler baptised on the trip. But somehow our planning failed to produce any photos, so you will just have to believe me.
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| Snuggling |
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| What is with all the white? |
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| Look at that 'tude my mom has. You go girl! |
Mommy's Night On The Town
Thanks to my parents staying with Tyler while he (thankfully) slept peacefully I was able to do one of my favorite things, Canvas and Cocktails. If you live in Denver and haven't done this then shame on you! You drink. You paint. It's beautiful.
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Jordan painting away
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Amy painting away
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The wine.
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The final products
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Then Jordan and I stuffed our faces with some of the most delicious food ever at Earls. If you've never been there them go. I'm serious. Drop whatever you are doing and go. You don't have to order the expensive entrees the appetizers and sandwiches are killer. I highly recommend the steak sandwich that is no longer on the menu, but I still ordered it, so no worries. It's just bigger, but bigger is better right? When it comes to this steak sandwich it is, excuse me while I drool.
A Colorado Christmas
We loved seeing the Colorado family for Christmas. I came down with a nasty cold so didn't wind up with as many photos as I would have liked. This is going to be photo extravaganza nonetheless.
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| My parents Christmas tree |
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| Tyler and Debi and Christmas eve brunch |
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| Me and all my men! |
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| Seriously Love this! |
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| Merry Christmas my boy! |
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| Tyler and mommy in our jammies ready for presents! |
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| Yay presents! |
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| My parents' dog kept making this strange face I found quite amusing |
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| The aftermath |
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| Love. Love. Love. |
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| Look at this crazy rainbow wheel |
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| The WDF. If you don't know what that means ask your mother. Or my mother, whichever is easier. |
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| 4 generations! |
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| Me, Tyler, and my parents |
4 months and Santa!
Tyler turned 4 months on Christmas eve so we threw on his awesome 4 month tie and headed to the mall to meet Santa. He did awesome and I'm looking forward to comparing these photos over the years! Note the tie.
Look it's a bird! It's a plane! It's...
Well it's a plane. We took Tyler on his first plane ride and flew out to Denver for the holiday. He did very well on the plane. On the way there he took a little snooze and then was his happy adorable self. On the way back he slept the entire time... I guess we wore him out with all the new faces, old faces and snuggles!
An Arizona Christmas
I am so behind on blogging due to our family vacation over the holiday so expect me to overwhelm you with beautiful bloggity bloggness over the next few days. Those are words you say? Psh... just enjoy.
Anyways, the Saturday before Christmas Grandma Chris and Barry came to have a little Christmas celebration with us since we were leaving for Colorado the next day. Tyler got so many wonderful gifts! We all took turns helping him open partially for the purpose of fun and partially for the purpose of pictures. Oh I do love pictures. Then they took us out to a yummy bbq lunch! It was a wonderful and relaxing early Christmas. Though we didn't plan very well and wound up running around like headless chickens that evening with packing, preparing the house, and removing our (dead) tree. Here are some fun photos.
Anyways, the Saturday before Christmas Grandma Chris and Barry came to have a little Christmas celebration with us since we were leaving for Colorado the next day. Tyler got so many wonderful gifts! We all took turns helping him open partially for the purpose of fun and partially for the purpose of pictures. Oh I do love pictures. Then they took us out to a yummy bbq lunch! It was a wonderful and relaxing early Christmas. Though we didn't plan very well and wound up running around like headless chickens that evening with packing, preparing the house, and removing our (dead) tree. Here are some fun photos.
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| See what I mean? Spoiled! |
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| Tyler and Gma! |
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| Putting his first ornament on the tree with daddy! |
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| What's that daddy? |
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| Note the cat. He was jealous. |
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| Opening a present with mommy |
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| Looking at the cool new toy |
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| Opening a present with Grandma |
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| Showing off his "My First Christmas" hat with Barry |
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| Tyler and mommy. Too many cameras! |
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| The fam |
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Michelle Duclos Photography Takes Off!
I have been enjoying photography as a hobby for a while now and have been hoping to make it into something more. Thanks to the encouragement of some great friends I am taking a leap and so far I seem to be flying! I am offering all family, maternity, individual, engagement, ect. 1 hour sessions for $25 for the year 2013 and 3 hour newborn sessions for $75 or $60 with the purchase of a maternity session. I'm hoping this will give me the opportunity to build a client base as well as strengthen my skills behind the lens and in photo processing. I had my first photo shoot last weekend. It was a family holiday shoot and I had a lot of fun. It didn't go quite as planned, once I got on location I realized a few of my ideas weren't going to work, but I still think I got some nice photos. Since this will be a time of strengthening my skills I am going to say one thing I realized I need to work on is my confidence! I need to speak up and boss people around, ha! The other skill that I will be honing in on is creating images rather than finding them. This is a bit different, but as the creative juices flow I know I can do it! I have a number of sessions coming up in the beginning of the year so keep an eye out! Here are some of my favorites from my first session. Please excuse the flipped photos, for some reason I can't figure out how to rotate them.
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| I know typically closed eyes aren't good, but something about this image I love anyways. It's like they are lost in a special moment. I think the black and white adds to that affect. |
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| I've tried a few different "vintage" editing techniques and I think I finally nailed it! |
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| Aren't they a beautiful family? |
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| Pretty mama |
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| A fun shot! |
Monday, November 26, 2012
Breast is Best...Or is it?
When I was pregnant everywhere I looked breast is best was the word on the street. Doctors said it, nurses said, random strangers said it, even ads from formula companies said it. Breast milk is the best source of nutrition, the list of benefits is a mile long. You must breast feed your baby to be a decent mother. This was the message. Any pregnant woman or formally pregnant woman will agree. Not necessarily agree that breast is best, but that this is the message we all receive.
Now, however, I am the mother to an exclusively breastfed baby and the tune has changed. Now, don't get me wrong, I personally have had quite a positive experience, though I do tend to be oblivious to the stares of strangers. Doctors and nurses are still supportive, but the general message that I see on facebook, on blogs, and in stories I've heard from other breastfeeding mothers is quite different. Cover up, do that in the bathroom, can't you just plan and stay home, can't you pump and use a bottle? So many people view the actual act of breastfeeding as disgusting and inappropriate regardless of their stance on whether you should breast or formula feed.
I am quite a strong person- I don't care what you think, it is my legal right to breastfeed my baby, yes in front of you, yes in public, yes until my baby is 12 (well that's a whole nother ball game, we won't go there). I do like to believe that I am discrete. I rarely use a cover because it is awkward and challenging and doesn't really stay in place, but I do make an effort not to flash the world. And it is my legal right to do so. On top of that I am not ashamed because I strongly believe that I am doing what is best for me and my baby. I emphasize because I absolutely do not judge others who make a different decision for them and their babies, for any reason. It really bothers me that women are encouraged so strongly to breastfeed and then judged so strongly for doing so. Usually though people judge because they are uneducated so I thought I would share with you a little bit into my experience that might show you why I need to breastfeed my baby, yes, even in public (gasp!)
For the first 8 weeks of Tyler's life he breastfed at least every hour during waking hours and at least every two hours at night. Now, for those of you that don't know, that time frame is from the beginning of one feed to the beginning of the other, meaning I rarely spent more than 30 min not breastfeeding during waking hours. Did I have time to pump so I could not offend people and give my baby a bottle in public? No. Did I have the luxury of scheduling outings around by baby's feeding schedule? No. I couldn't even take a trip to the grocery store without having to stop at some point and feed him. Even now Tyler rarely goes more than 2 hours between feedings during the day. And I want to share with you that this experience is quite typical for an exclusively breastfeeding pair. As new mothers our lives don't stop for the first 6 months of our baby's life, there are husbands, households, other children to care for, along with our breastfeeding baby. To make breastfeeding work it has to be done whenever and wherever is needed. It has to be done at Grandma's birthday dinner, it has to be done at the grocery store, it has to be done at little Johnny's soccer practice, breastfeeding has to fit around our lives not the other way around. Any woman who has the courage and the strength to breastfeed her baby should be encouraged and praised. Not that there is anything wrong with making the other choice, but breastfeeding, especially initially, is not a walk in the park, it takes work and effort and persistence and faith that even if every fiber of you is worried that the nursing pair is made perfectly and baby knows just how to get what he needs. If any of you reading this are new or expectant mothers trying or planning to breastfeed know that I will encourage you and support you in your choice, even in public. To all you nay sayers just leave the poor, exhausted, hard working, courageous, amazing mother ALONE and let her do what is best for her and her family, it is her right to do so after all.
And to all my family and friends who have been supportive of us through this process I thank you. I have had an easier time than most with the experience, but it still took patience, dedication, and love.
Now, however, I am the mother to an exclusively breastfed baby and the tune has changed. Now, don't get me wrong, I personally have had quite a positive experience, though I do tend to be oblivious to the stares of strangers. Doctors and nurses are still supportive, but the general message that I see on facebook, on blogs, and in stories I've heard from other breastfeeding mothers is quite different. Cover up, do that in the bathroom, can't you just plan and stay home, can't you pump and use a bottle? So many people view the actual act of breastfeeding as disgusting and inappropriate regardless of their stance on whether you should breast or formula feed.
I am quite a strong person- I don't care what you think, it is my legal right to breastfeed my baby, yes in front of you, yes in public, yes until my baby is 12 (well that's a whole nother ball game, we won't go there). I do like to believe that I am discrete. I rarely use a cover because it is awkward and challenging and doesn't really stay in place, but I do make an effort not to flash the world. And it is my legal right to do so. On top of that I am not ashamed because I strongly believe that I am doing what is best for me and my baby. I emphasize because I absolutely do not judge others who make a different decision for them and their babies, for any reason. It really bothers me that women are encouraged so strongly to breastfeed and then judged so strongly for doing so. Usually though people judge because they are uneducated so I thought I would share with you a little bit into my experience that might show you why I need to breastfeed my baby, yes, even in public (gasp!)
For the first 8 weeks of Tyler's life he breastfed at least every hour during waking hours and at least every two hours at night. Now, for those of you that don't know, that time frame is from the beginning of one feed to the beginning of the other, meaning I rarely spent more than 30 min not breastfeeding during waking hours. Did I have time to pump so I could not offend people and give my baby a bottle in public? No. Did I have the luxury of scheduling outings around by baby's feeding schedule? No. I couldn't even take a trip to the grocery store without having to stop at some point and feed him. Even now Tyler rarely goes more than 2 hours between feedings during the day. And I want to share with you that this experience is quite typical for an exclusively breastfeeding pair. As new mothers our lives don't stop for the first 6 months of our baby's life, there are husbands, households, other children to care for, along with our breastfeeding baby. To make breastfeeding work it has to be done whenever and wherever is needed. It has to be done at Grandma's birthday dinner, it has to be done at the grocery store, it has to be done at little Johnny's soccer practice, breastfeeding has to fit around our lives not the other way around. Any woman who has the courage and the strength to breastfeed her baby should be encouraged and praised. Not that there is anything wrong with making the other choice, but breastfeeding, especially initially, is not a walk in the park, it takes work and effort and persistence and faith that even if every fiber of you is worried that the nursing pair is made perfectly and baby knows just how to get what he needs. If any of you reading this are new or expectant mothers trying or planning to breastfeed know that I will encourage you and support you in your choice, even in public. To all you nay sayers just leave the poor, exhausted, hard working, courageous, amazing mother ALONE and let her do what is best for her and her family, it is her right to do so after all.
And to all my family and friends who have been supportive of us through this process I thank you. I have had an easier time than most with the experience, but it still took patience, dedication, and love.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
3 months!
Seems like things happen in clusters eh? Well Tyler is officially 3 months as of yesterday! Between 2 and 3 month Tyler has really got the sleeping thing down (at night anyways) he only wakes up once a night, which mama loves. This really is habit, except for our overnight at Grandma's when mommy forgot the swaddle. Yeah that was no good, Tyler is clearly not ready to give up his miracle blanket. He also has rolled over a grand total of 3 times! Not consistent enough to catch on video though. Here are a couple official 3 month pictures!
I also got a handful more photos from Kevin's Aunt Lorna from Thanksgiving that I just love!
Thanks Grandma Chris for housing our crazy family, dogs and all! It was quite the wild house with 4 dogs, 4 cats, 6 adults, and a baby!
I also got a handful more photos from Kevin's Aunt Lorna from Thanksgiving that I just love!
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| Grandma and Tyler |
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| Grandma, Papa Barry and Tyler |
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| Grandma and Daddy are silly |
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| WAY TOO SILLY! |
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| Aww |
Now time for the Christmas season to begin. I am hosting a cookie exchange and we have a couple holiday parties before our trip to Denver, which will require about a bazillion blog posts to cover. Tyler's first airplane ride, Christmas, 4 month post, baptism, and meeting lots of new people. Should be a blast! Bring it on December!
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