January is OVER?

I was writing the date on some paperwork today and I cannot believe how fast time is flying... I am used to writing 2011 on things... although it never ceases to amaze me that it is a new year! Wow.

With a the new year, begins a new semester! Wow... has it been busy! Ryan is still going "part time" to school and I use quotes because there is nothing partial about it. He is taking 2 classes and a practicum AND working a full-time job. He is doing great work and although he misses his wife and son, he is wonderfully present with his clients at work and the boys he works with.

I am taking 3 classes, 2 practicums, and 1 traverse (30hr internship). I am doing my 2 practicums at Cibola High School in the 9th grade academy. This means that I need to complete 300 hours this semester and co-faciliate 10 group sessions... with 9th graders! So any prayers will be appreciated. I am doing my traverse at Engender Cousnseling, Inc. and so far all is going well.

Topher, sweet Topher, is taking some time to adjust to the new schedules! He and I need to be out of the house pretty early and Tophie has decided that sleeping late is better then waking up! It makes for a rushed morning and a quick good-bye when I have to drop him off at care! Poor dude! Topher gets taken care of by some friends from church and he is loved and has a great time when he's there... it's just the initial drop-off that is diffcult! (For baby and momma!)

He does get some fun one-on-one time with Daddy on Tuesday nights when I am in class and I get some great time with him Thursday and Friday afternoons. These are fun times together!

Topher has gotten 4 new teeth, some back molars came in and they seem to be taking a toll with a slight fever and not much eating. Hopefully soon, though, this will mean even more and more new foods to introduce! He is signing more and more and is learning more and more words! His favorite words include "eye", "trash", "dog", "eeee/iiii" (as in Old McDonald), "mom", "weeee" (says when playing), and "asshhh ashhh...blar blar down" (as in ring-aroung-the rosies) and of course, "dada".

He signs "more", "milk", "help", "please". He is such a quick learner and soaks things up like a sponge! I need to watch what I say more and more!

Anyway, all is well in this little Porter house! Just wanted to do a quick blog to catch up!

Tio E turns the BIG 3-0!

What a wonderful weekend adventure we had! Ryan, Topher, and I took a plane to go surprise Ernie for his 30th birthday! This had been in the works for a while and I never thought that it would be possible! Sweet sister, Daley, said that it just wouldn't be a party without Topher, so we packed up and went! Needless to say, I was super nervous about flying with a 15 month old! Topher loves to sit still for books, and that is about it. He always wants to play chase or run to go get a new toy, so sitting still on a plane was not going to be easy!

We packed snacks, milk, toys, and books... it was wonderful! Topher loved being on the plane! He loved to open and close the window and point to the wing of the plane. We read his books and he waved to all the people that walked up and down the isle. There was even a 20 month old blonde beauty that sat behind us that loved to say 'hi' to the baby! She was a great distraction.

We arrived in Dallas and Daley picked us up from the airport. We drove the hour back to their house and waited for Ernie to get home from work! I called Ernie on our way, because we saw a black car on the freeway and was certain it was him. Luckily, he was just leaving the office and we had time to beat him home and hide! As Ernie pulled up Ryan, Daley, and I hide behind the walls and let Topher walked and roam around the living room. Ernie opened the door, and saw Topher! He was shocked. This was surprise number one!

Surprise number two came the next day! Ernie said that he wanted to go out to dinner for his birthday, so that was the plan... or so he thought! We ate a big breakfast and then Ryan had made plans with Mike to get Ernie out of the house. Topher, Daley, Megan (Daley's sister) and I got the house ready to party! When it was time for the boys to come, the house was full of people, Ernie and Ryan were no where to be found! They wanted to go run errands and get things done... Ryan is not very good at being sneaky!

We finally got them to come home and surprised Ernie! He said he was scared as he opened the door and got "SURPRISE" screamed at him and tortillas thrown at him. It was wonderful!

This is Javier and SK welcoming the birthday boy home!

The Brown's and the cake! Daley ordered a Dave Matthews Cake.

The lyrics read, "Celebrate, we will! Life is short but sweet". It was cool looking and delicious!

Ernie got some hats for his birthday, so they made their way around the party

keeping people's ears warm!

Even though there was a party happeneing, Topher got Tia Meggy to read him a book!

The party last well into the night, and one of the best parts was when Daley become the keeper of the quiet after Topher was put to bed!

The next day, Ernie introduced us to a new board game and we drank espresso and relaxed. We got lunch and watched the snow begin to fall! We packed up, loaded the car, and returned to Dallas. We flew home and Topher did great on the plane again! He is such a sweet boy! It was a wonderful weekend with surprises and lots and lots of laughs!

Thank you, Daley, for making it possible!

AND HAPPY 30th, ERNIE!

13 Month Old Blog

It’s been a while… I feel like I am failing at blogging! And I don’t like it! But, today, I am home with my Tophie and while it’s been a full day, there is NOTHING looming in this evenings’ future that is pressing for my time, at this moment, so I am blogging! Yay!

Today, Tophie has been all mine. I haven’t had to share him with his caregivers, Gina or Brittany, and I haven’t had to trade him off to Ryan so that I can run to class… it’s been just him and me and it is exactly what I needed. My day would have been even better if Ryan were here to play with us; too, however, someone needs to work outside the home. This week has been full of clients, meetings, paperwork, classes, and workshops. Topher has been such a trooper during this time, although, I know he misses his house, his toys, his dogs, and his momma. Wednesday when I dropped him off at care, he did his silent cry! This is when Topher begins to cry and the PAIN is so much that he cannot breathe. Just think of a baby how has fallen and hit their head or something and their mouth is wide open, and yet no sound. BREAK MY HEART! Topher LOVES his caregivers and her sons, but the thought of spending this time apart was hard on him… and me!

As soon as I was pulling out of the driveway he was already being entertained by dogs licking the glass backdoor and little buddies, but that moment of separation… it’s hard. And we survived!
Anyway, back to today… Topher and I have played, eaten, worked and he napped and I vegged. It’s been a great day.

And since I haven’t done this in a while, here are 13 things about my 13 month-old:
1. Topher loves to bark. When his, or any dog barks, Topher has a lot to say back!
2. He is starting to understand and freely give “besos”
3. He can melt even the most stoic college kid by waving to them as they drive by on campus.
4. Topher LOVES string cheese.
5. Shoveling dog food into the dog’s bowls, onto the floor, and into his mouth is one of Topher’s favorite chores.
6. Instead of saying “cheese” when we point the camera at him, he says “EEEYYYYYY” (I started that)
7. Topher now gets in trouble for holding his milk cups upside down and shaking them out for the dogs to drink.
8. Topher gets in trouble for empting the trashcans.
9. Topher gets into trouble for biting me when I brush his teeth.
10. One of his favorite meals is hummus and Middle Eastern wheat flatbread.
11. Baby T now eats 2 eggs and fresh fruit for breakfast- yup, just like a real human!
12. Even though he won’t admit it, Topher likes Glee. He dances to it.
13. As of this week, Topher now has more hair then his daddy. Ryan shaved his head!

Alright, that’s my blog for today! Thanks for reading.
Hopefully, more to come- ‘til then, CHEERS!

Bad Mom = Bad Blogger

I haven't blogged in a long while and I feel so sad that so much has happened that I haven't shared with the world! Topher's birthday was amazing and I have so many thoughts I need to write about and pictures to share! Ryan, Topher, and I went to the pumpkin patch in Moriarty, and that was a precious memory-making day! And this past weekend was Halloween (parties, a trip to the zoo, and trick or treating) and Topher was just the cutest baby in the world and really had a great weekend! So... this is my sneek preview to the big blogs to come! I am making a public commitment to blog and work harder to document our life and share more stories about Tophie.

My last post was a quick reflection of how precious life is and how thankful I truly am. I mentioned a friend who recently gave birth to a small 25 week old baby...well, today that sweet baby boy passed away, just 4 days old. I am grieving for all the things that my friend must be going through... feelings and thoughts I hope to never understand.

I mourn for her and that her first experience with motherhood is so laiden with sadness. I pray for her marriage and the rest of her family. If you are reading this, please take a moment, and pray for Erin.

Quick post of THANKS

When Topher was 2 weeks late being born, I thought "Why is my body doing this to me? Why won't it go into labor like it's supposed to? WHY?" And then when my milk supply was low and Topher and I were struggling to nurse, again, I thought "Why is my body doing this to me? Why isn't it nourishing and working like it's supposed to? WHY?" It was a difficult time, from the missing of my due date, to the induction, the 32 hours of labor, to the two weeks when we pumped and nursed and pumped some more and I was so sad that things happened the way they did. I still think back and wonder about why.

But, this month, chasing around my healthy, happy, lovely baby boy, I get my head on straight and stop asking why! Two of my childhood friends are facing challenges this month that are much, much harder then low milk supply. One friend's husband had his check-up and they found that the cancer has come back and is now in his left lung. Another friend just gave birth to a 25wk old baby who weighs 1 lb 11ozs. The paths that the Lord had lead my friends to is scary, long, and hard. I know God is in control and I pray that my friends find strength that only God can provide.

I am angry at myself that I have to have doses of this kind of reality to make me stop and give thanks for my healthy son and husband. But, no matter how it comes, the important thing is doing it.

I thank God for my son, Topher Van Sol and for my partner, Ryan Kendall. I also thank God for every remembrance of you.

11 things about my 11 month old.

September has just begun, but already it's shaping up to be a wonderful month! Besides little man, Topher, reaching 11 months, COLLEGE FOOTBALL season has offically started! Here are Ryan and I in our t-shirts watching the first Texas Tech game of the season. It was a victory over SMU! This coming week, Texas Tech is playing UNM here and we have tickets with two other couples. It is going to be a fun game, I just hope UNM shows up and doesn't lose as badly as they did last weekend (72-0 against Oregon, Yiks!) Even though presently I am a UNM student, I will ALWAYS root for Texas Tech- sorry Lobos... WRECK 'EM TECH!






As I said, Topher is now 11 months old and I cannot believe his first birthday is a few weeks away! Here he is looking super cute!

Below are a few pictures of Topher doing things that he loves right now!

Playing with sunglasses

Climbing and sitting on boxes

Standing on his head

Eating and playing with is food.

Here is my monthly list of 11 things about my 11 month old, Topher.

1. Kiwi is one of his favorite things to eat.

2. My cell phone is the best teething toy.

3. One of Topher's legs is rough and the other is soft... because of the way he gorilla crawls.

4. He has mastered giving "high-five"

5. Topher gets very scared and begins to cry during one specific saxaphone solo from Dave Matthews Band. I am very sad about this- video coming soon!

6. Topher does not care for almond milk

7. Topher should probably have Master's degree by the time he is two... he goes to class with Ryan two times a week!

8. Topher's favorite song right now is "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

9. Topher has decided that his sleeping babies like to be thrown out of his crib as soon as it's morning. I head a thump, thump, thump around 7:30am

10. My boy does not understand that he is the boss of the grass and can crawl/walk on it. He freezes when on our beautiful lawn!

11. Topher now understands and is testing what "NO" means. I don't know if I will be strong enough to stand up against the many tears and pouty lips that are in my future from this guy!