Toby Turns ONE!

We had a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends this past weekend. Matt's family drove down from Iowa, Andy drove in from OKC and my cousin, Elizabeth flew in from Portland to make his birthday extra special. His party was Milkaholic themed since Toby only wanted milk for the first nine months. He was a little hesitant to dig into his cake, but once the attention was diverted, he thoroughly enjoyed himself. 

The past year has been lots of fun, and we couldn't be more thankful for the joy and blessing that he is. 

Toby's First Haircut

I was so sad to see the curls go, but his new hairstyle makes him look so much older! Toby was very well behaved and didn't make any fuss. He got to play with trains, ride/sit in a taxi car and watch TV which were all great distractions! Although it was quite the experience, we may need to take a lesson from my brother, Alden, so we can cut his hair ourselves because it could really add up. :)

Joys of Teething!

We are so excited that Toby has his first little tooth. Matt noticed a little white patch in his gums last week. I wouldn't have guessed he was teething by any symptoms until after it was pointed out. Now that I know, of course, I 'see' the signs :) 


Toby's been enjoying his swimming lessons. He'll be up to three seconds under the water this week. Matt and I take turns being in the water with him at his lessons. Matt says that the teaching is just as much for mommy as Toby - I just get so nervous sometimes!

We love this little guy so much! 

Road Trips and Family

In the past month, Toby has spent time with 30 of his extended family members - grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts, second cousins...

- The end of May, our little family took a road trip to Iowa to spend time with Matt's side. We had a good time relaxing, introducing Toby to his Iowa family and enjoyed a fun evening with the Vickers!

- The day after our return Granddad came to visit. He stayed a few days, drove to OKC for a long weekend trip and drove back to spend a little more time with us before flying back to PDX.

- We road tripped down to Austin to see the Zimels and Charley over Father's Day weekend. Andy and his girlfriend, Michelle, met us there. From there, we all went to San Antonio, where Toby and I kept Matt company during a conference and enjoyed the luxuries of the resort.

- Alden bought tickets for Niki and the kids to fly down on a last minute adventure, and we loved hosting them in our triple digit heat. I think they took a few degrees back with them, although you'd only know by looking at the thermometer. Uncle Andy took vacation time and came down for the fun too! We spent lots of time in the pool, played games, played baseball, watched movies, JFK memorial and the boys went to the Rangers game! Toby was so sad when he woke up and didn't have his cousins at his beck and call to entertain him. 


I have said this before, and I'm certain I'll say it many more times, but the age Toby is at now is my favorite! He is so interactive and getting more independent everyday. We feel like he's grown up so much just within the last week! He now eats food, although he has skipped the pureed and likes tiny pieces of whatever we are eating. His favorite are those little baby puffs that melt in his mouth. And he drinks from a straw! Hooray! This is a huge accomplishment since he has refused the bottle. He pulls himself to standing position and alters between army crawling and bear crawling around our house. 

So Grateful!

Toby had his six month birthday today, and to celebrate, he ate avocado yesterday! I'm not sure what he thought of the taste, but Matt and I are having fun with the new milestone. Toby loves being outside, being lifted high in the air, taking naps with his momma, splashing in the bath, evening walks with daddy, being on his changing pad, watching the trees blowing in the wind, iphones, and chewing on everything he can reach. His little giggle instantly melts my heart. He goes to bed around 7pm, and Matt and I freely enjoy our evenings, since he sleeps straight until 6am. We go to bed taking turns talking about all his cuteness.

Matt really enjoys his job and all his co-workers. Everyone thinks so highly of him, and he's proving to be very successful in sales! I am finishing up my part-time position at RemitDATA. I will have been with them for nearly four years, and I am so thankful for this slow transition out. I'm excited to be solely a stay at home mom and see how we will fill our time.

We took pictures of Toby this afternoon in our HOA park. It's hard for me to just post a few, so here are some collages for you to enjoy!

Toby Time!

I think it's time for another post and an update. Tobias William Borne is three and a half months old! He is such a joy and blessing.

Daddy dressing Toby for the first time at the birth center.

This morning as I was changing him, he looked me in the eyes and gave me the sweetest smile. It completely melted my heart! My emotions instantly overwhelmed me, and I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. 

Uncle Andy and Toby - one day old

Toby had to be under these Bililights for 5 days to cure his jaundice. 

He arrived a week early, October 22 at 8:42am. He weighed 9 lbs and 2 oz; 22 inches long. The day before, I started feeling small cramps, and thought it was false labor. They lasted all day, and by evening they were getting stronger. I explained what I was feeling to Matt when he got home from work. We decided to continue with our plans and went out to dinner...last date pre baby! As we left the restaurant, I felt one long contraction and knew it was the real deal. We made a quick stop at Target and went home to begin timing contractions. I called my Dad and Jan to tell them, and then talked to Niki through about 30 minutes of my contractions. By that point it was getting too intense to talk to anyone. We waited until 11p to call my midwife. She said that she would get ready and call us when she got to the birth center. Between contractions, we packed everything in the car and made a few more phone calls. It was 1:45a by the time we got to the birth center. I felt very confident when we walked in. The lights were dim, relaxing music was playing, candles were lit, a warm bath was drawn, and one white sheet was on the bed. By 4am, I felt the need to push. Unfortunately, Toby's head was turned to the side, so I ended up pushing for over three hours trying to turn him. It was hard and exhausting.

Tummy time! 6 weeks old

 After his head came out, the midwife got the camera ready to take a picture of Matt catching Toby. She told me to give one big push, so I did, but Toby didn't budge. She said it a second time, and I pushed again, but he was not coming out. She dropped the camera and began performing a series of steps to unlock his shoulder; Toby had shoulder dystocia. The last two minutes of labor were very scary, but the midwives released his shoulder, and he came out with only minor bruising on his face. After hearing his size, I understand why it took so long to push and why he got stuck! My brother, Andy, arrived at 4p, and helped us pack up to go home. It was so nice having him there the next couple of days. I think Matt and I each got about four hours of sleep the next few days...new parent excitement and worries.

Christmas morning!

Toby is a trooper and seems to take after Matt's laid back personality. He is so sweet, and I am amazed at how much I love this little guy...I didn't know my heart could feel so much. I truly believe he, and every baby, is a miracle by God. Toby is a great sleeper (11 hours straight at night) and is super giggly and chatty when we go to his crib once he wakes up. Right now, it's my favorite part of the day.

Dog my mom made for my first child. She recorded a sweet message on it.