Celebrity blogger Jenna von Oy is a new mama!
Best known for her roles as Six on Blossom and Stevie on The Parkers, von Oy is also a musician who has released two albums and is set to publish a book, The Betweeners.
von Oy, 36, wed Brad ...
Celebrity blogger Jenna von Oy is a new mama!
Best known for her roles as Six on Blossom and Stevie on The Parkers, von Oy is also a musician who has released two albums and is set to publish a book, The Betweeners.
von Oy, 36, wed Brad Bratcher on Oct. 10, 2010, and resides in Nashville with her husband and five dogs.
They welcomed their first child, daughter Gray Audrey, on May 21. She is now 1 year old.
In her latest blog, von Oy takes a look back at her first year of motherhood – and shares the celebration with a giveaway for her loyal readers.
You can find her on Facebook and Twitter @JennavonOy, as well as posting on her weekly blog, The Cradle Chronicles.
Headed to a celebratory dinner – The Cradle Chronicles
In one year, the earth completes a full revolution around the sun. During that time, there are 52 weeks, 365 days, 12 months, two equinox, and 525,949 minutes. For the majority of my 36 years on this planet, those have been my units of measurement for the passing of a single year … But all of that changed when my beautiful little girl arrived.
Instead, the last year has been marked by a set of non-scientific facts and figures, and the only mathematical statistics my husband and I have charted can be found in an album with a label that reads, “This baby book belongs to Gray Audrey Bratcher.” A year’s worth of time has been tabulated by the number of words Gray has uttered, how far she has crawled, how many inches she has grown, and the hours we’ve spent cuddling. In fact, I’ve been so enchanted by her achievements that I even forgot my own birthday was this month (May 2nd), until my husband reminded me!
I can tell you there have been 365 mornings of waking up to Gray’s wonderfully dimpled and sleepy smile, and 365 nights of singing her into slumber. There have been hundreds of dirty diapers, hugs and kisses that have numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and an infinite amount of thanks given for being blessed to have her in our lives. Yes, my baby is already one year old, and it blows my mind more than the Big Bang theory. (To clarify, I’m referring to the theory regarding the early development of the Universe. Not the CBS sitcom.)
The first year went by faster than I could ask, “Oh my gosh, I really get to be mommy to this amazing, awe-inspiring child?” and “Are you sure I’m qualified?” Every day offers me defining moments that prompt me to marvel at it all. Having the chance to witness Gray’s daily discoveries is a constant joy for Brad and I, and we cry through happy tears each time she moves from one phase into the next. I suspect many of you have experienced something similar. Over the last 12 months, we have watched her accomplish the traditionally notable firsts such as: smiling, laughing, waving, clapping, crawling, pulling up on furniture, cutting teeth, tasting solid foods, saying “Daddy” and “Mommy” and taking her first step.
But there have been other subtler moments too — ones that crept in slowly and seeped into our hearts, never to be forgotten. Some of my favorites include the first time she laid her head on my shoulder to take a nap, the first time she opened her mouth and leaned in to offer me a fantastically slobbery kiss, all of the times she has smirked wryly at something I’ve said, and her nightly ritual of petting our puppies. There are activities that signify our time spent together: reading The Hungry Caterpillar in French, walking through our neighborhood and talking about the trees, singing and signing the ABCs, riding the local carousel, planting our vegetable garden, traveling to both the East and West Coasts, and making up silly ditties about ladybugs and bumblebees.
Gray has already gleaned some important knowledge in her short time in the world, such as the fact that Mommy will always take care of her when she’s sick (she was such a trooper dur