2013 - The Year in Review

I did this post last year, so I thought I'd make it a yearly tradition.  2013 was pretty great.  My biggest dream was fulfilled.  I became a momma.  2014 is really going to have to bring it if it wants to even sort of compare.

1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before? Gave birth.  It was single handedly the most amazing experience of my life.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make New Year's resolutions.  Why set yourself up for failure at the beginning of a new year?  Not exactly the best way to start...

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Me!  I don't thing it gets any closer than that...

4. Did anyone close to you die? No. 

 

5. What countries did you visit? None.  Just some travel within the southeast.  Kind of hard to travel internationally either super preggo or with a teeny baby.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?  More money would be nice...

7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 23, 2013 - welcome to the world Holt Fairfield Watts II!!!!! April 20, 2013 - my big brother got married.  September 11, 2013 - I turned the big 3-0
 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Becoming a momma.  It's the biggest achievement of my life.
 

9. What was your biggest failure? Not being able to breast feed.  I tried.  I really did.  But, at the same time, I feel like maybe I could have tried harder.  It was suuuuuch a struggle from the get go.  Then, with B being gone for 2 weeks on top of all the issues, it was just too much.  H is growing and thriving, so I know he's ok.  But, if I could go back, I would and try harder.
 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Preeclampsia, I suppose.  That had me bed ridden for 3 weeks pre-baby!

11. What was the best thing you bought?  Since we paid hospital bills, I'll say the baby!  LOL.  I know it's kind of a stretch, but since 2013 was the year of Holt, I'm going with it.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?  I'll give this one to my sweet husband again.  I thought I was in love with him before.  But, man, seeing him be a dad just made me fall even harder.  He's such a good dad to our little kiddo.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? I honestly don't think anyone's did this year.  At least not to me personally.

14. Where did most of your money go? The kiddo.  Of course
 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Having my sweet boy and becoming a momma

16. What song will always remind you of 2013? You are my Sunshine.  It's the lullaby I always sing to Holt and almost always calms him down.
 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
(a) Happier or Sadder? Happier!

(b) Thinner or Fatter? This is a trick question.  I was 25 weeks preggo this time last year.  So, I'll compare it to the year before and say fatter.

(c) Richer or Poorer? Poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Enjoying every minute of my maternity leave and soaking up every ounce of newborn squishiness

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stress!

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2013?   In Tennessee with my family.  Holt got to spend his first Christmas with his cousins and his aunts and uncles and my parents.  It was chaotic and awesome and so filled with love

 

21. Did you fall in love in 2013? Yep, with my sweet sweet little love bug

22. How many one-night stands?  Negative

23. What was your favorite TV program? I discovered the gloriousness that is Scandal.  It's the one show that I'll actually stay up for to watch live.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.  I try to not hate anyone.  I don't have the time for that kind of negativity in my life.

25. What was the best book you read? Oh gosh!  I read a lot of good books this year!  Ummmm...The Fault in Our Stars.  That book was amazing

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Twinkle Twinkle Little Rockstar Pandora.  Anything that has Hey Ya as a lullaby is amazing in my book!

27. What did you want and get? A happy, healthy, thriving baby
 

28. What did you want and not get?  Nothing that I can think of

29. What was your favourite film of this year? The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
 

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I worked then went to a low key Mexican dinner wit the hubs.  I turned 30.  I did go out the following weekend with some girlfriends and partied it up like I was 21 though! 

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Can't think of anything.  That's the funny thing about getting what you've always wanted.  It's kind of hard to top it.

 

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013? Stretchy and comfortable!
 

33. What kept you sane? My hubby and my mom. 

 

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Aaron Paul.  Love him!
 

35. What political issue stirred you the most?  Not much.  I'm not a super political person, so I try to ignore it as much as possible.
  

36. Who did you miss? My family in TN.  Always
 

37. Who was the best new person you met? Definitely Holt.  He's the best person I've ever met.
 

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.  Sometimes life doesn't turn out how you plan it.  Things don't go according to plan.  All you can do is hold on and enjoy the ride.
 

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

40. What are your resolutions for 2014?  I usually don't do resolutions.  But this year, I will try to stress less.  Things always have a way of working out in the end.  And, if they don't, I'm learning I'm strong enough to deal with whatever life throws at me.  I'll also work on remembering that!

9 Months!

My sweet little 9 month old got me sick, so my apologies if this post doesn't make the most sense ever.  My head is a little cloudy from all the medicine.  And snot.  Lots of snot.  Yum.

Anyway, H turned 9 months old while we were in Tennessee visiting my family for Christmas.  So, the pictures weren't taken until yesterday.  And we didn't have his well baby visit until today.

8 months vs. 9 months

Developmentally, he's exactly where he needs to be.  He's growing and learning new things every single day.

For weight, he's right at the 50th percentile at 20 lbs 11 oz
For weight, he appears to be leveling out.  He's 28.5 inches long in the 55%
His head, thank goodness!, is also leveling out.  It's still big - 18.5 cm (inches? I have no idea!) and in the 89%.  But, as the doctor said, it just means bigger hats.

He's a great eater, and will eat everything we give him.  He's at about 3-5 bottles a day and 3 meals.  He's on level 3 baby foods.  The doctor said to start giving him more finger foods.  He's got 5 (almost 6) teeth! So, he can handle more foods.

He's pretty much always in a great mood.  He's so smiley and happy.  He giggles more and more and babbles all the time.  I swear, I could just listen to him talk and giggle all day long and do nothing else.

Such a goof

He is soooo close to walking.  He can stand, unassisted and unsupported, for a few seconds on his own.  He cruises around on everything.  WHen he's not doing that, he's crawling all over creating.  He's so curious and I love it.

He doesn't really dislike much right now.  Although, during his cold last week, you'd think someone was murdering him anytime they tried to clean the snot situation going on in his nose.  But, aside from that, he's good.

He's loving his B Zany Zoo Cube he got for Christmas.  As well as his doll that we've been referring to as the "murder dog".  It's this stuffed V-Tech dog that lights up and talks.  However, when it says "it's learning time!" it really sounds like "it's murder time!" and it'll go off at weird times.   He loves to read books every night before bed.  He's also graduated to the big boy tub and no longer uses his infant tub.  It took some getting used to, but now he loves it as much as the other.

He's in size 3 diapers, still.  For clothes and jammies, he's in 9 months, or 6-12 months.  I can't believe he's already getting so big!  He's got a long torso, so a lot of the one piece things and overalls don't fit as well any more.  This morning, I had him in a fleece vest that was quickly veering into belly shirt territory.  Maybe he just has a milk gut?  LOL

This face!

He can wave bye bye and occasionally say it too.  He says mama and dada.  He gives kisses and I live for that.  I also love when he's cuddly and just burries his face into my neck.  That's my happy place.  He's starting to clap when we say "YAY!" and he could play peek a boo all day long.  He even holds a blanket over his head and will lower it when you say "where's Holt?".  Then he just cracks up.  He loves to have his chubby thighs tickled and  will laugh and laugh.  So, naturally, we do it all the time.

Sweet little Boo,

I love you so much I can't even stand it.  You are so much fun and we just can't get enough of you.  Can you please stay like this forever?

We love you!
Momma and Daddy

These are my confessions*

*You must sing the title from the Usher song "Confessions" - cause that's what I'm doing.

Ok, technically, it should be titled "this is my confession".  Guys, I miss being pregnant.  Like woah.  Sometimes I ache for it.  I loved being pregnant.  I loved every single second of it.  Even when I was big and sore and swollen, I loved it.

I don't know if it's because I had a relatively easy pregnancy, or if it's because I tried soooo hard and wanted it sooo bad, but I soaked up every single second.  I even find myself still resting my hand on my belly, like I did all the time when I was preggo.

I loved having B lay on my belly to feel the baby move.  I loved feeling him move myself.  I loved actually seeing him move the bigger and bigger he got.  I loved how pretty my hair was.  It was so thick and lovely.  LOL  I loved the pregnancy glow.  I loved the cute preggo clothes.

Seriously, how great does my hair look?  LOL

And, now I miss it.  Basically, I have pregnancy fever.  Do NOT confuse that with baby fever.  I definitely do not want another baby now, if ever.  I am so madly in love with sweet little H that I'm not sure I ever want another baby.  But, boy could I be pregnant again.  It was the best 37 weeks. 

I miss it so much I've actually given serious consideration to being a surrogate.  However, since I didn't have a normal healthy pregnancy, I'm out of the running.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll give in and decide I'm ready for #2.  But, right now, I'm content loving my sweet boy and missing being knocked up.

Merry Christmas!!!

I just love this time of year.  Although, admittedly, the past few years, my house and the holidays seem to have a love/hate relationship.  Prior to this year I had only decorated once in the past 3 Christmases.  Oddly enough, the one I did decorate for, we weren't even home for it.  I'm a strange bird.

However, since it's sweet H's first Christmas, this momma had to get it together and really make things festive!  We decorated last weekend.  There was a brief moment where we thought we lost our decorations.  But, B found them and saved Christmas!  (actually, I found them.  He just crawled into the attic where they were.  Not a chore I wanted, so he gets credit.  Sort of).  H did a great job hanging out in his pack n play watching us decorate.  And, so far he's not really interested in the tree.  The presents, on the other hand, are very fascinating to him.  Sadly, only two little board books are for him. I figured, his grandparents will get him more than enough and he has so few needs.  So, we will wait till later years to really go all out.  He won't really notice this year anyway. 

This weekend, we took him to see Santa.  He was all decked out in his holiday finest.  And, by finest, I mean an adorable outfit that I bought for this specific outing that he won't be able to wear again.  He and Santa had matching bellies and the pants were more like capris.  He did so good with the big guy though.  He sat there and smiled like a good boy.  He even cried when I picked him up off Santa's lap.  Such a little ham.  The girl doing the pictures took a ton because he was doing so good.

This coming weekend, we will celebrate Christmas with B's family.  Then we head off to celebrate with my family in TN.  I.  can't. wait.  We will be there the whole week.  I absolutely adore my mom's house at Christmas.  That coupled with my family for a whole week makes my heart smile.  I can't wait to see H with his cousins now that he's mobile and interactive.  It's going to be the best.

Love this.  Aside from the fact that he looks like a ginger.  He's not.

 

My handsome med waiting to meet Santa
 

This face

 

It's Santa!  I know him!!

I hope you all have a very wonderful and Merry Christmas!!!

8 Months

Ok, time you can slow down now.  I do not appreciate you speeding faster and faster toward the one year mark.  I just can't handle it!

My little guy is getting more and more fun by the day.  He's got so much energy and personality.  I am totally loving this stage.  He cracks us up constantly and has the most infectious smile.  He's pretty much happy all the time.  He rarely cries unless he's hungry or sleepy.  He's on the go all the time.  Much like his daddy, he's not content in one place for too long.  He's crawling all over the house exploring everything.  If we catch him, he just looks at us with a huge grin that basically says "do you see what I'm doing! This is awesome!"

If he doens't like what's going on - he will let you know!  We've taken to sticking him in baby jail (his pack n play) and if it's just too confined for this free range baby, he will yell at us until we let him out.  At dinner last night, I was dropping water in his mouth with my straw and when I quit, he yelled at me again.  He's definitely opinionated and wants things his way.  Not sure where he got that from...Yeah, it's me.  Definitely me.

 

 

Loves
Food. This little piggy eats whatever we put in front of him
Being free and mobile
Standing up
Musical toys
Being tickled (his thighs and his neck get the biggest and best giggles)
Playing Peek A Boo - this guarantees a laugh every single time

Hates
His carseat.  This does not bode well for our 9 hour road trip we have next month!
Getting changed.  He's forced to be too still for too long

Milestones:
Waving hi and bye bye
Saying Mama and Dada and we're convinced Bye Bye
Playing Peek a Boo - he will cover his face and move whatever he's covering it with
Quickly (like a millisecond) standing without holding on to anything
Using a sippy cup with no handles

My sweet boy:

I can't even believe how much you're growing and changing every single day.  Your daddy and I love watching  you learn and experience new things.  You are so curious and love to be out and about to see everything that's going on.  You are such a happy little guy. You smile so much and we're getting some great giggles these days.

Love you so much boo,
Momma

And, since we were at a football game all day the day he actually turned 8 months (the pictures above were from the day after) - here's a picture from the actual day of.

How awesome are his hat and shoes!

Catch up - in Instagram pictures

I am the world's worst blogger and for that I apologize. But, basically my life is boring.  I go to work, come home, play with the nugget, go to sleep.  Rinse and repeat.  Nothing too crazy or exciting.  So, in the effort to post more than just the monthly recaps of H, here is a run down of everything that's been going on the past few weeks.  Presented in Instagram pictures.  Full disclosure - it's only in IG pics because when I hold my phone upright to take a picture, it sends it sideways and it won't turn in blogger.  At least I can't figure out how to make it do so.

Holt has been crawling everywhere.  And when he reaches his final destination, he pulls up on the nearest whatever.  It's both adorable and exhausting. 




Exhibit A.  He's also realized that this is where we keep his toys...

 

 

The box is much more fun than the toys.  And keeps him contained!

 

Is this not the sweetest thing!

 

B was out of town all weekend and this momma was exhausted from chasing H down all over the house.  So, it donned on me.  Baby jail.  Our Pack N Play was in the living room (collapsed and in it's bag).  I figured why not set it up and put his toys in it and see what happens.  He loved it!  He can still pull up in there, play with his toys, and see us.  It's a win win all around.

I have too many toys and they must all go in my mouth!

B's mom bought him the most ridiculously adorable winter hat a few weeks ago.  One morning it was actually cold enough for him to wear it.  B was out of town so he needed a picture of the cuteness.

And the adults have even had some fun!  Sometimes it's hard to have our own fun and be grown ups.  But, it does happen from time to time.

B's parents are moving and in the process have cleaned out all their stuff and given away what they can.  We managed to nab a side table.  And 3 bottles of champagne.  Win!  So, last Tuesday, I decided it was Champagne Tuesday!  I'm trying to make it a thing.  Feel free to participate.

B decided to hijack Champagne Tuesday and add Whiskey

And then...best thing ever.... this happened on Wednesday

 It was freaking amazing.  B got me tickets for my 30th bday back in September.  Best gift ever.  I've loved JT for a long time.  Not ramen hair phase long, but a long time.  So, when he announced he was coming to Raleigh I knew I needed to go.  And, since I have the best husband ever, he surprised me.  I took a girlfriend and we met up with 2 other friends.  It was the best girls night ever.  He played for 3 solid hours.  Well, minus his 10 minute set break.  But he's 32 and needs the break so F you.  Those were his words, not mine.  As a fellow potty mouth, I found it endearing.  He was so so so amazing. It was well worth the exhaustion and bad hair the next day.  In the words of my friend A who went with me: there was no amount of coffee or dry shampoo that made Thursday ok. 

So, that's what's been going on with me.  What's going on with you?


7 Months

My sweet little dude is 7 months old already.  7 whole months.  He's now closer to a year than to a newborn.  It's just nuts to me.  I know I say that every month.  But, I still just can't believe how fast it's all passing by.  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was at home on bed rest?  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was holding my sweet teeny little peanut in my arms wondering how my heart wasn't going to burst from loving him so much. Although, for the record, the only thing that's really changed in that scenario is that he's not longer a teeny peanut.  My heart is constantly about to burst from loving him so damn much.  I just can't believe it all is flying by.

We call this his gentleman pose.  Or his ladies man pose.

 

He is growing and changing every day.  It's like all of his milestones are coming fast and furious.  He's mommy's little over acheiver!  He's got such a sweet little personality.  He's happy all the time.  The only time he cries is when he's hungry or tired.  I am so happy about this development since he was so fussy in the early days.  Even our babysitter mentions how different he is and how much fun she has with him now.  We have play time every evening after he eats dinner.  We tickle and talk in funny voices and he giggles and smiles so huge.  Heart. Bursting.

Such a difference. Look how chubby he's gotten!!

 

Loves:
Being mobile (see milestones.  There are a LOT)
His bouncy
Food (little piggy!) - especially fruits and things that are mixed (vs. single flavor items)
Going on walks
Snuggles
Baths.  Always baths.

Monster Jams.  Love them!

He's started crinkling his nose when he smiles

Hates:
You know, not much these days.  Even getting lotioned after his baths don't piss him off anymore.  KNOCK ON WOOD!!!

Milestones:
2 teeth!  If you look super close to the bath picture you can kind of see them.
Crawling
Pulling up - first to knees now to standing.  The crib coudln't be lowered soon enough
He knows what "give me a kiss" means and will lean in and "kiss" you. 
Mastering his pincer grip.  Although getting food to his mouth is another story....
Leaning into or away from a person when he's being held.  It's usually into me and away from someone else and I kind of love it.

Now that he's crawling and pulling up on everything, he's constantly on the go.  He will not sit still for anything.  I keep joking that with my overacheiving-ness and B's penchant for recklessness/adventure we are so screwed witht his kid.  He's hardly even whimpering when he falls over now.  He has even learned to stand on stuff to reach the top of the coffee table at daycare.  He's a little daredevil already!  Also, I feel like 7 months is really young to be able to figure that out.  Apparently not.  I'm not ready for him to be so grown.  But, I absolutely LOVE watching him grow and learn and be curious.  It's like you can actually see him learning and discovering and it's the coolest thing ever.

He did this all by himself.  And hung out for a while just standing there

Sweet little Boo,

I can't tell you how much fun we're having with you.  You are such a curious and adventerous little dude and we're loving every minute of it.  You are so happy all the time and give us the biggest smiles.  One of my favorite things is when you are crawling or have pulled up on something - you look back at me with this big accomplished grin on your face.  It's almost like you're saying "Hey mom, did you see me?!"  You talk all the time and it's the cutest thing to hear.  Sometimes you like to start yelling and it sounds like you're yelling at us for something.  It's hilarious.  You've started to notice the dogs and they could kind of care less.  One day you and Hippo will be BFF though.  I just know it! 

I love you so so so much!
Momma

Weekend happenings...from last weekend...

I'd like to blame my lack of blogging on my super busy life.  And, while that's partly true, I feel like I really don't have a lot of fun stuff to write about.  I don't cook, so no recipes.  We haven't gone anywhere fun.  And we don't do any DIY projects.  BUT, last weekend, we did have some fun!  We had a wedding to go to Saturday afternoon, and we only knew the bride and groom.  So, we decided to make a date night of it!  Sweet little H spent the night with his grandparents and Mommy and Daddy got to go out on the town.  It was so fun!

First up, Friday night.  That wasn't date night.  That was shop for a last minute wedding gift and then have some sushi for dinner night.  We did stop by our favorite bar for a quick drink and for a friend of ours to see H for a bit.  Yes, at a bar.  But, for what it's worth, it was the restaurant part.  And it was still early.  And you can't smoke inside in NC.  Plus, he was looking pretty dang cute that night, so we had to show him off.  Check out his hoodie with ears.  I die.



Can you even stand it?!

 

While we were at Kohl's shopping for the wedding gift, I grabbed a stuffed Snoopy and handed it to H, who grinned so big.  So, naturally he had to have it.  Our nephew G had a stuffed Snoopy when he was little, and he loved that thing.  He called him Noopy.  So, I had to snap a picture of H and his "Noopy" for my BIL and SIL.  Look how proud he looks!

Saturday was the wedding.  It was supposed to be outside, but it was kind of drizzly, so it was under a pavilion.  It was a lovely wedding.  We stuck around long enough for cocktail hour and the free dinner. 



He rarely makes a normal face in a picture



I had to ask nice for this one

 

We got a hotel in downtown for the night.  We went in checked in and seriously considered just crashing and sleeping, uninterrupted, all night.  It was reeeeaaaaalllllyyyyy tempting.  But, we were meeting friends and therefore couldn't be lame.  We went to a few bars and had a great night out with friends.  It was nice to go out and be just us for a while. 

 

Told you...no normal faces from him....





 



One thing I realized though, after a night of being just us, is that the next day you still have to be parents.  And, let me tell you friends, hungover parenting is the least fun kind.  Thankfully, my sweet little boo seemed to know mommy wasn't feeling well and was a happy little dude all day.  He's pretty awesome.

 

Please ignore the booze in the background...


 

Ok, the above picture was from Monday.  There was no way I could have even stepped foot in the beer/wine aisle on Sunday....  Either way, he's a pretty cute little nugget!



 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Who says you can't go home?

Last weekend, we went home to visit my family in TN.  We took Holt on his first plane ride.  Aside from a 10 minute meltdown on the return flight, he did pretty darn good.  I was pleasantly surprised at how nice and accomodating the people at the airport (and I'm talking employees, not other travelers!) were.  I was even able to wear him in the Baby K'Tan through security!  At the end of the post, I'll give you my tips for flying with an infant.

In the mean time, put your seat backs and tray tables in the upright position and enjoy the flight through the pictures that I'll let do most of the talking! (wow, that was a really bad attempt at a pun, or whatever...)



 

H is sitting in his seat like a big boy!  He really didn't sit there.  We held him.  We just put him here while we put our stuff in the overhead bin and got settled.

We timed his bottles to where he'd be eating upon take off.  Then, he fell sound asleep after.  I'm talking about the baby, not the husband...

 

 

 

Sweet baby cousins!! Unfortunately this cousin was more interested in hitting H than loving on him.  LOL  He was also fascinated with his hair.  My other nephew LOVES H.  My brother and the boys were meeting us for lunch and he got in the car and asked my nephew M was he was doing and he said "going to see Hote!" (pronounced like tote with an H)  And all weekend, he'd follow us around wanting to see what "Hote" was doing.  He'd even steal toys from his brother to give to H.  So stinkin sweet! 

 

 

 

As you can see from the above pictures, his hair was a bit of a hot mess.  So, since my SIL is a hair dresser, we asked her to cut it for us.  Since the only hair long enough is right on top of his head, he now has a natural mohawk thing happening...  You can see M's little leg in the bottom of the left picture, always interested in what Hote is doing!

 

 

Me and sweet nephew M.  I just love that little nugget!  He is so sweet and so funny.  I miss those nephews like crazy and hate that I live so far away from them!

 

 

Tips and tricks for traveling with an infant:

 

First of all, the most freaked out people about an infant on a plane are the infant's parents.  Rarely do people care as much as you think they will.  In fact, on the flight to TN a nice lady offered to have us sit in her row (we flew Southwest, where boarding is similar to The Hunger Games).

 

Get to the airport early.  We got there with about an hour and a half to spare.  We checked our suitcase (I got all 3 of us packed in one suitcase.  I am awesome!) and our car seat and base.

 

Be ready to put your stroller through the security belt thing.  We have a Britax B-Agile and it's insanely easy to fold.  That's why we brought our full size stroller.

 

Don't sit in the front row.  We did this since the nice lady asked.  But, we couldn't have any bags with us, so I was left to awkwardly hold his bottle, our water bottle, his toys, his burp cloth, and a blanket, plus my phone and Nook.  It was less than comfortable.

 

Feed during take off.  I read this helps with the ears during pressure changes.  However, he did fine during landings without even a paci, so perhaps this is best determined on a kid by kid basis.

 

Don't freak out!  We were far more worried about it that necessary.  It was so much easier than I thought it would be.  Granted, we had a domestic flight with no layovers and the flight itself was just over an hour.  I'll check back if I ever fly cross country with a 30 min layover....





6 months

Holy crap, how on earth is my little nugget already half a year old?!  Where on earth has the time gone?  It's the strangest thing, it seems like just yesterday he was born but at the same time I can't remember my life without him in it.  Very strange stuff.

brand new to 5 months

 

He has such a fun personality.  He is all smiley and happy.  When I pick him up from the sitter's he grins and grins at me then buries his face in my neck.  He talks and talks and talks some more.  He's started to say dadadadada which my husband loves.  I just keep telling him that the da is easier to say than the ma.  Not to mention he has no idea what that means!  Perhaps I'm just jealous...

He's finally gaining some weight.  He's up 4 lbs since his 4 month check up.  He's at 17 lbs 14 oz (56%) and 27 inches long (69%).  His head is finally evening out.  He's still in the 90's percentile wise (93%) but the rate at wich it's growing has slowed.  Looks like he's just going to have a big noggin.  It's cause he's so smart!



Loves

His bouncy.  This kid loves that thing.  He jumps so high and just squeals while he's in there.
His highchair.  After dinner, I wheel him into the living room and he just hangs out in there.  And he loves the rolling to the living room part.  He thinks its hilarious

Being tickled.  He giggles the sweetest little giggles when I tickle him

His momma.  He's becoming a bit of a mommas boy and I kind of love it

 

Doesn't Love

Still getting lotioned after a bath.  He hasn't quite realized that lotion does not equal hot acid

Being on his back.  He is constantly trying to roll over on his belly!

 

 









 

 

 

He sits up on his own regularly and does it well.  He's up on all fours and rocking, but still hasn't crawled just yet.  He's still going strong on foods.  He's quite the little piggy and I love it.  I gave him mashed potatoes last weekend and he made the cutest little digusted face.  He's so funny.

Sweet little boo,

How has time gone by so fast?  I fall more and more in love with you every day.  I love watching your little personality develop and see who you're becoming.  You make us laugh all the time with your huge smile.  You talk and talk to us and will respond if we ask you questions.  You let us know when you love or hate something.  Very opinionated, just like your momma.  You're quite the little goof, just like your daddy.  And you've developed into quite the little flirt.  Also just like your daddy!  We are having so much fun with you and love you so much we can't stand it!

Love, Momma

Today I am thankful

This week, a dear friend of mine had to deliver her baby at 16 weeks.  She is very obviously devastated at the loss of their sweet boy.  After hearing her news, I immediately had the primal physical urge to hold and squeeze my sweet boy.

I started to do some self reflection.  It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day frustrations and complications of life.  For me, a huge part of that for so long was struggling to become a mother.  It was a huge part of my life for so long.  And, one that I still struggle to come to terms with each day.  I tend to let myself think that I don't take motherhood for granted after that struggle.  But, on the hard days, when H just won't quit fussing or I'm cleaning spit up off myself for the millionth time, it's so easy to give into the frustration.  But, this week, I have been very aware of just how lucky I am.

 



 

 



I am so lucky that I got to have my baby.  So many women still struggle to have their child.  Some, like my friend, don't get to take their baby home.  Sure, I had to work really hard and go through more than I would have liked to have him.  But, I did.  And he's perfect and smart and healthy and funny and pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.  I am lucky that I have a husband who I love and who loves me.  He is an amazing father to our son.  Do we have our issues?  Sure.  Who doesn't?  But, we're happy. We have a good, no great, life together.  Sure, we could have more money or a bigger house or better cars or whatever.  But, we have a good life.

 

 

 



 



So, today I am thankful for all that I have.  I will try to remember my thankfulness when I get frustrated that H won't stop crying or when B leaves his shoes laying around.  I will try to hold onto it when I feel stressed about money or the house or my job.  I will remember that I am so incredibly blessed.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





5 Months

5 whole months



Ok, I know I say this every month, but I really truely can not believe how fast time is flying by.  How is my teeny little squishy newborn already almost half a year old?  It doesn't seem possible!  I mean look at that actual baby up there!  He's got so much personality these days.  He's constantly smiling.  He's developed likes and dislikes and will let you know when he doesn't like something.  He's mobile without being able to crawl.  He will roll all over the place.  He thinks it's hilarious when he rolls over onto his belly while trying to change him.  He'll look over at me and just grin so big.  It's adorable and enfuriating all in one. 

 

 



Loves:
Being on his belly.  He rolls over in his crib before I can even turn on the monitor and leave his room.
The dogs.  He's finally starting to notice them and will follow them with his eyes.
His parents.  His whole little face lights up when he sees one of us.  Melts my heart every.single.time
Still the bath.
Pears.  Let me tell you, they make him a wild beast, but he loves them.
His jumpy.  Kid can not get enough of it
Still loves being outside.  It continues to be a sure fire way to stop a meltdown

Dislikes:
Getting changed.  He rolls over onto his belly.  B calls it his alligator death roll
Green beans.  He looks at me like "momma what on earth are you feeding me?!"

Exhibit A



He still doesn't like getting lotion on after a bath, but is more agreeable to it if I let him lay on his belly
He's starting to not like his carseat for long periods of time 

Milestones:
Eating lots of solids and exploring what he likes and doesn't like
Giggles!  He has finally started giggling!  It's quite possibly the best sound in the whole wide world
And, technically, this should fall under the milestones that happened during month 5, but dude sat up on his own!

So, this happened....


 

My sweet sweet boy,

We are loving getting to see glimpses into your developing little personality.  You are a smiley happy little guy who likes to be on the move, much like your daddy.  However, if someone does something you don't like, you will let them know - loudly.  Much like your mommy.  You are so smiley, but your giggles are reserved for super funny things, which make me cry every time I hear it because it makes my heart burst with happiness.  I can't get over how much I love you and how lucky I am that you're mine.

I love you so much!
Momma