Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Oh Snap! Wednesday - 7 Months

Do you see a theme here?




No teeth yet, but I keep thinking we'll see one (or two) any time!

My little booger is 7 months old today. Can you believe it? I know I can't!

We weighed and measured him first thing this morning-

he weighed in at 22.5 lbs, and is 29 3/4 inches tall!

According to a little baby book we have, he's in the 100th percentile for both, which doesn't surprise me since he's almost always stayed between 85 and 100 on the height and weight charts. Such a big boy!

Linking up with Growing Up Gardner today :)



Growing Up Gardner


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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Guest Blogger: Growing Up Geeky!

I first met Mama G on the "Trying to Get Pregnant" message board on TheBump.com. We were, as the name of the board implies, trying to conceive at the same time. We both ended up conceiving our babies right around the same time. Now, her precious baby girl, Carina, is 8 months old. Now, Mama G writes about her adventures in mommyhood on her blog, Growing Up Geeky. She also hosts Toddle Along Tuesday, a blog hop for pregnancy and baby blogs. You should go link up! I love to connect with other mom-bloggers. You should check it out!



I admire Mama G not only because she's such a great mom to Carina, but also because she has some pretty insightful things to say. She recently blogged about something that's been on my mind pretty often, so I thought I'd share it here with you today (with her permission, of course). And so, without further ado, please welcome guest blogger Mama G :) 

Moms - it would be better if we stopped at "Yes" or "No"
Moms, I think we do ourselves a disservice by always feeling the need to justify our decisions.  I have been thinking about this a lot since my post regarding my love of breastfeeding. 

If someone asks me if I am choosing to be a stay-at-home-Mom, my response could be as simple as "Yes" or "No".  Why elaborate? 

Even the most well intentioned, "I love being home with my kids" could make the questioner feel as though I am insinuating that she doesn't have a strong bond with her children.  Similarly, if a working Mom responds, "well, I am educated and think that working makes me a good role model for my kids" could come across as implying that only the uneducated would ever stay-at-home, and that they could not be good role models for their children.

This applies to so many of our parenting decisions and might really help ameliorate the "Mommy Wars" tension that seems to make so many of us feel guilty inadequate on a daily basis.


Breastfeeding? No. 
vs. 
Breastfeeding? No, eww.  Boobs are toys not tools.

Cloth diapers? Yes.
vs.
Cloth diapers? Yes, I would never fill a landfill with hundreds of tons of crap.

Do you let your baby cry it out? No.
vs. 
Do you let your baby cry it out? No, I want my baby to be securely attached to me.

Staying at home? Yes.
vs.
Staying at home? Yes, I don't want my baby to reach for the Nanny when she is upset.


Yes or No.  Easy as that.  No smugness, no chance of misinterpretation...just the truth, free of judgment or implications.

Let's try this, Moms!  Maybe we can help each other feel better about ourselves and our parenting decisions with simple Yes/No answers.  What do you think?

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Sunday, August 14, 2011

Separation Anxiety?

Most of the time, Colin is a very happy go lucky little guy. He's such a good eater and sleeper, and he hardly ever "complains" about anything. He doesn't even fuss about tummy time like he used to when he was just a little squirt. In fact, he loves to roll around now and has gotten very playful. He's so much fun!

However, my little dude is definitely developing some personality. See his "I'm going to lose it in about one minute" look? Still adorable though, right?


Well. This morning, we dropped him off at the church nursery as we always do before service. The worship band did its thing, and then Pastor Matt started to preach a sermon on Ecclesiastes. Suddenly, I noticed that there was a peculiar set of letters and numbers at the the bottom left corner of the projector screen up front, where the scriptures were displayed. "OP6045," I think it said. "Huh," I thought. "Wonder what that means." A couple minutes later, text scrolled across the bottom of the screen on a red background. "Parent OP6045 needed in the nursery," it read. And then it occurred to me. I looked down at the sticker I'd been given when I checked Colin in at the nursery. It said - you guessed it - OP6045. AHH! "That's me," I whispered to Justin. "They need me in the nursery." So I quietly, but quickly, made my way to the baby room.

My sweet, happy boy was having a code red meltdown. A teenage girl named Hunter (who he usually loves) was sitting in a rocking chair and holding Colin, and he was sobbing into her chest. My heart shattered into a million pieces right then and there. I took him in my arms and hugged him tight, shushing and whispering "it's okays" and "oh, sweetheart" into his little ear. He started to calm down, but there were still big, fat tears on his chubby cheeks and he was making these sad little gasps that made me want to cry.

Even though he had eaten about an hour and a half beforehand, I made a bottle and fed him, cradling him close to me. That did the trick - he was calm and smiling again a few minutes later. It was the weirdest thing. The rest of the day, he was his usual charming self. Justin's theory is that he's developing separation anxiety and just wanted his mommy. Since I work a full time job, I really hope this isn't the case because it is going to be HARD to say goodbye to him in the mornings if he's about to start realizing that I'm actually leaving! Then again... I won't lie, it feels pretty good to be needed and loved by my baby. He loves his mommy and daddy so much, and boy do we love him too, unconditionally and immeasurably.

You still there, Dad?
We had some great snuggle time before he went down for bed tonight. I cherish these moments with my little guy, because he's still small enough that he enjoys the snuggling (almost) as much as I do. Gosh, I love that boy.

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Friday, August 12, 2011

{Kid}ding Around Friday {Linky party!} * 8/12

Welcome to Kidding Around Friday

hosted by

Growing Up Gardner & Love, Lattes & Lullabies

Thanks for linking up last week. I hope you made some new friends and enjoyed reading the fun posts. Amanda and I sure had a good time. Here are a few of our favorite links:



{Kid}ding Around Friday is the place to share your favorite kid-related posts about:

Crafts, Milestones, Homeschooling, Kid-Friendly Food, Decorating, Photography,
A Funny Story, Great Deals, Organization and more...

{To Join the Party}




1. Follow your hosts, Katie & Amanda (first 2 entries)

2. Link to a specific kid-related post.
Up to 3 entries each. No giveaways or shops, please.

3. Grab our adorable little button.

4. Enjoy reading through some of the other posts and make new friends!

Each week we will feature 3 of our favorite posts from the previous week.
By submitting a link, you are granting Katie and I permission to use the photos from your post.

Featured? Take This Button With You:




______________________________________________

Happy Anniversary to my amazing parents, grandparents to my sweet boy; today they are celebrating 33 years of wedded bliss. What a great example of what love should look like!


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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Oh Snap! Wednesday

The lovely Amanda at Growing Up Gardner recently started "Oh Snap! Wednesday." I love it, because you're not limited to "Wordless Wednesday." So, I'm linking up with her today. :)


Um, who is this big boy and what did he do with my baby? Suddenly, he's Mr. Independent. While he still loves to snuggle with his momma (thank goodness), he'd usually rather be on the floor rolling around like a crazy person. And roll, he does. I need to get a video of him zipping around from side to side. It's so much fun to watch - he cracks me up! He also loves to do things himself. He goes crazy for a Baby Mum Mum. I put him in the high chair, give him a "cookie" and he looks so darn proud of himself as he holds it in both hands like a little squirrel. He hasn't mastered a sippy cup on his own yet (but not for lack of trying), but his new favorite thing is to take a sip of water from MY cup. I didn't know 6 month old babies could drink out of cups! What is this madness?

Sigh... oh well. I guess growing up is what babies are supposed to do. He's healthy, and happy, and growing every second, so we must be doing something right.


Growing Up Gardner


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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

My Mommy Wishlist

Let's face it... we moms are constantly thinking about, looking, and buying stuff for our little ones. We've all been there... you walk into a store and immediately head to the baby aisles to see if there's anything on sale (coughTargetclearancecough), and when you check out you realize you haven't picked up anything for yourself. Or if you have, it's something you needed, not something you wanted. Know what I mean?

Well. Since I work full time out of the home, I don't have a whole lot of time (other than the occasional lunch break run) to shop, so instead I spend time "window shopping" and daydreaming on Amazon.

Here are some of the things I'd buy right this second if I had a money tree growing in my backyard. (by the way, if anyone has one they'd like to send my way, please let me know!)

1. The Guava Family GoCrib In Brown/Green - we're taking a family road trip at the end of the month to visit my family in Michigan (yay!) and we have no idea where our little monkey is going to sleep yet. He's done so well in his crib that I fear none of us would get any sleep if we had to bedshare. If the sky was the limit, I'd buy Colin a GoCrib for our travels. In reality, we'll probably end up attempting to fit a pack-n-play in our trunk, or putting our huge baby in a little bitty baby travel bed. More to come on what we decide to do!

2. The Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker - It steams, it blends, it heats - what can't this thing do? I love making homemade baby food for Colin, but I always have to get his daddy to distract him when it's time to use my ridiculously loud blender. I would so love to have a fancy little gadget to prepare yummy meals for my little guy. It doesn't even have to be a baby-specific item; I'd totally get a plain ol' Food Processor instead. Heck, I didn't realize those were priced so reasonably. That one's going on my birthday wishlist.

3. The Skip Hop Tubby Bath Toy Organizer, Sky Blue -because my little fish loves bath time, and has already accrued quite a collection of little bath toys.


4. The Britax Marathon 70 Convertible Car Seat - We're going to have to think about a convertible car seat soon. Yikes! Per the new regulations, we're going to try to keep Colin in his Chicco Keyfit 30 as long as we can, but it's only designed for babies less than 30 pounds or 30 inches - whichever comes first. At his 6 month checkup, my little booger was already 21 lbs 3 oz and 28.5 inches! 

5. The Sport Play 911-126 Model Christel - Just kidding. No way would I ever pay $22K for a play set - even if it is a rockin' one. Also, is it just me, or does it seem sad that it's pictured in an enclosed brick area instead of in a pretty, green backyard? Just sayin'.

And now, for an obligatory picture of the cutest kid ever in the whole wide world. You're welcome.


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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Six Years

Yesterday, my darling husband and I celebrated 6 years of wedded bliss.

Well, really, the celebration began on Friday, when my husband sent two dozen rainbow roses to me at work. I was so surprised! What a sweet and thoughtful hubby I have. I displayed my beautiful flowers proudly on my desk until the end of the day, when I propped them up in the passenger's seat of my car and brought them home to enjoy.

When we got home from work Friday, the gift I had ordered for Justin was waiting on our doorstep. He had been hinting that he wanted one, and he loved it! He plans to take it to work and keep it on his desk, so he can always keep Colin and I close by. Can you say husband and dad of the year?

Saturday, we didn't have a sitter lined up, so we took Colin with us on our anniversary date to Carrabba's {pretty much our favorite restaurant ever}. We also made it a lunch date to better accommodate our little guy. He did fantastically well, sitting on mama's lap most of the time and eventually falling asleep and taking a little nap in his car seat next to the table. I very much enjoyed my lunch date with my loves.

Gosh. Six years. It is so amazing to me that we've gone from this...


to this...








Oh, how I love my life. I can't wait to see what the next six years will bring!

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