Thursday, June 16, 2011

6 Months

This is so long overdue...there is much to tell!  Our little babester is growing so fast.  At his six month well-baby visit he weighed in at an even 20 lbs. and was 28 1/4" tall {90% for both}.

It blows my mind that a half of a year has passed since I first laid my eyes on my precious angel child.


But it was just yesterday wasn't it?


He's quite the mover now!  He has been low crawling and back crawling for a few months now, but the pivoting started in the last 6 weeks or so.  He used to do them all independently of one another, but in the last couple of weeks he has learned to combine all his maneuvers to go places! 


Baxter is still his best friend...and mine too considering he is the ultimate distraction when a case of the fussies attacks. 


He isn't a fan of pureed anything.  He will tolerate slightly mashed bananas.  We have always suspected he is 6 months going on 16 {or even 60}.  All he really wants is a cup of coffee and a sandwich {preferably ours}.


He is super healthy, extremely strong, and full of smiles...and smiles with his two {lower} front teeth!  We are blessed.  Even though I know he is doing very well, and his doctor was super happy with how he is developing, he still hasn't rolled from his back to his tummy.  He torques his body around contortionist-style and comes so close to rolling onto his tummy.  But then he stops and hangs out like that or rolls back to his back.  Our pediatrician mentioned that he has very broad shoulders, that they are likely getting in the way of him rolling over, and that he will do it in his own time. 

Even though I know all these things are true, it still bothered me to read in my weekly Baby Center email how my child should already be doing this.  Mama guilt over something I absolutely cannot control.  No matter how much I work with him, how many toys I dangle to get him to roll, I know that he is absolutely not going to do this until he is ready.  And that is as it should be.

He is Mama's little helper, and even though it is so much easier to shop without him I really do miss his smiling face when I go shopping alone!


A half a year later and I cannot imagine my life and our family without this little guy.  :)

Monday, June 13, 2011

My Top 10 Mommy/Baby Products

If I were to go back to November 2010 and give myself a pep-talk the first thing I would say is:

"Less is more."

{pants optional}

In my pre-baby days I was overloaded with baby everything and had a list of "needs" that would make Santa's naughty and nice list look like a post-it note.  Now I know better.  That is why my "Top 10" list is really only my "Top 5".

1. California Baby Diaper Wash - From the lovely black poos we encountered at the hospital to our newest version of sweet potato, squash, and pear poo, I do not change a poopy diaper without this.  I can change a poopy diaper without it, but everything is sooo much nicer if I don't.  This is a must have...looks pricey, but 6 months later we are still on bottle #1.  Saves me from scrubbing too hard with wipes and it smells CLEAN.  Nuf said.

2. Haba Pacifier Holder - We purchased this shortly after our little one was born and gone are the days of chasing pacifiers from rolling across the floor.  Although, now his favorite thing to do is take it off and sling it around like a lasso.  I'm thinking this was a must have for the first 6 months and now it's time to wean the paci.

3. An extra onesie - If it can happen, it will happen.  Beware of leaving the house without an extra change of clothes.  That blowout will happen at the Chick-Fil-A that is a half a mile from your house...and it will be the end-all-be-all of blowouts.  And it will happen the minute you run into friends you haven't seen in months who are dying to meet your little one but can't because he is covered in poo.  {Speaking from experience?  Who me??  Nah.}  Repeat after me: "I will not leave the house unprepared."

4. Deo for your BO/Mascara - *Ahem* In case no one ever told you, sometimes mommies don't get to take regular showers.  Don't let yourself run out of either...deo for the smell factor and mascara to help keep you pretified.  Looking reasonably pretty and smelling reasonably pretty will go a loooooong way to helping you keep your sanity {within reason, of course}.

5. Coffee - You can function admirably on 2 hours of sleep or less.  I promise.  And unfortunately, even when your little one is sleeping through the night, there will be random "pop quizes" where they wake every 2 hours just to make sure you're staying on top of your game.  Keep your coffee stockpile high and wide and you will do just fine.

Of course, diapers are a must have too.  And wipes.  And a place to sleep.  But less is more, and baby calls, so my list ends here. :)

Hope you're enjoying a gorgeous summer evening!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Weekend Round-Up

From favorite posts to things I'm drooling over, here is a round-up from this week::




Hope you and yours have a fabulous weekend!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Made For Each Other

I have a secret.

It's a little strange.  At least I think it is.  What did Shakespeare say about strange bedfellows?

"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows..."  And it's true.

My morning cuppa has a new friend.



It all started when my HEB decided to clearance out Sun Crystals.  Let me just say that I seriously heart me some Sun Crystals.  I happily used Sun Crystals all through my pregnancy because it wasn't artificial {half sugar, half stevia} and it sweetened all my beverages perfectly.  When my canister of Sun Crystals went dry for the last time, I just about cried.

The hubster sweetly bought me every Sun Crystals substitute he could find on the baking aisle.  Imperial's version of the sugar/stevia blend is lacking.  Truvia isn't the same because it's all stevia with no sugar.  Ditto Purvia.

Then I remembered seeing Kyra Sedgwick add honey to her coffee on The Closer.  And I thought, "Do people actually add honey to coffee?  Or is this just a character quirk Kyra came up with for Brenda Leigh?"

So I consulted Mother Google.  It turns out quite a few people use honey instead of sugar in their coffee.  It's sweeter than sugar, so you need less of it...and it's fructose, not sucrose, so supposedly it's healthier for you.  {Though I am not a doctor/nutritionist/etc. so please don't take my word for it.}

Since my beloved Sun Crystals were no more, I had nothing to lose.

I'm not a big honey fan, so when I browsed the honey aisle I picked Harkey's because:

1. It was cheap.
2. It comes from San Saba, TX {where one of my Baylor friends is from so it had to be good}
3. Cute pink tie on the cute bear jar matches my box of half and half.
4. It's wildflower honey...which goes well with my vintage wildflower mugs.


Match made in heaven!  

{Although...don't tell the bear, but if Sun Crystals ever makes a return appearance at HEB, I might be tempted to cheat.} 

How do you like your coffee?  Any interesting combinations?