Way Back Wednesday

Ok, this isn't really a way back Wednesday post- unless you count on year ago and add on the 5 years ago the photo on the left was taken. It was inspired by another comparison photo I did not so many January's ago. 

While going through my January 2017 recap it bought back some memories of years past. This itty bitty Green bay Packer Jersey has been worn by two of my children thus far. First, I do not get rid of baby clothes. After my oldest was born I knew we would want to have another some day and being the frugal gal that I am I so no reason to get rid of his baby clothes just to buy more when another child came along. It didn't matter if they were of two different genders- I would make it work. Second, I am also incredibly nostalgic. So seeing one child where something my older child has worn sends me into a "oh my goodness they grow too fast" panic. All in all I think it's cute that they both have this picture atop their father's shoulders in his favorite team Jersey. Of course, I have this safely tucked away for when baby number 3 gets old enough to wear it.

June 9, 2013

*this was supposed to go live yesterday but momma didn't get a chance to*

On this day two years ago my baby boy turned 21 months old. I know that isn't some sort of milestone number or anything but this picture popped up in my flashback photos for today and I had to share!

I took monthly photos of him on the ninth of every month up until he was about 2.  I wish I could've kept them up but on nights like tonight where it's raining and we've been at work & school all day, I don't he'd be up to it, I wouldn't have good lighting, and my house is a wreck so who wants to see that mess in the background?! 

I loved doing these pictures. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and we had just gotten back from church. The weather was gorgeous and we were clearly taking advantage of that. Buggy had always gotten a kick out of the self timer function on the camera and this was no different. We had so much fun being silly. Look at the joy in his face!

I think this qualifies as an official 'Take me back Tuesday' photo. Now only if that were a real thing!

The things I don't want to forget

Our little babies don't stay little forever. Just the other day while hanging out with my son I thought "I wish I could bottle this moment and relive it whenever I want". I wasn't about to whip out my phone to take a picture or record our interactions because I wanted to really be present but also because we just weren't doing anything.

In response to okie dokie:

Momtography Monday

We've been having amazing weather around these parts. I just do not want it to end! These days are what I love most about warmer weather months. We spend evenings outside on the deck, eating anything that can be grilled, and enjoying life. We also get to bed later because it stays light out longer and it's pretty deceiving. One night I looked up and couldn't believe it was already 8 pm- it only "seemed" like 5 pm!


I shared this picture via Instagram and thought it captured the moment perfectly! My son loves bubbles- so much so that we bought a bubble machine. It keeps you from passing out while blowing bubbles the old fashion way.

But I can't tell you the number of photos I had to take to actually get the shot. This was taken with my phone as I am committed to doing a photo-a-day project (even if the duration is only a month).

This makes me want to take my big girl camera back out and get on with my momtography.

His Lion Mane

"Oh, she's so pretty!"

"What a beautiful little girl!"

"Your daughter is adorable!"

Are you kidding me people?! He's not a girl!

Honestly though, it must be a regional thing. Nearly 90% of people we run into who comment on my son's looks refer to him as a girl. This baffles me because a) I don't think he has the features of a girl nor b) do I think we dress him like a girl. 

Regardless of gender, I never intended to cut my child(ren)'s hair prior to their first birthday. Now that is a cultural thing. There are two different versions of an old wives tale that states you shouldn't cut your child's hair prior to either a) the first birthday or b) s/he being able to speak. Now "speaking" has never been clearly defined for me so I guess that could be anything from cooing to full on sentences. Whatever the case- I knew I would be waiting at least until the first birthday.

Birthday on Birthdate

Birthday week continues with more recapping of our celebrations... I told you first birthdays are a big deal.

So on the day of his actual birthdate, we did a bit of minor celebrating.

Honestly, I couldn't believe a year had passed. I survived my first year of parenthood and had a healthy, happy baby to show for it. I woke up that morning feeling grateful and in awe. We still had to get ready for church but I took a peaceful and quite moment to Thank God for one of my greatest blessings. I was counting down the minutes until 10:08 am when my little guy would officially turn one. At the moment the clock struck 10:08 I scooped him up in my arms and sang Happy Birthday to him. Then I cried. It was a joyous moment for me reflecting on his birthday and how it had gotten a little scary for a bit but we made it through.

I think I sang Happy Birthday to him 20 more times that day.


At church that day, there was a special function

Birthday party in pictures

the fun stuff.

Okay this is what you really care about. All the drama and hoopla is overshadowed by the fact that my little guy, my baby boy turned 1!!!! And trust me, you'll want to read this one to the end :D The party planner in me LOVES this part. So many people told me they were impressed and thought it was cute.

Ok, so here are the deets. Every birthday boy needs a birthday shirt, right?

1st Birthday Party In Words

**from 9/9/12**

I can't believe this day has come and gone in the blink of an eye. It was almost as fast as my wedding day. I didn't have much time to reflect and be sappy about things because we were in the midst of so many changes. However, I will admit that I had been planning this for months- or at least coming up with ideas. I wish I had done a few things sooner but you live and learn.

Theme:

For this momentous occasion, I chose a Dr. Seuss theme.

Happy SECOND Birthday!!!

Wow! This day has come a little faster than I had hoped. But nonetheless I am so happy that it is here!!!

Much to my dismay- I'll probably be going to work for the first half of the day then  from there we'll be playing it by ear. However, I have some much awaited posts scheduled for this week- it's birthday week here and I am so excited (cause you know my birthday is only 5 days away). I'm going to be sharing all the details of my son turning one hopefully to be followed up by all the details of him turning two (although I doubt it- just look at my track record).

Please take a moment and give my little guy a Happy Birthday shout out in the comments below- I know he'll be thrilled!

20 months

For some reason, I am sort of at a loss for words for this. I am well aware of the fact that time wait for no one but every once in awhile I get blown away by how far this little boy has become. In just 4 short months he will be turning 2... 2?!?! I feel like time has passed me by, left me standing on the sidelines while everything else around me keeps moving. 

My intention was to always diligently document his growth in pictures, words, and memories but most days I forget what day it is and pay no attention to how many pictures I have taken. Most days I just try to make it to bedtime without killing over.

Y3W: 14 months old!

This is a quick mobile post because life around here had been kind of hectic. Hubby was out of town for a bit so I've been doing single mama duty with my little guy.

I really can't believe how fast time is flying! If you have children of your own you know EXACTLY what I mean.

This little boy ceases to amaze me. He can identify his feet, ears, and nose. We are working on lips and toes. I think the toes are confusing him with the whole feet thing but in one of his books we read they distinguish between feet and toes so I figured I might as well teach him!

He can tell you how old he is although he's been able to do that for awhile now, I think it's super cute when he holds up one little finger. He says doggy and banana but only if he really feels like it. He's only said banana twice and one of those times it was because he was having a freak out in the grocery store because he wanted one really badly. It astounds me how he understands so much. Today I asked him "where's Mickey Mouse" and he went an grabbed his Mickey Mouse stuffed animal and bought it to me! I didn't even know he knew that!

This little guy brings tons of joy to our lives. His giggles, his laughs, the way he squeals when you tickle him and the way he dances when he hears music. He's my little buddy and I'm loving it!

Recently, he's really been getting into books and we love that so much! Every night we do bath time, get his pj's on, then we get in the bed. Once he sees his books he snuggles in so close and gets comfy. It is the cutest thing ever and I think it's my favorite part of the day. He's a rumbly tumbly little boy and doesn't really let me cuddle him so when he started that, I cried. I will read him book after book after book just so I can snuggle with him just a little bit longer.

Since I've broken every camera that I own (sigh) I can only do an I-phone photo shoot. Hopefully once I get around a real camera I can do a little better. For now this is the best I could come up with:

WW: carrots

SIFW

If you ask any mom how is life with a newborn like, they will be sure to mention sleep deprivation. It's a commonality that all new mommies share. Sure there are a lucky few who get excellent nappers and babies who go long stretches without waking up but these gems are few and far between. Clearly that gift was not bestowed upon me.

While my little guy always looks so precious like so:

circa october 2011

He doesn't think it's necessary to look this precious all night long. Oh baby boy! So, I'm thinking of beginning to sleep train. I believe he is the right age and weight requirements (he weighs enough to not need a midnight snack) to begin sleep training. So I've done a little research. In my research I 'think' I have narrowed it down to two different methods.

The Ferber Method is a technique commonly known as 'crying it out' (CIO). The science behind this makes sense. In a nutshell you help baby learn how to sooth himself to sleep while still reassuring him that you are there. The No-Cry sleep solution is a technique in which a gentle removal system is used to help baby sleep through the night.

These are both popular in the mommy community and both have pros and cons. There are other methods that claim to combine the two. The thing is I'm the one who isn't ready. Well, I am ready to start getting unfragmented sleep. But I'm not ready for tears or lots of hard work in the middle of the night.

Maybe for now I can settle for

So what's SIFW you ask? It's a phrase my son has coined 'sleeping is for whimps!
Do you guys have any advice for dealing with the lack of sleep or sleep training?

6-7months

Hey sweetie!

I can't believe you are already over a half year old!! First, let me apologize for the slackeration that has been going on. We've been quite busy. the day after you turned 6 months old you took your very first plane ride. How exciting!!!! I was soo nervous about how you would do but I think you handled it like a champ! We went to Phoenix, Arizona to accompany daddy on to a work conference. I think a lot of my apprehension comes from so many horrible news stories about how TSA (the security administration) treats moms. I've heard about moms forced to pump breast milk in front of people just to be able to bring their breast pumps through security.. how ridiculous is that?! I didn't want anything to happen to YOUR milk to so I purchased sealed containers so they would stay fresh and hopefully untampered. The TSA officials were very nice to us and getting you through security was no problem at all. In fact you were quite the ham! You fell asleep before take off and slept most of the time. 

While we were in Phoenix you and I spent a lot of time together- just like when I was on maternity leave. It was so much fun. I think your favorite part was when we went on walks. You would kick your feet and look around the entire time until you fell asleep. We met a lot of your dad's colleagues from other institutions and you were always the star of the show! We even took a trip to the Grand Canyon! I'm sorry you won't remember any of it- but I was sure to take a lot of pictures of you there so you can see how it was later. Maybe one day we will get the chance to go back when you can remember it. Your grandparents would LOVE to go one day. I loved this trip sooo much and next year it's going to be even better because we are going to the happiest place on earth!!!! You have no clue but I am the most excited ever!!!! I've even rounded up both set of your grandparents to come with us because it will be your first time there. I can't wait- it's going to be soooo  much fun. Don't worry I know you won't remember so I'll take a trillion pictures and make every one wear Mickey ears =) We never intended to take you so young but the opportunity has presented itself so I'm not going to miss it.

Your personality is beginning to develop. You are so pleasant- it's amazing! Your dad and I are new to this parenting thing and I am so glad you are taking it so well. You literally light up a room when you are in it. You are so funny and you're so little! Let me tell you why. One day while you were at the G'rents you pooped your pants. Literally. It cam out of your diaper and into your pants as well as your shirt and I think you may have gotten some on G-pa. He didn't mind but the only way to handle this was to give you a quick wash down old skool style- in the kitchen sink. So I stripped you down wiped off all the poop and sat your in the sink. Well, you turned the sink into your own personal hot tub! Who does that?!

notice the foot prop

You do the most adorable things, lol!



After our trip  we (half heartedly) celebrated St. Patrick's Day. Normally I would make a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage but I gave up meat for lent so that was a no-go.

We spent the rest of the month attending family gatherings and hanging out. You were even baptised on the same day I was 28 years ago! Last week we celebrated Holy week starting with Maundy Thursday and ending with Resurrection (aka Easter) Sunday. We hosted dinner Easter dinner at our house and had a blast! I actually cooked something besides dessert. I never do that because I like to leave it up to the pros like your Grandma and Auntie's but I have to learn someday, right?

Your are doing really well- growing so big and learning everything! At your 6 month well visit you weighed in at 19 pounds! I can't believe it. You are a little bigger than most babies your age so you stay at the top of the growth charts. 

You measured in at 27 inches long with a head circumference of 18.75 in. So adorable! You did get two more shots (augh!) but you are beginning to handle them like a champ. We are still hanging in there with size 3 diapers but I'm getting nervous. Sometimes you have these major poopsplosions that results in nekkid baby in the middle of babies r us (whew! that's a different story for another day) which I believe is the combination of the way you are sitting and questionable diaper sizes. We try to introduce a new food to you every week. It sometimes gets challenging when we have a jam packed weekend but I enjoy the fact that we make your food. I feel like I have a little bit more knowledge of what's going in your chubby little belly.

I can't believe this but you are up on all fours now! Next stop, crawling! I'm not ready!!! Amongst all this fun a tooth is starting to poke through! I'm really amazed at all the changes that have taken place over the past two months. I can only imagine what 7 months old will bring.

Love you much!

Mom

Y3W: Giving him back

... to the Lord.

My baby boy has been baptized! Let me start from the beginning.

The back story

Christenings aren't normally that 'big' in my community. They are usually small celebrations attended by immediate family plus a selected few and that's that. At least I've never been invited to a big to do (a la ROHNJ part 1). Furthermore, we aren't Catholic, therefore he was baptized, not 'christened', 'dedicated', 'blessed', or 'named'. So given all this information, I wanted his baptism to be celebrated but not in a big over the top fashion. Some people will say I may delayed a little too much (because if something were to happen we want to be sure that he was given back to the Lord and therefore a child of God) but I wasn't initially aware of the time frame. Although if we ever have any more children I likely won't be waiting 6 months to have him or her baptized I did like the fact that he was an awake, alert baby and he is able to sit on his own. This means nothing in the grand scheme of things but it sure did look great for pictures.

The significance

Once we began to discuss when he would be baptized, I looked into my own infant baptism. Since my baby and I are 5 days apart I wanted to know when my parents decided to baptized me as a general guideline. In my research i discovered i was baptized on April 1, 1984. Well, as fate would have it April 1,2012 was on a Sunday!! So I HAD to have this date. I initially thought it would pose a problem because 4/1/12 is also palm Sunday- but my Pastor gave the go ahead and so it was set: my little guy and I would share the same baptism anniversary!

The celebration

Like I mentioned, I wanted to celebrate this day. It marks and important milestone in his religious journey. I just didn't want it to be another episode of 'the Real house wives of NJ' (part 2). I wanted a private space at a restaurant, good food, family, friends, and lots of love. My intention was do a really nice dessert table to go along with this really good food- but it just seemed like nothing would fall into place the way I had envisioned. The restaurant that I chose was minutes from the church and a very easy drive. We have been there on more than one occasion and I knew they had a nice private space. When I went to go reserve the space- the manager told me that I needed a minimum of 30 people to reserve it. Well I wanted to cap the festivities at 25. I could have found 5 more people to join us but that would defeat the purpose of 'small celebration' plus 5 more people wasn't a part of my budget.  Then my best friend told me should wouldn't be attending because she had to work. Then 2 more of our guests told me they wouldn't be able to make it either. Crap! this put me below the original 25 people on my guest list. Yes, I know you should always take into account those who can't make it but at one point all these people were a confirmed yes which is why I even got the idea to hold lunch after the ceremony.

In true 'From Mrs to Mom' fashion I waited til the last second to order the cake and get the baby's outfit. I also slowly began to realize that I wasn't going to have enough time to put together my dessert table display and 'why don't they make Christening outfits in sized bigger than 6 months?!" I always hate that I wait until the last minute to do things but then I never take steps to get things done earlier. *sigh*

The end result

Everything was amazing! I can't believe how everything came together. Everything didn't go according to how I envisioned it but it was exactly the way it needed to be.

On Friday before the baptism I took a half day off work and one of my good friends accompanied me to run a bunch of errands to get ready. We stopped by the restaurant and because the manager didn't book any private parties for that day- he gave us the private room for less than the minimum required amount of people. Plus he modified the menu to my liking (now I know why I like this place). After going to 3 stores we finally hit the jackpot at the 4th store in getting his outfit. They didn't have any booties in his size so he did without them. I realize my little guy is a a little bit big for his age but it is beyond me why all the Christening outfits in my area stop at 6 months and then jump up to first communion sizes. Well I should say all the reasonably priced outfits stop at 6 months. There are a few specialty store in our area that we could have gotten him a $70 suit that he will likely never wear again. We also made stops to pick up decorations for the restaurant (which I forgot at home) and did some damage at Target and Babies R Us.

That night when I tried the outfit on him it was too small :( I ended up running back to the same store at a different mall and they had the next biggest size. I thank God for her (my friend) because she was a GOD send that day. I know she reads this and I can't thank you enough. She agreed to be my son's God mother and I am ecstatic she accepted. I am even more ecstatic that she's expecting her own bundle of joy this September!!! I don't know if I was a year early or she was a year late, lol, but more on this later.


On Sunday morning my Pastor texted me to say that the baby's name was spelled wrong in the program. Although it wasn't just spelled wrong it was the wrong name altogether! I have no idea how this happened because she wrote down the correct spelling of his name when we met for the baptism meeting. She did print extra copies of the program with his correct name for us as a keepsake- but I'm keeping both. It was actually pretty funny because my husband's best friend was NERVOUS that HE had gotten the baby's name wrong. Anywhoo after the fiasco after fiasco that had been occurring I didn't mind one bit. I still think it's kind of funny. We were surrounded by so much love it was AMAZING! I was a little disappointed that my best friends plus a few others couldn't make it but the people who were there were amazing. It still bring tears to my eyes... yea I'm emotional like that.

That afternoon at lunch-we had the best time ever. Even the baby enjoyed himself. We ate, we laughed, we talked, ate some more, laughed some more and truly enjoyed each others company. My son had so much fun he was letting out some gut busting laughs! If I knew how to edit videos I would post it for you. Every time I watch it I can't help but smile. I think a child's laughter is one of the best sounds ever. And this day was one of the best ever.

enjoying lunch

five months old

one month, two months, three months, four months

My big boy,

5 months old today. It's seems like just yesterday (no matter how cliche) I was holding you in my belly wondering if you were a boy or a girl. These months have flown by- 21 weeks already. You have been on the outside half as much as you were on the inside. You are growing by leaps and bounds, it's amazing to see what you can do.

Since you turned 4 months old we have continued to introduce solid foods. You seem to be doing quite well and your Dad is ready to turn it up a notch. So far you've had all single grain foods, rice cereal, oatmeal, and barley. I'm not ready for you to move on but it's likely that you will be getting some veggies real soon :) Milk is still your food of choice. In fact, you have gotten so good at demanding we fix your bottles faster and reach out and grab it whenever you see it. So cute...

Your clothes are changing too. You wear a size 3 to 6 months now and in some outfits you fit a 9 months (sheesh!). You don't have a doctor's appointment this month so we don't have an official weight check but I bet it's over 17 pounds. We are considering getting you a different car seat because sometimes you feel a little squished in your infant seat. Your current sock selection is a thing of the past and I am officially sock shopping for your big little feet. You've also gone up to a size three diaper. I hope you stay that size for a while because we were gifted well over 400 of them (much like your 500 size 2 diapers and bunches of size 1 and newborns). Sometimes it makes me a tiny bit sad that you aren't my little newborn baby anymore.

You like playtime and you will occupy yourself on your play mat. I think it's time to put together your excersaucer although you thoroughly enjoy your jumperoo. You've made a couple of baby friends from different places and I know you'll get even more when you meet the rest of your cousins.

You are doing wonderful with your baby sitters every day. You have two of them that take turns changing your poopy diapers every other day. They always have good things to say about you. You are beginning to recognize them and adore them as well. Sometimes when I am at work I look through all of your pictures and smile because I miss you. I often feel like we don't get to spend much time together anymore.

You still aren't sleeping through the night- no matter what we try and it's wearing us out baby. I know of some moms who said their babies didn't start sleeping through the night until they were 10 months old... I hope I can last that long! One of your dad's friends told us that his daughter is 9 and still doesn't stay sleep all night so it may be a way of life for you- who knows. also teething is becoming an issue for you. It annoys you to no end. I've ordered a special teether that I hope will help you find relief. In the meantime your fingers and fist seem to keep you satisfied.

Wow! So much for a 5 month old. This month I don't think will bring too many changes- but you never know. One thing I am hoping for is another snow day. The last snow fall we had was on a Saturday and THAT doesn't count. I know a lot of people are loving the fact that there hasn't been any snow because quite honestly it can be a huge hassle- but I want a free and extra day to stay home with you and dad and do nothing :)
Love you bunches,

Mom

___________________________________________

~before you were conceived I wanted you; before you were born, I loved you; before you were an hour, I would die for you~

Week 3: days 15-21

I am so proud of myself for being able to say I am week 3. I am a little behind in posting because I don't have a whole bunch of free time to edit pics but I am snapping and saving.

My fave is day 19. I am not sure why he was making this face. I think he was laugh crying. I don't know but every time I see it I giggle. Day 15 is with my Dad. My Dad watches him for me once per week while I go to dance class- this is their time together because it's just the two of them. When I got back that day they were chatting it up. Despite the pics of him sleeping day16 and 17 were not one of those 11th hour photos. I just love sleeping babies- they look so peaceful and precious. Day 21 was his first time really out in the snow. He seemed like he didn't know how to take so he just looked around trying to figure out what he should be doing.

So, what do you think?

Week 2: days 8-14

So, I'm progressing along. Although at times I'm finding myself without my camera so a lot of pictures are coming via iPhone. I also get so caught up in the day I find myself running to him at 11:49 pm and catching a picture of him sleeping. Eh, I'll get the hang of it.

I like how day 8 really captures the essence of his HUGE cheeks. Sometimes pictures just don't do it justice. At times I feel bad about the picture from day 9. I only let him cry for a second. It just so happened that the camera was right there. I remember seeing this quote on Jen's love letters and I just had to snap the picture. He looks so hurt :( I think he was mad because I put him down (momma's boy). Day 10 is so cute! We were playing at the doctor's office... I love that smile- doesn't he look like he's flirting? Day 11 is how we start out sleeping most nights. You can bet this was an 11:49 pm picture and there just so happens to be another one in week 3. Day 13 is how I left them when I went to work that day- needless to say- I was super jealous. And I can't believe I finally got a picture like day 14. I have been trying to get a picture of him sticking his tongue out since he started doing it which was way before I began the challenge. I think I can get a better one though.

2 weeks down, 52 more to go. Do you have any tips/pointers, or favorites from this week?