Dear Little Peanut,

You are EIGHT MONTHS OLD!!  You are so much fun right now, I wish I could freeze time.  You love to laugh and play and only get cranky when you’re tired or hungry (kinda like your Daddy).  You are charming and loving and fearless.  And I think you’re pretty cute too!  We love you more than anything and I truly can’t remember what life was like without you.  It was definitely more boring!

Some facts about YOU:

·       You are in size 3 Pampers Cruisers.  They are a perfect fit for right now.

·       You wear size 3-6 most of the time (or just size 6 in Carter’s), but there are a few 6-12s that you can get away with.

·       As of yesterday you weigh 15 pounds 13 ounces.

·       I make you wear headbands all the time because your hair has stopped growing.  You usually don’t notice.  But sometimes you pull it down over your eyes and get frustrated.  It’s pretty funny.

·       Your eyes are blue and your hair is strawberryish blonde.  And possibly getting lighter.  You have pale skin like your parents.  You’re welcome.

·       You crawl.  You pull up.  You “cruise”.  You are officially mobile and come and go as you please.  Unless you’re in the cage.  But you like the cage because I put all of your favorite toys in there.

·       You wave now!  When you get in the mood you wave to everyone.  Even strangers passing by.  And you wave bye bye to me every morning (which makes it harder for me to leave!!).

·       You know what “Soooo big!” means.  When we say it you raise your hands as high as you can above your head.  It’s one of your favorite games right now.

·       You sleep on your tummy, booty up in the air, sucking your thumb.  It’s adorable and I hope you sleep like this forever.  Well, maybe not forever…

·       We got thru your first fever and your first cold.  It didn’t phase you at all.  I, however, was checking the Dr. Sears website every 20 minutes and taking your temperature every time I could get the thermometer under your arm.  You had Motrin for the first time in your life.  I guess it had to happen eventually.

·       You know what “No” means.  Sometimes you just stop what you’re doing on go on about your business, no big deal.  Other times, especially in the bath tub when you want to stand up, you throw a mini fit.  This consists of you splashing the water and crying for a minute.  I guess it’s just a peek at things to come.

·       You love to eat.  We’re still on purees, and you have yet to meet a fruit or veggie you don’t like.  We are also doing puffs for dexterity.  I think you have the hang of the whole pick-up-food-put-in-mouth thing.

·       You still love books.  But now you want to eat them too, which is a “No”.  I’m thinking you might be working on some more teeth.

·       You give the best kisses. 

·       You now know what “don’t bite” means.  It’s hit or miss if you actually obey.

·       You went to your first Gator game and I think you really liked it!  It’s just the first of many to come, I’m sure

What your cute face looks like right now...

Let's not Judge

my mothering skills on the frequency of my blog posts.  I have no excuse.  I would love to say that I am heretofore committing to two posts a week.  But we all know that if I add one more thing to the to-do-list-that-never-gets-done-and-just-makes-me-feel-like-a-failure I'll be crushed under the responsibility.  To catch everyone up on the life o' peanut, this will have to happen in bullet format -

• She has her first cold.  Runny nose and a bit of a cough.  I've enjoyed the challenge of getting nose drops AND the booger sucker in those tiny nostrils while my furious child is throwing a FIT.  But she can do whatever she want because MAH POOR BAYBEE IS SICK!!
• She had her first fever last week.  Possibly related to the current sickness but I'm not sure.  Experienced moms always told me that I would KNOW when she had a fever.  And they were right.  Her poor body was on FIRE.  And it was just a low grade fever.  I don't know how I'll ever handle a high fever.  I probably won't.  I'll be in the ER thankyouverymuch.  
• Did I say she has four teeth?  I can't remember if I shared that tidbit.  Along with the teeth has come teeth grinding.  It's a noise I can not tolerate.  And I'm pretty sure she won't look that cute with her front teeth ground to nubs.  So I tell her NO and tap her cheek every time I hear it.  Uk.
• I haven't slept in the past two days.  Apparently peanut feels worse at night and wakes up crying every hour.  At some point in the early AM I put her in bed with us because I'm soooo tired, but then no one gets quality sleep.  
• We finally figured out how to fit her in the jogging stroller.  I've pushed her in it twice now, and it is HARD.  I'm blaming my 2 mile limit on the extra fifteen pounds I'm pushing and not on the fact that I have the cardiovascular fitness of a slug.  
• I pinched peanut's leg in the stroller clasp tonight.  The worst-mom-of-the-year award is sitting next to the TV.  
• Stella is an awesome soccer player.  P kicks the ball for her every night.  Getting a house with a yard was the best thing we've ever done for that puppy.
• College football y'all.  It's starting.  Can't you feel it??  It's the most wonderful time of the year.  There's nothing quite like waking up to the sounds of college game day on ESPN.  
• Peanut can wave now.  She's not super consistent, but I blame that on her being a little stinker.  She waves bye bye to me every morning.  And she waves to Daddy and Nana and Grandad and Stella...  But when we're out in public and nice little old ladies wave to her, and a cute baby smile and wave would just make their YEAR, she just stares at them and does not perform.  She knows.  
• We've been painting like maniacs every chance we get, and we have the living room completely done, and have moved on to the kitchen and foyer.  But we still have the cabinets to worry about.  Remember when I said I wanted them white?  The verdict is in.  We are going to paint them ourselves.  I know we can do it.  And today a blog post I read here sealed the deal.  That is EXACTLY the look we're going for.  If they can do it we can too, right?
• I've been dealing with all sorts of guilt/unhappiness/discontentment lately in regards to being a working mom.  I could go into exactly WHY I feel the way I do or I could try to defend the plight of the working mom (because it is HARD).  But I'm not.  Because I read this post today on one of my favorite blogs and it basically sums up exactly how I feel.  And how I should feel.  Ironically enough, the author got her inspiration from another blog post.  What a wonderful resource we have stumbled across...I heart the blogging community.
• Know who else I love?  Beth Moore.  Such a wonderful Bible teacher and she is totally up my alley.  I've been trying to listen to her radio broadcasts when I have time in the mornings while getting ready for work.  I found a series on Wisdom for Moms (go here and look in the May 2010 broadcasts) that was absolutely outstanding.  And a bit intimidating (but of course the Lord doesn't expect us to achieve anything without His help!!).  What a task we as moms have been given!  To show our children how to love God.  Wow.  She also has a series called How Wisdom Looks on a Wife (go to April 2010).  I've only listened to the first one, but shoot...I've got some work to do!!  All of these are based on Proverbs 31, the "virtuous woman" passage.  Take a look and read it, even if you've read it a thousand times.  So many new things jump out at me now that I'm a wife and mother.
• When P and I started talking about what kind of family we wanted, we knew we wanted all of our children close in age.  I really really wanted our first two (yes, we plan on having more than that if it is in the good Lord's plan) to be 18 months apart.  I had a really good feeling about that number.  I was so young.  So naive.  For peanut #2 to come about within that time frame, I would have to get knocked up in OCTOBER.  As in, hello ONE MONTH AWAY.  Ha.  Hahahaha.  Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.  That sound?  Was my uterus laughing at my young, pre pregnancy self.  There is NO WAY I am anywhere close to being ready to be pregnant again.  Don't we all remember how gracefully I handled my third trimester? (::snort:: insert sarcasm font)  So if anyone out there is wondering if we're planning on creating new life any time soon, the answer is no.  No.  No no no no no.  (I'm hoping this adamant statement doesn't jinx us.  Someone out there knock on wood...)
• I need ideas for peanut's first Halloween costume.  Please impart your creativity.

That's all the brain vomit I can manage right now.  It's late and I need to get at least a little sleep before the tiny one wakes up for the night.  I don't have any new pictures of the peanut.  I'm actually really bummed about that and will do better.  BUT, I do have a video.  It makes my heart melt.

      

Woo to the Hoo!

Just a quick non-baby-related piece of news.  I stepped on the scale today and there they were.  Those numbers that haven't graced my scale since before I was with child. And I even had wet hair!  I actually could have hit this milestone any time in the past month, but I've been too scared to weigh myself due to moving and eating out waaay too much.  So I'm thrilled.  Now I just need to get my butt in shape.  I really miss running.  I'm pretty sure I could only make a mile due to my lack of cardiovascular fitness and the horrendous heat.  But I have an excuse for my absence from the pavement.  Mah baybee is too teeny for the stroller!!

That strap under her chin is supposed to go across her chest.  Currently it is a strangulation hazard...therefore...I will sit at home watching So You Think You Can Dance eating oreos instead of running.

Dear Little Peanut,

You are SEVEN MONTHS old!  It’s such a big number to say.  You have certainly dashed past several milestones in the past month.  On one hand I am so proud of you and I love watching you grow and learn.  On the other hand, that teeny little helpless baby is farther and farther away.  And it makes me panic, just a wee bit.  I want to soak up every bit of every stage and phase you go through.  I find myself saying, now this is my favorite age, right here.  But I know I’ll just keep saying that as the months roll into years.  (Except when we get to your teenage years.  I’m ok with skipping that part altogether) You are my little buddy and I can’t wait to show you and teach you more about that big world out there.  I have a feeling you’ll dive right in and find happiness and pleasure in the simple things.  I can’t wait to see it all unfold.

Fact about YOU:

-        - You are in size 3 cruisers now.  Gone are the sweet swaddlers.

-      -   You are a petite lady and still don’t fit into 6 month clothing.  I’ve even put you in 0-3 leggings a few times recently.  They’re a bit short, but they protect those baby legs that are constantly crawling around. 

-        - You have TWO teeth!  Your bottom right one came in first, and then we found your top left one too!  You haven’t been too cranky about it, but it does wake you up at night.  Even though I complain about losing the sleep, it is sweet to have that you and me time again.  Especially now that you snuggle on purpose.

-        - You crawl and try to get into everything you’re not supposed to.  You use your right knee and then push off with your left foot.  It’s a bit crooked but I guess it’s just what comes naturally.  I bought you a baby fence to keep you corralled when we can’t have our eyes on you. 

-      -   You pull up to stand on everything too.  You like to make sure we’re watching, then let go of one hand.  Then you let go of the other.  You can stand there for a couple seconds, then plop down on your bottom.  You are SO proud of yourself.

-        - Your new trick is you stick your tongue and blow raspberries.  It’s so cute.  And so drooly.

-        - You give kisses on purpose now.  I’ll say, give me sugars!, and you’ll come at me with that slobbery open baby mouth.  It’s adorable and I love it.

-       -  Your hair has stopped growing, and it’s still strawberry blonde.  And you still have a mohawk. 

-        - You sit in the tub by yourself now.  I still wash you in your seat so I can have both hands, but as soon as you’re washed I set you free and you play.  You’re going to love the pool, I can tell.

-        - When we take something away from you or tell you no, you fuss a little.  But it’s never an actual fit.  You recover quickly and are on to the next thing.

-        - You are a social butterfly.  You make friends EVERYWHERE we go.  You stare people down until they look at you and then give them that glorious smile.  Of course they can’t resist and have to meet you.  You are passed around at church every Sunday.  People love to be around you!

-        - You eat solids three times a day.  We’re slowly introducing new fruits and veggies.  Your favorite at the moment…prunes.  And that’s good because I make you eat them every day to keep things moving.

-        - You drink from a sippy cup.  But really you teethe on a sippy cup and water gets into your mouth on accident.  Whatever, it works.

-        - You are SO CLOSE to waving.  Every morning your Nana and I try to get you to wave bye bye as I’m leaving.  You finally know we want you to do something, so you flail your arm.  Not quite a wave, but it makes my heart melt anyway.

-        - You love Stella and she thinks she is your mommy.  You lean over to give her sugars and she totally gives them right back if I’m not looking.  Gross.  If I tell you no when you’re headed somewhere you shouldn’t go, she tries to herd you back to me. 

-       -  You suck your thumb when you’re hungry or sleepy.

-        - You love books.  They are the first thing you go to when we’re in your nursery.  You know how to turn the pages when we’re reading if I help you out.

-        - You are totally in love with your daddy and can’t get enough sugars from him.  You like to feel his beard and try to bite his nose.

I’m sure I’m missing a TON of other things that make you special right now.  But just know that we are loving every day with you and our family is so much fun with you as the entertainment!

Chaos Is My Life

I don't have time to write a proper post, and for that I am sorry.  Mostly for future Peanut who will read these reminiscing about her first months here on this earth and realize that her mom has let WAY too much time go by without any record that it ever happened.  Sorry Peanut.  I know I should be much better about keeping up with this, especially since you are our first offspring.

Now that I have that off of my chest, here are a bunch of random pictures of our life recently.  Not in any order.  And they're not edited either.  Like I said, no time.  Well, maybe there would be time if I could go without sleep.  But that results in a manic emotional breakdown.  P won't let that happen because usually he is the one picking up the pieces.  And by that I mean running to the store for coconut milk ice cream.  Because we're still dairy free.

Speaking of that, we had your six month well visit and all is good.  You still break out when I eat the milk products, so that's a no no.  Solids don't really agree with you (constipation is a beast), but we're figuring out what, ahem, gets things going.  You're around the 25th percentile for weight.  Normal but on the petite size.  And guess what percentile your head size is??  5th!  Apparently that's ok, but I was like, whoa doc...should I be worried?  Teeny headed baby!  At least you look normal (I think).

You have a tooth now.  You crawl.  You pull up.  You try to stand.  You are dying to walk.  We bought you a baby fence.  Seriously.  It comes in the mail this week.

this was my anniversary present from the hubs.  i love it.  it's meaningful and classy.  perfection.

peanut's new trick.  pulling up and then letting go to see if she can stand by herself. it usually results in her falling on her bottom and laughing her face off.

this is the view from our backyard.  sunsets make me happy.  however there is an empty lot right behind our fence.  fingers crossed they won't build a two story.

peanut's new nursery.  it's a mess.  but i'm working on it.  we're thinking about changing things up a bit too.  more to come on that later.

i never got to show off the bedding my mom made for the babe.  it's serena and lily fabric.  but it was made with love by nana.  and she sewed this tag on the bedskirt. i think it's lovely and special.

hanging out next to the big girl diapers.  size 3.  no more swaddlers.  we're on to cruisers.

a dear friend of the family made the punkin this gator bow

i really dig it

i think she does too. go gators.  can you see a glimpse of that tooth??

"i love my toys!"

she found the door stop and it's her new favorite toy.  it goes boing.  sidenote: my ripped jeans are from sophmore year of college.  abercrombie style.  i may not look the same in them, but shoot.  they button.  victory.

her favorite toy at the moment

"hey ma...that is MAH TOY"

once again, trying to stand up.  and falling.

her favorite part of all toys.  the tags.

mc sassy pants.  with her grubby paws on the freshly painted walls.

I'm trying to think of anything else I've missed.  We're slowly painting the living room.  So it looks fantastic at the moment (sarcasm font).  We're probably going to save up to paint the cabinets white.  We need more furniture.  Our grass is infested with chinch bugs.  I don't even know how to really spell that.  I love supremely spicy hummus and take it to work every day.  My milk supply tanked last week to an all time low which resulted in tears and stress and worry.  It's back up this week thank goodness.  I credit the pint of coconut milk ice cream i had last night.  Beer is supposed to boost your milk supply.  I try to drink it but I hate the taste.  I can't finish one.  Even for the baby.  I need a job where I can work from home so i don't miss my baby.  Turkey burgers complete me.  Jillian Michaels means business and I won't be able to walk tomorrow.  Tonight was the first time I've shredded in about 2 months.  Ok enough rambling.  I'm sorry teenager peanut.  I promise we love you.  We just don't blog enough.  

Things That Have Already Happened

in our new house: - Several men from our church showed up early on a hot and humid Saturday to help us move. They had us out of the apartment and into the new house in 3 hours. It was pure amazingness. It takes a special servant’s heart to help someone move in the middle of July in Florida with the only payment being in the form of doughnuts and coffee. And baby smiles.
- Coke was spilled on the fresh tile. By one of us. Thankfully we had already sealed the grout.
- The nursery has been painted half way. Each time we try to finish it the baby wakes up, the sun goes down, or we just plain run out of energy. This means the peanut is sleeping in our room in the pack and play. No, that’s a lie. She’s sleeping in our room in our bed (after much wailing and drama at 3AM when she realizes she’s not in her crib). She sleeps in my spot. It’s fine sweetie, mommy can sleep on the 4 inches of mattress you left her. I’ll try not to wake you when I fall out of bed.
- One of us let the paint can drip onto the concrete in the garage and bake there for a day. The other one of us freaked out about it and was like “can we PLEASE go at least one day in our new house without destroying it??????”. But I’m not naming names.
- We got locked out. It was my fault. In my defense, I forgot I had a copy and not an original key on my key ring. I thought I was being all responsible when at the last minute I flipped the lock on the door in the garage b/c you never know who will break into your garage, yada yada. When we arrived back at our brand new casa, we realized that the copy didn’t work. We had to eat our mexican take out in our garage in fold out chairs, wearing our Sunday best while waiting for the locksmith. Several neighbors drove by and I’m sure they think we’re loco. “Why yes good neighbor, we have summer Sunday garage picnics EVERY week!”
- One of us burnt our hand severely on the brand spankin’ new lawn mower. Before any mowing was done. The other one of us is just going to let the yard grow until the first one’s hand is better. Because one of us doesn’t mow lawns. But I’m not saying which one.
- We joined the neighbors for our first driveway hang out. A few nights a week everyone who is inclined to brings out a chair and a drink to sit around shootin’ the breeze while watching the kids play in the street. I’m in heaven. I can’t wait until the peanut is one of the hooligans popping wheelies and getting scraped knees.
- During driveway hang out I met a neighborhood mom who has a darling 8 month old girl. We were introduced, and then I introduced her to the peanut. Then she’s all “Oh! They’ll be in the same class in school!!” I died. And then I came back to life, clutched my baby girl to my chest and yelled “SHE’S NOT EVER GOING TO GROW UP EVAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!” and cried my way back home. Ok, maybe I wasn’t that dramatic, but shoot y’all. Didn’t I JUST give birth to her??
- We had direct TV installed. And we have DVR for the first time in our lives. I can’t wait to watch my first recorded episode of So You Think You Can Dance.
- I unloaded ALL of my clothes into our closet. And P’s. And I still have room left over. Hallelujah and Amen.
- We have waved at several friendly neighbors, both pedestrians and drivers, on our path to the house. I love that! It’s nothing like the old hood where I would expect a middle finger and possibly the cops called (man I REALLY need to post about our old neighbors).
- I took a shower in our stand up shower. I’ve never had one. We’ve always had the shower/tub combo. I’m converted and will never go back.
- Peanut has crawled EVERYWHERE to get into everything she’s not supposed to. What a perfect time to learn to crawl. Right when there are all sorts of tiny objects strewn about that pose a choking hazard. Gone are the days where I only have to baby proof the things within her reach. And that, my dear little girl, is why we leave you in the pack and play with your toys. Baby cages come in handy when you’re moving.


It’s been a crazy few days, but overall I just feel blessed and lucky and happy. Hopefully this home will see years of our family’s ups and downs, smiles and tears, and overall resilience b/c we stick together when the goin’ gets tough. And we really know how to enjoy ourselves when times are good. So come on over when you get a chance. Head out to the back porch, I’ll pour you a drink, and P will grill up something fabulous. We can contemplate life, laugh our heads off, and watch the peanut and Stella play in the yard. Life is good.


“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” Joshua 24:15b

Dear Little Peanut,

You are SIX MONTHS OLD today!  Happy half birthday!!  I say this with a smile on my face but a tear in my eye.  You are determined to grow up no matter what I do to hinder the process.  You live life with a huge smile on your face and improve the mood of whoever is in your presence.  That is a gift I hope you hold on to.  You are fearless and resilient.  You are extraordinarily affectionate.  You are easily amused (that you get from your Dad).  You are special.  You will grow up to do great things, and God has such a plan for you!  I can't wait to see it unfold.  We're so blessed He chose us to be your parents.  Or to be parents at all (we definitely don't always have it together).  We'll always love you to pieces and we know you love us too.  Those slobbery baby kisses say it all.

Facts about YOU:
- You are still in size 2 diapers.  And that's totally ok with me.  You have the cutest teeny baby butt.
- You can still fit into 0-3 onesies, which is crazy.  You were wearing one yesterday that I have a picture of you in when you were 5 weeks old.  Although it does look quite different on you now.  The best fit right now is Carter's 3 months.  Gap 3-6 also fits but is still a bit baggy.  And you are now in 6-12 pjs...mostly because that's the smallest size the cute ones come in.
- You roll over consistently now.  Better late than never.  You have perfected sitting up on your own, however that is never good enough.  You are trying to crawl.  You can go from sitting to your hands and knees, but sometimes your feet get in the way.  You have taken one step while I've been watching.  And the desired object you were crawling to?  The laptop.  You are your Daddy's daughter.
- You want to stand ALL THE TIME.  You can pull yourself up with just a little help.  The time is fast approaching to drop your crib and remove the bumpers.  But not yet...I'm not ready to yet.
- We have successfully started solids!  Your first bite of food was avocado, which is entirely appropriate for our family.  To be a member you must be able to down copious amounts of guacamole without batting an eye.  You took to it immediately and already want to feed yourself.  I love that you love food.
- You still suck your thumb.  And it's cute.  For now.
- Your hair is strawberry blonde, and it doesn't seem to be getting lighter.  You might actually stick with your current color, which would be a total surprise.  We pegged you for a blondie (I mean, you do come from two blond haired blue eyed pale parents).
- You have your Daddy's eyes.
- The song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" makes you laugh.
- You LOVE attention.  And the camera.  There have been several occasions where you have been on the brink of a meltdown, and we bring out the camera.  Instant smiles.  And even POSES.  I'm a little worried about this trait, but for right now it's just cute.
- You try to "talk" over others.  Sometimes you won't let me get a word in.  But it's ok.  You probably just have a lot to say!

I'm sure there are several other things I'm leaving out, but basically:
You are growing up
We think you're pretty fantastic