Love

The love you have for your children is seriously crazy. Sometimes when I'm rocking Hunter at night or just snuggling with him while he's falling asleep in my arms I look at him and thank God for him. I usually start by thanking God for his happy giggly personality, his chill easy going attitude, and for the joy he brings to our family. The joy and love we have over Hunter is so overwhelming it often makes me cry. I get so emotional just thinking about it! It's crazy to think that just 5 months ago we weren't able to hold him yet, and a year ago we didn't even know we were pregnant yet! Time sure did go quickly! I'm already getting sad that he will be 6 months old in December. That is half way through his first year and that means he'll only be a baby for another half of a year!! Is it possible to have baby fever when you have a baby?? haha I think I just enjoy babies and kids so much I would be content in having one his age for the rest of my life! Don't get me wrong I can't wait for him to get older so we can see his personality, but being able to hold him in your arms and watch him sleep is something I'll never forget or ever take for granted. It's one of the sweetest moments I've ever had! Jared and I both love looking at him in awe of what God has created :)

I can't imagine a child being abandoned or ignored. It makes me so sad! I have a child in my class that craves attention so much; it's obvious he doesn't get it at home. He often asks for a hug or to hold my hand... so sweet. Those little kindergarteners are my babies too! I honestly wish I could adopt him. I hate that this little kid goes home to such a rough home life.. if the opportunity ever came available for me to adopt him I'd do it in a heart beat! Jared and I both have a heart for all the hurting children out there... it is on our heart to adopt someday when we are in a better state financially, God willing. I think it would be awesome to give another child a chance at life!

A little leakage

Here is my personal oppinon on disposable diapers... pampers all the way.

haha this is what Hunter looked like when he got up from a nap the other day. We had a huggies diaper on him and he woke up 3 hours later looking like this! I've tried Huggies, Luvs, and Pampers. I know some people say it doesn't really matter they're all the same but that is so not true for our little guy! We can leave a Pampers on him for 12 hours at night and he won't leak at all! Luvs aren't the best for night time but they work during the day. So I've been buying 1 box or 1 package of pampers for night time only and then using Luvs during the day. I actually still have 3 big boxes of diapers left from before he was born! I have only had to buy 1 box since we've had him, and that was because we needed the pampers for night time in size 3. We moved him up a few days ago and I couldn't make the size 2's last. They were huggies anyways so I just threw away the last 5 or 6 that I had left. This really surprised me that Huggies would be so BAD! They are more expensive than any other kind I've found... and I don't know why, haha. So, I think we've found what works for us! As soon as I start having to buy them I think I'm gunna try Sams because they are cheaper there and I'm ALMOST positive they have free shipping.. The membership is cheaper for Sams then it is for AmazonMom... so we'll try it! I'm pretty excited we've made it 4.5 months without buying them though! We will probably make it to 6 months!

Pictures

Dinah's sister Mary Anne does an amazing job at photographing. She came to visit for a few days and they surprised me with a little mini photo shoot. I guess it was supposed to be a gift but Dinah couldn't wait, haha. I love the pictures though! They capture my baby boy's sweet blue eyes and lucious lips (haha they are so kissable). He looks like such a chunk in the pictures as well.

Here are a few of my favorites:

I absolutely love his little hands in this one. He constantly has them in his mouth!

 

One of my best friends also takes pictures and we had her take our family photos for the first time since Hunter has been born. I can't wait to see those! She has posted one of Hunter and I so far and I love it. The fall colors are gorgeous right now :) God couldn't have painted a better backdrop!

 

 

4 month appointment & jumperoo!

Hunter had his 4 month appointment on Oct. 17th. So he was a little over 4 months...almost 4 1/2. He did not weigh as much as I thought! He was 16pounds 7 ounces which was the 60th percentile for weight. He was very long though... 26 and 3/4 inch long which put him in the 90th percentile for height. His head he was right around 75th. I was very surprised she didn't give me the green light for cereal or even mention it! Little did she know we've been doing it for awhile now though. I don't know if I already said this or not, but another doctor we know told me he was perfectly fine to be on cereal and food already because he's not lacking in the weight department. He said they hesitate on babies who aren't at least in the 50th % for height and weight because they need more of the nutrients that come from milk and not so much the ones that come from food and cereal. So that made me feel better when we decided to try it.

Hunter had shots at this last appointment and I felt so bad! He was laying there giggling and then all of the sudden he screamed and cried. My poor baby didn't know what hit him! I have heard the 6 month shots are the worst! :( He ran a fever for 2 and a half days after his shots too. It got up to 100 which isn't too high, but high enough that I knew he wasn't himself. I'm glad he is back to normal though! I'm also glad we have a very happy baby! Phew, those few days of screaming were not him and it gave me chance to test my patience for sure!

A friend gave us their jumperoo! How nice of them!! HE LOVES IT! It is by far his favorite toy... which I figured as much since my nephews loved theirs as well. It pretty well takes up every bit of our living room too, haha. I'm glad we have a room right off of our living room that we can hide those big toys when they aren't being used or else we would look like a day care, haha.

 

 

Baby Food Success

Making my own baby food was a success! So far, Hunter is enjoying it as well! I got out my new baby bullet and made sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, peas, green beans, and avocado. He had sweet potatoes for 4 days and he is now on to bananas for 4 days. So far, they are both a go! I am anxious to try something not so sweet and see if he still enjoys it as much. It was so worth the time it took to make baby food. I went to Aldi and bought a bag of the sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, frozen peas, 4 apples, 8 bananas, and 3 avocados for 8 bucks. If I would have gone to walmart, I could have bought 8 -2 packs of the gerber baby food containers which would get me through 16 days.  I filled up 6 ice cube trays, and all of the baby bullet containers that came with it. I still have 3 bananas, 3 apples, and 3 sweet potatoes too! So that is definitely 2 months worth of food for 8 bucks. AND its way better for him since it has no preservatives. If you think about it- that stuff can stay on the shelf, warm... for who knows how long?!? This food can last 3 days in the refrigerator, 1 month in the freezer, or 3 months in the deep freeze. SO, how do they make it have such a long shelf life at the store without being cold??? Hmmmm. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'll still be buying a few of the stuff from the store for "on the go". Because who wants to ask a restaurant for a microwave to heat it up...?

 2 sweet potatoes makes a lot of baby food!

 Love Aldi and my box of produce!

 Love my baby bullet!

 

Yum Yum sweet taters

Right now, he is just getting baby food for dinner and it's followed by a 4 oz bottle instead of an 8 oz one.

Giving it a try!

We decided to give the baby food a try! I did a little experiment to see if Hunter was maybe just hungry like I said and gave him extra cereal last night and what do ya know, he didnt make a peep and he slept till 9! So, since he's just such a big boy we decided we think he's ready for some food, yay! I have been researching what the best foods to start out are and I found a great website! nurturebaby.com says babies can have food starting at 4 months. They gave the best foods to start with because of least gassy/tummy issues. Looks like I'll be stopping at the store tonight to get some apples, pears, green beans, peas, bananas, and sweet potatoes! I'm making my own and so excited to try it! It also said to do peaches but I think I'll just buy those cause Jen said it wasn't worth buying them since they're expensive. So, we'll keep a stash of food on hand in jars to take places. Otherwise I get to check out my baby bullet tonight! The site gives good recipes and advice like try a food for 4 days to make sure there are no reactions. It also said if the child doesn't like it, try it again up to ten times because it can take that long to acquire taste!

Pictures to come! :)

puzzle

Why are babies such a puzzle?! Oh ya, it's because they can't communicate except by crying. Wow is that frustrating. Ever since I posted my 4 month post about Hunter, he's been waking up at night. Most of the time he falls back asleep within 5-10 minutes so I don't even go in there. BUT, there was a night where he was crying pretty loud and it wasn't getting any less. So I went in and changed his diaper and then put him back down. I pat his butt and he went to sleep. I went back to my room and he was crying again. I did this whole cycle thing about 4 times and finally knelt by his crib and pat his cute little butt for ONE HOUR! omg. I was tired of patting and could have fallen asleep on his floor. Yikes... The next night he cried out again but did fall back asleep. I'm wondering if he's getting teeth, or if he is just not being held over anymore by that last bottle..any suggestions? I kind of want to try either cereal again for dinner or maybe even some baby food. something with some substance to hold him over all night again. The 2 tablespoons in the bottle must not be cuttin it anymore. I enjoyed my nice little 2 month interruption free sleep while it lasted :)

Serve Now, Serve Together

This weekend was the second annual Serve Now, Serve Together! This year 3 more churches joined us in serving our community. I served at the Junior High/High School clothes closet this year. This is something I wasn't even aware the schools had. It's a "store" of donated clothes, toiletries, and undergarments which the kids from both schools can go look through if they are in need. It is free of cost to them and full of lots of goodies. Now, before I went I thought I'd look through my clothes and donate some. I donated a whole trashbag. I thought this was pretty good! When I got there and saw how empty the closets were and how in need they were, I was feeling kinda bad. I have a pretty small closet at home, but I store a LOT of my clothes in the basement on a hanging string that is strung all the way across my basement! So, I actually have like the worlds largest closet, haha. But I just rotate my clothes out every now and then and with season. I got home and looked at my basement closet and holy smokes I didn't donate near enough. I felt like I needed to go through these clothes for a second time and this time don't just donate the ones I haven't worn in years. This time I donated good clothes... not just ones I kept the first time because it was "too nice" or I "might wear it someday". So needless to say, God pulled at my heart a little bit and led me to donate a lot more clothes! I have 2 more trashbags full of clothes to bring over this week. I was really shown how good of a life I live and that I need to give more to the ones who are in need. I think the word I'm looking for is "simply." I have heard this quote before, and I was reminded of it again this weekend. "Live simply, so you can simply live." I don't want to worry about what others think, what I look like, etc. I just want to simply live and love others! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to serve this weekend. I had no idea we have so many "homeless" students in the area that are in need.

Here is a picture of the clothes I pulled from the basement, ridiculous considering I already have a closet full upstairs!

And here is what I narrowed it down to.

 

These are all my hangers I now have because all the clothes are in trash bags and ready to be donated!

4 months!

At 4 months, Hunter has quite the personality! He is such a happy baby!

 

 

At 4 months Hunter can... laugh! He has the cutest little belly laugh and he is so ticklish! That is a sure way to get him to laugh.

 

Still sleeping through the night, yay! He usually sleeps about 12 hours, which I know we are very very very very very blessed with!

 

Talks, smiles, and laughs ALL THE TIME! We love this little personality that is shining through. He still pouts some too, but not near as much anymore.

 

Is still a very content baby. He loves to sit in his bouncy seat and watch cartoons. Although I don't want him watching very much becasue I've heard this is bad for their development... too many colors and sounds to process! Sorry Hunter we'll have to start cutting you back on your cartoon time!

 

Is still a big boy but is seeming to slow down a bit in weight. His appointment isn't until Oct. 17th but according to our scale he weighs 18 lbs. So he's only gained 4 pounds in 2 months; slowing down a little.

 

He seems very long to me but again I don't know the measurments yet!

 

He's eating cereal by spoon and loving it.

He trys to hold his bottle already... thinks he's big stuff! He needs to move his hands down a bit and he might have it!

Has lost most of his hair :( I loved his hair! His new is growing quite quickly though! He is pretty patchy at the moment.... grow baby grow!

 

Wearing size 6-9 month clothes and 9-12 month sleepers. I'm waiting on him to go through the last few size 2 diapers and then we'll be movin him up to 3's. I hate to waste any!

 

Eating an 8 oz. bottle 4 times a day. 8, 12, 5, 8 (usually)

 

He is a very scheduled baby! He knows that he has one morning nap, one afternoon nap, and an evening nap. Usually his morning and afternoon naps are 3 hours and his evening is 30-1 hr. However, if he is woken up early or doesn't sleep as long he still thinks that was his nap and he won't make up for it. This is frustrating when he falls asleep in the car and then won't take a nap or wants to go to bed at 7.

 

He sleeps on his belly still and is eating cereal in his last bottle still. I am pretty sure this is the key to him sleeping so well. There was one night we forgot cereal because we were out and about and he woke up at 1am crying. This was the only time he's cried out or woken up in 2 months! So we know it works and keeps his belly full at night.

 

He is just starting to play with toys. He sat in his exersaucer yesterday and was intently playing with the toys on it. So cute!

 

He still isn't interested in rolling over. Has only done it that one time. He does play on his back quite a bit, but doesn't usually ever play on his stomach, just sleeps on it.

 

We are loving watching our sweet boy grow. I saw a newborn the other day and got really sad that my baby is getting so big! It's insane how fast its going. I'm trying my best to soak up every moment. I'm such a baby lover I could keep him this age forever! Jared is so excited to see him grow though so he can do things with him like hunt, fish, and of course teach him how to ball!

 

I'm loving the winter hats :) Hoping for a mild winter though! So glad he's out of the newborn stage for the nasty cold weather! Summer babies are the way to go!

 

Always has his hands in his mouth! This makes for some stinky cheeks, haha. Slobber slobber slobber!

Grandma Jackie made me this cute hat!

Just chewin on my hands, mom.



spoon feeding

9-29-12
Our big boy has officially started eating from a spoon! I was so excited to try it. As I knew he would; he loved it. Already, you can't get the spoon to his mouth fast enough. He is such a little porker! Yes he's been getting cereal in his bottle for awhile now, but this is much thicker. We do 2 tablespoons of cereal to one ounce of formula. We started him on it Saturday, a day I knew we would both be able to see him eat it for the first time. I think he's going to be eating baby food in no time as well. He is just so hungry since he's such a big boy. We started off by feeding him the cereal first thing in the morning when he got up. However, I changed this quickly because he was just too hungry right when he got up and didn't really want anything but his bottle. So, now we are just doing cereal sometime mid-morning before his first nap of the day. My dad and Dinah watched him yesterday and they said he loved it and did well for them too, yay!

I'll probably wait another month or so and then start him on some baby food! I need to find some spare time before we start that since I want to make my own.

Fellow mommas, what is your favorite kind to make on your own? What is the cheapest you've found to make? Which kinds are not worth making and better off buying? I've heard from several blogging mommas that you are supposed to introduce a single food for a few days to get them used to it. And I've also heard you are supposed to stick to veggies at first as well. I want my boy to like his veggies! And one last question, did you start out with cereal in the morning like he's getting now and then just one time a day baby food... or did you go ahead and do lunch and dinner baby food right off the bat? Like I said I'll at least wait until he is  5 months, but probably start shortly after that. We love his high chair too; it reclines so it's super easy for him right now since he can't sit up yet.

Here are just a few pictures of Hunter eating cereal for the first time from a spoon!