Come on spring!

I am so ready for spring to get here! I can just feel it in my bones that it is just around the corner. I want sunshine, warm weather, trees budding, flowers springing. I want to go on walks, do yard work, bust back out the grill and the fresh veggies. I want to go into downtown Louisville and sit at waterfront park, have a drink on a sidewalk table while enjoying some good food. I am ready for Louisville Bats games and enjoying a hot dog at the ball park, for Derby season and the festivals.

Of course all of these things will be that much more fun this year with Sam in tow. Actually, even though we don't quite have warm weather just yet, we did enjoy going downtown this weekend to enjoy some family time outdoors. I have to say that being a stay at home mom is so wonderful and rewarding. I get to stay home with Sam and watch him grow and change and learn new things. I am beyond blessed that my husband works so hard to make that happen. But I am ready to not be in the house from Monday-Friday.

So this weekend when the sun was out I told Nick, "Lets go DO something!" And we did. And it was wonderful!

I needed to go to Whole Foods to stock up on some organic food for Sam's baby food for the month so we figured we would do some other stuff while we were in town too.

Recently, Louisville just completed a walking bridge across the Ohio River that connects the Kentucky side to the Indiana side. It is right over waterfront park downtown and I was itching to go walk across it. I kept seeing people post pictures on instagram and I wanted to go check it out.

Once we got down there we realized something else must have been going on because the traffic on River Road was crazy crowded. When we got out of the car we noticed people in wet suits and towels and immediately remembered that they were doing the Polar Bear Plunge in the river that day. You couldn't pay me enough to jump in that freezing river on a cold day. Nah uh. Not gonna happen.

But we did get some pictures from atop of the bridge of the crazies that were participating...

You can't see very well but people were jumping off of those piers on the other side of the Tumbleweed.

 Downtown Louisville skyline. I love this city. 

Nick pushing Sam in his stroller. Funny story but it was a bit chilly and we did have Sam bundled up in a jacket and a very fuzzy blanket. But there was a older couple walking the opposite way from us and the man looks at Sam and says, "That baby is going to freeze." It was a total cop-out because he really wanted to say it to me but directing it toward my baby made it better?? Sam was not the only kid up there in a stroller btw. There were lots of families out enjoying the day. He made me mad but still made my mom guilt flair up to where I doubted if in fact he should be up there. ugh.

Sam and I with Louisville in the background.

All in all I say it was a pretty great way to spend a Saturday. I just can't wait for more Saturdays just like it!

22 days until Spring!! 

7 months

Weight: I'm not really sure how much you weigh since you won't go back to the Dr. until your 9 month well check, but if I had to guess you would probably be around 18 or so pounds. You look really skinny but your fat is all in your cheeks and double chin!

Health: You are a perfectly healthy little boy. In fact, other than a small fever you had when you were around 3 months old, you haven't been sick at all since you were born. I know it is because you are mostly around me all day everyday and not at a daycare where germs multiply.

Sleep: We started off the month thinking that nap times were going to be a struggle from here on out... since you have learned to pull up. I would put you in your crib and you would immediately use the rails to stand and there you would stay and cry. Luckily you learned how to sit back down and now you go to sleep after playing around in your crib for a good 15 minutes.

This is the first time I saw you standing on your own. You were fussing at the end of a nap and I happened to look at the monitor and this is what I saw. I may have freaked out a little bit... but you know, managed to get this picture before running in to save you!

Social: You got to go to bible study with us this month and meet all of the babies in the group. You were the only mobile one so you basically terrorized and crawled over all the poor babies that were just laying on the floor. You didn't mean it though :) You don't mind strangers or when other people hold you, which I secretly love. I don't want you to be shy like me.

Diet: You are taking 4 bottles a day and then eating pureed foods 3 times a day. You have tried butternut squash, plums, and broccoli this month. You actually loved the broccoli but I think only because I mixed it with apples. You LOVE apples.

Clothes: I've been packing away more clothes lately. Since you wear cloth diapers and they are more bulky, you are starting to stretch out your 6 month onsies. It will probably be time to move up to 9 months soon. 

Loves the most: You love your mom and dad of course. And you love your Poppy (my dad). You seriously smile so big when he walks in the door. I hope you all are best buds. You also still love your lady bug toy.

Milestones: Well, you are growing fast bud because when you turned 7 months you decided that was the day you would stand up. And now you stand up all. the. time. It's funny because you barely play with your toys these days because you are so busy trying to stand and walk. You will pull up on the couch for a second, then go to the window, then the TV stand. Shew, it's exhausting just watching you. A toy may catch your eye when you are passing from one place to the next, but mostly you want those little legs to work.

It is so cute when you stand at the window because you throw the curtain back to look out. Oh and the grey thing is a foam tube we put on the window because someone was gnawing at the sill and would get pulled away with paint chips on his face... but I won't name names or anything. 

You are getting so big so fast. Sometimes I want time to stop so you will be little forever. Dad asked me the other night when you aren't considered a "baby" anymore. And even though that will probably be when you reach a year old and become a toddler, you will always be my little baby. My first born baby. My baby that made me a momma.
I love you.

XOXOXO

Copy Cat... Part 2

It's Thursday! Do you know what that means? No, it's not just the eve of Friday (which most are probably looking forward to the end of the work week). No, No. It's actually the day to link up with Katie and Steph for their weekly Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

A very long time ago (as in very long time) I did this post about a project I saw on Pinterest. Basically if you don't want to go look back, it was a post in which you can make a hemp pendant lamp that looked EXACTLY like one at West Elm.  The one you can purchase online from them is around $80.00 and is still available on their website. It looks like this...

I loved it! It's simple and would look perfect above our dining room table. But... I'm cheap. Real cheap. And so is my husband. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE nice things and if I could I would straight up buy that pendant from West Elm and not lift a finger. BUT... when I saw a pin on pinterest that told me I could make an exact replica I wanted to try it. 

This project took me several days to make because you have to do quite a few rounds and let the glue dry each time. But here are the supplies I needed.

• a bouncy ball from any store (I got mine at Walmart)
• a bottle of Tacky Glue
• A spool of twine or hemp rope (I got mine at Michaels)
• Rubber Gloves (these are a must because you will be running the glue over the rope)
• And a beer (which is optional but highly recommended)

I basically used a bowl to make a circle on the ball (with the air hole in the middle) with a permanent marker. This will be the part of your pendant that hangs down over your table so you can easily reach up to change the bulb. You don't want to wrap any rope or glue through this circle, only around it. Basically after that, you just put on the gloves and start coating small sections of the rope in glue and then wrapping in circles around the ball. You have to work with the string a little bit to make it go in different directions or you will keep wrapping the same section over and over again.

This is me taking a break to enjoy my beer! Yum.

You can see where I kept the circle exposed and no rope wrapped there... You can also see where some of the glue is still wet. This took me several days because you want that full look with not too many exposed areas.

Once you have it wrapped enough to where you like it, take a tire pump thingy (its a technical term obviously) and place it in the air hole (another technical term) to let the air out. Make sure all of the glue is completely dry so you may have to let it sit a couple of days. If not, it might cave in on you when you let the air out.

Now here is what it will look like after you pull the ball out of the inside. 

You can see where some of the glue is there. You just have to pick it off and clean it up a little. Once you do, you will have an exact replica of the West Elm Pendant for..... less than $15.00. Whoop Whoop.

Now all you would need to do is buy a pendant kit from your local hardware store or Home Depot and hang it up from the ceiling. Something like this would be perfect and it comes in different finishes.

So there you have it. A high price look for less. Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know if you try it!!

6 Months

Half a year? Are you serious? I can't even believe that Sam turned 6 months on the 1st. I know this is a tad bit late... but better late than never, right? Said every mom in the history of the universe.

December was a crazy month for us as a family. We had individual friend parties, work parties, birthday parties, trips to Nashville, 7 family Christmases, and even a Christmas out of town at my aunt and uncle's house. Whew. I am just now rested up.

So, now you can see why I am a bit late. Here are a few of the things that Sam is up to this month!

Weight: You officially weighs in at 17 lbs. Dude, you are heavy. It is seriously a workout to carry you and a bag of laundry up from the basement. But I shouldn't complain about burning those extra calories :)

Health: No reports here. We are hoping to stay away from this dreaded flu bug that is going around. I'm guessing that staying inside and away from people in general might help in that department. Basically we are hermits until we can come out and play. You just got the flu shot at your 6 month appt. and we have to go back for another at the beginning of February.

Sleep: Still sleeping from about 7:45-8:00 until 7 in the morning. Thank the Lord for Moms on Call!!

Social: I have loved seeing your personality come out more and more as you get older. You are much more smiley and talkative now then even a month ago. However, you are still serious sometimes especially when you see something new and are trying to figure it out.

Diet: You are now eating pureed baby foods. I am making all of your foods and so far you have had sweet potatoes, bananas, peas, apples, and carrots. You loved the sweet potatoes and the apples... everything else... not so much. I have to mix different combos so you don't make these awful faces. Feeding you is seriously the funniest time ever. Hopefully I am going to introduce avocados, plums, broccoli, and pears soon.

This was after introducing carrots. There was a lot of gagging and ugly faces going on.

Clothes: We packed away all of your 3 month outfits this month. You fit well into 6 month pants but could probably do bigger onsies. You also need to move up to 9 month pj's too! 

Loves the most: Sam got a Baby Einstein bouncer for Christmas and he LOVES it! He also loves this musical activity table that lights up. He got so many new toys over Christmas that he just scoots around the floor to play with them all.

Milestones: You. Are. Mobile. As in crawling. Not so much the crawling on your hands and knees... it's definitely a modified version but trust me, you can get anywhere you want to go. Especially if that place includes the remote control, and if that's the case you are there in 2.5 seconds. Gone are the days that I can walk out of the room with you on the floor. So now I just have to stick you in your bouncer so you don't get into something you shouldn't. You are also babbling up a storm these days saying things like "Bababababa," and even some "Mamamama," in there. I know you don't know that what you are saying means "Mom" but I like to pretend you are talking to me.
Also, you have 2 bottom teeth! They have broken through and are growing bigger everyday. I love seeing your teeffes when you grin. 

It is such a joy to watch you grow. Everyday I look at you and am in awe that you are you and you are mine (and your daddy's). I love you something fierce, kid.

xoxox,
Mom

5 Months

Weight: At his 4 month well check he was almost 15 pds so I would assume he is probably 15.5 or 16 by now. This boy loves food and it shows.

Health: He is generally really healthy as far as sickness is concerned. Nothing to report there. He does have a deep hemangioma on his left shoulder that we have to get looked at by a plastic surgeon. We will know more options then on whether he needs surgery or if we can wait it out.

Sleep: No complaints here. Whatsoever. I think we might have been blessed with the best sleeper ever. This kid loves to sleep and he has slept through the night since he was 6 weeks old. Even if he wakes up in the middle of the night he doesn't cry; he just talks and plays in his crib until he goes back to sleep. Win.

Social: Sam is much more reserved around new people or large groups of people. I have a feeling he is going to be shy like his mommy and daddy were when they were little. He did great at Thanksgiving with both sides of the family but I did keep him as close as possible to his napping and eating schedule.

Diet: Sam is eating about 7 oz of formula every 3 to 4 hours. We tried oatmeal after his 4 month well check but he started breaking out. We didn't know if it was from that or his detergent so we stopped both and are adding it back in. We will probably try again this weekend.

Clothes: He can fit into some of his 3 month onesies but he wears 6 month clothes the best and even 6-9 month sleepers fit best.

Loves the most: Me and daddy of course! But also anything that he can get a hold of and put in his mouth. This kid thinks everything is edible. But he does love his keys most of all and his monkey lovie. 

Milestones: He has managed the squeal. I hear he gets it honest because Nonna and Poppy said mom used to be able to almost shatter glass with her squeals as a baby.  You aren't really "mobile" yet but you can scoot backwards and around in a circle in order to get what you need to. You can also roll over several times in a row in order to get to a new place but you don't do this as often. You are officially a mover. You do NOT want to lay still on your back for a clothing change or a diaper change... which makes it difficult because momma only has 2 hands (I swear I need 4). AND, you are also starting to hold your own bottle! 

Overall you are the most relaxed and calm baby. You are interested in everything and you love to give me a shy smile all the time. I just love you so much and you amaze me everyday.

Happy 5 months lil' bud.