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. 

Dear Santa

Well, Christmas is in full swing. You can definitely tell by the 3 Christmas trees in my house and all of the outside lights that have been going up at our neighbors houses over the past week. I've got my first Christmas party (or as we call it Christmas Gala) with my girl friends on Saturday. I'm looking forward to spending time with them and doing what we do best... eat, drink, and open presents!

Speaking of, these are a few of the things that will be making Sam's first Christmas quite a merry one!

He will also be getting this high chair from his Nonna and Poppy. It's a Mamas and Papas Juice high chair and I love that it is simple and modern looking and its not too too big. I swear some high chairs you look at need their own zip code.

Of course, there are also some really cute Christmas pj's and outfits that he will get as well. Can't wait to celebrate this time of year with him! I'd say he's going to have a pretty great Christmas. 

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It

I'm linking up with Katie and Steph for their weekly Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

Things have been getting pretty festive around these parts. My husband probably officially thinks I have lost my mind with all things Christmas lately.

I can't help it. I get so excited to decorate and shop. To tell the truth, I've had my trees (notice the plural) up and decorated for 2 weeks now. I wanted Sam to experience the glowing of the tree lights so I put it up a bit early... and guess what? He doesn't even care. Go Figure.

But, that didn't stop me from buying yet another tree when I found this beaut at Target on Black Friday for just $30. I couldn't pass up that kind of deal. It was meant to be.

I moved all of our keepsake ornaments to this tree since there was more room then the small tree they were on. Which left me a whole tree to decorate!! (insert squeals) 

I found this pin on pinterest for cinnamon ornaments and thought it would be perfect to put on a kitchen tree. 

original source

These were so simple to make. All I needed was a few ingredients and followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly. My only suggestion is to bake them on wax paper or a silicone baking mat. Mine stuck to my  baking stone and I had to scrape them off with a spatula. 

They smell AMAZING and they look so cute on my tree that I strung with cranberry garland and Christmas cookie cutters. I now have a kitchen themed Christmas tree. And that. Well, that makes my heart real happy.

Merry Christmas!

All I Want for Christmas...

I was sitting here googling things that I may or may not want for Christmas this year and thought I may as well just put them on here. Hello, mom! Are you paying attention?!

Honestly there are only a couple of things that I REALLY want this year and then I just start thinking about all of the stuff I should get Sam for his first Christmas. Figures. I guess that is what happens when you have kids, huh?

Here are some things that I am eyeing this year:

These are Aubrey Brooke Taylor Riding Boots found here. They are technically already mine, just hiding in my house somewhere and I can't wait to get my greedy hands on them.

This beaute is a Nikon D3100. You know, so I can be a professional photographer SAHM.

Sam is about to start on baby foods and I will be making all of his purees. I need me a machine!

Since having Sam, I haven't read one. single. book. I've been wanting to read Gone Girl and Reached and this might give me the incentive to buy them and read them. 

This Swiss Dot duvet cover from West Elm... along with these sheets..

Oh, and there is always clothes. Or anything from Target.

The End.

Blessed for nothin...

And really at this point I wouldn't really even say "blessed". I'm talking about my tata's actually. There really is a point to me talking about this here... hold tight and I'll get to it.
Everyone talks about having a birth plan and how mom's get so wrapped up in going exactly by that plan. They don't account for the unknown, the circumstances that they don't think about. Kind of like those books when you were little where you would read to a certain page and then you get to pick the direction (I loved those btw). Depending on which page you pick, the story can end up in a completely different way. My story has kind of ended up in a completely different way, too, and it is definitely not the one I wanted to flip the page to.
All of my life I have had, shall I say, an abnormally large chest for my size. Before being pregnant I was a size 2/4 and I had triple D's. Yeah, you read that right. I don't know how I was so unlucky to be given these, because my mom... not so much. But, whatever. I've kind of gotten used to shirts fitting weird or having back aches.
But, here is where it fits into my pregnancy. I have always wanted to breastfeed. Always. Really? it was never an option for me not to. I never once considered that I couldn't or wouldn't be able to. It wasn't in my plan... my plan for my son to have the best of whatever I had to give him. It turns out, I can't give him that. It is literally breaking my heart.
We got off to a rough start in the hospital. He would literally get hungry and BAM be hysterical about it. So much so, that he wouldn't latch. I tried. We tried. I think every nurse in the whole hospital tried. At one point I had more hands on my boobs then I would like to admit. Everyone putting in their 2 cents and telling me I can't, won't be able to, he will one day, wait until your milk comes in.... Blah blah blah blah blah.
We left the hospital with the instructions to keep trying and to supplement with formula while I am pumping what I can. "It will come," they all said. I counted on it. I shouldn't have.
My glorious triple D's... yeah those? have turned into H's. No that is not a typo. I'm just being honest here. Why in the world, would God give me such well endowed tata's if I can't even use them for what they were intended for? Yes, I'm struggling with the bitterness of it all.
For the past 4 weeks I have struggled with latching, thrush, engorgement, and low milk supply. I pump what would probably be enough milk for a mouse, not my hungry and growing 9 pound, cute as a button baby boy. He is hungry... he wants to eat... and I can't provide that for him.
Honestly, this post isn't supposed to be a pity party. But the truth is, I am grieving this experience that I didn't expect to have. And right now, I am struggling with the decision to just stop trying and feed him exclusively formula. But it's hard. It's hard because if I officially give up then I have to accept that I failed... and I feel like a failure. But on the other hand, I am mentally and physically exhausted. I literally don't know if I have it in me to keep trying. It's been a month. My sweet Sam will be a month old on Sunday. Right now, I feel like I am not enjoying him like I should be. Don't get me wrong, I love him so much I feel like my heart is about to pop out of my chest, but as of now, I am watching the clock like a machine. Every 3 hours, pump. I am chained to my house and I don't like that feeling.
So yeah, everyone is always afraid of the labor process. I was. To me, labor was a piece of cake. It has been everything that has happened afterward that no one really prepares you for.
I am hoping that I will see some change in the next couple of days. Those of you who are the praying kind, please say one for me!