Mid Week Confessions

Okay friends, its Wednesday -  lets confess.

- Sawyer has started spitting up again (probably from being on his tummy so much as he's learning to crawl) and most often spits up on mommy.  There have been times (due to lack of time and/or laziness) that I don't change and go to work or out in public with baby puke on my pants.

- I'm very sad that so many shows are doing season finales.  Summer TV is boring.  But I will still watch.

- We are going to Cleveland in August for my cousin's wedding.  I'm excited to see extended family (most of whom have not met Andrew or Sawyer).  But I think I'm MORE excited to go to Michael Symon's restaurant Lola.

- I chopped my hair off - partly because its summer and will be cooler during workouts but also because its just easier to do.  What do you think?

- I've spent way too much money on new make up products in the last week.  Sawyer is in desperate need of new jammies but I've taken my spare time to get my hair cut and buy new makeup.  Mom of the year right here.

- I'm having an awesome Mommy day - Sawyer napped in his crib for 2 hours today and is currently napping now!  I just had to brag.  He's also puked on me 4 or 5 times too.

Hope you all are having a good week.  Don't forget to go over to E Myself and I and check out everyone else's confessions!

8 month update

Sawyer is 8 months old!  Holy Cow!  After looking back at his 7 month pictures I feel like he's changed a lot over the last month.  His hair is pretty much out of control but its so darn cute.  He is becoming a mover these days and doesn't sit still for long anymore.  And what a little ham.  He continues to bring so much joy and happiness to our lives.

Size
According to our scale at home, Sawyer weighs about 21 lbs.  I didn't measure his length but he is about to outgrow his 9 month pajamas in length soon so I'm sure he's growing.  He's in 9 and 12 month clothes and size 4 diapers.  He's well proportioned and solid.  We've transitioned to the permanent car seat which means that I no longer have to carry him in and out in the infant car seat which was getting quite difficult.

funny face!

Developmental Milestones
We are so close to crawling.  Just in the past week he's started rolling over consecutively to move across the room.  He gets up on his hands and knees and rocks but can't quite figure out how to move yet which leads to some frustration.

His dexterity is improving and he almost has the pincer grasp down when it comes to self feeding.  He's much more accurate getting food into his mouth.  He's now learned how to shake rattles so they make noise and is working on clapping.  He likes it when mommy claps and can move my hands to make them clap but hasn't quite learned to do it on his own.


Eating
Sawyer loves most every food we've given him.  He's mostly eating purees but also eats cereal (puffs or Cheerios) and arrowroot cookies and rice crackers.  We've also started to give him food off our plates when we are all eating together and he does pretty well.  His really likes green beans as well as yogurt.  He's not a huge fan of avocado but I think it was a texture issue.  He really likes to feed himself crackers and cereal.  Some meals are messier than others and a bath is definitely needed.  He nurses or takes milk from a bottle 5 times a day and eats solids 2 times a day. 

Sleeping
Its not perfect but it is SO MUCH better!  We've really focused on a schedule the last month which I think is helping.  We had a few days of sleeping through the night or some minor fussing  and then he hit a growth spurt and wanted to eat again.  We've been having Andrew take the middle of the night feedings to make him aware that he doesn't always get Mommy.  It means that we are all up in the middle of the night since it takes Andrew about an hour to feed him and put him back down (vs the 20 minutes that it would take me).  We are going to start giving him water next week and hopefully he will learn that its just not worth it to wake up.  Now its Mommy's turn to sleep through the night again - every night he has slept all night I have been up wide awake at 2 or 3.  Boo.

Likes and Dislikes
Sawyer has become very aware of the puppy dog and how much he loves him.  He watches almost every move that Charlie makes and those two are definitely buddies at meal time as Charlie has learned that Sawyer has food on his hands and Sawyer loves when Charlie licks his hands.  Its a match made in heaven.

Sawyer still loves his jumperoo and has started playing with many other toys where things spin or make noise.  He likes to shake things that make noise.  He loves Mommy and Daddy and is full of smiles when we come home.  He's not quite babbling consonants yet but likes to make dinosaur noises with his daddy.  His giggle is one of the best sounds in the world.

There's not a lot that he doesn't like - still not a fan of getting his nose wiped or his face cleaned after dinner.  He's definitely cranky if he doesn't get his nap.

What a joy this little man is in our lives.  This is really a fun age with lots of interaction and lots of personality development.  He's a pretty happy guy for the most part and it is so much fun to watch him learn new things.  I'm so excited to watch him grow and learn more things!

his second haircut!

Mid Week Confessions

Wednesday means confession time.  Linking up again with E at E Myself and I - if you haven't been over to E's blog she talked today about her lack of parallel parking skills.  Funny stuff.

- Sawyer is on the verge of crawling and spending much more time on his tummy.  He tends to try and eat the carpet.  I can't tell you how much dog hair is on the carpet regardless of how many times I vacuum (which  honestly is only once a week unless we have company coming).  I'm sure Sawyer has ingested his fair share of dog hair now.  Oh well - it should help him avoid allergies or something right?

- In order to help motivate Sawyer to crawl, I bought a remote control car.  I think its as much fun for us to play with as it will be for him to chase.

- More than once this week I have wanted to throw my son, my husband and the dog out the window for one reason or another.  Don't worry, I haven't actually harmed anyone. 

- I am totally addicted to this new make up site - maskcara.com.  I've spent way to much time watching videos and have made a list of products to buy at Ulta this weekend.  I may spend a small fortune but am so excited to try some new make up techniques!

- In an attempt to eat better this week and record it all on the Lose It! app on my phone, I have skipped the cheese Danish at Starbucks (its 420 calories!).  Then today at Trader Joes I bought a thing of coconut bon bons.  And ate them all.  Probably way more than 420 calories.  But they were so good.

- I often rock with Sawyer for a good 15 or 20 minutes after he's fallen asleep at night just because I love snuggling with my boy.

I think that's all I have for today.  On a completely separate note, Mario Batali tweeted me today!  I was so excited! 

You know you are a mom when....

Happy Day After Mothers Day!  Instead of getting this post out yesterday, I decided to relax and snuggle with my boy while Andrew did the grocery shopping.  I had a wonderful day.  Andrew spoiled me all weekend, got a massage, yummy dinner, cupcakes and gifts.

I am lucky to have a fantastic mom.  She taught me a lot over the years and I've inherited many of her traits.  She taught me that quality is always better than quantity, that 10 minutes early is on time and on time is late, always clean the house for company, and you can't shop at Target without spending at least $100.  She worked very hard over the years often sacrificing her own wants so she could buy the prom dress I wanted, go on family vacations or pay for my college.  She is so generous to all of her grandkids giving them gifts, cards, and her time.  I'm so thankful we've become such good friends.  I love you Mom!

This certainly was a different Mothers Day from last year now that Sawyer is a part of our lives.  I've learned a lot in the last 8 months and thought I'd share a few things...

You know you are a Mom when....

- you consider it a success to get out of the house without getting puked on

- you use baby wipes for everything - including wiping butts, faces, counters, windows, toys, swings, or anything that might be dirty

- in your purse you find baggies of cereal or puffs and a baby toy or two.

- when you hear any child start to cry (regardless if its yours or not) you start making shushing noises

- you hum the tunes from the swing and jumperoo while in the car

- your productivity around the house is broken down into 2 segments during your child's nap (if you are lucky)

- you don't hesitate to sniff your child's butt to check for poop

- no matter how frustrated or angry or mad at your child you are, a gummy smile will melt your heart every stinking time.

I love being a mom.  Its the hardest yet most rewarding job in the world and I know its impossible to be perfect at it.  Sawyer - you give Mommy pure joy.  I've had so much fun with you these last 8 months.  You will always hold a special place in my heart and I will love you forever little dude.

Sawyer's Mother's Day present to me - a potato ricer so I could attempt making home made gnocchi.

Sawyer and Mommy <3

Rocking the shorts

So proud after 5 poops in one day!

Who doesn't love waking up to this face?

Mid Week Confessions

Apparently, its been a week since I've last blogged.  I swear I have at least thought about blogging....and have read a bunch of other people's blogs.  But that apparently doesn't magically equate to writing my own blog.  Huh.  I really should be more organized.  Oh well.

Once again, it's Wednesday and time for some more confessions. 

- Sawyer only tends to nap for about 40 minutes in his crib but will nap for up to 2 hours if I hold him.  There are times that I've held him to nap just so I can catch up on the shows on my DVR.

- Pinterest is bad for my health.  I see all these yummy recipes and bake things.  Today was a Somoa Bundt Cake.  I'm taking it to community group but I know I will end up eating about half of it.

- I sing 90's boy band songs to Sawyer while I feed him solids (thanks to my awesome Pandora station).  So far his favorites are NKOTB "Step by Step" and Backstreet Boys "I Want It that Way"

- During Stroller Strides workouts when Sawyer is fussy, the instructor will walk him around in the stroller while we do whatever torturous exercise she makes us do.  I hate it because then I can't use him as an excuse to take a break.

- My treadmill has officially become a clothes drying rack.  I haven't run on it in a long time - especially since I've started doing stroller strides.  If Sawyer ever starts sleeping through the night I might start running on it again in the mornings before work....maybe. 

- I swore I would not be the mom that took her kid out in public with the snotty nose, crazy hair and food covered clothes.  Until yesterday.  We went to Costco when Andrew got home from work.  In the rush to get there and back before Sawyer's bed time (and potential break down if we didn't get home in time) he looked like a hot mess.  Carrots all over his shirt and pants and even up his nose, snot all over his face (because I didn't have tissues and baby wipes do not substitute well) and who knows what was in his hair.  He was not a very cute child. He'd also puked on my pants which I didn't bother to change.  But we didn't have a break down so I will consider it a success.

That's all I got kids.  Hope your week is going well.  There is a beautiful weekend on tap for us and I have Saturday off!  Woo hoo!  Hoping to have some quality family time with my boys.

We hung out at the park last week when the weather was so nice.

Mid Week Confessions

Its Wednesday kids and I'm once again linking up with E over at E Myself and I for some mid week confessions.  I will say that since Sawyer has been sleeping better (Praise the Lord!) my confessions aren't as full of sleep deprived angst as they were last week.

Here we go!

- I've been doing Stroller Strides for the past few weeks and I love it.  After class I reward myself by stopping at Starbucks for a skinny caramel macchiato.  I purposefully conveniently park in a location so I walk by it after class.  The past few times in addition to my coffee I've gotten a cheese Danish thereby completely undoing any calorie burn I got during class.

-Today I made the healthier decision and skipped the cheese Danish.  But then I bought a piece of chocolate cake at the grocery store.  And gummy bears.  And I wonder why I can't lose those last 10 lbs of baby weight.

- I loathe Kim Kardashian (what the heck is she famous for anyway?).  I think she looks terrible pregnant and that makes me kind of happy.
*speaking of celebrity pregnancies, Jessica Simpson looks so great this go around!  I think she's kind of an idiot but she designs cute clothes and handbags. 

- I exchanged this text with my mom today.  I was having serious Candy Crush withdrawals.

- Sawyer is into shaking toys that rattle.  But he also wants to chew them at the same time.  He usually ends up hitting himself in the face.  I find it hilarious.

That's all for today friends.  It was so beautiful here today!  I wore Capris (that I wore two summers ago and they fit with the exception of my muffin ton) and flip flops.  Can't wait for more sunny days!

7 month update

I know I say this every month, but seriously - how is my boy already 7 months old?  Its hard to remember what our life was like before our little man was a part of our world.  It has been so much fun to see Sawyer's personality develop and how interactive he has become.  We are having so much fun watching him learn and discover his world.

Size
I haven't officially weighed him, but its highly likely Sawyer near the 20 pound range and is around 27 inches long.  He's on the tail end of the size 3 diapers and we put him in size 4s at night.  He well into 6-9 and 9 month clothes and close to out growing 9 month jammies.  We really need to get him to next stage of car seat soon. 

Developmental Milestones
Sawyer is becoming a proficient sitter and that is his position of choice.  He's not quite as fond of laying on his back to play.  His sitting is pretty steady - occasionally he gets distracted and tumbles over.  He likes to stand with support and play in his jumperoo.  At this point he has very little interest in crawling.  When he's on his tummy he only stays briefly and then rolls over to grab his feet.  He does like to wiggle and push himself around on his back.  Right now I think I will enjoy the fact that I can set him down and walk away without him getting into too much trouble and procrastinate on baby proofing.

Sawyer's dexterity is improving too - he's really good at grabbing toys, changing hands, holding smaller objects with more control. 

Still no teeth but I swear they will make their appearance any day now Lord willing.

Eating
Solids are going very well.  He has liked almost everything he's tried.  He loves eating his puffs - little cereal pieces that easily dissolved.  He can grab them with his hand but sometimes has difficulty getting them in his mouth smoothly and they often end up on the floor.  So, Charlie enjoys the puffs too.  Sawyer still gets a steady diet of breastmilk 5 to 6 times a day and mommy still produces more milk than she knows what to do with.

Sleeping
Ugh.  The last 5 or 6 weeks have not been so much fun.  Sawyer went from sleeping pretty well to waking up every 1-2 hours.  In the last few days we've resorted to crying it out and trying our best to keep him on a consistent schedule.  Things have improved but we are still getting up a few times with him.  This past week he's also caught a cold which hasn't helped.  I'm desperately waiting longing for the time when he starts sleeping through the night.

We have transitioned out of the swaddle and occasionally he will sleep on his tummy.  He will nap in his crib but generally his naps only last about 45 minutes and sometimes less.  In an attempt to get him on a schedule we've at times held him to nap just to get him used to sleeping at that time a day.

Likes and Dislikes
Sawyer continues to like his feet and has added an array of toys to his favorites.  One is a cell phone that Grandma Hall gave him and another is a remote control that I got for him at a consignment sale.  He loves to chew on his Sophie the giraffe toy and jumping in the jumparoo.  He has become very aware of Charlie and loves to watch him and especially loves when he gets doggy kisses. 

Sawyer is not a fan of having his nose wiped or at times being put down for a nap.

We took a trip to Virginia to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hall and Sawyer proved to be a good little traveler.  He flirted with the flight attendants, took some good long naps, and we managed to keep him on a west coast schedule.

All in all, Sawyer is a pretty content little guy.  We can cart him around to a restaurant or to Target and he's generally pretty happy.  He certainly adds infinite joy to our lives.

 

We love bath time!

His line up of toys

Hokie hat made by our friend Lynsie

His business travel look for our Virginia trip