Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tips!

So, the hubs and I turned the t.v. off on January 3rd and kept it off till Feb 4th. Since then we've watched 1 tv show and 2 movies. I think we have broken our tv addiction. Woo hoo!

While at the library this week I picked up some videos of Julia Child's "The French Chef" series and have been watching one per day while Bug is nursing. I've never seen any of her shows before and I discovered that I ADORE her!! While watching she solved a big annoyance to me in the kitchen. We rarely have paper products as we use cloth napkins, cleaning rags, etc. One thing that I always need a napkin or paper towel for, is to butter pans for baking and cooking. Well while watching Julia, she used a spatula to spread the butter in the pan. It was like a huge lightbulb moment for me! One of those things that you don't think of but its such an easy solution!

Made my day!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Monday, February 07, 2011

4 Month Letter

Hey My Buggy Boy!
4 Months!! I can't believe it but another month has gone by. It seems like this month really marked so much change for you and you are your own person now.see look at you chewing on your 4 month sticker instead of letting me take a picture of it!
Before it just seemed like you were an extension of me but now you are really starting to express yourself and use your body.
This month marks a milestone for us. We have been taking this nursing thing as it comes with my first goal being 6 weeks, then my second being 4 months. I've been reading so much research about how good it is for me to exclusively breastfeed if only to the 4 month mark. We have hit that and set our new goal to at least 6 months exclusive. I love nursing you, as you get bigger and we interact in different ways its my guaranteed time to cuddle and snuggle with you.



Speaking of cuddling and snuggling, we are also still co-sleeping. This is mostly because it just works for us. You still wake up 1-2 times per night to nurse and it's so nice to just nurse you in bed and go back to sleep. I love waking up to see the two people I love most in the world as well. I know it doesn't work for everyone but I am enjoying this time we have all together as a family.
the "Back Ben"
One of the cute things you do is a maneuver we call the "Back Ben" other people may refer to it as a back bend. If your daddy or I get out of bed to get ready for the day you will bend as far as you can backwards to look for us, sometimes you will even start talking like "hey, you forgot me!!"

You are really talking up a storm now, you normally wake up around 5:30 am and spend some time with Daddy before he goes to work. Most mornings I take that hour to sleep some more but sometimes I'll just hear you talking, cooing and just telling your Daddy stories.

video of one of our conversations
I talk to you all day long and now you are talking back to me(makes me feel less crazy, thanks!). You get so excited sometimes that your arms and legs get moving too. I am a little worried that you might end up a lawyer like your Uncle Wally but we'll see :) You also laugh like a champ.
You are such a joy to me and your dad, we know that we are blessed to have such a happy boy. We enjoy you so much!

This month it really seems like you are figuring out your hands. You grab and actually play with your toys. Ok, by playing I really mean you try to eat them, but they entertain you and that is fun to see. You are really into the teething thing, EVERYTHING goes into your mouth. You love the maple wood teethers that we got you for Christmas and it is pretty funny seeing a little boy just chewing away on a piece of wood! Sometimes it looks like you might turn into a thumb sucker too, a couple of times you have found your thumb and kept it there for a few minutes. I guess that's just another thing to watch for as you get older.


"Little" boy is not such an accurate description of who you are, you are quite the big boy!! Your cousin Payton is just a little thing so your Aunt Anna and I laugh every day about the differences in you guys! Pop-pop even made this side by side comparison that cracks us up!
I love your rolls and chunkiness and you seem to love the belly kisses and neck kisses that come along with being a chunker! You also seem to be getting a little ticklish with your neck now so I am excited to see if that is going to be your tickle spot.

Your daddy and I have started a night time routine for you this month, we give you a bath, change you, read to you, pray over you and nurse you. You have really taken to the routine and seem to be ready to go to bed right afterwards. I love watching your face as we take turns reading to you, you are a pretty attentive little guy and love to read books. You also seem to be pretty reverent while we pray, which is pretty cute but I'm sure its just a coincidence. Some times you even grasp your hands together, ahh cuteness!

You have been getting really good with tummy time too and sometimes can move yourself forward a little bit!! This amazes us, but most things you do amaze us. You have also been using the excersaucer and your legs to hold yourself up while in it. I am really working on not comparing you to other kids your age, this is so hard for me. I want to gauge where you are and see how your development falls with all of your "friends". I'm reminding myself that you are a unique little guy and to just enjoy every moment we have together. You are working right through the developmental chart so that is good to see. Most important though is to show you how much we love you no matter what. Oh Bug, we do, we love you so much just for you being you.
we call this your "south Philly" outfit
being a Flyers Fan is the only thing you have no choice about

I'm excited to see the changes that this new month brings. I love watching you learn and grow and do new things. You amaze me! No matter how big you get or how many things you learn you will always be my baby boy and you will always be surrounded by my love.

Love Always!
Your mama

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Parenting thought for the day

pic of my Bug nursing

Psalms 22:9
Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
This really struck me when I read it the other day. You "led me to trust you at my mother's breast". I am teaching my baby how to trust. How that colors the way I treat him if I first ask myself, is this a way to teach him how to trust? I pray that I act in such a way that he would trust me and in turn trust God.