The Life and Times

Updated Art

2012-02-12T10:37:00.004-05:00

It all started last weekend when I was working at the Junior League's Clean Sweep. I noticed on one of the tables a familiar piece of artwork (see below). I knew I had this same Target painting stashed away somewhere and the fact that it was for sale for $1.00 at a rummage sale made me realize it was time to do something with it! So I got out some stickers and added one of my favorite sayings to it. Then I simply painted over it. I must note that I tried acrylic paint first and then spray paint and found that the spray paint worked much better on this particular painting (it was that cheap canvas).
After it dried I simply peeled off the stickers and was thrilled with the result!
Now I just have to decide where to put it...

Linked up to: Lines Across My Face, Making the Word Cuter, C.R.A.F.T, Serendipity and Spice, Homemaker on a Dime, Everything Under The Moon, Tu Tus and Tea Parties, DIY Home Sweet Home, Skip to My Lou, Five Days Five Ways, The Girl Creative

Easy Valentine Tree

2012-02-05T15:44:00.000-05:00

I have seen many Valentine trees floating around the internet, so I decided to make my own.

I had Dave tear off some branches from a tree next to our house and then placed them in a mason jar.

I decided to spray paint my branches white. I didn't want to have to wait for them to dry on both sides, so I taped a bag around my mason jar so I could spray paint them standing up.

After the branches dried (it took no time at all), I filled my jar with some leftover basket filler I had.

I used some sticky foam hearts that I had for school to decorate my tree.

I double sided all my hearts, but that is just because I can be anal retentive...

And there you have it! An easy, sweet Valentine tree that is

sure to make you smile!

Shutter Inspiration

2012-02-02T19:54:00.000-05:00

As I was leaving my Dad's house from picking up Warner a few weeks ago, I noticed his neighbor had a bunch of old shutters leaning against the back of their house. Luckily for me, they were getting rid of them and said I was welcome to them! How fabulous!

Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to work on something I'm thinking about doing with them to put in our den.

Until then, here is what is inspiring me...

Source: greeneacreshobbyfarm.blogspot.com via Kristy on Pinterest

Source: acraftymomslife.blogspot.com via Kristy on Pinterest

Source: lemontreecreations.blogspot.com via Kristy on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Kristy on Pinterest

You Color My World, Valentine

2012-01-31T21:55:00.000-05:00

(all images taken with my iPhone)
+ +(at 230 degrees for about 20 minutes) =

I know 21 Kindergarteners who will be getting these on Valentine's Day!

(perfectly packaged of course...)

All You Need is Love...

2012-01-24T22:28:00.000-05:00

...and some burlap, paint, and freezer paper! :)

I must say I have so enjoyed my frame wreath I made for Christmas. Not only do I love the color it adds to my door, but I am loving changing it up for the different seasons/holidays.

And what is right around the corner? Valentine's Day of course! In order to enjoy my decor for as long as possible, I got started tonight. What better place to start then my frame wreath?! Who doesn't love burlap and a bunting banner?? Now let me tell you how to make this EASY project so you can run out and make one yourself. First cut out your triangles in whatever size you want your banner to be.Next, print out the font you want to use on a Word document and size it as big as you want.Then, get out your freezer paper and trace your letters on to it (sticky side down)! Once you have all your letters traced used a X-acto knife to cut out your letters and make your stencil. Still keeping your freezer paper sticky side down, iron it on to your burlap (dry setting). Paint over your stencil with your acrylic paint. You can use any color you want. Red would have been fun, but all I had here at home was black. Once your paint has dried (and it doesn't take long), peel off your freezer paper and voila! I simply hand threaded some twine through the top of my banner, but you could use hot glue would work as well.
Arrange your banner on your frame and there you have it - Valentine decor!

I see a lot more of these in my future...

**I apologize for some of the lighting in the pictures. I've been having some camera issues and it was dark outside when I hung my banner, but I just had to show you!!

Warner's 1st Haircut

2012-01-15T16:21:00.000-05:00

We made it until almost 16 months, but it was time.

Poor child was totally rocking a mullet...bad, bad mom

At first the back was curling, but then it just stopped and I didn't want to believe it.

So off we went to one of those ~~overpriced~~ kids haircut places to get it cut.

I didn't know how Warner would do, because he can be very squirmy so I figured maybe a place like this would entertain him and the stylist would be used to it.

He definitely squirmed...

but a sucker and some TV seemed to help!

Once again...bad, bad mom!

Afterwards we took Warner to celebrate with Krispy Kreme.

(Hey, it's a milestone, right?!)

And my sweet little ~~baby~~ toddler couldn't have been happier!

A Beautiful "Winter" Weekend

2012-01-08T20:18:00.000-05:00

Supposedly it is Winter.

Here in the South this weekend brought beautiful blue skies and temperatures in the 70s.

With a day like that how could you not spend it outside?

And that's exactly what we did!

Frame Wreath Update

2012-01-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

I decided to keep my frame wreath up a little longer. I just happened to stumble upon this silver snowflake for $2.00 at an after Christmas sale.

I used some white spray paint to make it "pop"

and hung it where the ornaments used to be!

Happy New Year!

Christmas

2011-12-28T17:29:00.000-05:00

We did something a little different this year and spent Christmas Eve at my Mom's (Sue Sue) house.

We ate dinner and then headed to see what Santa had brought.

Warner still doesn't quite understand Christmas, but he had fun getting presents nonetheless!

Christmas morning was spent quietly at home.

"Quietly" will be gone from that sentence next year, I'm sure...

We headed down to Orangeburg for our annual Christmas Day lunch. I didn't manage to take any good pictures. Chasing around 3 kids under the age of 2 was very time consuming this year!

However, all the excitement wore a certain someone out for the car ride home. That evening Warner was in bed by 7:30 and his Mama followed at 8!

Whew!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

The Lights at the Zoo

2011-12-23T23:08:00.000-05:00

Tonight we took Warner to see the lights at the zoo.

We mainly went to see Santa. Everyone said this was the Santa to go to. Basically because the line wasn't long and you were in and out in a matter of minutes. This sounded much better than standing in line at the mall.

So we went.

We were having a good time looking at all of the lights.

Warner was happy just running around and "exploring."

And then it happened.

SANTA.

Warner wasn't a fan.

And he wasn't too happy with his Mama and Daddy either!

Oh well. Maybe next year!

Merry Christmas!

Neglect

2011-12-22T22:34:00.000-05:00

I have completed negectled the blog lately. I apologize. The holiday season has kept us busy!

Instead of making a bunch of different posts about what we've been up to, I'm giving you a picture dump.

For all of you who still read (probably 3 of you...), I hope you enjoy.

I promise to do better.

********************************

The beginning of the month brought a playdate with our sweet friend, Caroline. We went to Monkey Joe's for the first time and Warner could have cared less about the big slides and jumpers (they have a 3 and under spot). All he wanted to do was press the buttons on all the video games. Such a boy!

That same afternoon Aunt Gorg and Banks came to visit.

I can't wait for these boys to grow up together!

Warner also attended his very first Christmas party at my school. Every year they have a party for the staff members' kids. There is food and presents and Santa comes!

Warner wasn't exactly sold on the whole "Santa" thing...

...but the present thing he could handle!

We helped host a "Feliz Navidad" shower for our friends Parker and Anna who are getting married on Cinco de Mayo. Of course the one picture I managed to get the entire night was of the future Mr. and Mrs. (and I'm not talking about Parker and Anna)

They are so adorable...I can't stand it!

Finally, we are brought to today. We actually attempted making some Christmas cookies.

Warner definitely made a mess...

but enjoyed the finished product!

And there you have it. A glimpse in to what we've been up to.

Garland

2011-11-29T22:55:00.001-05:00

So if you remember I made this fabulous felt ball garland in hopes of putting it on our Christmas tree. I knew when I made the balls I wouldn't have enough to keep them close together, so I decided to spread them out.

Fail.

As adorable as this garland is, I didn't have nearly enough to make it around the tree.

Instead I used an idea that Holly had sent me and placed the felt balls in clear glass ornaments.

Adorable.

Thanks, Holly!

Still wanting garland around our tree I looked back at some of my "Holiday pins" and saw this fabulous ruffled garland.

Photo Courtesy of My Blessed Life

Perfect.

So I got busy hand sewing felt strips on to twine.

Once again no where near enough garland to go around the tree. Yes, I could have gone out and purchased a TON of felt and made it work, but that wasn't going to happen if I wanted to get this tree decorated anytime in the near future.

Garland # 2 ... Fail.

No worries, I found another place for this fabulous ruffled garland. Since I don't have a mantle (ugh) I decided to hang it above my sliding glass door. I couldn't let this cuteness go to waste. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with it. Maybe hang Christmas cards from it?

But for now it's displayed.

Finally, in a last ditch attempt to create some garland with what I already had laying around the house, I revisited my pins and found this inspiration:

Photo Courtesy of Tip Junkie

Perfect, circle garland.

That's it.

Why didn't I do this to begin with?

Of course I wasn't about to start cutting out a ton of felt circles, so I got my collection of scrapbook paper and my circle hole punch and got busy.

After I punched out a all of my circles, I simply sewed them together.

There you have it!

Perfect, fun, simple, cheap, garland.

Why didn't I just do this to begin with?

Picking Out Our Christmas Tree

2011-11-29T21:57:00.001-05:00

It has become our tradition to get Christmas trees with the Marshes and Falls the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

And that is just what we did...

Now time to decorate!

Frame Wreath

2011-11-26T21:14:00.000-05:00

I am most certain you have seen this fabulous wreath frame floating around the internet lately. When I saw it awhile back I knew I had to make it!

Photo Courtesy of Blue Cricket Designs

I started out with an old wooden frame I picked up at the thrift store.

I did a little sanding to get rid of some of the ugly gold paint and then spray painted it blue (forgot to take picture of that part, sorry).

I was contemplating using white paint, but I decided to completely copycat the original. I'm so glad I did, because I love the color it adds to the front of our house!

All you do next is hang your frame with a wreath hanger, add a bow with the ribbon of your choice, some Christmas ornaments, and you're done!

I couldn't be happier!

While I was at it, I decided to change the "D" from this project, to a chalkboard with a countdown to Christmas!

Yes, I'm fully aware it's not 25 days yet...

Sigh...

I heart the holidays!

Wedding Invitation Ornament

2011-11-26T20:32:00.000-05:00

How many of you have a handful of your wedding invitations left over and don't quite know what to do with them? Here's the answer:

Make an ornament!

First, cut your invitation into strips.

Next, use a pencil/pen to roll your strip around.

Finally, put them into a clear, glass ornament, add a bow, ribbon, etc. (I chose to use twine) and there you have it! A perfect addition to your Christmas tree!

Felt Ball Garland

2011-11-20T23:05:00.001-05:00

I have always loved felt ball garland. I ordered some a few years back from Crate and Barrel and have used it on my banister.

Cute, but not cheap.

This year I decided to make my own...

I must warn you, this takes A LOT of time to do. It is super easy, but very time consuming. I used the method of hand rolling each ball. I have also seen ways to make the balls by using your washing machine. If I need more felt balls I might go that route next time.

Anyway, here's how you do it:

1. Purchase wool roving in your choice of colors. This can be found with the yarn and embroidery supplies at your local craft store. I got mine from Hobby Lobby, but I've seen it at Michael's as well.

2. Begin by taking a palm full of your wool roving and form into a ball.

3. Add some dishwashing liquid and warm water. You don't need a ton of dishwashing liquid. Just enough to make a lather.

4. Begin rolling into a ball. Don't apply too much pressure or your balls will appear cracked and not smooth. If this happens (which it will...a lot), simply take another thin layer of your roving and place over the crack. Add more soap and warm water and continue rolling.

5. Once you have your ball, place it under cold water (to shock the fibers together) and continue rolling. At this time you'll also want to squeeze out some of the excess water.

*After a few attempts I found it much easier to fill one side of the sink with warm, soapy water and the other side with cold. This way I wasn't letting the water run for hours on end. I'm telling you...time consuming!

6. Place on a paper towel to dry. Repeat this process until you have as many balls as you want.

7. Once all the balls are dry thread them on to a piece of embroidery floss using an embroidery needle.

8. Space the balls as far apart or as close together as you prefer. I took pictures of both options. I plan on leaving them a little spread apart to make sure they go around the Christmas tree, but that's just because I didn't have time to make 100 + balls! They are adorable either way!

And there you have it!

Felt Ball Garland.

I can't wait to get it on the Christmas tree this year!

An Afternoon at EdVenture

2011-11-12T21:44:00.000-05:00

After his morning nap we decided to grab lunch downtown and take Warner to EdVenture.

This was only his second time going. The last time we went we mainly played in the 3 and under room.

This time we decided to do a little more exploring!

I think it's safe to say he enjoyed himself!

Dinosaur DIY

2011-11-03T20:58:00.007-05:00

I wasn't sure how Warner would do with a Halloween costume. I was super excited to dress him up, but I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on something he may or may not wear. So I set off to make something.

I started with a super cheap hoodie. I think I found this one at Wal-Mart for like 4 bucks.

Then I started tracing diamonds onto felt and cut them out. I used a stencil I already had, but you could really just free hand them depending on the size you want.

Next, I pinned the felt diamonds on the back of the hoodie.

I then sewed straight line right down the middle of the felt

to make the "spikes".

A little ric-rac was added inside the actual hood for some teeth. At this point I was having some sewing machine issues, so I ended up just hot gluing the ric-rac.

Worked like a charm!

Finally, I sewed 2 big black buttons to either side of the hood for the eyes.

Add a cute kid and you have a cheap and easy Halloween costume!

I honestly made this for less than 10 dollars and I'm happy to report that Warner left the hood on the entire night!

Fun, Easy, Cheap, and Adorable!

linked up to: Finding Fabulous

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T20:13:00.001-05:00

Boo at the Zoo

2011-10-29T16:35:00.001-05:00

Last week we headed to Boo at the Zoo with the Marshes!

The little ones weren't quite sure what to think of it all, but they had fun riding around and taking in all the sights.

Sadly, I wasn't able to get the best of pictures.

No worries...there will be plenty more to come of that sweet bee and dinosaur (did you guess correctly?) on Halloween night!

Warner's Halloween Costume: Sneak Peek

2011-10-10T15:40:00.000-05:00

This weekend I got started on Warner's Halloween costume! I am very excited to show you the finished product, but this will have to suffice for now...

Happy Guessing! :)

Outside Decor

2011-10-10T15:34:00.002-05:00

A while back I pinned this adorable framed letter in hopes of making it for my fall decor.

When I started this project I realized that none of my Ds I had would fit inside the frame I had.

Since I was simply using what I had on hand I decided to use some of Holly's expertise.

Remembering this fabulous door project she made I set off to make my own version of the two.

(And if you haven't visited her blog, Life as a Thrifter, you're missing out. She's SO creative!)

First I spray painted an old frame I had saved.

No idea what happened to the picture of it spray painted white...ugh, blogger!

Anyway...

I then used some left over burlap (I have TONS) and painted our monogram.

There you have it!

A cross between the two!

Slowly, but surely, the outside is coming together...

Pumpkins

2011-10-01T20:48:00.001-05:00

What a perfect day for pumpkins!

Fall Football

2011-10-01T20:29:00.001-05:00

A baby divided...

Help!

2011-09-29T21:00:00.001-05:00

Somehow I've managed to mess up my blog...again! Can anyone tell me why my links, labels, archives, etc. are on the very bottom of the page? When I go to layout, it shows it as being set to be on either side...
SO FRUSTRATING!

12 Months

2011-09-25T15:12:00.004-05:00

Warner turned 1 on the 21st. So hard to believe it has been a year! Time surely does fly!

Warner is a happy, laid back little boy. We are so lucky. I love watching his little personality unfold day by day.

On his birthday we celebrated with a trip to Mellow Mushroom

and then home for 1 last yummy cupcake from his party!

The following day we took him for his 12 month well visit. We were given the go to start whole milk and Warner seems to be doing ok with it. He isn't drinking large quantities of it at a time, but he isn't rejecting it either. Now, the hard task will be getting him off bottles completely. He only takes about 2 1/2 bottles a day, so maybe it won't be as hard as I think, but it worries me.

Here are Warner's current stats:

Height: 31 inches (89th percentile)
Weight: 22.2 pounds (64th percentile)
Head: 18.5 inches (76th percentile)

Long and Lean with a big head! :)

Warner also had to get his finger pricked and 4 shots during our visit. He didn't flinch during the finger prick, but when the shots came he screamed bloody murder. I think this was the worst he's ever done with shots. Poor baby. It definitely didn't help that his appointment was right in the middle of nap time. After all that he slept for 2 1/2 hours!

Happy 12 months, sweet baby boy! We love you so very much!

Warner's Little Red Wagon Party

2011-09-21T16:10:00.014-05:00

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was about this party!

I began ~~obsessing~~ planning this summer all the little details and was thrilled with how it all turned out!

A perfect theme, in a perfect location, on a perfect fall-like day...

...all for ONE perfect, little boy!

I would say my child definitely approved of the party...
What do you think? :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Warner!

2011-09-20T20:24:00.013-05:00

Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your mommy's here

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy.

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,

But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,

Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime...

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,

Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,

Beautiful,

Beautiful boy.

Darling,
Darling,
Darling Warner.

One year ago today (9/21/10) God blessed us with the most amazing 8 pound, 1 ounce, 22 inch gift!

Happy Birthday, Warner.

We love you more than words can express!

Warner's Silhouette

2011-09-11T15:24:00.007-05:00

I used to make silhouette's every year with my kindergarten kids. We would do them right around the time we were talking about Past Presidents and Shadows. They were a lot of fun and the parents always loved them.

I hadn't done one since then, but when Holly made Ross' I knew I needed to make one for Warner.

I didn't take a picture of all the steps, but I started with typing his name in a word document using a cool "newspaper" type print. I used this for the background of my frame.

Then I used a profile picture of him, cut it out, traced it on card stock, cut that out and voila!
I did this very quickly, but it turned ok. I'd like to go back and do a bigger one at some point. You can't see the eyelash, but it's there I promise! :)

Anyway, it happened to be the missing piece to our picture wall and
I love it for that!

A Weekend in the Mountains

2011-09-05T19:48:00.005-05:00

This weekend we headed up to the mountains for our annual girl's weekend.

We enjoyed good wine, good food, and most of all, good company!

We even got to share our fun with 2 pretty cute babies...

I'm sad I didn't take more pictures, but I won't disappoint next time!
(NYC, girls??)

Baby Banks

2011-09-05T19:42:00.004-05:00

Two Saturdays ago we went to visit Baby Banks.

What sweetness!

I cannot believe Warner was ever this little...

11 Months

2011-08-21T10:31:00.003-05:00

I don't even know what to say...
11 months!
Next month we'll have a 1 year old-sigh!

Warner is ALL BOY!
He doesn't meet a blade of grass or piece of leaf that he doesn't think would fit nicely in his mouth.
He is walking and climbing. Before too long he'll be running and jumping!

We love this little boy so much!
We are beyond blessed to be his parents.
I don't know how we'll ever be able to thank God enough for this blessing!

And He's Off!

2011-08-18T19:28:00.006-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts.
With Dave being gone for a month, a baby with an ear infection that didn't clear up after 1 round of antibiotics, and now school being back in session...Whew!
Forgive me?

These pictures don't do it justice, but we have a walker on our hands!

Warner started taking a few steps at 9 months, but at 10 months he just took off!
Every day he gets better and better. He would definitely rather walk now, than crawl and does so the majority of the time. The boy can walk clear across the room and back in a few seconds. He gets so excited sometimes that pretty soon he's going to just start running!
He is such a big boy!

Life continues to get interesting and more wonderful with every step! :)

10 Months

2011-07-23T09:22:00.002-05:00

Warner turned 10 months on Thursday. I can't believe in 2 short months we will have a 1 year old! Time surely does fly!

Warner is doing a lot these days.

He has always loved books, but he is particularly fond of
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

We have an interactive version where you have to slide the pictures to see what character comes next. He loves this! Between sliding and turning the pages you could keep him busy for hours!

A few other things Warner is doing:

*stands by himself and gets to a standing position from a sitting positioning with ease

*trying super hard to walk - he takes about 3 steps

*waving hello and goodbye

*enjoying table foods - current favorites: chicken, ham, quesadillas, pizza, watermelon

*"talking" a lot more - he is even back to saying mama :)

We love this little boy beyond words! Happy 10 months, Warner!!

A Play Date at EdVenture!

2011-07-20T16:19:00.007-05:00

This morning some of our My Gym friends invited us to go to EdVenture!

Warner had never been and I was pleased that he could actually partake in a lot of the exhibits.

What would a play date be without an attempt at a group picture...

L to R : Sawyer, Warner, and Caroline

Warner was very amazed with the camel, but his favorite place had to be...

...the drums!

I love this picture! Such cuties!

All boy...

They were very interested in the "bigger" kids riding in the bulldozer.

Soon enough guys, soon enough!

What a fun day!
We will definitely have to do it again.
Thanks for having us Caroline and Sawyer!
(Allyson and Keenan)

A Visit with Uncle Craig

2011-07-20T16:07:00.004-05:00

My brother has been in Iraq since November. He came home at the end of June and has until the end of July off before he returns to Savannah.

He came over last night to see his nephew/godson (and hang a TV for me).

Warner enjoyed seeing and playing with his uncle.

We hope to see you again soon, Uncle Craig!

Tooth Brushing

2011-07-14T20:55:00.004-05:00

Warner only has 2 teeth, but he is teething like crazy! You can feel 4 of them at the surface, but those little suckers just won't pop through! It's so frustrating!

I read somewhere that actual teeth brushing isn't necessary until they have 4 teeth, but with Warner chewing and chewing and drooling and drooling, I thought the act of brushing would help his gums feel better!

He seemed to really enjoy it and hopefully it brought some relief!

Of course it probably didn't hurt that the toothpaste was apple banana flavored...
*smile*

Babyproofing

2011-07-02T20:18:00.003-05:00

When your child starts to do this...

It's time to get this...

Why do I have a feeling he's going to figure out how to climb over it?!

Standing

2011-06-30T18:59:00.002-05:00

Warner's latest endeavor (besides climbing up the stairs) has been standing by himself.

He gets so excited once he does it and starts "dancing" and smiling his big smile.

What in the world am I going to do with this boy?!

He is getting closer and closer to walking and this Mama doesn't know if she can take it!

Free Play at My Gym

2011-06-29T14:47:00.005-05:00

I signed Warner up for classes at My Gym a few weeks ago. However, we've only been able to make it to one class so far!

Bound and determined to get the most out of my money, I took him to their "free play." This is a block of time where the gym is completely open for little ones to do as they please!

I think it is safe to say that Warner is pretty fearless.
(did I mentioned he climbed the stairs and made it to his room in 15 seconds flat this morning?!)

He had a great time exploring and climbing everything in the gym...

However, his favorite part had to be the ball pit!

Hopefully, we'll make it to his regularly scheduled class tomorrow!

Warner's First Sign!

2011-06-28T18:59:00.003-05:00

I have been signing with Warner for quite some time now.

I've consistently done signs for milk, more, eat, and all done.
He seemed to understand what these words meant, but never actually repeated/used the sign.

Until recently...

Here is the sign for more.

I've read that babies often develop their own version of the sign.

Warner has done just that!

He uses the sign more for anything he likes or wants more of.

For example he loves to use the sign when he wants to hear more of a book.

I'm so excited to see what sign (if any) he'll use next!

Just Because...

2011-06-27T15:22:00.002-05:00

...he makes me smile!

A Play Date at the Pool

2011-06-22T21:38:00.003-05:00

My friend, Ashlyn invited us out to the pool for a play date. It was Warner's first time in the pool! He seemed to enjoy himself.

All the little ones were precious!

Thanks for a fun time! We hope to do it again!

9 Months

2011-06-22T21:14:00.005-05:00

Warner turned 9 months yesterday. I'll say it again...
"Where has the time gone?!"

I wanted to cry when we scheduled his 12 month appointment. It will be here before I know it.

Here are his stats:
Weight - 19.81 lbs (54th percentile)
Height - 29.75 in. (95th percentile)
Head - 18 in. (73rd percentile)

During this appointment we were given the "green light" to go ahead with table foods! So far Warner has enjoyed everything I've given him. (Of course the only things I have really given him have been fruits and some chicken.)

Warner Lately:

-Warner has 2 teeth and the doctor says he is getting ready to cut the top ones any day.

-He loves being sung to. His favorite songs are "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Five Little Monkeys." I know these are his favorite because he smiles REAL big when I start singing them!

-He is still constantly on the GO!! We can't keep him out of or away from anything! He wants to walk so badly. I'm perfectly ok with holding off from that right now!

-He loves bubbles!

-He is clapping at times and starting to use the sign "more" a little bit!

He is still just the happiest little boy and we couldn't be more blessed! We love our sweet, little boy!

Would you look at that face!

2011-06-20T19:33:00.003-05:00

Warner completely made this face by accident, but every time I look at it I see a little boy and not a baby.
Where is the time going?!

A Day on the Lake

2011-06-20T19:20:00.003-05:00

For Father's Day weekend, Dave wanted to go out on the boat, so that's just what we did!

We invited the Marshes and Kim (Mike had to work-BOO!) and headed out the The Rusty Anchor for lunch.

The poor little ones were pitiful in their life jackets.

The "captains" led us safely to and from our destination! :)

Gotta love a lake day!

Red Velvet Cake Balls

2011-06-17T18:19:00.006-05:00

Dave was in charge of bringing a dessert for something at his work. Since his idea of bringing a dessert would be to stop at the grocery store and pick up some cookies, I decided to help. Besides, it gave me a chance to try out this recipe that I've been meaning to get to for some time now.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Ingredients: a box of red velvet cake mix, a can of cream cheese frosting, melting chocolate
(note: you can use any kind of cake mix, frosting, melting chips that you like)

1. Prepare the cake mix according to the box.

2. Cook the cake and cool completely.
(I stuck it in the freezer to speed up the process)

3. After the cake has completely cooled, crumble the cake.

4. Add the can of frosting to the crumbled cake and mix.

5. Form small balls

(I began doing it as pictured below)

(however this way was MUCH easier)

6. Chill the cake balls for at least an hour.
(Once again I used the freezer-perfect!)

7. Melt the melting chocolate and dip your cake balls until they are completely covered. Let harden and ENJOY!
(I wasn't able to get a picture of the dipping process--too messy)

Yum-O!!

These little suckers were SO good and easy! The only issue I had was the dipping process. I am terrible at it. I can't ever seem to get them covered in a "pretty" manner. If I had had more chocolate I would have dipped them again so you wouldn't be able to see the red flakes of cake.
BUT...that is the total perfectionist in me...it's totally not necessary! The taste is what matters and trust me...these taste good!

Hmm...I wonder how many points these are?!

Who Needs Toys?!...

2011-06-16T16:09:00.006-05:00

...When a good ol' laundry basket will do!

"New" Pots

2011-06-13T18:12:00.003-05:00

You may remember two summers ago when I did this little pot project.

Fun, cute, but time for something new...

Fast Forward to today and we now have this.

Fun, cute, "new"!

Sweet Summertime!

2011-06-09T19:02:00.002-05:00

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-01T19:11:00.003-05:00

Since I had to work on Memorial Day we celebrated the day before at the lake.
Warner enjoyed some time in the pool before we took him on his very first boat ride!

He was not a fan of his life jacket. (I don't blame him though, it was entirely too tight around the neck. We're going to look for another one.)

But like any good baby should...

he took a nice long nap!

We're looking forward to many more trips to the lake this summer!

Warner's Baptism

2011-05-23T20:17:00.007-05:00

It was a beautiful day for a beautiful event!
Warner did so well during mass and during the ceremony!

We weren't allowed to take pictures during the actual ceremony, but we managed to get some after.

Afterward we came back to the house to celebrate with family and friends.

Happy Baptism, sweet baby boy!
We love you!

8 months

2011-05-21T20:20:00.003-05:00

Another month!
4 more and he'll be 1 year...sniff...sniff!

Every month just gets better and better.

A few things about this month:

*Warner is crawling and pulling and standing and cruising...
he is definitely on the go!

*His 2 bottom teeth are poking through (finally)!

*He still loves to jump and bounce. He could do it for hours. His legs are very strong!

*He is still saying "mama" from time to time

*He took his first trip to Clemson

*He loves his sippy cup

*He loves Gerber Puffs

He is just the sweetest! I could squeeze him and squeeze him!
We are beyond blessed with our baby boy!

Picture Dump

2011-05-19T20:41:00.005-05:00

I have been a horrible blogger lately...these last weeks of school always seem like a mad rush!

I finally uploaded pictures from my camera. Enjoy a few of the 300 +.

We have a big weekend in store.
Warner's baptism.
I plan to blog about the special day next week!

Have a good weekend!

Clemson

2011-05-01T19:40:00.004-05:00

Saturday we headed up to Clemson. It had been awhile since I'd been up there. It was so great going back and I need to make it up there more often.

The reason for this trip had to do with the fact that it was the 8th Annual Jennifer Lauren Farrell Memorial Golf Tournament. If you know me, you know why this is so near to my heart.
The theme this year was "The Perfect Day!" The day, the weather, seeing good friends, being in Clemson and showing it to Warner...ahhh! It truly was The Perfect Day!

I spent a lot of time working the registration table and dealing with a very mobile 7 month old, so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked, but here is a small glimpse.

Tillman Hall

The Carillion Gardens

My sweet, beautiful, Margaret Kay!

Catherine wanted to take Warner on a little walk...so sweet!

Warner was more than ready to play in the tournament!
Maybe in a few years, sweet boy

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T17:57:00.004-05:00

We hope you all had a very Happy Easter!

A Trip to the Zoo

2011-04-24T13:42:00.005-05:00

Saturday we tagged along with The Marshes and some of their friends to the zoo!
This was Warner's first time.

It was very bright out!

He saw lots of animals, but wasn't quite sure what to think about everything.

This is just the beginning to A LOT more trips to the zoo for our family!

7 Months Old

2011-04-21T20:04:00.004-05:00

Warner is 7 months old today!
The biggest milestones have been that he started crawling and is pulling himself up on things. This boy is in to EVERYTHING!
His mobility definitely made for the hardest 7 month photo shoot ever!

Ok let's start in our usual monthly spot...

Please, Warner, can you sit still for 2 seconds?!

Ok, we'll try the floor.

Nope. Crawl.

Maybe your room will do the trick.

Bad idea...

FINALLY! Success!
(you think it's so funny, huh?!)

Happy 7 months, sweet baby, boy!

We are going to have our hands full!

What Are We Going to Do With Him??

2011-04-13T19:16:00.004-05:00

The Most Beautiful Sound I've Ever Heard...

2011-04-12T19:53:00.003-05:00

...came out of this little one's mouth this weekend.

Two little words.

Clear as day.

Ma Ma.

Ahh...music to my ears!

Ross' First Birthday Party

2011-04-10T18:57:00.010-05:00

We had a wonderful time at Ross' first birthday party!

In typical Holly fashion not a detail was left untouched.
(and how fabulous they were!)

Ross had fun opening presents.

She was even kind enough to share her toys with Warner.

Cake time was the sweetest!

After a few seconds of questioning what exactly she was eating...

...she dug in and gladly decided to share with her Daddy!

What a big day!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Happy Birthday, Griffin!

2011-04-09T21:40:00.003-05:00

Today was Griffin's 1st birthday!
I still can't believe a year has gone by...

Warner enjoyed taking it all in!

I don't think Griffin knew what to think about the cake!

He wasn't a fan of having it all over his hands!

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Thanks for letting us come play!

In Honor of The Masters...

2011-04-09T21:29:00.001-05:00

High Chair

2011-04-03T11:22:00.002-05:00

(excuse the lighting in these pictures)

We finally got Warner a high chair!

We decided to go with the Antilop from IKEA.
Why you ask?
$19.99!
You just can't beat it!

And since we are limited on space the size is perfect and you can use it with or without the tray.

Plus it is modern and simple and he looks adorable in it! :)

So far so good!

6 Months

2011-03-21T18:58:00.004-05:00

Can you believe it?
I certainly cannot.

Weight - 16.9 lbs (39th percentile)
Length - 27.5 inches (85th percentile)

We received the go ahead to start solids. Our doctor said to start with all the vegetables first, so we chose sweet potatoes.

Before...

During...

After...

He wasn't quite sure what to think!
I think a few more times and he'll love it!

And finally, just because...

My sweet baby boy!

Oh, how I LOVE him!

Somebody has decided...

2011-03-07T19:14:00.003-05:00

...it's time to start sitting up!

Surprise Murder Mystery Party

2011-03-07T19:07:00.002-05:00

Saturday night Dave and I attended a surprise 40th birthday party that just happened to be a murder mystery party. We had fun getting together outfits for our characters.

I played "Futura Teller" - a fortune teller who likes to give doom and gloom fortunes.

Dave played "Captain Jimmy Nixon" - an airplane pilot who is an environmentalist and teller of inappropriate jokes.

It was a fun time!

Rolling Over

2011-03-06T17:15:00.002-05:00

Last week Warner decided to roll from his back to stomach.
I finally caught a quick video today!

Stomach Sleeping

2011-03-03T20:51:00.002-05:00

Warner is officially rolling all over the place. He had been rolling from his stomach to his back for awhile now, but he just mastered rolling from his back to his stomach this week. He loves it! Every time he does it he is so proud of himself!

Having a rolling child meant it was time to say adios to the swaddle. Last night was the first night we didn't use the swaddle and used a sleep sack instead (arms are free, but feet/legs are still inside). He actually did better than expected. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck.

You see Warner decided that with the freedom of the sleep sack he might as well go ahead and start sleeping on his stomach. I of course (thinking of SIDS) immediately repositioned him back on to his back. 2 minutes later --- he's back on his stomach. I definitely didn't get a good night's sleep last night worrying about him and repositioning him (mind you he was sound asleep and completely unphased by my craziness...).

The rational part of my brain tells me: He is fine. He is strong enough to roll over, to turn his head, to hold up his neck, his arms are free, etc. The mattress is just about as hard as they come. I have no bumpers or anything else in his crib. I slept on my stomach and I turned out just fine (after reading this I'm sure you are having your doubts)!

The first time mother part of my brain tells me: "Back to Sleep!" SIDS! All the bad stuff.

The question is; How can you keep a child from rolling over on to their stomachs ALL night long? I know the answer - you can't.

Help me to feel less crazy my blogging mamas!

5 months

2011-02-21T19:24:00.003-05:00

I'll say it again...I can't believe he is already 5 months old!

5 things about 5 months...

1-Warner is eating rice cereal like a champ! I can't wait until we introduce baby food.

2-He finally figured out how to "jump" in the Johnny Jump Up (it's more like a run at this point, but we'll take it)!

3-Warner is trying his hardest to sit up.

4-Rolls from stomach to back, but still doesn't care to roll from back to stomach.

5-Started to scoot around his "Around We Go".

I love this sweet boy so much.
We are truly blessed!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:55:00.003-05:00

"Who knew how much you'd change my heart."

High Chairs

2011-02-13T19:47:00.005-05:00

It looks like it's about time to think about purchasing a high chair. Currently we are feeding Warner in his lamb seat. It works, but he constantly tries to sit up straight when he's in it. We've tried the Bumbo, but he doesn't love that either. He tolerates both though because the boy loves to eat!

I started researching the best high chairs and these are the ones that seem to consistently rate the highest.

The Graco 4-in-1 Seating System

The Boon Pedastal Flair

The Fisher Price Space Saver

The Stoke Tripp Trapp

What high chair do you use? Any recommendations?

The Johnny Jump Up

2011-02-08T17:45:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Warner tried out the Johnny Jump Up...

What in the world is this thing?

Daddy! Don't leave me, Daddy!

Hmm...what's all this stuff?

I'm just not too sure about all this.

Whew.
The bink makes it better, but I'm not too convinced I like this yet.

Needless to say Warner is still quite unsure of this new toy.
He'll get there...

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-06T13:53:00.001-05:00

Go Steelers!

Templates...

2011-01-23T23:19:00.001-05:00

Whoa! No idea what blogger has done now.

Slideshow?
Tabs?
New Fonts to choose from?

Too much for tonight. I'm going to bed!

Rice Cereal!

2011-01-23T20:01:00.006-05:00

Then...

Now...

Warner's first taste of rice cereal was yesterday.
I thought it was pretty cool my Mom had a picture of me eating rice cereal (along with some applesauce).

He wasn't too sure what to think, but enjoyed smiling at me during the feeding process.

He'll be woofing it down in no time!

4 Months

2011-01-21T21:34:00.002-05:00

Warner is 4 months old today.

This also marked his 4 month well check and second round of shots. He did well, only crying for a minute, and then immediately stopping when I picked him up.

Here are his percentiles:
Weight-14lbs 10 oz (46th percentile)
Height-26 1/2 inches (94th percentile)

He definitely doesn't get his height from me...

The doctor also gave us the green light to start cereal so we will begin that adventure tomorrow!

A few things Warner likes these days:

-his hands (especially sucking on them)
-putting anything he can in his mouth
-playing with his feet
-practicing "standing"
-rolling to his side and rolling from his stomach to his back; he hasn't quite figured out how to roll from his back to his stomach, but he's trying
-Sophie the Giraffe
-Crinkly books and toys
-observing his surroundings - he has also been very alert and observant, but you can see it even more lately
-trying to "scoot"
-"talking"/flirting

This really is a fun age.

I can't wait to see what this month has in store!

The Woombie

2011-01-13T21:31:00.003-05:00

(this is not a picture of Warner)

As I previously posted we were having some issues with Warner rolling over while being swaddled. Well, of course that was the first and only time that happened...for now.

Our new issue is that Warner now breaks out of his swaddle. We have tried everything. Double swaddling, bigger sizes, The Miracle Blanket. You name it, we tried it. We even thought maybe we would begin the transition out of the swaddle, but that is just not an option right now. We bought a Swaddle that you can leave their arms out or in and Warner just isn't ready for it. His arms still would wake him up at night and he would end up scratching his entire face.

Then I remembered...

One of my blog readers mentioned The Woombie.

I immediately checked it out and was sold.

Basically it is a peanut shaped, spandex-like, zip up, swaddle . Instead of pinning their arms to their sides and wrapping over, The Woombie allows for more movement. I thought this would help with the transition of no swaddle, because his arms have a little more freedom, but the material is still tight enough for the comfort he craves.

We are currently on night 2 of The Woombie.

So far so good.

We are still getting 12 hours of sleep out of him so we'll take it.

Here's hoping it lasts!

Snow!

2011-01-13T20:03:00.004-05:00

Monday morning we woke up to this...

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we woke up to ice...
... and a whole week off of school!

I have definitely enjoyed the extra time with Warner, but we all got a little stir crazy.

Looking forward to a weekend warm up!

Around We Go!

2011-01-01T14:56:00.002-05:00

For Christmas, Santa (my Mom), bought Warner an "Around We Go Activity Table." It is much like an exersaucer except your child has to walk themselves around the table to get to different activities. When they outgrow the seat it detaches and you have just the activity table portion left. It's really cool.

The box said 4M+ but being that he'll be 4 months in January, Christmas was the perfect time to give it to him.

Man, does he love this thing...

His favorite part is the piano. He isn't quite sure about everything else, but he is definitely taking it all in.

He will sit in this seat forever and just "talk" and laugh. It has been so funny to watch!

(Dave got a Flip for Christmas and we got a few funny videos of him with his table, so I'll have to download them soon!)

Hopefully in a short amount of time Warner will get a little bit longer and then he'll be able to start "walking" himself around the table. He already loves to put all his weight on his legs and "stand" so we have a feeling he's really going to love this!

Thanks, Santa!

Warner's First Christmas

2010-12-26T21:38:00.002-05:00

We woke up our sweet boy on Christmas morning. Of course he had no idea that it was different than any other day!

We got dressed and headed over to Sue Sue's.

This is just a small glimpse of our many Christmas gifts...
way too much as usual!

My nanny made everyone in our family needlepoint stockings. She passed away when I was just a baby, so my cousin has taken on making stockings for everyone who enters our family...husbands, babies, etc. It is a wonderful tradition and we love them!

We spent Christmas day in Orangeburg.
I didn't even take a picture of the ridiculous amounts of presents there. This year we have 3 little ones (Warner and my cousin's twins) so the house exploded!

Christmas night was spent at my Daddy's.

Whew! 3 rounds of Christmas in one day is quite exhausting!
I can only imagine what next year, with a 15 month old, holds...

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T21:02:00.003-05:00

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more."
-Dr. Seuss

Merry Christmas!
From us to you

Baby Legs

2010-12-22T21:47:00.004-05:00

You've

Got

The

Cutest

Little

Baby Legs!

3 Months Old

2010-12-21T19:06:00.000-05:00

Sleep Suggestions

2010-12-19T10:25:00.002-05:00

2 "problems" that I need help with:

#1
Warner has always been a pretty good sleeper (knock on wood)...at night!

He is going 12-12 1/2 hours pretty consistently and definitely won't go less than 9 1/2.

However, Warner is a terrible napper. We've tried everything. We swaddle him for naps, try to make the room dark, put him in his swing, etc. The longest we've got out of him for a nap is 1
hour in his crib. Sometimes in his swing he'll go longer.
Now, throw Warner in the car and he's out like a light for a few hours. This is wonderful when I need to run some errands, but I can't throw him in the car every time it's nap time.

Our pediatrician said if he's sleeping that good at night you can't really complain about the naps, but to keep trying.

Suggestions?

#2

As I previously wrote, Warner is a good night time sleeper...I hate to say that too loud because I know at any moment it could change. I believe he sleeps so well at night because he is swaddled, and it is dark, and white noise blares in his room (and yes, we've done all that for naps as well with no success).

However, these past 2 nights Warner has been rolling over on to his stomach during the night. This wouldn't be a big deal, but since he's swaddled he doesn't have his hands free. The scares the you know what out of me! Luckily, he is smart enough to turn his head to the side and he's also smart enough to cry out for us. Also, we have the hardest mattress possible for him. It was rated Number 1 in the Baby book so we ordered it right away! :)

What to do?

My first thought is to not swaddle him anymore. I'm scared to death to do this, because I truly believe it is why he sleeps so well. He also LOVES the swaddle. His eyes get heavy the minute we put it on (why it doesn't work like that in the afternoon, I have no idea). If we quit the swaddle now will he be able to sleep? I know eventually we will quit, but the reflex that wakes them up doesn't go away until 4 or 5 months.

Do we try a positioner? I know they are terrible and unsafe, but we used a wedge one when we were dealing with his reflux pretty badly. He was fine with it. We also tried the one that goes around just the lower body. He is fine with these, but wiggles his way out of them by they next morning.

Do we try a sleep sack and let his arms out?

I just don't know what to do.

Any suggestions, on our 2 sleep issues, would be greatly appreciated!

VOTE!!

2010-12-06T18:34:00.003-05:00

The other night I was looking through one of my parenting magazines and saw a contest for the next cover model for American Baby magazine. I decided to check it out. I'm not one for "modeling" as a baby, but the pictures that were submitted by others were very natural and not made up, so I thought why not?

Much to my surprise I got any email saying Warner's photo was in the running to be a finalist for the Reader's Choice winner.

What does this all mean? I really have no idea...but he could possibly win a spot in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

We could really care less either way, but it was fun to be selected so please take a minute and vote!

http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/619519

You can vote once a day!

We'll keep you posted!

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-01T12:52:00.006-05:00

We took Warner to get his very first Christmas tree! It has become somewhat of a tradition to go get our trees the Sunday after Thanksgiving with The Marshes and The Falls! We carried on that tradition this year with 2 little ones in tow...What fun!

Warner was so excited he could barely contain himself...

When we got home, Dave was put to work immediately.

The finished product!
(Hopefully I'll get a picture of Warner next to his very first Christmas tree in the coming weeks.)

Sigh...I heart Christmas!

Warner's First Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T17:49:00.005-05:00

Although he wasn't quite old enough to enjoy the yummy food...

...he had a Happy Thanksgiving nonetheless!

Nostalgia

2010-11-29T17:31:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago my Mom and I were at Target and noticed they had a section of "nostalgic kid's toys." They were old toys that they are reproducing for this generation of kids. My mom decided to go looking for some of my old toys for Warner.

She found the baby blanket my brother and I used as babies. It was sewn by my Nanny and the nursery rhymes were cross stitched by my Aunt.

She also found some crocheted alphabet blocks. These were also made by my Nanny and I remember playing with them when I was little.

Warner has a ton of my old Golden Books, but this set was at my Nanny and Granddaddy's house for when the grandchildren came over.

If you zoom in you'll see they cost 18 cents!

Warner has been enjoying laying on my blanket to play with all the old toys.
My mom's parents both passed away by the time I was 6 so it is neat for Warner to have a little piece of them in his life!

Here's to the past!

2 Month Well Check

2010-11-24T23:08:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Warner's 2 month well check. This was also the beginning of the shots! He screamed for a few minutes and then calmed down. He was pretty fussy and tired the rest of the day. I gave him Tylenol, but will definitely do it before next time!

Here are his stats...

Weight: 12.45 lbs (65th percentile)
Length: 24 inches (85th percentile)
Head Circumference: 15.75 inches (50th percentile)

In the words of our pediatrician, "He's on his way to being tall."

We'll see...

2 Months

2010-11-21T20:59:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe I have a 2 month old. I know I'll say the same when he's 3 months, then 6, then a year...gasp! I'll stop.

Here is a little about 2 months...

-Warner is sleeping anywhere from 6-7 1/2 hours. We feel very fortunate that he started sleeping these stretches around 6 weeks. The swaddle is definitely the key. Some days he fights it, but give him a few minutes and we have a calm and sleepy little man on our hands. Oh and yes he is still in our room... My goal is to try the crib when Dave has a few days off work for Thanksgiving. I'll keep you posted!

-Warner is a cat napper. Apparently I was the same way. What can I say, we don't want to miss anything! He will fall asleep for about 30-45 mins and then wake up and then fall back asleep a little while later. I am trying hard to break him of this. I haven't been swaddling him for naps, but I started that today. I don't want to schedule him into his naps just yet, but want him to get better with the eat, play, sleep, repeat routine. He was doing so well with that, but it appears these past few weeks he has forgotten the "stay asleep" portion of that routine. Put him in the car however and he is out for 2+ hours. It's been really nice when I've needed to run errands or we want to go out to dinner.

-We have been getting so many more smiles these days. He started smiling around 6 weeks, but now he is really starting to respond to you smiling with a smile. Granted, its not all the time, but when he does it, it melts your heart. He smiles the most when he first wakes up in the morning. I look over at him in his ~~straight jacket~~ swaddle and he grins from ear to ear!

-Warner is starting to recognize people. Basically just me, Dave, and Sue Sue (my mom) for now. It's so sweet to watch him look and try to figure all of us out. I love when he follows us with his eyes.

-He is still a champ at holding his head up. He has been doing this since early on. He doesn't love tummy time, but we do it everyday and he is getting better at lifting his head from that position.

-He LOVES to kick. Sometimes he wants to be left alone on his playmat to stare at himself in the mirror and kick his legs like crazy! It is so funny.

-He is still quite in love with "the bink" (aka the pacifier) and we don't deny him that love EVER! It is pure magic! Just like that mobile.

-He just started eating 5 oz. last Thursday.

I could go on and on. I can't believe I only have 2 more weeks left of maternity leave. I don't want to even talk about it. It makes me sick. I want to stay at home with him so badly. I love being a kindergarten teacher and love my school "babies", but the love I have for this little boy is indescribable. I love him deep into my bones. Please keep me in your prayers when I do go back to school. It's going to be so hard for me.

(And if you can think of a way for me to be a stay at home mama, please let me know...! :) )

Enough!

Let's celebrate TODAY and all that is Warner at 2 months! I'm not going to worry about tomorrow or the day after that or the day after that. I'm going to soak in my little 2 "monther" for all too soon he will be a 3 "monther"!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-17T11:28:00.003-05:00

...completely unplanned.

Felt Christmas Wreath

2010-11-15T22:07:00.005-05:00

I saw this wreath in Family Circle magazine and had to make it!

I can't wait to decorate the rest of the house for Christmas!

Warner's New Mobile

2010-11-12T14:43:00.004-05:00

So I'm not really a mobile person. Only because they are usually theme related or matched to a bedding set and I didn't do either of those things in Warner's nursery.

However...

Warner really enjoys looking at his mobile connected to his swing and looking at all the animals that hang from his play mat.

I decided maybe I should get him something for his crib.
(you know, the crib he doesn't sleep in...)

I did some looking around and came across this very cool, award winning, developmental mobile.

It comes with a bunch of different cards that you change out based on your child's age and eye development. It also helps to keep them engaged and not bored at seeing the same thing over and over.

Oh how much the educator in me loves this!

Warner LOVES it too!

You should have seen him laying in awe kicking his legs and cooing.

He was a little fussy before I put him down and the minute he noticed the cards of color hanging over him, he settled down. It was like magic.

Maybe this will be the magic we need to get him use to his crib...
One can hope!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T13:35:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T21:09:00.004-05:00

This Halloween was A LOT different than last...

We have this cute little guy now!

We headed to the Marshes for our annual Halloween chili

and trick-or-treaters.

At our last Halloween get together this sweet little girl was in her mommy's tummy...how crazy!

Family Photos All Around

The DeMasters

The Falls

The Marshes

What a fun night!

I guess it was too much for Warner...
He was pooped!

Next year we will have some 1 year olds on our hands!
How fun will that be!?

5 weeks

2010-10-26T17:34:00.002-05:00

Time is flying by. I cannot believe it was 5 weeks ago that my little boy entered into the world and into our lives. Before I know it he will be going to preschool...sniff, sniff

This past week has been difficult. As I posted 2 weeks ago Warner has been having tummy trouble. This is the kind of tummy trouble that made my tummy hurt because I could visibly tell he was in such pain. He would scream after eating, burping, or having a bowel movement. He began regirgurtating his food and then swallowing it back. My mom mentioned that he might have reflux. I didn't think it was that, because he wasn't spitting up or vomitting and from what I read those wear major signs. My fear was a milk allergy. I was afraid it was from my milk or from the formula. Dave called and spoke to the nurse and she told us to come on in. Armed with my handwritten list of what I was seeing, we headed to the doctor. After reading it he said it sounded very much like reflux. He decided to go ahead and put him on Zantac. As much as I hate having to give him medicine daily, I will do whatever I have to make my little boy feel better! Keep your fingers crossed that this does the trick!

In other news, Warner slept 6 straight hours last night. Dave actually woke me up around 4:30am to tell me he was still asleep. We both had fallen asleep and had that panic feeling when we realized it had been so long since he'd eaten last.
Now, could this be the start of something?
Let's hope, but it may have just been a lucky night!
It's funny how wonderful 6 hours of straight sleep is from the girl that requires at least 10-12 to feel refreshed!
Welcome to motherhood!

Welcome, Banks!

2010-10-26T14:25:00.004-05:00

Warner and I met Daddy downtown so we could go see Banks.

Lindsay and Sammy welcomed their sweet little boy into the world yesterday. He was 6lbs.
11oz and 19 1/2 inches long.

Dave and Sammy were best friends growing up so it was sweet to see them with little boys only 5 weeks apart.

Welcome to the world, sweet Banks!

Look Who Is 1 Month Old!

2010-10-21T17:20:00.004-05:00

3 Weeks

2010-10-12T11:44:00.003-05:00

Another week down. Hard to believe.

So far things are about the same. Warner is still eating every 3 hours with sometimes only going 2 1/2 or as long as 4. As mentioned in my 2 week post Warner is now getting formula. I am still pumping what I can and making a half breast milk, half formula bottle. I am thankful I am able to get enough to at least give him some breast milk.

Unfortunately this week we have been plagued with the horrible GAS!

It pains me to see him in such pain. He usually strains, pushes, and cries after a feeding. I can just hear his poor tummy rumbling. He passes gas and burps for the most part but its just like he can't get it all out. He usually settles down after a few minutes of forceful back rubbing and a good snuggle from me.

I spoke with the nurse at the doctor's office and she said to use the Mylicon drops with every feeding, burp after every ounce he eats, and sit him upright for 30 minutes after feeding. It's hard to tell if it's the formula or my breast milk that is causing the discomfort or if it's just his little digestive system learning "the mechanics." I'm watching what I am eating as to not take in too much dairy since she said that is the first thing that usually causes gas trouble in breast milk. She doesn't want to make a formula change (he's already on sensitive for gas and fussiness) but doesn't want him to be uncomfortable either. I'm suppose to call back this afternoon to let her know how he's doing.

Of course I blame myself.
(I know I've got to stop. It's my personality. Been this way my whole life)

UGH...

I hate this.

All that aside I am still amazed every day that this new little person is part of our lives. He brings us such joy and I don't think I could imagine a life without him now.