7 Months

 

Height and weight are totally unknown at this point...Mr. Bear doesn't go back to the pediatrician until 9 months (hopefully!) so we'll find out then :). We do know that this baby is big. Can't fit into any clothing under 12 months big.

Things to Remember:
-You are wearing size 3 diapers but probably should move up to size 4 once this box is done. You go through them pretty fast!
-You have bumped your head, pretty hard, on wooden furniture twice in the last week and Mommy and Daddy feel like the worst parents ever. Yes, we know it's going to happen, but that doesn't make it any easier :(. You cried for a minute or two then totally toughed it out both times; you're a trooper!
-You are crawling like crazy. You actually do a half bear crawl most of the time; it's really funny. You crawl with one knee down and the other knee up in a ninety degree angle with your foot on the floor. And you go fast.
-You have just started, in the last 1-2 weeks, eating lots of baby food. You go through 6-7 of the Gerber containers a day (no, we don't make our own baby food. don't judge!). Your favorites are blended fruits with oatmeal, sweet potatoes, squash, and mac 'n cheese with veggies. You actually like it all except anything green. Wonder where you get that from? :/
-You are officially a high chair baby! You are in it all the time at our house and every time we eat in a restaurant. You do really well when we go out; you just eat Puffs and people-watch.
-Your thighs are super ticklish, especially in the rolls. Makes you laugh uncontrollably every time!
-You have TWO teeth! Both of them have sprouted on the bottom and are almost all the way in now.
-You are napping much better, usually taking one in the morning for an hour and one in the late afternoon for 1-2 hours.
-You sleep SO well at night; we're lucky parents! You go down around 9:30-10pm, wake up 7am to eat, and go back to sleep until about 9am.
-You pulled up by yourself for the first time last week on our bottom stair. It was a little scary for Momma, but you did great! You've only done it once since, and we're okay with that.

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I say this every month but the fact remains the same...time absolutely flies when you have a baby. It's heartbreaking yet wonderful at the same time; watching a baby grow and learn is truly a beautiful thing. We are so blessed to have such a happy, healthy little Bear!

 

 

Hope your weekend's been a great one!

 

Lately (part two)

 

 Last week, Zach's sister, Katy, and her FIANCE (this is new news!), Caleb, came to hang out with Bear and celebrate their engagement. We are so thrilled for both of them and can't wait to start wedding planning!

 

 

matching Aggies

shopping in Old Town Spring (our favorite spot!)

picked up some Melissa & Doug goodies for Bear

also picked up some Rudy's breakfast tacos the next morning...truly the way to Z's heart

One of my very best friends, Brittney, mailed this Texas Tech t-shirt to Bear. Thank you, Aunt B! Bear loves it!

 

 baby napping=mommy laying out

reminiscing on newborn days...

gorgeous anniversary flowers...Zach did good!

cowboy Bear

 

Wendy's (Frosty-monster) Bear

 

sleepy Bear

I don't think I've ever shown a picture of our office on the blog; probably because it's always been our "junk room". Not necessarily messy, just full of pieces we didn't know where else in the house to place. Finally, a year and a half after moving in, we purchased a legit desk and Z hung his deer head (from the first buck ever shot on his family's farm). Man cave, anyone? I'm actually kind of loving it!

 

What have you been up to lately?!

Anniversary Gifts

First of all, thank you SO MUCH for your kind words and anniversary wishes. You guys are the best! Seriously, thank you.

 

 

It was a pretty laid back and chill evening, just like we like it. Zach brought home beautiful flowers (should've snapped a picture!) and my gift comes in tomorrow:

 

This hammock that I'm dying to curl up and read a good book in!

 

 

We stick with the traditional anniversary gifts, and the two year gift is supposed to contain "cotton" (the hammock is made of cotton...for the record :) ). Zach grew up on a farm and his family grows cotton. Fifteen months ago Zach planted some seeds in a barrel to have a piece of the farm in our backyard.

Yesterday, as if by fate, the very first cotton boll opened. This is also the picture Bear and I framed for him and it's now sitting on his office desk:

 Our sweet little Bear Boll.

The picture of Z and I is one of our engagement pictures; we were sitting in a cotton field on his family's farm.

Do you do the traditional anniversary gifts, or something more unique? Would love to hear how you celebrate!

 

Two Years.

It's hard to believe it's been two years since this beautiful day....

 



all pictures by In Bloom Photography

 

 

Our wedding day was beautiful, but each day has only gotten better since. I love you, Z, and you are truly my Mr. Darcy. Thank you for loving me in such a way that I lay in bed at night wondering how in the world I got so lucky. I thank God for giving me such an incredible best friend in which to tackle this life, because there's no way I could be this happy without you by my side. I love you and can't wait to see what our future holds; the first two years have set the bar really, really high.
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Tomorrow I'll post about our gifts...can't wait to show you the "cotton" gift Bear and I rigged up! :)

Lately (part one)

You know you're getting behind on blogging when your "Lately" posts are running very, well, late. I promise all of these were taken in the last two weeks, so I'm not that behind.

I have a decent excuse...I've been chasing this little Bear-crawler around like crazy (and making lots of trips to the post office, thanks to Logs 'n Lace!)

"Look what I did, Momma! Wanna read?"

Bear loves Uncle Too

Z's innovative "tire table"

Bear is scarfing baby food like a champ. Often he'll eat three containers in one sitting and still be begging for more. Mommas out there- is this normal at 7 months?? Sometimes he will go through 6-7 of these a day....and he's still nursing 5-6 times a day. Feels like all I do is feed this chubby baby!

First big boo-boo happened last week when Bear bumped his head on our office desk :(. We survived but it was rough for a little bit!

Found this adorable suit at Baby Gap...

I'd say it's fitting for our little DJ.

Saturday morning shop delivery! Love giftwrapping for sweet customers!

Saturday evening we made a Goodwill run...I turned my back for thirty seconds and looked back to find these two just like this. Two peas in a pod. And one Bear in a chair.

 

Hope your week is off to a fantastic start!!

A Little Advice For New Mommies

Rarely ever do I get "serious" on this blog. Things tend to stay light, carefree, and laid-back. Though I very much enjoy writing, pictures rule our blog because we feel they tell more of a story, a recap, than any words possibly could.

However, tonight I want to give a teeny tiny bit of advice to new mommies. Something I wish someone would have told me pre-Bear:
Sit back, enjoy the ride, and don't let anyone else's experiences dictate your own.
 

I'm also writing this as a reminder to myself to stay in the moment and trust God's caring of my son.

 

 

It has honestly taken me seven months to realize, believe, and practice this mantra. I spent weeks, months really, wrongfully trying to keep up with every other mother's agenda. I'd read blog after blog, story after story of just how many times a day one's baby should be nursing. I timed feedings for months. I freaked out if Bear didn't nurse for longer than eight minutes because so-and-so's baby breastfed for ten minutes on EACH SIDE! Something must be tragically wrong with my son's eating even though he continues to be in the 90th percentile for height and weight. I was a crazy person, constantly comparing our routine with others' and fighting to keep up with how our lives "should" be lived.

Y'all, that's exhausting.

And this doesn't just apply to having a baby; it's a struggle that undoubtedly we all face in different aspects of life, especially stressful ones where we feel the need to cling to normalcy.

But what is normal anyway?

For Bear, it's eating every three to four hours. Sometimes for three minutes, sometimes for thirty-three minutes. Doesn't matter. He's happy. He's healthy. And life goes on, even if Billy Sue's baby girl does eat for forty-two and a half minutes........on each side.

And because a post wouldn't be legit without a picture...

This water baby rocks a Speedo like nobody's business. He also cries and begs for ice cream. He may look like Daddy, but he's got Momma's sweet tooth.

Happy weekend, friends :). Keep on keepin' on.

Five Minute DIY Father's Day Gift

Yes, this is a few days late and chances are you are not already preparing a Father's Day gift for June 2014. But, just in case you believe in the power of Pinterest or your stellar memory (and for my lack thereof), I'm sharing this DIY anyway!

 

I had seen this on several different blogs so I'm not sure where to give credit (sorry original creators!), but I knew I wanted to try it and Father's Day seemed like the perfect opportunity. Zach bought his own gift, which seems a bit sad, but he knew exactly what he wanted: a grinder. I'm told this is a power tool. Bear and I still wanted to do something small and special for him, so we took a trip to Dollar Tree where we found our supplies:

-a white ceramic mug
-Dad's Blue Cream Soda (Z isn't a coffee drinker)

-a Sharpee (already had this)
-tissue paper (had this too)

We then took the mug and Sharpee and carefully traced Bear's handprint onto one side. It's not perfect because I didn't want permanent marker all over my chubby eat-my-hands-constantly baby. Then we wrote a few personal messages, the date on the side, and added some dots for a little flair.

After we were done writing, we baked the mug in the oven for 30 minutes at 350. This sets the marker and it should be microwave and dishwasher safe. Though I remember reading that hand-washing is your best bet for keeping the writing from fading. Add some tissue paper and you're all finished!

 

You could do this for any occasion: a teacher gift, Secret Santa, etc. We love easy, personalized things around here!

Hope you're all having a fabulous week! Happy Hump Day!

Two Very Special Fathers

 

Happy 30th Father's Day to the man that taught & raised my brothers & me on the fairways and greens of life. Most importantly, he has always opened our eyes to God's wonder through natural beauty and nature. We love you, Pops!

 

and...

 

Happy 1st Father's Day to the man who has given our family immeasurable amounts of love, leadership, and laughs over the last seven months. I always knew you'd be an amazing father, but seeing it every day has made me realize just how blessed we truly are. Bear loves you, Daddy!

Hope all you Daddies are having a very special day today!

Momma & Baby Style: Summer Casual

On Momma: shorts-Ann Taylor, bow sandals-Express, blouse-Target, watch-Kohls, necklace-Wildflower Boutique in Roscoe, toe polish-China Glaze "Re-Fresh Mint"
On Bear: shirt-Polo Ralph Lauren, shorts-The Children's Place, sandals (aka in our house as "Jerusalem Cruisers")-Old Navy


Summertime in Houston has been in full-force for several months now and Bear & I find ourselves living in shorts, sandals, and button-ups. I love button-ups for nursing, which Mr. Big Guy is still doing six times a day, and Bear loves them because they're easier to pull over those sweet chubby cheeks.

A quick word of advice to Mommas expecting baby boys: Polo clothing runs really small for boys. Not sure about their girls' clothing. Bear already wears 12 months in most things, but in Polo he's always been another size up.

What is your summer staple? Shorts? Dresses? Wedges vs. flip flops? Would love to hear!