Who needs gifts when you have shiny, brights lights and a very compliant puppy?
Not to mention a mother that highly encourages such behavior...
Poor Huckleberry.
We love you.
Thanks for being such a good sport.
12.27.2014
12.22.2014
Jack | 10 Months
Sorry for the grainy photos. I'm having camera issues.. I swear one day I'll read that darn users manual...
But, in other news, Jack is 10 months old! 10 months, guys.
Seriously, this growing business just needs to slooooooow dowwwwwwwn.
10 month old Jack loves...
his mommy
his dino paci
Huckleberry and Herschel
his push walker toy
being chased
being held
pulling the ornaments off the Christmas tree
10 month old Jack hates...
diaper changes
his carseat
naps
Food (Nursing): Jack has actually dropped a couple feedings this month. Usually only nurses 3 times during the day and 2-3 times at night. (Which I know is still pretty terrible and unnecessary for nighttime, but, hey, I'm a pushover.)
Food (Solids): Jack still loves to eat solids. His favorites right now seem to be berries (especially blueberries), cheese, and butternut squash. He usually isn't a picky eater, but he did recently turn his nose up to oatmeal. I don't think it's the oatmeal that he had a problem with as much as he just didn't want to be feed with a spoon ;) He pretty much only wants food he can feed himself. A new food this month was eggs... jury is still out on whether he was a fan of it or not.
Sleep: If sleep is a measure of success as a mother, I am a failure for sure. He isn't waking as many times as he has been in previous months, but he's still waking 3 times or more at night. Jack was such a great night time sleeper until he hit 6 months. I don't know what happened to set him back then (teething, 6 month sleep regression, etc...), but ever since we just haven't been able to get it together in the night time sleep department. Naps are usually good. He is on a 2 nap schedule still, lasting anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half each.
New this Month: Jack still loves chasing Huckleberry with his walker toy (like in the video I posted last month), but his dexterity with that thing has now really improved! He can pretty much maneuver his way into even the toughest nooks and crannies around the house to terrorize Huckleberry with that thing. I can also now really see his critical thinking skills at work while he playing. Loves cause and effect games and those toy shape sorter games a lot. Most exciting of all this month though is that on December 12th Jack took his first steps! He isn't full out walking yet, but he does let go and take 3-4 steps here and there. He actually had a pretty long walk the other day (7 steps to be exact) and took a pretty hard tumble. But this little man is all boy and it didn't even phase him! (SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH!) Also, Jack has become increasingly interested in what's going on in the kitchen. He's always pulling on my legs begging to be picked up if I'm chopping vegetables, scrambling eggs, pouring myself a glass of water...you name it! He just wants to be lifted up so he can witness all the excitement. Who knew I lived such an exciting life?? Oh the things babies can teach you ;)
Looking forward to: Babies first Christmas and a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Carroll right after the holidays!
Jack Jack! Your daddy and I love you so much.
Thank you for being such a joy to us and making us smile each and everyday.
Happy 10 months, little man.
12.02.2014
Happy December & a Free Advent Devotional
I'm sipping on some hot chocolate and enjoying some Trader Joe's ginger snaps (I'm obsessed with these things!). The Christmas lights are up, the baby is sleeping, and Huckleberry is resting at my feet. Really, it is quite the perfect evening.
I really love this time of year. There is simply something magical about the lights and Christmas music, and just the general feel that accompanies December and seems to last through the holidays. It's really easy for me though to get caught up in all the colorful lights, gift giving, and festive flavored coffee consumption (!!!!). And all too frequently, this results in me neglecting the real reason for celebration this month...
I don't know about you, but that seems to be a recurring struggle for me year after year after year. It's kind of embarrassing actually --instead of using this time of year to reflect on and strengthen my faith, I allow myself to get distracted by all the wonderful, but worldly things, that accompany Christmas well. So for advent this year, I am reading this devotional by John Piper. I really want to focus on adoring Jesus this holiday season. I'm still going to enjoy all the amazing magical(ness) that goes along with this month, but I want Him to be in the center of my heart and thoughts this Christmas. I simply don't want to get distracted by all the loveliness around me like I usually do, but rather keep my eyes on Him. He is the reason for the season after all!
So are you reading anything for advent this year? And how do you keep the true meaning of the Christmas season front and center when it's been so commercialized? I'd love to hear your ideas!
If you'd like to read The Dawning of Indestructible Joy for Advent this Christmas, too, you can download it for free here.
Happy December!
11.25.2014
Jack | 9 Months
**I've decided it is Jack's mission to successfully plummet off of his chair during one of our monthly photo shoots.
I apologize for blurry, out of focus photos.. I have a feeling they will simply get worse from here on out.**
Someone pinch me because my baby is 9 months old! He is such a fun, giggly little man!
9 month old Jack loves...
his dino paci
being outside
Huckleberry
chasing after balls
exploring in the kitchen cabinets
his walker toy
9 month old Jack hates...
sitting still
diaper changes
getting dressed
long car rides
^^dem thighs^^
Food (Nursing): Nothing new from last month! Still nursing about every 3 hours during the day and still waking to nurse at night. (More often than I'd like... this too shall pass, right?)
Food (Solids): Oh man, does this guy love to eat! Some favorites this month are berries (especially blueberries), oatmeal, cheese, yogurt, bananas, and mac & cheese.
Sleep: Last month I mentioned that Jack has a super early bedtime (6pm) and when we tried to get him to stay up later he just. could. not. make. it. Poor buddy was exhausted and miserable. This month though he pushed back his bedtime on his own. He's still waking between 6-7, but is now able to stay up an hour longer before needing to go down for his first nap. This pushes our schedule back an hour, putting bedtime right around 7pm. It's so nice to be able to have Jack and Steven play when he gets home from work instead of just jumping right into the bedtime routine! Makes our evenings much more enjoyable.
Jack still take 2 naps a day. They usually last anywhere from 1 - 1.5 hours. He is getting so much better at going down in his crib for a nap, too! Very rarely do I find myself holding him his entire nap these days (while trying to type and work with the other hand, haha!).
His nighttime sleep is still a struggle. I get a lot of advice and I swear I've read pretty much every baby book out there (actually, this article sums up how I feel pretty accurately when it comes to baby sleep!), but honestly, I'm just doing the best I can. He sleeps a few hours in his crib each night but when he wakes up he's back in bed with me and will wake an additional 3 to 5 times most nights (it use to be a lot worse than this, so we are making progress!). It's rough, but I honestly just don't believe sleep training is best for Jack or myself. Not because I'm a martyr, as one young mom so graciously pointed out to me, but because I know it will stress me out to no end and I simply don't have the personality for it. When Jack wants cuddles and the boob at night.. he gets cuddles and the boob. And, if I'm being really honest, I love having him in bed with me. I'd just be okay with nixing the nursing habit. ;)
New this Month: Jack absolutely loves to get into anything and everything, but especially the kitchen cabinets! He now has his own little cabinet that he enjoys taking out all the pots, pans, spatulas, and other fun things and banging them together --squealing with delight the whole time! It's simply the cutest. He has also hit some big developments in the language department. He's been babbling like crazy and can even say MAMA and DADA! (I should probably note that he did say mama first) ;) It's the best! I love when he gets jabbering and throws up his hands in excitement. He's went from cruising along the furniture this past month to using one of those walker toys like a pro! He absolutely loves it! He can steer it all the way around the kitchen island and even navigate through the destruction of toys he leaves around the house. He thinks it's hysterical to chase Huckleberry with it. It has been so much fun to watch!
I thank God for my good natured pup everyday!
Hey, my silly little man!
I can't believe you are already 9 months old!
I love watching you play and learn.
You make each new day so much fun.
You are such a joy to your daddy and me!
We love you!
11.11.2014
Jack's First Spooky, Prehistoric Halloween
Apparently, October has come and gone. I never got the memo. I've been too busy trying to freeze time and keep my little man a little man. Obviously, I haven't been very successful. I figured I better go ahead and document Jack's first Halloween before it's 2015. Because seriously, if I didn't you'd be missing out.
We originally didn't plan on doing anything for Halloween other than plopping Jack down besides some pumpkins and snapping a few pictures (everyone does that with their first born, right? I'm not weird or anything). But if we were to go trick-or-treating, I really wanted Jack to be a blue dinosaur because he is obsessed with his blue dino wubbanub. I thought it would be pretty stinkin' adorable if he was dressed as a dino while his dino wubbanub was hanging out of his mouth. (Again, I'm not weird or anything.) So after browsing online for blue dinosaur Halloween costumes and finding the most adorable one (ever!!), I decided trick-or-treating was a must. 
Huck -- busted sniffing the little dino's booty.
We met up with some friends and went store to store showing off our cute, baby dinosaur and collecting lots of candy... Then Steven and I consumed all the candy in record time and got stomach aches. Of course we ate all our son's Halloween candy. That was my hidden motive from the beginning. Sounds like a pretty epic Halloween if I do say so myself.
Our friend's little boy, Max, was a dinosaur, too!
I know Jack is too young to remember any of this and will probably just find these photos embarrassing when he's older, but I sure am glad for them. Because really.. have you ever seen anything more adorable?? I thought not.
So Jack, I'm sorry for dressing you up as a dinosaur. Everyone really did think you were the cutest thing on the planet, though. And honestly, things will probably just get more embarrassing for you from here on out. Just wait until I blog about your potty training adventures.
Just kidding!
Kinda...
11.06.2014
38
Weeks that is.
Yesterday, Jack turned 38 weeks old, and I realized that he's now been out and about growing just as long as he was tucked in safe and sound growing. That realization kind of blew my mind. Jack has been here in my arms -- breathing, cuddling, and giggling -- just as many weeks now as he was in my belly! I must say, I much prefer him out than in! ;)
But seriously, guyssss! Look how much my little man has grown!
And now promise me, PROMISE ME, that it will stop, because I've had just about enough of this growing business. I'm looking for a way to freeze time and keep him this size forever.
Although every age so far has been unique and so much fun, I'm really digging my 8 month old energetic, vocal, and insanely fast moving baby boy. He sure does make life and I just love him!
Love him.
Love, love, love him.
Have I mentioned I love him?
He's the best.
10.30.2014
Off to the Pumpkin Patch
We had one beautiful, sunny Sunday a few weeks ago, so Steven and I decided to head to a local pumpkin patch with our little man. And Oh.Em.Gee. It was sort of the best. The Thomasson Family Farm had waaaay more than just pumpkins. We were able to sip some hot apple cider and roam the grounds which boasts of a corn maze, small petting zoo, an onsite country store, and a super fun looking playground that I'm sure Jack will love next year.
I must say, this fall has definitely outdone itself. We've had beautiful weather (until this week) and have been able to get out and enjoy plenty of fall festivities with Jack! The family time we've been able to squeeze in has just been so nice. Sometimes I wish I could bottle days like these up and hold on to them forever.
The good news is that all the fall fun isn't over yet! Halloween does happen to be tomorrow and I know a cute little boy who is going trick-or-treating as a blue dinosaur in honor of his favorite dino wubbanub!
Stay tuned. I have a feeling the photos will be worth it.
;)
10.26.2014
Jack | 8 Months
And just like that my little man is 8 months old! *tear*
(Okay, 8 1/2 months. I'm late, but you've come to expect that, right?)
8 month old Jack loves...
his dino paci
eating
being outside
rocking
playing w/ balls
all dogs and cats
his mommy!
8 month old Jack dislikes...
getting his diaper changed
bedtime and naps
going on car rides
Health: Jack got sick for the first time this month and it was pretty much the saddest thing ever :(
Poor buddy had a sky high fever and woke with a runny nose and small cough. It nearly broke my heart. Turns out he had an ear infection. Our naturopath gave us a homeopathic and in less than 24 hours he was back to playing and laughing like his normal self. I'm pretty sure the whole episode was harder on me and Stevan than Jack, and I'm super grateful that my naturopath is also a pediatrician. It makes me so happy that my son's primary healthcare provider is likeminded when it comes to her approach to health and well being. I feel blessed to have met her.
Jack is just under 20 lbs. He stills wears size 3 diapers and is now in mostly 12 month clothes.
Food (Nursing): Jack still nurses quite frequently for an 8 month old. Always short 5 minutes feeding, but still every 3 hours or so. (Which makes me feel pretty crazy knowing that every 3 hours is what is recommended for a newborn...)
Food (Solids): Jack Jack LOVES to eat! This month we introduced dairy and even some meat! He has yet to turn up his nose at anything I've offered, but he definitely has his favorites, too. He loves all fruit, especially bananas and berries, cheese, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash best of all.
Sleep: Oh, brother. If you want to know how Jack + sleep are going just read all the information in every baby book and on every baby blog that says what not to do when it comes to baby's sleep. The good news is, Jack has dropped his third nap of the day and we've fallen into a really good 2 nap schedule. He wakes around 6am and is ready for his first nap around 8 and his second around 11:30 or 12 (depending on how that first nap went). Usually each nap is 1.5 hours long. The bad news is... Jack still naps almost exclusively in my arms and we still co-sleep at night. I'm not really sure why that is bad news other than according to every baby book and blog I mentioned above I'm doing everything wrong and am a mommy failure.
But seriously, there are definitely 2 negatives about my little man's sleeping habits. One is that he goes to bed so early. After his second nap he stays awake till bedtime, which is currently 6-6:30pm. I just feel like he doesn't get much time in the evenings with his daddy! When we try to keep him up later he stills wakes at 6am... but is a grump butt. So for now we are keeping the early bedtime. Secondly, Jack is a extreme comfort nurser. He wakes up multiple times at night to nurse (usually anywhere between 4-8 nightly feedings), meaning I am not getting the best quality sleep, turning me into the morning grump butt! ;)
Honestly, we've run into a lot of other nighttime sleeping issues, but they usually are short in duration and are brought on by teething, a growth spurt, or a crazy day that threw this little one's schedule for a loop.
New this Month: After a good month or so of crawling, Jack now uses anything and everything to pull himself up and has even begun cruising along the furniture! I'm torn about having such a mobile babe these days... He can be quite the handful! He crawls faster than lightening! He is so easy to make laugh and I just love his giggle fits. He is ticklish on his sides, thighs and the bottom of those adorable little feet. Still rocking 6 teeth, although I'm convinced he's working on 2 more on top! Loves all kinds of push toys (which I hide every so often b/c he is wayyy too daring with those things) and loves to scoot on the floor on his knees pushing his toy bin (or diaper caddy!) in front of him. He's working on perfecting his pincher grasp and likes to practice on happy puffs. He's enjoyed lots of fall festivities this past months like the cider press and pumpkin patch!
Jack Jack, you make each day new and exciting!
Your daddy and I love watching you grow.
You are our greatest joy, little man.
We love you!
10.20.2014
Family
"What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories." - George Eliot
Lately, my heart has been feeling pretty full. Life has never been more busy, but these two make the chaos and late nights worth it. I am so incredibly blessed and thankful that they belong to me and me to them. Being a wife and mother are by far the best roles I've had the honor of playing. This phase in life.. Jack's chubby cheeks and thigh rolls, Steven's strength and tenderness... I just want to soak it up for a bit.
So I apologize for the silence. The three of us are making memories and falling deeper in love each day.
10.06.2014
Annual Cider Press
This past weekend Steven and I were able to attend our friend's annual cider press for the third year in a row. Hands down, this cider press has become my favorite fall festivity and is something I look forward to attending for years to come. It's funny to think that the first year we went we were newlyweds just 3 months into marital bliss, and this year we had little Jack with us.
It ended up being a beautiful fall day with so much to see and do. I'm pretty sure Jack was on sensory overload (and enjoying every minutes of it). He loved looking at the baby piglets, chickens, horses and cows... and he especially loved his first experience swinging! (I admit it, I teared up a bit. These milestones... I tell, ya. They get me every time.)
Jack's buddy Max! Sand seeping through fingers is some serious business.
Love my little family. <3 <3
Needless to say, Jack took a long snooze after his fun filled day.
The cider press really epitomizes fall for me and I simply can't think of a better way to kick off the season. To see a glimpse of our annual cider presses from years past click on the link below.
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