Our sweet little boy. 

Oh how you bring so much joy to our lives. I was just telling daddy that I feel so different with you around. Being your mommy has changed my life. I want you to always know the beauty and joy that God has surrounded our life in. His works are amazing. 

You celebrated your two month birthday this week! I can't believe that you are two months old already. Sometimes I feel like you have been part of our lives forever, but then I realize that it has only been two months. I'm glad that it has only been two months. I'm soaking all of this up--watching you grow is such a beautiful thing! 

Speaking of growing, you are getting SO big! You take your food very seriously. When you wake up, you make it known that you expect to eat immediately. Having your diaper changed or being burped in the middle of your meal are not acceptable in your book--you just want to gulp as much down as quickly as possible. At the doctors this week, you weighed in at 10 pounds and 8 ounces! This doesn't seem like much, but the doctor was very happy with your progress--and we are too! You also grew another inch! You're going to be a big boy aren't you? 

To celebrate your two month birthday, I decided to see how you handled your bumbo chair. While you may be technically to young for it, you seem to love it nonetheless. Mommy just makes sure to only leave you in it for ten minutes or less. You also are in cloth diapers 100% of the time, love to look at books while mommy reads to you, love to kick, and will talk to whomever will listen to you. 

One of your favorite places is daddy's shoulder. You and him share a special bond that makes mommy's heart melt. He is the best father and you are so blessed to have him as your father, little boy. I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing he is to us. 

Keep growing my little man. 

Love, 

Your mama

Little One's Nursery: The Final Product

Yea, I know you have been waiting a long time for these pictures...so I won't delay you any longer. Here is Daniel's nursery: 

This post will be short and sweet, as my time is not my own anymore. But someday, I will talk more specifically about things. Oh, and just for the record, I already have plans for changing a few things. Such is my life. Nothing is ever safe from being moved, rearranged, or changed :) 

Today...

...I enjoyed snuggling with my little boy and wearing sweats all day. Daniel even participated by suiting up in his own Spongebob hoodie and sweat pants.

...Jonathan came home early and we had lots of fun watching movies as a family. RV and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were the feature presentations.

...I loved the fact that our weather boasted temperatures in the 60's with very low humidity. A welcome relief to yesterdays weather.

...our little boy took a very short morning nap and a very long afternoon nap.

...I thought a lot about whether this house is the one we will live in forever, or if we will look for something with more property someday. It is a big decision to make.

...we laughed a lot at our little dooders (our nickname for Daniel). He loves to smile, coo, and interact with us. I love this stage!

...I wanted to be intentional about enjoying the whole day for what it's worth. I'm trying this new thing where I look for the positive in everything and try to watch my reactions. Have you heard of this saying before, by Charles Swindoll:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.

Yup, I'm going to put this to the test. So far, it is so true.

Fall/Winter Reading List '13

Continuing with the whole fall theme, today I'm going to share with you the list of books I want to read this coming fall/winter. Now--before you go and freak out that there is no possible way that I'm going to be able to read this many books in the next eight-ish months--

I. KNOW. 

But a girl has to have options when it comes to reading (and shoes).

If I feel like reading a novel, I have choices. If I want to read an advice/self-help book, I have options. If a need an easy read, I have a selection. If I need something thought provoking, I have alternatives. If I need...

...you get the idea.

Anyway, once I realized how much time this whole breast-feeding-thing takes, I decided it was time to make the most of it. Reading just seemed to be the logical solution. I have way too many books that have sat, untouched, on our bookshelves. I have the classic problem of buying a book with every intention of reading it, only to get 'too busy' and never get to it.

Yea, I guess there are worse things to deem a problem.

But, seriously, can you tell me how to get a hold of Book Hoarders Anonymous? 

Aaaand this post just continues to digress. Let's just get to the point. Here is my list:

A Light in the Window by Jan Karon

*7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

*Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs

The Sweet By and By by Sarah Evans

The Money Saving Mom's Budget by Crystal Paine

Beautiful Things Happen When a Women Trusts God by Sheila Walsh

Created to be his Help Meet by Debi Pearl

The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World by Debbie Williams

*My Life in France by Julia Child

*Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

*books I have already read, but plan to read again.

There you have it! I'm sure this list will change--it always does! Nevertheless, I'm really looking forward to the cooler weather and snuggling up on the couch with little Daniel and a good book!

What is on your fall/winter reading list? 

Feelings on Fall

Today is my birthday. So, I'm going to talk about one of my favorite things...Fall. 

Around here, August has been so mild this year. Temperatures haven't gone above the low 80s and, in fact, it feels like a majority of August has been fall-like. After a ridiculously hot July, in which I spent my last month of pregnancy, this cooler weather is completely welcome! So, with the start of the new semester (we live in a college town), the cooler temps, and the noticeably shorter days, fall seems to be knocking on our door. 

This time of year always makes me want to go shopping. I want to buy sweaters, scarves, cute shoes, and lots and lots of gorgeous leather bags. I know, weird. But I think it's my way of getting ready to "hibernate" for the winter. I also tend to get the urge to crochet more and read more (more on what I'm planning to read, coming in Thursday's post). 

Anyway, I thought I would share with you some of the things I'm liking for fall.

1. Black and White Polka Dot Sweater
Target did a great job with this sweater. I actually have it in a redish color from last years line and it has worn really well! I like that it isn't just a basic sweater, but rather has a little interest to it with the dots. The fit of it is also great. It is a nice length in both the arms and on the torso. Could you imagine this paired with a fun colored blouse underneath?

2. Brown Braided Belt
A simple braided belt can be the perfect accessory! Throw it on around a shirt dress or even to cinch in a cute sweater. Then, of course, you can always use it in a conventional way by putting it around your waist.

3. Red Penny Loafers
Now, Gap has these listed as "driving shoes," so I'm not sure how well they would fare in our harsh winters here in NY, but I still think they are quite adorable! Plus, with a $50 price tag, they are resonably priced too! These would be an easy way to add a bit of attitude to an otherwise straight laced outfit.

4. Leather and Canvas Bag
I'm pretty sure this bag was originally from Anthropologie. But for some reason, I can't seem to find it on their website anymore. No worries! Just click on the link and it will take you to some great alternatives they have. What I really love about this specific bag is the fabric and leather combination. The leather gives it a little something extra.

5. Stary Scarf
I really love the simplicity of this scarf. It would look great with a beautiful trench coat or just paired with a t-shirt and jeans. I also like the color--it makes it feel very earthy/bohemian.

6. Sheer White Top 
I love the versatility of this shirt. It can be worn on a warmer day or paired with a cardigan for the cooler weather. It can also be dressed up or down--paired with a skirt for a dressier number or thrown on with jeans for a more casual look. Plus, it comes in a bunch of different colors!

What season is your favorite? What do you do enjoy most about it?

Daniel: One Month Old

I cannot believe our little boy is four weeks old! Time has just flown by as I enjoy being this little one's mom. What a blessing he is to us.

Daniel celebrated his one month birthday by gaining 12 ounces in 4 days (yay! the supplementing is working!) and sleeping 5 1/2 hours straight. But he also decided, after eating at 4:30 a.m. yesterday morning, to continue to celebrate by spitting up everything he had just ate. Projectile spit-up went everywhere. He proceeded to cover his pack-n-play, his changing pad, and then a bit later, one of our comforters. So a 5:30 a.m. bath it was! Then, at that point, we snuggled up on the couch and both caught a bit more shut eye. There is nothing like a freshly bathed baby snuggled up on your chest.

He now weighs 8 lbs 14 oz and is still 22 inches long. It amazes me the difference that the formula has made. He just feels heavier to me. My arms are getting sore now, which never was the case before. I am so thankful that he is gaining weight. Even though I really wanted to exclusively breastfeed, I'm truly ok with the formula. I just want a healthy baby boy!

I have no idea what is considered a 'good' or 'bad' baby, but in our opinion, he has been such a good little boy. He goes down easily and usually only takes a bit of rocking, if anything. He eats like a champ (still don't know why he wasn't gaining weight, but that could have been so many different things). He also seems to be very content. He is happy to just hangout and look around the room and really enjoys interacting with whomever will give him attention. He has started to coo and smile. He loves when you tap his nose and usually rewards you with a big, open-mouthed grin.

He is currently enjoying a mixture of cloth and disposable diapers as mommy navigates this whole new diapering world! He doesn't seem to mind either and looks so stinkin' cute in cloth. He is in a mixture of newborn and 0-3 month clothing. The newborn stuff is just a bit small (especially when he is sporting a cloth diaper) and the 0-3 month clothing is a bit big.

Daniel has enjoyed meeting lots of family and friends in his first month at life. He took it all in stride and was always happy to oblige to tons of snuggling. He also handled his very first vacation, like it was no big deal. He loves his car seat and often falls asleep pretty quickly once the car starts moving. He will occasionally tolerate his bouncer, when mommy needs both of her hands to do something. He seems to also like his playmat, but mommy doesn't like that the dogs look at it as a personal invite to get in his face...

I cannot wait to see what the next month holds! He has become much more active and alert. Plus, those smiles just kill me every time! We love you dooders. 

Our Family's Cabin

Last Saturday--we packed up our car, grabbed the dog, and our little cutie, and headed to the best place on earth. 

Visiting our family cabin is a summer tradition. Some may think it is a bit ambitious (and stupid) to take a three-week-old into the middle of nowhere, but to us, it was the perfect time. And you know what? We had a great time! I think Daniel loved it. 

There were a couple of boat rides,

 

many long naps,

 lots of grandma snuggles,

and there was even a bit of milk dribble. 

It was a quick trip--we drove up Saturday and were back Tuesday evening--but it was just the taste of relaxation that we needed. We look forward to many more trips to our little piece of paradise.