the little things

month two

Dear Grayson,

Today you turned two months old. My, where is the time going?! You are such a sweet, lovey baby. And your daddy and I love you so incredibly much.

This month you have grown quite a bit (we can see it and feel it! hehe). You have become SO alert and stay awake for much longer intervals now.

You have been having some bouts with tummy troubles though, so we've been giving you Mylacon drops and even tried Gripe Water. Both seem to help quite a bit. We're thankful for that!

You have discovered Veggie Tales and LOVE them!  You love their bright colors and the songs.  Daddy and I love that you love them. Yey for learning good lessons and about the Lord!

You have found your fists and have been slobbering up a storm! I even bought you a teether that looks like a foot that can be chilled and you LOVE it!

Your favorite songs are: "Jesus Loves Me", "If you're happy and you know it", "The itsy bitsy spider" and "If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops" (although, I think you love mama's silly "eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh's" the most! haha!

You also love when mommy and daddy say, "Is that funny?!" or make farty noises! Haha! Or when mama says, "bloooop!" or "ah HA!" You smile so big and almost get a laugh out!  It's almost happening!!

You love: baths (and really started splashing around in there like crazy this past week!), your swing, your new activity mat, you Glow Seahorse, your swaddle blankets when it's time for bed, your little rattle and being held in front so you can the world!

You have taken up reading this month, as well! Wink. You love, love the high-contrast books daddy and I picked up at Target: "Hello Animals!" and "Hello Bugs!"

You went on your first Walk for Life walk this month for the Pregnancy Care Center that mommy volunteers at. You were awake and happy at first, the fussed through the middle and konked out at the end!  Everyone loved seeing you. You also were the youngest in attendance at only 6 weeks old!

You've been sleeping an average of 6-7 hours straight each night (bedtime is usually around 9:30 and you sleep until about 5 or 5:30 most nights). Some nights are a little worse, but that's mostly because you just need changed and then want to be wide awake for 30-45 minutes.  Daddy and I are not fans, Mr! haha!

We also have officially acknowledged your little bum cannot handle any type of diaper other than Target brand and Pampers Sensitive. We're okay with this, as Target's dipes are the cheapest out there and Pamper's usually sends us good coupons, plus I get the Gifts to Grow codes to save for something COOL for you! It's a win-win!

You're also a complete Similac Sensitive baby and things seem to be going with that!

You wore your first pair of shoes yesterday to church and they were a bit too big, but looked mighty cute!  You didn't like them at first, but after a while you adjusted. They were the first pair of shoes your dad and I bought even before we knew you were a boy! We love them so!

oh, baby boy. we love you so, so much. You are our world. Our joy. Our greatest blessing and we love watching you grow and learn!  

Happy two months, Grayson!

Love,

Mama and Daddy :)

this week...

someone has taken a major liking to Veggie Tales and it is beyond precious.

i've been getting super inspired to organize and re-do some stuff around our home, thanks to pinterest.

i scrapbooked. and it felt GREAT!

Grayson got some tummy time in and looked adorable doing it, might i add!

he also got a new activity mat, thanks to Craigslist. love when good finds happen like that!

he hasn't managed to get a good late morning/afternoon in all week. like, he's just NOT happy no matter what we do. he is getting super slobbery though and i'm thinking it's his gums hurting, prepping for some teeth in a few months? i let him chew on a teether, his bink (cuz he won't suck on it anymore, so why not chew on it? haha), baby orajel, etc. i feel so bad for him!

hope you have a lovely weekend where you are! enjoy the holiday weekend!

happy door.

our front door needed something new. something fresh. and something perfect for summer.

so, a couple of weeks ago, nate dropped grayson and i off at hobby lobby (while he ran to walmart for...hotwheels. shocker!) to pick up some random fake flower stems and a grapevine wreath.

i was so excited that all the flowers were 50% (otherwise, i wasn't buying) and grayson was excited with the bright lights above him. ;)

i came home and everything sat in the bag for a few days.

no time. or energy. i was busy making memories with the bean! :)

finally, i sat down on the living floor and began clipping most of the big, (almost too) long stems off and stuffed them into the grapevine wreath.

not much tweaking and not much time. now, THAT equals bliss to this new mom!

i'm pretty tickled with how it turned out. and so is our door.

make a wreath! it's good for the soul. :)

-sidenote: prayers going out to all those in Joplin, MO.  so tragic to see and hear about.

discovered.

someone has recently discovered his hands! he's so funny to watch. i love when he does the "baby bird" move and wiggles his head super crazy-like and opens his mouth real big just to get them in there! haha.

nom. nom. nom.

so fast to get those paws up and into his mouth!

seriously, kid. you crack me up and i love you sooo much!

happy weekend! :)

three things.

seen to my left on the couch just moments ago. cell, nail file, clippers, new essie polish and my latest obsession: that stinkin' mocha coconut frapp!

how excited was i to not only treat myself to that frapp this morning, but also to a new nail color from my favorite nail polish? very!  the bummer news? that polish has to go back. it looks so pretty in the bottle. but, on my nails? not so much. just a smidge too "silver" for me. :(

grayson got some tummy time in this morning and he's a fan of it for about two minutes and then...he's done. haha. this photo shows the face that pretty much sums up how he really feels about it. ;)

last night i made these guys. homemade egg mcmuffins. and i have to say they are delish and can be frozen! which is what i did with 4 of the 6 i made.

so, so easy to make. break eggs into a muffin tin (lightly greased with Pam or butter). bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes.

meanwhile, slice the english muffins in half, lay on a cookie sheet and back for 10 minutes (right along with the eggs).

while the eggs finish cooking, grate 4 oz. of cheddar cheese. once the english muffins are toasted you can add a bit of butter to each one for added flavor if you want. sprinkle a bit of cheese on each muffin's bottom.

once the eggs are done, plop them out of the pan and lace on top of each cheese-covered english muffin.

if you want to enjoy them right away, just put them back into the over for 5 minutes to heat.

if you'd rather freeze them, leave them on the cookie sheet, place into a freezer for an hour (this helps with moisture during the freezer time and prevents the english muffin from getting soggy when you go to eat it). after an hour, remove the egg mcmuffins from the freezer and wrap in saran wrap or aluminum foil, place in a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze.

when you're ready to eat, just reheat in the microwave or oven. sooo good!

that's all i have today!  hope all is well where you are! :)

friday thoughts

my smiley baby says hello. :)

meanwhile i'm...

drinking: water.

wearing: cotton capri's and some layered tanks. (it's hot here lately!)

feeling: tired. thanks to that cute boy up there not sleeping very well last night. ;)

weather: thunderstorming.

needing: some sleep. ha.

thinking: about how blessed i am & that i really should pick up all the clothes off our bedroom floor!

enjoying: the rain. being a mama.

missing: our dear friends, the proffitts.

wondering: if i can get some rest this evening, and maybe even a bubble bath? maybe?

preparing: a bag of unused pantry items for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive going on nationwide tomorrow!

listening: to my new favorite: Adele!

loving: this new, simple photo display in our tiny hallway:

so thankful for the sweet birth announcement the Proffitt's had made for us by a local friend of mine. check out her etsy shop here.

wanting: to scrapbook. maybe tonight!

it's been a great week! i also got a clean bill of health at my 6 week postpartum visit today-happy about that, too!

worth every second

he was for sure.

& i can't ever put into words how much being his mama means to me. how much i love my new job. this is what i was meant to do all along. 

lately...we've been enjoying the beautiful days we've had (and relaxing, heavy rains in the evenings, love.) 

nate and i went on our first date since grayson monday night. it was dreamy. we grabbed a bite to eat at chipotle (nate's pick), then grabbed half-price coconut mocha frappuccino's and took a stroll through hallmark where we purchased the second book for grayson's watson raccoon. then, we went to the theatre and saw "something borrowed" i loved it! it's a new favorite of mine.

tuesday we spent the whole day as a family, running some errands after nate took in a round of disc golf (boring. haha!). then, came home so i could try out 2 new recipes; chicken lasagna rollups and baked strawberry shortcake.

both delicious. both keepers.

yesterday, i tried yet, another new recipe for lunch; chicken dorito bake.

nate's new favorite. he liked it so much he's asked me to make again over the weekend!

it really is good!

i can thank pinterest for all these yummy new finds. :)

last night, after nate went to work, grayson and i ventured to church so i could get back into helping with awana. it was good to be back, but a little bit odd knowing i had a son just yards away with his grandma in the sanctuary! the kids loved him!

then again, can you really blame them? ;)

he really, truly is my heart.

my first mother's day

what an amazing day we had yesterday. celebrating a day i honestly wasn’t sure i would ever have the honor of celebrating.

my first Mother's Day.

it was perfection. the Lord gave us a beautiful day here in Ohio (aside from a couple gloomy moments, but they quickly went away!) and we got to enjoy the whole day together, as a family, thanks to nate taking the whole day off work!

mom let me pick what we did for the day and i chose to go to Mohican and Mt. Jeez Overlook. Mohican is a state park 30 minutes away and i've loved it there since i was a little girl.

(grandpa and his little buddy checking out the sights!)

6 years ago this year,mom and phil introduced me to Mt. Jeez and i've loved going there ever since, so it was a perfect place to visit for mom's day!

we had a yummy lunch of fried chicken, jo jo's, rolls, gramcracker's coleslaw and pasta salad and megan made a delish fruit pizza under a pavilion!

then, we took a walk to check out some of the overlooks at the park.

as the ladies were taking some photos, mom started busting out in laughter.

then we realized it was megan's boyfriend, shawn and his obsessive, silly camera antics!

and then, we ALL started cracking up!

these women are good. wonderful. amazing.

grayson and his hoodie took a stroll around the park!

and then he went to mt.Jeez with his mama!

then, while aunties and grand and great grandparents held him, mom and dad were getting silly with the camera!

haha!

after Mt. Jeez we went to Possum Run Greenhouse (i love the name!) and nate and grayson bought be some beautiful flowers for my galvanized bucket on the porch and a candle! they also gave me two beautiful mother's day cards with VERY sweet and thoughtful handwritten memos, along with what i requested- a new whisk and oven mitt! haha.

i absolutely loved the day and am so thankful that i get to be grayson's mama. i have a lot to learn, but i know with time and prayer i'll get there!

i also prayed for all those who are waiting for the day they, too get to celebrate this day with their child. i remember that feeling of longing so well. it's one i will never forget and a day like yesterday was one i won't ever take for granted. if you are someone who is struggling with having a child, please know you are not alone or forgotten. you have my continued prayers.

grayson is a perfect example that prayer WORKS! keep the faith!

:)
 

 

special to me.

the quilt and the baby.

the quilt has been mentioned here before, i believe. but just because it's so important, i must mention it again.

it was hand-pieced, hand stitched with tons of love by my great grandma (gramcracker's mom) aka: granny.

it's a staple around our home.

i love it. we love it.

granny originally gave it to my mom. i remember cuddling up to it as a kid. then a teenager. i always hoped it would somehow become mine.

then, i got married.

and mom gave it to me!

aside from a few priceless photos and my scrapbooks, this quilt is my most cherished heirloom.

and now, grayson gets to share in granny's goodness, even though she's no longer with us.

i had the quilt out on the couch for an early morning nap today and after grayson got up from his nap i laid him down quick, sans clothes and loved how much he loved granny's quilt!

he was so content. so happy.

and i knew she was loving it from Heaven. :)

just look at that belly. he melts me!

ps: grayson had his 1 month doctor's visit today. he weighed in at 8lbs. 6oz. and is now 20 and 3/4 inches long! that's my growing boy!

this week.

surgery went well. thank you for praying!

i'm recovering. still very sore, but doing well.

as part of my mother's day gift, i got the new adele cd on itunes. it's fabulous. she's fabulous!

my bestie gave me a beautiful new blog banner! i love it. but love her more. :)

grayson is inching out of newborn dipes and is about to head into size 1's. sigh.

i am loving this new find of mine at bath and body works.

speaking of coconut. this is my latest favorite. it's delish!

(mocha coconut frappuccino from starbucks. brought back yesterday. gah! it's sooo good!)

i'm anxious to whip out my very pink essie nail polish and paint my toes!

grayson finally goes to the doctor tomorrow for his 1 month visit! so excited to see how he's grown!

we framed some favorite newborn photos of our little guy. next up: hanging them on the walls!

i'm craving a bubble bath in the worst way, but due to hardly being able to get off the couch, i doubt i'll be able to get out of the tub right now! lol. plus, i'm not supposed to get my bandages wet. that's much easier said than done.

i have a huge crush on ryan gosling. yum. ;)

i'm so anxious to get some scrapping done, but just don't have the energy right now.

thankful for The First Years Breastflow bottles. those things are amazing!

it's been rainy and dreary here this week, but today is beautiful!  hope it stays around!

i went to my first children's consignment sale this past weekend. i need to do a post on the things we found! i love good deals and second-hand finds!

welp, i'm off to get some rest!

i'll leave you with another sweet photo of our little Buckeye! :)