Julianne is 7 months old!

Dear Julianne-

You are 7 months old and your monthly pictures are becoming increasingly difficult to take. You are interested in anything and everything and putting a paper sign within reach of you is just too tempting not to grab and eat! I really needed a helper to get a good shot...maybe next month someone will be around when you are awake, happy, and dressed. That is a tricky combination but I have noticed your "happy window" is open much longer than it used to be. You have really chilled out this month and are getting better and better at going with the flow.

I have to note once again that I am still trying to adjust to the fact that you are ours. You are such a delight and more beautiful and sweet then I ever imagined you would be. It is just so humbling that God entrusted us with you. It seems each day you surprise me with something new you are learning or doing. This is a fun age and I almost wish I could slow down time a bit to linger here. That however is impossible, so I am left with trying to cherish every moment while it lasts. Here are some of things going on I want to remember....

1. Your Laugh:

You have been laughing for some time now but it becomes easier and easier to get you rolling especially for Wesson. He seems to tickle your fancy by just existing. Mommy and Daddy on the other hand are only funny when we do ridiculous things by trial and error. Still, your laugh brings us much joy and I caught it on video this month.

2. This month you began sitting up unassisted!

 This new skill has given you a new perspective on the world and our house which seems to interest you very much. I love this stage because you are quite content to sit and play for a bit and I know you aren't going to go anywhere. I realize this is short lived because soon you will be crawling, but I am savoring this sitting stage. I will also note that sitting was an "all of a sudden" development. One day you were falling over anytime I propped you up and the next you just had it down and didn't fall anymore. I think that means you are a quick learner:)

Wesson can also play alongside you better while sitting. He is still your favorite playmate....makes since since you both love to put things in your mouth. 

3. Your first  second trip to Possum Kingdom Lake

Last summer your Daddy and I went to the lake but you were in my tummy. This year you joined us out of the womb and had a grand time. Really you spent most of the time indoors being loved on by Gran, uncle Marty, and Aunt Amy's mom "D" while the rest of us played on the lake. Daddy did a lot of fishing and Mommy took any chance she could to go out on the boat. I thought I was in good shape since I tote you around all the time, but was deeply humbled when after several rounds of water skiing I could barely move my muscles. It was so fun though! The only downside was your decision to revert back to you newborn sleep schedule while we were there. You woke 3 times each night and since we were sharing walls with others, we didn't want to wait too long to quiet you by nursing. Thankfully you are sleeping better now. Below are some shots from our time there. Thanks to "Big Wayne" for these pictures....

Gran and Aunt Pam on the boat

Daddy getting ready for some water sports....

Mommy on the water....pretty sure I fell right after this was taken....

Mommy concentrating as not to fall again.....

Mommy, Macy, and Daddy on the tube....turns out Mommy is not a fan of tubing...scary! I asked to get off shortly after this was taken and let Daddy and 10 year old Macy have a grand time without me. 

We did take you swimming though and you loved the water! 

You also loved inside time with all the family loving on you....

Daddy on the Seadoo

4. You started school...well Mother's Day Out once a week.

Mommy has a new job doing some office work from home. It has been great to have something else to do in the day while you nap. I do need to be in the office for a few hours each week though and decided to enroll you in a Mother's Day Out program one day a week. You are LOVING it and I always get a happy report from your teacher when I come to pick you up. I may need to write an entire post on "school" sometime soon.

That is all I can manage for now baby girl. You are currently up from your nap and are ready for action.

I love you,

Mommy

Stuff I have been meaning to blog about.....

Since becoming a Mommy, I have really dropped the ball on keeping up with my blog. I used to have time to write about the comings and goings of our everyday life in a smart witty way. Well.... I tried to make it clever at least to the extent of my writing abilities. There are always situations where I think, "I need to blog about this" and then never get to it. I should work some regular time into my schedule for blogging...it is something I enjoy and I love having to look back on.

So in an effort to catch up, I have compiled a list of stuff I have been meaning to share on this here blog.

1. We cloth diaper

Before Julianne was born we did a lot of research and found that cloth diapering may not be as gross, annoying, or inconvenient as we thought. Really the things have come a long way since the safety pin days, and we like it a lot for several reasons.
First, they are economical. Going down to one income and trying to account for the diaper expense was a bit overwhelming. I think we figured we'd be spending around $40 each month diapering our baby...yikes! The Flip Diapers by Cotton Babies cost us less than $200 for 24 diapers and 8 diaper covers and they can be worn up to 35 lbs. (Julianne will be potty trained before she ever reaches that weight Lord willing). There are costs to washing them with water etc...and we do buy disposable for babysitters and sometimes nighttime. We still feel like we are coming out way ahead though especially when you think about using them on subsequent children.
People always ask me, "isn't it gross to wash them?" I personally don't think so. There is no soaking or scraping. I basically get off what I can then send them through a rise, hot wash, and extra hot rinse. We keep them in a pail and wash every other day. Really it is not that hard to run this load amongst the other laundry.
Then there are other benefits such as avoiding chemicals in diapers on Julianne's bottom. There are some out there that think those chemicals could be harmful down the line. I am not sure about that but if that does turn out to be true I will be glad we used cloth! Also, I feel a little "green" that we are saving a small part of a landfill somewhere that doesn't have to decompose our diapers (each one takes 7 years I think to decompose).

2. I have really enjoyed making baby food



My new hobby is cooking for our baby girl. My hope is to expose her to as many different foods as possible and make them for her if I can. I have also found making your own is very thrifty as each jar costs about  $.75 in the store. I can buy organic fruits and vegetables, bake or steam them, puree in our food processor, and freeze in ice cube trays for much less. Plus I know there are no added preservatives just the veggie and sometimes breast milk to make it smooth. I even make my own cereal with oats and rice. The best resource I've found is wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com they tell you how to prepare everything and include nutritional information as well as best times to introduce any given fruit, vegetable, or grain.

3. I miss running

I used to be a runner. Not that I was good at it but enjoyed it and completed 2 marathons and countless half marathons. Running has been at the bottom of the priority list but I would really like to change that. I miss it. I miss the feeling of air in my lungs as I try to push through one more mile. I miss the high I got afterwards, I miss the way my muscles looked. Now that Julianne is older I am making an attempt to get back into it. It isn't easy. With 100 degree weather every day the only time we can go out is first thing in the morning and sometimes that is not logistically possible. Also, I can't just grab my shoes and go. I have to pack up the baby in the jogging stroller, put the leash on the dog, make sure I have my mace, cell phone, and sunglasses. Then I have to leash up the dog, grab the garage door opener out of my car, and make sure J has her hat on. If I can accomplish all of this I then have to bring myself to run with the dog and stroller when I am out of shape to begin with. So it is slow going. I am able to jog a few blocks but walk mostly still. Hopefully I can work back up to it.

I think that is enough for now...sorry for the novel...

Julianne is 6 months old!

Dear Julianne-

You are now 6 months old! I can't get over it and am LOVING this age! You are coming into your personality and you make us laugh and cry for joy daily. Your Daddy and I are simply in awe of the way God made you and are beginning to forget what life was like without you. You are so precious to us!

Here are your 6 month stats:

Height: 25.5 (50%)
Weight: 14 lbs. 9 oz. (25%...dropped here but the doctor said you have enough fat rolls to ease any cause for concern)
Head Circumference: 16 in. (10%)

Some of the highlights of this month:

1. Your first 4th of July! We took you to Daddy's hometown to visit Gran and Gramps and for some good old fashioned 4th of July fun.

There was the annual Canyon Parade and "Fair on the Square" we took part in. As you can see you slept through most of the morning festivities while Daddy ran into a lot of people he went to High School with.  

Maybe next year you will be more into it.....

Later in the day we attempted to get a picture of you in your 4th outfit.....

This one was my favorite....you looked so cute!

2. I think we already knew this, but you like to be moving constantly. This is achieved by lots of time playing on the floor, in your exersaucer, and in the jump door chair thing. It is great because Mommy can get things done in the kitchen while you play.

3. We jumped the gun and went ahead and started you on solids a couple of weeks ago. My plan was to wait until 6 months but you stopped sleeping through the night and wanted to nurse constantly so something had to give. You didn't exactly eat the sweat potatoes I made you but now you have learned to swallow and love them. You have also tried acorn and butternut squash and we are continuing to expand your pallet. Your poops are another story all together though. I have to say miss that breast milk poo you used to have that didn't stink but I know you had to grow up sometime...tear. 

4. Wesson is your BEST friend. You have known he exists for some time now but somewhere in the last few weeks he has become your entertainer, friend, and companion. Sometimes you would rather watch Wesson than Mommy or Daddy. It is really funny and sweet. The thing is he returns the sentiment exactly and is constantly by your side. Y'all have a special bond. 

That's all I got this month baby girl. I am anxious to see what happens next. 

Love, 

Mommy

Colorado or Bust!

**all photos in this post courtesy of Maria Sims (aunt Maria)

Last month my sister and I took Julianne to Colorado for a visit. Andrew stayed home since he has still not accumulated enough time off to join us on any kind of vacation. Stink...we missed him dearly and I realized how much I need that man! Not only is he a huge help with the baby, but he grounds me and helps me see when things are not a big deal. I tend to overreact and this tendency is something I constantly take to the Lord.

For example, during our stay we were parted with our dear friend Wubbs at the wedding we attended there. You may recall that Wubbs is the pacifier thing Julianne loves to bits and helps her get the best sleep, calms fussiness, and keeps her company in the car seat, therefore critical to our operation. We don't have Wubbs, we don't have sleep, and if we don't have sleep everyone is cranky and the world basically ends. At least that was how I felt in my state of panic. It is a long story but basically he was MIA and even after retracing my steps I could not locate that darn giraffe. So there I was in Denver without our beloved Wubbs who took 3 weeks to arrive when we ordered him 2 months ago. It is not like you can get these things at Walmart or something. They are a specialty item. During the crisis I texted Andrew, "there has been a loss in our family....Wubbs is gone!". He called me laughing and suggested we order a new one. This was an unacceptable solution since I knew it would be 3 weeks until a new one arrived. How could he think this was funny? I hung up shortly after he said, "it will be OK babe" because I just knew there was no way that statement could be true.

Well it turned out he was right after all. Someone picked it up and took it to the reception where my mom was asking everyone she encountered if they had seen the missing giraffe. About an hour into the party she finally asked the right person who saw it at the church and had planned to reunite it with its rightful owner at the reception. I can honestly say I have never been so happy to see a stuffed animal in my life! After we got Wubbs back I felt silly for how worked up I got over the whole thing. I mean it was tragic but Andrew was right to laugh about it. How I wish I could be more like that!

the reunion...

All this to say when Andrew is around I am more like that because he rubs off on me somehow in a beautiful married way that God probably intended by making Andrew my husband. Thank you Lord! However, when he is not around my ugliness in this area shines out a lot more and everyone misses him a lot. I plan on working on this and avoid leaving town without him as much as possible.

Overall it was a ver nice time though and wonderful to be in the cooler climate! Here are some highlights:

 J's first plane ride. She was a champ...just a little fussy on the way up and down and slight meltdown when she was ready for her nap. Most people were really nice and patient with us.

traveling through the airport in the Moby. She loves this thing and I do too! Was the perfect way to tote her and we used the stroller to tote all of our gear. Worked great!

We saw lots of family and friends:

 Uncle Matt Dillon 

 Opa

 Aunt Suzanne and cousin Esther

(Aunt) Rene. We aren't technically related but close enough

We also got to wear our hats and long pants. What a treat in June!

Because of this we spent lots of time outside enjoying the weather!

Nathalie