Getting Real

Hi, I'm still here :)

I've been dealing with a lot of things lately, and feeling very stressed, overwhelmed, betrayed, angry, and alone. Not that I've really had the time, but I've been avoiding this blog a bit. Well today I decided to check in on some blogs that I follow, and I read this post by Kelly at Kelly's Korner. (If you don't follow her blog, you should. She is such awesome God-fearing woman, and she has the cutest litle girl!) This post really touched me and really put things into perspective for me.

‎"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. " 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I am so blessed. My life is far from perfect-far! But, I am alive, I have a husband who loves his family and works hard to support us. I have a beautiful, healthy baby girl with a personality that just won't stop :) I have wonderful parents who do way to much for me and my family and I am so thankful for them. And I have awesome friends, who I wish were closer, but they are only a phone call away. What else do I need?

"God is able to do abundantly, exceedingly more than all you can ask or imagine." Ephesians 3:20

Isn't that awesome?! I've really been trying to strengthen and grow my relationship with the Lord, and I can tell such a difference in my life and in my attitude. On days when I get too "busy" to take time to read his Word or talk to God, I can tell such a difference. It's amazing how you can see God working in your life when you make the time to talk to him. It's so easy to get consumed and burdened by life and all it's trials. Just give it to God.

"In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

I find that so encouraging!

And on another note, Saylor is 10 months old today! I'm sure I'll do a 10 month post in a few weeks ;) ha! I need to make her little 10 month onesie for pics now- I'm so behind!

9 months

Whoo-hoo! I'm less than a week late with this post, I'm getting better!


So, Saylor Kate, you were 9 months old on Sept 7!


I even have official stats to report, because we went to the dr today for her 9 month check up.
Weight- 21lbs, 15 oz (and this nurse didn't tell me the percentage...)
Height- 28 3/4 inches
Head circ- 18 inches (she has a big brain :) )



So far, this month has been quite exciting for miss Saylor. She learned to clap, and claps her hands all the time. She learned to "blow kisses", and she does this a lot too, it's quite funny to watch. She finally cut a tooth (!!!), and it looks like 5 more are coming in now :(





She is loving food still (obviously, she weighs almost 22 lbs!). We still do stage 2 purees, but we are starting to do more finger table food these days. She prefers to feed herself to eating off a spoon. She eats avocados, green beans and peas, bananas, pancakes, waffles, bread, and plain macaroni. She has tried grits ( and just like her mama, LOVED them! She wouldn't even take her bottle after I let her taste the grits :) ) and last Saturday her grandpa shared a frosty with her and soup at the Japanese steakhouse. Dr. said to start giving her shaved deli meat, mild white fish, and different beans, so we will start introducing meat sometime soon I guess.

Saylor is constantly babbling, still not any real words other than the occasional dada or mama, but she is so loud! I swear, this kid really has some lungs on her.

Saylor is into everything these days, and developing such an adorable personality. I just love her so much, and cannot believe how fast she is growing, and that next month she'll be in the double digits!!

Look at this face

Doesn't this sweet face look like she could be the next Gerber baby? And win a $25, 000 scholarship??!

We think so, and it would be sooo AWESOME if your went here and voted for her! All you do is click on the "vote for August photos" , then at the bottom click on the search button, type i in Saylor's name, and click on the 4th icon (it's the orange crawler icon.) Voting is limited to 1 email per computer a day, so we need all the help we can get. Voting ends at the end of the month.

Please and thanks!!

Back to me

Good news! The "mullet" is gone :) My hair is finally back to normal, and I am happy about that! I almost feel like the old me again. I didn't realize how much having a baby would change me.

It's funny to think back at all things I said about pregnancy and motherhood before I had ever experienced it. I always said that I would be the cutest pregnant person, I would wear heels, and all this cute stuff. And when I would see frumpy women with their children, I would think "that would never be me" blah, blah, blah. I now keep my mascara in my purse so I can swipe it on real quick before getting out of the car, and only then for "special" places like church. It's sad, but somedays it's all I can do to get a shower, much less get all pretty. I'm pretty sure I've forgotten how to put on eyeliner...

I was especially delusional (and vain!)about the whole birth and hospital experience. The main thing (aside from the health of my sweet baby) I thought about before labor was making sure my hair and make up were done. Really, and I'm ashamed to say that if I ever have another baby, I'm sure I will be worried about it again, but I will be prepared to know how looking "put together" will be the LAST thing I could possibly care about or have the energy for!

But, I tell you what. It is A-MAZ-ING how much a good hair cut can make you feel like a new person. Even if you have to save and use up all your blow money for it!

The most overdue post ever- happy 8 months saylor!

I feel SO guilty about this post! Um, 3 1/2 weeks ago I sat down to write it, but my computer hates me (as does most technology, but that's a whole nother story!!) Anyway, the beginning of August was a special time for my little family. Saylor turned 8 months and Stephen and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary :)

What Saylor was up to almost a month ago:

Still no teeth (I had decided I liked this, no biting, no crazy teething issues)
Pulling up and climbing on everything
Pulling hair! I swear, that was her fav thing to do!!
Babbling, mostly da da, but a few other sounds
Loving food, still mainly purees. We have introduced puffs and yogurt melts, which she of course loves
Still not a great sleeper at all... but she has her moments
Smiling almost all the time :)
Loving bath time

That's about all I can think of for now. It's almost time to do the 9 month post :( And it's time to start planning her 1st birthday party, which I have bittersweet feelings about. I can't wait because I'm so excited, but at the same time, it means my baby is 1!

If I had a dollar...

...for everytime someone asked me when I'm going to have another baby, I'd be a millionaire, and well then I would probably have another baby :) Really though, I'm sick of this question! My goodness, Saylor is barely 8 months old (tomorrow!!) why are random people trying to rush my offspring?! Ideally I would like to have another baby soon, I loved being pregnant, and I miss it so much, but realistically it does not look like we will be adding to our family anytime soon. We are still getting hospital bills and dr bills in the mail. (BTW- my ped's office charges you if you call the little helpline. Did not know that!)

We had a little scare when I was about 32 weeks pregnant, so I had to go to a specialist every 2 weeks until Saylor was born (which btw, turned out to be nothing, praise the Lord! but it really, REALLY scared us and cost us a lot of $$) but, we just got a bill from that. Really? This was back in October and November, obviously they didn't want our money too bad.

Not to mention babies are expensive. Duh, right? But I really had no idea. Plus, I'm a shopaholic, so that does not help. (sidenote: babies do not NEED shoes, no matter how cute they are. In fact, my child does not like shoes nor socks for that matter, so if you are in need of really cute baby girl shoes, I can hook you up!)

So, while I would like to start ttc for baby #2 when Saylor is 9 months old, it does not look like that will be happening. Oh well, guess I'll just keep enjoying this sweet little blessing :)

what a morning!

Lately Saylor has been waking up a little too early for my taste. She has been getting up about 7:15, which isn't too bad, but I would love it if she would sleep til like 8, ha! Well, this morning she was up before 6, yuck! Stephen and I would take turns laying her little self back down, putting her paci in, and playing her little musical seahorse. She was having none of it. As soon as we would get back in the bed, she'd be up again. Finally, I put her in our bed and held her (bad, I know, but she's getting so squirmy, I take advantage of the snuggles when I can!) and she went back to sleep for half an hour or so.

Later I was getting Saylor's breakfast ready while she was playing in her highchair, and I started hearing grunting noises. I don't know what it is, but for some reason Saylor seems to go poo while she is eating. I guess she is trying to make room? So, anyway, I pick her up to take her upstairs and change her, when I notice poo has leaked out all over her highchair. Grrreat! So I really carefully carry her up the stairs, when, plop, poo falls on my leg. Ick! Finally, we arrive in her room, and I put her down, and I look down and realize I have poo smeared all over my tank top. Gross! So, needless to say, Saylor provided me with quite an eventful morning today, all before 8 am!

She's a little stinker (ha), but she's so sweet too! I love this pic :)

Saylor's new trick

Saylor has been pulling herself up for almost a month now. She loves it! She will climb up anything and everything! Her very favorite spot is the coffee table at my parents house. Poor baby has already gotten beaten up by it a couple of times, but she keeps going back for more :)

This new found love of pulling up makes it even harder to get this girl down for naps. I have to go in her room many times to pick her up and lay her little self back down, she is just too busy to sleep!

fun new things in Saylor's world

I forgot to mention in the last post that Saylor is 7 (almost 8!) months old, and still no teeth! Ha, we swear she has been teething since she was 2 months old, but there are no signs of any little teeth in her mouth yet. I've def noticed her nomming and drooling even more in the past few weeks, but still nothing. Oh well!

Saylor can now "run" around the house in her jeep, I mean this girl can go! And she will run you down if you get in her way :)

We quickly started babyproofing after Saylor performed this little trick!

Lately, Saylor has been a little night owl. She will go to sleep between 8:30 and 9:30, but then around 11 or 12 she wakes up and will not go back to sleep for a few hours. We put her in the pack and play and she will just lay in there watching tv or talking to herself and her toys. Last night we thought she was sleeping, and then we heard da da da da da dada... :( It was so cute, but she is sooo close to saying dada. Oh well, I'm really working on mama now!

For the past 2 Sundays now I have been taking Saylor to the nursery since she is just too busy to sit still or quiet for any length of time. I laughed last week when the nursery worker asked me if she slept on her back or her tummy, because I know my child and my child does not go to sleep without a fight. I told the lady she was fine either way, but don't expect her to sleep. Well, after church when I went to pick her up, she was sound asleep in a crib! I could not believe it, and I asked for their secret, ha! I told my mom that Saylor must just really like my company and doesn't want to miss a thing :)

I joked the other day that it seems like I'm constantly saying, "No, no Saylor" and she's only 7 months old, I think this little monkey is really gonna keep me on my toes as she gets older :)

I'm trying to be a better blogger these days bc I feel like I have gotten slack with all the pics of Saylor and milestones, but I hardly find the time to do all the things that I *really* need to do, much less blog, so we'll see!

7 months! (last week)

Yes I know, this post is a little overdue, but I have been busy! We made the 20 hour (!!!) drive to Boston and back (more on that later), so we weren't home on Saylor's 7 month birthday. Then when we got home I had a couple of big orders to fill (yay!) for my etsy store, pretty pretty baby, then I had to work, and do unfun things like unpack, and oh yeah, I almost forgot sleep! So...

Saylor, you are 7 months old!

look how long her hair is getting!

Saylor has changed SO much this month. She is starting to lose her little baby look, and starting to look like a little girl. She has started smiling even bigger than before, so she squints her eyes all tight to fit her sweet little grin on her face. It is the cutest thing, I love it! Saylor has also started laughing, a lot, especially during diaper changes. I'm not really sure if she likes being naked, or if she's laughing at me trying to keep her still on her back long enought to get a diaper on. She's either trying to rip the blinds down or turn around to see what is behind her, or trying to eat her hairbrush, ha she is such a nosy little busybody it's almost impossible to keep her on her changing table these days!

About 95% of the time, maybe even 98% Saylor is the happiest, funniest, sweetest little thing. But, my gosh, if she is even the slightest bit hungry watch out! She loves, loves to eat, and I think she is starting to get the hang of eating solids now. When she starts moving her lips around like she's eating I know that she is ready to eat. She is still loving her some pears and squash. She eats bananas, peaches, applesauce, carrots, and sweet potatoes really well. She tolerates green beans, she has yet to finish a whole tub in one sitting though. And peas? Forget it! I quit trying them, I can't make her eat something I don't like, so, for now green beans will have to be her green veg. I've tried to get her to eat mashed avocado a few times, but she has wanted nothing to do with it, so I just hide it in her carrots :)

Saylor is thisclose to crawling. She gets up in the crawling position and either flops to the side or scoots a bit forward and does something weird with her feet and will end up on her back. I don't know what thats all about, but she manages to get around pretty good! She is starting to try to pull up on things, but has yet to do it unassisted no matter what my mom "says"! She can def climb all over things, she is quite the mover these days.

In the past week or so, Saylor has really discovered her voice. She was a little vocal before, but my goodness now she's always "singing" and sometimes she can get quite loud! She's not saying any words yet, although I swear she was saying ma ma, ma ma the other day... :)

Saylor still fights sleep like it's her job, but when she's out she is just the sweetest looking thing :) She used to sleep until 8ish or even 9 somedays, but now she is usually up by 7:30, so I'm not really loving that, but sometimes I can get her to just lay there and cuddle with me for a few more minutes :) She is just so sweet, and growing so quickly that sometimes when I'm going to sleep at night, I wonder if I held her enough that day, because I know it won't be too much longer and she won't want to be held!

I can't wait to see what else this month has in store! Little Miss Saylor is keeping me on my toes, and I love it :)

Then and now

Later on this week Stephen, Saylor, and I are making the *LONG* drive to Boston. (say a prayer for us, ha!) My dad's side of the family all live up there, so we're taking Saylor to meet everyone. I was working on a little scrapbook photo album of her for my grandmother and I could not believe how much my baby has changed!

This day already feels like it was so long ago, I'm sad to say I forget just how awesome it was sometimes!Saylor all dressed up in her going home outfit. Love.

Just my tiny little baby. I swear she was that tiny and newborn looking for a second. Then I blinked!

And just 6 1/2 short months later :)

I swear her personality just gets bigger everyday!

Tutu's for a good cause

I was scrolling through my blog roll, and TUTU Drive 2010 caught my eye. I'm so glad it did! Because now I know about The Princess Alexa Foundation, and I'm really excited to help.

If you have a min, check out Samster Mommy's blog for details on Tutu Drive 2010. Even if you're not crafty you can still donate. :)

Who doesn't love a giveaway??

So, I've been busy this week adding lots of fun to things to my Etsy store, pretty pretty baby.
I have fun new onesies (for boys and girls!), bibs, and bows. I've been working away because my friend Rebekah is doing a giveaway from my store on her blog! Go check it out for a chance to win- but hurry, giveaway ends tomorrow (Friday)!

Also, I created a fb fan page- check it out too :)

6 months old

Saylor, you are 6 months old! (yesterday!)

Its hard to believe that 6 months has come and gone so fast since the day I brought my baby home. What an incredible 6 months they have been though! It is amazing how quickly babies grow, and change, and adapt- it truly is a miracle! Each day Saylor becomes more animated, more alert, more fun, and more like a little person, it is such a joy to watch and help her learn and grow.

Unfortunately, Saylor's 6 month well baby check up was actually on her 6 month birthday (a big reason we did her party before!) so poor baby had to get shots yesterday. She did pretty good, only cried for a second, and only fussed a little last night- and still slept all night (thank you Lord!!). So, I have her stats already :)

Height- 26.5 inches. still 95%

Weight- 17 lbs, 12 oz. she slowed down a little with weight, now she is only in the 85%, ha!

Head circ- 17. 5 inches, she has quite the noggin!

There are so many new and exciting things you are doing these days Saylor! You roll every way possible, you can scoot around, you can sit unsupported for about 30 secs at a time, you babble almost constantly- nothing that sounds like a word though, you drool like crazy- but no teeth yet. You have started sleeping through the night, which I am so thankful for! You are totally weaned now and get 4 bottles a day. You have tried (Tried is the key word here, you are not on solids on a regular basis quite yet!) rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, pears, bananas, and you just tried applesauce. The only things you have showed any kind of interest in are peas and pears. You cannot. get. enough. of. pears. Peas? You could not make funnier faces when we put those in your mouth, haha! I have a video of you eating peas I need to upload- funny stuff :)

You wear size 3 diapers, clothing ranges anywhere from 6- 12 mos, and size 2 shoes fit you, they just don't stand a chance on your feet- you wiggle them off before I can get both shoes on!

You get cuter everday and I love being your mommy!

A very merry half birthday!

Yesterday (mon), my sweet Saylor Kate turned half a year old! We had a fun little half birthday party for her on Sun afternoon. It was fun, but a lot more work than I had anticipated- can't imagine what the first bday will be like!!

We had a sweet little gathering of family and friends, ha and "half" food. It was a lot of fun, and totally worth all the sweat and tears :) (ok, and by tears I mean getting the budget talk from my hubby too many times, ha!)

Me and my sweet baby girl

Saylor with her Gigi ( my mom)

Posing in her sailor outfit, love this one!

some of the food

some of the decorations

It was so much fun, can't wait to do it again in 6 months! Happy Half Birthday sweet girl!!

pictures post!

This week has me very busy and kinda stressed! I have a lot going on and sooo much to do before Sunday! (more on that later!)

Saylor will be six months old in 4 short days (I cannot believe it is June already!!), and I've been kinda picture happy lately, so...

Thanks to Aunt Cheney for the sweet purple outfit :)

Posing in her daddy approved bathing suit before going to the pool for the first time!

Look who can sit up by herself now! Big girl!

She just started making this "turtle" face, not really sure what that's all about!

Love this sweet face!

*btw, these were all from my phone, so the quality is not the best!

A few of my favorite things

It's Show Us Your Life Friday at Kelly's Korner! Today is things that you love/ make you happy.


Of course number one, I love my God!

Then, my sweet family :)


I love me some iced coffee! Yummy! Some days I drink more of this than water


I definitely LOVE Target! That place totally makes me happy :) And, I think little Miss Saylor loves it too, haha I'm sure Stephen loves that!


I love my sweet friends

I love helping people however I can

I love wearing jackets (ha, weird I know), but I prefer fall to summer

I love being crafty, even though I am not that good- I still love to satisfy the urge :)

I also love giving presents, but sometimes I need a little help with ideas. If you're like me I have a solution! My friend L is totally crafty, and makes all kinds of cute things! If you're looking for a father's day gift, or a baby gift, or even a little something for yourself you should totally check out her etsy store, Cutesy Crochet and Paper Crafts! She has everything from sweet little crochet hats and blankets for babies, to holiday and home decor! If you see something you really like, head over to my friend Rebekah's blog- she's doing a giveaway- if you win, you get an item of your choice from Cutesy Crochet and Paper Crafts!!

Thanks for letting me share a few of my favorite things with you, I'm looking forward to reading a few of yours!

Time is not on my side

Ugh, time is something I never seem to have enough of. Some days just go by so fast, and yet it seems like I get nothing done. Other days I have so much to do that I wish I could get by without sleeping at all. Saylor will be 6 months old in a week, and I wonder where did these past 6 months go?! I hate that I always feel so rushed; I want to slow down and enjoy every minute, every day because her babyhood is just flying by! If time could just stop so I can clean the house, put up the laundry, clean my car!!, organize my gazillion photos on the computer, scrapbook Saylors first 6 months, make some hairbows, and have 2 seconds of me time that would be great!! I would much rather play with and hold my little baby than do the dishes, but they must get done! Ha, and some days by the time nap time rolls around I'm so exhausted I just want to nap myself, but those days are gone!

Saylor is getting so big, so fast, I just want to soak up every second! She's quickly becoming more and more independent, and it's such a bittersweet feeling- I mean, she's only 5 months old and she prefers to hold her own bottles!!

bad hair day

Haha, poor kid :) Between her cowlick and increasing little bald spot, some days I just can't make it behave!

And, just so you know I didn't let my poor little baby go around all day looking crazy, I managed to somewhat tame the crazy.

big girl with her sippy cup!

Fun with the cricut

Today went by too fast! I went and spent the afternoon at a my friend Leslie's house while Saylor spent some quality time with her dad.

Oh my goodness, did we have fun today! Leslie and I had some much needed girl talk and then we did some crafting, because thats what we do :) We tried out a new cricut cartridge today, and we loved it, ha we had too much fun playing around with it! How cute are these little critters?!

I hate to say anything, because I certainly do not want to jinx it, but Saylor has become a SO much better sleeper! For the past 2 weeks she has been STTN, and it has been quite wonderful :) Naps still leave a little to be desired, but she usually has at least one good nap a day, so I'll take it!

Playing peek-a-boo before I took the bumpers off for good.

I swear, this child thinks her crib is a jungle gym sometimes!

Now that my child has started sleeping better, I guess I should to, ha!