Christmas 2016

The month leading up to Christmas was filled with Etsy Shop craziness for my business. One of the things we hand paint is ornaments & amidst all your wonderful orders I squeezed in a fox tree slice for Cooper's 1st Christmas.

Christmas Eve started with THIS amazing beef brisket recipe at home with just us three. Followed by family time at 7, something we've never done with baby who thoroughly enjoyed gnawing on all of his gifts. We also have a natural born present opener which is crazy. 

There hasn't been a little one around on Christmas Eve for 10 years which made having Cooper around even more special.  Plus we're about 90% there with sitting up & only need a hand nearby in case balance is lost, making toys in the lap & hands in the air a new found favorite.

One thing that made Christmas 2016 a piece of cake was shopping with, wrapping in front of & putting everything under the tree with baby- all before Christmas day. Something I know we won't get to take advantage of again.

The next morning Eric hopped up when Cooper awoke, turned on all the Christmas lights & I opened my eyes to baby sitting in our bed beaming at me. The perfect wake up call.

Among Cooper's favorite presents were THIS infant seat from Grandma & Grandpa (perfect timing since we're outgrowing the Jumparoo), THESE blocks which come in a super cute carrying case & THIS finger puppet book series of which we now have three.  We are also now the proud owners of an ENTIRE basket full of books to get us through the winter & one seriously grateful mama for all of it.

Breakfast was full of cinnamon- with french toast & Grandma's coffee cake recipe, plus spinach & cereal for Coops (yum-o) who will probably be very excited to get in on that sugar filled meal next year.

After breakfast, & a late nap, we packed up to head north to an aunt's house for early dinner. Coops was thrilled watching his cousins run all around & showed off his new found sitting up skills to anyone who would watch. Plus this particular aunt has two rabbits which had baby enthralled as they hopped to & fro in their cages.

A couple hours later we were on our way home with full stomachs & baby snoozing in the back of the car.  Bedtime stories & feedings followed & the day ended with hubs & I watching an Indiana Jones marathon with drinks on the couch. #thatsmykindofnight

I'd love to hear from you!  How did you spend the holidays & what are your favorite traditions?

6 Month Photos & Favorites

Where have the past 6 months gone?? I feel like we were just in the hospital savoring that warm newborn baby feeling & now here we are with a sweet little guy determined to crawl as soon as he can figure out how to get those back legs out of frog position & under his butt.

Nursing is still going great minus 2 biting incidents (omg), but a wonderful mom friend gave me the advice of looking out for playing verses feeding mode & stopping feedings before baby stops paying attention.

The 6 month checkup meant 3 shots, including a half dose of the flu (the second half will be in a month), which led to a couple days of soreness & our first dose of Infant Tylenol- such a lifesaver. 

Our pediatrician is wondering if Coops may crawl before walking because of how well he supports his weight when standing, something I didn't even know was possible & feel totally unprepared for.

So far we've only eaten greens & cereal, but I'll be adding in a few "orange" veggies over the next month & then on to fruits.  Stay tuned for our first baby food diary post!

6 Months

Height

30.25"

Weight

21 lbs 8 oz

6 Month Favorites

Tummy Time ALL THE TIME

"Crawling" on the floor by sticking out his belly & flailing all 4 limbs. 

Shoving everything he can get his pudgy hands on into his mouth. 

Shadows 

Babbling & Laughing

Looking Forward to

Our first Christmas with baby!

The Crafty Baby: DIY Snow Globe Ornament

Recently we had a few younger cousins in town & with Christmas just around the corner I turned one of my ornament designs into this super simple DIY.  And with my hand holding his, baby Coops painted his first ornament, making this artist mama beyond proud. 

Snow Globe Ornament

*Acrylic Ornament Ball (can be found at a local craft store, or HERE)
*All Purpose Acrylic Craft Paint (I used Martha Stewart in Black & Orange, found HERE)

*Mini Styrofoam Balls (available at Hobby Lobby, or HERE)

*Small Paint Brush
*Ribbon

Empty the Styrofoam Balls into a large Ziploc bag, remove the metal top of the ornament & scoop the "snow" inside. Adding a little Styrofoam means you can shake the ornament for a snow globe effect, more Styrofoam (like we used) gives a a solid snowball appearance. 

**Messy Floor Warning: the Styrofoam balls are INCREDIBLY static-y & will stick to anything, so depending on your kiddo's age keep an extra eye on them for this first part.**

Once the snow is inside the ornament, put the top back on.  Then paint two black circles for the eyes & four for the mouth, followed by a long orange triangle for the nose.  

I also added the year "2016" on the back of our ornament & am debating whether or not to put Cooper's name there as well.

Next up- an adorable footprint snowman Coops & I are putting together to gift to family this holiday season, & at less than $15 for A DOZEN pieces we saved A TON by going handmade for Christmas!!

Thanksgiving 2016 & a Tooth for Coops

I had no idea just how fun it is to have a baby during the holidays!  I swear I must have teared up a half dozen times on Thanksgiving over how happy & full of life our home felt with Cooper in it.

We started Thanksgiving with playtime, breakfast & parade watching; one of my favorite parts of the day & the final float with Santa gets me every time. 

We hosted Eric's family this year & I'll be honest- the idea of cooking, house prep, taking care of baby & breastfeeding every few hours was daunting. But hubs saved the day taking on a combination of house prep with baby while I cooked up a storm in between feedings.

Even though Thanksgiving is over I had to share a few of the recipes we used because they're perfect for Christmas & the chilly days to come.

for Dinner

Roasted Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Mac & Cheese

Apple Crumb Pie

& for the Leftovers

Turkey Chili (with Leftover Turkey) YUM-O

Then lone & behold I noticed something wonderful after dinner- the sweetest little tooth popped up on the bottom left of Coop's mouth!  I've had a hunch we were getting close to cutting teeth but no idea just how close.

Then Sunday tooth #2 made an appearance right beside the first. That's right. Two teeth. One weekend.

Baby's reaction to cutting teeth wasn't what I expected. With the first he'd been up to feed every 90 minutes or so for almost a week (Zzzzzz), but with the second he seemed to have a harder time & had a full day of fussy periods.  What helped the most was cradling, feeding, THIS teether chilled in the fridge & Oragel.  We also had no desire for solid foods for a couple days. 

Then by nighttime Sunday there it was.

Of course I tried to get photos of the shiny new teeth but our little nugget keeps sticking his tongue out in protest.  I'll keep trying but in the meantime we did get one with his milestone card (& caught up with the solid food card too, which he proceeded to show off his eating skills with).
<3

I'd love to hear what we should expect next with teething, or if there are any teethers that you've found to work wonders during the fussy times?

Favorite Recipes for Fall

We're nearly through November (can you believe it??) & only about halfway through the fall bucket list.  But I'm convinced we can still squeeze in a couple more things before December starts (#optimisticnewmom).

I decided to forego the traditional apple pie recipe for THIS crumb pie version which is amazing, especially when topped with Cool Whip & French Vanilla Ice cream. We're hosting Thanksgiving & I'm definitely whipping another up for dessert that day. Yum-o. 

Next up- I'm also now obsessed with THIS crock pot cinnamon applesauce recipe.  Not only does it taste fantastic but it also makes the house smell like a Yankee Candle store at Christmastime. One thing we changed was to substitute Macintosh apples for Granny Smith (fresh picked from an orchard down the road- check that off the bucket list!). 

Coops & I have been spending as much time as possible outside soaking up the last few warm days of fall, & took the best hike at Youngs Pond last week. The leaves were GORGEOUS, the ducks were thrilled to see our bag of rolls & I've finally gotten enough practice with the carrier to wear baby without a second thought.

By the time the hike was done Coops was snoozing away & I was grateful as naps don't come easy in our house.

If love to hear from you- what's left on your fall bucket list & what's going onto the winter one?  And follow along on Pinterest for more of our favorite dessert recipes <3

Sleep Baby Sleep

If someone told me in those first couple weeks after Cooper was born that he'd someday sleep through the night I'd have told them they were crazy... & then asked if they could babysit for a hour while I caught a snooze after being up all night.

We learned during those first days home from the hospital that baby wakes up & goes from zero to wailing in less than two minutes. Which led to difficult/painful latching & had us staying up for hours at a time with a newborn that couldn't settle down.  

So we decided to beat Coops to the punch, & I began setting my phone alarm to go off just before he was due to feed.

When we started this we didn't realize we were doing the "wake to sleep" method, it just seemed like the best option to get a calm baby & better feeding.

How it works is this, Coops would wake up every couple hours on the dot. I'd set my alarm for about 15 minutes before that time & gently wake him with rubs on his back until he was ready to eat. Then we would follow feeding with the usual changing, swaddling & back into THIS rocker (which in itself is a lifesaver).

The idea is to interupt baby's sleep pattern by waking him just before he's ready to be awake. Doing this should help baby no longer wake at the specific time, which worked in our case. I gradually added to the alarm times, 15 minutes here or a half hour there, until we reached our first full night of sleep around 7 weeks.

Those first two nights of sleep I fell out of bed & landed on my face around 4am, thinking something had gone horribly wrong. That I hadn't heard the cries that had surely happened. But there was baby sleeping soundly & leaving me in awe & oh so very grateful for the extra shut eye.

Even better than the full night of sleep was that when we didn't make it all night the awake time gradually went down to a solid 25 minutes. Baby & I became very in tune with each other- 10 minutes on each breast, quick changing & a couple minutes of rocking before back into the (now) crib.

Now the rocking is more for me than Cooper.  We're fortunate in having a baby that will settle well in his crib during the night & who doesn't need craddling like he used to.  I know that with him growing so fast these occasional night feedings won't last forever & I've started treasuring the nocturnal moments we have left together.

I'd love to hear from you! What was your go to ritual for bedtime with a newborn? And are siblings similar when it comes to nighttime habits?

Baby Hugs & Christmas Wish Lists

The other day I was carrying baby, facing my chest, down the stairs when he reached up & wrapped me in the sweetest teeniest hug I've ever had in my life. It was perfect & will go down in mommy history as one of my favorite moments forever.

It seems like every day now we have something new going on, from crib rollovers to chatting with stuffed animals (#cutestthingever) to smiling at everyone that stops to say hello.  It's incredible to watch & I look forward to each morning like a kid does to a visit from Santa.

Even though Christmas is 6 weeks away I've been instructed by Cooper's Grandma (aka my mom) to stop buying him anything toy or book related that we're not planning to give to him on December 25th.  Over the past few months I've turned into a children's lit addict, but we'll have to shelf our monthly bookstore visits until January (pun intended).

Sharing a few things from our own Christmas Wish List (all but one are under $25!!) & I'd love to hear what you're eyeing for baby this season!

My First Toolbox Playset // Eric Carle Touch & Feel Stroller Cards // Evenflo Doorway Jumper
Wooden Maracas //  3 sprouts Shark Bath Storage // The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
Jumbo Foam Blocks Building Set // Catch Me Crabbie // Playskool Form Fitter

5 Month Photos & Favorites

Our sweet baby is officially 5 months old!  Time is, as always, flying by too fast & I don't want to miss a minute.

We're rolling over regularly & trying like crazy to crawl from the waist down (that little butt gets so far up in the air, plus the kicks- oh my!).  Coops also seems to prefer laying on his stomach to being on his back a few times a day which has been amazing for working on that neck strength.

Grasping has turned from difficult to a piece of cake & we also like to *turn pages* when reading.  Except on rare occasions, the only books we're interested in are cardboard (preferably with flaps) or made of cloth.  I'm thinking for Christmas I may attempt making a cloth book with crinkle material inside, but we'll see.

Baby is laughing & smiling like there's no tomorrow, & I swear his laughter is my favorite sound in the world.

Our closet is stocked with all 12-18 month clothes (helloo future basketball player) & it's amazing how fast this little guy grows.  We also had a growth spurt this week, which led to longer feedings & 6 days (thus far) of newborn style sleep patterns.  Throw in a fall time change makes for a very confused growing baby & one seriously tired mama.

5 Months

5 Month Favorite Things

Cloth Books

Tugging on puppy ears & tails (starting today)

THIS Jumparoo

Making "pfttt" noises

Chewing on EVERYTHING (like our 5 month milestone card above)

Looking forward to

Trying our brand new high chair & solid food for the FIRST TIME this month!  Coops is already eyeing our plates at every meal & even pretends to chew.

I also wanted to share THIS Thanksgiving oneseie that I'm eyeing as a comfy morning alternative to Cooper's dinner dress clothes (I mean- how cute would that bodysuit be paired with sweet little jeans??).

Thanks for popping by & wishing you all a wonderful week <3

Crazy Thursday

I feel like you couldn't make this story up if you tried.

Coops & I started out the day by heading to Target (their buy two packs of diapers get a $10 gift card is a regular event in our family).  We pull in the parking lot & baby makes the teeniest pft, blowing out his pants, bodysuit & into the car seat. 

By the time I get him to a changing table he's got poop from neck to knee to (somehow) hand.  It takes every wipe in the diaper bag, fresh clothes & lining the car seat with burp clothes but we make it out into the store for those diapers & now wipes too. Ironic right?

We get home & I get ready to give Cooper a bath, plop him in the tub & no more than 10 seconds later he smiles at me. But it's no ordinary smile- it's that super cute I'm going to poop any second smile. Before I even have a chance to stand up he blows out for the SECOND time & FILLS the tub.

I wait a few seconds to make sure he's finished. I mean the damage is done, right?  Then I pick baby up, get him over the edge of the tub whereupon he goes for the THIRD TIME on the bathmat, floor & vanity as I frantically try to get him wrapped in a towel. 

After Coops is securely bundled in terry cloth I whisk him off to his room, wipe him from head to toe with baby wipes & put on a fresh diaper. A moment later I have the monitor in hand & am on my way to pop baby in his crib & start cleaning our disaster of a bathroom.

You'd wouldn't think it could get any worse- that this is the end, right?  Nope.

As I walk out of baby's room, & pass the bathroom to put Coops in his crib in our room I see our cat shaking off what looks like water. Turns out she thought the tub was empty... & jumped in.

So we now have a bathroom & cat covered in baby poop. A baby happily squealing with delight in his crib (the only cute part about all of this). And my jaw on the floor because I was at a loss for words.

Two hours later (& with a lot of help from mom who lives nearby- thank goodness) we have a clean bathroom, freshly bathed cat (have you ever tried to give a cat a bath?? that was interesting) & a baby back in the tub for round two.

The funny part about it all?  After the first few moments of panic I laughed so hard that I cried.  This is one of those stories that we'll remember forever & I didn't mind a single moment.  Though tackling a cat under the shower spray while she tries to claw your legs like a scratching post was a toughie. 

(p.s. This photo was NOT taken when all of this happened.)

I'd love to hear your crazy baby story- be it messy or funny or both!  We've all been there, & I know at least one other person had their cat jump in a poo filled tub ;)

Halloween 2016

What a spooky wonderful Halloween we had this year!  It started with my poor monster pumpkin imploding & ended with a nighttime feeding that left me grateful for our sweet babe & excited for the next few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.

I wanted a super simple costume for Coops this year because we had one fall festival, one play group, a couple of family family visits plus Halloween to wear it on; meaning easy on/easy off & comfortable was key. So we started with THESE footed pajamas, added THIS hat & topped that with a pair of homemade detachable black cotton wings.

Then the pups got in the Halloween spirit with wings cut from black poster board & attached to their harnesses.  Seeing those two trot around the yard while we sat nearby was just beyond adorable.

October 31st was a bit too chilly for baby to just be in pjs so we replaced his wings with a grey hoodie.  Then I handed out bags of treats with Coops on my lap happily chewing his cardboard Halloween books.

This year will be our last (for awhile at least) handing out treats instead of receiving them & going door to door ourselves.  I'm excited to take our little out in the years to come but am already missing sitting on the front step with him last night, watching those books get soaked in drool & smiles go to every visitor.

Hoping you all had a fantastic Halloween & happy November!

Castles & Bucket Swings

We're counting down the days to Halloween (one more!) & Cooper has already dressed up 3 times for festivals, playgroups & great grandparent visits.  I can't wait to share more photos of baby after the 31st, plus a few of our pups that I whipped super simple costumes up for earlier this week.

To make the most of the last few gorgeous fall color days Coops & I headed north to Hubbard Park & Castle Craig for a play date yesterday.  The bucket swings are officially a favorite & we definitely need a set of our own by springtime.  

We followed that with a walk around a nearby lake & drive up to the castle which I haven't visited since I was a little girl & was so excited to see again with our own baby.  The wind at the top of the castle was fierce but the views were breathtaking & we're already planning the same trip up for next year.

I'm cherishing these last few warm days as they grow fewer & further between; all while trying to find a couple indoor activities to get us through those days when it will be too cold to play outside.  Would love to hear what you do with your littles when the snow starts falling!

Friday Favorites

This is our FIRST Friday Favorites in over a year & I'm so excited to share a few recent finds. 

First off- thank goodness for leggings, whoever invented these amazing things deserves a big hug from 4 month postpartum moms everywhere.  Currently loving THIS PAIR which is less than $15 (score!) at Target.  The best part?  You can roll the top band up for the first few months with that baby bump & then keep it down postpartum.  (p.s. I'm wearing them in the photo below!)

I am "this close" to fitting in my pre-baby jeans & in the meantime have resorted to THIS hair tie trick that got me through the first trimester. Pair that with longer tanks & we're good to go until those pants can button all the way up again.

When planning our first family Christmas card photo I wanted something that yelled outdoors & Christmas. And took a bit of time to find the perfect outfit for Coops but I think I've finally settled on THIS flannel/jean set at Carter's.

I'm also on the search for a couple knit beanie hats & eyeing THIS ONE from Old Navy in "Darkest Hour" & THIS ONE from North Face in "Vintage White".

And finally I am 100% addicted to the song Hallelujah by Pentatonix & can't help but get in the holiday spirit with that & a few other holiday tunes by them as well.  When you start painting ornaments for PS in September, Christmas Carols are inevitable by Halloween in our house <3

 Happy Fri-yay all!

Apple Trees & Pumpkin Patches

Can you believe November is nearly here??  Last weekend we all headed to Rose Orchards Farm with Coops for some apple picking & pumpkin patch fun.  After plucking off a dozen apples & gathering two giant pumpkins, that both weighted more than baby, we headed over to visit the sweetest farm animals which always enthrall baby (especially when they make all those fun noises).

     

When we got home I scoured Pinterest for cinnamon applesauce recipes, finally settling on THIS slow cooker one by What the Fork.  

I made two recipe changes- first replacing Granny Smith apples with Macintosh & the second to use a blender instead of masher because we prefer applesauce without chunks. Amazingly 9 apples only filled 1 pint jar so next year I'll be bringing home a bushel instead of just a dozen, but the applesauce came out a-mah-zing & I strongly recommend checking out Sharon's Blog too.

That checks two things off the Fall Bucket List.  Next up, apple pie baking (would love tips on that one!) & fall platter painting with Coops.

Peek-a-boo Teeth & Our Favorite Teethers

I've been suspecting for a few weeks now that Coops is on the teething path. Drool pours out in buckets, he puts everything he can get his chubby hands on in his mouth & you can feel those first little teeth hiding just under the gums.

Every time something big, small or even those daily good morning smiles happens I pray for time to slow down so we can live in the moments a little longer.  Of course it doesn't & I always end up with tears in my eyes over Cooper growing up so fast or in this case- teething already.

A few favorite things to chew on right now include THIS wooden teether (crafted by mama, inspired by Coops), THIS water filled ring & THIS O'Ball Rattle which doubles as a great toy for grasping.

We were told to start cereal & foods (first greens, then oranges, then fruits) by the 6 month checkup; so I'm getting ready with baby cereal in the pantry & organic frozen peas in the freezer. Making our own baby food crossed my mind a few times but I was undecided until a wonderful friend gifted us the Baby Bullet with THIS cookbook & I was sold. The idea of cooking food for Coops when making our own meals feels right & the money it will save is a HUGE bonus.

We picked Thanksgiving day as the first time he'll try solids & I couldn't be more excited to pop him in the high chair for the first time.  I'm also sure the dogs Will be equally excited once they realize just how much of a mess will be made during mealtime from then on.

How did you help baby survive teething? We'd love tips & suggestions for the months to come.

Fall Bucket List

The air is crisp, leaves are falling everywhere & the mums in our yard are the biggest I've ever seen.  Plus watching Cooper pluck mum blooms (with his newfound coordination) when we lean close & squish the petals between those chubby fingers is currently my favorite thing in the world. 

Fall is officially here & this is our first fall family bucket list.  And tackling all these fun things with baby in tow has me beyond excited.

1. Learn how to bake an apple pie.  No joke- every time I bake a pie, regardless of type, it comes out horrible.  Doesn't matter if it's from scratch or store bought filling or pre-made crust.  Literally.  Horrible.  So I am attempting the impossible- bake a DELICIOUS (or at least edible) pie.
What are your tips for pie making, would love suggestions!!

2. Take at least one trip to the apple orchard.

3. Carve pumpkins, of course!

4. Sew a cozy quilt for Cooper.

5. Make s'mores in the fire pit.

6. Learn how to make applesauce.

7. Sit in a giant leaf pile with Cooper.

8. Do a wine tasting with hubs.

9. Visit Fired Up & make a small serving plate for Thanksgiving. 

10. Make apple pie moonshine (stay tuned for that recipe).

Fingers crossed that we'll get to all of these over the coming weeks & finish sewing Cooper's Halloween costume (#momgoals) <3

DIY: Footprint Pumpkins

For Grammie's birthday this year we decided to forego the usual gifts or flowers in lieu of helping Cooper craft his first pumpkin to decorate her home. 

What You Need:

Black Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Acrylic Craft Paint 

White Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Acrylic Craft Paint 

1 Small Foam Brush

1 Small Paint Brush 

2 Small-ish Pumpkins

Then came the prep work. I covered Cooper's bouncer with puppy pee pads (yes you read that right & you can thank me for that tip later), stripped him down to his diaper, strapped him in & put a full container of baby wipes within arms reach.

For the Ghosts:

I used a foam brush to paint Cooper's feet white, flipped the first pumpkin upside down & touched baby heel down first, then pushed the rest of his foot gently down all the way to the end of those cute little toes. It took 3 tries to get 2 prints (use the baby wipes to wipe away excess paint when baby decides to start kicking the pumpkin #truestory).  

Then once dry add 3 short black lines for the  eyes & mouth.

For the Bat:

Follow the same steps as the ghost, but use black paint & only one footprint in the middle of the pumpkin. Then add one wing to each side of the foot & a silly face on the heel.

Immediately following either design- wipe, wipe, wipe that paint off those wiggly toes & we decided to follow that with a bath to get what the wipes missed.

After finishing the ghost pumpkin for Grammie, & a bat version for our own home, I realized that I wanted a bit of Halloween wall art that could be put on display for years to come. So I found a wood pallet plaque buried in our craft bin (similar HERE) & got to work, adding a couple bats & words to make THIS October keepsake <3