PSA: Joe Fresh at JC Penney

I get really really excited when I stumble across a brand of kids' clothing that I haven't heard of....I get even more excited when that brand is SUPER reasonably priced. I have always occassionally perused the JC Penney website because they sell Carter's stuff at cheaper prices and I have had some good luck. I thought to check it out the other day and was so happy as soon as I stumbled across Joe Fresh. Am I late to knowing about this? Forgive me if I am, but oh my.....these clothes are cute and most of them were on sale for between $4.99 - $13.99, plus a 15% off sitewide coupon and free shipping over $99 (I often just order $99 worth of goods for free shipping and then return what I don't want to the mall). I went ahead and ordered quite a few items and waited patiently for them to arrive at my house, unsure as to what the quality would be. They showed up yesterday and I am so impressed! The fabrics are so nice and while I haven't washed them yet they are definitely of better quality than what I buy at Target. Some of the things have sold out since I ordered a week ago but most are still there and still on sale! Go check it out! When I find something I get so excited about, I want to share it with everyone!

FOR YOUR LITTLE GENT

FOR YOUR LITTLE LADY

Month 6

   My little cowboy. 6 months. 6 long and short months. When I first laid eyes on you on that warm February day, I thought my heart could never feel fuller. But in 6 months it has only grown and expanded to levels I never knew possible. You are a bright and reliable light in our lives. You love freely and fully and forgive just the same. You are patient and easygoing. You are strong. You are funny. You are the little boy of my dreams.

Stats:

19 lbs (80%) 29.5" (off charts)

You are a rolling machine.

You are also a planking machine.

You will be crawling in no time.

You still love your jumper but only if everyone is in your line of vision. I have snuck out of the room to get ready too many times and you are on to me.

You have survived the torture of crying it out. I honestly got to the point where my brain was telling me I was going to die from lack of sleep. I have never experienced this level of exhaustion. You cried 30 min for the first nap, 35 for the afternoon and 35 for the night. That was 3 days ago and since then I haven't heard you at all! That might have more to do with me turning the volume off on the monitor but hooray! I am finally getting some quality sleep and you still love me.

Twice this month you have fussed when I tried to rock you to sleep and out of options I laid you down in your crib only for you to quietly fall asleep on your own. 

You are really attached to momma and my right arm is getting really buff toting you around.

You have had carrots, apples and peas. You are getting better about swallowing but so far aren't crazy about any of it.

After various tests with the allergist it has been determined that you have no food allergies but are intolerant to dairy, soy, mold, pollen, cats and dogs. So relieved you will grow out of your dairy and soy sensitivity.

You find potty training hilarious and laugh hysterically when your sister is in tears. Thanks for the levity you bring to those situations.

Just in the last few days you have gotten much better at sitting up on your own.

We just adore you, Buddy Gus!

Sewing Sewing Sewing

The hum of my sewing machine has been the dominant noise in our house the last month. Something, or maybe a little someone, has inspired me and even though I am exhausted when I finish one project, I have been starting a new one immediately. I'm not much for summer so I think I lost inspiration when it came to dressing Rivers this season. Most of her clothes were from Target, not a bad thing, but I think I purchased most of them with the mindframe that she can wear them to preschool and I will not be devastated if they are ruined. But fall is around the corner and I am envisioning her in sweaters and knee socks, boots and full skirts and most of all pinafores. I am on a total pinafore kick. I have been working on some new designs and trying to fine tune them and make them as neatly as possible because I have been thinking of selling them. Here's a little lineup of everything I have made in the last few weeks.

I finally finished the beast that was Buddy's quilt. It is imperfect to the 10th degree but it is done and he will have to live with it. 

Already making himself real comfortable.

I couldn't sleep one night because I wanted to make this so bad. The next day I asked Dave if I could have a quiet sewing day and he took the kids to his parents' house for a few hours. What a sweetheart.

Pinafore, Pinafore, Pinafore!

MORE PINAFORES!!!!

This is Butterick 5877 and it was so much fun to sew. So much fun that right after I made it, I made another. And then another. And I will probably make some more.

The sequin bow was a happy accident. I could not get the top buttonhole to go in properly and I needed something to cover the big mess. I sewed this black and red sequin bow on and then used a hook and eye enclosure and presto! All better.

Here is the second version.

And the third which little miss wore on her first day of year 2 of preschool.

I bought this pattern on Etsy and I cannot wait to make every single version. I love sewing vintage patterns so much. So simple and I love to imagine who else has used the pattern before me.

And would you believe I actually ripped the seams out on my tragedy striped dress? I broke a needle on my serger so I can't fix it quite yet but I took the first step.

Quilting and Sewing

I've become really obsessed with quilts. I spend more time than I care to admit looking at them on Pinterest before I go to sleep. When I lay down it is like a kaleidoscope as patterns and colors flash in my head rendering beautiful hypnogogic hallucinations. I have a hard time falling asleep because I am literally too excited about all the amazing possibilities of quilting. I started liking them in 8th grade home-ec where we learned to sew pinwheels and I made my mother a "surprise" blanket at home. How surprise could it really be when I am sewing on her machine and consistently asking for help? She might have even had to sew the backing on to her own surprise quilt, of this I can't be certain. Those silly pinwheels, they stuck with me and after I had Rivers I was inspired by them again. I made this travesty of a quilt which caused me to stop thinking about quilting for a good long while. I still like the colors but I sewed it quickly and carelessly and some of the seams are starting to slowly spread further and further apart. Then Gus came along and the little feller couldn't be left out and sew (Freudian slip here, for reals) I knew I had to suck it up and make another.

I had made all of Gus' bedding and changing pads for his room so I had a lot of coordinating scraps. The crib bumper got put on the back burner because I knew I wouldn't be using it for several months. He recently started getting his foot stuck through the slats and while I tried to use one of the mesh breathable bumpers, I got sick of the sight and he started rolling well so I knew it was time to make the bumpers. At this time I had already started on his quilt and I needed to know how much of the fabric would be left over from the bumpers to use in the quilt so I had to finish project B (bumpers) before I could continue on project A (quilt) which I was more excited about.

I needed 14 yards of piping. That means 14 yards of bias tape. That means, bleh. I really dislike sewing bias tape and it always looks terrible when I'm done. So 14 yards of the junk sounded terrible. I stumbled across this continuous bias tape tutorial and I am a changed woman. It required two seams and some cutting along some lines and within 20 minutes I had 16 yards of bias tape. Perfectly spaced, beautifully diagonally sewn, seams matching up bias tape. One of my favorite sewing tricks to date.

The bumpers came together pretty quickly and I am glad to say they are done. Very glad. I have so much leftover fabric from them that I can't wait to add to Gus' quilt.

Safe, yes. Pretty? No.

The pattern I settled on for the quilt is driving me bonkers so at this rate it may be done in time for Gus to take it to college. Last night I pulled two blocks out because some of the HST's had been sewn in the wrong direction. I fixed them this morning and when I laid them back down I saw two more that were wrong! Someone is messing with me while I sleep. I think I have them all fixed but I keep trying to stare at them cross-eyed hoping any mistakes will be more visible. If I sew the darn thing together and later find a mistake....oh it won't be pretty.

Are you staring at it cross-eyed now?

Month 5

  Oh my oh my, you are 5 months my little guy. I can't believe how long and short it has been. It feels long in that I feel I have known you all my life and short in that it feels like yesterday that I first saw your face. I am so completely smitten with you, it is ridiculous. You are a joyful child. 90% of the pictures I have of you show the huge smile that is always on your face. Even while you are in the depths of some serious teething, you continue to grace us with huge grins.

-18 lbs and 27.5 inches long

-Mostly in 6-12 or 9-12 month clothing, which I expected you to be in for cooler months so you don't have much to wear right now. 

-I bought you some hippy dippy teething necklace and while I have my doubts that it is working, I am too scared to remove it for fear of what it might bring on

-You still aren't much for rolling but you will boot scoot like it's nobody's business. If I leave you on a blanket for a minute, you are inevitably off it and across the room by the time I return

-You LOVE your sister. Oh my goodness, you already find her so hilarious. You are very patient with her when she spends hours upon hours rubbing your fuzzy bird hair.

-I think it might be safe to say you are becoming a Momma's Boy. You definitely search me out in a crowd of people and cry the second I leave the room

-We are still having late night dates, or early morning. Sometimes they are at 3:30 or 4 which is alright by me, but other times they are at 12:30 and again at 4, which isn't so alright with me. Last night you slept until 6 (!!!!) which is directly correlated to us taking you to a late dinner. There is a pattern here, every time you have slept through the night except once, you have been out past 8 with us.

-Your fingers must taste real nice. They are in your mouth all day long. You gag yourself at least once a day because they are so far down your throat. You are a slobbery mess all the time.

-You love to be sung to. It is quite the confidence booster for me when you fuss and then become calm and happy when I sing.

-You are the easiest traveler. I can take you out for errands, bring you home for 5 minutes and put you right back in the car seat for more adventures without hearing a peep.

-I took you on a run for the first time a few weeks ago and you literally smiled at me the whole time. T'was the happiest run of my life.

-You have impeccable comedic timing already. We were outside reading books with your sister when she picked out a princess book to read. You started blowing raspberries and toot noises immediately, sharing your opinion of princess books with us.

-More people are starting to confess that you look like my side of the family. I think it is becoming more apparent everyday.

-Your thighs are very close to no longer fitting in the Bumbo but that's alright as you are getting very close to sitting up on your own.

-I think you might be a drummer at heart. Every time you hear a beat you get really still listening and then start to smile really big.

-Your cheeks are really ticklish and I love to kiss them and hear your sweet giggle.

-You are definitely ready to start eating as you watch me longingly while I shove every bite into my mouth.

-We had an appointment with the allergist and will be doing a blood, stool and back prick test. This brings me so much relief to know we will have more definitive answers as to what bothers you so.

Days for Girls Drive

Last year through the blogging community I found out about a Dresses for Girls charitable project that a Junior Women's Club in Tampa was organizing. They were collecting pillowcase dresses for girls in Africa who often had to choose between food for their family and clothing. I sewed up four dresses and even got a few of my friends to sew a couple. It was so nice to do some charitable sewing.

This year I received an email from the project coordinator, Margaret, letting me know that this year's project was called Days for Girls. In many impoverished areas of the world, maxi pads or tampons are unavailable or are too expensive. These girls are forced to stay home and thus miss out on school, work or gathering food and water for their family. Even if disposables were accessible or donated, there often lacks a proper sanitation system and these used products pile up behind fences or buildings or on the side of the road. The answer lies in reusable and washable maxi pads that have a life of up to three years! The Women's Club in Tampa has a goal of 800 pads and 200 shields by September 1!

If you are interested I have attached the website where a video tutorial and patterns can be found. You can also email margaretandrade@hotmail.com for more information and the address of where to send completed pads to. Sew some up so I can five you a pad-on-the-back. 

http://www.daysforgirls.org/#!patterns-and-sewing-tips/c1upv

The Mess of the Dress. Pattern Review: Butterick 5748

I'm currently back in a crazy sewing faze. Months will go by where I feel totally overwhelmed by the idea of making anything and then it takes one little ounce of inspiration to send me into a full blown sewing binge. I had purchased some bright striped fabric at F&M with the intention of making myself a summer dress or skirt. The fabric sat in my sewing room for three months staring at me and taunting me. I belong to Club BMV for the Butterick, McCalls and Vogue online patterns and they recently had a $1.99 pattern sale. There was supposed to be a limit of ten patterns but they didn't stop me when I had 40 in my cart and pressed the pay button. I saved over $400, my friends!! From this group of patterns, I pulled a few put that would work with the fabric and narrowed it down to one of their vintage recreations: Butterick 5748.

The pattern was pretty easy but it was my first foray into full lining and a side zipper. I actually loved the lining part. It made the neckline and armholes so clean and easy to do. The side zipper wasn't the nightmare I was anticipating but I fully admit it doesn't look awesome. I sewed the dress up within a few hours and was pretty pleased with the fit.

                       

These pictures were taken before I hemmed it 2.5 inches as with full skirts they recommend hanging for 24 hours before hemming. I waited 3 hours. I'm terribly impatient by nature and it gets me into trouble as you will soon find out.

I wore the dress to work the next day and loved it. The polyester lining made it so cool and slippery. It felt like summer and everytime I caught a side glance of the colors in a mirror, I would instantly get happy. I got home from picking up the kids and noticed a big brown spot on the back of the dress when I changed. I immediately threw it in the wash. Part of the gamble in buying fabric from F&M is that you rarely know the fabric content. From my textile class at FIDM I learned how to test different fabrics but as I'm impatient I wasn't exactly going to break out the bunsen burner for this. I told myself, it will survive the wash but don't put it in the dryer. Sure enough, it came out the wash looking just fine (although I think part of the pink color bled onto my whites but it could have been a new red t-shirt I washed in the same load. I'm not great about properly separating colors). I held up the wet dress and said, don't put this in the dryer and then I threw it in the dryer! I totally ignored myself in spite of myself and did my own thing. I meant to leave it in there for a few minutes but I forgot. An hour later I ran flabbergasted to the dryer only to discover this:

So long pretty summer dress. Ok, a bit dramatic as it may not be totally ruined. I think I can rip out the stitches (oh that will take forever) and measure from the waistline to make the hem even again. It will be about 8 inches shorter than originally intended but did I mention I quit my job? I won't exactly be needing office appropriate attire. I'm honestly so disgusted with myself I can't even look at the dress and I have about 15 other items I'm working on at the moment so it is definitely on the back-burner. Hopefully I will forgive myself sometime soon and tackle ripping out those stitches as my own punishment. 

Starting a New Job

I'm starting a new job sometime in August! After several months of feeling overwhelmed and disorganized and lots of prayer, I have decided to pursue a new job!

This job will be difficult. It will require endless daytime and nighttime hours and even overtime on weekends. Many things will be asked of me and I will have to continually learn new things everyday. Some days I'll get to do medicinal work, sometimes I will be a chef.  I will have to do maintenance and cleaning. I've been told that I am expected to teach. I will have to account for finances and work within a budget. I will have to oversee the whole operation.

This job will be the best. There is time set aside during the day for naps and playing. Imagination is encouraged and creativity shall know no boundaries. In this job I am encouraged to seek inspiration from outside sources. I can do this job in the home or away from the home, maybe even at a park. Exercising during work hours is encouraged. Casual attire is welcomed. I will get rewarded daily with smiles and hugs. I will get to make my own schedule.

But the main reason this job is the best, is that I will get to be with my children everyday that I work. I have decided to quit my current job and my new job is a full-time stay at home momma. I truly had the best part-time job working for my father-in-law but after having Gus my days in the office went from 3 to 2 and most weeks I couldn't even manage that. I constantly felt like I was missing things at work and this created stress. I felt guilty that my co-workers were having to pick up my slack. And at the same time I felt disorganized at home. I felt as though I couldn't devote my full attention to our household and our children. I was lacking balance and something had to give. I am filled with joy that Dave has blessed me with the honor of staying home with our children. I am nervous that this is the most intense position I will ever be given and the childhood of my children will be directly affected by how well I perform. I will turn to God and pray for grace. I will admit my faults and ask for forgiveness. I will cry, I will rejoice. I will be strong and stand firm in my beliefs and reasoning. I will not be perfect. I will try my best. This is the career I've chosen and I really want to knock this one out of the park.

Boyfriend in a Box

I wasn't prepared for the feelings of nostalgia that having my own children would create. Watching Rivers, I feel closer to my childhood than I have in years. It's like memories and feelings from my youth are stored in little glass jars and every now and then the lid gets popped off one and the vapor of the memory drifts across my nose and drags my senses back to the early 90's. Some of these memories make me cringe. They aren't negative or sad, they are....well they are nerdy. They are embarrassingly nerdy. I feel a lot of endearment towards the nerdy little girl that I was and at the same time I am still slightly embarrassed by her and the things she did.

Tonight, I am going back to 12 years old. It was the last week of summer before school was to start and like every year, my mother, aunt and family friend had loaded up the cars with children and taken us to Pismo Beach for the week. The trip always looked very similar. Days at the beach, afternoons at the pool, dinners at McClintocks and Brad's and at least once a trip to the Pismo Beach Outlets. My cousin Katharine and our friend Angie, all of us the same age, were always the most interested in the Claire's store that resided in the corner. I can't recall if it was a Claire's outlet but it was always so disorganized and contained the most random assortment of goods that I am going to assume it was. It was like searching for treasure. It was better than sticking your hand in the leather saddlebag at McClintocks and wondering what you would pull out. On this fateful day, my on the cusp of teenage-hood self, found something that I should have not even looked twice at. I should have walked right past it. Ok, maybe I could have looked at it and laughed and then set it back thinking - who would be such a fool to buy that? But it didn't happen like that. Instead, I picked it up and was immediately enamored. What could it have been you ask? Well, a little internet research and presto I present to you Boyfriend in A Box. Even without the picture of the back of the box listing the other "irresistible teens" to choose from, I could have told you I picked Skater Skye. I still remember his name. I also remember that his mother's occupation was a tattoo artist. I remember being teased by my cousin and friend for purchasing this, but it didn't matter to me. I also remember carrying the wallet sized-photo of "Skye" around in my quicksilver wallet for well over a year. I vaguely recall pulling it out a time or two and saying it was a picture of a guy I had met at Pismo that summer before but I can't be certain. Can we just take a minute or two to talk about a few things here?

1.) On the front this clearly states this is: The Teen Edition. Was there an adult version? A child version? A baby version?
2.) There was an Owner's Manual included. I desperately wish I could recall what that entailed. Directions on how to lie to your friends? Best ways to stage a breakup so you can attract a real boyfriend in real life?
3.) Warranty. I don't even know what to say about this. Could I return it if my friends called my bluff? What if the picture of him ripped from me carrying it around too much - would they send me a new one?

I find comfort in the fact that this product was created at all. Comfort in knowing I was probably not the only prepubescent girl to be enamored with the do-it-yourself boyfriend kit. If there was me, there was likely someone else. Unless this particular Claire's really was an outlet full of discarded and never purchased items, and in that case I really am alone. Alone on my embarrassing Boyfriend in A Box island.

The Best Little Big Sister I Know

Dear Rivers, 

While I doubt this will be a memory that fades, I felt the need to put this into words just in case. I want to make sure it is forever remembered what an incredible sister you have been from the beginning. I am truly in awe of the loving heart you have for your brother and how you have so unabashedly accepted him and made room for him in your life. You constantly amaze me and make me want to better myself. I watch you and pray that I can love as fiercely and freely as you do so naturally.

You have always been the most concerned of any of us when Gus cries. You are the first to rush to his side and as more time passes you feel confident than you can comfort him without assistance from anyone else. You often tell me "Mommy, I got him" and you do. You are there before I can get there and your two little hands are on either side of his face, stroking him and telling him "It's alright, Gussy. It's ok, big boy." You are naturally nurturing in a way I could only hope to be.

You are quickly becoming, Gussy's favorite. I can't blame the fellow, you are hilarious but it is more than that. I can tell he truly trusts you. Even when he was a newborn and you would ask to hold him, I would watch and see him visibly relax in your arms. It is that way to date. He is perfectly content as long as you are in the room with him.

Everything we do, you want to make sure Gus is included in. When I tell you that we are going to the grocery store you ask "Can Gussy come?" I know you may not want your little brother to tag along to everything in your life but I can already tell you will always make room for him.

I pick you up from school and the whole car ride home you are talking to him and telling him how you missed him. "Gus, I missed you, buddy!" Even when we finally make it home you continue to tell me how much you missed your Gus and how much you love him.

Everyday, I am reassured that we did the right thing by adding to our family and giving you a sibling. I always knew I wanted him but I did not know how you would feel about it and you have quickly dispelled any worries I had. You are truly the most loving big sister I have ever seen and your empathy and heart measure well beyond your two and a half years of age. It makes me want to give you lots and lots of siblings but for now I'll let you enjoy just the one.

Month Four

I'm definitely a little late in posting this but I wanted to get it down before you turned five months and the two started to blur together. I cannot believe you are four months old already. I cannot believe how much you have grown and changed before my very eyes. I look at pictures of you as a newborn and it feels so long ago and so foreign. I was so distraught by your digestive issues that I wasn't really paying attention to YOU and the beautiful creature you are. I am sorry for that. It is something I will never be able to change but I can tell you now I wake up everyday in awe of you and the beautiful and patient child you are. You may be one addition to our family but you have blessed our lives an immeasurable amount.

16 lbs 5 oz 27.25"

You love to hold hands, especially when you are drinking your bottle. You fidget and squirm until you get someone's hand and then you sit still and quietly drink.

You eat, play, sleep in 3 hr rounds. Isn't that the Babywise method? You seemed to have put yourself on this rhythm with no help from me.

We have been adding rice cereal to bottle per the pediatrician's recommendation to help you sleep longer. I am constantly doing things I said I would never do as a mother, like introducing solids before 6 months and putting cereal in a bottle. But boy, I'm getting desperate for more sleep and the formula you are on is made of nothing so you get hungry all the time.

It has been decided that you probably have more allergies. More digestive, skin and respiratory. We will be seeing an allergist at the end of July for testing. 

As always, smiling nonstop. You are the smiliest thing I have ever seen.

You are already getting hard to rock to sleep. You squirm and rub your face and can't seem to settle and maul the face of whoever is holding you.

Your bib, hands or pacifier are in your mouth at all times. You are a slobbery mess

You watch mommy's every move and start crying when I leave the room.

You are watching sister and find her hilarious.

You giggle occassionally and it is the best thing ever 

You are wearing 9 month pjs because you are so long. 

Your hair is growing like weeds

You are growing like a weed

You are a great traveller

You are becoming a hip rider but your head is still too heavy for you sometimes

You love your bumbo and swing the most 

You actually like Sophie the Giraffe

We cannot wait to watch you continue to grow and look forward to the continued joy you have added to our lives. We love you Gussy!

Praying.

I'm a little overly sentimental tonight as I'm riding a mild wave of anxiousness over a little surgery I have to have tomorrow. It's silly but I haven't had surgery since I had my tonsils removed at age 5. Perhaps a lot of my anxiousness surrounds the fact that the need for this is completely ridiculous. I am risking this overshare because I want to maybe save others from going through this. See, I got an IUD after Gus. I also had one after Rivers and it worked so great I was happy to get it again. This time it was different from the second I got it. It caused me a lot of pain and cramping. I went for my one month check up and informed my doctor of what I had been experiencing. She decided to do an ultrasound to make sure it was in the correct position. It was not. In fact the ultrasound did not show it at all so I had to have a cat scan to find it and find it they did...in my pelvis. So now I have to have surgery tomorrow to remove it. It's not that big of a deal but it is frustrating. I found myself tonight looking at pictures of my little family and praying to God that I will make it through without any complications. These sweet faces and my faith will get me through this.

Father's Day

I love this picture of me and my Dad. My brother and I had both come home for the weekend for our mom's birthday and we were naive to the fact that this would be the last time we were ever together as a complete family. We went hiking up in the canyon and although my Dad was already in the depths of his despair he really tried to put on a happy face for my mom. I had found a swinging rope and wanted to swing out over the water but my Dad urged me to wait while he made a harness out of the dogs' leashes in case the rope were to give way and cause me to fall into the current. His love was always like that. Encouraging me to swing out over big waters while knowing he was always there supporting me. His love is still like that. I bought Dave the book "Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You" and the illustration for the last page is eerily similar to this image. The accompanying words are too perfect.

"You are my angel, my darling, my star...and my love will find you, wherever you are."

Happy Father's Day, Dad. I know your love will find me wherever I am.

Pretty Little Liars

This guy has got it bad for Lucy Hale. Big smiles everytime she comes on screen.

Month Three

My delightful darling boy, oh my I love you so much. I can literally feel my heart swell when I look at you. You are so much fun and smile all the time. It is a whole new world of baby that was uncharted for me. I can leave you on your play mat for over an hour before you even make a squeak. I can push you in a stroller at the outlet mall all day and hear narry a peep out of you until you are hungry. I'm loving every minute and wishing time would slow because you are completely edible right now and I love how you are immobile and therefore subject to my every cuddle desire. I really adore you and I want you to know that I know just how blessed I am to have you as my son.

Here's some fun facts about your third month:

- You weigh 15 lbs and 3 ounces

- You are wearing 3-6 month clothes now and not swimming in them

- You slept through the night twice. The second of which your sister did the same and it was the first night where a child has not awoken me in 7 months. Seven!!!!

- You are so close to giggling but just can't get the eruption yet. It's just as cute to watch you try.

- You have rolled both ways but just like your sister it was a one time show. You guys don't like repeating your tricks.

- You are totally formula fed. When it came time to try nursing you again you had a cold and I was too scared to try afraid I would cause you more discomfort. You seem to be doing just fine on formula and I am slowly letting go of the guilt I feel by not nursing you.

- You are so loved and adored by your sister. She tells me all the time about things she is going to teach you to do someday, namely how to ride a bike and eat a muffin. She always wants to touch you or hold your hand and is the most concerned of all of us when you start crying.

- You still really love ceiling fans and chandeliers.

- You have started teething and aren't very happy about it.

- You don't really love the Moby anymore which makes me sad because I anticipated at least a year of baby wearing. I think it makes you too hot but I'll keep trying.

- Speaking if hot you run really warm and have the clammiest hands and feet.

- You prefer to be held and rocked to sleep.

- You still aren't crazy about your pacifier but take it when you can tell I need you to.

- You are a bright ray of easygoing afternoon sunshine in our lives and we love you!!

Month Two

Oh sweet August boy, you are already two months old. These past two months have been long and hard but they have passed so quickly. Unfortunately, I was operating in a heavy fog most of the time but


-You weigh 13 lbs 7 ounces and are 24.5 inches long.
-Your sleep has become pretty regular and you go down around 8:30, wake around 2 for a bottle and are down again until 6. Pretty incredible actually. Now if we could only get your sister to stay in bed and not wake up screaming then we would be in the money. As of now our house is a merry-go-round with her up around midnight, you at 2, Rivers at 4 and the whole family around 6. It's the unmerriest kind of merry-go-round actually.
-You are THE biggest smiler. I am so happy to have a child who so willingly and lovingly flashes the grins. This is not something we experienced with your sister and it is so fun. You can be fussing and within two seconds of someone talking to you in a high pitched voice your face is overcome with big ole grin. It's the cutest.
-You are cooing and talking a lot. We have some pretty lovely conversations actually. 
-Once we switched you to formula at 6 weeks, you instantly changed from the most difficult baby in the world to the easiest baby in the world. You only fuss when you are hungry, dirty or tired. Other than that you are perfectly content. We can literally go six hours without a single cry as long as I am attentive to your little fusses and address your needs quickly. It is delightful.
-You are holding your head up very well and you did very well in your bumbo for the first time the other day.
-Your sister got very sick this last week and you spent a lot of time away from home in an effort to stay well. I missed you dearly. I feel like we have a lot of catching up to do.
-We saw a specialist and what we once were told was lactose intolerance is instead a milk protein allergy. I have been dairy free since Thursday and will try to nurse you again this Friday, one week later. I'm not making much anymore but I feel like any little bit will be good for you. Let's hope this works.
-Your hair is growing like gangbusters and it is coming in brown. You will definitely be darker-haired than Rivers.
-It took us a while to notice but we discovered you have two webbed toes on each foot like your dad and Aunt Marley.
-You can still fit in some 0-3 month clothing, if they are separates but you are mostly wearing 3-6 month because you are so long.
-You sleep in your crib now! Bless your dad for taking care of this while I was in the hospital with Rivers. You had been sleeping in your rock and play in your bedroom and every night we would talk about moving you to the crib tomorrow because we were both so desperate for a good night's sleep. But alas, it is done and you sleep splendidly!
-You are off reflux meds. You still spit up quite a bit but you are unphased by it.
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