What We've Been Up To

The post was written July of 2011. My blog wouldn't let me publish anything I wrote and I never remembered to post it!! So for fun, here it is!

Honestly, there's not going to be anything exciting in this post. Just an update on how smart my little guy is and how he's growing so fast!

Gunner is keeping me on my toes these days. He follows me everywhere, including the bathroom. He grabs onto my pant leg and pulls up so he can stand there and hold onto me while I cook or do dishes. He loves playing in the kitchen these days! I have started doing what my mother used to do (and I'm sure other moms have done the same thing), and pull out the tupperware! He will sit and play with anything new so he can find out how it works, what it tastes like and the sound it makes when he bangs it on other objects.

He pulls up on everything and is now wanting to play in the trash can. He also likes to find the dog and cat food to chew on and will try to eat the little rocks in the fireplace. I am constantly sticking a finger in his mouth to check and see what's in there!

He doesn't like that I won't let him stand up in the bathtub. I got him a new toy that lights up, spins around and sprays water in the tub and he really enjoys that! For some reason he loves getting his face sprayed with water.

He is "talking" a whole lot now. He says "mama", "dada" and "EHHHHH!" lol. He really tries hard to say other words too, I'm just not sure what those words are!

Baby Milestone:

He is eating much more diced and mashed foods these days. He is also drinking a little whole milk now. Don't worry, I spoke to his pediatrician about it and he told me it was fine.

Mommy Milestone: Welcome back, Dairy!! I can now drink milk and eat ice cream again! However, after many months without it, I think my system had adjusted to it and is having a hard time going back. I used to be lactose intolerant as a kid and I think I might have started that up again. It's not horrible, I just have stomach aches more often now.

All in all everything is going well. He is teething so neither of us is sleeping much at night. Sometimes I wonder if he will ever sleep all night. This has been the most frustrating thing and I don't know what else to try. I have basically given up on him sleeping all night! At least he is a dream to get to sleep. He doesn't fight me and is the sweetest thing ever as he sits in my lap and holds his blankie. Those are my most favorite times!

I'll end with a few of my favorite recent pictures.

Can You Hear Me Now?

My blog isn't working. This is just a test to see if it will post.

I Think I Have A Problem

I'm pretty sure I could fill up a swimming pool with all the perfume I own. I may just need to make a mid year resolution to wear perfume every day so that I can use all this stuff up. Some of it I got when I was in high school......

So the smart thing to do would be to lose my mind at Bath and Body Works during their sale, right? No, but I did anyway. I mostly got shower gel and hand soap, but I went back the next day and got a few more things, including two body sprays. I can't help it, I'd never owned these two scents before. And, they were on sale!

Anyhow, my new favorite scent is Country Chic. I got it in shower gel, and a small lotion and body spray. I also got Cherry Blossom shower gel and a small body spray. Not Japanese Cherry Blossom!!! Just regular old Cherry Blossom. These two are my new favs. My last favorite was Velvet Tuberose, but like all of my favorite scents, they discontinued it. So I'm currently finishing off the last of my Velvet Tuberose shower gel. I will savor it every morning!

2011 Whitehorn Family Reunion

This month we attended the 2011 Whitehorn Family Reunion. That would be on Daniel's side of the family. His grandmother, Mama Ward, is a Whitehorn. They do this reunion each year, but we've never been able to attend until this year. It was pretty much mandatory too since this is Gunner's first year of life.

Mama Ward's parents, Samuel and Sophia Whitehorn had twelve children. Ten of them lived to adulthood. Those ten married off, had children, grandchildren and great grandchildren! As you can imagine, that is a lot of people. Not everyone could attend, but there were still many family members there for the reunion. It was very cool getting to learn the history behind this family. I had the pleasure of meeting many people whose names I have heard for several years now. We got to show Gunner off, which is always fun. A few of us took a little trek further down in Mississippi to see some family history. We visited two cemeteries, the second was where Samuel and Sophia were buried. I got to hear stories of the lives of the people who are no longer with us. I got to see head stones that were more than a hundred years old. It was pretty fascinating.

The last place we went was an old house, which happened to be the house that Samuel built many years ago. It was originally white.

There were several large stones that lined the driveway as we drove up. He put each one there. The coolest thing about this house though, was the little "chair" made out of large stones that he made for the children. We had the privilege of getting a photo of Gunner sitting in the chair that his Great Great Granddaddy Whitehorn built!

It was a very fun trip! We enjoyed getting away for a few days. We stayed in a hotel in Olive Branch, Mississippi along with other family. Here are some photos of the fun we had!

Gunner enjoyed riding around on Mama Ward's walker while Nanny pushed!

Four generations: Mama Ward, Nanny, Daddy and Gunner!

Gunner also got to swim in a big pool for the first time! He LOVED it! He kicked like a frog and splashed and laughed.

We had matching "2011 Whitehorn Reunion" t-shirts!

It was lots of fun. I think that there must have been a bug going around though, because a few people got sick towards the end, and Daniel has been sick since early Monday morning! I don't think he will ever eat my chicken noodle soup again...anything that you have to see immediately after you eat it is no longer an option for a meal again. Poor guy. He's starting to feel much better and somehow, so far, Gunner and I have not gotten sick. (knock on wood)

Citizen's Arrest!

I believe the first time I heard the term "citizen's arrest" was on The 'Burbs; one of the greatest movies of all time.

I haven't quite figured out what kind of situation would be appropriate for yelling this out, but I have a good guess. For some reason, we've had lots of people just wandering about our yard during the day. Okay, so they're not just randoms, they're usually the cable techs coming out because we are having trouble with our internet, or the meter readers or what not. Still, it's unnerving to see someone traipse around your back yard when you clearly did not give them permission. A lot of the time, they will ring the doorbell first, and if no one answers, they will go ahead and show themselves back through the gate to do their business. If I am not notified ahead of time that we are expecting visitors, I do not answer the door unless Daniel is home. That's my rule. (So if you plan to stop by unannounced, make sure Daniel is home, otherwise I will ignore you) This week we have had a couple of weird instances where people ring the doorbell, and when I peek around to see if I recognize them, they are gone and there is no vehicle outside!!!! (cue dramatic prairie dog video)

This morning was an interesting one. I had our back door open while Baily was out in the back yard, but we have a storm door so I can see out but still be protected....from storms, I guess. Anyhow, I'm sitting in the floor playing with Gunner, in my pj's, no make up, not showered, when I see a shadowy figure pass by the window in front of me. INTRUDER ALERT! FIRE AT WILL! Good thing my house isn't a secret transformer robot with laser guns and rocket launchers. After I stopped trying to remember where Daniel his his gun, I decided to try and catch a glimpse of the masked robber. (My imagination gets the best of me sometimes) As they pass back by the window, I see it's just a lady in a uniform with a remote thingy, probably the meter reader. Whew! All clear, at ease soldiers. When I look out the front door, I don't see a car, but the lady walks by and apparently it's bring your kids to work day, because she had two teenagers with her and just let them roam around my yard! This is when I nearly kicked my own front door down and shouted "CITIZEN'S ARREST!!!!!" This is my best guess as to when it is appropriate to yell the phrase "citizen's arrest." I can only assume that as soon as these words are utterd, SWAT team ninja G I Joe's will repel down through the sky, handcuff the scoundrel, and say "Not on my watch!"

Cold Turkey

After discovering Gunner sweating through his swaddle blanket at night, we decided the time had come to just rip the band aid off. We took the blanket away cold turkey on Saturday night. We had attended a graduation party for a friend and got home late, so Gunner was nice and tired. He actually did pretty well, waking up every two and a half to three hours. (I just knew he would do every hour, so that was amazing) Since then, he has done awesome. Sunday night he slept ALL NIGHT and Monday night he slept for a good 6 hour stretch without waking. Last night he woke up at 10 30 to eat but then slept till 8 30 this morning. Needless to say, I am feeling pretty good. Feeling rested, but mostly feeling proud of that baby. Way to go.

I did not expect him to sleep on his tummy. He has rolled over and decided that's how he will sleep and no one can tell him otherwise. It's quite the adorable thing to see him sprawled out in his bed, cross ways, sleeping on his tummy. He sleeps well and that's okay with me.

So the blanket is retired, I'm putting it in storage.

Baby Milestone:
Free sleeping

Mommy Milestone:
I broke out my chores list that Mom and I made in early November. I wanted to be organized on my cleaning and chores so we made a spreadsheet. (chores broken down by daily, twice a week, weekly, twice a month, monthly and yearly tasks) Yeah, it's only taken me nearly seven months to get to that point. (sad)

Strange Things I Do As A Mom

Make funny faces to get a smile

Be seen in public wearing no make up and spit up on my shirt

Watch the clock constantly to keep up with nap times

Get annoyed when salesmen ring the doorbell during the day (It's nap time! Be quiet!)

Watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog!...)

Sing Bee Gees songs with my own lyrics (Gunner loves it for some reason)

Shower at very random times of the day (8pm isn't unusual on a bad day)

Not notice the poo on my hand immediately

Eat all my meals cold

Eat lunch at 4 and dinner at 9 30

Sing "Who's That Lady" with the lyrics "Poopy Baby" during diaper changes (always a hit)

Wear a pacifier clipped to my shirt in the store and consider it normal

Accidentally tickle Daniel's belly trying to get him to laugh like I do to Gunner


My life has changed one thousand percent.

Happy Mother's Day!

Well I had a great first Mother's Day. Daniel got me beautiful flowers and a super cool food processor. (I'm a sucker for kitchen appliances) We went to church and had Gunner's Baby Dedication. Then we went back to Mom's and my sister and I cooked lunch for her and the family! She got to relax with the boys and baby while we cooked. I enjoyed it too. I love doing anything with my sis.

We made Tuscan Garlic Chicken, Tomato Basil Soup, salad, green beans, mixed veggies, broccoli slaw, garlic bread and for dessert I made a kick-you-in-the-mouth Lemon Pound Cake. All of these items were Mom's favorites. DELICIOUS!

We got to spend some time with everyone, then we headed home. After we put on what we call our "fat clothes", I decided I wanted to take some pictures with Gunner. No dressing up though, just keep it real.

Operation Free Sleep Update

Well men, we're getting hit pretty hard out there. Teething has commenced, therefore this operation has been put on the back burner. Don't despair! We will triumph in the end!

This is directed at myself, seeing that I'm a bit discouraged right now. I think I managed to make it through two naps with the "one arm free" test before going crazy. Last Monday was a terrible day. So I just said "FORGET THIS!" and went back to the full swaddle. We will try again soon though.

Weekend Wrap Up

What a weekend! Friday, Mom and Dad came up to babysit Gunner so Daniel and I could go out. We ran into my good friend from home, Crystal!!!! It was great getting to see her. The three of us went to Marketplace for dinner and good times were had by all. The next day, Mom, Gunner and I were planning to go shopping. Daniel ended up going with me so Dad went too! I had a lot of errands to run. The main thing I needed to get was 9-12 month clothes for Gunner. I know! He's already starting to fill out his 6-9 month clothes! My little one is growing so fast. I also needed to get him an Easter outfit, more diapers and a new shirt for myself, among other things. We ran all around Fayetteville and went to Mom's to let Gunner take a nap. After he woke up, we headed over to my sister's house for a weenie roast/birthday part for my nephew Marshal! He is 14 today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARSHAL! We had a lot of fun roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Gunner enjoyed spending time with his family. He didn't go to bed until ten!

Sunday we went to church and enjoyed lunch at Mom and Dad's. We came home and I got to work! Laundry, laundry, laundry. I put all of our stuff up and started working on taking tags off Gunner's new clothes. I had a large load of diapers, a load of Gunner's current laundry, a load of his new clothes, a couple of loads of our clothes, and some dishes to do. Daniel had some yard work to do and we both just worked and worked.

Here is my funny story for the week. (When Mom and I are together, we usually get into some crazy situation)

I have had to pump milk for Gunner to take with a bottle since my back went out. (That is a whole other blog post...) I took two bottles with me Saturday so he would be able to eat while we were out since he was not wanting to nurse. They were in an insulated bottle carrying bag with some ice packs. When it was time for him to eat, we went to change his diaper first in the bathroom at a location that will not be named for the sake of embarrassment to myself. The baby changing table in the ladies room was located in the handicapped stall. Turns out, the stall was locked but there wasn't anyone in there. One of the employees was nice enough to figure out how to get it open. After we got him changed, he was hungry and he was letting everyone know it. So the next step was to find an outlet to plug in my bottle warmer that I brought. (Talk about a hassle) We finally located one. It was in a hallway type area across from a nice patio furniture display under a canopy that you can put in your yard. (a cabana, if you will) We utilized said cabana by parking the stroller and all our shopping bags there, so Mom started warming the bottle. Moments later I hear a crack and "whooooosh" sound. I look up and Mom is holding the bottle up with the bottom half missing. It busted in the warmer and milk was EVERYWHERE! I started panicking and Gunner was really mad by this point. Daniel walks up and starts asking me to give him the receipts from the day. I told him they were in my wallet...and I then realized I had no idea where my wallet or phone was. So, we have only one chance at warming a bottle, a crying baby, a stressed Nana and Momma, and a lost wallet and iPhone. What did I do? Start praying! "Lord, you've got to help me. I'm going to go insane. Please help me find my wallet and phone, and please help us feed Gunner!!!!" Mom came around the corner with a warm bottle and started feeding Gunner. I turn the stroller around and there is my wallet, hanging off the side about to fall on the floor. I grab Mom's phone and call mine. Right before it started ringing I found it in the diaper bag! "THANK YOU JESUS!!!!" It's still amazing how He answers my prayers. I'll never get used to that.

All in all it was a good weekend, just very insane. Life seems to be getting back to normal, whatever normal is. We're just getting excited to experience Gunner's first Easter! Summer is just around the corner seeing that time is flying by. Saturday he will be six months old. He has another six months as a baby and then he will be 1!! I'm excited to see how he changes and grows over these next six months.

Milestones

Baby Milestones:
Gunner is rolling all around, getting very close to sitting up, about to cut a tooth soon and eating vegetables! He has only had squash so far, but I'm getting ready to have him try carrots. It's been fun getting to feed him like a big boy.

Mommy Milestone:
I made my first two batches of baby food! I'm going to be making all of his food instead of buying jarred. It will be cheaper, fresher and I think he will like it more. I'm excited to start him on good eating habits.

That is all for now! Happy Easter!

Operation "Free Sleep" is in Effect!

Today starts Gunner's transition into sleeping without being swaddled. Yes, yes, I know. A five month old who is still swaddled? Spoiled much? Well, not really. I just didn't have the patience to work with him until now. Actually, I tried to start this at four months, but he got an ear ache around that time and was held while sleeping a lot, so he went backwards on progress. And, I had planned to start this again after we got back from our trip to Nanny's house, but with my back issues, well, it pushed it back a couple of weeks. So today is the day!

He is napping right now, but with one arm free. I'm going to let him sleep with one arm free for all his naps for a week or so, then try it at night. Once he is used to it and able to nap like he does when he is swaddles, I will remove the blanket altogether! He usually takes about an hour and a half nap. I tried letting him sleep without being swaddled at all last week and he only slept for 30 minutes. Not terrible, but not quite long enough either. I think it will take a few times, but he will get used to it and I can retire that worn out blanket.

For those of you new moms out there who have a baby like mine, you might eventually want a blanket that fits older babies. The "Swaddle Me" brand worked until he was about 3 months old, but he got too big for it.

Check out the Miracle Blanket. It's really good.

What's up?

A lot has happened the last few weeks. I'll do my best to make it interesting and concise.

The week of every one's normal spring break, Gunner and I went down to Fairfield Bay. We stayed with Nanny and Pawpaw! He and I left Wednesday morning and Daniel came down on Friday afternoon. We spent some good time making memories and enjoying ourselves. We did some visiting, running around, lots of eating, a little walking and all the while were entertained by Gunner. He really got to know Nanny well and I think she enjoyed him too. The trip was our first time to be away from Daniel since Gunner was born. I was excited about getting away for a while but anxious about the drive. It went well though! He did great both ways.

Sunday we packed up the cars and headed home. The following day I woke up with my "usual" back pain. It was getting hard to haul Gunner around so by mid morning I called my dad to see if he would come help me out. He needed to head home before Daniel could make it home, but by the time Daniel got here I was in excruciating pain and could not stand it. For the majority of the next two weeks, I spent most of my time lying on an ice pack in bed. I've got a long history of back issues. I'm not sure exactly what caused it. Was it that time in elementary school when I got air going down one of those old metal slides on the playground? (I am pretty sure I cracked my tail bone...such terrible pain...) Was it the fact that I was a tummy sleeper until the age of 23? Was it all the stress on my body due to being on the dance team for 6 years? Or was it that time when I slipped in the restaurant and landed on one of my two butt bones? It could be a combo of everything in life. All I know is that now I have a slipped disc and occasionally I have flare ups that are so painful I can hardly move at all. I'm still not totally recovered, but I am much better. Out of 9 week days, I had someone here taking care of Gunner for me for seven of them. (Big shout out to Daniel, my mom and my dad for coming to my rescue so much) Daniel has pretty much been running the house, doing all the cleaning and cooking, taking care of me and Gunner, and working during the day. He's been super dad. Thanks babe.

In Gunner news, he has learned to roll over! He has grown out of several things and is getting chunky and round every minute of the day. We've still been plagued with getting up two and three times each night with a hungry baby. I'm working on getting him out of that habit, but it might take forever. In the rolling over department, he is a pro now. He rolls around the living room floor on accident sometimes. Other times, he gets stuck on his tummy and then hollers at me to come help him. He is doing the movements to crawl but can't quite get up on his hands and knees, but he can scoot in a circle somehow and it's just hilarious to watch him. As far as his sleeping...it's not so good. He is taking good naps during the day, but he is waking up every three hours at night. It makes me crazy. I am exhausted during the day. And he hasn't been eating quite enough, so I started pumping to monitor his ounce intake. Since I started doing that, he has really gained weight! He has a little ear infection right now so he's having a hard time nursing. It makes it very hard to get anything done during the day because it takes up so much time to pump and then wash bottles and things. I really hope he can get this eating and sleeping thing under control again. I feel like I might go insane soon!

We're getting ready to take some family photos soon along with Gunner's six month pictures. I'm so excited! He is just a doll and I think these will be really cute pictures.

That just about covers it! I'm going to be very busy this week. I hope I can get back in the swing of things!

Losing

I have officially lost 35 pounds since Gunner was born. I honestly thought I would keep every bit of the weight I gained during pregnancy on, but it's been falling off. And in all reality, I haven't been doing much to get rid of it! Sadly, I bet if I actually worked at it I would have lost much more by now. It's just been hectic getting into the swing of things.
I started out by losing all of the pregnancy weight within the first 2 months. (Technically, I was able to "fit" into my pre-prego jeans within 10 days, but just because you can get them buttoned does not mean you should go out in public wearing them...I should know. Everyone I came in contact with was in danger of having a jean button pop them in the eye at any moment) Then I continued to lose more after that. Even though I am still no where near my ideal weight, it makes me feel really good about myself. My skinny jeans are now just jeans. Even though I did lose that weight, I still have the awful, flabby, floppy, stretch mark riddled skin around my mid section. Gross. That will take time to get rid of.
I am part of a team from our church doing a fitness challenge, and it's helped me get moving. Also the fact that I'm not sitting at a desk for 9 hours each day helps. I'm up and moving around the house, carrying laundry and a baby, cleaning...
Maybe if I lost another 5 pounds I will try to post a pre-prego and post-prego pic together for comparison. Maybe...

Four Month Appointment

Gunner had his four month check up today! Here he is waiting to see the doctor! He was having a grand time, then he got sleepy. Once she came in, he was cranky. She had to listen to his breathing, check his ears and throat and he did not like it. Unfortunately, he still has a little ear infection in one ear. He'll be going back on antibiotics once I go pick them up. I was hoping he would be over it.

He also got his shots today which is a dreaded event for every parent, I'm sure. It hurts me so much when he cries because he's in pain like that.

I spoke with the doc about some issues I was concerned about. I was wondering if he was gaining weight at a good rate. Even though he is in the 10th percentile in height and weight, he is gaining at just the right rate. He is within average. He's just going to be a small fry! According to several sources I have read, he should be down to 2-3 naps a day. He is still taking 4-5. They have shortened from 1+ hours to 30 minutes though, so I think if I work on it, we can get him down to less naps, but longer duration. I have been concerned about his spitting up. He has reflux, and is very sensitive with position. If he is in a sitting position (in a Bumbo or being held) he will spew everywhere instantly. When he's in his car seat, he pretty much spits up the whole time until I get him out. I know that can't feel good either, but I was mainly worried about him keeping enough down to gain weight. Well, he is gaining enough but the doctor recommended to start him on cereal to see if it helps. So probably sometime later in the week, I will be taking pictures and video of him eating cereal for the first time! I hope it helps him. It should be interesting to see how he reacts!

Other than that, he is doing great and she said he is perfect! She and the nurses kept commenting on how "pretty" he was. He's going to have the ladies chasing after him. And I must say, she told me that he looks just like me. =)

Four Months and a Bug

Gunner turned four months old on February 23rd! He's getting so big. He is learning how to hold his toys by himself to chew on them, which is really cute. He might be cutting some teeth soon, there's been a lot of drool and he goes crazy when I give him a chilled teether ring.
His four month appointment was scheduled for this morning, but yesterday he was sick and his doctor recommended waiting a week since he will be getting another round of shots. Yesterday afternoon I thought he seemed a little fussy and his forehead seemed warmer than normal, so I checked his temp and he was running a slight fever. I was hoping that it would go down so I could keep his doctors appointment. He fell asleep not long after he woke up from a nap, so I just held him to let him sleep. I could tell he didn't feel good. When he woke up, he was crying like something was hurting, and he wouldn't eat. I changed his diaper and took his temp, and it was up to 101.2. I quickly called his doctor to see if they could get him in, and they could, but I had less than 15 minutes to get there! I hadn't dried my hair or anything, I looked horrible. So I threw on a hat, grabbed his diaper bag which had only one diaper in it, and ran out the door. Thankfully it was right before their office closed so there were no other patients. I saw the nurse practitioner and she checked his ears and decided he had a small ear infection in one ear, and the other looked like it was starting to get that way. She dug lots of wax out of his ears and he did not like that one bit! I had to hold him still, and it hurt my heart knowing he was feeling bad and having to deal with someone digging in his ears too. She called in a presctiption for him and I picked it up on my way home. I called Daniel to let him know what we were doing... I had not been able to finish my chores for the day so the house was a mess. He was so sweet though. He picked up some infant tylenol and take out so I wouldn't have to cook dinner. He rushed home and took Gunner while I got Gunner's medicine ready. After Gunner had taken the tylenol, you could tell he quickly started feeling better! He ate and went to bed, and slept all night! I did not: my head is so congested, my nose is running like a faucet, and my lymph nodes are swollen and sore.
Gunner's fever went down and he's been great all day! It was a very maternal moment though when I was holding him and he felt so bad. I'm just glad he got some sleep and isn't running a fever anymore.
I feel pretty awful today though. My dad is coming up to keep me company and help with Gunner. I hope I get over this soon, it's hard being sick and being a mom at the same time! I don't know how my mom did it all those years!

No Theme Today

This post isn't really themed today. Just a few random facts about my life the last few weeks.

I've been working with Gunner to get him to fall asleep on his own. It's going quite well I must say. He was in a habit of me rocking him to sleep. It was a problem because as soon as I would lay him down, he would wake up and cry. We've had some days of resistance since I started working with him, but for the most part, he doesn't make a peep and is out like a light! I'm so proud of him. This is so great, but it can seem like a problem for going out. He loves things to be predictable, so it's harder when we go somewhere and he has to nap in the car or something. I realize that life must go on so I'm trying to just go with it. I don't want him to hate being away from home because his mom was afraid to go anywhere! We're always adapting.

The weather this week has been magnificent!!!! It's been a little too windy to go for a walk with Gunner though. I have had the windows open to air out the house and it's been wonderful.

Daniel and I haven't had our Valentine's date yet, so tomorrow night Mom and Dad are babysitting and Daniel is taking me to dinner! He isn't telling me where we're going yet, but it's somewhere nice. I'm looking forward to something besides sandwiches!!!! Which is another topic...

The "diet" I have been on has been great for Gunner. He has had much less belly aches and gas and is still sleeping really well at night. I can't have ANY dairy (milk, eggs, cheese, ice cream), beans, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, onions, seasonings or spices besides salt and pepper. (How much would your diet change if you couldn't eat these things?) Due to these restrictions, I have kept the weight that I have lost off! I'm not exercising yet so I haven't lost more, but within two months of Gunner's birth, I lost 30 pounds. I think I only gained 25-28 during the pregnancy so YEAH! Starting in March I will be doing at least 30 minutes of exercise a day three times a week. I'm part of a group from our church doing a fitness challenge for Blue Cross. It should help me get more weight off I hope!

Things are good! I'm looking forward to constant warmer weather, taking Gunner on walks, and maybe even playing in the back yard! Come on spring!

Time to Stop and Think

I don't enjoy reading blogs that are mostly negative and complain about everything. That's why I try to stick to positive topics and funny stories with mine. However, occasionally I feel the need to "rant" a little about some of my opinions. I really don't care what anyone thinks, I just feel like some times, things need to be said! (mainly to get it out of my system and make me stop thinking about it) I never set out to start conflicts either, so no need for a response if you disagree. Go post your opinions on your own blog if you feel differently.

First:

Let's all give Christina Aguilara a break. She is human. Singing the Star Spangled Banner in front of that many people (in person and on TV) cannot be easy. I don't like that we think celebrities should be perfect, and we act surprised when they show any flaws. People make mistakes. So ease up and move on with life.

Next:

Just because you may have watched every NFL game this season and stuck with one team the whole time doesn't mean that I have to do the same. I'm sure at least half the people who watch the super bowl never watched much of the NFL season, so when the big game comes up, we pick one of the two teams to cheer for, get together with friends, have some chips and dip and enjoy ourselves. There's nothing wrong with that! It's a game, it's meant to be fun, so let's all chill out and not make a big deal out of it.

Last:

[Non football game related.] I am always disappointed to see when people of the Christian faith are judgmental and arrogant. It does not help our image in this world. Judgmental is one word that many non-believers use when describing Christians. So we should all think about that before we do or say anything, and especially before posting things on the internet. Take a minute to think about what you are about to say or type, and ask yourself if it's out of love, or out of a selfish place. If you believe you are better than others because of your faith, take a moment and read these verses:

Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice', for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Matthew 9:10-13

We all should think harder about what we say and do every day.

Snow Day!

Well, we got a TON of snow. I am not really sure how much, partly because I haven't really stepped foot in the snow. We've had a few snows since Gunner was born but this was the first one I took him outside in. I bundled him up in his little bear suit and we took some pictures!




Mommy and Gunner enjoying our snow day!

He's a Big Boy Now...and Mommy is Tired

Gunner has made the transition to sleeping in his crib full time! This began last Friday night. I wanted to try it at the beginning of the weekend in case he got up several times so that Daniel would let me nap the following day... He actually slept all night! And that was the ONLY night he slept all night. Every night since then he has woken up more than twice, and I have been woken up by his Angel Care monitor alarm at least once every night. He gets gassy during his sleep and grunts and scoots around his crib which places him off the sensor that's under the matress. This causes the alarm to sound since it can't pick up the movement of his breathing which causes Mommy and Daddy mild cardiac arrest while they sprint to the other side of the house. (More so Mommy than Daddy since the first time it went off Daddy kept trying to turn off the alarm clock...)

Hopefully in a few weeks we will figure this out and he will go back to sleeping all night. Here are some pics of him playing in his crib wrapped in Daddy's old baby blanket!

Too Much of a Good Thing

Poor Gunner. I have too much milk! I never thought that would be a problem, but it is. There are even articles about it on La Leche League's site. Interesting. He has been having a hard time nursing lately and I've been more uncomfortable too. We're working to get everything back to normal, and I think we're on track.

If you're a mom-to-be and planning to breastfeed, you might check out LLLI's site. (llli.org) Don't make fun, I don't know how to do that link thing...
Anyway, they have some great info and it might be a good idea to read up on some possible struggles new moms have in case you run into that at some point.

This post is short. Gunner is about to wake from his nap. Here is a quick summary of how we're doing though!

-Nap time is great. He takes several naps a day (all in his crib, in his room!) and he goes down very easily. All I have to do is change him and swaddle him, and he starts to doze off. He's that easy in the evenings too...

-Night time is still wonderful. He goes to sleep quickly and sleeps between 8 and 10 hours!! We're getting ready to permanently move him to his room for all sleeping though.

-His reflux is much better. The meds the doctor gave him work great and he spits up a lot less.

-I am still loving being at home. I am getting excited about the spring and summer where we can play outside!

That's all for now! I think I hear the little man stirring!

This And That

I have yet to update on how cloth diapers are going, and it's been over a month since I started them! To sum up, it's been wonderful. I have figured them out and gotten in the groove of washing. Shortly after starting cloth diapers, I also started using cloth wipes. That is probably more work than the diapers, but it's helped his poor little sensitive bottom. And it's saving us more money! I'm using squares of flannel material that my mom cut out and she sewed the edges for a clean look. I roll them up in my wipe warmer and pour on my homemade solution. I need to get more wipes, but other than that, it's going great.

Gunner had his first shots on his two month "birthday". He cried, and I had to try hard not to cry. I had Daniel there to hold him while he was getting his shots. I couldn't watch. He is growing fast! On 12-23 he weighed just over ten pounds and was 22 1/4 inches long. He has moved out of newborn clothes into 0-3 month clothes. He is holding his head up great and smiling and laughing a ton. He is still having tummy troubles, but the doctor put him on some medicine for his reflux so that's helped.

I am still enjoying being a SAHM! (stay at home mom) The main question people ask me is "Do you get bored?" and the answer is no. I am never bored. Gunner keeps me on my toes and there is always house work to be done. I had been sick on and off during the last couple of weeks though, so I'm looking forward to getting back on my normal "schedule". I've got high hopes to get some major cleaning projects done this month though, so hopefully I can accomplish those.

Unless you've actually ever stayed home with a baby, you would probably think there is a lot of down time. This is not true. A typical day of mine is spent waking up between 5am and 8am, depending on when Gunner gets up. (Usually around 6) I change him, feed him, and burp him. This usually takes a good hour. I sit him in his bouncer for a bit and eat breakfast, maybe take a shower (sometimes I don't get a shower until noon...) and by the time two hours have passed, he is ready for a nap. This is where it begins to vary depending on how he is feeling. Most of the time he is out and sleeps for at least 45 minutes. Some times he wakes up 15 minutes later. Either way, I try to get some things done. (He is napping now, but today I was able to get his diapers and wipes folded and put away while the other laundry is washing and drying) When he wakes up, it's time to change, feed and burp him again, another hour. He eats every 2.5-3 hours, so most of my day is spent feeding and burping him. I have to make sure and burp him well or else he will spit it all up. Between feedings, I am either taking a shower or getting ready, doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, cooking, or cleaning other parts of the house. This is on a normal day. There are days where he is having a lot of stomach issues and cries a ton, and during those days I am usually trying to calm him down and make him feel better. I get much less done those days. On a good day I can get all the laundry done, his room cleaned, the house picked up, the kitchen cleaned and possibly do a little relaxing. On a day where I have to go somewhere or run errands, MUCH less is done since I have to time it right to get anywhere on time. If I get in the shower right after he eats, I can be done getting ready just in time for him to be changed and eat again. My days are never the same.

I have completely cut out all dairy from my diet in an attempt to help with his tummy troubles. I think it's been 5 days. It's HARD since I love to drink milk, but I think it's helping. Plus, he should have a better tolerance in about a month or two.

I desperately need a hair cut. I am going to try and call to make an appointment today. I think my last appointment was in September.

Just a few random things I wanted to share!