Jack: 8 months

Sleep

Whew!  I am so glad we are doing better in this department.  And I think that is due to the fact that Jack was definitely teething!  We found the magic combination of teething pills and the orajel q-tip looking things that put a little numbing stuff on the spot where you need it - thank goodness!  We also started putting Jack down a little earlier, and I think that has really helped too.  We usually get Jack down between 7:45 and 8 and he sleeps a full 12 hours!  He goes down for his first nap at around 10:15 and typically will sleep about 2 - 2.5 hours.  His second nap is at around 3:15 and he will sleep about 1.5 hours.  I'm so glad we have a good routine going (and that he is sleeping well)!

Eating

Just after Jack turned 7 months, I stopped the breastfeeding.  It was a gradual process, but I stopped producing enough for a feeding, so we made the switch to all formula (the normal, blue Similac kind).  I do still have just a few frozen bags of milk that I keep forgetting to use.  I will do that this month so we don't have them taking up space in the freezer anymore!  Jack has 5 bottles a day (7:45, 10:15, 1:30, 4:45, + 7:45 - on average, of course) and then he has 2 scoops of cereal and 1 jar of baby food twice a day (8:45 am + 6:45 pm).  Sometimes I will add in that lunchtime meal, but it is hard to fit in and he is doing ok without it...we will work on that this month though!  He is loving to eat - as long as there aren't any teeth needing to come in :) And he has gotten better about pears!  I did make some baby food and he is enjoying new flavors - he had avocados last night and really liked them!  I also made blueberries, cantaloupe, zucchini, and bananas!  We have been feeding him little teeny bites of mushy things (mainly when we are out) and it is so funny to see his face when he gets a little taste.  Here he is after a little taste of refried beans at Chuy's!

Weight

Nothing official here!  According to our scale at home, he is 21.4 pounds!

Length

No official measurement here, and I didn't have the patience to try to measure :) Will have a new measurement next month...he has definitely grown though!

Size Clothes

Jack is wearing 9 month things right now...and I've noticed some of the jammies and outfits are starting to get a little short! So we may be leaning more towards the 6-12 month size before too long!

Size Diapers

Size 3 is working perfectly right now!

Hair color

He has enough hair to where he can actually get "bed head" now! And it seems a little darker than Katie's!  He will look so different when he actually has a head full of hair!

Eye color

Those baby blues are amazing!  And he has the longest eyelashes!

Looking Like

Definitely like Brad and Katie these days...I have pictures of all of us at 6 months to compare - it is crazy!  

Nicknames

We have done better about calling him "Jack" as opposed to "Baby Jack" lately!  Also, The Dude, Jackaroni, and Jacky Wacky!

Favorite toy

He is still loving the exersaucer these days!  And Sophie the Giraffe has been a big hit lately...I keep that in the diaper bag and let him play with it when we are out - he loves to squeak it and chew on it!  He got a little baby photo album and I finally put pictures in it - he LOVES to play with that when he is sitting in his highchair!

Firsts

Whew!  This has been a busy month full of new experiences!  Jack experienced his first snow!

And the next day, it snowed again - he got to go sledding for the first time!

And he sat in the cart at a store like a big boy (at Target, of course)!  He loved being able to look around and play with toys - and he did such a great job!  I love that it leaves more room in the cart for the things we need!

And he sat in a high chair out at a restaurant for the first time!  He loved being able to see the TVs!

He has his first tooth - and second!  On February 1, his first tooth cut through...and then on February 11, its neighbor came on in too!

And he had his first Valentine's Day this month!  

And he sat up in this special bath chair for the first time!  I get a little nervous with sitting in the tub because of tipping over while sitting and it being slippery, but this chair is great!  And he LOVED splashing around!

Milestones

Good gracious is this boy mobile! He is rolling everywhere and has taken his first "crawls" forward.  He still hasn't quite figured out the coordination in his arms and legs for the crawling motion, but he is "up and at 'em" for sure!  He does downward dog and planking all the time!  And he easily gets up on all fours and rocks and moves around.  He will be crawling and into everything by 9 months no doubt!  He definitely knows his name too!  I am sure that is partly because we are doing better with calling him Jack.  He is working on being able to wave - when we wave at him, he sticks both arms out and waves with both hands.  Maybe he is creating his own unique wave...? It is so cute though and he thinks it is hilarious!

Talking/Words/Sounds

He is more and more vocal by the day!  He says "mamama" and "dadada" and "bababa" - I will start paying attention for more sounds!  He also has become more expressive with his grunting - he makes more grunt and growling noises than any baby I've ever met!  When he drops a toy or gets frustrated or angry, he growls at us...silly guy!

Anything else?

If it is even possible, Jack has become sweeter!  He just snuggles into my shoulder and chest and my heart melts.  We are asked all the time if he is always as happy and smiley as he seems, and the answer is always, "98% of the time, yes!" The only time he has been difficult is the few days around when his teeth were coming in.  And I have to say I'd be difficult if I had teeth breaking through too!  All it takes is a glance in his direction or saying hi to him and he gets the biggest smile on his face.  Katie's whole class (and her teacher and the parents) all think Jack is the best baby ever, and they love playing with him!  

SUYL: Organizing Ideas

I have very lofty goals for organization in our house.  We have cubbies in our laundry room/mud room.  We have bins of arts and crafts supplies in the closet in the laundry room (think: crayons, markers, paint, stamps/ink, etc).  But it seems once one area is organized, another area needs some serious attention.  So, I consulted Pinterest (of course) for some inspirational ideas!  Here we go...

Get a bin to organize each child's "memory box" from their school years.  Pretty good idea!  Along these same lines, I use the Artkive app to keep up with Katie's art from school - I take a picture and then I have it stored.  That way I don't feel pressured to keep every single piece of art - and I can make a book of it all from each year. 

 This is one idea I saw and actually followed through with - these small organizer drawers for batteries and other little items that tend to get lost.  I have a label maker and this will be the perfect project to use it on!

 I LOVE this wrapping supplies organizing idea.  I want this badly!  All of my wrapping stuff is in bags and piles and it is frustrating when I need to find a certain kind of bag/tissue paper in all the craziness!

 How neat is this?!  I see this being PERFECT when Jack gets older and has legos and all the little things that can be stepped on...all you do is cinch up the bag and it is stored!

 LOVE this - the bright colors and how nice and organized it really looks are quite appealing to me I think!  I do have some bookcases with the colored fabric drawers with label blocks I made for them.  We are on our way to this look :)

 And who doesn't love free printables for getting life organized??  I found these on Pinterest and can't wait to see what I can use to make each week a little easier.  I know meal planning is a great way to keep our dinners organized!

 And I actually have saved some documents to print and create a family binder - and I have a big binder to use.  Now - to find time to put it all together! :)

 And the "crap baskets" - perfect!  Maybe this would take care of all the stuff that collects at the bottom of the stairs!  And it would also be good to make sure everybody puts their things back in the right place in their room!

I can't wait to see what other organizational ideas people have!  Jump over to Kelly's Korner to check it out - I know I will!

All Decked Out

I love decorating for different occasions and holidays - once I realized that I didn't have too many Valentine's decorations, it was Target and TJ Maxx to the rescue!  We still don't have tons out, but I love the ones we do have :)

This is in the kitchen on the console table under the TV.  I absolutely love this glittery, brightly colored sign!

 And I found these little flower decorations and banner at Target.  I am not a huge fan of the banner because the hearts/letters are too heavy for the ribbon and they don't stay up like they should.  But it adds a little bit of fun to the living room!  Next year, I may try to make a banner of hearts with burlap and glitter...we shall see!

 And I made a red feather boa for the wreath.  I found that cute ornament at Michael's and put it on there as well.

 Here is our Valentine's garden flag with the wreath in the background!

 And, of course, cute towels hanging in the kitchen!

Does anybody else have fun decor in the house for Valentine's?  I wanted to find some cute printables to put out in frames but never made it to that.  Oh well - there's always next year!

SUYL: DIY Projects

Happy Friday, folks! I decided to do a link up today rather than Foodie Friday - I did cook something yummy this week, but it may have to wait until next week!  This link up is with Kelly's Korner on DIY projects!  I was trying to remember some fun things I have done or made and decided on these four projects!

Before we started potty training with Katie, I made these "potty treat" jars.  Doesn't it look fun? That was definitely what I was going for - fun, girly colors that would make Katie excited about potty training - oh, and the actual treats inside too :) I spray painted the lid of a mason jar and got the ribbon at the dollar spot at Target.  I had the letters and the treats, so it really wasn't too expensive to make either!

Something else I made for Katie's room was a headband holder!  I used a paper towel roll, some cute fabric, and some ribbon....that's it!  And I love that it organizes all the headbands and keeps them together.

I absolutely love making rag wreaths - for baby showers, holidays, gifts, etc!  All it takes is a wire form from a craft store and some fabric and ribbon.  I made this one for a friend's baby shower and was in love with it - I think I cut the fabric just the right length - and I love the texture the ribbon adds too!  And the pinks and grays definitely make it look great too!

Something else I had been wanting to do for a while is a knot blanket (note: no sewing - this is nice since I have yet to set up my sewing machine)!  I found some scraps of flannel at JoAnn's (both a plain pink and a Disney princess piece) and couldn't resist giving it a try.  I cut them to the same size and lined them up and started cutting the strips of each piece/layer and then tying the strips of each layer.  I cut strips about 3ish inches long and about an inch apart and I'd cut some strips and stop and knot them together (the top and bottom piece).  It was really that easy!  And Katie absolutely LOVES it!  She sat on the floor with me while I was making it and was so eager to get to snuggle with it.  Now that I know how easy it is, I may start doing these as gifts (after I make Jack is very own as well)!  I love that you can make them as big or as small as you want (depending on the size of the recipient)!  I may make some little ones for Katie to use as blankets for her dolls.  And then I could make a big one for Brad - the possibilities are really endless!

I can't wait to see what projects other folks blog about!  Have a super weekend!

Pretty In Pink: Ballerina Time

This past Monday was the day I had been waiting on!  During Katie's dance class this past Monday, they invited the parents in to observe the last class 5-10 minutes of class.  I was so excited!!  Her dance class always seems to fly by - visiting with the other mommas is like a breath of fresh air!  They are all super sweet and fun to talk to.  Plus, let's face it...it is adult conversation.  I'll take it! :)

During the small bit of time we were in there, Katie clammed up just a bit...she was a little bit shy with all of the parents sitting there with their phones and cameras out taking pictures and videos of all those sweet ballerinas.  Here she is doing some of her moves.  I did take videos, but I'm just posting some of the pictures here!

 And then all the girls showing their moves!

 At the end of class they get a sticker for doing a good job!  Her teacher is Ms. Katie - my Katie loves that they have the same name!

 And then she came racing toward me SO proud of herself and SO thrilled that I got to see her dance.  It is so fun to see her personality develop each day (and boy has it been full speed ahead lately)!

Weekend Recap

So what else did we do this weekend besides play in the snow?  Well, Friday night we ate dinner at the neighbors' house!  And we actually had as close to an "adult dinner" as we could - so nice!  Grilled steaks, twice baked potatoes, asparagus, crescent rolls, wine...perfection!  The girls got to eat and watch a movie, and the little brothers just hung out.  It was so fun!  And we actually sat at the dining room table - what a treat!  Hopefully we will get a dining room table soon so we can do this at our house!

 And of course we had to have some chocolate...this was my little message from Dove.  Isn't it the truth...

Saturday, we had the snow fun in the morning and then ate out with Brad's family that night.  I think I was in bed at 9:00 on a Saturday night - so nice and relaxing!

Sunday, we had a lazy day.  I did go on a run to some friends house so I could visit - it was a 2 for 1!  Exercise AND seeing friends!  Brad got a haircut...I was a nosy neighbor and went to an open house at a house a few doors down that is for sale.  And then we got ready and went to watch the Super Bowl with friends!  We stayed until the 3rd quarter and then had to get home and get the kiddos in bed.

I liked Beyonce!  Though I was sitting next to Katie watching it on this enormous, wall size TV and she was amazed.  Hopefully she doesn't think that outfit is "normal" - maybe she thought it was a bathing suit :)  I loved the songs they did...and Destiny's Child singing again!

Here I am with Tanja!  We went to the party at her parents' house.  We literally walked in the door and different people took the kids.  That means Brad and I got to eat together and not worry about the kids for 10 or 15 minutes.  Amazing.  Katie was hanging out with Tanja and Jack was being snuggly with some other folks. 

 And here we are...not the best picture, but I'll take it!  Katie wouldn't cooperate, and by this point, I think Jack was asleep in Tanja's mom's arms!

I have yet to see the Clydesdale commercial...we DVRed the game, so now we need to go back through and fast forward the game to watch the commercials :) I did love the Audi one with the guy at the dance...and the Taco Bell one with the old folks.  What were your favorites?

Snow Fun

Hooray! We finally got some "decent" snow!  We woke up Friday morning - well, Katie woke us up yelling, "MOMMY! DADDY! LOOK OUTSIDE!!!!" Oh, the excitement of kiddos when it snows.  Heck!  Oh, the excitement of adults when it snows!  It definitely brings out the kid in all of us I think!  We hurried and bundled up because I knew it was supposed to melt during the day since the sun was out.  It was Jack's first snow, so we had to get out there fast!

Here they are sitting in the snow!  Jack didn't like being cold (or at least that's what I thought was the reason behind is crankiness - turns out, he had cut his first tooth the night before and was miserable!) so we got him inside and let Katie and Sadie play out back.

 And then Stella and Jill came over!  They had fun playing in the backyard and even posed for a picture!  And then they came in and played with stuffed animals in the princess tent - perfect!

 So all the snow melted during the day Friday (funny that schools were out and it ended up being a pretty, cold day!) - and I knew we were supposed to get a dusting overnight into Saturday morning.  Well...Katie woke us up again and told us to look outside - and it was like a whiteout!  The snow was coming down!  So we all got up and ate breakfast and got all bundled up to go sledding!  I was so excited that it was Saturday so Brad could play outside with us!  Here's Jack all bundled up in the jog stroller...he almost fell asleep he was so snug!

 Katie was so excited to finally get to use the sled that Nanny and Papa gave her for Christmas in 2011!  

And we had such fun!  I'm so glad we got out when we did because the sun came out and the snow started melting!  We ended up getting about 1.5 inches and it just barely covered the top of the grass!  We walked up to a hill in the neighborhood (not hard to find - there are lots!) and had the best time!  Jack even got to go sledding for the first time!

Here's Katie running the sled up the hill to go down herself...she loved it!  I know anytime there is snow again she will want to get out and sled again!  It was also a good test for taking her skiing - she was ready to go back home after about 30-45 minutes, so we decided to wait until next winter to try to get her learning how to ski!

 I just love this picture...it definitely captures her having the time of her life out there!

We came home and sat by the fire to warm up and Katie even tried some hot chocolate (with marshmallows of course)!  Hooray for snow days!  I sure hope we have at least one more good snow this winter :)

Foodie Friday: Crockpot Beef Tips + Gravy (w/ Mashed Potatoes)

Last night I tried another new recipe I found on Pinterest - it was great!  We had some beef in the freezer that we needed to use, so off I went searching Pinterest.  This recipe for Crockpot Beef Tips and Gravy was one of the first ones I came across.  And I served it over Simply Potatoes Classic Mashed Potatoes to be on the healthier side!  Here is what my plate looked like...

We also had cranberry sauce but I didn't have enough space for it on my plate :)  And this dish even got the Katie Seal of Approval!  It reminded me how much I love using the crockpot.  I really should do one meal in the crockpot every week...it is SO much easier than cooking during the crazy time of the late afternoon/early evening!  Happy Friday!