I love a good smocked outfit.  If I had an endless clothes budget for Will, we would have a closet full.  But alas, I do not, and he grows so fast.  When I see a good deal though, I try to snap it up.  This weekend, the Smocking Hot Mamas resale group on facebook had an awesome $20 or less event going on and had everything organized into gender/size categories for people to post their items.  So no need to comb through the endless cute girl dresses in search of something!

Out of the hundreds of items listed, Lisamarie and I tried to buy the same item.  Pretty funny.  I got to it first though!

Billy is on the fence about this style on Will, and here are some of his comments lately:

Stop trying to dress Will like an Amish baby.

He looks like a Dutch nerd.

He's going to look back at these pictures and wonder where the camo was.

Hahaha!  I don't think he cares enough to actually take a stand, but he does insert his opinion on occasion.  I tried to put a bonnet on Will once and that did not go over well! :)

31 Weeks

We heard  a lot of "gagaga" and "dadada" this weekend.  I think he's able to repeat those sounds when we say them now.  Of course, the "dadada" has no association to Billy yet, but I do think that will be his first word.  I haven't heard the "m" sound much at all.

The only new food I introduced this week was peas.  And they were sweet peas, so I went easy on him!  This face says no, but after he got used to them, he wanted more!

I booked our first flight this week!  Spirit Air, for the win!  They fly direct from WV to Myrtle Beach, so Will and I will go see Grampy and Grandma next month for a week by ourselves.  I have no idea how Spirit keeps their prices so low, but I have been flying with them for years in and out of Ft. Lauderdale, DC and Pittsburgh(Latrobe).  I am a tad nervous about his ears and screaming in the plane.  I will have to do a little reading on that in the next couple weeks.  

Somehow, Billy does not have off for Memorial Day, so it was just a regular weekend for us and it went by in a flash.  I don't look forward to Mondays now anymore than when I was working.  Because on Mondays, I'm back on the "job" alone, and on the weekend, I like to be able to share Will and give my arms a rest.  :)

Nothing else exciting in these parts.  I'm up to 22.9 miles in the Joggermom Virtual Marathon.  So one more run this week and it will be complete!  A girl I walk with is making me look like a complete slacker because she finished by the 15th AND has five kids!

Enjoy your Memorial Day. We usually go visit a local veterans memorial on this day, but I don't think we'll get a chance today. I'm sure Billy will make sure Will understands the meaning of this day when he's older. God bless our troops!

7 Months

Not a lot has changed this month.  He is close to 26 pounds and was 28 inches at his appointment a couple weeks ago.  He's still a master roller, and uses that as his mode of transportation.  

Morning time seems to be his favorite time.  He's just non-stop grins when we first get him out of his crib.  He's still not a great sleeper and up about every 2-3 hours.  Naps are improving though.

He is enjoying most foods.  It took me a while to get the consistency right, and I was confusing him not being able to swallow the puree, with him not liking it.  So far, we have tried: avocado, yellow squash, butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, mango, and banana.  Banana is by far his favorite.  He gets VERY excited when he realizes it is meal time.

Will has taken an interest in Patton this month.  He'll grab at him when he is close by, and I think Patton is enjoying the attention.  He has been very gentle, and the worst thing we have seen is too many licks to the face.

He's such a joy and we love every minute with this little guy!

7 Month Update coming on Wednesday.

In the mean time...
I just made 2 ingredient pancakes: 1 banana/2eggs.  Not quite like a pancake, but a healthier option and I think it filled the sweet tooth breakfast void.

I think I drowned my phone this morning.  I drop it pretty often and cracked the screen a few weeks ago and got that fixed.  I'm not sure this is fixable though.  I saw some water from a bag full of melting ice dribble onto it during our walk this morning.  This could have been avoided if my stroller caddy arrived, but alas, it will be here tomorrow.  Not helpful.  I knew Billy wouldn't be angry because I can't begin to tell you how many pairs of sunglasses he has gone through in the past several years.  But ugh, not having a phone is no bueno.

I think I've talked about the lack of clothing options for little boys before.  Let's add shoes to that list.  I would like something like these Saltwater Sandals for him, but I'm not shelling out $40 for my non-walking baby.  Everything that I found found in stores either looks like an old man chunky sandal or something cheesy with a character on it.  The search continues!

What else...I made granola last week.  Yum-o.  And so easy.  No need to buy granola bars anymore!

Until Wednesday...and I don't know why blogger is stretching my pictures.

So making your own baby food is really no big deal.  I think if everyone knew how easy it was, more people would do it.  I happen to have the Baby Bullet, but it is not a necessary piece of equipment.  In fact, on Amazon, the Baby Bullet doesn't get great reviews, but it was a gift to me and I have been happy with it so far.

The blending/pureeing takes almost no time at all.  What takes the most time is cooking the food...if it needs to be cooked at all.  This week, I did butternut squash, which I did cook at 400 for 40 minutes.  But after that, I just scooped the insides out and blended.  I don't add much water during this process.  I add it right before I feed it to him.

What I was getting stumped on was the storage.  I would fill up the trays, and then have no more room to make more food in larger quantities.  Until yesterday, Lisamarie texted me a picture of what she did, and it was introduced again today during a babyfood making workshop I went to.  It was sort of a "duh" moment for me and now of course, it makes sense...and why didn't I think of that?

So after they are done freezing, just pop them out of the trays and into a ziploc bag!   Then the trays are open to freeze more.  Ah-ha!

We're only 3 weeks in, so I haven't started mixing flavors yet.  And so far, I haven't even been giving him food every night.  Sometimes, something will come up and I'll miss the window of opportunity before the witching hour(s) begin and the bedtime routine starts, whether I'm ready or not!  He eats such small amounts at this point, it's not like he skipped his dinner and is going to bed hungry!

Does it look like Will has missed a meal?

Liebster Award

My friend, Rebecca from college nominated me for the Liebster Award.  How nice!!  It is given to blogs with less than 200 followers (for me, it's FAR less!) by other bloggers who think people should know about your blog.  Super sweet of her - we were in different sororities in college, but worked together, I think were Panhellenic Delegates together, and we have babies close to the same age.

                                         

Here's how it works...

1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4. Choose 11 blogs you love (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post.
5. No tag back (but please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster post so I can learn more about you)!

11 Random Things About Me
1. I grew up as a military brat, but mostly lived in Virginia and North Carolina.
2. I transferred colleges.  I started at Elon, and started at ECU my sophomore year.
3. I have big feet - a size 10!
4. I eat ice cream almost every day.
5. Walking is one of my favorite things to do.  Billy hates to walk.
6. I met my husband at work.
7. I worked for my sorority right out of college and traveled all around the country, living out of a suitcase.
8. My family drove from Washington, DC to Washington state when I was 15.
9. My major in college was Criminal Justice.  Ha!
10. When I was little, I wanted to be a lion tamer.

Nominator's Questions Answered
1) If you were offered the vacation of your dreams, free of charge, where would you go and why?A warm beach, somewhere, with our entire extended family.  We don't get to see everyone too often, especially now that we live far away.  However, I would request that everyone have their own house!
2) Are you a cat person or a dog person?
DOG.  No cats, ever.
3) Are you in your dream job? If not, what is your ultimate career goal?
Yes, being able to stay home with our baby is a dream job to me.  It's not something I ever imagined myself doing, but I love it far more than I thought I would.  At some point, I may go back to working in higher education, but I'm not making any plans now.
4) What is the last gift you were given? What is the last gift you gave?
The last gift I was given was for Mother's Day over the weekend.  I received flowers for our porch from my husband and a few things from my parents.  The last gift I gave was to my Mom for mother's day - a gift card and some pictures of Will.
5) What's worse...Sunday night or Monday morning?
Monday morning.  I like the night time because it's quiet and I can get a few things done...like surf the interwebs or catch up on TV.
6) If your house was on fire, assuming all people and pets were safe, what three things would you grab?
Jewelry box with handed down items from my grandmother, photo albums, and my wallet?  Not sure about the last one, but I can't think of anything else.  Luckily, we have a fireproof safe!
7) Coffee or tea?
Coffee.  I like the taste, and we all know I'm seriously lacking sleep!  The caffeine in tea just isn't the same for me.
8) Do you believe in love at first sight?
No.  Maybe love at first conversation...
9) What is the worst movie you've ever seen?
The Dictator.  Billy has learned to let me pick out the movies most of the time.
10) If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
I would love to be able to fly. Especially lately, with lugging my things, Will's things, and then him into the car is such a process.  Wouldn't it be awesome if we could just walk out the front door and zoom to where we need to go?  Or go far distances without days of driving.  Yes!
11) What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?
I don't know if this is advice exactly, but in the past several years, I have reminded myself of this verse: Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Questions for Nominees
1. Why did you start your blog?
2. What is your favorite dish to make?
3. Would you rather have a large house, or money to travel often?
4. Beer or wine?
5. What was the last concert you went to?
6. Are you mostly on a desktop, laptop or mobile device?
7. What is your favorite hostess gift to give?
8. Do you collect anything?
9. Do you have a favorite book genre?
10. Do you prefer NFL or college football?  Or neither?
11. What is your favorite summertime activity?

Nominees
I have a few blogs that I follow, but not a lot of smaller ones.  I wish more of my friends and family did have them though!  I don't think I can come up with eleven!
The Depuy Zoo/Holly Homemaker
Grape Did It
Secret Life of a Mom of Four
Accelerated Babies
A Tasty Life
Souls to Squeeze

29 Weeks

Happy Mother's Day.  I get it...it is sort of a Hallmark holiday.  But it is nice to be recognized and thank all the moms out there.  This, of course is not something I grasped until now, that I am a mother.  The funny thing is that I remember as a kid, asking my mom what she wanted as a gift for this holiday, and probably many others.  And I remember her saying nothing, I just want a clean house.  Yes, I'd like to order one of those!!  I must say, I would much rather have some quiet time or a clean house than any gift!  We had a good day though. A little church, a family nap, and then the 5k.  And, my mom and I got each other Belk gift cards without the other knowing!

I'm so glad I signed up for the race, because if it had not come across my FB news feed, I don't think I would be back to running.  My body just felt so different after being pregnant, I really couldn't imagine running again.  But I saw the announcement, and the goal was set.  I used to not understand how people needed to "train" for a 5k.  3 miles seemed like nothing.  But after not running for over a year, or for some people who have never run, it's quite a task.  But now I'm back at it and so glad I am.  One of my workout buddies asked if I wanted to do a 10k in 2 weeks...uh, no thanks!  But, it is sponsored by CFA, and maybe there would be some free chicken...

This week Will has been pretty funny.  Here are some things that have kept me laughing:
-He got stuck in the innertube at Water Babies and I needed help from the teacher to get him out.
-His laugh.  It makes me laugh so hard, which makes him laugh...and it's just a hilarious cycle.
-He gets on his belly and turns in circles...around and around!  If he could just figure out how to get his arms to move forward, he'd  be army crawling.
-When I spoon feed him, at first he makes a disgusted face, but then it's like he remembers that it's good and smiles.

I think he has finally figured out how to go to sleep in the stroller.  And thank goodness!  We go for a walk pretty much every day and he was getting to a point where he would freak out for the last mile or so.  He was still sleeping when we came home the other day and I just sat there on the front steps until he woke up.  No need to wake a sleeping baby!

Random

-We recently discovered couscous.  For many years, I assumed I did not like it.  I've been adding tomatoes, cucumbers and feta.  Nom nom so good!

-I've completed 6.4 miles this month toward the virtual marathon.  And yes, I get that it's not a REAL marathon.  But what mom of an infant can actually train for a marathon?

-I bought some aqua skinny jeans on super sale at Belk last week.  Billy thought I bought them as a joke, and of course I returned them. He wasn't being mean, they just aren't my style.

-My basil, peas, tomatoes and peppers are starting to pop through!  I'm just using containers for my garden this year.  Maybe something bigger next year, depending on how this harvest shakes out.

-Our robin nest lost 3 out of the 4 babies. :(

-I realize I'm probably a little late to the party on this one, but I love Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker!

-Will likes squash!  Looking back, I think the problem with the carrots may have been that my puree was too thick, so we'll come back to it next week.  Next up: sweet potatoes.

-I ordered a dutch oven!  I am actually starting to enjoy trying new things in the kitchen, now that I have the time.  The most recent success is Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/crock-pot-santa-fe-chicken-425-pts.html

28 Weeks

Not too much new on the baby front this week.  He seems like he is reaching out for us now...if he's in our arms, and wants to go to either Billy or me.  I noticed he's got the pincer grasp down.  We haven't really moved on from avocado, because I messed up the squash while cooking.  He tasted a tiny bit of carrots and made it pretty clear that he wanted NONE of those!  

 These blocks are his favorite.  He dumps them out of the bucket and then puts them one by one in his mouth.  Eventually, we'll work on shapes, instead of tastes.  :)

 We got some new chairs for the front porch as an anniversary gift.  Five years down!  It seems like so long ago.  So much has happened since then!  Moving from Virginia to Florida, to buying a home in Florida, to Pittsburgh and now to West Virginia.  Whew.  Throw in a dog and a baby, a couple jobs.  It's really a lot for five years.  I hope we stay put for the next five...unless it's to NC.  That, I will support!

Thrifty Thursday

I think libraries are so under-utilized. I make this statement because I am always the only one in our local library! The librarians are always so helpful...if they don't have what you're looking for, they'll get it from another library for you! And this week, I discovered I can "borrow" e-books, which download from Amazon onto my free kindle app on my iPad. I had no idea! Another reason I'm not into buying books anymore is because we have moved 4 times in 5 years and books are crazy heavy and cumbersome! So there is my library plug.

Sam's club had a free weekend for non-members so we decided to check it out. I really expected better deals. We did buy 10lbs of shredded cheese that I split up and froze, some chicken and water. But overall, unless you are tied to certain brands, which I am not, there are much better deals to be had elsewhere. And for our family of 3.5, no real need to buy in bulk just yet.

The real deals are at Aldi! Fifty cent avocados and 69 cents for 2 green peppers. Their milk is less expensive and now they carry organic products too. You have to bring your own bags and use a quarter for the grocery cart, but I can do almost all my shopping there, even though the store is so small. BTW, my local options are Wal-Mart and Foodland...so there you go. I told my SIL today that the closest Target was an hour away and she was just baffled. #WVproblems