Eight months.

Happy eight months to Declan!

{It is shocking that I got even one semi-clear photo of this child.  He refuses to sit still for even a moment.  That's why the toy is present in this one- I had to resort to bribing him a little!}

Seriously though, this child is just non stop lately.  At eight months, he is now officially a crawler!!! He gets up on those hands and knees and he is on the move!  We can't leave him alone for a second unless he is restrained somehow in a crib, jumper or swing.  The child will.not.sit.still.EVER. :)  He is into everything, especially things that he shouldn't be into.  He has a strong willed mind of his own already, and he knows what he wants. :)

Declan is eating great, still trying a variety of different foods made by Gerber. :)  He loves to drink water out of his straw cup- no sippy cups for this kid, he prefers a straw just like us older family members!  He loves to try to snag Dad's huge Starbucks cup and take swig of water out of that when he can.  

Declan continues to adore his big brother, always lighting up when Andrew walks into a room.  They are the sweetest brothers together already. :)  He is enjoying going to the park with his big brother as well, and LOVES the swings.  He just laughs and laughs when we push him.  He loves to watch the other kids at the park as well.

He can utter lots of different words, from mama, to dada, to baba... although none of them seem to be meaning anything particular to him yet.  He yells MAMA when he wants just about anything ;)  He has the most hilarious laugh and is smiling all the time.  

He is sleeping so much better, and now likes to fall asleep to the sound of a soothing little blue seahorse.  {Or more like fuss himself to sleep- we still haven't mastered the falling asleep on his own trick.}  His naps are becoming more regular, and he goes to sleep around 6pm each night.  Whew, it is nice to have an evening after he heads to sleep! :)  He loves to snuggle with a cozy blanket, and still does not what to do with a pacifier.  {Total opposite of his pacifier-obsessed brother!}

Declan now has his two bottom teeth and the top two are just barely popping through as well!  He is around 20 pounds and is getting so big.  He had his first bout with sickness this past month, and had a yucky flu and fever.  Poor guy was feeling pretty awful, but made it through just fine. :)  

He likes to throw anything we give him as far and as hard as he can.  Why not? :)  He is a little stinker sometimes, but we sure do love this little boy.  He continues to bring so much light into all of our lives.  

Happy eight months, my littlest boy!

We love you!

xo!

Seven months.

Happy seven months, little Declan!

You sure are giving us a run for our money this month, little man.  Declan has decided he doesn't like to sleep anymore.  His schedule is a mess and he doesn't like to fall asleep on his own.  He prefers the cozy shoulder of mommy. :)  {Which I have to say is lovely, but also frustrating sometimes in the wee hours of the morning!!}

He is around 18 pounds now, and growing like crazy.  He has two little teeth on the bottom and eats so well.  He hates the homemade baby food I made for though, and starts gagging it up as soon as I feed it to him.  AH!  Little stinker.  He loves Gerber though, so store bought it is. :)

Dad and big brother Andrew make this baby laugh so much.  He loves them dearly and is always so happy when he can play with either one of them. :)  I am the one who is the comforter, the putter to bed, the shoulder to snooze on, the one who can calm him down no matter what.  That makes me feel so loved, and I adore his little head on my shoulder. I just need to be strong and make him put himself to sleep!  

Declan has started to love when I read him books, certain ones getting more laughs than others.  Like his brother, he is a big fan of the cute books by Sandra Boynton.  We have been to the beach quite a bit this past month and he loves it.  Anytime we are outside, this baby is quite happy!!! :)  He loves walks and is trying to determine how he likes the pool.  We are working on it! 

We also took Declan to his first zoo this month!  The Orange County Zoo is tiny and adorable, so we ventured out there one cool afternoon and he loved seeing some of the animals.  Of course, he loved hanging out with his big brother there as well.  Not sure which was the bigger draw?! :)

We love you, little boy!  Can't believe seven months has already flown by!

xo!

Homemade Baby Food

 

I made my first attempt at baby food making a couple days ago, and am thrilled with the results!  So far, I have only made carrots since it is what I had on hand.  Plus, it's a food that Declan likes and reacts well to.  Next on my list is peas, another favorite of his.

 

My questions to you all...

Have you made homemade baby food?  What are some easy foods to try to puree?  Any books you have liked on the topic?  I am wanting to expand my horizons here, so any tips would be so helpful.

 

Also, do you freeze the baby food?  What containers do you freeze in?  I read about freezing baby food in ice cube trays, but am hesitant to try something without a lid.  Suggestions, please! :)

 

Off to make some cookies now for the other boys in my household!! :)

xo! 

Four months.

Declan is already four months old. Four months!!!!? I am willing him to stay little for as long as possible. :)

 

Happy four months, my sweet baby!

This month, you weigh 14 pounds, 11 ounces. Your height and weight are still in the 25th percentile, so you are a tiny guy. :) But of course, your head is still very big!!! (75th percentile there!) It must mean you are just so super smart. ;) You smile, you laugh, you talk all day long. You are still the most easy going baby, always happy and calm. You sleep all through the night, from around 8pm all the way until around 6am. This makes your mommy extremely happy! ;)

 

You think your brother is hilarious, you absolutely love to have Dad "fly" you through the air, and every time I change your clothes, you crack up laughing. :) You have brought such a light into all of our lives and we can't imagine life without your darling little face. :)

 

Next up, Declan? We got the green light to eat some oatmeal! What fun this next month will bring as well:)

Happy four months, baby boy!!!
Love, Mom

 

Declan is Two Months Old! :)

Happy two month birthday to you, Declan!

{well, a few days ago actually.}

 

This month you are starting to get chunky and so much bigger it seems. How you've grown since last month's photo!!!  You have the cutest cheeks and the sweetest little wrist rolls;) You have started to smile all the time and you are the happiest baby!! You and I "chat" everyday, especially when you are getting your diaper changed. You love to lay there and coo at me and I love to hear you talk! :) You love your floor activity gym and you are so cute when you kick your legs like crazy. We have figured out that you love to be in a baby carrier while I get some chores for around the house, which is quite helpful! You are eating close to five or six ounces at every feeding and you are sleeping so much better. There have been a couple nights you have slept straight through around eight hours even! Let's keep this up, baby boy! ;)  Your big brother is wild about you, and you think he is fabulous, smiling at his every chance you get.

 

We love having you in our lives, and our family would not be complete without you.

Happy two months, my littlest boy. :)

Love, Mom xo!

one month old.

  Happy one month, Declan! Declan is the best little baby.  He rarely cries unless something is wrong.  He is starting to make the cutest little coos and sounds.  He is focusing on us like crazy!  He watches me walk through the room and i sstarted to smile a little more.  Not sure if that should still be blamed on gas, but it sure is cute. :)  He went in for his one month appointment and is packing on the pounds!  He gained three pounds in the past three weeks and is now a whopping 9 pounds 8 ounces!  Hungry, growing boy! :)  He is sleeping in longer stretches and we sometimes get five or six hours of sleep straight, which is wonderful.  We just love having him here, part of our daily lives, and we feel blessed to have such a content and happy baby so far!!   Technically, I should have posted this photo on February 1st. It just took me six days to actually get this photo edited and blogged. Life of a mother with a newborn, right? But I really want to take these monthly photos- they are so important! OK, baby needs a bottle and momma needs a nap. xo!   PS. New things are being planned for this little blog. I am desperately wanting to be back here with lots of new ideas and exciting updates, so please stay tuned. Liking the new look to the blog?? Did you notice?! :)    

Welcome to the world, baby!

Declan Eugene is here!
Born on New Year's Day morning, we welcomed our beautiful baby boy!!!! He weighed in at 6 pounds 13 ounces and surprised us by coming a week early :) He is perfect and is such an amazing baby so far!

At two weeks old, he is a good sleeper for a few solid hours at a time and rarely cries! He makes the sweetest baby sounds and loves to snuggle!  Andrew is such a proud big brother and helps hold and feed Declan as much as he can. I can't believe that I am now a mother of TWO beautiful boys!! I am so very blessed. :)

More photos to come... this momma is trying to find the energy to get back into blogging. Bear with me, I will return!! :) xo!

9 weeks to go!

...until baby boy is here!!!    I cannot believe how quickly this is sneaking up on us. We've got to get cracking on the boys' room!!! :) xo!

things that are exciting me lately + mani monday!

OK, I am seriously excited today. For quite a few reasons!   Number one?! I am officially in my THIRD TRIMESTER! Baby boy is the size of a cauliflower, weighing in at 2 pounds. He can blink, hiccup, and listen to me ramble on each day. yay! Only 13 more weeks until we get to meet our little man. Names have been the topic of discussion between my husband and me lately.  We've got a top two that we like, so let's keep our fingers crossed that we have something to call this baby soon. :)   Speaking of fingers... it's Mani Monday over at Just Lovely!   I usually have my fingernails done at a local salon, but got sick of having to go in there every couple of weeks.  SO, I decided to grab some fun new polish and give myself a manicure!  I am SO happy with the way it turned out, and am loving these greens. {The dark one is actually a slightly glittery black-green.}   Polishes I Used: Spoiled "The Parking Meteor Expired" + Sally Hansen Hard as Nails "Mint Sorbet" on my pinkies + a topping of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Topcoat = happy & cute fingers!   {PS.  I love the names of nail polishes.  So funny!}   Another exciting thing?? FALL television is back! New Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, Modern Family, Private Practice, Once Upon a Time, Gossip Girl, and my personal FAVE..... EEEEEEK!  I've been waiting all summer for this one!  Can't wait!!!! Only three more days!!! :) I'm a total TV junkie, by the way. :) What are you watching?? Any new shows caught your attention? My husband and I are liking Revolution and Last Resort so far. :)   And always an exciting thing... I was so happy to make these darling birthday party invitations for a new customer- her son is having a Hallowen themed party and the invites sure turned out amazingly cute.  Yay!  Need some custom invites?  Pop over to the shop and I would love to help out :)   So, what is exciting YOU lately?! Happy Monday, xo!

baby bump! {24 weeks}

   Baby boy is now 24 weeks as of today!! {photo was taken over the weekend!}   By the way.. Time to get serious here.... Does anyone have any cute boy names?? We are SO stuck with names, it is ridiculous. Any ideas would be fantastic. :)   I watched my first born son play his first baseball game this weekend and I couldn't be prouder.  He is amazing and did so well {even in the so-cal heat!} and I am so lucky that soon I will have two darling boys. :)  Loving life, let me tell you.   Hope you all had an equally wonderful weekend! xo!

a baby on it's way...!

It's a BOY!!!!

 

 

Yes, that's right! My husband and I are expecting our first child together, and Andrew is going to be a BIG brother!!! We all are SO thrilled! I have been so absent from my blog, and had to sign on today to finally share the news.

I am about 22 and a half weeks along and this healthy baby boy is doing perfectly so far!  I have to say, I was a little disapointed at first to be denied the tutu's, bows and dresses... BUT, the thought of having two darling BOYS is perfect in my eyes now.  It's how it is supposed to be.  Maybe I am destined to be the only girl in the house ;)

 

I have started a Pinterest board for ideas for the boys room.. yes, that's right!  My two boys will be sharing a room when the little one can sleep through the night well.  So that means some fun decorating for momma!!!!  See the beginnings of my board here. :)

 

I will be back soon with more blogs, I promise this time! 

Happy Friday, xo!