SIX-MONTH UPDATE!

Words cannot describe what an absolute blessing these last six months have been. Life has been more challenging, frustrating, and overall; just different, but I truly cannot imagine life without our Hadley Roo!

It has been so fun to watch you go from a teeny newborn to a curious, sitting, grabbing, and giggling baby girl. You are so smiley and happy the majority of the time- only really getting cranky when you're tired. You light up, and give daddy a big toothless smile whenever you see him, and he might just be the one that gets the best giggles from you!

You are pretty much able to sit up in your own, but occasionally you fling yourself backwards. Also, you love to high five everything...with your face, so I stay close by to catch you and sit you back up straight. You sing/hum/moan/groan to yourself when you are getting tired, so that's our telltale sign that you will be conked out soon after. You still cross your ankles sometimes, usually while nursing, and if I start reading/talking while you are eating, you stop eating, look up at me, and smile. Which is just about the cutest thing ever!

You laugh after sneezing, stick your tongue out while smiling, love bath time, turning pages while mama reads, watching pool reflections dance across your bedroom ceiling, watching ice come out of the refrigerator door, coffee being made, grabbing at our Yeti tumblers, and pulling mama's hair.

You've never been interested in a pacifier, don't seem to want to drink out of a bottle anytime soon, and right now, you prefer to roll yourself to where you want to go!

You are our new normal, and we just couldn't be happier about it!

FIVE MONTHS [FLIPPING OUT]!

Girlfriend is five months old, but gosh, I look at her and feel like she's five years old sometimes! She impresses me every day with all of her new tricks. ;) It's so fun to start seeing glimpses of her personality as we step out of her just being in the baby fog. Here's the run down. 

 Age: Five Months

Stats: 17.4 lbs, 25 3/4" 

Milestones: You did a lot of work during your fourth month! You are a rolling rock star, rolling both from front to back and back to front (front to back was first).
You look at toys and reach for them now-usually able to grab them with both hands- instead of just batting at them. The feet have officially made it to the mouth! You are so close to sitting up on your own, even lifting your head and shoulders off the ground while lying down-for now you'll have to settle for just getting in some daily crunches! ;)

Likes: Can I say everything? You like anything that you can pick up, because then it goes straight into your mouth! Must feel good on those gums! Still loving looking/being outside, pulling hair, and when daddy let's you claw at his face. You're pretty much okay with being on your tummy, probably because you know how to roll onto your back now, which you do almost immediately after being set down. Also, you are a big fan of our steel tumblers, reaching out to touch it and mesmerized watching it get filled with ice and water.

Dislikes: Not the biggest fan of mama being out of sight, but you can usually get distracted by something that is shiny and/or makes noise. 

You are a pretty content baby most of the time, really only crying out when you are tired or hangry, you are the absolute light of our lives, and we love you so much! We will be saying this for the rest of eternity but, how are you already so big?! We feel incredibly lucky and blessed to call you our little girl, our Little Roo.   

 

MOMMIN' AIN'T EASY

Each day we face new struggles as mamas. I have absolutely loved getting to know the wants and needs of this new human in my life, and I love raising this baby girl. My struggles come with letting go,- letting others watch her, hold her, love on her- embracing my new mom bod, unsolicited advice, and questions that feel more like attacks. 
When I was growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a mother one day, I envisioned the type of mom I would be- nurturing, attentive, playful, but with expectations of respect and a work ethic for my little ones. I remember babysitting for others' children as a teenager and thinking how strange it was for them to call so often while they were away, that maybe they didn't trust me, or they knew something that I didn't about how their kids would behave. I totally get it now. It didn't really have anything to do with me particularly, just the fact that they were away from their kids... it can be a struggle to trust anyone besides yourself with your kids. 
I was definitely unprepared for how I would feel about my body after baby! Apparently, in my mind I thought, "baby's out, body goes back to the way it was...instantly." Ha! Getting used to stretch marks, bigger boobs that just kinda make me feel like the character Gru- big upper body, with little legs sticking out ;)- and just the overwhelming feeling that my body doesn't really belong to me anymore, has been a strange sense to get used to. 
I know each day will get easier, and soon I may beg for just a little time away for myself. But right now, I am perfectly fine with our quiet days of snuggles, nursing, and playing!

 

MOM CONFESSIONS

Because mom life means you don't have it all together, all the time!

1. Most days I let my baby take at least one of her naps on me. Like right now. I don't get as much done but, snuggles!

2. My hair gets pulled out on the daily. So between that and so much coming out in the shower (why?), I should be bald by the end of the year. :/

3. More spit up ends up in my hair than on any burp cloth/blanket/tarp I have on my shoulder, working on wearing my hair up more but I hate to...So that smell is me.

4. Cursing political calls right now. Buh-bye nap time.

5. Officially a sleep-stalker, and totally one of those moms who miss their babies while they're asleep. 

6. I'm definitely obsessed with McDonald's ice coffee now (still not a fan of hot coffee since I got so grossed out from it while pregnant), and pretty much roll thru every day. Drive-thrus are life right now.  

 

TRIP TO NASHVILLE

We absolutely loved our trip to Music City with our Hadley Girl! Such a fun place to visit, I'm already excited to take her back when she's a little older, and maybe not in the heat of summer! I've been to Nashville once a while back and visited the Gaylord hotel at that time, so I was super excited to know we would actually be staying there this time. It is the coolest place, y'all! We actually have a Gaylord hotel in Florida but this one was the original and it's just too awesome! Hadley was so content just walking around the giant atrium they have there. We liked it because it feels like you're outside, but with air conditioning! With a baby, that's the perfect combo! :) 

While we totally could have spent our entire trip exploring the hotel, we did venture out to Broadway- the main, Honkytonk strip in Nashville. With each one we popped into (mostly to get baby girl in some A/C), all I could think of was the line from Sweet Home Alabama, "You have a baby! In a bar!" ;)

We also made it onto the General Jackson Showboat for their lunch cruise. Hadley was amazing through the show and was, as always, perfectly content hanging out in the wrap! This was the perfect way for us to sight-see the city while still hanging out in the air conditioning! 

Finally, we went on the Grand Ole Opry tour on our way out town. We almost didn't do it, but after we were so glad we did! Girlfriend fell asleep right after the Blake Shelton video introduction and woke up juuuust in time for the picture on the stage! Both my husband and I love country music so it was pretty cool to see something that's so special to so many artists. It was pretty freaking awesome that they even let you stand on the stage that many greats have graced. 

FOUR MONTH UPDATE

I see all of these pictures of newborn baby goodness on Instagram each day, and it makes me realize how far we've come in four months! Even though this whole mama thing still feels so new, it's amazing how much growing and learning has happened in these four months. I'll be honest, I miss that itty bitty newborn fog, but I'm also so enamored with watching my Hadley girl discover new things, and it makes me SO excited for what's to come! 

Age: Four Months

Stats: 16.5 lbs., 25.5"

Milestones: You pull your cute chubby legs straight up in the air and twist them over to your side now- you're almost ready to roll over and mama is getting way too emotional over you growing up so fast! You are able to hold toys in your hands for a while and even bring them to your mouth to gnaw on. Tummy time doesn't bother you as much anymore now that you are able to lift your chest off of the floor. Cooing and making all sorts of pterodactyl noises is your jam- and cracks us up, which makes you laugh. Currently your reach extends to your ankles, next stop; FEET! 

Likes: I'm officially declaring that you like to travel because you are the BEST little traveler! You sleep on plane rides and you are perfectly content being strapped to one of us in a carrier. You are still easily calmed by white noise, and it usually puts you to sleep in minutes...I need a new hair dryer because it's now used as a baby shusher. ;) You also like patty cake, rattles, sticking out your tongue, breathing in when you laugh, and Sophie the giraffe!  

Dislikes: Still not a fan of clothes being put on over your head, but you smile when they're taken off over your head! Silly girl. You dislike everything but mama's arms when you are tired, but sometimes not even those will do. That's when the white noise machine hair dryer is turned on! 

Noteworthy: You had your second set a vaccinations at the doctor's office and you were a total champ about them! 

 I may be a tad biased, but I just think you are the BEST baby! ;)

 

MICHIGAN TRIP: GETTING THERE

A few weeks ago we packed up only the necessary baby gear, which still seemed like a ton of stuff, and took our three month old on a plane headed for Michigan! I was super nervous to fly with a baby and was kind of freaking out about what to bring for her. Since we were only going for a long weekend, Thursday to Monday, we decided to try not to bring the entire nursery with us. Instead we brought her car seat and base, diaper bag, and packed her fold-up bassinet, monitors, and eight days worth of clothes-just in case- for Hadley in a carry-on while we checked our bag. This way, if anything happened to our luggage, we would still have everything we needed for her! 

We bought this travel bag for her car seat and base on our way to the airport because we're really good at planning ahead like that. ;) 
When we got to the airport, I changed her before we got out of the car, nursed her while Tommy checked our bag, then we headed for TSA. 
I wore my SollyBaby wrap, but I didn't know if they would let me leave her in it through security, so I just held her...and she may or may not have spit up all over the floor while we were in line. We went through the metal detector instead of the full body scanner and then got to our gate with an hour and a half to wait. She looked out the window for a little while and then right before we were to board, fell asleep. She woke up once we got to our seats though so we took some pictures to document her first flight! She totally looks like she was trying to figure that whole thing out.
Everyone's advice was to nurse her on the way up and the way down to help her pop her ears. BEST. ADVICE. EVER. annnnd, she slept the entire flight in-between. On our way off of the plane we passed people who complimented us on how well she did. 

 

FIRST FOURTH

Our weekends are pretty laid back these days. This one was no different, except that we got Daddy for a four-day weekend! 

Each year, we go over to the beach side of town to get a great view of the fireworks launched on the riverside of the island. It's usually a few hours spent outside eating and hanging out beforehand. Girlfriend LOVES to go outside with me, but we usually only stay out for 20-30 minutes at a time. So when were outside for about an hour, she lost. her. shit. I get it, I screwed up. Pushed her for longer than she was used to. I took her inside but...y'all, I have never heard her cry so loud for so long. I was actually worried she had gotten bitten or something. She wasn't having any of that nursing business, changing her diaper didn't help, and the trusty white noise of the hair dryer (saved as a voice memo on my phone) didn't do its usual magic. We took her out to the car, blasted the A/C, and drove around for a bit. She was asleep in five minutes. Thank. GOD! 
We drove her around so she could sleep for about an hour. When we got back we planned on just taking shifts of bringing her inside every 30 minutes. Then, the manager of the facility we were at came over to tell us that he opened up the two story building overlooking the water for families with young kids to be able to watch from the balcony or inside. Again, thank God! We were able to snap a few pictures out on the balcony, but watched the rest from inside in the air conditioning! Homegirl was a happy camper, and we had the best view!

Hadley Girl, we hope you enjoyed you first Fourth of July! We hope you grow up appreciating all of the people that make our freedom possible.

God Bless America!

THREE MONTHS DOWN

Age: Three months

Stats: Weighs 15.2 lbs., and 25 inches tall!

Milestones: First out-of-state trip to see grandparents, on an airplane (you were fantastic!)! Still sleeping between 8-9 hours a night, mostly able to sit up for short periods of time on your own, grabbing and pinching (especially skin-OUCH!), and blowing spit bubbles.

Likes: Sticking out her tongue, eating her hands, open-mouth kisses, smiling when we get you in the morning, being outside, white noise, car rides, baths, watching TV (I only let her watch for a few minutes- I promise!) and you still like playing your Fisher Price piano!

Dislikes:Clothes going over your head, sitting still, and sudden noises while sleeping!

Noteworthy: Last week you went on your first airplane ride, and did so great- other passengers even commented on what a good baby you were! You were baptized in Michigan with your Grammy and Papa, Great Grandma, Aunt, Great Aunts, and cousins watching- no tears for you (Mama can't say the same)!

Well, we've got three months down in the books! Speaking of books, I need to get going on a baby book. I'm seriously loving the idea of these "yearbooks" for baby/family!

SUMMER TRENDS

I am by no means a fashionista, usually choosing comfort over style, but I do love looking at the instagrams and blogs of those who are! And I can't help crushing over what seems to be some of this summer's biggest trends: poms (you know I love me some pom poms based on my shop!) and tassels! Here are a few things that I am loving.

Baby Pom Pom Romper//Pom Dress//Tassel Top//Tassel Sandals

 

Also, if you know of any shops with baby clothes that have tassels, let me know! :)

MILKING IT//BREASTFEEDING + PUMPING

Before Hadley was born, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed. Not only for the convenience- at 2 am, sticking a boob in their mouth sounded a lot easier to me than mixing formula and getting the correct water temperature- but also the nutritional benefits and bonding experience. So when she latched right away after our skin-to-skin time, my mama heart rejoiced. But I was totally unprepared for just how much it would hurt. Like, don't give me even the softest hug because it felt like you were rubbing sandpaper on a sunburn kind of hurt. When the baby cried for her next feeding and it felt like I just fed her, I wanted to cry too. The Medela Sensitive Lanolin is a lifesaver during this time. If you can fight through the first 5-6 weeks- it sounds like forever, but you have a newborn so it will go by fast- then it gets SO much better, REALLY! 

I am returning to work (I'm currently a sixth-grade teacher) at the beginning of August, while that seems like a long ways off, I know it will go by way too fast (cue the waterworks)! So I have already begun building my milk bricks stash. I contacted my insurance provider about three weeks before my due date asking about a free breast pump since a friend of mine received one from her insurance company. They pointed me in the direction on their website for obtaining information on approved providers to contact. I found 'A Breast Pump and More' and filled out a quick online form, it was easier than checking out on Shutterfly (does anyone else have this problem? #FOMCC... fear of missing coupon codes!). I had a double breast, electric pump before the baby came! The pump I got is the Hygeia Enjoye, and they sent me four accessory kits that I know I will be so thankful for when it comes to pumping at work!

Right now, I pump one breast at a time into the same bottle so I don't have to clean two every time (yes, I'm that lazy), but when I have to pump at work I will pump both simultaneously.

To help with all of the feedings, and now adding additional pumping sessions, I've been eating some really yummy lactation recipes that I thought I'd share! Also, make sure you're drinking a lot of water. I can totally tell a difference in my milk supply when I don't drink enough, to the point where it seemed like my boob was tapped out and then I drank more water and was able to pump a bit more! When I pour a good pumping session into a storage bag I can't help but do a little happy dance as I'm writing down the ounces...and mayyyybe I draw a happy face on there as well. :) Celebrate the victories!

Power Cups:

3/4 cup flaxseed meal

2 tbsp. brewer’s yeast

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup chocolate chips (I use minis)

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2/3 cup honey (raw if you can get it!)

2 tsp. vanilla

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

*Optional: Add one cup of cran-raisins/shredded coconut/raisins (or all three!)

Mix this all together with a stand-mixer or spatula, press into baking cups, refrigerate for an hour, and then enjoy! I love putting some Greek yogurt on them and topping with Craisins for a yummy breakfast! It's like a breakfast cupcake if you're against eating real cupcakes for breakfast.

Fruit Smoothie:

2 cups ice

2 cups frozen berries

1 banana

½ cup flaxseed meal

2 tbsp. brewer’s yeast

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 cup almond/regular milk or orange juice

The great thing about smoothies is you can basically add anything you want to them and they will taste great! I’ve made a green smoothie too where I subbed out the berries for kale and added 1/3 cup of raw honey and a tsp. of vanilla.

Tried and Ture Chocolate Chip Cookies (or the 4-hour cookies, according to my husband):

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. water

2 tbsp. flaxseed meal

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat flour)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup mini chocolate chips

2-4 tbsp. brewer’s yeast (I used three in this batch)

*Optional: Add a half cup of cran-raisins/shredded coconut/raisins/crushed walnuts (or all of them!)

Preheat oven to 350°, mix flaxseed meal with water- let sit for 5 minutes, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar, add eggs one at a time and mix well, add flaxseed mix and vanilla and mix well, sift (may you have more patience with this than I did!) together flour, brewer’s yeast, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, add dry ingredients a little at a time, stir in oats a little at a time, add chocolate chips and any other goodies you are putting in (I put cran-raisins in and hoped I had coconut with no such luck..)! Scoop onto well-oiled baking sheet or parchment paper in tablespoon size, bake for 10-12 minutes. Then just try not to eat all of them in one sitting a day! ;)

As mamas, we do the best we can, or what's best for us and our babies- if breastfeeding/pumping is not for you, that's okay too! Having a happy and healthy baby is what's most important! Speaking of happy and healthy, I'll leave you with this smiling babe!

Please share any of your favorite recipes, I know I will want to have more in my repertoire! :)

HADLEY'S NICKNAME

After we first found out I was pregnant, we were at Disney Springs for dinner and just enjoy walking around. We always make our way into the art shop that they have there and on this particular night they had one of their artists selling and signing his work there. My husband saw this Winnie the Pooh painting and thought it would be great for the new baby's nursery.

The artist asked if we would like a character, that wasn't in the painting on the front, to be drawn on the back so we would have a one of one piece of art. I immediately called out, "Roo!" He looked at me a little puzzled and said, "Roo!? No one asks for Roo...maybe Eeyore or Owl?" But I explained that Roo is so cute and he is the baby of the group and we were planning on putting this in the baby's room. So Roo it was! Even though we didn't go for a "Winnie the Pooh" themed nursery, we still incorporated it into the room's décor.
This led to us calling the baby Roo for the duration of the pregnancy, even after we found out we were expecting a girl, and because we were not revealing her name until after she was born!
The nickname has stuck even after welcoming Hadley into the world- and I still think it's adorable! :)

Do you have any stories about how your little one got their nickname?!

TWO MONTHS WITH HADLEY

Age: Two months

Stats: Weighs 12.4 lbs., and almost 24 inches tall! Homegirl likes to eat!

Nicknames: Hadley Roo, Roo, Hadley Girl, Hadley Hiccups- she gets the most adorable squeaky hiccups!-Little Roo (I will post the story about how she got the nickname Roo later!)

Milestones: She had been sleeping 5 hours at night since she was around four weeks old, at six weeks she started sleeping seven hours a night. Now she typically sleeps for 7.5-8 hours at night. We thought this was awesome- maybe a little too good so we called the doctor at six weeks to make sure this was okay for her to be doing (yes we are those parents). He said, "Bravo! You've got a good one!" :)
She took her first bottle at 7.5 weeks like a champ! We were in the car and I pumped her a bottle and gave it to her while we were driving. Zero hesitation or resistance and she slept the rest of the way there and just about made it home before she lost her sh!& (approximately 2.5 hours).

Likes: Eating, being close to mama-especially in the Solly wrap, sleeping, stroller and car rides, mama and dada singing and dancing, getting burped-or just having her back rubbed or patted, being in her swing, playing her piano, and looking out the window.

Dislikes: Getting changed, being put in her car seat (once she's in she loves it!), having to wait for food, and commercials on Pandora.

Noteworthy: Even though it breaks mama and dada's heart when you cry, the way you stick out your bottom lip and crinkle your eyelids when you are upset is just so adorable! You are so strong, you've been able to hold your head up for short periods of time since you were four days old! Now, at two months, for even longer time periods!

Hadley Girl, we are so in love with you! We sit and stare in awe of you on a daily basis and we are so proud of all the leaps and bounds you've made already!

SMALL BATHROOM REMODEL

We have slowly been updated our house room by room. Most recently was our second full bathroom. This bathroom is relatively small but we wanted it to have a clean, spa-like feel and look anyways since there is not a dedicated master bathroom in the house. This is the original blue bathtub and wall tile that has been in the house since it was built in 1971. Here is what we were working with when we started…

The bathroom was taken down to the studs and we had a blank canvas to work with!

The new tub was put in and the tile is going up! We decided to have the tile go up the wall about halfway around the entire bathroom in the hopes of making it feel more cohesive and not chopped up- again, due to the size. The purple is actually the waterproofing drywall that was put up in the whole bathroom (and then coated in the actual tub/shower area), but we liked the way the purple went with the marble look of the tile so we went with a lighter shade with the paint. 

I love the way it turned out. The floors are probably my favorite thing we did-LOVE that it's still tile but with a wood look. 

 Flooring|Wall Tile (not available online, linked to a similar style)|Vanity (I couldn't find this one online, linked to a similar style)

Any remodeling projects on your radar? Our eat-in kitchen is next!