And thus concludes the week of birthdays...

A big [Happy Birthday!!!] to my mom today!

I would write a mushy post, but frankly, there just isn't time this morning.  I leave for my girls' weekend away this afternoon, and getting things ready to leave for the weekend has been pretty hairy.  In fact, I just texted my bestie the following: 

Leaving for the weekend stinks!  There is so much to do.  I am going to need a margarita and a tranquilizer gun.

One is for me, and one is for Opie. 

That said, I have got to get moving.  There is a car to pack, lunches to make, make-up to be applied and outfits to determine.  A dog to feed, doors to lock, gas tanks to be filled, and a GPS to be figured out.

Adios, muchachos!

I'll be back with some fun and fancy free Chicago pics on Monday when I realize all of this pre-trip hullabaloo was well worth it.  Right now, I still have an order in for a margarita and a tranquilizer gun. 

Somebody's got a 6 month birthday in da house!

I can't believe Newbie is 6 months old.  Truly unbelievable.  Last night before bed he was swaddled up all pink and fresh and lying in his bassinet not making a peep outside of a few newborn coo's...right? 

RIGHT?!?!?!
I can't figure out how he went from itsy bitsy pink newborn to roly poly laughing talking squawking 6 month old so fast. 

*sigh*

But today is a big day because he did go from itsy bitsy pink newborn to roly poly laughing talking squawking 6 month old, and today we're celebrating!  ...with a trip to Target and Hobby Lobby and Arby's.  Not exactly a 6 month old's dream, but we'll make up for it tonight when we head over to the Hub's joint to check out the pool! 

And now [drumroll please] the monthly letter to my little Newbie!

Dear Roly Poly Newbie,

You are 6 months old today!  And you've got some serious thunder thighs to prove it.  You've been working on those babies since day one, and they have really chunked out in the past month.  Even the waitress commented on them at dinner last week.  You are so roly poly that you are simply irresistible.  I have to squeeze those rolls every time I see you because you are just so lovable.  Mmm mmm good!

Your daddy and I can't believe how fast the past half a year has flown by.  You have grown so much and have developed such a joyful and spunky personality- we can't get enough of you.  Sometimes I just want to bottle up all those raspberries you blow and save them for later because they are just finger-lickin' good. 

You have so many tricks up your sleeve now that it's hard to count!

*You smile and laugh like crazy.  All the time!  You are such a happy boy.  We have prayed that you would experience the joy of Christ in your life, and each day you show us that God has already blessed you with good cheer.  I love watching you smile and laugh- your eyes light up like a Christmas tree and your cheeks get even rounder and you curl up your little toes and just guffaw from the bottom up.  Kinda like your mama. =) Go hard or go home in the laughing department, and I'm so happy to see you just bubbling with joy!

*You are almost crawling.  I truly think it will be any day now.  You stick that little hiney up in the air and push up on your hands and rock like you want to move more than anything in the world.  You will get there....and that's when I will have to pick up all the odds and ends I have lying around the house because I am convinced you are going to be a little Curious George getting in to everything.

*You are sitting up all on your own!!!  Woohoo!  That means Mama can call Miss Trudy and set up a 6 month picture appointment!  We've been practicing for a while, but the past three days you have just gotten so good at it.  You topple over when you get lazy or overly enthusiastic, but if you're working at it, you can just sit and sit and sit.  It is precious to watch you take in the world now that you have a new perspective on things.  Your favorite thing to do is sit and watch that crazy Opie dog do his thing.  No matter what Opie is up to, you think it is intriguing and hilarious.  Daddy and I get a kick out of watching you watch him.  You guys will be the best of buds whenever we take down the great wall of China in the dining room. 

*You can put your binky in and out of your mouth no matter where it is. This. is. awesome.  Because it saves me from having to pop it in any time you need a little something to gnaw on. 


*You LOVE toys that light up and sing and you still love those blue puppy dog stuffed animals and your "frogger".  But lately you are SO into light up big boy toys.  You also got a rainbow ring tower from our day out at Fall Makeover, and you love that thing too.  You stick the rings over your little pumpkin toes and let them fall down to your chunker thighs before you pull them off again and stick them straight into your mouth.  It is such fun seeing you really have a preference for certain toys and interacting with them now.  I think Santa Claus is going to be really good to you this year! =)


*You make noise like CRAZY!  When you are happy you sing and sing.  When you are irritated you grumble and groan and blow mad raspberries.  When you are content you talk and jibber jabber and throw in the occasional "ma-ma" (which I go nuts over!).  When you are excited, you can't blow rowdy raspberries fast enough, nor can you screech loud enough.  I have never met a more excited and talkative baby boy.  Daddy and I have so much fun listening to ALL those sounds!

*You are the sweetest little snuggler.  You love to be rocked before bed, and although you love your daddy to the moon and back, you really like to hear Mama's lullabies before you fall asleep.  Maybe that's because you know your mama loves to sing and you are just humoring her because no one else can stand to listen to a country fan that's tone deaf. =)  But I love it. We sing worship songs, then a couple country songs your G-Daddy used to sing to me on his guitar when I was a little girl, then we move on to Christmas carols, because what kind of mama would I be if I didn't prepare you for the holidays?  I love our time together before bedtime.  It just might be my favorite!

*You are HUGE!  Over 22 pounds and into your big boy car seat.  You look so grown up in that thing!  We have your 6 month appointment soon where we will find out your exact weight and how long you are.  I think we will be surprised by how much you've grown since your last appointment at 4 months old! 

*You are really loving bath time these days.  When we get you in the big tub with your toys, you are always unsure at first, but then you go crazy yelling and splashing and reaching for toys and cramming soapy hands into your mouth.  We have  a ball watching you play in the bath!


*You are napping long and hard in the afternoons and pretty well in the mornings.  You like sleeping in Mama and Daddy's bed the best and sleep longest when you sleep there.  Mama is a sucker and lets you sleep there because she is doing everything she said she never would do when she became a parent- letting baby sleep in the big bed instead of his crib as #1 on the list.  My theory is that you will only be little for a short time and then we'll bump ya out into your own bed for nap time. =)  Right now it is just so fun to snuggle and so nice to have a loooong good afternoon nap!  You are sleeping in your own room and crib and night and you do great.  Bed time is around 8:30 and you usually wake up a little bit around 2 and 4 just needing a binky and a pat on the back.  Otherwise you sleep from 8:30 til about 8 in the morning....almost 12 hours!  Nice work, little man!



Newbie, your daddy and I love you so very, very much!  We are so proud of all your fun tricks and of what a sweet and happy baby you are.  Our biggest hope for you is that you continue to live joyfully in the love of Christ and that you would seek to know and follow hard after Him.  We consider it pure joy to have the privilege of introducing you to Jesus and of showing you what it is like to love and serve God and others.  We just love you to bits and pieces and want more than anything for you to grow in the love of Christ and to love Him with all your heart and soul and mind.  He has been so good to our family and has blessed us so much with the gift of you.  You are a precious blessing and we love you forever, Newbie!!!!

Love you for always,

Mama

Blooper Reel

Lest you think me and my homies are normal....

...or even close.

Yep.  There's a whole lotta weird packed into this family.

And I'm OK with that. =)

Grab Bag

1. I'm at my mom's doing laundry today because my washing machine is broken.  Still.

2. There's a mouse in this room.  Somewhere.  I can hear him.  Under the desk?  In the closet?  In the wall?  Why do critters follow me wherever I go?

3. Newbie and I surprised my mom and her 32 fourth graders today.  It was so fun!  The kiddos were in the middle of a lesson on the miners trapped in Chile.  They were watching live footage of the rescue on CNN, and they were secluded in a "mine" taped off with masking tape matching the dimensions of the mine in Chile- they couldn't leave the space provided because that's all the space the miners in Chile have had to live in for the past 2 months. 

a) my mom is an awesome teacher.

b) "Mine" taped off in the classroom = bonus for the germaphobe bringing her baby to school....since the students couldn't leave the "mine," we stood on the outskirts untouched by fourth grade cooties. =)

4. I am getting my Bob and Jillian on in a Biggest Loser challenge beginning October 23 and ending December 23.  Thaaaaat's right, baby.  There's a pot for the winner, a 10 buck entry fee, and -get this- a blog for the competition. I [heart] blogs.  My youth group leader from high school is hosting it, and I. am. so. in.  I figure if I let you in on it, I have to get off the couch at least once or twice between now and Christmas.  Otherwise, oh, the horror of admitting I did nothing.  =)  So long, Halloween Oreos; hello, pool and track at the Hubs' "office".  I'm giving myself the weekend in Chicago to go Cheesecake Factory nuts before I cut myself off.  Oh glorious Godiva chocolate-filled Windy City, you are my last hoorah!

5. I love Home Improvement.  Why can't TV be what it used to be?

6. My baby boy is almost crawling. No joke. The past two days he's been sticking his little hiney up in the air and pushing up on his hands.  Batten down the hatches!  This bald-headed baby is about to be on the move!

7. Newbie slept through the night in his own crib for the first time last night!  He usually ends up in bed with us from 6:45 to 8 because we can squeeze an extra hour out of the night that way.  But he pulled it off in his own bed last night.  I have always dreamt of getting up in the morning and sneaking into my baby's room to peer over the crib and see those sleepy morning eyes wake up, and today it happened!  I loved seeing him wake up in his big boy bed, push up on those arms and peer over the edge of the crib to smile at his mama.  What fun!

8. Yesterday my MIL took me and Newbie out to lunch and to the mall.  We had a lot of fun with her- Newbie is such a trooper at the mall...a trait me and both his grandmothers really appreciate! While we were out, she bought him adorable little monkey swim trunks from Gymboree.  Those suckers were the last ones in the store on clearance, and will last Newbie through to next summer.  Three cheers for plans to hit the pool a billion times this winter!  Woohoo!

9. I feel like I have to come up with ten things because it feels cooky to stop at eight.  The pressure is unreal.

10.  Today is a velour suit day!  Rainy and cold, it's an Eeyore day weather-wise, which means its a velour day for this mama.  Woot.

11. Newbie moved up to his big boy car seat today!!!  He was over 22 pounds last night when we weighed him, and his Chicco only goes up to 22 pounds.  We pulled out his Britax car seat, (Those puppies are as big as a battleship.  Not kidding.) and I installed it rear-facing in our car this morning.  It took me 35 minutes.  No, I don't want to talk about it. 

That's 11.  The cookiness of a list of eleven will haunt me for the rest of the day, but it's DEFINITELY nap time, so I have to scoot. 

Have a fantastic velour suit kind of day!

Adorable on the loose

Good Morning, Friends!

Have you seen this? !?!?!

Be still, my beating heart!  If I don't get my hands on a "Peppermint Twist" thick rick-rack apron for Christmas this year, I am going to have to go beat Pug Mama's door down.  LOVE IT!

Is it weird if I'm my sister's biggest Etsy customer?  Because if she keeps cranking this stuff out, I will be. 

Also, how did I not inherit the "whip out an adorable apron in two hours" gene? 

For that matter, how did I not inherit the "eat whatever you want and still be a size 0" gene?

Ponderings. (Which, according to the spell check, is not a word.  But I beg to differ.  "Ponderings:-noun things I am pondering.  (Yes, I made that definition up, but I think I pulled it off with the "noun" reference)).  Are double parenthesis OK?

Right now you're wondering how I managed to graduate with a degree in English.  

I have no explanation for you. 

Wishing you all a Tuesday filled with happy and Poetic License!

(Poetic License:–noun

license or liberty taken by a poet, prose writer, or other artist in deviating from rule, conventional form, logic, or fact, in order to produce a desired effect.) Thank you, dictionary.reference.com.

Talk to me, Baby!

Nothing like three blog posts in one day to really reflect how productive I've been around here in the past 12 hours.

Oh, well.  This could not wait until the morning hours. 

I have BIG NEWS!

Tonight the Hubs got home from work and relayed his day to me.  He's working at a health and wellness center, and at one point he looks at me and says, "Honey, it's just so great!  I absolutely love it!  Everybody there cares so much about fitness and health- they are so passionate about helping people get healthy and stay healthy.  IT. IS. AWESOME!" And I said, "Sweet!  Pass the Oreos; let's watch some TV."

Not really. 

But kinda. 

The good news is there's a pool where he's at so when it's blizzarding outside, Newbie and I can hit the 80+ degree pool for some health and wellness training floating and splashing and bubble blowing. We even managed to find a swim suit for him on clearance for two bucks tonight.  All of his suits from the summer will be too small by the time the snow hits, so we snatched one up at the store while we were out. And the other good news is I can take his jogger stroller around the indoor track that overlooks the pool.  All the makings of an active winter day when I would otherwise be sitting on the couch contracting frostbite.  SO looking forward to it!

But that's not the big news.

Back to where I was....the Hubs came home and was telling me about his day while we ate and cleaned up dinner.  Newbie was chilling in his highchair taking it all in while I was at the sink rinsing the dishes- that's when I heard it. 

"Maah-MUH!"

Clear as a bell.

I am not kidding.

NO, I AM NOT KIDDING!

He has been so talkative lately, and I've heard him say "mamamamamamama" and "omom om om om" and "mmmmm  mmmmm" and [insert scream/squeal here], but it's always in a string of sounds and raspberries.

Tonight, however, TONIGHT, my baby said "Ma-Ma!" Short and sweet and crystal clear.  The Hubs and I looked at each other and smiled to the moon and back; we couldn't believe it. 

The Hubs: "He just called you!  No, really- he just said 'Ma-ma' as clear as a bell- and only once!"

Me: [hyperventillating]

The Hubs: "I can't believe that!  He really said it!"

Me: [hyperventillating]

The Hubs: "Good job, Newbie! You're such a big boy! Now say: 'Da-Da!"

He didn't say "Da-Da" tonight.  He only had words for his mother. What can I say?  I let him smell the Oreos, so he's kinda a fan. But I'm sure it's coming!

I was so excited to hear him say "mama"- and only 3 days before his 6 month birthday!  He is such a little ham.  I'm not sure that he knew what he said, but what a riot that he only said it one time. =)  I've probably brained washed him for the past 6 months: "Wanna play with mama?  Want to watch the Today Show with Mama?  Want to go see G-Mama with Mama?  Want to call Daddy with Mama?  Want to eat breakfast with Mama? Want to let Opie out with Mama?" 

I don't know what makes me speak in third person when I talk to him, but I do.  And it will totally pay off if he's already calling my name at 6 months old. So much fun to hear my little guy jabbering away- and exciting to hear him saying an individual word! 
I better get to bed- big day tomorrow. Newbie and I will practice saying "Please pass the Halloween Oreos!" ...it's really an essential phrase this time of year.

Countdown to Chi-CA-go

It's the CHICAGO COUNTDOWN!!!

FOUR days to go!

Newbie is busy snoozing through his afternoon nap today and I am busy making my Chicago wishlist.  You know, the one I have been working on since the Hubs approved my Chicago trip two months ago. 

My bestie and I are spending Saturday on Michigan Avenue then spending the night in Chicago and hitting up IKEA on our way home Saturday.  Yes.  IKEA.  I make the trip about once a year, and I am so excited for this year's hit.  Top items on my list:

Behold: The Art Table

 The Art Table Stool (hrmm....those colors look off...might have to reconsider this potential purchase)

The chair that I have no place or vision for but that I like anyway:

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to top the usefulness of the coat rack I bought last year, but that's no reason not to go spend some moola on some moderately priced Swiss furniture and home decor. 

Here's to long naps and online shopping!